Life ban for Togolese ref Fagla for fixing international matches
March 21 – FIFA has banned Togolese referee Kokou Hougnimon Fagla for life after finding him guilty of corruption.
PSG accues Evra of homophobia over ‘we’re men speaking’ post after UCL exit to Man Utd
March 21 – Ex-Manchester United defender Patrice Evra has denied he is homophobic after Paris Saint-Germain condemned what they say were insulting remarks aimed at the club by the former France captain.
Sheffield United women’s player quits game over FA’s ‘kangaroo court’ discrimination case
March 21 – An English women’s footballer has decided to retire after being banned for five games for racial abuse.
PSG wins CAS appeal to get UEFA’s financial re-investigation shut down
By Andrew Warshaw
March 20 – Paris St Germain have won a significant legal victory that could have widespread repercussions, with Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling against UEFA in its bid to re-open a previously closed investigation into the club’s finances.
Exclusive: FIFA gives itself permission to invest in equities
By David Owen
March 20 – FIFA has given itself permission to invest in equities as part of its asset management operations.
Infantino’s Gulf War. 48-team 2022 could make diplomatic situation worse, says survey
March 20 – FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s plan to expand the 2022 World Cup to 48 teams and sharing hosting rights with Qatar’s neighbours risks worsening tensions in the region, according to a new survey.
Troubled Brussels stadium at last wins support for €150m refurb
March 20 – Brussels’s King Baudouin Stadium could be remodelled to become a 40,000 all-seater ‘Golden Generation Arena’ by 2022 in plans backed by the Belgian FA (KBVB). The Belgian capital had been chosen to stage Euro 2020 matches, but the proposed ‘Eurostadium’ never got beyond the planning stages.
Bangladesh’s Kiron granted bail as global pressure builds for her unconditional release
March 20 – A Bangladesh court has decided to grant bail to FIFA council member Mahfuza Akhter Kiron just days after she was arrested for allegedly defaming the country’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for saying nothing more than that she was neglecting football in the cricket-mad country.
Brace yourselves, it’s Brighton away
March 20 – Brighton and Hove Albion on England’s sunny and clearly not-so-easy going south coast is one of the most likely place in Europe’s top league’s where you are going to get a kicking if you are a professional player, according to new data from the CIES Football Observatory.
France 2019 World Cup completes National Supporter line-up with Orange deal
March 20 – Women’s football is on a commercial roll. With nine nations confirmed as formally expressing interest to host the 2023 Women’s World Cup yesterday, the France 2019 Local and Organising Committee and FIFA have announced the sixth National Supporter sponsor for the World Cup to be played June 7 to July 7.
Deschamps says he is ready to lead France to World Cup repeat in 2022
March 20 – World Cup-winning coach Didier Deschamps is keen on leading France until the 2022 finals in Qatar. He guided Les Bleus to a second world title at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. On Friday, France open their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign against Moldova.
USL arms itself with Sportradar to create its integrity defences
March 20 – The United Soccer League, operator of professional tier two and three leagues in the US, has boosted its protection against match-fixing and betting related-fraud via a deal with integrity specialists Sportradar.
Joint Korean bid lines up against eight rivals for 2023 Women’s World Cup hosting
March 19 – A record nine nations, including a ground-breaking joint initiative from north and south Korea, have expressed interest in hosting the 2023 Women’s World Cup, further evidence of how the global women’s game is growing in popularity.
Saudi Arabia among 4 nations with no FIFA Forward cash released at end of 2018 cycle
By David Owen
March 19 – Saudi Arabia may be appearing to play an increasingly prominent role in football business and politics in the Gianni Infantino era. But the Kingdom seems to be ignoring the FIFA President’s offer of largesse via the beefed-up FIFA Forward programme.
Nationality by colour? Pogrebnyak remarks re-light Russian racism debate
March 19 – The Russian Football Union is set to investigate remarks made by former international striker Pavel Pogrebnyak regarding black players competing for the national team.