IFAB adds clarity to handball rule, and clamps down on subs time wasting
March 4 – Football’s lawmakers have agreed on a new definition of handball in order to end confusion over what constitutes deliberate contact
SIGA unveil first speakers for Sport Integrity Forum V in New York, March 26
March 4 – Former FIFA presidential candidate Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan and former Barcelona player and Bulgarian national team legend Hristo Stoichkov will be among the speakers at the SIGA Sport Integrity Forum, March 26, at the New York Athletic Club, New York.
Infantino suggests joint Korean bid for 2023 Women’s World Cup is on the cards
March 4 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino has hinted at a potential joint Korean bid for the 2023 Women’s World Cup. Australia, Japan, South Africa and New Zealand have already expressed their interest in hosting the tournament.
Man City battle new wave of FFP allegations over owner-inflated sponsorship deals
March 4 – Manchester City are under the spotlight off the field once again amid fresh allegations suggesting they bent the rules over Financial Fair Play following a new wave of leaked emails reported by German publication Der Spiegel.
MLS opens with losses for champions Atlanta and new Cincinnati franchise
March 4 – Defending champions Atlanta United opened the 24th Major League Soccer season and coach Frank de Boer’s reign with a 2-0 loss away at DC United. MLS new boys FC Cincinnati had a difficult first day in the league, while MLS commissioner Don Garber said the league could introduce legalised sports gambling.
Beckham statue unveiled at LA Galaxy on opening day of MLS season
March 4 – A statue of former England captain David Beckham was unveiled outside the stadium of LA Galaxy before their opening game in the new MLS season at the weekend.
Tebas in China to support new LaLiga/CSL strategic deal
March 4 – LaLiga reinforced its commitment to Chinese expansion over the weekend with president Javier Tebas in the country for the opening day of the Chinese Super League (CSL) season.
J.League enters esports with 40 clubs to compete on Konami’s PES platform
March 4 – Japan’s J.League is the latest big league to announce it is entering the competitive esports arena with it clubs lined up to play in tournament on Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) game. Other leagues have generally opted for the EA Sports FIFA 19 platform.
Conmebol boss Dominguez dismisses USSF offer of a 2020 tournament on US soil
By Paul Nicholson and Samindra Kunti
March 1 – South American governing body Conmebol looks to be following the FIFA line and keeping the international calendar open for the world governing body’s proposed global competition revamp by rejecting U.S. Soccer’s offer to discuss participation in a cash-rich continental tournament in 2020 in the US.
AFC confirms candidates running for election at April Congress
By Samindra Kunti and Paul Nicholson
March 1 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has confirmed the final list of candidates who will stand for election at the 29th AFC Congress in Kuala Lumpur in April.
Turkish FA chief Demirören steps down over potential betting business conflict
March 1 – The president of Turkey’s FA, Yıldırım Demirören (pictured), has resigned amid questions over his business empire’s anticipated acquisition of the country’s only legal sports betting company, according to local reports.
Ramos played his cards wrong. UEFA flush him out with 2-game ban
March 1 – Cheats never prosper – as Sergio Ramos has found to his cost after being handed a two-game ban by UEFA “for clearly receiving a yellow card on purpose” during Real Madrid’s Champions League tie at Ajax.
Chelsea escape UEFA sanction over fan racism that ‘shamed the club’
March 1 – Chelsea will be breathing a huge sigh of relief at escaping the possibility of having to play behind closed doors after UEFA decided no action would be taken against the club for alleged anti-Semitic chanting by their fans in a Europa League game in Hungary in December.
Fulham part company with Ranieri after just 17 games in charge
March 1 – Claudio Ranieri, the manager who captured the imagination of the world by guiding Leicester City to one the most miraculous league titles in the history of English football just three years ago, has discovered to his cost that lightning rarely strikes twice after being sacked by relegation-threatened Fulham.
Dominican Republic’s FEDOFUTBOL in groundbreaking OTT tie-up with OZ Sports
By David Owen
March 1 – The Football Federation of the Dominican Republic (FEDOFUTBOL), to which a FIFA normalisation committee was appointed last November, has agreed a deal with the production company OZ Sports covering the country’s professional football league.