FIFA earmarks $1m of relief for Ukraine humanitarian crisis
March 21 – FIFA has sent medical supplies to the Ukrainian Football Association (UAF) and allocated $1 million to the FIFA Foundation for humanitarian aid in Ukraine.
Europe
Real Madrid and Chelsea lined up for Champions League repeat
March 18 – Holders Chelsea will face 13-time winners Real Madrid in the glamour tie of the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Fan-less Chelsea head for Middlesbrough for FA Cup clash as ‘integrity’ storm rages
March 18 – The FA Cup, the world’s oldest domestic knockout tournament, resumes at the quarterfinal stage this weekend with much of the focus on crisis club Chelsea’s visit to second-tier Middlesbrough.
Russian striker Dzyuba says he rejected call-up for family, not political reasons
March 18 – Russia’s national team captain Artem Dzyuba has denied he asked not to join the side’s training camp because of the conflict in Ukraine.
FIFA relaxes transfer rules to allow Ukrainian players to move to foreign clubs
March 17 – FIFA has relaxed its rules to allow home-based Ukrainian players to move to foreign clubs without having to wait for the next transfer window.
VAR referral results in win for Mediapro and €2.1m loss for RFEF
March 17 – The bad blood between the Spanish football federation (RFEF) and Mediapro, one of the world’s biggest sports media organisations that is headquartered in Spain, has continued with the latest victory going to the agency with a €2.1 million compensation win.
Juve slip three late goals to Villareal to exit UCL; Chelsea war machine keeps rolling
March 17 – Three late goals earned Villarreal a stunning 3-0 second-leg victory at Juventus on Wednesday to knock the Italian giants out of the Champions League on a 4-1 aggregate, the third season in a row they have been eliminated in the last 16.
Duka elected for sixth term as president in controversial Albanian FA vote
March 17 – Albanian FA president Armand Duka was overwhelmingly re-elected for a sixth four-year term on Tuesday following weeks of bitter disagreement about the validity of the process.
Spartak Moscow remain out of Europa League as Russia lose appeal added time
March 16 – The ban on Russian teams playing in UEFA competition has been upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) but a separate and more significant ruling on Russia’s World Cup status is expected later this week.
Russian oligarch and Abramovich associate Oyf looking to cash out of Vitesse Arnhem
March 15 – Another Russian oligarch, closely linked to Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, is looking to cash out of his football club ownership.
Scotland to play Poland with money going to UNICEF’s Ukraine emergency fund
March 15 – Scotland will play Poland in a friendly on March 24 instead of their postponed World Cup play-off semi-final against Ukraine – with £10 from every ticket sold going towards UNICEF’s Ukraine emergency fund.
Eriksen picked for Denmark friendlies with Qatar 2022 only a beat away
March 15 – Christian Eriksen has been named in Denmark’s squad for the first time since his cardiac arrest that shocked the world while he was playing against Finland at Euro 2020 last summer.
Ballon d’Or given makeover with performances to be judged on the European calendar
March 14 – The Ballon d’Or award given to the world’s best male and female footballer will now be judged on performances over the main European season rather than an entire calendar year.
Wolves and Porto put finances in order to exit UEFA’s FFP control regime
March 14 – England’s Wolverhampton Wanderers and Portugal’s FC Porto have broken free of the shackles of UEFA’s financial fair play scrutiny and have exited the settlement regimes they were under.
Neuendorf takes over at German FA promising ‘cultural change’
March 14 – Former politician Bernd Neuendorf was sworn in on Friday as the new president of the embattled German Football Association in what the entire hierarchy will hope is a new beginning after years of off-the-field scandal.