Rangers hero and Dutch ‘warrior’ Fernando Ricksen dies, aged 43
September 19 – Former Rangers and Netherlands player Fernando Ricksen has passed away at the age of 43 following a brutal six-year battle with motor neurons disease ALS.
World Football
Yusuf ban served but Amapakabo remains in charge of Nigerian U-23s
September 19 – The future of Nigeria’s under-23 side coach Salisu Yusuf (pictured), remains in limbo after the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) decided to retain Imama Amapakabo as coach for the youth team despite Yusuf’s return from a ban.
Property seized as under-fire Pinnick named in Nigerian corruption probe
September 18 – In a fresh corruption probe, Nigerian authorities have seized a dozen properties from senior officials of its football federation, including the president Amaju Pinnick, until a few months ago the second most powerful figure in African football.
Foreign legion: Rooney calls for higher pay for local MLS players
September 18 – Former England captain Wayne Rooney, who has been playing with DC United in the United States, says American players in Major League Soccer (MLS) should get paid more.
MLS to hydrate with BodyArmor from 2020 season
September 18 – Major League Soccer has signed a multi-year partnership with BodyArmor making the brand the league’s official sports drink partner in the US, starting with the 2020 season.
Naughty tweeter Neymar’s ban reduced but still misses PSG’s opening UCL games
September 18 – Neymar’s three-game European ban for insulting match officials has been cut to two by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Sevilla keep up expansion with €20m spend on corporate hub
September 18 – LaLiga’s Sevilla have unveiled further plans for the €20 million extension of their Ciudad Deportiva José Ramón Cisneros Palacios complex into a new corporate centre for the club.
UEFA joins with FUFA to help homeless children in Uganda
September 18 – European governing body UEFA has joined forces with the Federation of Uganda Football Association (FUFA)and the Ugandan government to launch a scheme for homeless children in the country.
New ball, new tournament, old rivalries. UEFA’s Champions League kicks off tonight
September 17 – The new Champions League season kicks off tonight, with a new Adidas ball and defending champions Liverpool taking on Napoli and FC Barcelona traveling to Dortmund.
FIFA bosses allegedly block CAF whistleblower El-Sherei’s return after Egyptian FA offer job
By Osasu Obayiuwana
September 16 – Mohamed El-Sherei, recently sacked as CAF’s Finance Director, following allegations of impropriety and incompetence, received another setback, after a subsequent job offer to him from the Normalisation Committee (NC) of the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) was withdrawn.
Esperance finally win CAF Champions League. But will Wydad play CAS leg?
By Osasu Obayiuwana
September 14 – The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has made its final conclusion – political and judicial – on the 2019 Champions League – and it is that Esperance Sportive de Tunis remains the Cup holder.
USL game abandoned after missiles thrown but Phoenix keep rising
September 16 – Unusually for the United States, a second-tier game between Phoenix Rising and LA Galaxy II had to be abandoned at the weekend after objects were thrown on the pitch.
55 teams and 32 countries later, coaching legend Rudi Gutendorf passes, aged 93
September 16 – Rudi Gutendorf, the globetrotting German who is in the Guinness Book of Records for having coached 55 teams in 32 countries across five continents from Antigua to Zimbabwe, has died aged 93.
The never-ending final: CAF set to hear ‘walk-out’ Wydad’s Champions League appeal
By Osasu Obayiuwana
September 13 – The African Champions League drama takes a further twist on Sunday 15 September, as the Appeals Committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) sits to consider the fate of Moroccan Club Wydad Casablanca.
Sierra Leone fans run riot after Bangura misses penalty
September 13 – Sierra Leone football, for months embroiled in an internal power struggle, has been further rocked by two off-the-field incidents that have caused widespread embarrassment within the federation’s leadership.