UEFA steps in to clean up Bayern’s toilet roll mess at Arsenal
March 8 – Arsenal and Bayern Munich have both been charged by UEFA following the behaviour of their fans in Tuesday’s Champions League last-16 tie at the Emirates.
World Football
Football marks International Women’s Day with series of events and calls to action
March 8 – International Women’s Day is being marked by a series of initiatives around the football world to promote the women’s game and unite support for the increased participation of women in football both on and off the field.
Bayern fans throw in the toilet rolls over high priced Arsenal tickets
March 8 – Bayern Munich could face sanctions after their supporters delayed Tuesday’s Champions League tie at Arsenal by throwing rolls of toilet paper on to the pitch in protest over ticket prices.
MLS season takes off with record TV viewing, crowds and Etihad Airways renewal
By Paul Nicholson
March 8 – The growth and interest in Major League Soccer in the US continued to hit new highs with record viewing numbers. and big crowds for the opening weekend of the season. This week the league renewed official airline sponsor Etihad Airways.
Camara left with no election to fight and a free run to FIFA’s top table
March 8 – Danny Jordaan’s loss has suddenly become Almamy Kabele Camara’s gain ahead of the most feverish African regional elections in decades.
CAF elections in disarray as Jordaan pulls out of FIFA Council race
By Andrew Warshaw
March 7 – Danny Jordaan (pictured), the public face of the 2010 South Africa World Cup, has dramatically pulled out of the race to gain a place on FIFA’s ruling Council, plunging this month’s African regional elections into chaos and confusion.
West Africans declare for Hayatou, or at least some do
March 7 – The alignment and re-alignment of African federations behind either incumbent president Issa Hayatou or challenger Ahmad Ahmad in the election for president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) is a seemingly ever-changing landscape of contradictions.
El Salvador’s Vasquez escapes extradition but gets 8 year sentence at home
March 7 – The former president of El Salvador’s football federation (FESFUT), who is wanted in the United States for alleged corruption, has been sentenced to eight years in jail for labour fraud.
Player strike is latest block to resumption of Argentine league
By Samindra Kunti
March 6 – This weekend’s matches in Argentina’s top three divisions were all postponed following a players’s strike over salaries. With professional football on hold, the institutional crisis in Argentinean football is deepening.
Ahmad wins Djibouti support in battle to take over from Hayatou
By Andrew Warshaw
March 6 – Djibouti is the latest country to come out publicly and say it is supporting the challenger Ahmad Ahmad (pictured) in the forthcoming Confederation of African Football (CAF) presidential election in a move that appears to go against the official stance of the Council for East and Central African Football Associations (CECAFA) whose members are officially backing Issa Hayatou.
Bwalya pulls out of FIFA Council race to focus on CAF exco bid
March 6 – Former Zambian FA president Kalusha Bwalya has withdrawn from the race for a place on the FIFA Council – less than two weeks before elections for African representatives.
UEFA GROW summit lays groundwork to boost Eastern Europe participation rates
March 6 – UEFA held its first regional summit under the UEFA GROW theme last week in Tbilisi, Georgia, with the aim of boosting participation in football and the growth of the game across eastern Europe.
CONCACAF takes control of Caribbean competitions with opening of Jamaica office
By Paul Nicholson
March 3 – CONCACAF has publicly taken the gloves off in its fight to take control of the Caribbean, announcing it will open its own office in Jamaica later this month. The move will effectively see the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) removed from all competition organisation of qualifying events for CONCACAF championships.
Le Graët and Rousselot trade blows in battle for French FA presidency
By Samindra Kunti
March 3 – French football may be in relatively good shape, with Les Bleus topping their World Cup qualifying group, Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League’s round of 16 and Ligue 1 enjoying more international exposure, but behind the scenes a battle for the French FA’s presidency is raging, with Didier Deschamps having joined the war of words.
Johansen says no decision made on CAF presidency as she focuses on her own election
March 3 – The sensitivity within individual federations over this month’s Confederation of African Football presidency has been further underlined with Sierra Leone Football Association President Isha Johansen ordering an immediate enquiry into media reports credited to her Director of Competitions Sorey Ibrahim Sesay that she would not be voting for Madagascan challenger Ahmad Ahmad.