Serie A to continue with Super Cup in Saudi as part of expansion to 4-team format
March 15 – Serie A will again play its Super Cup in Saudi Arabia next year as the continuation of a deal that began in 2018.
Europe
With Vidic out the running, Dzajic takes reins at Serbian FA
March 15 – Former Red Star legend Dragan Dzajic has been elected president of the Serbian Football Association. All 78 delegates attending the election voted for Dzajic.
Platini says he will not return to French federation to replace le Graet
March 14 – Cleared in 2022 by Swiss justice of the fraud charges that had persued him for six years, Michel Platini (pictured) has repeated that he has no interest in making a comeback as head of the French Football Federation (FFF) following the departure of the disgraced Noel Le Graet.
Vidic bites the bullet and pulls out of Serbian FA presidential race
March 14 – Former Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic has withdrawn his candidacy for president of the Serbian FA just two weeks after throwing his hat into the ring.
Bulgaria’s debt-plagued Levski refused sale of defender to Russian Premier League club
March 14 – Nasko Sirakov, owner of Bulgaria’s Levski Sofia, admitted that the club refused to sell a player to a Russian club, despite the serious financial crisis facing the club and its huge debts to the National Revenue Agency (NRA).
Match-fixing? Real Madrid to join case against Barca for allegedly buying referee influence
March 13 – Real Madrid are to join an official complaint filed on Friday by prosecutors against Barcelona and two of its ex-presidents over millions of dollars allegedly paid to a company that belonged to the former vice president of Spain’s refereeing committee.
Partisan Belgrade Ultras fury grows as winless season sparks new protest
March 13 – Ultras of Serbian club Partizan Belgrade, increasingly frustrated with club management over the poor performance of the team, made their dissatisfaction clear at the weekend, locking the main entrance to the club stadium and sending a message to officials.
ECA’s Ukrainian relief effort approves 11 new club projects
March 13 – The European Club Association (ECA) has approved a further 10 clubs with 11 projects as part of its Ukraine relief programme that provides funds, in conjunction with the UEFA Foundation for Children, for initiatives to support displaced Ukrainian families and children.
UEFA to review homegrown player rules after ECJ says they could be discriminatory
March 10 – UEFA could be forced into tweaking its homegrown player rule after a senior lawyer at the European Court of Justice (ECJ) said it was partially incompatible with the European Union’s free movement laws.
Real Madrid reject UEFA’s UCL final refund plan demanding more money for their fans
March 10 – Real Madrid have rejected UEFA’s compensation offer to fans affected by the chaos at last season’s Champions League final when spectators were funnelled by police into overcrowded bottlenecks and hit with tear gas.
Diacre claims ‘smear campaign’ as player unrest forces her out as French head coach
March 10 – Just four months before the Women’s World Cup, Corinne Diacre has been sacked as French head coach despite her claims that there was a “violent and dishonest” smear campaign against her.
Dressing room violence and threat of firearms forces North Macedonian second tier game off
March 10 – A pre-match violent incident forced off the game in North Macedonia’s Second League between FK Pehcevo and FK Belasica.
DFL to harden ‘50+1’ rule to protect German clubs from investor predators
March 9 – Germany’s football league (DFL) wants to tighten rules to stop investors taking full control of clubs.
PSG fail again in quest for UCL; AC Milan end Spurs’ run and perhaps Conte’s contract
March 9 – The wait goes on for the most star-studded side in Europe. Paris St Germain’s hopes of lifting the Champions League for the first time are over for another season as they crashed out of the competition in the last 16 with a 2-0 defeat at Bayern Munich (3-0 on aggregate).
2023 UEFA Nations League finals tickets go on sale
March 9 – UEFA has launched ticket sales for the general public for the 2023 UEFA Nations League Finals in the Netherlands. Available on UEFA.com, the sales window will run until March 16.