Wembley to pay tribute to victims of NZ mosque shootings
March 19 – Victims of the mosque shootings in New Zealand will be remembered at Wembley ahead of England’s European Qualifier against Czech Republic on Friday.
Europe
UEFA picks IMG to sell EURO 2020 hospitality for UK and Ireland
March 19 – UEFA, which last week issued a tender splitting its beer sponsor package into 12 pieces for the EURO 2020 championships, has these week awarded an exclusive sales agency contract to IMG to be its official hospitality sales agent for England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland.
Ronaldo’s big day hat-trick celebration catches UEFA’s attention
March 19 – Cristiano Ronaldo has been charged with improper conduct by UEFA for the way he celebrated Juventus’ win over Atletico Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League.
UEFA and top European clubs in secret talks over Champions League revamp
By Andrew Warshaw
March 18 – Amid increasing speculation about a European Super League, firmly denied at every turn by UEFA, reports surfaced over the weekend that the Champions League may be revamped to appease Europe’s top clubs.
Teargas forces game off as Panathinaikos fans run riot, attacking Olympiakos bench
March 18 – Greek football has been plunged back into ignominy with Panathinaikos’ derby with Olympiakos Piraeus abandoned on Sunday after their fans attempted to attack players on the visiting team’s bench.
Deja vu all over again for Man Utd and Barca. City and Spurs drawn together
March 15 – A mouth-watering Champions League quarterfinal draw saw Tottenham Hotspur draw the short straw by being paired with Premier League champions Manchester City while Barcelona meet Manchester United in a repeat of the 2009 and 2011 finals both won by the Catalan giants.
Liverpool sweep Bayern aside to make it 4 English teams in Champions League last 8
March 14 – For the first time in 10 seasons, half the Champions League quarterfinalists are from one single country, with the Premier League providing four clubs in Friday’s eagerly awaited draw.
On-loan Liverpool keeper Karius asks for FIFA’s help as Besiktas fail to pay his wages
March 13 – Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius, whose infamous blunder partly cost his club the Champions League title against Real Madrid and who left for Turkey on loan last August, is reportedly seeking assistance from FIFA having allegedly gone without his salary for four months.
English pitch invaders draw wrath of clubs and calls for tough criminal punishment
By Andrew Warshaw
March 11 – English football headlines after an action-packed weekend were not about how results impacted on the Premier League but two separate incidents of a spectator invading the pitch, with pundits calling for the strongest possible action by the authorities.
Man Utd fan hospitalised after being stabbed in chest by Parisian taxi driver
March 8 – A 44-year-old Manchester United fan is being treated in hospital after being stabbed in Paris following the club’s dramatic Champions League win over Paris St-Germain on Wednesday night.
UEFA members in Turkey for last minute summit on FIFA proposals
By Andrew Warshaw
March 7 – UEFA members are meeting in Istanbul today for an unpublicised strategic meeting that is expected to discuss competition format beyond 2024 and the eagerly anticipated FIFA Council meeting in Miami next week.
Milan clubs agree on new €600m stadium to replace San Siro
March 6 – Milan’s San Siro Stadium’s days may be numbered. The iconic ground shared by AC and Inter Milan looks set to be demolished and replaced by a new stadium as early as 2023.
Man City battle new wave of FFP allegations over owner-inflated sponsorship deals
March 4 – Manchester City are under the spotlight off the field once again amid fresh allegations suggesting they bent the rules over Financial Fair Play following a new wave of leaked emails reported by German publication Der Spiegel.
Turkish FA chief Demirören steps down over potential betting business conflict
March 1 – The president of Turkey’s FA, Yıldırım Demirören (pictured), has resigned amid questions over his business empire’s anticipated acquisition of the country’s only legal sports betting company, according to local reports.
Ramos played his cards wrong. UEFA flush him out with 2-game ban
March 1 – Cheats never prosper – as Sergio Ramos has found to his cost after being handed a two-game ban by UEFA “for clearly receiving a yellow card on purpose” during Real Madrid’s Champions League tie at Ajax.