Each of FIFA's 211 member associations would receive $500,000 in the coming days as well as any remaining entitlements for 2019 and 2020, it added. The coronavirus outbreak has brought soccer to a standstill and clubs have struggled to cope with the loss of revenue.
Germany's Bundesliga is set to be given the green light for a restart, probably from May 15, as part of measures to further ease the country's coronavirus regulations, two people familiar with the preparations told Reuters. The Bundesliga would be the first of the five major European domestic soccer leagues to resume play after a stoppage which has seen almost all football put on hold around the world since mid-March.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field on Friday
Bayern Munich eased past title rivals Borussia Dortmund 3-1 on Saturday to secure their 10th consecutive Bundesliga crown in front of a sold-out home crowd and with three games to spare, while Paris St Germain secured a record-equalling 10th French top flight title after stuttering to a 1-1 home draw by 10-man RC Lens.
Petr Cech is making the switch from football to ice hockey after the former Chelsea and Arsenal goalkeeper signed for British fourth-tier outfit Guildford Phoenix.
FIFA's head of global development Arsene Wenger will attempt to make a major change to the offside law which could end a run of contentious decisions in the game since the introduction of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia could stake a claim to host future summer Olympics games, but had not yet lodged a formal bid to do so, Russian news agencies reported.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Friday
Players have accepted that playing games in closed stadiums might be the only way to complete the English domestic league season, Bobby Barnes, deputy chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA), has said. English soccer has been suspended until at least April 30 due to the coronavirus crisis, although the Football Association, Premier League and EFL have agreed to extend the season indefinitely.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Athletic Bilbao claimed their first silverware in more than three decades when they wrapped up a 5-1 aggregate win over 10-man Barcelona to win the Spanish Super Cup on Monday and unleash ecstatic celebrations in the Basque city.
The gaze of the sporting world will fall on Germany this weekend as the Bundlesliga becomes the first major soccer league to emerge from the shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic. All 18 clubs will crank back into action in what could act as a catalyst for other leagues to follow suit.
Formula One is planning two Grands Prix without spectators at Silverstone, which this year marks the 70th anniversary of hosting the first world championship race, immediately after two in Austria in early July.
'For the Premier League, it would be great having the best player in the world in the league. I'm not sure the Premier League needs a boost but it would be.'
An ambitious project to awaken a sleeping giant of Asian soccer looks like confirming Nobel laureate Amartya Sen's famous remark that India pricks up its ears only when comparisons with China are made. With China embarked on a multi-billion dollar mission to become a soccer superpower by 2050, India looks set to follow suit with its own plan to raise its status in the game to match its burgeoning economic power. Come October, India, most famously described as soccer's sleeping giant by former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, will launch a programme to engage more than 11 million children in soccer-related activities.
Multiple Olympic champion Usain Bolt will train with Borussia Dortmund on Friday as the retired Jamaican sprinter fulfils his ambition to workout with a major professional soccer team, the German club said on Thursday.
Chinese retail giant Suning Commerce Group Co Ltd has agreed to buy nearly 70 percent of famed Italian soccer club Inter Milan for 270 million euros ($307 million), the highest-profile takeover of a European team so far by a Chinese firm.
Luis Suarez returned for Uruguay for the first time since his infamous World Cup biting incident and scored in a 1-1 friendly draw against Saudi Arabia.
Jose Mourinho maintained his hold over Arsene Wenger with leaders Chelsea enjoying a routine 2-0 win over Arsenal on Sunday after the two old adversaries became involved in an ugly touchline spat.
UEFA announced in a statement that City had committed "serious breaches" of the rules while the Premier League club swiftly said on their website that they will appeal the decision to the Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Packed soccer schedule is a major problem as players will struggle to deliver their best
While their nearest chasers lost, Olympique Lyonnais succumbing 2-1 at home to struggling Lille and Monaco falling 1-0 at Nantes after a last-gasp Lucas Lima thunderbolt, PSG marched on without ever hitting top gear.
India qualified automatically for the event as hosts. They have prepared well with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) sending the players for training tours in Europe and a tournament in Mexico but the home side are the clear underdogs.
Jose Mourinho believes an expanded World Cup tournament would develop the sport in areas lacking strong soccer foundations without proving to be a burden for both clubs or players in major leagues.
German soccer teams started the week in isolation on Monday after going into seven-day quarantine ahead of the Bundesliga season restart on Saturday, with club bosses saying completing the campaign amid the coronavirus outbreak will not be easy. The German Football League (DFL) decided last week to resume the first and second division from May 16 after a two-month suspension, making it the first major sports league to attempt a restart.
New Zealand are placed in Group B along with Turkey, Paraguay and Mali.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Soccer in Germany has been suspended for almost a month and the German Football League (DFL) has said the ban will remain in place for the top divisions at least until April 30. Clubs, however, were given the all clear to resume training this week, with champions Bayern Munich deciding to train players in small groups to minimise the risk of infection.
Infantino warns against re-starting football too early.
The Nike swoosh decorates the outfits of Brazil, France and England, the sides in the quarter-finals most favoured by betting websites to win the World Cup, plus Croatia.
Wearing a T-shirt that read "This is Paris," Messi beamed and waved at scores of fans who had come to greet him at Le Bourget airport on the outskirts of the French capital after his flight from Barcelona.
'I am very proud of these Indian players. They have shown that India can compete against the best in the world. They have a fantastic future'
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
A round-up of all football-related news...
News of all that transpired on and off the football field.
Atletico Madrid have taken the decision to cut the wages of their staff, including the players, to ease the financial burden on the club as they struggle with the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the La Liga club said
In separate statements, the clubs announced that the matches would take place at each of their stadiums and would raise money for boosting healthcare resources in Italy and Spain, but not in Germany.
Barcelona forward Lionel Messi equalled the Champions League scoring record of 71 goals when he struck for the second time in the 76th minute of Wednesday's Group F match at Ajax Amsterdam.
The FIFA task force looking into dates for the Qatar World Cup has recommended a shorter tournament to be staged in November and December 2022, the head of the Asian Football Confederation told reporters on Tuesday.
