The 2002–03 season was the 123rd season of competitive
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
in England. In this season, Premier League was won by Manchester United, FA Cup was won by Arsenal.
Overview
*
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, they have p ...
marked their 25th season of Football League membership by winning the Division Two championship and reaching the league's second tier for the very first time.
*
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system.
Formed in 1867 as an off ...
was demoted to
Division Two, just ten years after reaching the finals of both domestic cup competitions and eleven years after coming two places short of the league title.
Diary of the season
*27 June 2002 – Leeds United sack manager
David O'Leary after four years in charge. The sacking is thought by many to be down to a combination of both spending more than £100 million on players but never winning a trophy and the publication of his book "Leeds United on Trial", detailing his experiences as manager during the previous season when both Lee Bowyer and Johnathan Woodgate had been on trial for assault.
*3 July 2002 –
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...
pay a club record £8.15million for
Empoli
Empoli () is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Florence, Tuscany, Italy, about southwest of Florence, to the south of the Arno River, Arno in a plain formed by the river. The plain has been usable for agriculture since Ancient Ro ...
and
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
striker
Massimo Maccarone.
*8 July 2002 – Leeds United appoint
Terry Venables
Terence Frederick Venables (6 January 1943 – 25 November 2023), often referred to as El Tel, was an English football player and manager who played for clubs including Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers and won two caps for E ...
as their new manager.
*10 July 2002 –
AFC Wimbledon
AFC Wimbledon is an English professional association football club based in Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon, London Borough of Merton, London. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system.
The club was founded in ...
, a club founded by former supporters of
Wimbledon
Wimbledon most often refers to:
* Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London
* Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships
Wimbledon may also refer to:
Places London
* W ...
following The FA's approval of
the latter club's move to
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of Milton Keynes urban area, its urban area was 264,349. The River Great Ouse forms t ...
, play their first match, losing 4–0 in a preseason friendly to
Sutton United in front of over 4,600 fans.
*11 July 2002 –
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
sign defender
Pascal Cygan from
Lille
Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...
for £2.1million.
*12 July 2002 – Newcastle United sign 20-year-old defender
Titus Bramble from
Ipswich Town for £5million.
*22 July 2002 –
Manchester United
Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
break the English transfer record for the third time in just over a year. They pay
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system.
Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
£29 million for central defender
Rio Ferdinand, amidst reports that the Yorkshire club are in severe financial difficulties after overspending during the previous 3 seasons, and having a crippling loan debt.
*24 July 2002 –
Everton sign Arsenal goalkeeper
Richard Wright for £3.5million.
*26 July 2002 – Manchester United sell out-of-favour striker
Dwight Yorke to
Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...
for £2million, with
Graeme Souness
Graeme James Souness (; born 6 May 1953) is a Scottish former professional football player, manager and television pundit.
A midfielder, Souness achieved his greatest period of success as an integral part of the Liverpool team of the late 19 ...
partnering Yorke with his former Manchester United strike partner
Andy Cole
Andrew Alexander Cole (born 15 October 1971) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. His professional career lasted from 1988 to 2008, and is mostly remembered for his time with Manchester United, who paid a Brit ...
.
*30 July 2002 –
Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...
, newly promoted to the Premier League, pay a club record £4.25million for
Crystal Palace striker
Clinton Morrison.
*2 August 2002 –
Juninho Juninho, Portuguese for "little Junior", is a common nickname in Brazil for those whose full name includes Júnior. It is often combined with an epithet, sometimes a demonym (a word derived from their place of origin). The following association foo ...
signs for Middlesbrough for the third time in a £6million move from
Atlético Madrid
Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), commonly referred to as Atlético Madrid or simply Atlético, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid that plays in La Liga. The club play their home game ...
.
*4 August 2002 –
Leicester City move into their new 32,500-seat
Walkers Stadium
King Power Stadium is a football stadium in the city of Leicester, East Midlands, England, and the home of Leicester City. The stadium opened in 2002 as the Walkers Stadium and has a capacity of 32,259. The club attracted worldwide attentio ...
after 111 years at
Filbert Street. They drew 1–1 in a friendly with
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Club (; ), commonly known as Athletic Bilbao (), or simply Athletic, is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Southern Basque Country, Basque Country, Spain. They are known ...
.
*5 August 2002 – Middlesbrough sign
Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
midfielder
George Boateng
George Antwi Boateng (born 5 September 1975) is a former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.
After making his breakthrough with Feyenoord in the Dutch Eredivisie, he spent most of his career in England, making 384 Prem ...
for £5million.
*7 August 2002 –
Players' Union chairman
Gordon Taylor calls for the
Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
, currently in a financial crisis following the collapse of
ITV Digital
ITV Digital was a British digital terrestrial television broadcaster which launched a pay-TV service on the world's first digital terrestrial television network. Its main shareholders were Carlton Communications plc and Granada plc, owners ...
, to combine with the 12
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League (SPL) was the Scottish football league system, top-level league competition for professional Association football, football clubs in Scotland. The league was founded in 1998, when it broke away from the Scottish Foo ...
clubs to form an expanded Football League. There has recently been talk of
Rangers and
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
*Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Foot ...
resigning from the Scottish Premier League to join
Division One of the English league, and for several years it has frequently been suggested by various sources that the two clubs should join the
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
.
*8 August 2002 – Leeds United sign Liverpool midfielder
Nick Barmby for £2.75million.
*15 August 2002 – Liverpool sell defender
Stephen Wright to
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
for £3million.
*17 August 2002 – The
FA Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football ...
season begins.
West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...
's first top division game for 17 years ends in a 1–0 away defeat to
Manchester United
Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
.
*21 August 2002 – Sunderland sign
Leicester City midfielder
Matt Piper for £3.5million.
*29 August 2002 –
Lee Hughes rejoins
West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...
for £2.5million after a year at
Coventry City, and is joined for £2.25million by
Tranmere Rovers midfielder
Jason Koumas.
*30 August 2002 – Sunderland sign striker
Marcus Stewart from Ipswich Town for £3.25million.
*31 August 2002
**
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system.
Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
sell striker
Robbie Keane to
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...
for £7 million, as
Glenn Hoddle
Glenn Hoddle (born 27 October 1957) is an English former football player and manager. He currently works as a television pundit and commentator for ITV Sport and TNT Sports.
He played as a midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur, Monaco, Chelsea and ...
's team look to push for the Premier League title after three wins and a draw from their opening four games take them to the top of the league as August draws to a close. Arsenal (defending champions), Liverpool, Leeds United and Charlton Athletic complete the top five. Bolton Wanderers, who have lost both of their games this month, prop up the top flight, while winless West Ham United and Southampton complete the bottom three. Sunderland pay a club record £6.75million for
Rangers striker
Tore Andre Flo. West Bromwich Albion beat Fulham 1–0 to record their first top division win since March 1986.
**
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
, who were generally not considered as serious promotion challenge, are the surprise leaders of Division One, with their nearest competition coming from last season's beaten playoff finalists
Norwich City
Norwich City Football Club is a professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was founded in 1902. Since 1935, Norwich have played their h ...
.
Leicester City,
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
,
Rotherham United and
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football.
Founde ...
complete the top six.
*10 September 2002
**Sunderland sign goalkeeper
Mart Poom from
Derby County for £2.5million.
**A
Kevin Nolan
Kevin Anthony Jance Nolan (born 24 June 1982) is an English former professional footballer and coach, who manages Northampton Town. He has represented England at under-21 level.
After growing up in Toxteth, Liverpool, Nolan signed for Bolton ...
goal gives Bolton Wanderers a surprise 1–0 league win over Manchester United at
Old Trafford
Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and is the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,197, it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after W ...
.
*14 September 2002 – Manchester United's dismal start to the season continues as they lose 1–0 at Leeds United. They are now ninth in the league, one place below a newly promoted West Bromwich Albion side who have achieved three consecutive league wins.
*16 September 2002 – Birmingham City beat Aston Villa 3–0 at St Andrew's in the first
Second City derby in the league for 15 years, and the first in the top flight for 17 years.
*17 September 2002 – After a slow start to the season, the pressure is growing on Sunderland manager Peter Reid. The
Daily Mirror
The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily Tabloid journalism, tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1903, it is part of Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), which is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the tit ...
tips
George Graham to be named as Sunderland manager if Reid is ousted.
*21 September 2002 –
Ruud van Nistelrooy
Rutgerus Johannes Martinus van Nistelrooij (; born 1 July 1976), commonly known as Ruud van Nistelrooy (), is a Dutch professional Association football, football manager and former player who is the current manager of EFL Championship club Leic ...
scores the winning goal from the penalty spot as Manchester United get back on track with a 1–0 home league win over Tottenham.
*23 September 2002 – Peter Reid gains unexpected support from Sir Bobby Robson, manager of Sunderland's local rivals Newcastle United, who defends him over the club's recent shortcomings.
*26 September 2002 – A poll among Sunderland supporters names David O'Leary as the man they would most like to see as manager in place of under-fire Peter Reid.
*30 September 2002 – September finishes with defending champions Arsenal top of the Premier League, two points ahead of second-placed Liverpool. Manchester United, held back by two defeats this month, are fourth in the league and level on points with third-placed Middlesbrough who are mounting a surprise title challenge. Chelsea occupy fifth place, with last month's leaders Tottenham Hotspur now down to sixth. West Ham United, Charlton Athletic and Southampton occupy the bottom three places. Portsmouth and Leicester City lead the way in Division One, with the playoff zone being occupied by Norwich City,
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football.
Founde ...
, Rotherham United and
Sheffield United.
*7 October 2002 –
Peter Reid
Peter Reid (born 20 June 1956) is an English football manager, pundit and former player.
A defensive midfielder in his playing days, Reid enjoyed a long and successful career. He built his reputation as one of England's brightest midfield tale ...
is sacked by
FA Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football ...
strugglers
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
after seven-and-a-half years in charge.
*9 October 2002 – Republic of Ireland manager
Mick McCarthy
Michael Joseph McCarthy (born 7 February 1959) is a professional Manager (association football), football manager, pundit and former Association football, footballer. He was most recently the head coach of Blackpool F.C., Blackpool.
McCarthy b ...
is named as a contender for the Sunderland manager's job.
*10 October 2002 – After just four months as manager of
Stoke City, manager
Steve Cotterill leaves the club with a statement revealing that he has agreed to take a role at another club, sparking speculation that he has been appointed as Sunderland's new manager. Hours later, however, it was revealed that
Howard Wilkinson has ended his five-year role as technical director of
The Football Association
The Football Association (the FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest footb ...
to become Sunderland's new manager, with Cotterill as his assistant.
*12 October 2002 –
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
open their
Euro 2004
The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2004, was the 12th edition of the UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football competition contested by the men's national teams of UEFA member associations. Th ...
qualifying series with a 2–1 win over
Slovakia
Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
in
Bratislava
Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...
.
David Beckham
Sir David Robert Joseph Beckham ( ; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Primarily a right winger and known for his range of passing, cross ...
and
Michael Owen
Michael James Owen (born 14 December 1979) is an English former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Striker (association football), striker for Liverpool F.C., Liverpool, Real Madrid CF, Real Madrid, Newcastle United ...
score for England.
*19 October 2002 –
Everton striker
Wayne Rooney
Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985) is an English professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player who was most recently the head coach of EFL Championship club Plymouth Argyle F.C., Pl ...
becomes the youngest-ever goalscorer in
FA Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football ...
history when he scores a last-minute winner against
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
, five days before his 17th birthday, to end the opposition's 30-match unbeaten Premiership run. West Ham United winger
Trevor Sinclair takes the pressure off his manager
Glenn Roeder
Glenn Victor Roeder (13 December 1955 – 28 February 2021) was an English professional football player and manager.
As a player, Roeder played as a defender for Arsenal, Leyton Orient, Queens Park Rangers, Notts County, Newcastle United, Watf ...
by scoring the only goal in an away league win over Sunderland, who are playing their first game under the management of Howard Wilkinson.
*26 October 2002 – After waiting 12 years to renew old rivalries,
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. The 16th vice president, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a South ...
scores a hat-trick as Crystal Palace crush Brighton 5–0 in a Division One game at Selhurst Park.
*27 October 2002 –
James Beattie scores a hat-trick as Southampton beat Fulham 4–2 in the league at
St Mary's Stadium.
*30 October 2002 –
Adam Crozier announced his resignation as chief executive of
The Football Association
The Football Association (the FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest footb ...
after two years in this role.
*31 October 2002 – October draws to a close with Liverpool having leapfrogged Arsenal into second place, opening up a four-point gap and looking in a stronger position than ever before to end their league title wait that began in 1990. Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur complete the top five. Bolton Wanderers, Sunderland and West Bromwich Albion occupy the three relegation places. Portsmouth now have a seven-point lead over nearest rivals Leicester City at the top of Division One. The playoff zone is occupied by Norwich City, Sheffield United,
Watford
Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne.
Initially a smal ...
and Nottingham Forest.
*9 November 2002 – A
Shaun Goater
Leonard Shaun Goater (born 25 February 1970) is a Bermudian former professional Association football, footballer, coach and pundit who is currently part of the coaching staff at Aston Villa W.F.C., Aston Villa Women.
As a player he was a Forwa ...
double sees
Manchester City
Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
beat
Manchester United
Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
3–1 in the last Manchester derby at
Maine Road
Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England, that was home to Manchester City from 1923 to 2003. It hosted FA Cup semi-finals, the Charity Shield, a League Cup final and England matches. Maine Road's highest attenda ...
. It is the first time since September 1989 that City have beaten United in a competitive game, and the first time since March 1993 that United have failed to beat City at Maine Road.
*18 December 2002 – Football mourns the deaths of
Football Association
A football association, also known as a football federation, soccer federation, or soccer association, is a governing body for association football. Many of them are members of the sport's regional bodies such as UEFA and CONMEBOL and the world gov ...
chairman
Sir Bert Millichip, 88, and former
Leicester City and
Shrewsbury Town striker Arthur Rowley, 76, who scored a record 434 league goals during his 19-year career.
*10 November 2002 – Sunderland achieve their first league win under Howard Wilkinson by beating Tottenham 2–0 at the
Stadium of Light
The Stadium of Light is an all-seater football stadium in Sunderland, England, and the eighth and current home to Sunderland. With space for 49,000 spectators, the Stadium of Light is the ninth largest football stadium in England. The ...
.
*23 November 2002 – Ruud van Nistelrooy scores a hat-trick as Manchester United end a dismal run of league form by beating Newcastle United 5–3 at Old Trafford.
*30 November 2002 – As November draws to a close, Liverpool are on a dismal run of form which has seen Arsenal overtake them into first place in the Premier League by a single point. Everton are putting up a surprise title challenge after more than a decade of mediocrity as they occupy third place and are just three points off the top. Chelsea and Manchester United complete the top five. West Ham United, West Bromwich Albion and Bolton Wanderers finish the month in the relegation zone. Portsmouth and Leicester City continue to lead the way in Division One. Nottingham Forest, Norwich City,
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
(newly promoted) and Sheffield United complete the top six.
*7 December 2002 – Manchester United's revival continues with a 2–0 home league win over defending champions Arsenal.
*14 December 2002 – Manchester United continue to close in on the top of the table with a 3–0 home win over West Ham. Sunderland boost their survival challenge with a 2–1 home win over Liverpool, whose title challenge is continuing to fall away.
Marc-Vivien Foé scores twice for Manchester City in a 2–2 draw at Charlton Athletic.
*26 December 2002 –
Hull City celebrate their first competitive game at their new
Kingston Communications Stadium with a 2–0 win over
Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system.
They were founded in 190 ...
in
Division Three.
*4 January 2003 –
Shrewsbury Town beat Everton 2–1 in an FA Cup third round tie at
Gay Meadow.
*31 December 2002 – 2002 ends with Arsenal top of the Premier League, four points ahead of second-placed Chelsea and with a game in hand. Manchester United occupy third place, Everton are fourth and Liverpool's ongoing decline has seen them slip to fifth place just two months after they had a comfortable lead at the top. Southampton's recent resurgence is putting pressure on the top five as they occupy seventh place and look on course for their highest finish since 1995. West Ham United remain bottom and are still looking for their first home win of the season, while West Bromwich Albion and Sunderland complete the bottom three. Portsmouth and Leicester City's two-horse race at the top of Division One continues, with the playoff zone unchanged from last month.
*12 January 2003 –
Robbie Keane scores a hat-trick as Tottenham beat Everton 4–3 in the league at
White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane was a Association football, football stadium in Tottenham, North London and the home of Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Tottenham Hotspur Football Club from 1899 to 2017. Its capacity varied over the years; when changed to all-seater i ...
.
*19 January 2003 –
Thierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry (; born 17 August 1977) is a French professional football coach, pundit, sports broadcaster and former player. He is considered one of the greatest players of all time and widely regarded as the greatest player in Premi ...
scores a hat-trick as Arsenal beat West Ham United 3–1 at
Highbury
Highbury is an area of North London, England, in the London Borough of Islington.
Highbury Manor
Highbury was once owned by Ranulf, brother of Ilger, and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Roads.
The manor hou ...
.
*30 January 2003 – Still struggling with debt, Leeds United sell
Robbie Fowler to Manchester City for £6million.
*31 January 2003 – January draws to a close with Arsenal still top of the Premier League, two points above second placed Manchester United and within a game in hand. Newcastle United, Chelsea and Everton complete the top five. Liverpool's decline continues as they occupy eighth place, deepening fears that a side looking all set for title glory three months ago might now not even qualify for the UEFA Cup. Meanwhile, West Bromwich Albion's dismal form continues as they and West Ham United prop up the rest of the top flight on goal difference. Sunderland occupy the last relegation place. Middlesbrough boost their bid for a
UEFA Cup
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star.
Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
place by spending a total of £8.5million on new signings
Chris Riggott
Christopher Mark Riggott (born 1 September 1980) is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender. He began his career at Derby County, before moving to Middlesbrough, with whom he won the League Cup in 2004. He also had ...
,
Malcolm Christie and
Michael Ricketts
Michael Barrington Ricketts (born 4 December 1978) is an English former footballer. He played as a striker and was capped once by England, in a friendly against the Netherlands in 2002.
Ricketts had a 14-year career which saw him play for ...
. The true extent of Leeds United's financial difficulties becomes public knowledge during a press conference to announce the sale of
Jonathan Woodgate
Jonathan Simon Woodgate (born 22 January 1980) is an English Association football, football manager and former player.
Woodgate began his career at Middlesbrough but moved to Leeds United F.C., Leeds United at the age of sixteen. He was sold t ...
to Newcastle United for £9million, during which Terry Venables states that he had been assured players wouldn't need to be sold. Portsmouth and Leicester City remain in pole position at the top of Division One, and apart from Coventry City edging Reading out of the playoff zone the top six of the division is unchanged from last month.
*9 February 2003 – Manchester United drop two priceless points in the Premier League title race as they can only manage a 1–1 draw with City in the
Manchester derby
The Manchester derby refers to association football, football matches between Manchester City F.C., Manchester City and Manchester United F.C., Manchester United, first contested in 1881. City play at the City of Manchester Stadium in Bradford, ...
at Old Trafford. It is the first time since the 1991–92 season that they have failed to beat City in either derby games.
*12 February 2003 – A record of eight black players are capped in the England side's 3–1 home defeated by
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
at Upton Park.
*16 February 2003 – One of the most decisive games of the season sees Arsenal cancel out Manchester United in
the double race with a 2–0 win at
Old Trafford
Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and is the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,197, it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after W ...
. After the game,
David Beckham
Sir David Robert Joseph Beckham ( ; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Primarily a right winger and known for his range of passing, cross ...
suffers a gash to his face which is reportedly the result of Sir Alex Ferguson throwing a basket full of boots across the changing room after his side's defeat.
*22 February 2003 – Manchester United drop points once again when relegation threatened Bolton hold them to a 1–1 draw at the
Reebok Stadium
The Toughsheet Community Stadium is a Association football, football stadium in Horwich near Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. It is the home ground of Bolton Wanderers F.C., Bolton Wanderers Football Club, with an all-seated capacity of 28, ...
.
*28 February 2003 – The month-end leaders for February are Arsenal, who now lead Manchester United by five points. Newcastle United, Chelsea and Everton complete the top five. There will now be a place in the UEFA Cup for the Premier League's sixth place team if Manchester United or Liverpool (who contest this weekend's League Cup final) finish in the top five. Currently in sixth place are Charlton Athletic, while Liverpool are still only seventh in a division which they had looked set to win a few months ago. Portsmouth have a two-point lead over Leicester City at the top of Division One. Reading, Nottingham Forest and Sheffield United remain in the playoff zone, but an improving Wolverhampton Wanderers side have edged Norwich City out of the top six. Rotherham United are in contention for promotion after an impressive season so far.
*2 March 2003 –
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
win the League Cup for the seventh time in their history thanks to a 2–0 win over
Manchester United
Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
in the final at
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium (), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium () for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it has a retractable roof and is the home of the Wales national rugby union team; it has ...
in
Cardiff
Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...
. On the same day, Arsenal establish an eight-point lead at the top of the league and look all set for a second successive league title.
*5 March 2003 – Manchester United cut Arsenal's Premier League lead to five points with a 2–1 home win over struggling Leeds United.
*10 March 2003 – Howard Wilkinson is sacked as
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
manager (along with his assistant Steve Cotterill) after his team won just two out of 20 Premiership matches under his management. The hunt for his successor begins, with Mick McCarthy, David O'Leary and George Burley the three names being particularly strongly linked with the vacancy.
*12 March 2003 – Sunderland appoint former
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...
national coach
Mick McCarthy
Michael Joseph McCarthy (born 7 February 1959) is a professional Manager (association football), football manager, pundit and former Association football, footballer. He was most recently the head coach of Blackpool F.C., Blackpool.
McCarthy b ...
as their new manager.
*15 March 2003 – Arsenal are now just two points ahead of Manchester United at the top of the league, after they lose 2–0 at Blackburn and their rivals win 1–0 at Aston Villa.
*19 March 2003 – Two goals in three minutes for Forest sets them on their way to a 3–0 victory over Derby County.
*21 March 2003 –
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system.
Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
, 16th in the
FA Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football ...
and £120million in debt, sack
Terry Venables
Terence Frederick Venables (6 January 1943 – 25 November 2023), often referred to as El Tel, was an English football player and manager who played for clubs including Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers and won two caps for E ...
after eight months in charge. Peter Reid is named as his successor on a temporary contract until the end of the season, but it is far from clear whether Reid will get the job on a permanent basis.
*22 March 2003
**
Derby County (in
Division One) suspend manager
John Gregory over allegations of misconduct and replace him with
George Burley
George Elder Burley (born 3 June 1956) is a Scottish former football player and manager. He had a professional career spanning 21 years as a player, making 628 league appearances and earning 11 Scotland caps. His most successful spell came whi ...
as interim manager.
**Manchester United beat Fulham 3–0 at Old Trafford, with Ruud van Nistelrooy scoring all three goals, to go top of the Premier League just three weeks after their title hopes had appeared dead.
*23 March 2003 – Arsenal return to the top of the Premier League with a narrow 2–1 win over Everton.
*31 March 2003 – March draws to a close with Manchester United now leading the Premier League just a month after Arsenal looked to have won it, though
Arsène Wenger
Arsène Charles Ernest Wenger (born 22 October 1949) is a French former association football, football Manager (association football), manager and football player, player who is currently serving as FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development. ...
's team are only a point behind with a game in hand. Three points now separate Portsmouth and Leicester City at the top of Division One. Sheffield United, Reading, Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers remain in the playoff zone. Ipswich Town's resurgence has seen them creep to the fringe of the top six, but Rotherham United's playoff hopes are evaporating.
*5 April 2003 – Manchester United seize the initiative in the title challenge by beating Liverpool 4–0 at Old Trafford as Arsenal can only manage a 1–1 draw at Aston Villa. Leeds United move closer to survival with a 6–1 away win over a Charlton side which effectively ends their opposition's hopes of European qualification.
*12 April 2003 –
Paul Scholes scores a hat-trick as Manchester United beat Newcastle United 6–2 on
Tyneside
Tyneside is a List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, built-up area across the banks of the River Tyne, England, River Tyne in Northern England. The population of Tyneside as published in the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census was 774,891 ...
to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League. Newcastle's neighbours Sunderland's relegation is confirmed by a 2–0 defeat at Birmingham City.
*16 April 2003 – The much-anticipated "title decider" between Arsenal and Manchester United at
Highbury
Highbury is an area of North London, England, in the London Borough of Islington.
Highbury Manor
Highbury was once owned by Ranulf, brother of Ilger, and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Roads.
The manor hou ...
ends in a 2–2 draw, meaning that Arsenal are now three points behind Manchester United but with a game in hand and a remotely superior goal difference.
*19 April 2003 – Paul Scholes is on the scoresheet twice as a 3–1 home win over Blackburn Rovers edges Manchester United closer to their eighth Premier League title in 11 seasons, despite Arsenal's 2–0 win at Middlesbrough. West Bromwich Albion are relegated despite a 2–1 away win over already doomed Sunderland.
Leicester City seal promotion to the Premier League with a 2–0 win over Brighton.
*21 April 2003 – West Ham manager Glenn Roeder is hospitalised with a suspected stroke; director of football
Trevor Brooking
Sir Trevor David Brooking (born 2 October 1948) is a former England national football team, England international Association football, footballer, manager, pundit and football administrator; he now works as director of football development in En ...
is placed in charge of the first team until Roeder is well enough to resume control.
*26 April 2003 –
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
suffer a huge blow to their double hopes, as they surrender a 2–0 lead in their game-in-hand to draw 2–2 with
Bolton
Bolton ( , locally ) is a town in Greater Manchester in England. In the foothills of the West Pennine Moors, Bolton is between Manchester, Blackburn, Wigan, Bury, Greater Manchester, Bury and Salford. It is surrounded by several towns and vill ...
at the
Reebok Stadium
The Toughsheet Community Stadium is a Association football, football stadium in Horwich near Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. It is the home ground of Bolton Wanderers F.C., Bolton Wanderers Football Club, with an all-seated capacity of 28, ...
– well and truly shifting the title race in
Manchester United
Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
's favour with three games to go.
*27 April 2003 –
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
beat
Rotherham
Rotherham ( ) is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies at the confluence of the River Rother, South Yorkshire, River Rother, from which the town gets its name, and the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don. It is the largest settlement ...
3–2 to win the Division One championship and gain promotion to the Premier League for the first time since the league's inception. Apart from the
1987–88 season, they have not played top division football since the 1950s. On the same day,
Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer (born 13 August 1970) is an English Association football, football pundit and former professional player who played as a striker (association football), striker. Widely regarded as one of the best strikers of all time and one of t ...
receives the Premier League "Player of the Decade" award at a
PFA ceremony.
*29 April 2003 – Glenn Roeder's illness is diagnosed as a brain tumour which will be operated upon shortly.
*30 April 2003 – Sunderland, without a point since January and win since December, end the month, and West Bromwich Albion, with only six wins in their first top division campaign for nearly 20 years, end April with their relegation battle lost. West Ham United complete the bottom three but their survival bid is still very much alive as they are posing a threat to Bolton Wanderers, Birmingham City, Fulham, Aston Villa and a Leeds United team who began the season among the teams expected to challenge for the title but are now battling relegation as well as huge debts.
*3 May 2003 – A Ruud van Nistelrooy hat-trick contributes to Manchester United's 4–1 home win over Charlton Athletic and puts them on the brink of title glory.
*4 May 2003 –
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
lose 3–2 at home to
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system.
Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
, a result which ensures Leeds United's safety and ends Arsenal's defence of the title.
Manchester United
Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
are crowned league champions for the eighth time in 11 seasons.
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
are relegated from the
Premiership with a record low of 4 wins, 19 points and 21 goals.
Shrewsbury Town are relegated to the
Conference
A conference is a meeting, often lasting a few days, which is organized on a particular subject, or to bring together people who have a common interest. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always d ...
, ending 53 years of Football League membership.
Exeter City finished 23rd in Division Three and are also relegated to the
Conference
A conference is a meeting, often lasting a few days, which is organized on a particular subject, or to bring together people who have a common interest. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always d ...
– the first club to suffer automatic relegation without finishing bottom of the league.
Peter Schmeichel calls time on his footballing career six months before his 40th birthday after helping
Manchester City
Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
to finish ninth in the Premiership.
*9 May 2003 – Derby County confirm that suspended manager John Gregory will not be returning, and his contract is terminated to make way for George Burley to receive the job on a permanent basis.
*11 May 2003 – West Ham United are relegated after 10 years in the Premier League after failing to get the better of a Birmingham side who hold them to a 2–2 draw. Bolton are safe after a 2–1 home win over Middlesbrough. Sunderland's 4–0 home defeat to Arsenal sees them end the season as officially the worst Premier League team ever with a record low of four wins, 19 points and 21 goals. Not since
Stoke City in the old First Division 18 years ago has any top flight club attained such a poor record in the top flight. Ninth placed Manchester City bid farewell to
Maine Road
Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England, that was home to Manchester City from 1923 to 2003. It hosted FA Cup semi-finals, the Charity Shield, a League Cup final and England matches. Maine Road's highest attenda ...
after 80 years, their last game before relocation to the
City of Manchester Stadium
The City of Manchester Stadium, currently known as Etihad Stadium for sponsorship reasons, and commonly shortened as The Etihad, is the home of Premier League club Manchester City F.C., Manchester City, with a domestic football capacity of 53, ...
being watched by a 35,000 capacity crowd as they lost 1–0 to eighth placed Southampton. The final goal at the stadium is scored by Saints defender
Michael Svensson.
*17 May 2003 –
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
ease their Premier League disappointment by winning the FA Cup for the ninth time in their history, beating
Southampton
Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
1–0 at the
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium (), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium () for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it has a retractable roof and is the home of the Wales national rugby union team; it has ...
courtesy of a first-half
Robert Pires
Robert Emmanuel Pires (born 29 October 1973) is a French former professional footballer. He is widely regarded as one of Arsenal's greatest ever players and considered by some to be one of the best wingers in the history of the sport.
Pires play ...
goal.
*22 May 2003 –
Everton sign
Joseph Yobo from
Olympique Marseille
Olympique de Marseille (, ; , ), also known simply as Marseille, or by the abbreviation OM (, ), is a French professional football club based in Marseille which competes in Ligue 1, the top flight of French football. Founded in 1899, OM has ...
for £3.5million.
*26 May 2003 –
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
return to the top flight after a 19-year exile by beating
Sheffield United 3–0 in the
Division One playoff final.
*4 June 2003 – After 13 years as goalkeeper for Arsenal,
David Seaman
David Andrew Seaman (born 19 September 1963) is an English former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. In a career lasting from 1981 to 2004, he is best known for his time playing for Arsenal. He won 75 caps for England, and is the country ...
joins Manchester City on a free transfer, signing a one-year contract.
*17 June 2003 –
David Beckham
Sir David Robert Joseph Beckham ( ; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Primarily a right winger and known for his range of passing, cross ...
agrees to join
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...
in a £25 million deal after 12 years at Manchester United.
*26 June 2003 –
Marc-Vivien Foé, who spent the 2002–03 season on loan to
Manchester City
Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
, collapses and dies at the age of 28 during a
Confederations Cup
The FIFA Confederations Cup was an international association football tournament for men's national teams, held every four years by FIFA. It was contested by the holders of each of the six Continental football championships, continental champions ...
tie for
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...
.
England national team
''Key: ECQ =
2004 European Championship qualifiers, F = Friendly; scores are written England first''
European club competitions
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
*
Manchester United
Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
– quarter-finals
*
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
– Second group phase
*
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...
– Second group phase
*
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
– First group phase ''(dropped into UEFA Cup)''
UEFA Cup
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star.
Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
*
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
– quarter-finals
*
Fulham
Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...
– third round
*
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system.
Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
– third round
*
Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...
– first round
*
Chelsea – first round
*
Ipswich Town – second round
UEFA Intertoto Cup
The UEFA Intertoto Cup (from , "between" and , " betting pool"),Most precisely, from ( football pool); cf. originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition between European clubs. The competition was dis ...
*
Fulham
Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...
– winners ''(qualified for UEFA Cup)''
*
Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
– semi-finals
Honours
League competitions
FA Premier League
Manchester United, unbeaten in the league after 26 December, overhauled Arsenal during the final three months of the season to clinch their eighth Premiership title in 11 seasons, while the other two Champions League places went to Newcastle United and Chelsea. Going into the UEFA Cup were Liverpool (who made an excellent start to the league, going unbeaten in their first three months before a sudden collapse and falling to 7th but with a late good form to finish 5th) and Blackburn Rovers who were bouncing in mid table at February, although they missed out on Champions League qualification thanks to staying in mid table for a long time, finished 6th, along with FA Cup runners-up Southampton (who also achieved their best Premiership finish of 8th place) and Fair Play award winners Manchester City (who finished an impressive ninth on their Premiership comeback). Southampton had not played in European competitions for nearly 20 years, while Manchester City's last European campaign was a quarter of a century ago.
Everton finished seventh in their first full season under the management of
David Moyes, the club's highest finish for seven years, in a campaign where the club was the centre of national media and public attention following the performances of 17-year-old striker
Wayne Rooney
Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985) is an English professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player who was most recently the head coach of EFL Championship club Plymouth Argyle F.C., Pl ...
, who became the youngest full England international after the season's end.
Compensation for Arsenal after their spectacular failure to retain the league title came in the form of retaining the FA Cup – the first side to do so for
21 years.
Leeds United's season was plagued by a loss of form and mounting debts, and having to sell several key players, as they slipped to 15th place – their lowest finish for 10 years and a stark contrast to the previous five campaigns, where they had never finished outside the top five. Manager
Terry Venables
Terence Frederick Venables (6 January 1943 – 25 November 2023), often referred to as El Tel, was an English football player and manager who played for clubs including Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers and won two caps for E ...
was axed towards the end of March after eight months in charge, with
Peter Reid
Peter Reid (born 20 June 1956) is an English football manager, pundit and former player.
A defensive midfielder in his playing days, Reid enjoyed a long and successful career. He built his reputation as one of England's brightest midfield tale ...
taking over for the final weeks of the season to secure survival and earn himself a permanent contract. Aston Villa's 16th-place finish was their lowest for eight years, although their strong home form ensured their survival in the Premier League. However, they sat above Blackburn Rovers in February but only poor form at the end prevented them from qualifying for the UEFA Cup.
Sunderland's season started badly and got worse as they finished with a record Premiership low of 4 wins, 19 points and 21 goals, losing their final 15 league games in the process. The
Wearside
Wearside () is a built-up area in County Durham and Tyne and Wear, England. It is named after the River Wear which flows through it and traditionally all in the County of Durham.
In the 2011 census, its official name was the Sunderland Built- ...
club went through three managers, with Peter Reid (one of the league's longest-serving managers) leaving in early October to be replaced by
Howard Wilkinson, who lasted just five months before
Mick McCarthy
Michael Joseph McCarthy (born 7 February 1959) is a professional Manager (association football), football manager, pundit and former Association football, footballer. He was most recently the head coach of Blackpool F.C., Blackpool.
McCarthy b ...
was appointed. They were joined by West Bromwich Albion, who attained just 26 points in their first top flight season for nearly 20 years and won just three times in the league after September. Last to go down were West Ham United, who went down with 42 points – the highest points tally of any club to be relegated from the Premiership under the 20-club format.
Leading goalscorer:
Ruud van Nistelrooy
Rutgerus Johannes Martinus van Nistelrooij (; born 1 July 1976), commonly known as Ruud van Nistelrooy (), is a Dutch professional Association football, football manager and former player who is the current manager of EFL Championship club Leic ...
(Manchester United), 25
Football League First Division
The Football League First Division was the top division of the Football League in England from 1888 until the end of the 1991–92 season, when its teams broke away to form the Premier League. From 1992 to 2004, the name First Division was g ...
Portsmouth won the Division One title by some distance, passing manager
Harry Redknapp
Henry James Redknapp (born 2 March 1947) is an English former association football, football manager (association football), manager and player. He has previously managed AFC Bournemouth, West Ham United F.C., West Ham United, Portsmouth F.C., ...
's old club, West Ham, on the way down and ending their own 15-year exile from the top flight. They were rarely outside the top two at any point of the season.
Leicester City earned a somewhat controversial promotion, as administration and a Creditor's Voluntary Agreement wrote off much of their £30million debt. Partly as a result of this, the League would introduce a 10-point subtraction for any teams entering administration from the next season onwards. The play-offs were won by Wolves, returning to the top flight after nearly 20 years and finally allowing owner
Sir Jack Hayward to see the return he wanted on his years of investment. Their opponents, Sheffield United, were semi-finalists in both domestic cups.
Gillingham enjoyed their most successful season to date, finishing a club record eleventh place in the division, the highest in their history. Despite having some of the lowest attendances in senior football after the relocation to
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of Milton Keynes urban area, its urban area was 264,349. The River Great Ouse forms t ...
was announced, Wimbledon managed a 10th-place finish in the league, but then went into administration – putting the future of the club under yet more doubt.
Grimsby were relegated, after struggling in the division for five years on extremely limited resources. Both Brighton and Sheffield Wednesday suffered awful starts to the season (Brighton managing only a single win from their first sixteen matches), and despite good runs of form late in the season, neither were able to survive, although Brighton at least had the satisfaction of staying in the hunt for survival up to the last game.
Leading goalscorer:
Svetoslav Todorov (Portsmouth), 26
Football League Second Division
The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third tier ...
Wigan won their first-ever promotion beyond the Second Division. Crewe managed a promotion on the back of their famed youth policy while play-off winners Cardiff were another big-spending team that were able to earn promotion, beating QPR in the final.
Tranmere Rovers had to settle for seventh place – not even enough for a playoff place – despite collecting 80 points, a tally which at times had been enough for some teams to win automatic promotion. Plymouth Argyle and Luton Town both achieved top half finishes a season after promotion.
An ill-advised managerial change mid-season helped send Northampton down. Mansfield Town's first season out of the bottom division in over a decade ended as their previous spell had; with immediate relegation in a season awash with over 160 goals where they had no problems scoring goals but unfortunately leaked goals at an alarming rate. Huddersfield started badly, and a financial crisis later in the season helped condemn them to relegation, only three years after they looked Premiership-bound. Cheltenham came close to survival, but a defeat on the final day of the season saw them return to Division Three.
Leading goalscorer:
Robert Earnshaw (Cardiff City), 31
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 Football League, 1920–21 and again from 1958–59 Football League, 1958 until 1991–92 Football League, 1992. When the FA Premier League ...
Rushden & Diamonds continued their meteoric rise, winning the divisional title. They were helped in no small part by runners-up Hartlepool suffering a shocking late-season collapse, which cost them the title and manager
Mike Newell his job. Wrexham took the last automatic promotion spot and bounced back from the previous season's relegation, as did play-off winners
AFC Bournemouth
AFC Bournemouth ( ) is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. ...
, who beat Lincoln City in the final.
Oxford United were promotion contenders a season after finishing fourth from bottom, but in the end just missed out on the playoffs. Despite almost going out of business, York City managed to finish 10th – their highest finish since relegation to Division Three in 1999. Hull City finished 13th under new manager
Peter Taylor, who took over from
Jan Molby just before the club completed its relocation from
Boothferry Park to the new
KC Stadium, which gave the club the highest crowds at this level, although the upturn in form was not enough to get them anywhere near the top of the table. Boston United managed a 15th-place finish in their first season as a league club, despite having four points deducted for financial irregularities.
A shock FA Cup victory over Everton did little to help Shrewsbury, and they finished bottom of the League. Exeter City were bought out pre-season in a high-profile takeover spearheaded by
Uri Geller
Uri Geller ( ; ; born 20 December 1946) is an Israeli-British illusionist, magician, television personality, and self-proclaimed psychic. He is known for his trademark television performances of spoon bending and other illusions. Geller use ...
; unfortunately, Geller's associates proceeded to asset-strip the club, and despite a late-season run of form, Exeter fell victim to the first-ever dual relegation from the League.
Yeovil Town, who had spent decades making the headlines by defeating league opposition in the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
, finally reached the Football League as Conference champions. The first Conference playoffs were won by
Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system after winning the 202 ...
, who returned to the league after a five-year exile with the financial backing of
John Ryan, who now had a new
all-seater stadium
An all-seater stadium is a sports stadium in which every spectator has a seat. This is commonplace in professional association football stadiums in nations such as the United Kingdom, Spain, and the Netherlands. Most association football and Amer ...
in the pipeline.
Leading goalscorer:
Andy Morrell (Wrexham), 34
Football Conference
The National League of English Football Clubs is a professional Association football, football league in England that consists of 72 teams, divided equally between the National League (division), National League North and National League South ...
*Champions:
**
Yeovil Town
*Also promoted to Third Division:
**
Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system after winning the 202 ...
''(playoff winners)''
*Relegated:
**
Nuneaton Borough ''(to Southern League)''
**
Southport
Southport is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. It lies on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain, West Lancashire coastal plain and the east coast of the Irish Sea, approximately north of ...
''(to Northern Premier League)''
**
Kettering Town ''(to Isthmian League)''
National League System
The National League System comprises the six levels of the English football league system immediately below the level of the English Football League. It comes under the jurisdiction of the Football Association. The National League System has a ...
Transfer deals
Summer transfer window
The summer transfer window ran from the end of the previous season until 31 August.
;2 May 2002
*
Franck Queudrue
Franck Roger Queudrue (born 27 August 1978) is a French former professional footballer who played as a left back. He began his career with Lens, for whom he played in Ligue 1, and went on to play in the Premier League for Middlesbrough, Fulham a ...
from
Lens
A lens is a transmissive optical device that focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements'') ...
to
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...
, £2.5m
;14 August 2002
*
Juninho Paulista
Osvaldo Giroldo Júnior (born 22 February 1973), known as Juninho or Juninho Paulista, is a Brazilian former footballer who played as an attacking midfielder and is now the national team co-ordinator of the Brazil national football team. During ...
from
Atlético Madrid
Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), commonly referred to as Atlético Madrid or simply Atlético, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid that plays in La Liga. The club play their home game ...
to
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...
, £6m
;30 August 2002
*
Tore André Flo
Tore André Flo (born 15 June 1973) is a Norwegian professional football coach and a former striker who previously was the manager of 1. divisjon club Sogndal.
He was capped 76 times, scoring 23 goals for Norway, and represented his country ...
from
Rangers to
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
, £8m
;31 August 2002
January transfer window
The mid-season transfer window ran from 1 to 31 January 2003.
;31 January 2003
*
Jonathan Woodgate
Jonathan Simon Woodgate (born 22 January 1980) is an English Association football, football manager and former player.
Woodgate began his career at Middlesbrough but moved to Leeds United F.C., Leeds United at the age of sixteen. He was sold t ...
from
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system.
Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
to
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...
, £9m
For subsequent transfer deals see
2003–04 in English football
The 2003–04 season was the 124th season of association football in England. Arsenal completed the season without losing a league match, becoming Premier League champions in the process. Leeds United avoided going into administration, but were ...
.
Famous Debutants
*
Wayne Rooney
Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985) is an English professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player who was most recently the head coach of EFL Championship club Plymouth Argyle F.C., Pl ...
, 16-year-old striker, makes his debut for
Everton in a 2–2 home draw with
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...
on 17 August 2002.
*
James Milner, 16-year-old winger, makes his debut for
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system.
Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
in a 4–3 away win over
West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...
on 10 November 2002.
*
Milan Baroš
Milan Baroš (; born 28 October 1981) is a Czech former professional footballer who played as a forward.
In 2005, he was part of the Liverpool team which won the UEFA Champions League. He went on to win Ligue 1 with Lyon in 2007, the FA Cup w ...
, 20-year-old
Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus
*Czech (surnam ...
striker, scores twice on his
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
debut as they beat
Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...
3–2 at the
Reebok Stadium
The Toughsheet Community Stadium is a Association football, football stadium in Horwich near Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. It is the home ground of Bolton Wanderers F.C., Bolton Wanderers Football Club, with an all-seated capacity of 28, ...
on 14 September 2002.
*
Leon Osman, 21-year-old midfielder, makes his debut for Everton in their 4–3 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur on 12 January 2003.
Retirements
11 August 2002:
Tony Adams
Tony Alexander Adams (born 10 October 1966) is an English former football manager and player. Adams played for Arsenal and England, captaining both teams. Known as Mr. Arsenal, he spent his entire playing career of 19 years as a centre-back t ...
, 35, retires after spending his entire 19-year career at Arsenal, and was team Captain for 14 seasons.
11 May 2003:
Peter Schmeichel, 39, retires from playing after spending 10 of the last 12 seasons in England, the final of which was spent at Manchester City, though he is best remembered for his eight-year spell at Manchester United during which he established himself as a world class goalkeeper.
Deaths
*7 July 2002:
Ray Wood, 71,
Manchester United
Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
and
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
goalkeeper, who was a survivor of the Munich Air Disaster and won two league championship medals.
*17 August 2002:
John Charles
William John Charles (27 December 1931 – 21 February 2004) was a Welsh association football, footballer who played as a centre-forward or as a centre-back. Best known for his first stint at Leeds United F.C., Leeds United and Juventus FC, Ju ...
, 57, played 118 league games at full-back for his only club
West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...
between 1962 and 1971 before his playing career was ended by injury. He died of cancer, which had been diagnosed in 2001.
*5 November 2002:
Rob Hindmarch, 41, former
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
,
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
and
Derby County centre-half, died of motor neurone disease.
*30 November 2002:
Alan Ashman, 74, former football manager who took
Carlisle United into the old First Division in 1974 and
West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...
to F.A Cup glory in 1968.
*18 December 2002:
** –
Bert Millichip, 88, chairman of
The Football Association
The Football Association (the FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest footb ...
from 1981 until 1996 and a former director of West Bromwich Albion.
** –
Angus Morrison, 78, played 329 games in the English league after moving from his native
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
in 1946, scoring a total of 95 goals from the left wing for
Derby County,
Preston North End and
Millwall
Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Poplar, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east of ...
. Although he did not collect any silverware, he was on the losing side with Preston in the 1954 FA Cup Final.
*19 December 2002:
Arthur Rowley, 76, a former centre forward of
Leicester City player and
Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
record scorer who scored an English league career record of 434 goals.
*31 December 2002:
Billy Morris, 84, was an FA Cup runner-up with
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...
in 1947, and scored 47 league goals for the
Turf Moor
Turf Moor is an association football stadium in Burnley, Lancashire, England, which has been the home of Burnley F.C., Burnley Football Club since 1883. This unbroken service makes Turf Moor the second-longest continuously used ground in Footbal ...
club. He was capped five times by
Wales
Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
and had two short spells as
Wrexham
Wrexham ( ; ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in the North East Wales, north-east of Wales. It lies between the Cambrian Mountains, Welsh mountains and the lower River Dee, Wales, Dee Valley, near the England–Wales border, borde ...
manager in the 1960s.
*3 February 2003:
Trevor Morris, 82, former
Ipswich Town player who made one appearance for the club before his playing career was ended due to injury in a wartime match. Went on to manage
Cardiff City
Cardiff City Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It currently competes in , the third tier of the English football league system in the 2025–26 season following relegation. Founded in 1899 a ...
and
Swansea Town and was appointed secretary of the
Football Association of Wales
The Football Association of Wales (FAW; ) is the Governing bodies of sports in Wales, governing body of association football and futsal in Wales, and controls the Wales national football team, its Wales women's national football team, correspo ...
in 1971. Was also later awarded an
OBE for his services to Welsh football.
*5 February 2003:
Dale Roberts, 46, assistant manager of
Ipswich Town from 1995 to 2002, died of cancer. He played 24 league games at centre-half for the
Suffolk
Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...
club between 1974 and 1980 before signing for
Hull City, spending six years at
Boothferry Park and helping the club rise from the Fourth Division to the Second, narrowly missing out on a place in the First Division before he retired through injury in 1986 after 182 league games for the Tigers. He was in charge of Hull's youth team from 1989 to 1993 and was also assistant to
George Burley
George Elder Burley (born 3 June 1956) is a Scottish former football player and manager. He had a professional career spanning 21 years as a player, making 628 league appearances and earning 11 Scotland caps. His most successful spell came whi ...
at
Ayr United and
Colchester United
Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system.
Founded in 1937, the club spent its ea ...
before following him back to
Portman Road
Portman Road is a association football, football stadium in Ipswich, Suffolk, England, which has been the home ground of Ipswich Town F.C., Ipswich Town since 1884. The stadium has also hosted many England youth international matches, and one E ...
, where he helped the club win promotion to the Premier League in 2000 and finish fifth a year later, although relegation back to Division One occurred after just two seasons.
*29 May 2003:
Trevor Ford, 79, played 401 games in English and Dutch leagues as a forward for
Swansea
Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...
,
Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
,
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
,
Cardiff City
Cardiff City Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It currently competes in , the third tier of the English football league system in the 2025–26 season following relegation. Founded in 1899 a ...
,
PSV Eindhoven
Philips Sport Vereniging (; ), abbreviated as PSV and internationally known as PSV Eindhoven (), is a Dutch sports club from Eindhoven, Netherlands. It is best known for its professional association football, football department, which has pla ...
and
Newport County between 1946 and 1961, scoring 199 goals – peaking at Sunderland where he scored 67 goals in 108 games. He was also one of the leading goalscorers for the
Welsh national side, scoring 23 times in 38 appearances, but was not included in the squad for the
1958 World Cup.
*26 June 2003:
Marc-Vivien Foé, 28, Cameroon midfielder who spent the 2002–03 season on loan to
Manchester City
Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
from French side Lyon, collapsed and died during a
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...
Confederations Cup
The FIFA Confederations Cup was an international association football tournament for men's national teams, held every four years by FIFA. It was contested by the holders of each of the six Continental football championships, continental champions ...
game. A post mortem revealed that Foé, who had played for West Ham United earlier in his career, had suffered from an undetected heart condition.
Events
Chelsea are fined £5,000 for the state of the pitch at
Stamford Bridge for their
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
match against
Charlton Athletic on 11 January. Chelsea were going to relay their pitch immediately after the match and had removed the old grass surface, leaving only the sand base on which the new pitch would be laid. Chelsea did not inform Charlton of the poor state of the pitch prior to the game, which Chelsea won 4–1.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:2002-03 in English football