June 24: Lewandowski, Bale, Ronaldo. Three big players for three big games? Lewandowski has still to score, Bale has scored in every game and Ronaldo came to life scoring twice in Portugal’s last group game. Will they step-up as the European Championships enter the last 16 knockout phase?
By Paul Nicholson
June 24 – Manipulation of football administration in the Caribbean is nothing new. But in a region desperate to shake off the long shadows of former presidents Jack Warner and Jeff Webb, the old ways of operating seem to be alive and kicking. They may have even taken a turn for the worse with regional confederation CONCACAF stepping into the game with the support of FIFA and its new president Gianni Infantino.
By Samindra Kunti in Lens
June 24 – The French rail union SNCF has announced the end to strike action that has left the country struggling to function but which, in reality, has had only limited impact on fans attending the Euro 2016 tournament.
By Samindra Kunti
June 24 – The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is once again fighting fires. A rival futsal competition and the departure of two I-league clubs have caused new headaches for the federation that is managing the merger of the high profile Indian Super League into its professional league structure.
June 24 – Marketed as a ‘hackathon’ Manchester City is opening its doors and its player data to students and experts in technology, data and digital product design to come up with new innovations that will provide new insights on player performance.
June 24 – Kit supplier New Balance, conspicuous by its absence as a national team kit provider at both the Copa America and Euro 2016 championships, has today officially unveiled its new Audazo football collection of boots with specialist footwear for small-sided football and futsal.
June 24 – Premier League Southampton are the latest English club to announce that they will spend some part of their pre-season preparation in the US. Although not competing in the International Champions Cup being held in the US in July, Saints will be on the East coast of the US at a training camp in Baltimore.
June 23 – Fans booking hotel rooms for Round of 16 matches at Euro 2016 in France this weekend can expect a massive price hike with German and Solvakian fans being the hardest hit with a 395% bump in prices against average prices in Lille.
June 23 – Most man of the match awards at Euro 2016 have been relatively straightforward but one or two have been so absurd, it makes you wonder what planet those who make the awards are living on. The most obvious blunder came after Germany’s 1-0 win over Northern Ireland earlier this week.
By Andrew Warshaw in Paris
June 23 – The fairytale – astonishingly, incredibly – lives on. Bring on England next for the smallest nation ever to take part in the European Championship finals.
June 23 – Players in Britain who have been encouraged to invest in tax avoidance schemes are increasingly being caught offside by UK tax collectors. They need to act now before all is lost. By Tessa Lorimer, Withers
By Andrew Warshaw in Paris
June 23 – Where on earth does one start? Ecstasy for some, gut-wrenching disappointment for others. On one of the most dramatic nights in the history of the competition with more twists and turns than a figure of eight race track, Euro 2016 found its soul on Wednesday.
June 23 – China is reportedly considering a change to its foreign player quota at Super League clubs. Chinese clubs hit the news with a number of big international signings in the winter.
By David Owen
June 23 – Nike is running away with Euro 2016’s battle of the brands after a final round of group games negotiated without defeat by its six participating teams.
June 22 – Forget the ‘in or out’ vote for the UK’s future in Europe on Thursday, Liverpool fans – who definitely won’t be in Europe next season – have until Friday to vote for the winning picture of the new Main Stand redevelopment at Anfield.