UEFA charge PSG and Basel for fan disturbances
March 8 – UEFA have charged Paris St- Germain and Basel following their fans’ behaviour during their respective Champions League last-16 matches this week.
Europe
Italy mourns Fiorentina captain Davide Astori, 31
March 9 – Thousands of fans and representatives of every Serie A club turned out on Thursday for the funeral of former Fiorentina captain and Italian international Davide Astori, who died suddenly at the age of 31 last weekend.
Micciché takes on Serie A presidency in interim role
March 8 – Gaetano Micciché will become the new temporary president of Italy’s Serie A following an announcement by Giovanni Malago, the Italian Olympic Committee president.
Blustering Boris: first he pushes UK out of Europe, now he wants England out of World Cup
March 7 – Boris Johnson, the UK’s colourful foreign secretary with a reputation for outspoken – occasionally outlandish – comments, has caused something of a diplomatic storm by appearing to suggest that England could withdraw from the World Cup in retaliation for Russia’s suspected poisoning of a former double agent on British soil.
Koutsokoumnis, champion of Cypriot football unity, dies aged 61
By Andrew Warshaw
March 7 – Cyprus Football Association president Costakis Koutsokoumnis, who fought to build bridges on the divided island by trying to unify football and sought to eliminate matchfixing, has died aged 61 after a long battle with cancer.
Glenn apologises after his stars get mis-aligned
March 6 – Just when English football authorities appeared to have learned from the lessons of the past in terms of embarrassing gaffes, so another one has hit the headlines, this time involving Football Association chief executive Martin Glenn.
Italy’s Serie A to break with Christmas tradition and play football
March 6 – Italian football is breaking with tradition and going down the English road of playing over Christmas and New Year.
Showing your colours: Guardiola tied up by FA’s yellow ribbon charge
March 6 – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has accepted a Football Association charge over “wearing a political message” during matches, specifically a yellow ribbon in support of jailed pro-independence politicians in his native Catalonia.
UEFA to hold minute’s silence for Fiorentina and Italy defender Astori
March 3 – Tributes will be paid before Champions League and Europa League games this week in honour of Davide Astori, the Fiorentina defender and former Italian international who died tragically at the weekend aged 31.
AFC postpones Iraqi club ACL games as it waits for FIFA ruling on home matches
March 5 – Just days after the head of Asian football, Shaikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa, called on FIFA to lift its ban on Iraq being allowed to host competitive international matches, two Asian Champions League games have been postponed until April in the hope that FIFA heeds the request.
Italian football mourns sudden death of Fiorentina captain Davide Astori
March 5 – The whole of Italy and the footballing world beyond has registered its collective shock and disbelief after the sudden death overnight on Saturday of Fiorentina captain and Italian international defender Davide Astori at just 31 years of age.
‘Members or clients’? Dortmund boss says fans will win on Monday night TV protest
March 1 – German football may consider ditching Monday night league games following a string of protests by fans who have voted with their feet and stayed away, according to Borussia Dortmund’s chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke (pictured).
English edge towards staggered Winter Break, but with FA Cup set to be compromised
February 28 – The prospect of a winter break in top-flight English football, which has been discussed and debated for years with public opinion split, appears to be edging closer.
UEFA boost Euro 2020 prize money to €371m, winner will take €34m
By Andrew Warshaw
The 24 qualifiers for the one-off pan-Continental European Championship in 2020 will share record total prize money of €371 million, €70 million up on last time, with each of the finalists receiving a minimum of €9.25 million.
Man Utd comms chief flies south to take up UEFA role
February 27 – After 14 years at Manchester United, Phil Townsend is joining UEFA as its new managing director of communications in succession to Pedro Pinto.