Price rises of up to 35% for tickets to the FA Cup semifinals and final at Wembley have been criticized by fans. The Football Supporters’ Federation questioned why increases "ten times the rate of inflation" have been imposed on some tickets. The FA said that it "had not raised prices for three years and that it had not changed the cost of the cheapest seats" (LONDON TIMES, 3/22).
League Championship side Nottingham Forest is "embroiled in a legal row" with former Owner Fawaz Al-Hasawi over "unpaid money." Al-Hasawi, the Kuwaiti businessman whose "turbulent reign" ended last May, was sued by the club in December over money it claims it is owed. But Al-Hasawi "issued a counter-claim" insisting he is due a payment of around £4.2M ($5.9M) in unsecured interest-free loans (London TELEGRAPH, 3/22).
Gold Coast United Chair Danny Maher said that the upcoming Commonwealth Games "are the perfect launching pad for the club’s bid to return to the A-League." Gold Coast United on Thursday confirmed its intention to be part of an expanded A-League from the '19-20 season, when the competition will increase from 10 to 12 teams. The club returned to action this year in the National Premier League Queensland competition (Brisbane COURIER-MAIL, 3/21).
Football Federation Australia confirmed there will be "no farewell game in Australia ahead of the World Cup," but Manager Bert van Marwijk's team will still face a "gruelling pre-tournament schedule" with a four-week camp in Turkey and "demanding friendlies" against the Czech Republic and Hungary. The squad will gather in the Turkish coastal city of Antalya on May 19. Then it will "shift, briefly," to Vienna on June 1, where it will face the Czech Republic before taking on Hungary on June 9 in Budapest (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 3/22).
Football execs are being "urged to investigate the full scale of alleged historical racial abuse of players." The call has "come from the solicitor of a former Chelsea player" who said that he was racially abused by a former youth team coach during the '80s. Renu Daly, a specialist in supporting victims of abuse, said, "Football has a duty to provide full answers" (BBC, 3/22).
The Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) announced the French Football Federation will support the Moroccan bid to host the 2026 World Cup. FFF President Noël Le Graët met with FRMF President Fouzi Lekjaa on Thursday and confirmed the FFF's support (FRMF).
