Neymar out for season after ankle injury forces surgery
March 7 – Paris St-Germain’s Brazilian star Neymar is set to miss the rest of the season because of upcoming surgery on his ankle.
FIFA unveils Women’s World Cup 2023 poster collection
March 7 – The final teams have now qualified, the World Cup trophy is on tour and headed for Australia and New Zealand, and now the official poster for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 has been released.
Disgraced Le Graet passes FIFA eligibility test but faces challenge for UEFA seat on FIFA Council
By Andrew Warshaw
March 6 – Disgraced former French FA president Noel Le Graet, who resigned last week after 11 years in charge amid a slew of allegations, looks increasingly likely to also have to throw in the towel from his privileged position within FIFA’s inner circle of decision makers.
Aussies and Kiwis put pressure on FIFA to stay away from Visit Saudi deal for WWC
March 6 – Pressure is growing on FIFA to abandon mooted plans for Saudi sponsorship of this summer’s Women’s World Cup after the Australia and New Zealand co-hosts again called for any prospective deal to be scrapped.
AFC U20 Asian Cup: Vietnam continue to impress as group stages reach crucial point
March 6 – Hosts Uzbekistan, Vietnam, South Korea and Japan all took big steps towards to the quarter finals of the AFC U20 Asian Cup this weekend as they topped their groups unbeaten after two rounds.
IFAB keeps temporary concussion subs benched but pushes added time initiative worldwide
March 6 – The International Football Association Board (IFAB), the body that controls the rules of the game, is keeping the proposal for temporary concussion subs on the back burner but is advocating the wider global rollout of its accurate calculation of ‘additional time’ that was implemented at the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
Liverpool stun Man Utd with ‘freak’ result as records broken and ambition fuelled
March 6 – Manchester United have lost more Premier League matches against arch-rivals Liverpool than they have versus any other side in the competition’s history.
Brazil’s Grêmio secures Esportes da Sorte deal ahead of Serie A start and Suarez’s arrival
March 3 – Brazilian online bookie Esportes da Sorte, has taken in the front of shirt sponsorship of Grêmio ahead of the club’s return to the Brasileiro which kicks off in April.
Christos dons Bulgarian shirt to mark 100-year anniversary of BFU
March 6 – The emblematic statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro glowed in the colours of the Bulgarian flag on the occasion of the National day of Bulgaria, 3rd of March, and the 100th anniversary of the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU).
AFC recognises its medical professionals with awards night in Doha
March 6 – The AFC has recognised its medical professionals with a series of awards announced yesterdays as part of the confederation’s 7th AFC Medical Conference in Doha, Qatar.
Italian prosecutor Polcini takes chair of global integrity group SIGA
March 5 – The Sports Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA) has elected Italian magistrate Giovanni Tartaglia Polcini as the integrity body’s new independent and non-executive Chair. He replaces Franco Frattini who passed away on Christmas Eve.
World Cup 2026: Four-team group format to be discussed by FIFA Council in Kigali
By Paul Nicholson
March 3 – FIFA is set to discuss a change to the planned first group stages for the expanded 2026 World Cup – increasing groups from three to four nations – at its next Council meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, later this month.
Tebas says Man City probe is taking too long, EPL is unsustainable and CAS needs reviewing
By Paul Nicholson
March 3 – LaLiga’s CEO Javier Tebas took another swipe at Europe’s state funded clubs who he says have broken and continue to break all the financial rules, saying it has “taken too long” for the Premier League to bring financial breaches charges against Manchester City.
PSG and Moroccan star Achraf Hakimi charged with rape
March 3 – Paris St Germain’s Moroccan international Achraf Hakimi is facing a criminal investigation in France following an allegation of rape, prosecutors have confirmed.
Spanish refs demand justice as probe into Negreira’s Barca payments gathers pace
March 3 – Spain’s referees have jointly defended their reputation and profession in the wake of the burgeoning scandal involving Barcelona’s alleged payment of £1.4 million to a company run by a former referee who at the time was acting as one of their top representatives at the Spanish FA.