Human Interest

Unlike Emmanuel Adebayor, Gareth Bale and wife Emma have decided to donate some of their money to help those in need. The Bales are donating over $1 million and splitting it between the National Health Service in Wales and health services in Madrid.

Bale has been in Madrid on lockdown since early March. Along with the donation, he also teamed up with the NHS and thanked them for all of their work in a video posted earlier in April.

During a time of crisis, as this most certainly is, humans often show their best side.

Spectators are unlikely to be able to return to football stadiums until next year at the earliest due to the continued threat of the novel coronavirus, according to Jaume Roures, the head of Spanish media company Mediapro which broadcasts LaLiga. 

Roures, whose company also manages the international broadcasting rights for the Spanish top flight and broadcasts the Champions League, also predicts the end of colossal transfer fees for players due to the pandemic. 

UEFA's Euro 2021 Women's Championship, to be held in England, will be played one year later in July 2022, European soccer's governing body decided at an executive committee meeting on Thursday. 

The tournament was moved after UEFA's Euro 2020 men's competition had to be postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The opening match will be held on July 6 with the final on July 31. 

Paris St Germain's Neymar and Liverpool's Alisson are among the Brazilian players and coaches who have joined forces with the country's football federation (CBF) to donate almost a million dollars to families facing economic hardship due the new COVID-19 pandemic.

The group of 57 players and staff, also including former Barcelona right back Daniel Alves, donated 2.5 million reais ($463,787) while the CBF met their contribution, according to the organisation.

The global players' union FIFPRO says there has been a sharp rise in the number of players reporting symptoms of depression or anxiety since the sport was brought to a standstill by the COVID-19 outbreak. 

FIFPRO said that 22% of women players and 13% of men players who took part in a survey reported symptoms "consistent with a diagnosis of depression" such as lack of interest, lack of appetite, lack of energy and self-esteem. This compared to 11% and 6% respectively in a similar survey conducted in December and January. 

The novel coronavirus has crippled the global economy and devastated lives and families but Atlético Madrid and Spain midfielder Saúl Ñíguez believes there is a way out if people show solidarity with each other. 

With football on hold during the health crisis, Saúl, 25, has launched Saldremos Juntos (“We'll get through this together”), a campaign to boost Spain's freelancers and small businesses whose livelihoods have been bludgeoned by the pause in activity. 

The players and coaching staff at Serie A side AS Roma have agreed to go without four months' salary to help the club through the crisis caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. Serie A has been suspended since March 9 and it is not known if or when the season will be able to re-start.