UEFA slams Skenderbeu with 10-year European ban and €1m fine for matchfixing
By Paul Nicholson
April 2 – Albania’s leading club KF Skënderbeu has been issued with a 10-year ban from European competition by UEFA for matchfixing.
Platini talks of plots, clowns, worthless judges and the all-conquering power of TV
April 3 – Michel Platini, not so long ago one of the most powerful men in world football who had aspirations to take over from Sepp Blatter as FIFA president until both were banned for ethics violations, has branded those who threw him out as “clowns” and “worthless judges” and told a French magazine that he will eventually be cleared of any wrongdoing.
Russian rumours: UK and US are plotting to remove 2018 World Cup says spokeswoman
April 3 – Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has accused the UK and US of using the poisoning scandal to try and take the World Cup away from her country.
Samoura tops list of most powerful women in world sport
April 3 – FIFA’s first ever female general secretary Fatma Samoura takes top position in Forbes’ latest ranking of the most important women in sport.
CONCACAF splitting? St Lucia says it will back Morocco in 2026 vote
April 3 – The first signs that CONCACAF may not vote as a bloc in favour of the three-nation US-Canada-mexico 2026 World Cup bid have emerged after St Lucia became the first country in the region to announce publicly that it would be backing underdogs Morocco.
Marinakis loses patience and banishes players after draw leaves Olympiakos third
April 3- A group of Olympiakos players have been fined €400,000 and ordered to go on holiday for the rest of the season by club president Evangelos Marinakis following a string of poor results.
Premier League is the most uncompetitive national competition in Europe, finds report
April 2 – The big just keep on getting bigger, with the gap to the minnows ever increasing, is the obvious conclusion from research looking at the percentage of matches with a gap of three or more goals across 29 European competitions.
Burnley join Premier League profit rush with £27m haul
By David Owen
April 2 – Burnley, the Lancashire outfit whose incisive style, backed by a strong defence, looks like landing them a top-half finish in this season’s Premier League, have become the latest English side to unveil strong 2016-17 profits.
Man Utd release US dates for Club America and San Jose games
April 2 – Manchester United are returning to the US for their pre-season tour for the second consecutive year. Their two-week tour, presented by sponsor AON, will include matches against Mexico’s Club America and MLS side San Jose Earthquakes.
FIFA’s Greek watchdogs call on Council to suspend the HFF immediately
By Paul Nicholson
March 29 – FIFA’s Greek monitoring committee has had enough. The committee set up in July 2017 to monitor the Hellenic Football Federation (HFF) is now calling for its suspension with immediate effect.
World Cup 2026: Morocco splits Europe with Russia dissing US, Mexican football heritage
By Andrew Warshaw
March 29 – As the two contenders to stage the 2026 World Cup await the all-important inspection visit from FIFA’s evaluation team next month, clear evidence has emerged that Europe will be split when the actual vote takes place on June 13.
Pay of top West Brom director crashes from £2m to £260,000
By David Owen
March 29 – Newly-published accounts for West Bromwich Albion, the Midlands club marooned at the foot of the Premier League table, reveal a sharp drop in directors’ remuneration since it was taken under Chinese control in September 2016.
Saints close Liebherr era with £40m profit
By David Owen
March 29 – Premier League Southampton have posted a hefty profit for the year to end-June 2017, its last under the control of Katharina Liebherr. In August, Liebherr’s vehicle, St Mary’s Football Group, sold out to Lander Sports (UK), bringing the club under the control of Jisheng Gao, a Chinese property magnate.
England push for GB women’s team at 2020 Tokyo Olympics
March 29 – English football officials say they are “confident” there will be a women’s football team representing Team GB at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Entente discordiale: Racism mars France’s Russian friendly
March 29 – The fear of racism rearing its ugly head at the World Cup in Russia has intensified following alleged abuse directed at French players by Russian fans during a high-profile friendly this week.