Up-for-sale Southampton post £30m loss
By David Owen
March 15 – Up-for-sale Southampton have become the latest Premier League club to serve notice that they tumbled into the red in 2018-19.
Celtic swap New Balance for Adidas in £30m, 5-year deal
March 16 – In March 2015 Scottish giants Celtic traded in Nike for another US firm, New Balance, as the club’s kit supplier in what was a record deal. Five years later New Balance is being replaced by Adidas in another new record deal.
Burglars held Vertonghen’s family held at knifepoint when Spurs were away to RB Leipzig
March 16 – Tottenham Hotspur’s Belgian international defender Jan Vertonghen’s family was held at knifepoint as four armed men burgled his home while he was abroad on Champions League duty last week.
Inter Milan launch appeal as players and staff donate €500,000 for Covid-19 research
March 16 – First-team players, technical staff and employees Italy’s Inter Milan have launched a global crowdfunding campaign with the finds to be donated to the Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences at the Luigi Sacco Hospital of Milan, a leading centre for infectious diseases and epidemiological emergencies and on the front line of the fight against the killer virus in Italy.
Coronavirus: Rooney says ‘guinea pig’ footballers should have been protected
March 16 – Former England captain Wayne Rooney says the government and football authorities have treated his profession as “guinea pigs” during the coronavirus outbreak by not acting as responsibly as other sports.
OFF: Premier League, LaLiga, SerieA, Ligue1. Bundesliga continues in closed stadia
By Andrew Warshaw
March 13 – Despite the British government advising there was not yet any urgent need to ban large public gatherings including sports events, all professional football in England and Scotland has been suspended until at least April 3 as a result of the spread of coronavirus.
TTFA in crisis as debt hits $50m, accounts frozen and new House of Football remains closed
By Paul Nicholson
March 13 – Coronavirus is proving to be the scourge of world football but in Trinidad and Tobago the financial failure of the organisation and its new leaders to work their way out of or deal with a series of court cases is proving far more dangerous to the sport on the island.
Coronavirus: South American World Cup qualifiers off, Copa Libertadores suspended
March 13 – FIFA has postponed this month’s South American World Cup qualifiers amid Coronavirus concerns. Conmebol had requested the postponement.
Coronavirus: UEFA calls emergency powwow on Euro 2020 and end-season scheduling
By Andrew Warshaw
March 13 – Amid speculation that this summer’s 12-city European Championship could be postponed for a year because of Covid-19, UEFA has summoned a crisis video-conference next Tuesday with its entire membership as well as leagues and clubs.
Coronavirus: UEFA puts all club competitions on hold
March 13 – In an unprecedented move, UEFA has suspended its entire club competition programme next week as a result of the coronavirus.
US Soccer president Cordeiro resigns in the aftermath of women’s criticism
March 13 – US Soccer president Carlos Cordeiro has resigned following the furious criticism of the language used in its legal filing in the suit brought against it by its women’s team.
MLS calls 30-day shutdown; Conacaf suspend Champions League; all USSF games off
By Paul Nicholson
March 13 – On Wednesday MLS games in Seattle and San Jose were postponed. A day later Major League Soccer had followed in the wake of the NBA and suspended all games, effective immediately, for 30 days, as it continues to assess the impact of the coronavirus.
LaLiga suspended for two rounds as Real Madrid squad quarantined
March 12 – La Liga in Spain has been suspended for “at least the next two rounds of matches” as a result of the Real Madrid squad going into quarantine because of the coronavirus.
Cordeiro promises ‘respect’ but ‘lesser’ claim throws fuel on flames of WNT discrimination case
March 12 – US Soccer has apologised after a backlash against statements in court documents this week that players on the men’s national team possess greater skill and have more demanding jobs than their female counterparts. The federation is also feeling the heat from sponsors.
UEFA’s big nations block proposal to spread power balance
By Andrew Warshaw
March 12 – A proposal to give smaller European nations more of a say in key decisions affecting the running of the game has failed to materialise following the intervention of Germany, UEFA’s biggest individual federation.