UEFA steps in to clean up Bayern’s toilet roll mess at Arsenal
March 8 – Arsenal and Bayern Munich have both been charged by UEFA following the behaviour of their fans in Tuesday’s Champions League last-16 tie at the Emirates.
Exclusive: Europe still waits for FIFA decision on whether Mutko can stand for Council
By Andrew Warshaw
March 8 – With only a month to go before Europe elects its representatives on FIFA’s ruling Council, there is still no word as to whether under-fire Russian World Cup supremo Vitaly Mutko will be eligible to join the all-powerful, decision-making body.
Football marks International Women’s Day with series of events and calls to action
March 8 – International Women’s Day is being marked by a series of initiatives around the football world to promote the women’s game and unite support for the increased participation of women in football both on and off the field.
Bayern fans throw in the toilet rolls over high priced Arsenal tickets
March 8 – Bayern Munich could face sanctions after their supporters delayed Tuesday’s Champions League tie at Arsenal by throwing rolls of toilet paper on to the pitch in protest over ticket prices.
MLS season takes off with record TV viewing, crowds and Etihad Airways renewal
By Paul Nicholson
March 8 – The growth and interest in Major League Soccer in the US continued to hit new highs with record viewing numbers. and big crowds for the opening weekend of the season. This week the league renewed official airline sponsor Etihad Airways.
Camara left with no election to fight and a free run to FIFA’s top table
March 8 – Danny Jordaan’s loss has suddenly become Almamy Kabele Camara’s gain ahead of the most feverish African regional elections in decades.
Berlusconi prepared to keep AC Milan and the €200m if Chinese deal disappears
March 8 – Silvio Berlusconi has said that he would “not hesitate” to keep AC Milan if Chinese buyers Sino-Europe Sports failed to complete on the acquisition. But if you had already accepted a €200 million non-refundable deposit you would likely say the same.
London’s Mayor gives go-ahead for Chelsea to redevelop Stamford Bridge
March 8 – London Mayor Sadiq Khan has given approval to Chelsea’s new £500 million stadium. The club’s redevelopment proposal had been agreed by the Hammersmith and Fulham local council in January,
Tianjin TEDA push eco message with new club sponsor deals
March 8 – Signs that the focus of Chinese football money is not solely on acquiring European clubs and sports assets have been seen in Tianjin where Tianjin TEDA have announced new sponsorship deals with TEDA Holding and the Elion Group for the 2017 Chinese Super League season.
CAF elections in disarray as Jordaan pulls out of FIFA Council race
By Andrew Warshaw
March 7 – Danny Jordaan (pictured), the public face of the 2010 South Africa World Cup, has dramatically pulled out of the race to gain a place on FIFA’s ruling Council, plunging this month’s African regional elections into chaos and confusion.
West Africans declare for Hayatou, or at least some do
March 7 – The alignment and re-alignment of African federations behind either incumbent president Issa Hayatou or challenger Ahmad Ahmad in the election for president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) is a seemingly ever-changing landscape of contradictions.
FA reforms put women at top of agenda, but minority groups complain it is not enough
March 7 – The English Football Association has agreed a set of reform proposals which chairman Greg Clarke believes represent a “once-in-a-lifetime” chance to change how the national game is run.
Double top for Manchester as City out-tweet United. Everton out-twitter Spurs
March 7 – It was not going to be a second week of double top for Manchester United but it was a double top for the city. United continued their long run leading the weekly Twitter growth in followers tables, but plummeted to 13th place in the most tweets for the week table with less than half the number of tweets of the previous EFL Cup winning week. Instead Man City took over the weekly lead in the tweets ranking.
BT Sport grab Champions League rights in £1.2bn exclusive deal
March 7 – Having complained about the ever-inflating cost of broadcast rights to football, BT Sport has stumped up a huge £1.18 billion for UEFA Champions League rights that will see the world’s leading club competition exclusively on the pay broadcaster in the UK for the three seasons from 2018-19 to 2020-21.
De Bruyne and Otamendi lead Europe’s top performers. Ronaldo strikes again
March 7 – Two Manchester City players – Kevin de Bruyne and Nicolas Otamendi – lead the way in an analysis of Europe’s top players so far this season across six technical performance categories.