UEFA drops jailed Vrbanović from committees
March 29 – UEFA has stepped in to remove Damir Vrbanović from its National Team Competitions Committee after the Croatian was imprisoned for fraud and tax evasion.
Author: Paul Nicholson
European Leagues, with 10 FA’s backing, say NO to ‘old boy’s club’ UCL qualification
By Andrew Warshaw
March 26 – Ten European football associations have written to UEFA expressing serious misgivings about the future format of the Champions League post-2024.
Comoros and Gambia wins earn them debuts at AFCON finals in Cameroon 2022
March 26 – Comoros and the Gambia will debut at next year’s Africa Cup of Nations following stellar campaigns in their qualifying groups.
Club Brugges pull out of €229m IPO over weak share demand
March 25 – Club Brugge’s IPO adventure has been short-lived. On Thursday, the Belgian champions announced the postponement of their initial public offering, citing adverse “market conditions”.
CBS inks Concacaf deal in time for kick off of Qatar 2022 qualifiers
March 26 – CBS Sports is on a football rights buying spree, having now added the Concacaf World Cup qualifiers to the Serie A rights announced earlier this week.
Germans add voice to Qatar human rights protests with pre-match message
March 26 – Germany has become the latest footballing nation to protest against 2022 World Cup host Qatar’s human rights record, following in Norway’s footsteps by showing support for migrant workers in the Gulf state.
Venues chosen for AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022
March 26 – Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Bhubaneswar will be the three host cities for the next AFC Women’s Asian Cup to be held in India, January 20 to February 6, 2020.
SIGA put female empowerment and leadership at centre of sports integrity drive
March 26 – Global sports integrity body SIGA has followed on from its successful Female Leadership in Sport summit with the launch of a series of initiatives and principles in line with its commitment to making gender equity a key component of the body’s reform agenda.
Persepolis lose CAS appeal over Alkasir ban for racist goal celebration
March 26 – CAS has turned down Persepolis’ appeal on behalf of striker Isa Alkasir over the making of a racist gesture in a Champions League group game last September in Qatar against Pakhtakor.
Albania get security guarantees to enable England qualifier to go ahead
March 26 – England’s World Cup qualifier against Albania in Tirana on Sunday will go ahead after an issue over security was resolved.
Money talks: UEFA ready to revamp FFP rules as another 200 clubs fall into the red
By Samindra Kunti
March 25 – UEFA has said it could fundamentally overhaul the Financial Fair Play (FFP) system, owing to the economic reality of European football during the Covid-19 pandemic and the clubs’ need for liquidity. The governing body has began a consultation process with the industry’s relevant stakeholders.
Norway make pre-game Qatar human rights protest; FIFA not sanctioning
March 25 – The Norwegian squad wore T-shirts to express concern about 2022 World Cup host Qatar’s human rights record ahead of their qualifying match against Gibraltar on Wednesday.
Danes ready for Euro 2020 ‘party’ telling UEFA at least 12,000 fans can attend matches
March 25 – At least 12,000 fans will be allowed to attend Euro 2020 matches this summer in Copenhagen, the Danish government has announced.
Turks stun Dutch as 2022 World Cup qualifying begins in Europe
March 25 – Turkey stunned the Netherlands with a Burak Yilmaz hattrick to win 4-2 in the opening round of 2022 World Cup qualifiers and leave the Dutch campaign in the doldrums.
Cameroon say there was no email error, Choupo-Moting ignored call-up
March 25 – Cameroon have vehemently denied they were responsible for an email blunder which forced their captain, Bayern Munich’s Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, to miss out on selection for the national team against Cape Verde and Rwanda in Group F of African Nations Cup qualifiers.