Salernitana make their point but remain bottom of Serie A
February 15 – Italian football’s appeals court has overturned a Serie A decision to penalise Salernitana for failing to travel to Udinese for a league fixture on December 21.
World Football
Pochettino backs Messi to star in PSG vs Real Madrid Champions league clash
February 15 – Paris St Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino has backed Lionel Messi to come good against Real Madrid in tonight’s mouth-watering Champions League last-16 first leg despite an underwhelming domestic campaign.
Eriksen edges closer to full return with key Newcastle match the target
February 15 – Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen marked his 30th birthday with a first appearance since his cardiac arrest at last summer’s Euros, playing 60 minutes for his new club Brentford in behind-closed-doors friendly against fifth-tier club Southend United.
UEFA in 30,000 free ticket give-away for fans whose clubs make 2022 major finals
February 14 – With the Super Bowl’s cheapest tickets priced at an eye-watering $7,500 for last night’s NFL showpiece, UEFA has moved in the opposite ticket price direction, announcing it will be making available a chunk of free tickets to club fans in its finals this season.
UEFA backs refs to clamp down on faking, and tells players to show more respect
February 14 – UEFA has issued a strong message to its referees to clamp down on simulation ahead of the Champions League knockout stages which start this week.
Palmeiras fan shot dead after riot breaks out in Sao Paulo after CWC loss to Chelsea
February 14 – A man was shot dead during a riot on Saturday among Palmeiras fans who had watched their team lose to Chelsea in the final of the Club World Cup.
Irish launch new strategy to shake off €60m debt and old toxic image
February 14 – The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) have vowed to rebrand and lift the image of the debt-ridden organisation with a new logo and identity as part of a new strategic plan.
Concacaf boosts refereeing accountability with new Red card appeals process
February 14 – Concacaf has moved swiftly following its promise to overhaul its referees’ procedures and upgrade the level of its elite match official structure.
Poyet tasked with rebuilding Greek national team after Qatar 2022 qualification failure
February 14 – Gus Poyet has become the new manager of Greece’s national team after the country’s failure to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar.
Inside job: Brazilian police arrest bank robber who hit Neymar’s accounts
February 11 – Brazilian police have arrested a man they believe hacked into Neymar’s bank accounts and repeatedly stole from the account taking up to $40,000.
Al-Khelaifi heralds new dawn of ECA/UEFA relations and the ‘tectonic shift’ of the TEAM deal
By Paul Nicholson
February 10 – European Club Association (ECA) chair Nasser Al-Khelaifi (pictured) has written to the 240+ members saying that the new three-year commercial deal agreed with TEAM Marketing and Relevent Sports Group is a watershed moment for the association.
Kenya women appeal to Infantino to keep Uganda match on and World Cup hopes alive
By Andrew Warshaw
February 10 – Kenya’s women footballers have urged FIFA president Gianni Infantino to personally intervene to allow a crucial World Cup qualifier to go ahead and save their dream of reaching next year’s finals.
Belgian clubs report combined €139m loss
February 10 – Belgium’s 26 professional clubs registered total record losses of €139 million last year (2020-21 season), the bulk of it a result of the coronavirus crisis.
Italy targets Euro 2032 hosting as embarks on stadium modernisation
February 9 – European champions Italy have indicated their interest in staging Euro 2032 and have informed UEFA accordingly.
Jamaican boss Ricketts in firing line after court hammers him for homophobic comments
By Paul Nicholson
February 9 – Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) president Michael Ricketts, under pressure over his management of the JFF, has been hit with a J$9 million (US$51,000) fine for defamation after homophobic comments he made in 2017.