Romanian Football Federation pens 5 to go sponsorship agreement
March 11 – The Romanian Football Federation (FRF) has signed a new sponsorship agreement with official partner 5 to go which will run until 2031.
Europe
French men’s players make ‘WO=MAN’ equality statement
March 10 – Every player in the top two men’s divisions in France celebrated International Women’s Day at the weekend with ‘WO=MAN’ imprinted on the back of their shirts instead of their names.
England legend Stuart Pearce hospitalised after flight emergency
March 10 – Former England international defender Stuart Pearce is reported to be in good spirits after suffering a medical emergency on a flight from Las Vegas.
Barca-Osasuna match called off after sudden death of team doctor
March 10 – Barcelona’s home game against Osasuna in the Spanish league was postponed on Saturday after the death of first-team doctor Carles Miñarro Garcia.
Bulgaria’s Maritsa 1921 Plovdiv applies for Erasmus grant to drive digital learnings
March 10 – Bulgaria’s Maritsa 1921 Plovdiv is applying for a €450,000 Erasmus+ grant. The project, called Maritsa Tech Academy (MTA), aims to demonstrate the impact of technology on football, including AI-based analytics, digital refereeing, wearable GPS technologies, and sustainable sports solutions to improve performance, safety, and athlete development.
Germany launches Women’s EURO 2029 bid under ‘Together WE Rise’ banner
March 8 –The German Football Association (DFB) have chosen International Women’s Day (Saturday March 8) to officially launch their campaign to host the UEFA Women’s EURO 2029 under the campaign banner ‘Together WE Rise’.
As the rich get richer DFL boss Marc Lenz says game is teetering on the edge of competitive balance
March 7 – German Football League (DFL) chief Marc Lenz says global football is at a “crossroads” when it comes to competitive balance and the international calendar.
Lyon coach Paulo Fonseca banned for 9 months after going head-to-head with ref
March 6 – Referee abuse is on the rise in both professional and youth games, which is why it is imperative that the pros set a good example, however, that message didn’t get through to Lyon head coach, Paulo Fonseca.
Zingarevich, banned from entry to Bulgaria, delivers stinging attack on his losing players
March 7 – Botev Plovdiv owner Anton Zingarevich has published an open letter to players and staff expressing his outrage over the team’s results since the beginning of the year. Botev’s team has not yet won a single league match and was eliminated from the Bulgarian Cup by champions Ludogorets on penalties.
CSKA Sofia blast BFU over lenient punishment of Levski Sofia over Skarsem attack
March 6 – CSKA Sofia have criticised the Bulgarian Football Union’s (BFU) Disciplinary Committee for the “unequal” punishments it handed out following the club’s Eternal Derby with Levski Sofia last weekend, which was marred by misbehaviour by both sets of fans.
Women’s Euro 2025 organisers sign joint human rights declaration
March 5 – UEFA, alongside the Swiss government, host cities, and the Swiss Football Association, has signed a joint human rights declaration ahead of UEFA Women’s Euro 2025, vowing to create an inclusive and welcoming tournament for everyone involved.
Gunners firing on all cylinders in Eindhoven to set UCL away goal record
March 5 – Tuesday night’s UEFA Champions League last-16 clash saw Arsenal run riot in Eindhoven, delivering a crushing 7-1 win over PSV, leaving them in a commanding position ahead of the second leg.
Serie A keen to trailblaze in the US as first European league to play a regular season game
March 5 – Relevent Sports has been the squeaky wheel in world football for a number of years as they push to host a regular-season match from one of Europe’s top leagues in the USA. To date they have been met with pushback, however, that could soon change as Italy’s Serie A has said they want to hold a regular-season game in the next year or two.
Brugge collapse late to let Villa take two goal lead back to Birmingham
By Samindra Kunti in Brugge
March 5 – Brandon Mechele’s late own goal and a penalty from Marcio Asensio lifted Aston Villa to a 3-1 victory over Club Brugge, bringing Unai Emery’s team a step closer to the last eight of the Champions League.
Čeferin discusses infrastructure with Balkan FA presidents. Bosnia close to finding site for national stadium
March 5 – Vico Zeljković, president of the Football Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH), has promised that in the next 30 days the FBiH leadership will choose a location for the construction of a new national stadium.