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Every Rules & refereeing story we publish, newest first.
The legal battle over who owns the intellectual property behind VAR remains unresolved. Francisco Antonio López Romera is seeking 300 million euros from FIFA and the Spanish Football Federation over the use of video refereeing. The trial took place on 9 October 2025 and the case has now been awaiting a verdict for eleven months.
varela·5 min read
Professional football in the Netherlands will stop matches right away if pyrotechnics are thrown or fired onto the pitch or into the stands. The tougher security protocol was agreed on Friday after several violent incidents in Dutch stadiums. Offenders face criminal and civil sanctions as well as stadium bans.
Matt
·5 min read
Canal+ and LaLiga have announced a strategic partnership to strengthen the fight against sports content piracy. The agreement covers close to 50 countries across Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa and Haiti. Both organisations will share intelligence, technology and operational capabilities to disrupt illegal networks that undermine the professional football ecosystem.
varela·5 min read
FIFA has notified clubs worldwide that the deadline to register for its compensation program related to player releases during the World Cup qualifying phase has been extended. The organization has set aside 100 million dollars for clubs that made footballers available for national team duty. Clubs now have until October 2 to submit their applications.
InfoBlaugrana·5 min read
RFEF president Rafael Louzán downplayed the Moroccan Football Federation's claim that Casablanca will host the 2030 World Cup final, a statement FIFA contradicted hours later. Speaking to COPE, he linked the remarks to Morocco's ongoing election campaign and stressed that FIFA has the final say. Spain remains fully confident in its bid to stage the decisive match.
Javi·5 min read
LaLiga has filed 14 separate reports this week with the Spanish Football Federation and the Anti-Violence Commission, covering as many matches from matchdays 3 and 4 in the first and second divisions. The complaints detail chants against Spain, Pedro Sánchez, Catalonia and several clubs, sung in a coordinated manner from specific sections of the stands.
InfoBlaugrana·7 min read
The Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain has asked the Spanish Football Federation for a strong public stance after a group of young Real Madrid fans chanted antisemitic and anti-Muslim slogans outside the Santiago Bernabéu before a Champions League match against Inter Milan.
varela·6 min read
Samuel Eto'o, president of the Cameroonian Football Federation and a close ally of Gianni Infantino, faces serious allegations over the irregular handling of more than half a million euros paid by Russia after the friendly played in Moscow in October 2023.
Javi·6 min read
Spanish referee Jesús Gil Manzano will take charge of Fenerbahçe against Roma on Thursday in the opening round of the Champions League league phase. He becomes the first Spanish official to referee a match in the new format of Europe's top club competition. He leads an all-Spanish refereeing team in Istanbul, with Juan Martínez Munuera as fourth official and César Soto Grado on VAR duty.
InfoBlaugrana·5 min read
Fouzi Lekjaa, president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, has claimed the Hassan II stadium in Benslimane will stage the 2030 World Cup final. FIFA has yet to confirm the venue, with Spain and Morocco locked in a high-stakes battle over football's showpiece match.
Javi·4 min read