Wembley to pay tribute to victims of NZ mosque shootings
March 19 – Victims of the mosque shootings in New Zealand will be remembered at Wembley ahead of England’s European Qualifier against Czech Republic on Friday.
UEFA picks IMG to sell EURO 2020 hospitality for UK and Ireland
March 19 – UEFA, which last week issued a tender splitting its beer sponsor package into 12 pieces for the EURO 2020 championships, has these week awarded an exclusive sales agency contract to IMG to be its official hospitality sales agent for England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland.
Ronaldo’s big day hat-trick celebration catches UEFA’s attention
March 19 – Cristiano Ronaldo has been charged with improper conduct by UEFA for the way he celebrated Juventus’ win over Atletico Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League.
Curious selection: Gabon drop national team player after finding he is without club
March 19 – Gabon have withdrawn its central defender Gilchrist Nguema from its final Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Burundi after it was discovered he is not registered with any club.
UEFA and top European clubs in secret talks over Champions League revamp
By Andrew Warshaw
March 18 – Amid increasing speculation about a European Super League, firmly denied at every turn by UEFA, reports surfaced over the weekend that the Champions League may be revamped to appease Europe’s top clubs.
FIFA Council member Mahfuza jailed in Bangladesh for saying PM prefers cricket
March 18 – Authorities in Bangladesh have controversially jailed a senior FIFA Council member amid allegations she made defamatory comments about the country’s Prime Minister.
Argentine FA commit to funding support for new women’s pro league
By Samindra Kunti
March 18 – The Argentine Football Association (AFA) has confirmed that the domestic women’s game will have a professional tier with the governing body saying it wants to establish a pro league later this year.
SIGA to announce partner for game-changing SIRVS ratings at NY Forum
By Paul Nicholson
March 14 – Next week will see a big step forward in the initiative to raise sports bodies’ governance standards when SIGA announce the firm that will develop and operate its ratings system.
Salman gets backing of 12-member AFF for AFC presidency
March 18 – The 12 member Asean Football Federation (AFF) has pledged it allegiance to for Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa in the April election for AFC President.
English football criticised for double standards for lack of tribute for NZ mosque killings
March 18 – English football authorities – the Premier League, English Football League and Football Association – have all been accused of double standards for not holding tributes for the 50 people tragically killed in New Zealand’s mosque attacks.
FIFA cashed-in on its problem-plagued cycle, but missed the big money opportunity
So, how were the last four years for the FIFA business? With the governing body’s 2018 financial report finally published in the wake of the Miami Council meeting, a proper analysis can now be attempted.
Teargas forces game off as Panathinaikos fans run riot, attacking Olympiakos bench
March 18 – Greek football has been plunged back into ignominy with Panathinaikos’ derby with Olympiakos Piraeus abandoned on Sunday after their fans attempted to attack players on the visiting team’s bench.
FIFA unveil 20-teams and London host venue for inaugural eNations Cup
March 18 – FIFA has announced team and hosting details of its first eNations Cup, the third competition leg in its esports roster that will see 20 national teams compete in London April 13-14.
Infantino 1, Europe 0 – Club World Cup gets FIFA go-ahead, 48-team Qatar 2022 t/c
By Andrew Warshaw
March 15 – Hailing what he described as a “milestone in the history of FIFA and worldwide club football”, Gianni Infantino triumphantly announced today that he had won his battle to introduce a ground-breaking 24-team Club World Cup in the summer of 2021 to replace the Confederations Cup.
Exclusive: Lid lifted on CAF boss Ahmad’s empire of corrupt deals and bought officials
By Paul Nicholson
March 15 – The corruption that has riddled the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and its federations, has now struck at the very top of the organisation with president Ahmad Ahmad being accused of contract fraud, mismanagement of CAF funds, and the payment of $20,000 sums directly into the private bank accounts of federation presidents.