Kane keen to return to work, but for how much longer with Spurs?
March 30 – England captain Harry Kane says the Premier League season should be ditched altogether if it cannot be completed by the end of June.
Performance
Coronavirus gives breathing space for Kane, Son, Pobga and Rashford to get fit
March 17 – Football may be in global lockdown and professional leagues suspended but for some clubs, the absence of competitive games is buying crucial time for injured stars to get fit again without missing any more action.
FIFA go Dutch with VAR test event to improve tech and affordability
March 10 – The Dutch FA (KNVB) has staged a video assistant referee (VAR) technology test event en route to the 2022 World Cup with a focus on fine-tuning the technology and making it more affordable.
Donnarumma and Hazard set benchmarks for young talent in Big-5 leagues
March 10 – A ranking of current big-5 league players according to the age at which they have reached 50, 100, 200 and 300 caps in their leagues sees AC Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma leading the 50 and 100-match tables, while the Real Madrid forward Eden Hazard is at the top for the 200 and 300-match rankings.
Ceferin reiterates no turning back on VAR, but clarity needed for coaches and fans
March 4 – UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has added his voice to the growing confusion over VAR saying something has to be done to make it more palatable to the average fan.
Messi tops European ranking of ‘big’ chances created, ahead of Müller and de Bruyne
March 3 – Goals win matches, but you have to create the chances. Lionel Messi tops a ranking of players who create ‘big’ chances, making a significant goal opportunity every 90 minutes, according to data from the CIES Football Observatory looking at Europe’s Big 5 leagues.
FIFA turns to Double pass for player data tracking
March 2 – FIFA have enlisted Belgian company Double pass as a partner to roll out a new ‘Talent Development Progamme’.
IFAB stuck with VAR decision and no ‘clear and obvious’ route to take
February 28 – It’s not VAR per se that’s at fault, it’s the law itself that’s an ass. That’s the argument often churned out by the experts whenever goals are wiped out by the video assistant referee because of marginal offside decisions such as the width of a toe.
Valencia expand internationally with Morocco academy launch
February 28 – LaLiga’s Valencia CF has added to its growing global network of academies with the opening of a new VCF Academy in Morocco.
VAR’s Premier League failure leaves everyone seeing red
By Andrew Warshaw
February 24 – When is VAR not VAR? When the system itself admits it has made a mistake!
Belgium extend run at top of FIFA World Rankings, Palestine move up
February 21 – In a time of little international football Belgium have remained top of the FIFA ranking. Palestine moved up the ranking following their success in January’s Bangabandhu Cup.
Inter Milan role out Academy project in Brazil with IT.Sports
February 20 – Internazionale are expanding Inter Academy portfolio, agreeing a partnership with IT.Sports to launch a series of football schools throughout country.
Wenger weighs into VAR/offside debate with new rule proposal for Euro 2020
February 18 – Former Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger, now FIFA’s head of global development, is pushing for the offside rule to be tweaked in time for this summer’s Euro 2020 finals in response to a spate of VAR controversies this season.
VAR makes its Moroccan club debut
February 19 – Morocco has become the first African country to use VAR in a top-flight league game.
Miserable Mourinho bemoans a break he didn’t need as Son sidelined
February 19 – Tottenham Hotspur’s South Korean international forward Son Heung-min has fractured his arm and could miss the rest of the season, a crushing blow to last season’s Champions League finalists who are already without long-term injury victim Harry Kane.