Man City mourn passing of playing legend and former chairman Franny Lee, aged 79
October 3 – Former Manchester City and England striker Francis Lee has died aged 79, after a battle with cancer.
Federations
Turkish chaos as Vanspor boss and armed bodyguards storm opposition dressing room
October 2 – A dangerous dressing room incursion marred the Turkish Second League (third tier) match between Vanspor and Zonguldak Kömürspor. Vanspor, who are league leaders, won in dramatic fashion 1-0 with a goal in extra time.
Police raid RFEF offices as probe deepens into Barca’s alleged attempts to influence refs
September 29 – Police have raided the offices of the Spanish FA (RFEF) as part of an investigation into Barcelona’s involvement in an ongoing refereeing scandal.
Club protests force sacking of Serbian referees boss
September 29 – The Football Federation of Serbia (FSS) has sacked Referee Commission chairman Dejan Filipović following protests by several clubs over referee appointments for Serbian Super Liga matches. In addition to Filipovic, two members of the commission were removed, their places filled by four new members.
Vilda added to Spanish investigators’ probe into sexual assault case
September 28 – Jorge Vilda, the former head coach of Spain’s World Cup-winning women’s team, is being investigated as part of the ongoing criminal case against Luis Rubiales.
Gattuso replaces Marcelino at Olympique Marseilles
September 28 – Olympique Marseille have appointed Gennaro Gattuso as their new head coach following the resignation of Marcelino.
Turks fire Ataturk Stadium management after players turn green
September 28 – The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has terminated with immediate effect its contract with the management company of the national stadium, the Atatürk Olympic Stadium.
Italian prosecutors probe De Laurentiis over Osimhen transfer as player abused on social media
By Harry Ewing
September 27 – The Rome Prosecutor’s Office has entered Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis into its register of suspects, as the organisation investigates an accusation of false accounting linked to the purchase of Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen from Lille in 2020.
Cyprus re-signs referee exchange programme with Croatian and Danish FAs
September 27 – The Cyprus Football Association (CFA) has renewed its referee exchange agreement with Croatia and Denmark for the 2023-2024 football season.
Partizan’s ‘gravediggers’ to boycott eternal derby, but Red Star boss says change ref or they won’t play
September 26 – The ultras of Serbia’s Partizan Belgrade have said they will boycott the derby clash against Red Star Belgrade. The match, billed as ‘Serbia’s eternal derby’, is to be played tomorrow (Wednesday) at the Partizan Stadium in Belgrade.
Ajax and Feyenoord to finish match tomorrow, but fury over forced shift of Volendam tie
September 26 – Ajax and Feyenoord will play out the remaining 35 minutes of their Eredivisie encounter on Wednesday behind closed doors. Their match had to be abandoned following crowd disturbances at the weekend.
French politicians call for sanctions after homophobic PSG fans abuse Marseille players
September 26 – The French government has vowed to punish Paris St Germain fans who chanted homophobic slurs at the biggest domestic game in the country.
WSL boosts season launch with ‘Where Greatness Lives’ campaign
September 26 – The Barclays Women’s Super League has unveiled its new promotional campaign, ‘Where Greatness Lives’, as part of its 2023/24 season launch, with first matches kicking off this weekend.
Albanian FA keeps up free kit campaign to get youth into the game
September 26 – The Albanian Football Federation (FSHF) launched, for the second year in a row, its ‘Uniforma Ime’ (My uniform) project, which aims to encourage children in the country into football. FSHF boasted that after the first year, the project enjoyed a significant success amongst teenagers.
Ajax vs Feyenoord game abandoned as fans run riot; club fires Mislintat amid transfer concerns
September 25 – In crisis mode, Amsterdam giants Ajax have dismissed their director of football Sven Mislintat with immediate effect, the Dutch club said on Sunday. The dismissal follows the abandonment of Ajax’s league match against rivals Feyenoord Rotterdam on Sunday.