German football will have a new home by 2018 with a purpose-built academy in Frankfurt to include a headquarters and training centres for all national teams, the German football federation announced yesterday.

The move within Frankfurt is to be completed in 2018 and will give the DFB, considered the world’s biggest single sports national federation with more than 6.8 million members, one central location.

The project on a plot of land within the grounds of a racetrack, offered by the city of Frankfurt which is eager to keep the federation there, is expected to cost around £60 million.

Seven-minute delay to kick-offs on Hillsborough anniversary

Matches across England will start seven minutes late over the weekend of April 11-14 to mark the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster in which 96 Liverpool fans lost their lives, the FA said yesterday.

The delay signifies the fact that the 1989 FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest was abandoned after six minutes, at 3.06pm, following a deadly crush in the Leppings Lane End of Sheffield Wednesday’s ground.

Kick-offs will be delayed in both FA Cup semi-finals that weekend, as well as in the Premier League, the Football League and the fifth-tier Conference division.

Wigan Athletic’s Wembley semi-final against Arsenal will kick off at 5.07pm and the following day Hull City vs Sheffield United will begin at 4.07pm.

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