South Africa crash out of AFCON 2021 qualification with loss in Sudan
March 29 – South Africa have failed to qualify for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations after suffering a 2-0 defeat in their final group C game against Sudan in Karthoum.
World Football
Greek 2004 hero Zagorakis to wear the armband on Hellenic FA board
March 29 – Euro 2004 hero Theodoros Zagorakis has been elected the new president of the Hellenic Football Association (EPO) for a four-year term.
Mexico and Honduras head for Tokyo Olympic finals, US and Canada out
March 29 – Mexico and Honduras make the final qualification list for the rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Olympics to be played this summer.
Portuguese fury as officials rule out clear Ronaldo goal
March 29 – Where was VAR when it was most needed? Portuguese football, and in particular Cristiano Ronaldo, are still seething at an appalling referring decision that cost them a winning goal in their recent World Cup qualifier against Serbia.
UEFA drops jailed Vrbanović from committees
March 29 – UEFA has stepped in to remove Damir Vrbanović from its National Team Competitions Committee after the Croatian was imprisoned for fraud and tax evasion.
European Leagues, with 10 FA’s backing, say NO to ‘old boy’s club’ UCL qualification
By Andrew Warshaw
March 26 – Ten European football associations have written to UEFA expressing serious misgivings about the future format of the Champions League post-2024.
Comoros and Gambia wins earn them debuts at AFCON finals in Cameroon 2022
March 26 – Comoros and the Gambia will debut at next year’s Africa Cup of Nations following stellar campaigns in their qualifying groups.
CBS inks Concacaf deal in time for kick off of Qatar 2022 qualifiers
March 26 – CBS Sports is on a football rights buying spree, having now added the Concacaf World Cup qualifiers to the Serie A rights announced earlier this week.
Albania get security guarantees to enable England qualifier to go ahead
March 26 – England’s World Cup qualifier against Albania in Tirana on Sunday will go ahead after an issue over security was resolved.
Money talks: UEFA ready to revamp FFP rules as another 200 clubs fall into the red
By Samindra Kunti
March 25 – UEFA has said it could fundamentally overhaul the Financial Fair Play (FFP) system, owing to the economic reality of European football during the Covid-19 pandemic and the clubs’ need for liquidity. The governing body has began a consultation process with the industry’s relevant stakeholders.
Turks stun Dutch as 2022 World Cup qualifying begins in Europe
March 25 – Turkey stunned the Netherlands with a Burak Yilmaz hattrick to win 4-2 in the opening round of 2022 World Cup qualifiers and leave the Dutch campaign in the doldrums.
Cameroon say there was no email error, Choupo-Moting ignored call-up
March 25 – Cameroon have vehemently denied they were responsible for an email blunder which forced their captain, Bayern Munich’s Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, to miss out on selection for the national team against Cape Verde and Rwanda in Group F of African Nations Cup qualifiers.
US women re-make case for equal pay on White House visit
March 25 – On what was dubbed ‘Equal Pay Day’, members of the US national women’s team met president Joe Biden Wednesday and expressed their ongoing concern over their wage discrimination battle with the US Soccer Federation that has plagued both parties.
Conmebol reports 2020 loss of $14.5m, but banking on Copa America for 2021 turnround
March 24 – South American governing body Conmebol incurred a loss of $14.5 million in 2020 due the Covid-19 pandemic, the organisation announced on Tuesday at its annual congress.
African contenders vie for final AFCON 2022 slots
March 24 – African teams enter the final stretch of qualifying today (Wednesday) for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, with 19 spots still up for grabs. Some matches will be played with fans in the stands.