June 27 – As if losing to Chile on penalties in the final of Copa America for the second successive time wasn’t painful enough Argentina are embroiled in an escalating crisis off the field with FIFA saying they have taken control of the national federation and will help pick an emergency panel to manage its affairs.
June 26 – Two of Europe’s traditional giants meet in what is undoubtedly the tie of the last 16 knock-out round. The winners of the Spain vs Italy clash of the giants will set up another titanic match-up against world champions Germany. In the final tie of the round perennial tournament under-performers England face Iceland, probably the biggest over-performers of the competition from the smallest nation in it.
June 26 – Day two of the Last 16 play-off matches sees the Irish hungry to reverse Thierry Henry’s handball injustice and spoil the French party, Lille’s relain pitch welcome the Germans and Slovaks, and Belgium’s stars preparing to feast on Hungary.
By Bernd Fisa
June 26 – Monday, three years to the day after Stefano Borgonovo passed away, Chantal, the widow of the former striker of the Italian national team, will attend Italy’s game against Spain to remember her husband and his courageous struggle against MND.
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.
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.
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.
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.