Football Notes: China-South Korea World Cup Qualifier To Have 'Unprecedented' Security

Amid "rising tensions between China and South Korea," there will be "unprecedented" security for Thursday night’s World Cup qualifier between the two countries in Changsha, China. Reports in Chinese media said that security preparations for the match "were unlike anything experienced football reporters in the country had seen before." Some 30 police officers were in attendance "just for South Korea’s training sessions this week -- about a 1:1 ratio between officers and members of the squad -- and the Korean embassy in Beijing has issued a safety warning to travelling fans" (SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST, 3/22).

The referee who officiated Paris St. Germain's 6-1 Champions League defeat to Barcelona "will not be suspended for his performance," UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin said. A source close to PSG said that the club wrote to UEFA about Deniz Aytekin's refereeing (ESPN.com, 3/22).