The Soccernostalgia Interview-Part Four

For this Interview I have the privilege of interviewing Jo Araf, the author “Generazione Wunderteam. Ascesa e caduta della squadra delle meraviglie”.

He is an Italian Author of Jewish Origin and this is very first book.

Mr. Araf is an entrepreneur and owns a translation business.

This book is in Italian Language and chronicles the legendary Austrian ‘Wunderteam’ of the 1930s managed by Hugo Meisl.

Soccernostalgia Question: First of all congratulations on your book. What attracted you to write a book on this subject and era?

Response: Thank you! I have always been passionate about history and in the last few years I developed an interest in historic football, something that helped me combine two of my greatest passions. After reading a few publications and articles about the Wunderteam and Matthias Sindelar, I decided to uncover the true story behind the Austrian selection of the ’30.

Soccernostalgia Question: Can you give a summary of yourself? Areas of interest in writing. etc? 

Response: Regarding writing, I like focusing on untold or mysterious stories concerning football and sports. I have never read any book about a contemporary player or sportsman, as I believe the web is already replete with information. I love researching and analyzing little known facts and I am planning to write another one or two books dating back to the ’20 and ‘30s.

Soccernostalgia Question: Can you describe the format and structure of your book?

Response: I decided not to include a preface as I was not able to find a suitable writer/journalist to help me out. So I decided it was rather unnecessary. The book includes an introduction, nine chapters, a conclusion, a chronology of the main events and in the end, of course, an acknowledgement section and bibliography. It is 297-page long and I aimed to combine sports and historic events as I believe it would be almost impossible to explain what happened in football in the first half of the 20^th century without providing an overview of what was happening in Europe.

Soccernostalgia Question: What was your method of research process for this book and the time it took to write it?

Response: I knew that if I wanted to succeed in writing an exhaustive and veritable work the only way I had was look up local sources. When it comes to Matthias Sindelar and the Wunderteam, it is frequent to run into inaccurate and even false information. This is why I have been very selective with the sources I chose and which often had to be translated from German. I also focused on some Italian and English written books and essays to better explain how Austrian football was shaped and the relationships between European countries in the interwar years.

Soccernostalgia Question: How did Hugo Meisl enter into the Austrian Football World from his Banking Profession?

Response:  As far as I know Hugo Meisl entered the world of football way before he took employment into the banking sector (at Landerbank). He was contracted by Landerbank in 1906 (and regained the position after the end of WW1), but in 1895 he was already part of Vienna Cricket and Football club.

Photo From: Österreichs Fußball Länderspiele Chronik 1902 – 1993, Author Anton Egger

(Austria Manager Hugo Meisl)

Soccernostalgia Question: What was Hugo Meisl’s tactical evolution from the time he took over in December 1912 to the inception of the ‘Wunderteam’?

Response:  The key step was the partnership with Jimmy Hogan that started in that very year. As many report, Hugo Meisl had a great knowledge of international football and was aware of how the British were at the forefront of it in the 10s. This is why he, advised by an English referee after a friendly match, decided to hire Jimmy Hogan as Austria’s coach. However, Hogan advocated the Scottish playing style relying on short passes and a strong cohesion between players. Unlike England, Austria started playing without a stopper (replaced by a central midfielder).

Soccernostalgia Question: How did Meisl co-exist with Heinrich Retschury when the two became co-Managers in 1914 until 1919?

Note: The only matches that Austria played in those years were vs. Hungary, so for all intents and purposes like the rest of Europe, International Football was on hold.

Response:  In 1914 the collaboration between Meisl and Hogan was no longer possible, as Hogan was declared ‘enemy on foreign soil’ by the Austrian authorities. However, no match was played under the direction of Meisl and Retschury in those years even because at that time players had no way to escape the front (some of them died). Retschury was nevertheless chosen as Austria’s coach in 1937, when Hugo Meisl died.

Soccernostalgia Question: What year can be considered the birth of this ‘Wunderteam’? It appears that 1931 was the first year when they were clearly dominant.

Response:  Definitely 1931, after the win against Scotland. That was when the nickname Wunderteam was first invented. The match took place on May 16^th and marked the return of Matthias Sindelar in the starting lineup. This time Sindelar had a chance to play as center forward (unlike in other occasions).

Photo From: Österreichs Fußball Länderspiele Chronik 1902 – 1993, Author Anton Egger

(Austria squad, May 16, 1931, Austria 5-Scotland 0)

Soccernostalgia Question: What was Meisl’s responsibility in molding this squad? Did they excel because of his tactics? If so what was innovative about his tactics and training methods?

Response:  Many believe Hogan was a better tactician and Meisl a better motivator, this is why their collaboration turned out to be so fruitful. Regarding tactics, he adopted the Viennese pyramid (2-3-5) and even though the ‘false nine’ was not contemplated in his initial intentions as Austria was playing with a classic striker as Friedrich Gschwiedl, following Matthias Sindelar’s Meisl changed his plans. He was known and loved by his players as many of them reported even before his death and it is well known that he used to monitor young players since they were 14 or 15. Once again it is important to stress Hogan’s collaboration on certain aspects of the game, like the introduction of innovative diets (something unusual at that time in continental Europe)

Photo From: Football Magazine, Issue 20, September 1961

(This cartoon shows 1930s Austria Manager Hugo Meisl (with his back turned) leading the ‘Wunderteam’ in a symphony)

Soccernostalgia Question: What can be considered the zenith of this ‘Wunderteam’, a match or a year? Is perhaps the year 1932, where their only loss was (3-4) vs. England?

Response:  To me, the victory in the 1932 International Cup. That was their main achievement and the reason why they were invited to play a friendly match against England. That was the first time England had to fight hard to beat a selection coming from the continent. In 1934 the team was still very strong but for a number of reasons they couldn’t go beyond the WC’s semifinals.

Soccernostalgia Question: The only World Cup that the ‘Wunderteam’ participated was the 1934 edition. Were they not perhaps past their best at the time?

Response:  Good question. The Wunderteam had past its prime but a new generation was about to thrive. Josef Bican was 21 and could’ve become a future star just as Franz Bimbo Binder. Also, other important players like Smistik, Sesta, Nausch (who could not played in that WC because of an injury) and Zischek were still pretty young. I have the sensation that Austria could’ve won against Italy had they played on a neutral soil. Also, despite being aged 31 and with a number of physical issues, Matthias Sindelar all in all performed well in that WC.

Photo From: Österreichs Fußball Länderspiele Chronik 1902 – 1993, Author Anton Egger

(The iconic Portrait of the Wunderteam)

Soccernostalgia Question: When researching on the 1934 World Cup for my blog, French accounts describe Hugo Meisl as very angry and abusive towards his own players? Are these accounts accurate? What was Meisl’s personality like?

Response:  Yes, the match against France was much harder than expected, Austria had a bad approach and won in the end but Meisl was not happy at all. He also criticized his team’s approach in the match against Hungary, especially in the first half. Regarding the match against Italy, newspapers reported different comments: in Austria it appeared that he was enraged with the referee whereas some Italian newspapers (under fascism) wrote he accepted the defeat saying Italy deserved that victory.

Soccernostalgia Question: Matias Sindelar is always the reference player of this Team? What did you learn about him while researching your book?

Response:  We can regard Matthias Sindelar as the Wunderteam’s key player because the best era of the Wunderteam coincided with the reintroduction – and definitive launch - of Sindelar in the starting eleven. He had a key role in the 1932 victory and he was known to be Europe’s - or even the world’s – best player when Austria played the 1934 in Italy. Also, he proved to be very successful even on the international stage winning two Mitropa Cups (1933 and 1936). However I tried to explain in my book pages why the Wunderteam was not all about Matthias Sindelar. While Sindelar was the best known player locally, one has to think that Austria could boast four great teams in the ’30: Austria Vienna, Rapid, Admira and First Vienna all brimmed with fantastic talents. Matthias Sindelar actually won just a local championship when we was very young, and not even as protagonist.

Photo From: Österreichs Fußball Länderspiele Chronik 1902 – 1993, Author Anton Egger

(Matthias Sindelar)

(February 10, 1903-January 23, 1939) 

Soccernostalgia Question: Another emblematic player is Josef Bican. What new things did you lean about him while researching?

Response:  Interestingly, Sindelar and Bican were born and raised in the same street, Quellenstrasse. Bican’s father knew well Matthias Sindelar and the stories of the two players are very useful to explain how the Wunderteam and a hungry generation of young players flourished.  When in 1934 Bican played the WC he was still very young, but that was a sign Hugo Meisl strongly relied on him. Many times he praised Bican’s commitment, speed and determination. As far as I could learn, he was much more than a goal-scoring machine: he was as fast as record-breaking runners and hold exceptional skills. However he was quite unlucky: he did not have a chance to play a second WC in 1938,  a year when he was the figurehead behind Slavia’s win in the Mitropa Cup.

Photo From: Österreichs Fußball Länderspiele Chronik 1902 – 1993, Author Anton Egger

(Josef Bican)

(September 25, 1913-December 12, 2001)

Soccernostalgia Question: When researching on the 1934 World Cup for my blog, there are also many conspiracy theories surrounding the performance of Swedish Referee Ivan Eklind in Austria’s match vs. the Italian hosts. Throughout the rest of his life, Bican believed that Eklind had been bribed and was acting under the instructions of Mussolini. What is your take on this?

Response:  The same as yours. This is exactly what Bican said many years later. And he was not the only one to be suspicious on Eklind’s refereeing. The same comments were made a few days later by Czech players. Eklind was the only case in football history of a referee directing both a final and a semifinal. Rumors say (but these are just rumors) Eklind was seen dining with Mussolini the night before the final. What is not a rumor is that half of the referees/linesemen were Italian.

Photo From: Slavne Nohy, Author Jaroslav Salek, Zdenek Salek, 2002

(Josef Bican)

(September 25, 1913-December 12, 2001)

Soccernostalgia Question: In my research for the 1934 World Cup, I read that these incidents surrounding this 1934 Semifinal, affected Meisl’s friendship with Pozzo. Can you shed light on that?

Response:  Not at all, they had a great relationship. I read a book on Vittorio Pozzo and it appears evident how Pozzo respected Hugo Meisl. They first met in 1912 during the Olympic Games as Meisl refereed a match between Italy and Finland and spoke Italian when he had to address Italian players. I believe both Pozzo and Meisl were ‘victims’ of the sports and political rivalry that affected their countries in the interwar years.  The only element that may hint at a clash between the two is that after the 1934 semifinal Meisl went directly to Austria’s dressing room without shaking hands with Pozzo, but that just depended on the heat of the moment.

Soccernostalgia Question: What was Meisl’s relationship like with Vittorio Pozzo (1934 Semifinal notwithstanding) and others such as Otto Nerz?

Response:  Meisl had great relationships with Pozzo, Hogan and Chapman. Some of the most respected coaches of his time. Hogan said that Meisl was the greatest man he had ever met in the football world. Meisl and Chapman were constantly in touch and it was thanks to Chapman that the 1932 match against England could’ve been arranged. As a matter of fact, Meisl named one of his sons after Chapman (Herbert). I have no idea of his relationship with Nerz, considering that Germany was not a footballing power at that time and was never regarded as a forerunner for the WC.

Soccernostalgia Question: The accounts of Sindelar’s suicide and all the conspiracy theories surrounding it are part of the folklore of Football History. What do you generally believe happened?

Response:  As you said, I think it is just folklore. It was an accident due to his girlfriend’s heater that had been faulty for a few days (as some neighbors reported). I believe many nations that collaborated with the Nazis had to clean their image and this is why they tried to adopt as many national heroes as they could.

Photo From: L’Equipe Magazine, April 25, 1998

(Matthias Sindelar’s resting palce)

Soccernostalgia Question: What event or match signaled the start of the decline of this great team? Was it perhaps the 1934 World Cup, it seems the year 1935 was particularly poor

Response:  Yes, I believe the 1934 semifinal. It was also a matter of motivation that started fading away. Austria was still plenty of young talents (just think of Bican, Binder, Jerusalem or Hahnemann), but they needed time to bounce back as one of the world’s best selections

Soccernostalgia Question: Nearing the end of the decade of 30s, the death of Hugo Meisl in early 1937 as well as Political events (the Anschluss in 1938) changed the landscape for this Austrian side. The 1938 World Cup participation was scrapped as the Austrians were incorporated into the Greater German National Team. Sindelar refused participation and would die in 1939. How did Meisl’s death impact the National Team set up?

Response:  As soon as Meisl died, Retschury was named Austria’s coach. During 1937, Austria was playing in the International Cup but Meisl was well aware that a change was called for. This is why Sindelar’s appearances were rather infrequent and Meisl fielded Josef Bican in the position that previously belonged to Sindelar.  I am pretty sure that had Austria survived as an independent nation and thus played the 1938 WC, Retschury would’ve followed up with Meisl’s job even though, of course, Meisl’s personality, charisma and football knowledge were almost impossible to replace. One of the main effects was that football players had turned into amateurs as they had to abide by the regulations of German football. However it appears evident how Austria was coming up with new talents such as Binder, Bican (who left to Prague in 1936 but was still holding the Austrian passport), Jerusalem and Hahnemann along with a number of players who had already played in 1934.

Photo From: L’Equipe Magazine, April 25, 1998

(Josef Bican in later life with a photograph of Matias Sindelar)

Photo From: L’Equipe Magazine, April 25, 1998

(Matthias Sindelar)

Soccernostalgia Question: For the World Cup itself, a (6+5) policy was dictated, where the team would comprise of 6 germans plus 5 Austrians. How was this policy enacted? Were it politicians who dictated it or was it the Football hierarchy?

Response:  Sepp Herberger learned that during a reunion in Szczecin with Felix Linnemann, the then president of the DFB, who informed him about Hitler’s will. It had to be either 6 Germans and 5 Austrians or vice versa. Because Herberger was considering a switch from 3-2-5 to 2-3-5, he believed that strikers would’ve found easier to adapt themselves to a new playing system. This is why between 1938 and the following years Herberger primarily called up Austrian strikers.

Soccernostalgia Question: Ultimately this policy did not have the desired effect and many believe it actually hindered the team, since both sets of teams were used to playing in a different style and their combination did not so to speak marry one another? Was this the consensus in your reseach and analysis?

Response:  This is exactly what I found out. Obviously, after the defeat against Switzerland, it is fair to say that Herberger took some wrong decisions. One of the main discussions that surrounded the German selection before the WC was what tactics and playing system had to be adopted. Herberger chose a mix between the German and Austrian playing styles. He advocated the passing game even though that had never been the system German coaches used. This is why he had insisted on having Sindelar in the squad but that had not been possible. After the replay against Switzerland, a number of players said they felt totally uncomfortable playing next to their Austrian/German counterparts. However, as it often happens, criticisms also regarded some individual performances like those of Pesser in the first match and Szepan.

Soccernostalgia Question: What can you tell about the famous ‘Anschlissspiel’ match on April 3, 1938 between Germany and Austria. This was I presume just a propaganda match to symbolize unity and so forth. Apparently, the Austrians were not happy to play in this match and it was afterwards where Sindelar requested Germany Manager Sepp Herbger not to select him for the 1938 World Cup. What can you say about the background of this match?

Response:  There’s much to say. Basically, I believe the Anschlussspiel was filled with myths that I tried to debunk in my book. First, it had been said that Austria played in red ‘for the for the first time and because of Sindelar’s will’, which is not true as Austria had played in red on other occasions. Also, the Whites were the Germans who wanted to erase any reference about Austria (like the eagle on the jersey). Because it was a propaganda even and the referendum had to take place one week later, that match was supposed to be purely celebrative, I don’t think the Nazis cared much about the final scoreline. The day of the match, the signatures of several Austrian players appeared on some local newspapers in order to support the Anschluss. And the campaign went on even during the half-time break. 

Soccernostalgia Question: In your research did you learn of any interesting anecdotes about Hugo Meisl or any of the players?

Response:  There are several anecdotes I learned. Particularly interested is what happened after 1938, when Austria was invaded and Austrian football stopped being professional. Players had to find another occupation in order to make a living and just one year after they were conscripted. I also focused on what happened to them before and during WW2.

Soccernostalgia Question: Connoisseurs about the History of the Game are familiar with the likes of Sindelar and Bican. Can you describe some of the others such as Sesta, Walter Nausch, Anton Schall, Franz Binder?

Response:  Of course. Anton Schall was a fantastic striker. He was regarded as Admira’s best and most representative player and won a lot of local championships (way more than Sindelar) although he never won the Mitropa Cup. He ended his career as a defender and died young while coaching in Switzerland. Nausch was the kind of player every coach wanted: he was Austria Venna’s captain and a much versatile player able to play both as a defender or midfielder. He had lots of troubles in 1938 as he was married with an Hakoah’s swimmer, Margoth, which is why the couple fled to Switzerland. Sesta was known to be a sturdy and aggressive defender, loved by his supporters and hated by everyone else. He tended to be very disrespectful towards the authorities and for this reason Sepp Herberger did not call him up to take part in the 1938 WC. Franz Binder has been Rapid’s most representative player ever since. He won lots of titles and was known for his powerful shoot. In 1941 he also won the interwar German championship In the final against Schalke, scoring a hat-trick and a few months later he was conscripted by the Wehrmacht.

Photo From: Österreichs Fußball Länderspiele Chronik 1902 – 1993, Author Anton Egger

(Karl Sesta)

(March 18, 1906-July 12, 1974)

Photo From: Österreichs Fußball Länderspiele Chronik 1902 – 1993, Author Anton Egger

(Anton Schall)

Photo From: Miroir du Football, Issue 130, April-May 1970 

(Walter Nausch)

(February 5, 1907-July 11, 1957)

Soccernostalgia Question: Are there plans to publish this book in English language in the future?

Response:  I really hope so. There is not a reference book written in the English language and this is definitely something I am thinking about. But at the moment I am very keen to promote it on the Italian market.

Soccernostalgia Question: Are there any future works on the horizon that you can discuss?

Response:  Yes, I would love to write another two books but I cannot provide any further detail at the moment. I am already working on one of the two.

Soccernostalgia Question: Once again thank you for taking the time and discussing your book. Please keep us informed if editions in English or any other Language will be available.

Book Information:

Generazione Wunderteam. Ascesa e caduta della squadra delle meraviglie

Publisher: Gianluca Iuorio Urbone Publishing

Edition year: 2019

ISBN: 8832230003, 9788832230000

You May contact Mr. Araf via Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/jo.araf

There is also a Facebook page and an Instagram page for the book:

https://www.facebook.com/Generazione-Wunderteam-221004441984769/

The Week that was (in Football (Soccer)): Review of the top Leagues in Europe-part 49 (Week of March 12-March 18, 2019)

Note:

The purpose of this section is to summarize the week in question, it is not meant to give a full statistical analysis of the matches.

We live in a viral age and all that information can be accessed.

I welcome all contributions from anyone, even for the Leagues that I did not cover.

I.  England

Diary:

Tuesday, March 12, 2019:

-The Republic of Ireland FA (FAI) have confirmed that Declan Rice has won the Young Player of the Year Award. The Player had recently switched allegiance to England. (Source Balls.ie online)

-Alexandre Lacazette (Arsenal) has won his appeal (from 3 to 2 matches) and will be able to play for the club in the second leg Europa League match vs. Rennes. (Source Sky Sports online)

Wednesday, March 13, 2019:

-Philip Billing (Huddersfield) has received online racial abuse. The Police have been contacted on the matter. (Source Sky Sports online)

-England Manager Gareth Southgate named his squad for upcoming Euro qualifier matches vs. Czech Republic and Montenegro. (Source BBC Football online)

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Jack Butland (Stoke City), Tom Heaton (Burnley), Jordan Pickford (Everton)

Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Ben Chilwell (Leicester City), Michael Keane (Everton), Harry Maguire (Leicester City), Danny Rose (Tottenham Hotspur), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), James Tarkowski (Burnley), Kieran Trippier (Tottenham Hotspur), Kyle Walker (Manchester City)

Midfielders: Ross Barkley (Chelsea), Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur), Fabian Delph (Manchester City), Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Chelsea), Declan Rice (West Ham)

Forwards: Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Callum Wilson (Bournemouth)

Thursday, March 14, 2019:

-England U-21 Manager Aidy Boothroyd named his squad for upcoming Euro U-21 qualifier matches vs. Poland and Germany. (Source BBC Football online)

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Freddie Woodman (Newcastle United), Angus Gunn (Southampton), Dean Henderson (Sheffield United, on loan from Manchester United)

Defenders: Jake Clarke-Salter (Vitesse, on loan from Chelsea), Jay Dasilva (Bristol City, on loan from Chelsea), Dael Fry (Middlesbrough), Lloyd Kelly (Bristol City), Jonjoe Kenny (Everton), Ezri Konsa (Brentford), Fikayo Tomori (Derby County, on loan from Chelsea), Kyle Walker-Peters (Tottenham Hotspur), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Crystal Palace)

Midfielders: Harvey Barnes (Leicester City), Hamza Choudhury (Leicester City), Tom Davies (Everton), Kieran Dowell (Sheffield United, on loan from Everton), Phil Foden (Manchester City), James Maddison (Leicester City), Ryan Sessegnon (Fulham)

Forwards: Tammy Abraham (Aston Villa, on loan from Chelsea), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton), Demarai Gray (Leicester City), Callum Hudson-Odoi (Chelsea), Ademola Lookman (Everton), Reiss Nelson (Hoffenheim, on loan from Arsenal), Dominic Solanke (AFC Bournemouth)

-Paul Scholes has resigned as Oldham Manager after just 31 days in charge. (Source Sky Sports online)

Friday, March 15, 2019:

-

Saturday, March 16, 2019:

-Manchester United Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer described the team’s display vs. Wolves in the FA Cup as their worst display under him. (Source Walfoot.be online)

Sunday, March 17, 2019:

-

Monday, March 18, 2019:

-James Ward-Prowse (Southampton) was called up top the England squad as John Stones, Fabian Delph and Ruben Loftus-Cheek all withdrew due to injuries. (Source BBC Football online)

-Callum Hudson-Odoi (Chelsea) was elevated to the senior England squad to compensate for the recent withdrawals. Luke Shaw (Manchester United) is the latest withdrawal from the squad.  (Source Sky Sports / L’Equipe online)

Contract Extensions
Date	Player	Position	Club	Expiration Year	Online Source
March 12, 2019	Andreas Pereira (Brazil)	-	Manchester United	2020	Sky Sports
March 13, 2019	Bernardo Silva (Portugal)	Midfielder	Manchester City	2025	L’Equipe
March 13, 2019	Yan Valery (France)	-	Southampton	2023	Sky Sports
March 15, 2019	James Garner	Midfielder	Manchester United	2022	Sky Sports
March 18, 2019	Wes Morgan	Midfielder	Leicester	2020	L’Equipe

Professional Contract
Date	Player	Position	Club	Online Source
March 18, 2019	Sidnei Tavares (Portugal)  (17 years old)	Midfielder	Leicester	Maisfutebol

English FA Cup (March 16-March 17, 2019):

Saturday, March 16, 2019:

Watford 2-Crystal Palace 1 (Etienne Capoue 27, Andre Gray 79 / Michy Bastshuayi 62)

Swansea 2-Manchester City 3 (Matt Grimes 20 pen, Bersant Celina 29 / Bernardo Silva 69, Kristoffer Nordfeldt (own goal) 78, Sergio Aguero 88)

Wolves 2-Manchetser United 1 (Raul Jimenez 70, Diogo Jota 76 / Marcus Rashford 90)

Sunday, March 17, 2019:

Milwall 2-Brighton 2 (Alex Pearce 70, Aiden O’Brien 79 / Jurgen Locadia 88, Solly March 90) (Brighton won 5-4 on penalty kick shoot-out)

English Premier League Matchday (March 16-March 17, 2019):

Saturday, March 16, 2019:

Manchester United-Manchester City (-) (postponed)

Bournemouth 2-Newcastle 2 (Joshua King 48 pen, 81 / Salomon Rondon 45, Matt Ritchie 90)

Brighton -Cardiff  (-) (postponed)

Burnley 1-Leicester 2 (Dwight McNeill 38 / James Maddison 33, Wes Morgan 90)

Watford -Southampton  (-) (postponed)

West Ham 4-Huddersfield 3 (Mark Noble 15 pen, Angelo Ogbonna 75, Javier Hernandez 84, 90 / Juninho Bacuna 17, K.Ahearne-Gramt 30, 65)

Wolves -Arsenal (-) (postponed)

Sunday, March 17, 2019:

Tottenham –Crystal Palace (-) (postponed)

Fulham 1-Liverpool 2 (Ryan Babel 74 / Sadio Mane 26, James Milner 81 pen)

Everton 2-Chelsea 0 (Richarlison 49, Gylfi Sigurdsson 72)

Top Goalscorer:

Sergio Aguero (Manchester City) 18 goals

Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) 17 goals

Pierre-Erick Aubameyang (Arsenal) 17 goals

Harry Kane (Tottenham) 17 goals

Table	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Liverpool	31	23	7	1	70	18	52	76
2	Manchester City	30	24	2	4	79	21	58	74
3	Tottenham	30	20	1	9	57	32	25	61
4	Arsenal	30	18	6	6	63	39	24	60
5	Manchester United	30	17	7	6	58	40	18	58
6	Chelsea	30	17	6	7	50	33	17	57

P-Played, W-Win, D-Draw, L-Loss, GF-Goals For, GA-Goals Against, GD-Goal Difference, Pts-Point

II.  Italy

Diary:

Tuesday, March 12, 2019:

-Giuseppe Iachini was dismissed as Manager of Empoli. He has been replaced with Aurelio Andreazzoli. (Source Calciomercato online)

-Giorgio Chiellini played his 500^th match for Juventus in the match vs. Atletico Madrid. (Source Football Italia online)

-Former Italian goalkeeper from the 60s into the 80s, Renato Cipollini passed away aged 73. He was also at one point President of Bologna. (Source wikipedia online)

Wednesday, March 13, 2019:

-Attilio Lombardo has joined Roberto Mancini’s technical staff at the National Team. (Source La Gazzetta dello Sport online)

-Diego Maradona was impressed by Cristiano Ronaldo’s performance vs. Atletico Madrid; he described him as “An Animal and a sorcerer”. (Source Corriere dello Sport online)

Thursday, March 14, 2019:

-Daniel Maldini (AC Milan), son of Paolo and grandson of Cesare, was called up by the Italy U-19 squad. (Source L’Equipe online)

Friday, March 15, 2019:

-Reflecting upon his 80^th Birthday, Giovanni Trappatoni expressed that his main regret was the 2002 WC match vs. South Korea that he wished he could do over. (Source Football Italia online)

-Italy Manager Roberto Mancini named his squad for upcoming Euro qualifier matches vs. Finland and Liechtenstein. (Source beinsports online)

Squad:

Alessio Cragno (Cagliari), Gianluigi Donnarumma (AC Milan), Mattia Perin (Juventus), Salvatore Sirigu (Torino); Cristiano Biraghi (Fiorentina), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Alessandro Florenzi (Roma), Armando Izzo (Torino), Gianluca Mancini (Atalanta), Cristiano Piccini (Valencia), Alessio Romagnoli (AC Milan), Leonardo Spinazzola (Juventus); Nicolo Barella (Cagliari), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Jorginho (Chelsea), Stefano Sensi (Sassuolo), Marco Verratti (Paris Saint-Germain), Nicolo Zaniolo (Roma); Federico Bernardeschi (Juventus), Federico Chiesa (Fiorentina), Stephan El Shaarawy (Roma), Vincenzo Grifo (Freiburg), Ciro Immobile (Lazio), Moise Kean (Juventus), Kevin Lasagna (Udinese), Leonardo Pavoletti (Cagliari), Matteo Politano (Inter), Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria).

-Fabio Cannavaro was appointed as the National Team Manager of China. (Source BBC Football online)

-A Cagliari fan died of a heart attack while attending the Cagliari-Fiorentina match (Source Football Italia online)

Saturday, March 16, 2019:

-

Sunday, March 17, 2019:

-Juventus were defeated for the first time in the Serie A in loss to Genoa (0-2). They had not lost an away match since November 2017, a run of 31 matches. (Source Reuters UK / Football Italia online)

-Napoli goalkeeper David Ospina collapsed after a clash of heads during the match vs. Udinese and was taken to a Hospital. (Source BBC Football online)

Monday, March 18, 2019:

-Brazilian-born defender Luiz Felipe (Lazio) has refused a selection for the Italy U-21 squad. (Source BBC Football online)

-UEFA have charged Cristiano Ronaldo with improper conduct for his obscene celebration vs. Atletico Madrid mimicking Diego Simeone’s gesture from their first leg encounter. (Source BBC Football online)

-Roberto Donadoni has denied being contacted by Roma to take over fro Eusebio Di Francesco. (Source Calciomercato online)

Transfers
Date	Player	Position	From	To	Type	Online Source
March 12, 2019	Dimo Krastev (Bulgaria)	Midfielder	Neft. Bourgas	Fiorentina	Purchase	Transfer Market Web

Italian Serie A Matchday (March 15-March 17, 2019):

Friday, March 15, 2019:

Cagliari 2-Fiorentina 1 (Joao Pedro 52, Luca Ceppitelli 66 / Federico Chiesa 88)

Saturday, March 16, 2019:

Sassuolo 3-Sampdoria 5 (Jeremie Boga 38, Alfred Duncan 63, Khouma Babacar 90 / Gregoire Defrel 15, Fabio Quaglliarella 36, Karol Linetty 39, Dennis Praet 46, Manolo Gabbiadini 72)

SPAL 2-Roma 1 (Mohamed Fares 22, Andrea Petagna 60 pen / Diego Perotti 53 pen)

Torino 2-Bologna 3 (Erick Pulgar (own goal) 6, Armando Izzo 89 / Andrea Poli 29, Erick Pulgar 34 pen, Riccardo Orsolini 65)

Sunday, March 17, 2019:

Genoa 2-Juventus 0 (Stefano Sturaro 72, Goran Pandev 81)

Atalanta 1-Chievo 1 (Josip Ilicic 55 / Riccardo Meggiorini 32)

Empoli 2-Frosinone 1 (Francesco Caputo 20, Marko Pajac 38 / Luca Valzania 70)

Lazio 4-Parma 1 (Adam Marusic 22, Luis Alberto 26 pen, 38, Senad Lulic 44 / Mattia Sprocati 77)

Napoli 4-Udinese 2 (Amin Younes 17, Jose Callejon 26, Arek Milik 57, Dries Mertens 69 / Kevin Lasagna 30, Seko Fofana 36)

AC Milan 2-Inter 3 (Tiemoue Bakayoko 57, Mateo Musacchio 71 / Matias Vecino 3, Stefan De Vrij 51, Lautaro Martinez 67 pen)

Top Goalscorer:

Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria) 21 goals

Krzysztof Piatek (Genoa and AC Milan) 20 goals

Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus) 19 goals

Duvan Zapata (Atalanta) 17 goals

Table	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Juventus	28	24	3	1	59	19	40	75
2	Napoli	28	18	6	4	52	23	29	60
3	Inter	28	16	5	7	43	24	19	53
4	AC Milan	28	14	9	5	43	26	17	51
5	Roma	28	13	8	7	52	39	13	47
6	Lazio	27	13	6	8	41	29	12	45

P-Played, W-Win, D-Draw, L-Loss, GF-Goals For, GA-Goals Against, GD-Goal Difference, Pts-Point

III.  Spain

Diary:

Tuesday, March 12, 2019:

-Zinedine Zidane has reportedly requested that Real Madrid hold onto Brazilian defender Marcelo. (Source Football Espana online)

Wednesday, March 13, 2019:

-Barcelona have reportedly rejected the chance to sign Alexis Sanchez (Manchester United) on loan this summer. (Source Football Espana online)

-Former Argentina Manager Luis Cesar Menotti stated that he would not have selected Lionel Messi for Argentina’s Match Internationals, as the player needs a break. (Source Marca online)

Thursday, March 14, 2019:

-Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona) will be out injured for a month. (Source Sky Sports online)

Friday, March 15, 2019:

-Sevilla have dismissed Manager Pablo Machin. Joaquin Caparros has been re-appointed as Manager. (Source Football Espana online)

-Spain Manager Luis Enrique named his squad for upcoming Euro qualifier matches vs. Norway and Malta. (Source timesofmalta online)

Squad:

Goalkeepers: David De Gea (Manchester United); Kepa Arrizabalaga (Chelsea); Pau Lopez (Real Betis). 

Defenders: Juan Bernat (Paris Saint-Germain); Sergi Gomez (Sevilla); Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid); Mario Hermoso (Espanyol); Inigo Martinez (Athletic Club); Jordi Alba (Barcelona); Jose Gaya (Valencia); Sergi Roberto (Barcelona).

Midfielders: Jesus Navas (Sevilla); Dani Ceballos (Real Madrid); Fabian Ruiz (Napoli); Rodri Hernandez (Atletico Madrid); Sergio Busquets (Barcelona); Dani Parejo (Valencia); Sergio Canales (Real Betis); Marcos Asensio (Real Madrid). 

Forwards: Rodrigo Moreno (Valencia); Iker Munian (Athletic Club); Alvaro Morata (Atletico Madrid); Jaime Mata (Getafe). 

-Atletico Madrid players have reportedly fallen out with fitness coach Oscar Ortega. The players have blamed him for the many number of injuries this season (42!). Stefan Savic is said to have thrown a boot at him and as protest Diego Godin led the team in refusing to warm down following the (0-3) loss to Juventus. (Source Daily Mail online)

 Saturday, March 16, 2019:

-New Real Madrid Manager Zinedine Zidane benched Thibaut Courtois in favor of Keylor Navas for his first match back. (Source RTF.be online)

Sunday, March 17, 2019:

-Monchi has returned to be the Technical Director of his former club Sevilla. Monchi confirmed that he had turned down Arsenal before returning to Sevilla. (Source BBC Football online)

-There are reports that Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann is thinking of leaving the club and is being linked to Barcelona (the team he nearly joined last summer). (Source AS.com online)

-Lionel Messi overtook Xavi’s record by winning his 477^th match with Barcelona. Messi’s third goal vs. Betis was so spectacular that even Betis fans applauxded him. (Source BBC Football online)

Monday, March 18, 2019:

-Fabian Ruiz (Napoli) has withdrawn from the Spain squad. He has been replaced with Saul Niguez (Atletico Madrid). (Source L’Equipe online)

-Miguel Angel Sanchez Munoz, Michel has been dismissed as Rayo Vallecano Manager. (Source L’Equipe online)

-Monchi confirmed that he had turned down Arsenal before returning to Sevilla. (Source Football Espana online)

Photo From: L'Equipe, March 17, 2019

(Zinedine Zidane)

Transfers
Date	Player	Position	From	To	Type	Online Source
March 14, 2019	Eder Militao (Brazil)	Defender	Porto	Real Madrid	Next season	BBC Football

Spanish La Liga Matchday (March 15-March 17, 2019):

Friday, March 15, 2019:

Sociedad 1-Levante 1 (Adnan Januzaj 26 / Borja Mayoral 79)

Saturday, March 16, 2019:

Huesca 1-Alaves 3 (Ezequiel Avila 14 pen / Jonathan Calleri 11 pen, 86, John Guidetti 80)

Real Madrid 2-Celta 0 (Isco 62, Gareth Bale 77)

Bilbao 2-Atletico Madrid 0 (Inaki Williams 73, Kenan Kodro 85)

Leganes 0-Girona 2 (Portu 13, 22)

Sunday, March 17, 2019:

Eibar 1-Valladolid 2 (Fabian Orellana 54 / Daniele Verde 90 pen, Sergi Guardiola 90+)

Espanyol 0-Sevilla 1 (Wissam Ben Yedder 53 pen)

Valencia 0-Getafe 0 (-)

Villareal 3-Vallecano 1 (Karl Toko Ekambi 50, 52, Geradd Moreno 88 / Mario Suarez 20)

Betis 1-Barcelona 4 (Loren Moron 82 / Lioenel Messi 18, 45, 85, Luis Suarez 63)

Top Goalscorer:

Lionel Messi (Barcelona) 29 goals

Luis Suarez (Barcelona) 18 goals

Cristhian Stuani (Girona) 16 goals

Table	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Barcelona	28	20	6	2	73	27	46	66
2	Atletico Madrid	28	16	8	4	39	19	20	56
3	Real Madrid	28	17	5	6	49	32	17	54
4	Getafe	28	12	10	6	36	24	12	46
5	Alaves	28	12	8	8	31	31	0	44
6	Sevilla	28	12	7	9	47	36	11	43

P-Played, W-Win, D-Draw, L-Loss, GF-Goals For, GA-Goals Against, GD-Goal Difference, Pts-Point

IV.  Germany

Diary:

Tuesday, March 12, 2019:

-Wolfsburg Manager Bruno Labbadia is set to leave the club at the end of the season. (Source Bulinews Online)

Wednesday, March 13, 2019:

-

Thursday, March 14, 2019:

-Domenico Tedesco was dismissed as Schalke Manager. Huub Stevens and Mike Bueskens will act in the interim. (Source Kicker.de Online)

Friday, March 15, 2019:

-Germany Manager Joachim Low stated that he will discuss in person with the dropped Bayern trio (Muller, Hummels and Boateng) and that the players are not banished from the National Team’s plans. (Source Bulinews online)

-Germany Manager Joachim Low named his squad for upcoming matches vs. Serbia and Holland. (Source Bulinews online)

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern München), Marc-André ter Stegen (FC Barcelona), Kevin Trapp (Eintracht Frankfurt). 

Defenders: Antonio Rüdiger (Chelsea), Niklas Süle (Bayern München), Nico Schulz (Hoffenheim), Niklas Stark (Hertha BSC), Thilo Kehrer (Paris Saint-Germain), Marcel Halstenberg (RB Leipzig), Jonathan Tah (Bayer Leverkusen), Lukas Klostermann (RB Leipzig), Mathias Ginter (Gladbach). 

Midfielders and strikers: Leon Goretzka (Bayern München), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Müncen), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Ilkay Gündogan (Manchester City), Maximilian Eggestein (Werder Bremen), Julian Brandt (Bayer Leverkusen), Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund), Leroy Sané (Manchester City), Serge Gnabry (Bayern München), Kai Havertz (Bayer Leverkusen), Timo Werner (RB Leipzig).

Saturday, March 16, 2019:

-

Sunday, March 17, 2019:

-DfB President Reinhard Grindel has also criticized Joachim Low’s handling of the exclusion of the Bayern trio (Muller, Hummels, Boateng). (Source Bulinews online)

-Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has voiced support for the proposed club World Cup set for summer of 2021  (Source AS.com online)

-New Schalke Manager Huub Stevens has banished Nabil Bentaleb to the U-23 squad for disciplinary reasons. (Source Sport Bild online)

Monday, March 18, 2019:

-Tobias Werner (Stuttgart) has ended his career due to continuous injuries at the age of 33. (Source Kicker.de online)

Transfers
Date	Player	Position	From	To	Type	Online Source
March 18, 2019	Tobias Werner	-	Stuttgart	Free Agnet	Contratc rescinded (retired)	Kicker.de

Contract Extensions
Date	Player	Position	Club	Expiration Year	Online Source
March 14, 2019	Youssuf Poulsen (Denmark)	Striker	RB Leipzig	2022	Bulinews
March 14, 2019	Orel Mangala	-	Stuttgart (currently on loan at SV Hamburg)	2023	Spott Bild

Professional Contract
Date	Player	Position	Club	Online Source
March 15, 2019	Mads Bidstrup (Denmark) (18 years old)	-	RB Leipzig	Sport Bild

German Bundesliga Matchday (March 15-March 17, 2019):

Friday, March 15, 2019:

Moenchengladbach 1-Freiburg 1 (Alassane Plea 16 / Voncenzo Grifo 10)

Saturday, March 16, 2019:

Augsburg 3-Hannover 1 (Sergio Cordova 65, Jonathan Schmid 78, Andre Hahn 86 / Hendrik Weydandt 8)

Schalke 0-RB Leipzig 1 (Timo Werner 14)

Stuttgart 1-Hoffenheim 1 (Steven Zuber 66 / Andrej Kramaric 42)

Wolfsburg 5-Dusselforf 2 (Admir Mehmedi 34, Wout Weghorst 54, 59, 88, Robin Knoche 57 / Kaan Ayhan 30, Benito Raman 65)

Hertha Berlin 2-Dortmund 3 (Salomon Kalou 4, 35 pen / Thomas Delaney 14, Dan Axel Zagadou 47, Marco Reus 90)

Sunday, March 17, 2019:

Leverkusen 1-Werder Bremen 3 (Leon Bailey 75 / Max Kruse 13, 90, Milot Rashica 37)

Frankfurt 1-Nuremberg 0 (Martin Hinteregger 31)

Bayern Munich 6-Mainz 0 (Robert Lewandowski 3, James Rodriguez 33, 51, 55, Kingsley Coman 39, Alphonso Davies 70)

Top Goalscorer:

Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich) 18 goals

Luka Jovic (Frankfurt) 15 goals

Marco Reus (Dortmund) 15 goals

Table	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Bayern Munich	26	19	3	4	68	27	41	60
2	Dortmund	26	18	6	2	64	30	34	60
3	RB Leipzig	26	14	7	5	44	20	24	49
4	M’Gladbach	26	14	5	7	45	31	14	47
5	Frankfurt	26	13	7	6	51	30	21	46
6	Levekusen	26	13	3	10	46	38	8	42

P-Played, W-Win, D-Draw, L-Loss, GF-Goals For, GA-Goals Against, GD-Goal Difference, Pts-Point

V.  France

Diary:

Tuesday, March 12, 2019:

-

Wednesday, March 13, 2019:

-

Thursday, March 14, 2019:

-France Manager Didier Deschamps named his squad for upcoming Euro qualifier matches vs. Moldova and Iceland. (Source L’Equipe online)

Squad:

Goalkeepers : Alphonse Areola (PSG), Hugo Lloris (Tottenham/ANG), Steve Mandanda (OM)

Defenders : Lucas Digne (Everton/ANG), Presnel Kimpembe (PSG), Layvin Kurzawa (PSG), Benjamin Pavard (Stuttgart/ALL), Djibril Sidibé (Monaco), Samuel Umtiti (FC Barcelone/ESP), Raphaël Varane (Real Madrid/ESP), Kurt Zouma (Everton/ANG)

Midfielders: N'Golo Kanté (Chelsea/ANG), Nabil Fekir (Lyon), Blaise Matuidi (Juventus/ITA), Tanguy Ndombele (Lyon), Paul Pogba (Manchester United/ANG), Moussa Sissoko (Tottenham/ANG)

Strikers: Kingsley Coman (Bayern/ALL), Antoine Griezmann (Atlético de Madrid/ESP), Olivier Giroud (Chelsea/ANG), Anthony Martial (Manchester United/ANG), Kylian Mbappé (PSG), Florian Thauvin (OM) 

Friday, March 15, 2019:

-PSG have suspended Adrien Rabiot until March 27^th for partying (seen in a video) on the night PSG lost to Manchester United in the UCL. (Source Walfoot.be online)

-PSG have fined Kylian Mbappe and Adrien Rabiot 180,000 Euros each for arriving late on October 28^th, 2018 before a match vs. OM. (Source AS.com online)

Saturday, March 16, 2019:

-A French court has refused a couple to name their son ‘Griezmann Mbappe’ as this would bring ‘prejudice to the child’. The child was named ‘Dany Noe’. (Source L’Equipe online)

Sunday, March 17, 2019:

-

Monday, March 18, 2019:

-Anthony Martial withdrew from the France squad due to injury. He was replaced with Thomas Lemar (Atletico Madrid). (Source Sky Sports online)

Contract Extensions
Date	Player	Position	Club	Expiration Year	Online Source
March 14, 2019	Vincent Manceau	Defender	Angers	2022	L’Equipe

Professional Contract
Date	Player	Position	Club	Online Source
March 14, 2019	Maxen Kapo  (18 years old)	Mifielder	PSG	L’Equipe

French Ligue 1 Matchday (March 12, 2019): (Postponed match)

Tuesday, March 12, 2019:

Dijon 0-PSG 4 (Marquinhos 7, Kylian Mbappe 40, Angel Di Maria 50, E.M.C. Moting 90)

Top Goalscorer:

Kylian Mbappe (PSG) 25 goals

Edinson Cavani (PSG) 17 goals

Table	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	PSG	27	24	2	1	83	15	68	74
2	Lille	28	16	7	5	45	23	22	56
3	Lyon	28	14	8	6	47	33	14	50
4	OM	28	14	5	9	45	35	10	47
5	Reims	28	10	13	5	30	27	3	43
6	St Etienne	28	12	7	9	37	35	2	43

P-Played, W-Win, D-Draw, L-Loss, GF-Goals For, GA-Goals Against, GD-Goal Difference, Pts-Point

French Ligue 1 Matchday (March 15-March 17, 2019):

Friday, March 15, 2019:

Nice 1-Toulouse 1 (Wylan Cyprien 20 / Ndombe Mubele 89)

Lille 0-Monaco 1 (Carlos Vinicius 90)

Saturday, March 16, 2019:

Angers 0-Amiens 0  (-)

Guingamp 1-Dijon 0 (Ludovic Blas 86 pen)

Nimes 2-Strasbourg 2 (Herve Lybohy 66, Teji Savanier 90 pen / Leo Mothiba 9, Youssouf Fofana 53)

Caen 0-St Etienne 5 (Romain Hamouma 4, Robert Beric 20, Arnaud Nordin 31, Lamine Ghezali 85, Valentin Vada 90)

Sunday, March 17, 2019:

Lyon 3-Montpellier 2 (Martin Terrier 12, Moussa Demebel 58, Houssem Aouar 88 / Florent Mollet 36, Souleymane Camara 90)

Reims 1-Nantes 0  (Remi Oudin 59)

Bordeaux 1-Rennes 1  (Francois Kamano 58 / Mbaye Niang 90)

PSG 3-OM 1  (Kylian Mbappe 45, Angel Di Maria 55, 66 / Valere Germain 46)

Top Goalscorer:

Kylian Mbappe (PSG) 26 goals

Edinson Cavani (PSG) 17 goals

Table	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	PSG	28	25	2	1	86	16	70	77
2	Lille	29	16	7	6	45	24	21	56
3	Lyon	29	15	8	6	50	35	15	53
4	OM	29	14	5	10	46	38	8	47
5	St Etienne	29	13	7	9	42	35	7	46
6	Reims	29	11	13	5	31	27	4	46

P-Played, W-Win, D-Draw, L-Loss, GF-Goals For, GA-Goals Against, GD-Goal Difference, Pts-Point

VI.  Holland

Diary:

Tuesday, March 12, 2019:

-Ajax is facing a fourth crowd disturbance charge this season for its fans behavior (object throwing, etc) in the match vs. Real Madrid. (Source AP online)

Wednesday, March 13, 2019:

-

Thursday, March 14, 2019:

-

Friday, March 15, 2019:

-Holland Manager Ronald Koeman has finalized his squad for upcoming friendlies vs. Belarus and Germany. (Source vi.nl online)

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Marco Bizot (AZ), Jasper Cillessen (Barcelona), Jeroen Zoet (PSV).

Defenders: Patrick van Aanholt (Crystal Palace), Nathan Aké (AFC Bournemouth), Daley Blind (Ajax), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Denzel Dumfries (PSV), Matthijs de Ligt (Ajax), Kenny Tete (Olympique Lyon), Stefan de Vrij (Internazionale).

Midfielders: Donny van de Beek (Ajax), Frenkie de Jong (Ajax), Davy Pröpper (Brighton & Hove Albion), Marten de Roon (Atalanta Bergamo), Pablo Rosario (PSV), Kevin Strootman (Olympique Marseille), Tonny Vilhena (Feyenoord), Georginio Wijnaldum (Liverpool).

Strikers: Ryan Babel (Fulham), Steven Berghuis (Feyenoord), Steven Bergwijn (PSV), Memphis Depay (Olympique Lyon), Luuk de Jong (PSV), Quincy Promes (Sevilla).

Saturday, March 16, 2019:

-

Sunday, March 17, 2019:

-

Monday, March 18, 2019:

-Ajax’s Football Affairs Director Marc Overmars has signed a new contract with the club until 2024. (Source Football-Oranje online)

-Mitchell van der Gagg has resigned as Manager of NAC. (Source Football-Oranje online)

Transfers
Date	Player	Position	From	To	Type	Online Source
March 14, 2019	Karol Mets (Estonia)	Defender	NAC	AIK Solna (Sweden)	Purchase	vi.nl
March 18, 2019	Donis Avdijaj	Striker	Willem II	Free Agent	Contract Rescinded	Football-Pranje

Contract Extensions
Date	Player	Position	Club	Expiration Year	Online Source
March 12, 2019	Orkun Kokcu	Midfielder	Feyenoord	2023	vi.nl
March 12, 2019	Mohamed-Amine Ihattaren	-	PSV Eindhoven	2022	Psv.nl
March 13, 2019	Michael Chacon	Midfielder	Emmen	2021	vi.nl
March 14, 2019	Pablo Rosario	-	PSV Eindhoven	2023	PSV.nl
March 15, 2019	Michael Woud	Goalkeeper	Willem II	2022	vi.nl

Dutch Eredivisie Matchday (March 13, 2019): (Postponed)

Wednesday, March 13, 2019:

Ajax 2-PEC 1 (Dusan Tadic 32, Daley Blind 85 / Vito Van Crooij 79)

Top Goalscorer:

Luuk De Jong (PSV Eindhoven) 20 goals

Dusan Tadic (Ajax) 19 goals

Hakim Ziyech (Ajax) 15 goals

Table	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	PSV Eindhoven	25	20	4	1	78	16	62	64
2	Ajax	25	20	3	3	89	22	67	62
3	Feyenoord	25	14	5	6	53	30	23	47
4	AZ	25	13	5	7	51	30	21	44
5	Vitesse	25	11	7	7	45	33	12	40
6	Utrecht	25	10	7	8	41	34	7	37

P-Played, W-Win, D-Draw, L-Loss, GF-Goals For, GA-Goals Against, GD-Goal Difference, Pts-Point

Dutch Eredivisie Matchday (March 15-March 17, 2019):

Friday, March 15, 2019:

Fortuna Sittard 3-Emmen 1 (Andrej Lukic (own goal) 2, Lisandro Semedo 18, Andrija Novakovich 45 / Reuven Niemeijer 90)

Saturday, March 16, 2019:

Heerenveen 0-De Graafschap 3 (Charlison Benschop 3, Javier Vet 68, Delano Burgzorg 70)

Feyenoord 2-Willem II 3 (Steven Berghuis 22, Eric Botteghin 55 / Freek Heerkens 27, Fernando Lewis 61, Alexander Isak 69)

NAC 0-Utrecht 4 (J.C.Bahebeck 34, 58, Simon Gustafson 44 pen, Willem Janssen 54)

Heracles 3-Vitesse 2  (Adrian Dalmau 5, 26, Dario Van Den Buijs 61 / Navarone Foor 7, Matus Bero 45 pen)

Sunday, March 17, 2019:

VVV 0-PSV 1 (Hirving Lozano 86)

AZ 1-Ajax 0 (Guus Til 56)

Groningen 1-Den Haag 0 (Lex Immers (own goal) 34)

Excelsior 0-PEC 2 (Kingsley Ehizibue 82, Younes Namli 84)

Top Goalscorer:

Luuk De Jong (PSV Eindhoven) 20 goals

Dusan Tadic (Ajax) 19 goals

Hakim Ziyech (Ajax) 15 goals

Table	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	PSV Eindhoven	26	21	4	1	79	16	63	67
2	Ajax	26	20	3	4	89	23	66	62
3	Feyenoord	26	14	5	7	55	33	22	47
4	AZ	26	14	5	7	52	30	22	47
5	Vitesse	26	11	7	8	47	36	11	40
6	Utrecht	26	11	7	8	45	34	11	40

P-Played, W-Win, D-Draw, L-Loss, GF-Goals For, GA-Goals Against, GD-Goal Difference, Pts-Point

VII.  Scotland

Diary:

Tuesday, March 12, 2019:

-Scotland Manager Alex McLeisch named his squad for upcoming Euro qualifier matches vs. Kazakhstan and San Marino. (Source BBC Football online)

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Jordan Archer (Millwall), Scott Bain (Celtic), Jon McLaughlin (Sunderland)

Defenders: David Bates (Hamburg), Scott McKenna (Aberdeen), Charlie Mulgrew (Blackburn Rovers), Stephen O'Donnell (Kilmarnock), Liam Palmer (Sheffield Wednesday), Andy Robertson (Liverpool), John Souttar (Hearts), Kieran Tierney (Celtic).

Midfielders: Stuart Armstrong (Southampton), Barry Bannan (Sheffield Wednesday), John Fleck (Sheffield United), John McGinn (Aston Villa), Callum McGregor (Celtic), Kenny McLean (Norwich City), Scott McTominay (Manchester United), Callum Paterson (Cardiff City), Graeme Shinnie (Aberdeen), Oliver Burke (Celtic), James Forrest (Celtic), Ryan Fraser (Bournemouth)

Forwards: Oli McBurnie (Swansea), Marc McNulty (Hibernian), Lewis Morgan (Sunderland), Johnny Russell (Kansas City).

Wednesday, March 13, 2019:

-

Thursday, March 14, 2019:

-Rangers have appealed the booking given to Alfredo Morelos for allegedly diving in their Scottish Cup match vs. Aberdeen. (Source BBC Football online)

Friday, March 15, 2019:

-

Saturday, March 16, 2019:

-

Sunday, March 17, 2019:

- Jordan Archer, Barry Bannan, Charlie Mulgrew have withdrawn from the Scotland squad due to injuries. Goalkeeper Liam Kelly (Livingston) and Stuart Findlay (Kilmarnock) were called up as replacements. (Source BBC Football online)

Revised Squad:

Goalkeepers: Scott Bain (Celtic), Liam Kelly (Livingston) Jon McLaughlin (Sunderland)

Defenders: David Bates (Hamburg), Stuart Findlay (Kilmarnock), Scott McKenna (Aberdeen), Stephen O'Donnell (Kilmarnock), Liam Palmer (Sheffield Wednesday), Andy Robertson (Liverpool), John Souttar (Hearts), Kieran Tierney (Celtic).

Midfielders: Stuart Armstrong (Southampton), John Fleck (Sheffield United), John McGinn (Aston Villa), Callum McGregor (Celtic), Kenny McLean (Norwich City), Scott McTominay (Manchester United), Callum Paterson (Cardiff City), Graeme Shinnie (Aberdeen), Oliver Burke (Celtic), James Forrest (Celtic), Ryan Fraser (Bournemouth)

Forwards: Oli McBurnie (Swansea), Marc McNulty (Hibernian), Lewis Morgan (Sunderland), Johnny Russell (Kansas City).

-Scotland Captain Andy Robertson is set to miss Scotland’s Euro qualifier vs. Kazakhstan on Thursday due to a dental issue. (Source Sky Sports online)

Monday, March 18, 2019:

-

Transfers
Date	Player	Position	From	To	Type	Online Source
March 15, 2019	Jonathan Spector (USA)	Defender	Free Agent	Hibernian	Purchase	Edinburghnews

Contract Extensions
Date	Player	Position	Club	Expiration Year	Online Source
March 12, 2019	Liam Grimshaw	-	Motherwell	2020	BBC Football
March 14, 2019	Clevid Dikamona (Congo)	Defender	Hearts	2020	BBC Football

Scottish FA Cup (March 12, 2019):

Tuesday, March 12, 2019:

Hearts 2-Patrick Thislte 1 (Uche Ikpeazu 24, Sean Clare 35 pen / Scott McDonald 17)

Rangers 0-Aberdeen 2 (Niall McGinn 3, Connor McLennan 61)

Scottish Premier League Matchday (March 16-March 17, 2019):

Saturday, March 16, 2019:

Aberdeen 1-Livingston 1 (Niall McGinn 30 / Craig Sibbald 43)

Hamilton 1-Hearts 0 (Aaron McGowan 36)

Hibernian 2-Motherwell 0 (Mark McNulty 19 pen, David Gray 39)

Rangers 1-Kilmarnock 1 (Alfredo Morelos 64 / Conor McAleny 29)

St Johnstone -St Mirren  (-) (postponed)

Sunday, March 17, 2019:

Dendee 0-Celtic 1 (Odsonne Edouard 90+6)

Top Goalscorer:

Alfredo Morelos (Rangers) 17 goals

Table	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Celtic	30	22	4	4	67	16	51	70
2	Rangers	30	17	9	4	66	22	44	60
3	Aberdeen	30	15	7	8	46	34	12	52
4	Kilmarnock	30	14	9	7	39	28	11	51
5	Hearts	30	14	5	11	35	35	0	47
6	Hibernian	30	12	9	9	45	32	13	45

P-Played, W-Win, D-Draw, L-Loss, GF-Goals For, GA-Goals Against, GD-Goal Difference, Pts-Point

VIII.  Portugal

Diary:

Tuesday, March 12, 2019:

-

Wednesday, March 13, 2019:

- Benfica have been fined 22, 950 Euros for criticizing the officiating of the Setubal-Porto match back in September on their twitter account. (Source Maisfutebol online)

Thursday, March 14, 2019:

- Benfica Manager Bruno Lage was named as the Manager of the Month for February. (Source Maisfutebol online)

Friday, March 15, 2019:

-Portugal Manager Fernando Santos named his squad for upcoming Euro qualifier matches vs. Ukraine and Serbia. Cristiano Ronaldo has been called up for the first time since the World Cup. (Source Portuguesesoccernewslinks online)

Squad:

Goalkeepers- Rui Patricio (Wolverhampton), Jose Sa (Olympiakos), Beto (Gozpete)

Defenders- Joao Cancelo (Juventus), Pepe (FC Porto), Raphael Guerreiro (B. Dortmund), Mario Rui (Napoli), Nelson Semedo (Barcelona), Ruben Dias (Benfica), Jose Fonte (Lille)

Midfielders- Ruben Neves (Wolverhampton), Bernardo Silva (Man City), Bruno Fernandes (Sporting), Joao Mario (Inter), Joao Moutinho (Wolverhampton), William (Real Betis), Pizzi (Benfica), Danilo (FC Porto) 

Forwards- Andre Silva (Sevilla), Goncalo Guedes (Valencia), Dyego Sousa (Braga), Rafa Silva (Benfica), Joao Felix (Benfica), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Diogo Jota (Wolverhampton)

Saturday, March 16, 2019:

-

Sunday, March 17, 2019:

-

Monday, March 18, 2019:

-

Contract Extensions
Date	Player	Position	Club	Expiration Year	Online Source
March 12, 2019	Nelson Monte	Defender	Rio Ave	2023	A Bola

Professional Contract
Date	Player	Position	Club	Online Source
March 12, 2019	Pedro Santos  (16 years old)	-	Benfica	Maisfutebol

Portugal Primeira Liga League Matchday (March 15-March 17, 2019):

Friday, March 15, 2019:

Sporting CP 1-Santa Clara 0 (Raphinha 59)

Saturday, March 16, 2019:

Belenenses 2-Portimonense 2 (Lica 49, Jonatan Lucca 67 / Aylton Boa Morte 3, Jackson Martinez 18)

Setubal 0-Braga 1 (Murilo 35)

Guimaraes 3-Boavista 1  (Mattheus 7, Davidson 57, Pedrao 70 / Federico Falcone 54)

Porto 3-Maritimo 0 (Alex Telles 57 pen, Eder Militao 72, Yacine Brahimi 88)

Sunday, March 17, 2019:

Aves 0-Chaves 1 (Nikola Maras 10)

Nacional 0-Rio Ave 1 (Ronan Jeronimo 36)

Moreirense 0-Benfica 4 (Joao Felix 37, Andreas Samaris 43, Rafa Silva 49, F.Ibrain Morris Luis 83)

Tondela 1-Feirense 1 (Patrick 89 / Antonio Briseno 44)

Top Goalscorer:

Haris Seferovic (Benfica) 15 goals

Dyego Sousa (Braga) 14 goals

Bas Dost (Sporting CP) 14 goals

Table	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Benfica	26	20	3	3	72	23	49	63
2	Porto	26	20	3	3	53	15	38	63
3	Braga	26	18	4	4	44	24	20	58
4	Sporting CP	26	17	4	5	50	27	23	55
5	Guimaraes	26	12	6	8	31	23	8	42
6	Moreirense	26	13	3	10	31	34	-3	42

P-Played, W-Win, D-Draw, L-Loss, GF-Goals For, GA-Goals Against, GD-Goal Difference, Pts-Point

IX.  Belgium

Diary:

Tuesday, March 12, 2019:

-

Wednesday, March 13, 2019:

-For their upcoming match vs. Russia, Belgium will wear yellow jerseys in honor of the 50^th anniversary of Eddy Merckx’s Tour de France victory. (Source Footnews.be Online)

Thursday, March 14, 2019:

-

Friday, March 15, 2019:

-Belgium Manager Roberto Martinez named his squad for upcoming Euro qualifier matches vs. Russia and Cyprus. (Source BBC Football online)

Squad:

Goalkeepers:

Thibaut COURTOIS (Real Madrid)
Simon MIGNOLET (Liverpool)
Koen CASTEELS (Wolfsburg)
Matz SELS (Strasbourg)

Defenders:

Toby ALDERWEIRELD (Tottenham)
Dedryck BOYATA (Celtic Glasgow)
Jason DENAYER (O.Lyon)
Brandon MECHELE (FC Bruges)
Thomas VERMAELEN (FC Barcelone)
Jan VERTONGHEN (Tottenham)

Midfielders :

Yannick CARRASCO (Dalian Yifang)
Timothy CASTAGNE (Atalanta Bergame)
Nacer CHADLI (AS Monaco)
Mousa DEMBELE (Tottenham)
Leander DENDONCKER (Wolverhampton)
Thorgan HAZARD (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
Thomas MEUNIER (Paris Saint-Germain)
Dennis PRAET (Sampdoria)
Youri TIELEMANS (Leicester City)
Hans VANAKEN ( FC Bruges)
 

Strikers:

Michy BATSHUAYI (Crystal Palace)
Christian BENTEKE (Crystal Palace)
Eden HAZARD (Chelsea)
Adnan JANUZAJ (Real Sociedad)
Romelu LUKAKU (Manchester United)
Dries MERTENS (Naples)
Divock ORIGI (Liverpool)
Leandro TROSSARD (KRC Genk)

Saturday, March 16, 2019:

-

Sunday, March 17, 2019:

-

Monday, March 18, 2019:

-

Contract Extensions
Date	Player	Position	Club	Expiration Year	Online Source
March 12, 2019	Thierry Lutonda	-	Anderlecht	2022	RTBF.be

Profesional Contract
Date	Player	Position	Club	Online Source
March 13, 2019	Bill Lathouwers	-	Antwerp	Jupiler League App
March 13, 2019	Gael Kakudj	-	Antwerp	Jupiler League App

First Division A League Matchday (March 17, 2019):

Sunday, March 17, 2019:

Club Brugge 1-Mouscron 2 (Siebe Schrijvers 72 / Selim Amallah 33, Nemanja Antonov 81)

Kortrijk 2-Antwerp 0 (Julien De Sart 84, Felipe Avenatti 90)

Ostend 0-Anderlecht 2 (Yannick Bolasie 70, Ivan Santini 90)

Charleroi 1-Eupen 2 (Victor Osimhen 45 / A. Castro-Montes 7, Youssef Msakni 52)

Zulte-Waregem 3-Genk 3 (Hamdi Harbaoui 13 pen, 90, Sandy Walsh 72 / Ruslan Malinovskyi 19, Junya Ito 39, Leandro Trossard 61)

Lokeren 3-Cercle Brugge 1 (Amine Benchaib 27, Jose Cevallos 35, Ari Skulasson 39 / Serge Gakpe 69)

St Truiden 0-Gent 2 (Roman Yarmechuk 17, 60)

Standard Liege 4-Waasland-Beveren 3  (Merveille Bokadi 54, Moussa Djenepo 56, 58, Orlando Sa 78 / Stefan Milosevic 15, 43, 49)

Top Goalscorer:

Mbwana Samatta (Genk) 20 goals

Hamdi Harbaoui (Zulte-Waregem) 18 goals

Ivan Santini (Anderlecht) 14 goals

Nany Dimata (Anderlecht) 13 goals
 

Table	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Genk	30	18	9	3	63	31	32	63
2	Club Brugge	30	16	8	6	64	32	32	56
3	Standard Liege	30	15	8	7	49	35	14	53
4	Anderlecht	30	15	6	9	49	34	15	51
5	Gent	30	15	5	10	53	45	8	50
6	Antwerp	30	14	7	9	39	34	5	49

P-Played, W-Win, D-Draw, L-Loss, GF-Goals For, GA-Goals Against, GD-Goal Difference, Pts-Point

Diary (extra):

Tuesday, March 12, 2019:

-Ghana Manager Kwesi Appiah named his squad for upcoming match in an African Cup of Nations qualifier vs. Kenya. (Source BBC Football online)

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Richard Ofori (Martizburg, South Africa), Lawrence Ati (Sochaux, France), Felix Annan (Asante Kotoko)

Defenders: Kwadwo Asamoah (Inter Milan, Italy), Lumor Agbenyenu (Göztepe SK, Turkey), Andy Yiadom (Reading FC, England), Amos Frimpong (Asante Kotoko), Nuhu Kassim (Hoffenheim, Germany), Nicholas Opoku (Udinese, Italy), John Boye (Metz, France), Joseph Aidoo (Genk, Belgium)

Midfielders: Andre Ayew (Fenerbahçe, Turkey), Mubarak Wakaso (Deportivo Alaves, Spain), Christian Atsu (Newcastle, England), Kwame Bonsu (Asante Kotoko), Ernest Asante (Al Jazira, UAE), Thomas Partey (Atlético Madrid, Spain), Alhassan Wakaso (Vitória Guimarães, Portugal), Jeffery Schlupp (Crystal Palace, England), Alfred Duncan (Sassuolo, Italy)

Forwards: Caleb Ansah Ekuban (Trabzonspor, Turkey), Jordan Ayew (Crystal Palace, England), Emmanuel Boateng (Dalian Yifang, China), Kwesi Appiah (AFC Wimbledon, England)

-South Africa Manager Stuart Baxter named his squad for upcoming match in a African Cup of Nations qualifier vs. Libya. (Source BBC Football online)

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Bruce Bvuma (Kaizer Chiefs), Darren Keet (Bidvest Wits), Ronwen Williams (SuperSport United)

Defenders: Daniel Cardoso (Kaizer Chiefs), Rivaldo Coetzee (Mamelodi Sundowns), Sfiso Hlanti, Thulani Hlatshwayo (Bidvest Wits), Aubrey Modiba (SuperSport United), Innocent Maela (Orlando Pirates), Thamsanqa Mkhize (Cape Town City), Buhle Mkhwanazi (Bidvest Wits)

Midfielders: Dean Furman (SuperSport United), Hlompho Kekana (Mamelodi Sundowns), Thembinkosi Lorch (Orlando Pirates), Tiyani Mabunda (Mamelodi Sundowns), Kamohelo Mokotjo (Brentford, ENGLAND), Thulani Serero (Vitesse FC), Bongani Zungu (Amiens, FRANCE), Themba Zwane (Mamelodi Sundowns)

Strikers: Keagan Dolly (Montpellier, FRANCE), Lebogang Maboe (Mamelodi Sundowns), Lebo Mothiba (Racing Strasbourg, FRANCE), Percy Tau (Royal Union Saint Gilloise, BELGIUM), Lars Veldwijk (Sparta Rotterdam)

-Colombia Manager Carlos Queiroz named his squad for upcoming Kirin Cup match vs. Japan and a friendly vs. South Korea. (Source deportes.canalrcn online)

Squad:

Goalkeepers: 

David Ospina Ramírez - Napoli (ITA)

Camilo Andrés Vargas Gil - Deportivo Cali (COL)

Iván Mauricio Arboleda - Banfield (ARG)

Defenders: 

Santiago Arias Naranjo - Atlético de Madrid (ESP)

Helibelton Palacios Zapata - Atlético Nacional (COL)

Dávinson Sánchez Mina - Tottenham (ING)

Jeison Fabián Murillo Cerón - Barcelona (ESP)

Yerry Fernando Mina González - Everton (ING)

William José Tesillo Gutiérrez - León (MEX)

Cristian Alexis Borja González - Sporting Lisboa (POR)

Déiver Andrés Machado Mena - Atlético Nacional (COL)

Midfielders: 

Wílmar Enrique Barrios Terán - Zenit San Petersburgo (RUS)

Gustavo Leonardo Cuéllar Gallego - Flamengo (BRA)

Andrés Mateus Uribe Villa - América (MEX)

Jefferson Andrés Lerma Solís - Bournemouth (ING)

James David Rodríguez Rubio - Bayern Múnich (ALE)

Juan Fernando Quintero Paniagua - River Plate (ARG)

Sebastián Villa Cano - Boca Juniors (ARG)

Luis Fernando Díaz Marulanda - Junior (COL)

Strikers: 

Radamel Falcao García Zárate - Mónaco (FRA)

Duván Esteban Zapata Banguera - Atalanta (ITA)

Luis Fernando Muriel Fruto - Fiorentina (ITA)

Alfredo José Morelos Avilez - Rangers (ESC)

-Wales Manager Ryan Giggs named his squad for upcoming Euro qualifier match vs. Slovakia and a friendly vs. Trinidad and Tobago. (Source BBC Football online)

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Wayne Hennessey (Crystal Palace), Danny Ward (Leicester), Adam Davies (Barnsley), Chris Maxwell (Charlton, on loan from Preston)

Defenders: Ashley Williams (Stoke, on loan from Everton), Chris Gunter (Reading), Neil Taylor (Aston Villa), Ben Davies (Tottenham), Connor Roberts (Swansea), James Lawrence (Anderlecht), Ethan Ampadu (Chelsea), Tom Lockyer (Bristol Rovers), Chris Mepham (Bournemouth), Paul Dummett (Newcastle), Declan John (Swansea)

Midfielders: Ryan Hedges (Barnsley), Joe Allen (Stoke), David Brooks (Bournemouth), Ben Woodburn (Liverpool), Harry Wilson (Derby, on loan from Liverpool), Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal), Matt Smith (FC Twente, on loan from Manchester City), Lee Evans (Wigan), Daniel James (Swansea), Will Vaulks (Rotherham), George Thomas (Scunthorpe, on loan from Leicester)

Forwards: Rabbi Matondo (Schalke), Sam Vokes (Stoke), Tom Lawrence (Derby), Gareth Bale (Real Madrid), Tyler Roberts (Leeds)

-Northern Ireland Manager Michael O’Neill named his squad for upcoming Euro qualifier matches vs. Estonia and Belarus. (Source BBC Football online)

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Michael McGovern (Norwich City), Bailey Peacock-Farrell (Leeds United), Conor Hazard (Celtic).

Defenders: Aaron Hughes (Hearts), Gareth McAuley (Glasgow Rangers), Jonathan Evans (Leicester City), Craig Cathcart (Watford), Conor McLaughlin (Millwall), Patrick McNair (Middlesbrough), Jamal Lewis (Norwich City), Tom Flanagan (Sunderland), Daniel Ballard (Arsenal).

Midfielders: Steven Davis (Southampton), Niall McGinn (Aberdeen), Corry Evans (Blackburn Rovers), Shane Ferguson (Millwall), Stuart Dallas (Leeds United), George Saville (Middlesbrough, loan), Jordan Jones (Kilmarnock), Gavin Whyte (Oxford United), Jordan Thompson (Blackpool).

Forwards: Kyle Lafferty (Rangers), Josh Magennis (Bolton Wanderers), Liam Boyce (Burton Albion), Paul Smyth (Queens Park Rangers), Will Grigg (Sunderland), Conor Washington (Sheffield United)

-Argentinean club Argentinos Juniors unveiled a massive inflatable Diego Maradona in the players’ tunnel. (Source Daily Mail online)

-USA Manager Greg Berhalter named his squad for upcoming matches vs. Ecuador and Chile. (Source USSoccer.com online)

Squad:

GOALKEEPERS (3): Ethan Horvath (Club Brugge, BEL; 3/0), Sean Johnson (New York City FC; 6/0), Zack Steffen (Columbus Crew SC; 8/0)

DEFENDERS (8): John Brooks (Wolfsburg, GER; 36/3), Omar Gonzalez (Atlas, MEX; 48/3), Nick Lima (San Jose Earthquakes; 2/0), Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls; 4/0), Daniel Lovitz (Montreal Impact; 2/0), Matt Miazga (Reading, ENG; 11/1), Tim Ream (Fulham, ENG; 26/1), DeAndre Yedlin (Newcastle United, ENG; 57/0)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig, GER; 9/1), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC, CAN; 143/17), Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy; 7/2), Weston McKennie (Schalke, GER; 7/1), Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund, GER; 23/9), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders FC; 7/0), Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew SC; 13/0)

FORWARDS (6): Paul Arriola (D.C. United; 19/3), Corey Baird (Real Salt Lake; 2/0), Jonathan Lewis (New York City FC; 2/0), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC; 25/5), Christian Ramirez (LAFC; 2/1), Gyasi Zardes (Columbus Crew SC; 42/6)

-Pele paid tribute to his former teammate Coutinho, who passed away yesterday. Pele wrote that he is “sure that one day we will do that one-two in heaven.” (Source Fox Sports online)

-Czech Republic Manager Jaroslav Silhavy named his squad for upcoming Euro qualifier match vs. England and a friendly vs. Brazil. (Source Fox Sports online)

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Jiri Pavlenka (Werder Bremen), Tomas Koubek (Rennes), Tomas Vaclik (Sevilla).

Defenders: Ondrej Celustka (Antalyaspor), Theo Gebre Selassie (Werder Bremen), Filip Novak (Trabzonspor), Pavel Kaderabek (Hoffenheim), Ondrej Kudela (Slavia Prague), Tomas Kalas (Bristol), Marek Suchy (Basel), Vladimir Coufal (Slavia Prague).

Midfielders: Jakub Jankto (Sampdoria), Tomas Soucek (Slavia Prague), Lukas Masopust (Slavia Prague), Borek Dockal (Sparta Prague), David Pavelka (Kasimpasa), Alex Kral (Slavia Prague), Jaromir Zmrhal (Slavia Prague).

Forwards: Matej Vydra (Burnley), Patrik Schick (Roma).

-Former Vasco Da Gama President Eurico Miranda passed away aged 74. (Source Wikipedia online)

-Uruguay Manager Oscar Washington Tabarez named his squad for upcoming China matches. (Source sfchronicle online)

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Fernando Muslera (Galatasaray, Turquía), Martín Silva (Libertad, Paraguay) y Martín Campaña (Independiente, Argentina).

Defenders: Diego Godín (Atlético Madrid, España), José María Giménez (Atlético Madrid, España), Sebastián Coates (Sporting de Lisboa, Portugal), Mathías Suárez (Montpellier, Francia) y Martín Cáceres (Juventus, Italia).

Midfielders: Matías Vecino (Inter, Italia), Nahitan Nández (Boca Juniors, Argentina), Federico Valverde (Real Madrid, España), Giorgian de Arrascaeta (Flamengo, Brasil), Rodrigo Bentancur (Juventus, Italia), Nicolás Lodeiro (Seattle Sounders, Estados Unidos), Lucas Torreira (Arsenal, Inglaterra), Diego Laxalt (Milan, Italia), Marcelo Saracchi (Leipzig, Alemania), Gastón Pereiro (PSV Eindhoven, Holanda) y Giovanni González (Peñarol, Uruguay).

Strikers: Luis Suárez (Barcelona, España), Cristhian Stuani (Girona, España), Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint-Germain, Francia), Jonathan Rodríguez (Cruz Azul, México) y Maximilano Gómez (Celta, España).

-Gabon Manager Daniel Cousin named his squad for upcoming matches in a African Cup of Nations qualifier vs. Burundi. (Source BBC Football online)

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Didier Ovono Ebang (FC Paris, France), Yves Stephane Bitseki Moto (CF Mounana), Jean Noel Amonome (FC 105 Libreville)

Defenders: Lloyd Palun (Cercle Brugge, Belgium), Johann Obiang (Troyes, France), Bruno Ecuele Manga (Cardiff City, Wales), Junior Randal Otoo Zue (Westerlo, Belgium), Wilfried Ebane Abessolo (Lorient, France), Musavu King (Boulogne, France), Aaron Appindangoye (Umraniyespor, Turkey), Gilchrist Nguema (Benfica de Macau, Macau)

Midfielders: Didier Ibrahim Ndong (Guingamp, France), Andre Biyogo Poko (Goztepe, Turkey), Levy Clement Madinda (Umraniyespor, Turkey), Hans Nze Afatoughe (Bourges, France), Clech Loufilou (AS Mangasport), Joha Branger Engone (Oldham Athletic, England), Jim Emilien Allevinah

Forwards: Pierre Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal, England), Gaetan Missi Mezu (Dunarea Calarasi, Romania), Axel Meye Me Ndong (Qadsia, Kuwait), Denis Bouanga (Nimes, France), Malick Evouna (Santa Clara, Portugal)

Standby: Aaron Boupendza (Tours, France), Cedric Ongo Biyoghe (AS Vita Club, DR Congo), Guelor Kanga Kaku (Sparta Prague)

-Austria Manager Franco Foda named his squad for upcoming Euro qualifier matches. (Source Spox online)

Squad:

position          Surname     club

gate    Heinz Lindner          Grasshopper Club Zurich / SUI

          Cican Stankovic          Red Bull Salzburg

          Richard Strebinger          SK Rapid Vienna

defense          David Alaba          Bayern Munich / GER

          Aleksandar Dragovic          Bayer Leverkusen / GER

          Martin Hinteregger          Eintracht Frankfurt / GER

          Philipp Lienhart          SC Freiburg / GER

          Stefan Posch TSG Hoffenheim / GER

          Stefan Lainer Red Bull Salzburg

          Andreas Ulmer          Red Bull Salzburg

          Sebastian Prödl          Watford / ENG

midfield          Julian Baumgartlinger       Bayer Leverkusen / GER

          Florian Grillitsch          TSG Hoffenheim / GER

          Stefan Ilsanker          RB Leipzig / GER

          Florian Kainz          1. FC Köln / GER

          Konrad Laimer          RB Leipzig / GER

          Marcel Sabitzer          RB Leipzig / GER

          Xaver hit      Red Bull Salzburg

          Hannes Wolf          Red Bull Salzburg

          Valentino Lazaro          Hertha BSC / GER

          Peter Zulj    RSC Anderlecht / BEL

attack Marko Arnautovic          West Ham / ENG

          Guido Burgstaller          Schalke 04 / GER

          Michael Gregorich          FC Augsburg / GER

-Tunisia Manager Alain Giresse named his squad for upcoming matches in  African Cup of Nations qualifiers vs. eSwatini and Algeria. (Source L’Equipe online)

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Farouk Ben Mustapha (Al-Chabab/ARS), Mouez Hassen (Nice/FRA), Aymen Mathlouthi (Club Africain).

Defenders : Wajdi Kechrida (ES Sahel), Mohamed Dräger (Paderborn/ALL), Larry Azouni (Courtrai/BEL), Rami Bedoui (Al-Feiha/ARS), Yassine Meriah (Olympiakos/GRE), Syam Ben Youssef (Kasimpasa, Turquie), Dylan Bronn (La Gantoise/BEL), Ali Maaloul (Al-Ahly/EGY), Oussama Haddadi (Dijon/FRA).

Midfielders : Mohamed Amine Ben Amor (ES Sahel), Ellyes Skhiri (Montpellier/FRA), Aymen Ben Mohamed (ES Tunis), Ferjani Sassi (Zamalek/QAT), Bilel Saidani (Al-Sailiya/QAT).

Strikers : Naïm Sliti (Dijon/FRA), Anice Badri (ES Tunis), Saîf-Eddine Khaoui (Caen/FRA), Bassem Srarfi (Nice/FRA), Wahbi Khazri (Saint-Etienne/FRA), Taha Yassine Khenissi (ES Tunis), Youssef Msakni (KAS Eupen/BEL), Firas Chaouat (CS Sfaxien), Yassine Chammakhi (Club Africain).

-Ecuador Manager Hernan Dario Gomez named his squad for upcoming matches vs. USA and Honduras. (Source eldeportivo online)

Squad:

Goalkeepers : 

Pedro Ortiz (Delfín SC)

Máximo Banguera (Barcelona SC)

Alexander Domínguez (Vélez de Argentina)

Defenders:

Ángelo Preciado (Independiente del Valle)

Jackson Porozo (Santos de Brasil)

Christian Ramírez (Krasnodar de Rusia)

Béder Caicedo (Barcelona SC)

Juan Carlos Paredes (Emelec)

Jhon Narváez (Melgar de Perú)

Gabriel Achilier (Monarcas de México)

Xavier Arreaga (Barcelona SC)

Midfielders : 

Jefferson Orejuela (Liga de Quito)

Jefferson Intriago (Liga de Quito)

Jhegson Méndez (Orlando City de Estados Unidos)

Carlos Gruezo (Dallas de Estados Unidos)

Renato Ibarra (América de México)

Antonio Valencia (Manchester United de Inglaterra)

Romario Ibarra (Minnesota de Estados Unidos)

Ayrton Preciado (Santos Laguna de México)

Jhojan Julio (Liga de Quito)

Strikers : 

Ángel Mena (León FC de México)

Leonardo Campana (Barcelona SC)

Enner Valencia (Tigres)

-Slovakia Manager Pavel Hapal named his squad for upcoming matches. (Source eldeportivo online)

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Martin Dúbravka (Newcastle), Matúš Kozáčik (Viktoria Plzeň), Marek Rodák (Rotherham United)

Defenders: Peter Pekarík (Hertha), Lukáš Štetina (Sparta Praha), Ľubomír Šatka(Dunajská Streda), Milan Škriniar (Inter Miláno), Denis Vavro (FC Kodaň), Dávid Hancko (Fiorentina), Michal Sipľak (Cracovia Krakov)

Midfielders: Patrik Hrošovský (Viktoria Plzeň), Stanislav Lobotka (Vigo), Ján Greguš (Minnesota United), Juraj Kucka (Parma), Matúš Bero (Vitesse Arnhem), Marek Hamšík (Dalien), Ondrej Duda (Hertha), Martin Chrien (Santa Clara), Albert Rusnák (Real Salt Lake), Róbert Mak (Zenit Petrohrad), Jaroslav Mihalík (Žilina), Miroslav Stoch (Slavia Praha)

Strikers: Michal Ďuriš (Anorthosis Famagusta), Pavol Šafranko (Dundee United)

NÁHRADNÍCI

Brankári: Dominik Greif (Slovan), Adam Jakubech (Lille), hráči do poľa: Erik Sabo(Hapoel Be'er Ševa), Boris Sekulič (Górnik Zabrze), Norbert Gyömbér (Perugia), Martin Valjent (Mallorca), Tomáš Huk (Dun. Streda), Róbert Mazáň (Benátky), Roman Procházka, Erik Pačinda (obaja Plzeň), Jakub Považanec (Jablonec), László Bénes (Holstein Kiel), Nikolas Špalek (Brescia), Lukáš Haraslín (Lechia Gdansk), Erik Jendrišek (Xanthi), Samuel Mráz (FC Crotone), Róbert Boženík (Žilina), Ľubomír Tupta (Hellas Verona)

Wednesday, March 13, 2019:

-Benin Manager Michel Dussuyer named his squad for upcoming matches in a African Cup of Nations qualifier vs. Togo. (Source BBC Football online)

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Fabien Farnolle (Yeni Malatyaspor, Turkey), Saturnin Allagbé (Niort, France), Cherif Dine Kakpo (Buffles).

Defenders: Junior Salomon (Plateau United, Nigeria), Olivier Verdon (Sochaux, France), Khaled Adénon (Amiens, France) Moïse Adilehou (Levadiakos, Greece), David Kiki (Red Star, France), Emmanuel Imorou (Caen, France), Rodrigue Fassinou (ASPAC), Seïdou Barazé (Yzeure, France).

Midfielders: Rodrigue Kossi (Club Africain, Tunisia) Jordan Adéoti (Auxerre, France), Patrick Sèdjamè (Buffles), Mama Seibou (SC Toulon, France), Anaane Tidjani (US Ben Guerdane, Tunisia), Cèbio Soukou (Hansa Rostock, Germany).

Forwards: Jacques Bessan (MO Bejaïa, Algeria), Steve Mounié (Huddersfield, England), Désiré Sègbè Azankpo (Senica, Slovakia), Jodel Dossou (Vaduz, Switzerland), Yannick Aguémon (OH Louvain, Belgium), David Djigla (Niort, France).

-Mexico Manager Gerardo Martino named his squad for upcoming matches vs. Paraguay and Chile. (Source Milenio online)

Squad:

Goalkeepers: 

Raúl Gudiño (Chivas)

Guillermo Ochoa (Standard de Lieja)

Jonathan Orozco (Santos)

Defenders: 

Edson Álvarez (América)

Néstor Araujo (Celta de Vigo)

Miguel Layún (Monterrey)

César Montes (Monterrey)

Héctor Moreno (Real Sociedad)

Diego Reyes (Leganés)

Carlos Salcedo (Tigres)

Jorge Sánchez (América)

Midfielders: 

Jonathan dos Santos (LA Galaxy)

Jesús Gallardo (Monterrey)

Andrés Guardado (Betis)

Erick Gutiérrez (PSV)

Víctor Guzmán (Pachuca)

Diego Lainez (Betis)

Luis Montes (León)

Carlos Rodríguez (Monterrey)

Luis Rodríguez (Tigres)

José Juan Vázquez (Santos)

Roberto Alvarado (Cruz Azul)

Isaac Brizuela (Chivas)

Jesús Manuel Corona (Porto)

Forwards: 

Javier Hernández (West Ham)

Raúl Jiménez (Wolverhampton)

Hirving Lozano (PSV)

Rodolfo Pizarro (Monterrey)

Alexis Vega (Chivas)

-FIFA are planning a 24 team club World Cup set for summer of 2021 that will have eight European teams. (Source Fox Sports online) 

-Sweden Manager Janne Andersson named his squad for upcoming Euro qualifier matches vs. Romania and Norway. (Source abcnyheter.no online)

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Robin Olsen (Roma), Karl-Johan Johnsson (Guingamp) og Kristoffer Nordfeldt (Swansea).

Defenders: Ludwig Augustinsson (Werder Bremen), Andreas Granqvist (Helsingborg), Filip Helander (Bologna), Pontus Jansson (Leeds), Emil Krafth (Amiens), Mikael Lustig (Celtic) og Victor Nilsson Lindelöf (Manchester United).

Midfeilders: Emil Forsberg (Leipzig), Kristoffer Olsson (Krasnodar), Ken Sema (Watford), Sebastian Larsson (AIK), Albin Ekdal (Sampdoria), Jakob Johansson (Rennes), Jimmy Durmaz (Toulouse), Gustav Svensson, (Seattle) og Sam Larsson (Feyenoord).

Strikers: Marcus Berg (Al Ain), Sebastian Andersson (Union Berlin), Alexander Isak (Willem II), Viktor Claesson (Krasnodar) og Robin Quaison (Mainz).

Thursday, March 14, 2019:

-Conmebol stated that the 2020 Edotion of Copa America will be hosted in Argentina and Colombia. (Source L’Equipe online) 

-Norway Manager Lars Lagerback named his squad for upcoming Euro qualifying match vs. Spain. (Source sefutbol.com online)

Squad:

GOALKEEPERS: Rune Almenning Jarstein (Hertha Berlin/ALE), Michael Grytebust (OB), Per Kristian Worre Bråtveit (Djurgården).

DEFENDERS: Haitam Aleesami (Palermo/ITA), Omar Elabdellaoui (Olympiacos/GRE), Kristoffer Ajer (Celtic/ESC), Even Hovland (Rosenborg), Birger Meling (Rosenborg), Håvard Nordtveit (Fulham/ING), Sigurd Rosted (Gante/BEL), Jonas Svensson (AZ Alkmaar/HOL), Martin Linnes (Galatasaray/TUR).

MIDFIELDERS: Mats Møller Dæhli (St Pauli/ALE), Mohamed Elyounoussi (Southampton/ING), Markus Henriksen (Hull/ING), Stefan Johansen (Fulham/ING), Ole Kristian Selnæs (Shenzhen/CHN), Martin Ødegaard (Vitesse/HOL).

FORWARDS: Tarik Elyounoussi (AIK/SUE), Bjørn Johnsen (AZ Alkmaar/HOL), Ola Kamara (Shenzhen/CHN), Joshua King (Bournemouth/ING), Alexander Sørloth (Gante/BEL).

-Greece Manager Angelos Anastasiadis named his squad for upcoming Euro qualifier matches vs. Liechtenstein and Bosnia. (Source Agonasport online)

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Vasilis Barkas (AEK), Alexandros Paschalakis (PAOK), Odisseas Vlachodimos (Benfica).

Defenders: Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Arsenal), Dimitris Siovas (Leganes), Spyros Risvanis (Atromitos), Michalis Bakakis (AEK), Leonardo Koutris (Olympiacos), Giorgos Valerianos (Aris).

Midfielders: Charalampos Mavrias (Omonoia), Dimitris Kolovos (Omonoia), Andreas Samaris (Benfica), Petros Mantalos (AEK), Anastasios Bakasetas (AEK), Giorgos Masouras (Olympiacos), Andreas Bouchalakis (Olympiacos), Carlos Zeca (FC Copenhagen), Dimitris Kourbelis (Panathinaikos), Manolis Siopis (Aris), Konstantinos Fortounis (Olympiacos).

Strikers: Konstantinos Mitroglou (Galatasaray), Efthymis Koulouris (Atromitos), Anastasios Donis (VfB Stuttgart).

-Republic of Ireland Manager Mick Mccarthy finalized his squad for upcoming Euro qualifier matches vs. Gibraltar and Georgia. (Source fai.ie online)

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Darren Randolph (Middlesbrough), Keiren Westwood (Sheffield Wednesday), Mark Travers (Bournemouth)
Defenders: Seamus Coleman (Everton), Matt Doherty (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Richard Keogh (Derby County), John Egan (Sheffield United), Shane Duffy (Brighton & Hove Albion), Enda Stevens (Sheffield United)
Midfielders: Alan Judge (Ipswich Town), Jeff Hendrick (Burnley), Conor Hourihane (Aston Villa), Alan Browne (Preston North End), Harry Arter (Cardiff City*), Glenn Whelan (Aston Villa), Robbie Brady (Burnley), Callum O'Dowda (Bristol City), James McClean (Stoke City)
Forwards: Shane Long (Southampton), Sean Maguire (Preston North End), Ronan Curtis (Portsmouth), David McGoldrick (Sheffield United), James Collins (Luton Town)

*player on loan 

-Finland Manager Markku Kanerva named his squad for upcoming Euro qualifier matches vs. Italy and Armenia. (Source Pallollitto online)

Squad:

Lukas Hradecky Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Jesse Joronen FC København

Anssi Jaakkola Reading FC

Paulus Arajuuri Brøndby IF

Albin Granlund Örebro SK

Juha Pirinen Tromsø IL

Leo Väisänen FC Den Bosch

Sauli Väisänen FC Crotone

Joona Toivio BK Häcken

Joni Kauko Esbjerg fB

Rasmus Schüller Minnesota United

Glen Kamara Rangers FC

Lassi Lappalainen HJK

Fredrik Jensen FC Augsburg

Tim Sparv FC Midtjylland

Thomas Lam PEC Zwolle

Jere Uronen KRC Genk

Robert Taylor Tromsø IL

Pyry Soiri FC Admira Wacker Mödling

Robin Lod Sporting Gijon

Kasper Hämäläinen Legia Warszawa

Petteri Forsell MKS Miedz Legnica

Teemu Pukki Norwich City FC

-Cameroon Manager Clarence Seedorf named his squad for upcoming matches in a African Cup of Nations qualifier vs. Comoros. (Source BBC Football online)

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Andre Onana (Ajax Amsterdam, Netherlands), Fabrice Ondoa (KV Oostende, Belgium), Carlos Kameni (Fenerbahce, Turkey)

Defenders: Fai Collins (Standard Liege, Belgium), Jerome Onguene (Red Bull Salzburg, Austria), Michael Ngadeu Ngadjui (Slavia Prague, Czech Republic), Jean-Armel Kana-Biyik (Kayserispor, Turkey), Yaya Banana (Panionios, Greece), Gaetan Bong (Brighton Albion, England), Ambroise Oyongo Bitolo (Montpellier, France), Joyskim Dawa Tchakonte (Mariupol, Ukraine)

Midfielders: Andre Zambo Anguissa (Fulham, England), Pierre Kunde Malong (Mainz, Germany), Georges Mandjeck (Maccabi, Israel), Petrus Boumal (Ural, Russia), Arnaud Djoum (Hearts FC, Scotland)

Attackers: Joel Tagueu (Maritimo, Portugal), Stephane Bahoken (Angers, France), Jacques Zoua (Astra Giurgi, Romania), Clinton Njie (Marseille, France), Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (Paris Saint Germain, France), Christian Bassogog (Henan Jianye, China), Jean-Pierre Nsame (Young Boys, Switzerland)

-Japan Manager Hajime Moriyasu named his squad for upcoming matches vs. Colombia and Bolivia. (Source japantimes online)

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Masaaki Higashiguchi (Gamba Osaka), Daniel Schmidt (Vegalta Sendai), Kosuke Nakamura (Kashiwa Reysol).

Defenders: Daigo Nishi (Vissel Kobe), Sho Sasaki (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Gen Shoji (Toulouse), Sei Muroya (FC Tokyo), Takehiro Tomiyasu (Sint-Truiden), Genta Miura (Gamba Osaka), Koki Anzai (Kashima Antlers), Shinnosuke Hatanaka (Yokohama F Marinos).

Midfielders: Takashi Inui (Alaves), Shinji Kagawa (Besiktas), Hotaru Yamaguchi (Vissel Kobe), Yuki Kobayashi (Heerenveen), Takashi Usami (Fortuna Dusseldorf), Gaku Shibasaki (Getafe), Shoya Nakajima (Al-Duhail), Takumi Minamino (Salzburg), Hidemasa Morita (Kawasaki Frontale), Ritsu Doan (Groningen).

Forwards: Musashi Suzuki (Consadole Sapporo), Daichi Kamada (Sint-Truiden).

Friday, March 15, 2019:

-Stephen Ward (Burnley) announced his retirement from the Republic of Ireland National Team. (Source BBC Football online)

-Republic of Ireland Manager Mick McCarthy expressed his disappointment that the recently defector Declan Rice had been chosen as Young Irish player of the year. (Source extra.ie online)

-The following draws were made for the UCL quarterfinals: Barcelona v. Manchester United, Juventus v. Ajax, Manchester City v. Tottenham and Porto v. Liverpool. (Source AP online)

-The following draws were made for the Europa League quarterfinals: Arsenal v. Napoli, Chelsea v. Slavia Prague, Valencia v. Villareal and Benfica v. Frankfurt. (Source Daily Mail online)

-Republic of Ireland Manager Mick McCarthy called up Josh Cullen (West Ham) and Kevin Long (Burnley) to replace injured duo: Ronan Curtis and Alan Browne. (Source Irish Football Fan TV online)

-Europe’s top clubs have warned FIFA that they would boycott the proposed club World Cup in 2021. (Source BBC Football online)

-Ivory Coast Manager Ibrahim Kamara named his squad for upcoming match in an African Cup of Nations qualifier vs. Rwanda. (Source BBC Football online)

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Sylvain Gbohouo (TP Mazembe, DR Congo), Badra Ali Sangare (Free State Stars, South Africa), Abdoul Karim Cisse (Asec Mimosas)

Defenders: Bamba Abdoulaye and Traore Ismael (Angers, France), Eric Bailly (Manchester United, England), Serge Aurier (Tottenham Hotspurs, England), Mamadou Bakayoko (Red Star, France), Wonlo Coulibaly (Asec Mimosas), Simon Deli (Slavia Prague, Czech Republic), Wilfried Kanon (ADO Den Haag, Netherlands)

Midfielders: Jean Michel Seri (Fulham, England), Serey Die (Neuchatel Xamax, Switzerland), Victorien Angban (FC Metz, France), Franck Kessie (AC Milan, Italy), Jean-Philippe Gbamin (Mainz 05, Germany), Ismael Diomande (SM Caen, France)

Strikers: Jonathan Kodjia (Aston Villa, England), Roger Assale (Young Boys, Switzerland), Nicolas Pepe (Lille, France), Max Gradel (Toulouse FC, France), Maxwell Cornet (Olympique Lyon, France), Yakou Meite (Reading FC, England), Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace, England)

-Gambia Manager Tom Saintfiet named his squad for upcoming match in an African Cup of Nations qualifier vs. Algeria. (Source BBC Football online)

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Modou Jobe (El Kanemi Warriors, Nigeria), Baboucarr Gaye (Arminia Bielefeld, Germany)

Defenders: Bubacarr Sanneh (Anderlecht, Belgium), Omar Colley (Sampdoria, Italy), Mamadou 'Futty' Danso (unattached), Mohammed Jallow Mbye (Mjallby AIF, Sweden), Ibou Touray (Salford City, England), Ngine Faye Njie (Gamtel FC), Simon Richter and Dawda Ngum (BK Bronshoj, Denmark)

Midfielders: Kalifa Manneh (Calcio Catania, Italy), Ebrima 'Ebou' Adams (Ebbsfleet United, England), Ebrima Sohna (unattached), Ebrima Colley (Atalanta, Italy)

Forwards: Nuha Marong (CD Atletico Baleares, Spain), Ablie Jallow (Metz, France), Musa Barrow (Atalanta, Italy), Bubacarr Jobe (Mjallby AIF, Sweden), Adama Jammeh (Etoile Sportive du Sahel, Tunisia), Muhammed Badamosi (FUS de Rabat, Morocco)

-Brazil Manager Tite called up Alex Telles (Porto) to replace the injured Filipe Luis (Atletico Madrid) in the Brazil squad. (Source L’Equipe online)

Saturday, March 16, 2019:

-Guinea-Bissau Manager Abel Xavier named his squad for upcoming match in an African Cup of Nations qualifier vs. Egypt. (Source BBC Football online)

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Guirrugo (Incomáti), Leonel (Songo) and Vítor (Costa do Sol).

- Defenders: Zainadine Júnior (Marítimo, Portugal), Agenor (Songo), Chico (Maputo Railroad), Mexer (Rennes, France), Ifren (Songo), Reinildo (Lille, France), Jeitoso (Cape Town City, South Africa), Jorge (Costa do Sol), Mambucho (Ferroviário da Beira) and Manucho (Costa do Sol).

-Midfielders: Amadou (Songo), Cremildo (Songo), Cambala (Songo), Witi (National, Portugal), Nené (Costa do Sol), Nilton (Costa do Sol), Geraldo (Amora), Domingues (Bidvest, South), Jimmy (Songo), Nelson (Costa do Sol) and Raul (Costa do Sol).

- Strikers: Dayo (Ferroviário da Beira), Isac (Costa do Sol), Luís Miquissone (Songo), Maninho (Ferroviário da Beira), Telinho (Songo), Reginaldo (Laçi FK, Albania) and Ratifo (Pforzheim, Germany).

-FIFA have approved a proposed 24-team World Club cup set for 2021 despite protests from top European clubs. (Source BBC Football online)

-Liberia Manager Thomas Kojo named his squad for upcoming match in an African Cup of Nations qualifier vs. DR Congo. (Source BBC Football online)

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Tommy Songo and Ashley Williams (LISCR FC); Alpha Jalloh (Barrack Young Controllers)

Defenders: Alvin Marccornel and Aloysius Simujla (LPRC Oilers); Teah Dennis and Eugene Swen (Barrack Young Controllers); Gasimu Sheikh Kouyateh (Pags FC), Kemoh Kamara (LISCR FC), Joel Johnson Alajarin (Charlotte Independence, USA)

Midfielders: Marvin Blapoh (Monrovia Club Breweries), Mohammed Sangare (Newcastle United, England), Allen Njie (Grasshopper Zurich, Switzerland), Oscar Murphy Dorley (FC Slovan Liberec, Czech Republic), Sylvanus Nimely (Spartak Moscow, Russia), Sam Johnson (Real Salt Lake, USA)

Strikers: William Jebor (Wydad Casablanca, Morocco), Kpah Sean Sherman (PKNS Selangor, Malaysia), Tonia Tisdell (Nea Salamina Famagusta, Cyprus), Terrance Tisdell (AD Sanjoanense, Portugal)

-Algeria Manager Djamel Belmadi named his squad for upcoming match in an  African Cup of Nations qualifier vs. Gambia and a friendly vs. Tunisia. (Source BBC Football online)

Squad:

 Goalkeepers : Moustapha Zeghba (ES Sétif), Izzedine Doukha (Al-Raed/Arabie saoudite), Alexandre Oukidja (FC Metz/ France).

Defenders: Aissa Mandi (Bétis Séville/ Espagne), Ilias Hassani (Al-Khritiyat/ Qatar), Haithem Loucif (Paradou AC), Ramy Bensebaini (Rennes/ France), Rafik Halliche (Moreirense/ Portugal), Ayoub Abdellaoui (FC Sion/ Suisse), Djamel Benlameri (Al-Shabab/ Arabie saoudite), Youcef Attal (Nice/ France), Mohamed Fares (SPAL/ Italie)

Midfielders: Mohamed Benkhemassa (USM Alger), Saphir Taider (Impact Montréal/ Canada), Ismaël Bennacer (Empoli/ Italie), Mehdi Abeid (Dijon/ France), Sofiane Feghouli (Galatasaray/ Turquie), Victor Lekhal (Le Havre/ France), Hichem Boudaoui (Paradou AC)

Strikers : Zakaria Naidji (Paradou AC), Adam Ounas (Naples/ Italie), Ryad Mahrez (Manchester City/ Angleterre), Mohamed Benrahma (Brentford/ Angleterre), Oussama Darfalou (Vitesse/ Pays-Bas), Baghdad Bounedjah (Al-Sadd/ Qatar), Youcef Belaili (ES Tunis/ Tunisie).

-Cyprus Manager Ran Ben Shimon named his squad for upcoming Euro qualifier matches vs. San Marino and Belgium. (Source Pallollitto online)

Squad:

GOALKEEPERS: Konstantinos Panagi (Omonoia), Urko Pardo (Alki Oroklini), Neophytos Michael(PAS Giannina)

DEFENDERS: Giorgos Merkis (APOEL), Kostas Laifis (Standard de Liege), Dosa Junior (AEL Limassol), Giorgos Vasiliou (Apollon), Nikolas Ioannou (APOEL), Ioannis Kousoulos (Omonoia), Christos Wheeler (AEL Limassol)

MIDFIELDERS: Giorgos Efraim (APOEL), Andreas Avraam (AEL Limassol), Kostakis Artymatas (APOEL), Chambos Kyriakou (Apollon), Grigoris Kastanos (Juventus), Renato Margaca (Nea Salamina), Fotis Papoulis (Apollon), Anthony Georgiou (Levante), Matija Spoljaric (Alki Oroklini)

FORWARDS: Pieros Sotiriou (Kobenhavn), Nestoras Mytidis (AEL Limassol), Andreas Makris (AEL Limassol), Minas Antoniou (Enosis Neon Paralimni)

Sunday, March 17, 2019:

-Goalkeeper Zack Steffen has withdrawn form the USA squad due to injury. He has been replaced with Jesse Gonzalez (Dallas FC). (Source USSoccer online)

Monday, March 18, 2019:

-Nicolas Otamendi (Manchester City) has withdrawn from the Argentina squad due to injury. (Source L’Equipe online)

Revised Squad:

Goalkeepers: Marchesin (America Mexico/MEX), Musso (Udinese/ITA), Armani (River Plate), Andrada (Boca Juniors)

Defenders: Pezzella (Fiorentina/ITA), Mercado (Séville/ESP), Foyth (Tottenham/ANG), Kannemann (Gremio Porto Alegre/BRE), Tagliafico (Ajax Amsterdam/HOL), Acuna (Sporting/POR), Montiel (River Plate), Saravia (Racing Club), Martinez (Defensa y Justicia).

Midfielders : Paredes (PSG/FRA), Di Maria (PSG/FRA), Rodriguez (America Mexico/MEX), Lo Celso (Betis/ESP), Lanzini (West Ham/ANG), Pereyra (Watford/ANG), Zaracho (Racing Club), Marcone (Boca Juniors), Blanco (Defensa y Justicia), De Paul (Udinese/ITA).

Strikers: Messi (Barça/ESP), Martinez (Atlanta United/MLS), Dybala (Juventus/ITA), Correa (Atlético de Madrid/ESP), Martinez (Inter Milan/ITA), Benedetto (Boca Juniors) Suarez (River Plate)

-Former Paraguay player from the 80s and 90s, Victor Genes passed away from to a heart attack. He also managed the Paraguay National Team (2013-2014). (Source Wikipedia online)

-Brazil Manager Tite called up Fagner (Corinthians) to replace the injured Dani Alves (PSG) in the Brazil squad. (Source Maisfutebol online)

-Victor Lindelof (Manchester United) has withdrawn from the Sweden squad due to personal reasons. Anton Tinnerholm (New York City FC) was called up as a replacement. (Source Maisfutebol online)

-Mali National Team Manager Mohamed Magassouba named hus squad for upcoming match in an African Cup of Nations qualifier vs. Sudan and a friendly vs. Senegal. (Source Maisfutebolonline)

Squad:

Goalkeeper: Djigui Diarra (Stade Malien), Mamadou Samassa (Troyes, France), Adama Keïta (Djoliba).

Defenses: Hamari Traoré (Rennes, France), Falaye Sacko (Vitória Guimarães, Portugal), Massadio Haïdara (Lens, France), Youssouf Koné (Lille, France), Mamadou Fofana (FC Metz, France), Boubacar Kiki Kouyaté France), Bakaye Dibassy (Amiens, France).

Midfielders: Diadié Samassékou (RB Salzburg, Austria), Boubacar Diarra (ENPPI, Egypt), Cheick Doucouré (Lens, France), Lassana Coulibaly (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland), Adama Traoré (Cercle de Bruges, Belgium), Idrissa Traoré Al Jabal, Libya).

Forward: Moussa Djénépo (Standard Liège, Belgium), Ibrahim Tandia (SEPSI, Romania), Moussa Doumbia (Stade de Reims, France), Abdoulaye Diaby (Sporting Portugal), Moussa Marega (FC Porto, Portugal), Kalifa Coulibaly , France), Hadi Sacko (Ankaragucu, Turkey), Adama Niane (Charleroi, Belgium), Adama Traoré (Orleans, France).

-Xherdan Shaqiri (Liverpool) has withdrawn from Switzerland squad. (Source  BBC Football online)

-Brazilian Junior Moraes (Shakhtar Dobetsk) has received Ukrainian Nationality and may be called up by them. (Source Maisfutebol online)

I. UEFA Champions League:

UEFA Champions League-Round of 16, Second Leg:

Tuesday, March 12, 2019:

Juventus 3-Atletico Madrid 0 (Cristiano Ronaldo 27, 48, 86 pen)

Manchetser City 7-Schalke 0 (Sergio Aguero 35 pen, 38, Leroy Sane 42, Raheem Sterling 56, Bernardo Silva 71, Phil Foden 78, Gabriel Jesus 84)

Wednesday, March 13, 2019:

Barcelona 5-Lyon 1 (Lionel Messi 18 pen, 78, Phillippe Coutinho 31, Gerard Pique 81, Ousmane Dembele 86 / Lucas Tousart 58)

Bayern Munich 1-Liverpool 3 (Joel Matip (own goal) 39 / Sadio Mane 26, 84, Virgil Van Dijk 69)

II. Europa League:

Europa League- Round of 16, First Leg:

Thursday, March 14, 2019:

Dinamo Kiev 0-Chelsea 5 (Olivier Giroud 5, 33, 59, Marcos Alosno 45, Callum Hudson-Odoi 78)

Krasnodar 0-Valencia 0 (M.Suleymanov 85 / Goncalo Guedes 90) 

Salzburg 1-Napoli 1 (Munas Dabbur 25, Fredrik Gulbrandsen 65, Christoph Leitgeb 90 / Arkadiusz Milik 14)

Arsenal 3- Rennes 0 (Pierre-Erick Aubameyang 5, 72, A.Maitland-Niles 15)

Benfica 3-Dinamo Zagreb 0 (Jonas 71, Francisco Ferreira 94, Alex Grimaldo 105)

Inter 0-Frankfurt 0 (Luka Jovic 6)

Slavia Prague 4-Sevilla 3 (M.Ngadeu-Ngadjui 15, Tonas Soucek 47 pen, Mick van Buren 102, Ibrahim Traore 119 / Wissam Ben Yedder 44 pen, Munir El Haddadi 54, Franco Vazquez 98)

Villareal 2- Zenit St Petersburg 1 (Gerard Moreno 29, Carlos Bacca 47 / Branislav Ivanovic 90)