By Andrew Warshaw
July 21 – Harold Mayne-Nicholls, the FIFA-appointed official who led the inspection team that evaluated the credentials of all 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding candidates, has emerged from his prolonged silence with all guns blazing to launch a blistering attack on those he says turned his life into a “nightmare”.
July 21 – The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has reacted swiftly to accusations that money from Puma’s kit deal has not been accounted for through the federation’s accounts, saying that the reports are “maliciously false, calculated to cause damage to the reputation of the GFA and (GFA president) Mr Nyantakyi.”
July 21 – Football has always been global but the concept that its biggest club brands are also global opportunities is never more obvious than in the pre-season tours that see the giant of the European club game play ad-hoc tournaments, friendlies and exhibition game across the globe.
July 21 – African football chiefs have rubber-stamped the biggest ever overhaul to the Continent’s showpiece competition by agreeing to switch the African Nations Cup from its traditional January date to June and expand the finals to 24 teams – starting with the next edition in 2019 in Cameroon.
July 21- US telecoms giant AT&T has extended its long-running sponsorships with soccer in the country renewing deals with the MLS, U.S. Soccer and the annual Mexican national team tour in the US.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 20 – The biennial club-versus-country row that has dogged African football’s major competition looks set to end after a landmark decision to switch the African Cup of Nations from January to June.
July 20 – Robert Kraft (pictured), owner of Super Bowl champions New England Patriots but, more significantly, a key player in the growth of soccer in the United States, has been named honorary chairman of the board for the joint 2026 World Cup bid from Canada, Mexico and the United States.
July 20 – Cameroon has been quick to re-assure African football leaders that it is fully capable of staging the 2019 African Cup of Nations with the necessary government backing.
July 20 – With the country still in mourning, Senegal’s Union Sportive Ouakam club has been suspended by the national federation for its role in last weekend’s stadium disaster.
July 20 – The international players union FIFpro says unions in Africa have started to achieve “clear improvements” in the welfare of thousands of players.
July 20 – Honduras will host the second CONCACAF Futsal Club Championship this August 21-26.
July 19 – Tonight the fifth edition of the International Champions Cup (ICC) kicks off in Detroit, USA, with Roma playing Paris St Germain. Tomorrow Manchester City and United replicate their local derby in Houston. The ICC may lack more than a little sporting integrity but it does deliver the biggest club names.
July 19 – Leicester City are the latest Premier League club to announce a shirt sleeve sponsor, taking advantage of the league’s new commercial branding rules. Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) will debut on the club’s shirts in today’s Premier League Asia Trophy match in Hong Kong.
July 18 – Rangers have been fined €7,000 by UEFA for throwing balls of paper on to the pitch during their Europa League tie against Luxembourg minnows Progres Niederkorn.
By Paul Nicholson
July 18 – Trinidad and Tobago FA president David John-Williams who two weeks caught the ire of his members at the federation’s extra ordinary general meeting, this week could be facing a $600,000 plus lawsuit for failing to pay the Italian coaches of its women’s team.