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.
World Football
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.
Investigation clears Berhalter to stay in running for USMNT job
March 14 – Greg Berhalter remains in the running to return to the role of US men’s national team head coach following an investigation into allegations of domestic violence.
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March 14 – Former Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic has withdrawn his candidacy for president of the Serbian FA just two weeks after throwing his hat into the ring.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.
Canadian women get equal pay offer but tell government hearing they don’t trust federation
March 13 – Canada’s women players have told a government hearing they don’t trust the sport’s governing body to negotiate a fair labour agreement after Canada Soccer went public with proposals for equal pay and division of prize money.
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.
Court tells Textor’s Botafogo to deal with its debt or face its assets being frozen
March 12 – Brazilian club Botafogo has been told to renegotiate with creditors after failing to settle around Reais 10 million (€1.8 million) in debt. Failure to do so will result in the club’s assets being frozen.
Sanchez quits Middle East for Ecuador and a focus on 2026 World Cup qualification
March 13 – Qatar’s World Cup coach Felix Sanchez has a new role. He will succeed Gustavo Alfaro as head coach of Ecuador on a four-year deal, with qualification for the 2026 World Cup his main challenge.
Relevent appeals court win raises spectre of LaLiga staging league matches in US again
By Paul Nicholson
March 10 – Relevent Sports Group’s ambition to stage LaLiga regular season games in the US has been given a lifeline after a US federal appeals court ruled they could go to court with their antitrust lawsuit against FIFA and the US Soccer Federation (USSF).
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.