Gazprom fuelled for new Schalke 04 deal despite looming relegation
March 31 – Schalke 04 and Russian energy giant Gazprom have extended their long running shirt sponsorship agreement, the German club announced on Tuesday.
Big wins for Japan and Saudi Arabia as they look to settle AFC qualifiers early
March 30 – While UEFA and Concacaf have opened up their Qatar 2022 qualifying with a slew of matches, the AFC has pushed back the next rounds of its Asian Qualifer series to June where centralised groups will complete the preliminary round 2 of group play.
NWSL adds online bank Ally as sleeve sponsor across all 10 teams
March 31 – The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) in the US has struck a deal with online bank Ally whose logo will appear on the sleeves of all 10 clubs in NWSL this season.
EFL secures £117m loan to fund Championship clubs through Covid
March 30 – The English Football League (EFL) has secured a £117 million loan fund for Championship clubs with MetLife Investment Management.
Omari calls it a day and says he will not run for Congolese FA presidency
March 30 – Constant Omari is slowly exiting football through the back door. The often controversial but influential official has said he will not stand in the upcoming elections of the Congolese Association Football Federation (FECOFA).
CSL formally kills off champion club Jiangsu FC… and five others
March 30 – Four weeks after announcing they were ceasing operations, defending champions Jiangsu FC have been formally kicked out of the Chinese Super League, the latest confirmation that the financial gravy train to China for world stars in the latter stages of their careers is over.
European Leagues beefs up management board
March 30 – The European Leagues, the umbrella body serving 35 competitions in 30 countries, has decided not to replace outgoing president Lars-Christer Olsson and instead to restructure its senior management.
Bubble burst: Wales send three home for covid rule breaking
March 30 – Three of the Welsh squad preparing for tonight’s all-important World Cup qualifier against the Czech Republic have been sent home for breaching Covid-19 rules.
Inter Milan unveil new club logo for style-conscious digital entertainment age
March 30 – Italian giants Inter Milan has unveiled a new logo and visual identity for club that will be used on playing shirts and rolled out across the club from the start of the 2021/22 season.
Lewandowski to miss Poland’s crucial 2022 in England
March 30 – Poland captain and world player of the year Robert Lewandowski will miss Wednesday’s World Cup qualifier with England due to knee injury, a potentially damaging blow to his country’s hopes of automatic qualification.
LAFC flexes local muscle with new shirt sponsor
March 30 – MLS team LAFC have agreed a new shirt sponsorship with power tool maker Flex that will being this season.
Nationwide agrees multi-year deal with NWSL ahead of April kick-off
March 30 – The National Women’s Soccer League in the US has agreed a sponsorship with Nationwide to become the league’s first exclusive insurance partner.
Former Pakistan FA boss leads storming of PFF HQ and kicks out Normalisation Committee
March 29 – Pakistan risks being thrown out of world football after defying a FIFA-imposed normalisation committee by dramatically taking back control of the national federation.
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.
Saudi’s NEOM project raises global profile with AFC sponsorship
March 29 – Saudi Arabia has taken another significant step of integration into the Asian, and global football environment, with the announcement of a sponsorship deal between the AFC and the new city of NEOM currently under construction in the kingdom.