March 24 – Having had one request turned down, Albania’s FA is having a second crack at trying to persuade the authorities to allow a limited number of fans to attend their World Cup qualifier against England on Sunday – this time suggesting they are first vaccinated against coronavirus.
March 24 – Norway’s threat of a World Cup boycott in protest at Qatar’s human rights record is set to take centre stage in Gibraltar tonight when the visiting Norwegian team uses the 2022 qualifier to express its support for migrant workers helping the host nation prepare for the tournament.
March 24 – Real Madrid have received a boost with the news they will not be forced to play the ‘home’ leg of their upcoming Champions League quarter-final tie against Liverpool on neutral ground.
March 23 – There is a reason why it is forbidden for athletes (in any sport) to wager on events in which they themselves participate – doing so endangers the integrity of the event. But the threat is very real as a current Romanian football case shows.
By Paul Nicholson
March 23 – Allegations of covid test tampering have hit the CAF Champions League group stages, with clubs whose players have tested negative before leaving their country, being told they have tested positive following a second test in the host country.
March 23 – Just days before the start of the country’s World Cup qualifying programme, Serbian football has been plunged into scandal and chaos with the resignation of federation president Slavisa Kokeza after he was linked to an organised crime group accused of murder, kidnapping and drug trafficking.
March 23 – UEFA is pushing the carbon-neutral message via a public awareness campaign – ‘Cleaner Air, Better Game’ – during the European Under-21 Championships in take place in Hungary and Slovenia that kicks off its group stages tomorrow.
March 23 – As the coronavirus pandemic deepens in Brazil, the country’s football competitions have been plunged into chaos with pressure mounting for a complete suspension of the national game.
March 23 – In what is being described as one of the most bizarre administrative gaffes, Bayern Munich’s Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting has been ruled out of captaining his native Cameroon this month against Cape Verde and Rwanda in Group F of African Nations Cup qualifiers after his federation accidentally emailed themselves instead of his club.
March 23 – Next month’s English League Cup final could become the nation’s first showpiece match in months to be played out in front of a limited number of fans as a test case, according to press reports.
March 23 – Karl-Erik Nilsson has been re-elected as president of the Swedish Football Association (SvFF) for a two-year mandate.
March 22 – UEFA have stepped in to investigate claims that a player from Scottish champions Rangers was racially abused by a Slavia Prague opponent during their Europa League match last week as both sides continue to blame the other for the incident.
March 22 – Albania has had their request for a limited number of spectators at the World Cup qualifier with England this month turned down by the country’s health ministry due to rising daily cases of coronavirus.
March 19 – European heavyweights Paris St. Germain and Manchester City will both have to do it the hard way if they are to clinch the Champions League title for the first time following the quarter-final and semi-final draws made today.
