By David Gold
March 18 – Japan has been forced to cancel a friendly with New Zealand scheduled for March 29, due to be played in Tokyo, and will instead hold a charity match in Osaka, with their opponents yet to be confirmed.
By David Gold
March 16 – FIFA President Sepp Blatter has opened a new football academy in Myanmar and spoken of the country’s potential to play a “very active role” in the development of football in Asia.
March 15 – Nine hotels will be opened by Hilton Worldwide in Russia ahead of the 2018 World Cup, taking its total number of hotels in the country to 16, as it looks to expand its presence there.
By David Gold
March 15 – Japan has been forced to postpone all J.League games during March, placing in doubt the country’s participation in the Copa America in July.
By David Gold
March 15 – Chelsea and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have renewed their partnership, formalising the club’s support to the development of football in the Asian confederation.
By David Gold
March 14 – The Football Association have confirmed that players will only be selected for the London 2012 Olympics in addition to next year’s European Championships, to be held in Ukraine and Poland, with the explicit permission of their clubs.
By David Gold
March 14 – Time to organise the dates and venues for the 2013 Confederations Cup is running out according to FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke, who says that the 2010 World Cup in South Africa was easier to organise than the 2014 tournament in Brazil.
March 13 – The England women’s team manager Hope Powell has spoken of her excitement at the prospect of seeing the UEFA women’s Champions League final being staged at Fulham’s Craven Cottage on May 26.
By Mihir Bose in Doha
March 10 – Leyton Orient will move to the courts next week asking for a judicial review of the Government’s decision to house West Ham United in the Olympic stadium after the 2012 Games.
By Duncan Mackay in Doha
March 9 – Qatar today launched a new non-profit organisation aimed at sharing information about security at major sports events around the world and helping them prepare to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 9 – An American sportswear manufacturer has broken into the English Premier League, with Under Armour Inc. signing a deal to become kit suppliers for Tottenham Hotspur.
March 9 – Sebastian Coe (pictured) has claimed he understands Scotland’s lack of enthusiasm for joining a Great British football team to compete at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
March 8 – FIFA President Sepp Blatter reprimanded Brazilian politicians for promising that the opening match of the 2014 World Cup would be staged in Sao Paulo.
By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
March 7 – Britain’s football team could begin its preparations for next year’s Olympics in London with a match against New Zealand at Wembley Stadium in a special fundraising event for the victims of the Christchurch earthquake if a proposal from the President of the Oceania Football Confederation is accepted.
By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
March 7 – Leyton Orient would be prepared to drop their threatened legal action over West Ham United’s proposed move to the Olympic Stadium if they allowed to move to Eton Manor after London 2012, the club’s chairman Barry Hearn has revealed.