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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
March 1 – SIGA will hold a Special Session on the importance of Female Leadership in Sport on Thursday, March 7, at the George Washington University, Marvin Center Amphitheater, in Washington.
March 1 – FIFA’s flurry of sanctions against African footballing figures has continued, this time with a Mozambique federation official thrown out for 15 years for accepting bribes.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 28 – Is Gianni Infantino beginning to feel the pinch over expanding the Qatar World Cup to 48 teams and pressing ahead with his $25 billion pet project to change the face of global competitions?
By Paul Nicholson
February 28 – City Football Group (CFG) owners of Manchester City, have signed a kit sponsorship with Puma which will see the sportswear company supply five of CFG’s clubs in what Puma says is its biggest deal ever.