Montenegro fans continue their obscene racial abuse as England smash 5 past them
March 26 – Another unsavoury incident of racism at an international fixture, another Balkan country responsible.
Concacaf Nations League ranking qualifies 10 teams to complete Gold Cup line-up
March 26 – All 16 teams for the expanded Concacaf Gold Cup have now been decided following the conclusion of the Concacaf Nations League qualifying round last weekend.
Hazard and Hudson-Odoi’s fate in the balance as Chelsea wait for April hearing
March 26 – The date for Chelsea’s appeal against being slapped with a two-window transfer ban has been set for April 11 after FIFA rejected suspending the ban until the appeal process was completed.
Juve women debut in Turin’s Allianz Stadium in front of record 39,000
March 25 – Juventus’s women captured the imagination of the public as they drew a record 39,000 fans to their first ever home game at Turin’s Allianz Stadium in a top-of-the-table 1-0 win over Fiorentina.
Birmingham’s £48.8m gamble ends in more tears with season-threatening 9pt penalty
March 25 – In one of the most savage penalties ever handed down in English football for financial mismanagement, second-tier Birmingham City have been hit with a nine-point deduction for excessive spending and have been plunged into the relegation dogfight as a result.
Indian women extend SAFF unbeaten run to 23 games to take 5th title
March 25 – India retained their SAFF women’s crown by defeating Nepal 3-1 in the final to win the tournament for a fifth consecutive time.
Not hosting but still going; Cameroon join final qualifiers for AFCON in Egypt
March 25 – Cameroon, South Africa, Zimbabwe, DR Congo and Benin were among the teams to seal their ticket for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt in a weekend of frantic qualifying that confirmed a strong eastern African presence and a maiden participation for Burundi at the 24-team finals.
Serie A sign Chinese co-operation pact, but no league games planned for country
March 25 – Italy’s football federation (FIGC) signed an agreement with the Chinese government on Sunday to develop footballing ties between the two countries but stopped short of agreeing to play Serie A matches there.
Zimbabwe woman killed in stampede as crowd rush to get into game
March 25 – A female fan died Sunday during a stampede outside Zimbabwe’s National Sports Stadium in Harare, the latest tragedy at an African international fixture.
More support for Salman from Central Asia as Al Mohannadi stays in the race, for now
March 25 – The surge in support for AFC President Shaikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa for his re-election campaign to the Asian Football Confederation presidency has reached almost tidal wave proportions with the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) being the latest to announce its “unanimous support” for his continued leadership.
Delaney switches roles at FAI as unexplained €100k loan casts shadow
March 25 – Football Association of Ireland (FAI) chief executive John Delaney has stepped aside from the role just 10 days before he was due to appear before a parliamentary committee to be questioned over a €100,000 loan he provided to his federation two years ago.
Seat, Pelayo, and Sanitas renew deals with RFEF
March 25 – The Royal Spanish Fottball Federation (RFEF) has scored a hat trick of sponsorship renewals with Spanish carmaker Seat, insurance firm Pelayo, and private health clinic Sanitas all agreement extended terms.
Somalis commit to speeding up regional development support funding
March 25 – The Somali Football Federation (SFF) has embarked on series of assessments of facilities in its regional states with surveys in Jubbaland (Waamo Stadium pictured) and South West sate highlighting funding priorities.
Whistleblower Pinto shipped back to Portugal to face ‘extortion’ charges
By Andrew Warshaw
March 22 – Rui Pinto, the man behind a string of incriminating leaks that shook the footballing world, has been controversially extradited from Hungary, where he had been living, to his native Portugal.
Player injury payouts cost FIFA $106m, but a healthy Russia 2018 kept them under budget
By David Owen
March 22 – The Club Protection Programme (CPP) cost FIFA $106.5 million over the 2015-18 business cycle, well below the initial sum budgeted of $120 million.