Over "30,000 more season tickets have been sold across Serie A this season," with AC Milan "up by 14,000." According to Italian daily Gazzetta dello Sport, 282,683 season tickets "have been sold between the 20 Serie A clubs, up from 251,895 last year." AC Milan and Inter Milan have "overtaken Juventus on pure numbers, with each selling around 31,000 season tickets," just under 40% of San Siro's capacity (FOOTBALL ITALIA, 9/6).
The FA is backing England Manager Gareth Southgate's "attempt to improve the mental strength of England's players by hiring a full-time psychologist." Southgate has been using consultants from Lane4 "on an ad hoc basis" since October, but wants a permanent appointment "to help him prepare his players" for the 2018 World Cup. The FA has begun the process of recruiting a head of team and people development (LONDON TIMES, 9/6).
The FA and UEFA joined forces with the Colour Blind Awareness organization to produce a guide booklet as part of a campaign to maximize awareness and improve the experience of color blind people in football. Approximately one in 12 men inherit color blindness. It is carried on the X chromosome, so only one in 200 women inherit the condition (UEFA).
Two men admitted "playing a role" in an alleged multi-million pound "fraud involving football apprenticeships." Christopher Martin, 53, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to two counts of "conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation," the Senior Fraud Office said. Stephen Gooding, 53, admitted one count of "the same charge" at a hearing on March 31 (SKY SPORTS, 9/6).
The Asian Football Confederation has begun investigations following reports of breaches of regulations at the 2018 World Cup Asian final round qualifying matches played on Tuesday. The AFC is currently waiting to receive all relevant reports before proceeding with the next steps (AFC).
