The playing time of Australian footballers in the world's top flight leagues "has dropped an alarming" 80%, a pioneer study found. Professional Footballers Australia tracked every minute of Australia's 626 professionals between '02 and '16 in the world's top five leagues. PFA CEO John Didulica said, "The data supports the view that we are falling behind where we once were, so we need to redefine our approach to the complex area of talent development." PFA studied minutes played by Australians in top divisions in England, Germany, Spain, Italy and France (AAP, 8/28).
In October, "for the first time in the history of football, the official team India jersey will be part of the FIFA merchandise." India is "gearing up to host" the U17 World Cup in October (ECONOMIC TIMES, 8/28).
The Professional Footballers' Association called for an "investigation into the circumstances surrounding an incident" at Premier League side Bournemouth where a steward alleged he had been assaulted by Man City footballer Sergio Agüero before withdrawing the claim. The PFA said that it had "concerns about the incident." TV footage showed Agüero "remonstrating with a steward for his method of restraining one fan who was on the ground." The Football Supporters' Federation and the PFA have expressed "concern about the manner of the restraint" (LONDON TIMES, 8/28).
