England legend Stuart Pearce hospitalised after flight emergency
March 10 – Former England international defender Stuart Pearce is reported to be in good spirits after suffering a medical emergency on a flight from Las Vegas.
News
Barca-Osasuna match called off after sudden death of team doctor
March 10 – Barcelona’s home game against Osasuna in the Spanish league was postponed on Saturday after the death of first-team doctor Carles Miñarro Garcia.
Bulgaria’s Maritsa 1921 Plovdiv applies for Erasmus grant to drive digital learnings
March 10 – Bulgaria’s Maritsa 1921 Plovdiv is applying for a €450,000 Erasmus+ grant. The project, called Maritsa Tech Academy (MTA), aims to demonstrate the impact of technology on football, including AI-based analytics, digital refereeing, wearable GPS technologies, and sustainable sports solutions to improve performance, safety, and athlete development.
As the rich get richer DFL boss Marc Lenz says game is teetering on the edge of competitive balance
March 7 – German Football League (DFL) chief Marc Lenz says global football is at a “crossroads” when it comes to competitive balance and the international calendar.
Lyon coach Paulo Fonseca banned for 9 months after going head-to-head with ref
March 6 – Referee abuse is on the rise in both professional and youth games, which is why it is imperative that the pros set a good example, however, that message didn’t get through to Lyon head coach, Paulo Fonseca.
Zingarevich, banned from entry to Bulgaria, delivers stinging attack on his losing players
March 7 – Botev Plovdiv owner Anton Zingarevich has published an open letter to players and staff expressing his outrage over the team’s results since the beginning of the year. Botev’s team has not yet won a single league match and was eliminated from the Bulgarian Cup by champions Ludogorets on penalties.
Serie A keen to trailblaze in the US as first European league to play a regular season game
March 5 – Relevent Sports has been the squeaky wheel in world football for a number of years as they push to host a regular-season match from one of Europe’s top leagues in the USA. To date they have been met with pushback, however, that could soon change as Italy’s Serie A has said they want to hold a regular-season game in the next year or two.
Fenerbahce files suit against Galatasaray over claims Mourinho made racist comments
March 3 – The fierce rivalry between Turkish giants Fenerbahce and Galatasaray has reached new heights off the field after the former revealed it had filed a lawsuit against the latter for suggesting Fenerbahce coach Jose Mourinho had made racist comments.
Norwegian FA members vote to keep VAR despite clubs voting to scrap it
March 3 – After months of contention, Norwegian football has voted to retain the use of VAR at the elite level following the federation’s congress on Saturday.
Turkish FA hands Mourinho 4-match ban for abusive and derogatory language
February 28 – The Turkish Football Federation has punished Fenerbahce coach Jose Mourinho with a four-match ban TL 1.617 million (€42 000) fine.
Belgians drop topflight play-off format in favour of return to traditional league structure
February 28 – Belgian clubs have ditched the controversial playoffs format of the topflight in favour of a traditional 18-club league format.
Top player, top tournament? Is AFCON why Salah won’t win Ballon d’Or?
February 26 – Former Liverpool defender, Jamie Carragher has drawn the ire of former Manchester United defender, Rio Ferdinand with his comments disparaging the African Cup of Nations (AFCON).
BFU bans leading academy from national training base after referee attacked at U14 cup final
February 26 – The Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) has terminated its relations with the Ares Football Academy and banned all of their teams from training at the Boyana National Football Base.
Čeferin talks globalism and Champions League in a world that has not been as dangerous since pre-WW2
February 25 – UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin reckons that 99% of people are now satisfied with the Champions League but says there is no discussion about taking the final of the competition to the US, despite the new partnership with new US-based marketing agency Relevent.
Marseilles president accuses French refs of rigging games after loss to Auxerre
February 24 – Marseille president Pablo Longoria (pictured) faces almost certain punishment from French footballing authorities after an outburst on Saturday in which he claimed his club were the victims of “corruption” following a 3-0 Ligue 1 loss to Auxerre.