The "radical changes to scheduling, being developed by UEFA to try to increase broadcast revenue, could see international 'double-headers' played on paired days of Thursdays and Sundays, Fridays and Mondays or Saturdays and Tuesdays," according to Paul Kelso of the London TELEGRAPH. UEFA is "also considering bringing in an early-evening kick-off for midweek games so that broadcasters can show two games back-to-back in international weeks, rather than just one game." Currently international "'double-headers' -- two matches in a 10-day period -- are played on Friday night and the following Tuesday, a move designed to placate clubs unhappy at players not returning from international duty until the Thursday before club fixtures." However, the Friday-Tuesday dates have "proved unpopular with supporters and some associations." The potential scheduling changes to international matches were discussed by UEFA delegates "at a meeting of all 53 member nations in Cyprus on Monday" (London TELEGRAPH, 9/21).
SEEKING A FAIR PLAYING FIELD: YAHOO SPORTS' Martin Rogers reported civil rights lawyer Cyrus Mehri, "a driving force behind the National Football League's regulation that enforces coaching and front-office opportunities for minority candidates, has launched a campaign aimed at ending English soccer's most striking racial imbalance." Rogers noted there has been a "dearth of black head coaches" in English soccer. There are "only two black head coaches among the 92 clubs in England's top four divisions, and none in the EPL." Mehri said, "There has been a lost generation of potential black managers in English soccer. There has been a huge discrepancy there and this is the best approach to fix it. I sense there is a willingness and an opportunity for England to put this right. It is up to them to put the ball in the net and I think they will" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 9/19).
