France win hosting of 2019 Women’s World Cup
March 20 – France has been awarded hosting rights for the 2019 Women’s World Cup, beating off a challenge from South Korea, the only other candidate.
Martin Volkmar: Only Dortmund has disappointed
The Bundesliga has experienced a hard landing in reality over the past week. After the march of the German quartet into the knockout stages of the Champions League, only FC Bayern reached the last eight, while Schalke, Leverkusen and Dortmund have crashed out early.
UEFA bans: Ibra’s bad tackle is less of a sin than Aurier’s bad mouth
March 20 – UEFA has slapped a mandatory one-match ban on PSG striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic following his sending off in the Champions league victory over Chelsea. But his team mate Serge Aurier was less fortunate, receiving a three-match suspension for his abusive tweets.
CONCACAF refs gather in Florida for training camp
March 20 – CONCACAF is holding referee development symposium for its international referees drawn from across the confederation. The four-day Florida event, presented by Comex/Futline, is hosting 50 officials from the FIFA international list.
Cobra Energy Drink thirsts on Liverpool brand for Myanmar launch
March 20 – Premier League Liverpool, which earlier this week announced it had added a Malaysian fixture to its 2015 pre-season tour schedule, has announced a further expansion in the south-east Asia region with the launch of a regional partnership with Cobra Energy Drink, which sees the brand become the Official Energy Drink of Liverpool FC in Myanmar.
It’s official, officially: Qatar’s 2022 Winter World Cup will be played in Nov-Dec
By Andrew Warshaw in Zurich
March 19 – After more than four years of often heated and fractious debate, FIFA finally confirmed today that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will be played in November and December with the final on Sunday, December 18.
Kenyan chaos: KPL back on, but FKF set to go ahead with competing league
By Mark Baber
March 19 – In the wake of Monday’s lifting of the Kenyan Football Federation (FKF) injunction against the Kenyan Premier League (KPL), the KPL has announced new fixtures to make up for the two weekends lost, whilst reports suggest the rival FKF Premier League will be signing a broadcast deal this Friday.
Platini stands by Winter 2022 as FIFA meets to confirm dates
By Andrew Warshaw
March 19 – Michel Platini may be Sepp Blatter’s greatest critic when it comes to the veteran Swiss standing for a fifth term of office as FIFA president but one thing the pair agree on is that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar must be staged in winter.
Lee Wellings: Keepers have lost their value
How many goalkeepers are in the top 100 football transfers of all time?
Has their importance in football become strangely underrated? Has the lack of glamour in the position compared to the twinkletoes of outfield players blinded us, and indeed the transfer market, to the real value of a goalkeeper to a football team?
FIFA step in to stop Sierra Leone match-fixing cover-up
By Andrew Warshaw
March 19 – FIFA president Sepp Blatter has personally intervened to stop Sierra Leone authorities trying to sweep allegations of match-fixing under the carpet.
Lahore bombing forces Pakistan 2018 qualifier to be switched to Bahrain
March 19 – Pakistan’s home World Cup qualifier against Yemen has been switched to neutral ground in Bahrain after it was postponed following Sunday’s deadly bombings in Lahore.
Nimes sanctioned with relegation after bosses found guilty of match-fixing
March 19 – French Ligue 2 side Nimes will be relegated at the end of the season after the club’s former president Jean-Marc Conrad was found guilty of attempted match fixing, the French League (LFP) announced.
TV debate canned as Blatter says no and rivals refuse to play without him
March 19 – FIFA president Sepp Blatter has rejected a joint offer from UK broadcasters the BBC and Sky to take part in a political-style live television debate alongside his three rivals ahead of the presidential election at the end of May.
CSKA Sofia spread net to Western Europe in search for sponsor
By Alexander Krassimirov
March 19 – The beleaguered president of Bulgaria’s CSKA Sofia, Alexander Tomov, has said he is now in negotiation with companies from Western Europe as Bulgarian firms can’t afford the price of a major club sponsorship.
Red Star Belgrade banks on €20m Gazprom deal to keep it in top tier
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
March 19 – Red Star Belgrade is close to finalising the negotiation of an extension to its Gazprom sponsorship, valued at more than €20 million over a five-year term.