Russian rethink as Slutsky blames himself for Euro 2016 failure
By Andrew Warshaw
June 21 – Russia coach Leonid Slutsky has offered his resignation after his side’s inglorious exit from Euro 2016 at the group stage.
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Deschamps tinkers as France look for formula to match winning expectations
By Andrew Warshaw in Paris
June 21 – When he was at Chelsea, Leicester City’s Premier League-winning manager Claudio Ranieri was known as the ‘tinkerman’ for always chopping and changing his line-up. Now he has a rival in Didier Deschamps.
Day 12 Euro previews: NI vs GER; POL vs UKR; SPA vs CRO; CZE vs TUR
June 21 – Northern Irish fans have set the tournament alight with their humour but the Germans, in search of their own goal-scoring form, have a serious mission to complete.
DraftKings signs deal with TransferKings to boost is UK DFS player base
June 21 – US-based daily fantasy sports (DFS) platform has moved to accelerate its UK expansion of players with the acquisition of the player database of free-play DFS platform TransferKings.
Liverpool report strong hospitality sales for ‘Dugout’ as stadium opening nears
June 21 – Premier League Liverpool are reporting that they only have 200 season tickets left for their new ‘Anfield Dugout’ hospitality are in the revamped stadium that opens for the 2016/17 season.
Premier League renews IMG TV production deal and adds new programming
June 21 – The Premier League has renewed its TV production partnership with IMG that sees more than 200,000 hours of programming broadcast globally. The two will continue to operate via Premier League Productions (PLP) for another three seasons to the end of 2018/19.
Euro diary: Everything is on fire; something smells fishy; will it be a whitewash?
June 20 – The chant bearing his name has gone viral on social media sites yet he doesn’t necessarily even start for Northern Ireland. Wigan striker Will Grigg has become a cult hero, bursting into the iTunes top 10 thanks to ‘Will Grigg’s On Fire’, either the best or worst suppporters’ chant depending on your point of view but which has taken Euro 2016 by storm.
Mihir Bose: Can the Euros decide how the Brits vote in the referendum?
On the face of it this is an absurd question. How can what happens to England, Wales and Northern Ireland make any difference to how they vote in the EU referendum?
Trinidad refuses to roll over to US extradition demands for Warner
By Andrew Warshaw
June 20 – Disgraced former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner continues to defy attempts by the United States judiciary to have him extradited over the FIFA corruption scandal as so many other ex-powerbrokers have been.
Copa America Centenario explodes into semis with goals galore
By Paul Nicholson
June 20 – The Copa America Centenario has moved into its semi-final stage with some football style with goals galore in the final two quarter-final matches. After a slow start the oldest international football tournament in the world has burst into life.
Dog or tree? German fans call for Super Mario to stand up
By Andrew Warshaw in Paris
June 20 – Will the real Super Mario please stand up. That is the clarion cry among German fans ahead of the misfiring world champions’ final Euro 2016 group game against Michael O’Neill’s Northern Ireland here Tuesday.
Day 11 Euro previews: Wales vs Russia; England vs Slovakia
June 20 – The Welsh dragon will need to be at its fiery best to beat the Russians to a qualifying spot, and it hopefully will not ignite Russian fans. England can afford to be a little more sedate against Slovakia but that might not be a smart move.
Hungary and Turkey make it eight UEFA federations in the Euro 2016 dock
By Samindra Kunti in Marseilles
June 19 – Euro 2016 was again scarred by crowd trouble Saturday with UEFA opening proceedings against Hungarian and Turkish federations after fans let off flares in stadiums. UEFA has now opened cases against eight of the 24 competing nations while supporters of other teams, notably England, have been caught up in public disorder in French cities.
Puma pounces to seize second spot in Euro 2016 battle of brands
By David Owen
June 19 – Puma were the big winners in the second round of Euro 2016’s battle of brands. Austria’s fortuitous goalless draw with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in Paris on Saturday night ensured that the cat brand’s five teams all avoided defeat in their respective second matches at the tournament.
Day 10 Euro previews: Switzerland vs France; Romania vs Albania
June 18 – Switzerland and looking to make a point against France. Albania, who have no points at their first major tournament, see their match against Romania as a matter of life or death.