March 13 – Theo Zwanziger’s imminent departure from the high echelons of FIFA is getting messier still. The former head of German football, who is stepping down from FIFA’s executive committee in May, has been using every opportunity to denounce the award of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar as well as having a go at Wolfgang Niersbach, his successor at the German FA and soon at FIFA too.
By Samindra Kunti
March 13 – The Brazilian government has announced that three government secretariats will take office at the Mane Garrincha stadium. Once more, Senator Romario criticized the high costs for the renovation of the stadium.
By Mark Baber
March 13 -The Gambia Football Federation (GFF) and renewable energy company, First Eco Partners, held a ceremony the Football House in Kanifing to celebrate the signing of three-year sponsorship deal for the GFF first division league, reportedly worth D3m (£47,000) which was first announced in January.
March 13 – Bhutan, the world’s worst international team according to FIFA rankings, defied their lowly status by securing a shock 1-0 win over Sri Lanka in their World Cup qualifying debut as the Asian zone kicked off for places in Russia in 2018.
March 13 – The Belgian Pro League, the country’s second tier, has approved a structural reform of its domestic club football. In the future there must be a strict division between professional and amateur football, according to the Pro League, with the number of professional teams being cut.
March 13 – The final and third-placed play-off for this summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup will be played in Philadelphia. The tournament kicks off July 7 in Dallas and travels through 12 North American cities before reaching Philadelphia for the finals weekend on July 25-26.
By Mark Baber
March 12 – FC Barcelona is making a push in the Chinese market via a new strategic partnership with IMG. The club will be represented in China in the areas of marketing and branding strategy, sponsorships, friendly matches and travel.
By Alexander Krassimirov
March 12 – Bulgaria’s Ludogorets Razgrad is to receive another BGN 2 million (€1 million) from government to modernization the Ludogorets Arena stadium in Razgrad.
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
March 12 – Swiss club FC Sion has inked a sponsorship deal with local drinks maker and distributor Alloboissons. The company will serve as the main sponsor of the side for three-and-a-half years.
By Samindra Kunti
March 12 – The Belgian Jupiler Pro League may team up with MP & Silva and Screen Capital International to create its own private TV channel.
March 12 – Greek football has been plunged into yet more disgrace after a cup quarterfinal between league leaders Olympiakos and second division AEK was abandoned after a last-minute Olympiakos goal sparked crowd violence.
March 12 – The police commander in charge during the 1989 Hillsborough stadium disaster at which 96 Liverpool fans died says he will regret lying about the tragedy until his dying day.
Mark Baber
March 11 – Whilst the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) worries that its 2015 government grant of N1.2 billion ($60 million) is insufficient, its belated appearance before parliament on Tuesday proved a disaster as the Sports Committee insisted the federation provide full disclosure of its accounts – including how money from FIFA and sponsors has been spent.
By Mark Baber
March 11 – Although FIFA have reportedly ordered the Kenyan Football Federation (FKF) to withdraw their court case against the Kenyan Premier League (KPL), at the time of writing Bob Munro, the founder of two-time Nobel Peace Prize nominated Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA) and his colleagues on the board of the KPL still face a possible 6 months in jail, if FKF President Sam Nyamweya does not relent.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 11 – The full scale of corruption in Cypriot football has been exposed by a referee whistleblower who claims officials are regularly deciding the outcome of games on orders from above.