Rule-makers sing praises of ‘ABBA’ format for shoot-out tie-breakers
By Andrew Warshaw
March 6 – Football’s lawmakers are considering making penalty shootouts fairer by adopting the format used in tennis tiebreakers.
Bwalya pulls out of FIFA Council race to focus on CAF exco bid
March 6 – Former Zambian FA president Kalusha Bwalya has withdrawn from the race for a place on the FIFA Council – less than two weeks before elections for African representatives.
UEFA GROW summit lays groundwork to boost Eastern Europe participation rates
March 6 – UEFA held its first regional summit under the UEFA GROW theme last week in Tbilisi, Georgia, with the aim of boosting participation in football and the growth of the game across eastern Europe.
Celtic’s gain, Liverpool’s loss. £15.7m redundancy payment takes shine off Reds’ profits
By David Owen
March 5 – A hefty redundancy payment for former manager Brendan Rodgers looks to have been partly responsible for the deterioration in profitability at Liverpool in the 2015-16 financial year.
AFC launches Dream Asia Foundation to provide social and humanitarian aid
March 5 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has officially launched its foundation which will use the game to provide aid and social development to communities across the region.
Leicester City end glory year with a £16.4m profit
By David Owen
March 5 – The market value of Leicester City’s playing squad is reckoned to have nearly quadrupled to £236.3 million as a consequence of last year’s fairy tale season which ended with the Foxes crowned Premier League champions in one of sporting history’s greatest shocks.
Rules body accelerates VAR towards its debut at Russia World Cup 2018
By Andrew Warshaw
March 5 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino has re-iterated that there is a realistic chance video replays will be used at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the most ground-breaking change in years in FIFA’s showpiece event.
CONCACAF takes control of Caribbean competitions with opening of Jamaica office
By Paul Nicholson
March 3 – CONCACAF has publicly taken the gloves off in its fight to take control of the Caribbean, announcing it will open its own office in Jamaica later this month. The move will effectively see the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) removed from all competition organisation of qualifying events for CONCACAF championships.
FIFA takes mediation steps to resolve staff conflict
By Andrew Warshaw
March 3 – Buffeted by persistent reports of internal unrest, FIFA has put to work the independent external specialists engaged late last year to mediate in staff disputes.
Russia to issue identity cards to fans heading to World Cup 2018
March 3 – Fans will need special identity cards to attend the 2018 World Cup and this summer’s Confederation Cup in Russia in a move to combat hooliganism which reared its ugly head at Euro 2016 – with Russia in the thick of it.
Le Graët and Rousselot trade blows in battle for French FA presidency
By Samindra Kunti
March 3 – French football may be in relatively good shape, with Les Bleus topping their World Cup qualifying group, Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League’s round of 16 and Ligue 1 enjoying more international exposure, but behind the scenes a battle for the French FA’s presidency is raging, with Didier Deschamps having joined the war of words.
Johansen says no decision made on CAF presidency as she focuses on her own election
March 3 – The sensitivity within individual federations over this month’s Confederation of African Football presidency has been further underlined with Sierra Leone Football Association President Isha Johansen ordering an immediate enquiry into media reports credited to her Director of Competitions Sorey Ibrahim Sesay that she would not be voting for Madagascan challenger Ahmad Ahmad.
US refuses entry visas to Tibetan women’s team to play in Dallas Cup
March 3 – A women’s team representing Tibet are upset and angry at having been denied visas to take part in a tournament in Texas. Most of the players were Tibetan refugees living in India and had applied at the US embassy in Delhi.
MLS feeds its sponsorship roster with Kellogg snacking on a multi-year deal
March 3 – MLS has a new snack partner with Cheez-It and Pringles named the official snacks of Major League Soccer. The Kellogg brands take over from Mondelez, which manufactures Oreo, Trident and Ritz. No figure was announced for the sponsorship.
Survey finds FIFA still has work to do to win fan trust
By Andrew Warshaw
March 3 – A majority of fans are still worried about corruption in football despite Gianni Infantino’s pledge when he took over as FIFA president a year ago that the crisis was over.