Football

Apologies to any North American readers but this page is wholly concerned with the original game of football, which, strangely enough, is largely played with the feet rather than the hands, unlike the gridiron version. As the weeks and months go by we will attempt to bring as much useful (and sometimes not) information about the ‘beautiful game’, but in particular the major European leagues and international competitions.

Northern Ireland’s Nations League game against Belarus set for Belfast as planned despite visa concerns

Uncertainty remains over the venue for Northern Ireland’s home game against Belarus next month but all parties are working towards the fixture being played in Belfast as planned. Belarus are scheduled to travel to face Northern Ireland at Windsor Park in a UEFA Nations League League C Group 3 fixture on November 15. The doubt over the fixture centres around Belarus’ inclusion in the UK’s sanctions against Russia due to its government’s diplomatic support of the invasion of Ukraine since 2022, despite widespread international condemnation. Belarus has allowed its territory…

Read MoreNorthern Ireland’s Nations League game against Belarus set for Belfast as planned despite visa concerns

Asian football federation accused of ‘unequal treatment’ after moving games from Iran

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has rescheduled matches across its tournaments due to the security situation in Iran — weeks after Indian club Mohun Bagan Super Giants were “withdrawn” from AFC competitions after refusing to play in the nation. Mohun Bagan, from Kolkata, requested to Asian football’s governing body to reschedule their AFC Champions League Two — the nation’s second-tier competition — match against Tractor on October 2, which was due to take place in the Iranian city of Tabriz. Five days later, the AFC said the Indian club were…

Read MoreAsian football federation accused of ‘unequal treatment’ after moving games from Iran