The German FA (DFB) appointed Burson-Marsteller Sport to advise on int'l strategy and communication for its bid to host Euro 2024. The agency "recently rebranded the TSE Consultancy firm under the Burson-Marsteller Sport banner," itself owned by the global WPP advertising agency. Last week, UEFA announced Germany is "up against Turkey as the only two bidders" for Euro 2024 hosting rights (INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL, 3/13).
FIFA on Tuesday lifted with immediate effect the suspension it had imposed on the Pakistan Football Federation last year and reinstated "all of PFF’s membership rights." The PFF had been "embroiled in internal power struggle and legal wrangling" the last few years, following which the Lahore High Court had appointed an administrator to oversee the federation (DAWN, 3/13).
Northern Ireland Manager Michael O'Neill believes the FA of Ireland "must communicate better" with the Irish FA as the "row over players switching allegiance continues." O'Neill said last week that the FAI was targeting Catholic players to transfer their allegiance to the Republic, having represented Northern Ireland at the youth level. He said, "For me, eligibility is not, and should not, be a political issue. Nor should it be a religious issue. For me, eligibility is a football issue" (BBC, 3/12).
