July 10 – Six players plus the head coach failed to show up in time because of visa issues whilst another was reported to have defected as Cuba were trounced 6-0 by Mexico Thursday at the opening of the Gold Cup in Chicago.
By Ben Nicholson
July 10 – The rumors that the MLS is to introduce a ‘Core Player’ materialised on July 8 in the form of ‘Targeted Allocation Money’. The new rule amounts to each MLS club receiving $100,000 per year for the next five years for the purpose of investing in their roster outside of their player salary budget.
July 10 – The highest court in France has quashed an agreement between Monaco and the French football league (FFF) that has been giving the principality club special tax status.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 10 – Shamed former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner has won more time in his bid to avoid being extradited from his native Trinidad and Tobago to the United States to face corruption charges as part of the FBI probe into widespread corruption involving senior FIFA and other footballing officials.
July 10 – New research from KPMG’s Sport practice into attendances in the big five European football markets has found that the top two divisions in each territory attracted more than 77 million spectators at an average of 19,500 spectators per match.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 9 – An investment company supporting Third Party Ownership will challenge FIFA’s global ban on the practise at what could be a ground-breaking hearing in Brussels next week.
July 9 – Croatia’s prime minister has issued a strongly worded personal plea to UEFA president Michel Platini urging Europe’s governing body not to expel the national team after a swastika was scrawled on the pitch during last month’s European Championship qualifier against Italy.
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
July 8 – Stomil Olsztyn and the city authorities in Olsztyn have launched a competition to select the design of its new stadium. The Polish side aims to fit its planned sports facility with a capacity of 12,000, according to the released technical requirements.
July 8 – Former German president Christian Wulff has again rejected allegations by Sepp Blatter that he tried to influence proceedings ahead of Qatar being selected to stage the 2022 World Cup.
July 8 – Gold Cup sponsor Allstate Insurance is activating its partnership with the additional moniker as the Official Protector of the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup Trophy. The activation will see Allstate take the Gold Cup Trophy on a seven-city tour across the US during the tournament which kicked off last night in Texas with a win for the US over Honduras.
By Paul Nicholson
July 8 – CONCACAF have ended their representation agreement with embattled marketing agency Traffic Sports USA with immediate effect. The announcement was made on the opening day of the Gold Cup, an event that Traffic owned exclusive rights to and had sold all of the current sponsorships for.
By David Owen
July 8 – Football is generally a low-scoring game, but it is not invariably so. Arbroath 36 Bon Accord 0 in September 1885 in the Scottish Cup is one well-known counter-example that springs to mind. Australia 31 American Samoa 0 in April 2001 in a World Cup qualifier is another.
By Mark Baber
July 7 – CONCACAF have announced that all tickets have been sold for the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup doubleheader in Dallas this evening which kicks off at the 20,500 capacity Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
By Paul Nicholson
July 7 – CONCACAF has published a ‘Reform Framework’ as the confederation covering North and Central America and the Caribbean seeks for the second time in four years to put in a place a robust governance and management structure that will take football in the region forward.
By Martin Volkmar
July 6 – Ex-German President Christian Wulff, speaking to SPORT1 in Germany, has rebutted the allegations of FIFA president Sepp Blatter that he had significantly influenced the controversial 2022 World Cup award to Qatar.