By Samindra Kunti
March 17 – Defending world champions Germany and Brazil will meet in a prestigious friendly next year for the first time since the 7-1 result in the 2014 World Cup semi-finals.
March 17 – Just 24 hours after Africa’s regional congress voted in Ahmad Ahmad as its new leader, one of those countries who voted, Mali, has been kicked out of FIFA with immediate effect due to government interference in its national FA.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 16 – The 29-year reign of Issa Hayatou as head of African football came to a stunning and unexpected end today when he handed over his throne to previously little-known Madagascan challenger Ahmad Ahmad.
By Paul Nicholson
March 16 – With Issa Hayatou no longer president of the Confederation of African Football and the future of CAF general secretary Hicham El Amrani uncertain under the incoming presidency, there is also a question over whether the Egyptian Competition Authority (ECA) and Presentation Sports will continue with their complaint against CAF over the award of a 12-year marketing rights package to Lagardère Sports for $1 billion.
By Samindra Kunti
March 16 – The draw for the U20 2017 FIFA World Cup South Korea has paired arch rivals England and Argentina in the group stages. The participants in the finals today found out their group opponents as the 24 balls were drawn in a ceremony in Suwon.
March 16 – It would be the biggest Chinese acquisition of a European football club to date, but it now looks like it could end up the most expensive €200 million football folly of all time.
March 16 – Ahead of the election that ended his 28 years as Confederation of African Football president, Issa Hayatou today dismissed any possibility of changing the timing of the African Nations Cup, the Continent’s showpiece event, amid calls for it to be rescheduled to accommodate European clubs who lose their African players midway through the season.
March 16 – FIFA is reviewing both payment and pension arrangements for members of its new-look ruling Council as part of the organisation’s cost-cutting policy, according to an AP report.
March 16 – The International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) is developing a mobile app for athletes that will alert them to any potential doping issues in medication they are taking.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 16 – UEFA have confirmed that they will have to hold a special election for one single place on the FIFA Council since there are now only three candidates being elected for the four seats available at the European governing body’s congress next month.
African football is in a dilemma. Not the first time, for that. CAF, the Confederation of African Football, is voting tomorrow and the result may well be remarkable.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 15 – As African football awaits its most far-reaching election in three decades, outright war has broken out between the two rival camps with the self-styled campaign manager for the sole challenger to Issa Hayatou’s previously untouchable throne facing disciplinary action.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 15 – Twenty-fours before the most hotly anticipated election in African football history, Nigerian authorities have denied they have ordered their highly influential FA to vote for Issa Hayatou as he bids to cling on to power for another four-year term.
March 15 – The past week has been a good one for growth in Twitter followers to Premier League clubs. Manchester United topped the weekly growth stats again with 70,500 new followers compared to 59,200 the previous week.
March 15 – New season new team seems to be the club mantra for playing squads across Europe’s Big 5 leagues, but how successful is this policy in terms of achieving honours and stability? Research by the CIES Football Observatory suggests that changing your team every season will not win you prizes.