March 7 – Boris Johnson, the UK’s colourful foreign secretary with a reputation for outspoken – occasionally outlandish – comments, has caused something of a diplomatic storm by appearing to suggest that England could withdraw from the World Cup in retaliation for Russia’s suspected poisoning of a former double agent on British soil.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 7 – Cyprus Football Association president Costakis Koutsokoumnis, who fought to build bridges on the divided island by trying to unify football and sought to eliminate matchfixing, has died aged 61 after a long battle with cancer.
March 6 – Just when English football authorities appeared to have learned from the lessons of the past in terms of embarrassing gaffes, so another one has hit the headlines, this time involving Football Association chief executive Martin Glenn.
March 6 – Italian football is breaking with tradition and going down the English road of playing over Christmas and New Year.
March 6 – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has accepted a Football Association charge over “wearing a political message” during matches, specifically a yellow ribbon in support of jailed pro-independence politicians in his native Catalonia.
March 3 – Tributes will be paid before Champions League and Europa League games this week in honour of Davide Astori, the Fiorentina defender and former Italian international who died tragically at the weekend aged 31.
March 5 – Just days after the head of Asian football, Shaikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa, called on FIFA to lift its ban on Iraq being allowed to host competitive international matches, two Asian Champions League games have been postponed until April in the hope that FIFA heeds the request.
March 5 – The whole of Italy and the footballing world beyond has registered its collective shock and disbelief after the sudden death overnight on Saturday of Fiorentina captain and Italian international defender Davide Astori at just 31 years of age.
March 1 – German football may consider ditching Monday night league games following a string of protests by fans who have voted with their feet and stayed away, according to Borussia Dortmund’s chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke (pictured).
February 28 – The prospect of a winter break in top-flight English football, which has been discussed and debated for years with public opinion split, appears to be edging closer.
By Andrew Warshaw
The 24 qualifiers for the one-off pan-Continental European Championship in 2020 will share record total prize money of €371 million, €70 million up on last time, with each of the finalists receiving a minimum of €9.25 million.
February 27 – After 14 years at Manchester United, Phil Townsend is joining UEFA as its new managing director of communications in succession to Pedro Pinto.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 26 – Video assistant referees (VAR) will not be used in European competition next season even if they are approved for this summer’s World Cup, according to UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 26 – Despite a measured and convincing plea to the whole of Europe to “put football first”, Jersey’s application to become the 56th member of UEFA was crushed at the organisation’s annual congress today when not a single federation supported its bid for inclusion.
February 28 – More than 200 betting industry experts will be sharing their knowledge and opinions on a wide range of subjects in and around football and betting at next month’s Betting on Football.