AFC brings in member association gen secs for three-day powwow
April 4 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has gathered its member associations’ general secretaries for a three-day conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
St Petersburg bomb blast will not derail Russia 2018, says Mutko
April 4 – Russia’s chief World Cup figurehead says the subway blast in St Petersburg that killed 11 people should not be used by the country’s critics to call into question next year’s finals or the confederations cup this coming summer.
Politically correct? Lahm caught left field and fails to see April Fool funny side
April 4 – A Munich-based business has been forced to apologise to Germany’s former captain Philipp Lahm after he reportedly threatened legal action following an April Fool’s joke claiming he had invested in them.
Chelsea open talks over West Ham groundshare as Wembley option fades
April 4 – Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are competing for more than just the Premier League title. They both want to use Wembley Stadium while their own grounds are being redeveloped.
US Club Soccer tests its current crop of id2 players on Spanish tour
April 4 – The Mediterranean International Cup (MIC) kicks off this week, a friendly tournament for leading youth teams played on the Spain’s Costa Brava, this year it will feature a team from US Club Soccer’s id2 programme for the first time.
Toulouse players bite the bullet over drive-by pellet gun attack
April 4 – French top-flight club Toulouse have sacked two players for their alleged role in a pellet gun attack.
Morocco 2026 World Cup bid looks doomed as FIFA regs rule out Euro partners
By Andrew Warshaw
April 3 – Any attempt by Morocco to link up with Spain and Portugal in a bid to stage the 2026 World Cup seems destined to fall foul of FIFA’s strict hosting regulations.
Net closing on Radmann and Beckenbauer as more suspect payments discovered
By Andrew Warshaw
April 3 – Yet another potentially significant twist has emerged in the 2006 World Cup scandal that continues to heap suspicion on those who organised the tournament in Germany.
Swiss league tops Euro ranking of goals per game, La Liga 3rd, Premier League 7th
April 3 – If it is goals you want to see then the Swiss Super League is the place to watch football with an average 3.33 goals per game. The Big 5 leagues don’t fare too badly with Spain’s La Liga ranking third (2.9), the Premier League sixth (2.84) and Serie A seventh (2.82).
PSG beat Monaco to win French League Cup, now chase is on for Ligue 1 title
By Samindra Kunti
April 3 – Paris Saint-Germain won the French League Cup for the fourth consecutive season with an emphatic 4-1 victory over Monaco to alleviate some of the pressure on their coach Unai Emery.
Premier League clubs seek Brexit exemption to hold on to European players
April 3 – Premier League clubs have urged the British government not to allow immigration regulations under Brexit to damage the free movement of players into the country.
Qatar beefs up 2022 security with plan to establish specialist national police unit
April 3 – Qatar is taking advice from British security services as it builds towards the 2022 World Cup according to Hassan Al Thawadi, head of the tournament’s organising committee.
Hertha Berlin push for new 55,000-seat arena next to Olympiastadion
April 3 – Bundesliga club Hertha Berlin are planning a move away from the Olympiastadion where they have played since 1963, to a new 55,000 seat arena that would ideally be situated right next door to its current stadium.
Celtic wrap up SPL title with eight games still to play
April 3 – The statistics are pretty impressive. Unbeaten in the league domestically, a sixth consecutive title and only four points dropped.
AFC Village CSR project launches in Philippines
April 3 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has launched one of its key social responsibility initiatives, the AFC Village, in Tacloban, the Philippines, which provides new homes to families who were left homeless by Typhoon Haiyan in 2013.