Shocking

The mother of Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola has died after being diagnosed with the novel coronavirus, the English Premier League champions said on Monday. 

"The Manchester City family are devastated to report the death today of Pep's mother Dolors Sala Carrió in Manresa, Barcelona after contracting coronavirus. She was 82-years-old," City said in a post on their official Twitter account. "Everyone associated with the club sends their most heartfelt sympathy at this most distressing time to Pep, his family and all their friends." 

Two amateur Swedish soccer clubs felt forced to cancel a friendly and then play the game in secret due to fears of match-fixing after almost 150 bookmakers worldwide offered odds on the game in the absence of other live sport, the newspaper Sportbladet reported. 

MANCHESTER — FIFA is working on the details of a "Football Marshall plan" to deal with the financial fall-out from the coronavirus pandemic, which will almost certainly result in them dipping into their $2.7 billion reserves.

World soccer's governing body has set up a working group to look into the myriad of issues thrown up by the halting of the game across the globe as a result of the pandemic and this week it is expected to focus on ways in which it can help give a cash boost to those struggling.

Liverpool fans are sweating after the English Football Association ended and scrapped all of the seasons in the National League System from the third division down. One of the clubs having its hard work scrapped is Jersey Bulls FC, a team that dominated its division by winning 27 straight. 

As football around the world shut down amid the coronavirus pandemic, defiant Belarus kicked off its new season on Thursday and said it would even allow spectators to watch the games. 

Cardiff City announced that former midfielder Peter Whittingham passed away at the young age of 35 on Thursday.

The club said in a statement: “First and foremost, Peter was a family man – and somebody who could light up a room with his sense of humor, warmth and personality. Then, as a professional footballer – as a Bluebird – he excelled with talent, ease, grace and humility. Nobody did it better.”

The inquiry that led to the detention of former Brazil player Ronaldinho enters a new stage this week as prosecutors focus on what they believe is a money laundering scheme involving the businesswoman who invited him to Paraguay. Investigators will begin reviewing files and messages on the phones of the former Barcelona and AC Milan player and his brother and business manager Roberto Assis. 

Jan Vertonghen's family was robbed at knifepoint in their London home while the Tottenham Hotspur defender was on Champions League duty against RB Leipzig in Germany on Tuesday night, the BBC reported. The report said police had confirmed that four men wearing balaclavas forced their way into the house while Vertonghen's wife and children were inside.

UEFA will hold a video conference meeting of all 55 football federations in Europe plus representatives of clubs, leagues and players to discuss the impact of the coronavirus on all football in the region including Euro 2020, it said Thursday. 

UEFA has so far declined to discuss whether Euro 2020, which will be held in 12 different countries around Europe between June 12 and July 12, will be postponed or venues altered. 

UEFA said the meeting would be held next Tuesday and that "discussions will include all domestic and European competitions, including UEFA EURO 2020".