March 16 – Former England captain Wayne Rooney says the government and football authorities have treated his profession as “guinea pigs” during the coronavirus outbreak by not acting as responsibly as other sports.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 13 – Despite the British government advising there was not yet any urgent need to ban large public gatherings including sports events, all professional football in England and Scotland has been suspended until at least April 3 as a result of the spread of coronavirus.
By Paul Nicholson
March 13 – Coronavirus is proving to be the scourge of world football but in Trinidad and Tobago the financial failure of the organisation and its new leaders to work their way out of or deal with a series of court cases is proving far more dangerous to the sport on the island.
March 13 – FIFA has postponed this month’s South American World Cup qualifiers amid Coronavirus concerns. Conmebol had requested the postponement.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 13 – Amid speculation that this summer’s 12-city European Championship could be postponed for a year because of Covid-19, UEFA has summoned a crisis video-conference next Tuesday with its entire membership as well as leagues and clubs.
March 13 – In an unprecedented move, UEFA has suspended its entire club competition programme next week as a result of the coronavirus.
March 13 – US Soccer president Carlos Cordeiro has resigned following the furious criticism of the language used in its legal filing in the suit brought against it by its women’s team.
By Paul Nicholson
March 13 – On Wednesday MLS games in Seattle and San Jose were postponed. A day later Major League Soccer had followed in the wake of the NBA and suspended all games, effective immediately, for 30 days, as it continues to assess the impact of the coronavirus.
March 12 – La Liga in Spain has been suspended for “at least the next two rounds of matches” as a result of the Real Madrid squad going into quarantine because of the coronavirus.
March 12 – US Soccer has apologised after a backlash against statements in court documents this week that players on the men’s national team possess greater skill and have more demanding jobs than their female counterparts. The federation is also feeling the heat from sponsors.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 12 – A proposal to give smaller European nations more of a say in key decisions affecting the running of the game has failed to materialise following the intervention of Germany, UEFA’s biggest individual federation.
March 12 – South American governing body Conmebol has called on FIFA to postpone this month’s World Cup qualifiers on the continent due to the Coronavirus outbreak.
March 12 – Former DFB President Wolfgang Niersbach (pictured) has made a surprise court appearance at the 2006 World Cup tax fraud trial – despite the advice of his doctor not to attend.
March 12 – The effects of Covid-19 have gone all the way up to the administration of world football with FIFA taking the unprecedented step of calling off its 211-nation congress that had been due to take place Addis Ababa on June 5.
March 12 – After telling UEFA they wouldn’t travel, Getafe have now persuaded European football’s governing body to call off tonight’s Europa League tie against Inter Milan as the coronavirus begins to bite into UEFA’s club competitions – something it was hoped could be avoided by playing games behind closed doors.