Fenerbahce fans vote to remain in Turkish Super Lig, despite Trabzonspor chaos
April 3 – Fenerbahce members have voted against a proposal to withdraw from the Turkish Super Lig.
Federations
Saarbrücken’s fairy tale cup run ends in semi-final loss to Kaiserslautern
April 3 – German third-tier club Saarbrücken’s astonishing journey in the DFB-Pokal, which included impressive victories over heavyweight clubs Bayern Munich and Eintracht Frankfurt, came crashing down on Tuesday night after losing 2-0 to Bundesliga 2 side Kaiserslautern.
Bosnia’s top ref refuses to take charge of Sarajevo derby after family threatened
April 2 – Bosnian referee Irfan Peljto, who is on his country’s international list, has refused to officiate matches in the Bosnia and Herzegovina league following threats against him and his family.
Steph Houghton to retire at end of season
March 28 – Manchester City legend and former England captain Steph Houghton has announced her retirement at the end of the current season.
Napoli pull out of ‘token’ anti-racism initiatives after InterMilan’s Acerbi cleared of racial abuse
March 27 – Inter Milan defender Francesco Acerbi has been cleared of a charge of racially insulting Napoli’s Juan Jesus in a Serie A game because there wasn’t enough proof, an Italian football league judge has ruled.
Milan Mandaric returns to the boardroom with Serbia’s Vojvodina Novi Sad
March 27 – Serbian-American businessman Milan Mandaric has been appointed vice president of the Serbian Vojvodina Novi Sad. The 85-year-old billionaire was elected to the post unanimously by the Vojvodina General Assembly of Vojvodina on Tuesday.
Turkish FA signs 4-year retail deal with 11teamsports Group
March 26 – The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has signed an exclusive four-year retail partnership with 11teamsports Group.
Russia calls off Paraguay friendly after terrorist attack on concert hall
March 25 – Russia has called off its friendly against Paraguay scheduled for Moscow today due to the fatal terrorist attack outside the capital.
WSL drives attendances for Women’s Football Weekend with CGI takeover of English landmarks
March 21 – The Women’s Super League is promoting its Women’s Football Weekend (March 23-24) through a series of visual takeovers of famous English landmarks.
Botev request for foreign refs for Bulgarian Cup semi-final denied
March 21 – The Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) has rejected the request from Botev Plovdiv to appoint foreign referees for their upcoming Bulgarian Cup semi-final matches against CSKA Sofia, to be played over two legs.
CSKA and Botev Plovdiv met in a league game last weekend, which Sofia won 4:0. After the match, Botev Plovdiv were critical of the refereeing.
A Botev statement said: “PFK Botev acknowledges its own mistakes that led to the unpleasant 4:0 loss,
Westerlo fire Rik de Mil over ‘convenient’ draw with Racing Genk
March 20 – Belgium club Westerlo have dismissed their manager Rik De Mil with immediate effect after widespread criticism over his team’s convenient draw with Racing Genk on the last day of the regular season.
Real Madrid file complaint against ref for ‘deliberately’ failing to report racist abuse
March 20 – Real Madrid have filed a complaint against the referee who took charge of the team’s recent 4-2 La Liga win at Osasuna for “the negligent drafting” of his report about the match following yet more abuse meted out to Vinicius Jr. by home supporters.
Bosnia renew ASA insurance sponsorship ahead of Euro 2024 qualifier play-offs
March 20 – The Football Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FSBIH) has signed a two-year sponsorship renewal with the country’s largest insurance company in the country, ASA Central Insurance. No value for the deal was given.
Government control: UK politicos pass new laws to set up English football regulator
March 19 – Legislation to establish an independent regulator to oversee English professional football was being introduced today in an effort to ensure financial sustainability as well as stopping teams from joining breakaway competitions like the European Super League.
Fenerbahce call EGM to vote on whether to pull out of Turkish Super Lig after violence at Trabzonspor
March 19 – Turkey’s Fenerbahçe have called an emergency meeting to vote on whether the club should withdraw from the Turkish Super Lig after the unprecedented scenes following the match with Trabzonspor on Sunday, when Trabzonspor fans attacked Fenerbahce players.