City of Manchester is United in coronavirus fight; Everton reach out
March 23 – With the UK in the grip of the spread of the Coronavirus, Premier League clubs are launching a series of initiatives to provide support in the their home cities.
World Football
CAF critic Bility has CAS hearing pushed back to after elections for his CAF exco position
March 20 – Musa Bility, former president of the Liberian Football Federation suspended for 10 years by FIFA for corruption, has had his hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) postponed due the coronavirus.
Monchengladbach players volunteer to wage cut to support lower paid club employees
March 20 – Players, coaches and directors of German top-flight club Borussia Monchengladbach, who sit fourth in the table, have agreed to defer their wages to help less advantaged employees in football’s latest humanitarian gesture to counter Covid-19 .
FC Sion boss Constantin fires 9 players for refusing part-time contracts
March 20 – Just days after the head of Switzerland’s FA stood up at the UEFA Congress and warned of the dire consequences of Covid-19 on football in his country, Swiss top-flight outfit FC Sion have reportedly terminated the contracts of nine players, including captain Xavier Kouassi, former Swiss international Johan Djourou and ex-Arsenal and Barcelona midfielder Alex Song.
Brazilian clubs open up facilities to health services
March 20 – A number of Brazilian clubs have joined the fight against the corona pandemic by opening up their facilities to health services.
Concacaf add U-17 women and mens Futsal to list of suspended championships
March 20 – Concacaf has decided to suspend two more national teams tournament in light of the spread of Covid-19 within the region.
Man Utd commit to paying casual workforce whether games are played or not
March 19 – With the Premier League having announced that all matches are currently suspended until April 30, Manchester United have announced they will pay wages to their casual workforce whether games are played or not.
English leagues extend suspension to end of April with no season end-dates set
March 19 – English football, already wiped off the map until April 3 because of the continued spread of coronavirus, will now be suspended until April 30 following a crisis video conference of the sport’s various authorities today.
Tebas says Europe’s leagues could be back playing by mid-May
March 19 – Despite Covid-19 decimating football across Europe, there is light at the end of the tunnel with La Liga President Javier Tebas saying major leagues are preparing to resume in mid-May and finish by the end of June as long as the climate is right.
Nigerian FA suspends activity as coronavirus impact reaches Africa
March 19 – Nigeria has become the latest country to suspend all football activities in the global fight against the coronavirus.
UEFA will refund Euro 2020 ticket buyers if they can’t make 2021 dates
March 19 – UEFA has confirmed that provide full refunds will be paid to fans who bought tickets for Euro 2020 if they are unable to reschedule for next year, saying sticking with the original dates would have been far too dangerous because of Covid-19.
Brazil’s CBF reports record €174m revenue
By Samindra Kunti
March 18 – The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has reported a record revenue of €174 million in 2019, in large part due to the FIFA World Cup payouts, TV rights income and sponsorship.
Post-virus restart: FIFPro boss Baer-Hoffmann warns of player workloads and economic crisis
By Andrew Warshaw
March 18 – The toll on players once football is allowed to resume will be greater than ever while many risk losing their jobs altogether during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Coronavirus: Conmebol postpone 2021 Copa America
March 18 – Just like its European equivalent, South America’s flagship tournament, the Copa America, has been postponed from this year to 2021 because of the coronavirus outbreak.
CAF postpone CHAN in Cameroon in April, but award May club finals
March 18 – The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has postponed the 2020 African Nations Championship (CHAN), an international tournament with domestic-based players only, amid growing concerns over the spread of the COVID-19 virus.