By Paul Nicholson
March 31 – The United Soccer League (USL) is expanding again, this time with the launch of a Third Division men’s professional national league that will start play in 2019.
By Paul Nicholson
March 31 – Elkhan Mammadov is a different kind of ‘beast from the east’. Like many of the current crop of administrators taking leading positions at the top tables of world football, he comes without a history of old-school alliances. Relatively unknown outside his home country of Azerbaijan, he comes with a skillset that is in line with modern business practices and the new cadre of football administrators sweeping across the world game.
March 30 – After a leaderless period of turmoil, Argentine football now has a new president after Claudio Tapia was elected unopposed and made reducing Lionel Messi’s four-match ban his first priority.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 29 – The new head of African football has thrown his weight behind a possible bid by Morocco to stage the 2026 World Cup, potentially a significant irritant to north America which is regarded by many as a shoo-in to host the event.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 28 – The head of the body representing the majority of Europe’s leading clubs has radically changed his views about the idea of a breakaway super league now that UEFA has agreed to revamp the Champions League in favour of the biggest and wealthiest teams.
March 28 – An international friendly sbetween African rivals Senegal and the Ivory Coast, staged on the outskirts of Paris, was abandoned on Monday when fans invaded the pitch and confronted the players.
March 27 – If the United States, Canada and Mexico jointly bid for the 2026 World Cup and are successful, all three should be allowed automatic berths in the competition according to the region’s top administrator.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 27 – First the president, now his trusted number two. The wind of change sweeping through African football following the stunning election defeat of Issa Hayatou has quickly snared his deputy and chief ally with Confederation of African Football (CAF) secretary general Hicham El Amrani resigning on Sunday, just over a week after Hayatou was ousted from power by Madagascar’s Ahmad Ahmad.
March 27 – Nigeria’s friendly with Burkina Faso in London tonight has been called off after several Burkina Faso players failed to gain visas in time.
March 27 – A fragile peace appears to have broken out within Sierra Leone football following an extraordinary congress in the capital Freetown.
March 27 – Barcelona will name their new stadium in the Ciutat Esportiva training complex after Dutch legend Johan Cruyff. The planned stadium is part of the redevelopment of the club’s famed La Masia.
March 24 – The head of the English Football Association has condemned the “inappropriate, disrespectful and disappointing” behaviour of England fans at Wednesday night’s friendly in Germany yet refused to issue a direct apology.
By Paul Nicholson
March 23 – The spat over whether US Spanish-speaking network Telemundo would be allowed to broadcast Trinidad and Tobago’s upcoming Russia 2018 World Cup qualifying matches against Panama and Mexico has been resolved at the last minute. A Trinidad judge ruled that broadcaster owns the TV rights and that the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) has to allow Telemundo access to the stadium that had previously been denied.
By Samindra Kunti
March 23 – South American giants Brazil and Uruguay face different obstacles in their crunch World Cup qualifiers as they seek to qualify for the 2018 Russia World Cup.
March 23 – Diego Maradona has reportedly threatened to resign as a FIFA global ambassador unless an Argentine rival is removed from his post in the national federation.