By Samindra Kunti
December 14 – Argentina’s Independente won the Copa SudAmericana 3-2 on aggregate after holding Flamengo of Brazil 1-1 on a tense night in Rio de Janeiro that was punctuated by fan incidents and VAR controversy.
December 5 – For the second time this year, a bronze statue of Argentine superstar Lionel Messi has been vandalised in Buenos Aires with the motive unclear.
November 30 – Brazil’s Gremio will complete the line-up for the Club World Cup to be played in the UAE in December, after winning the Copa Libertadores for a third time, beating Argentina’s Lanus 2-1. The Brazilian club had won the first leg 1-0.
November 28 – BBVA Continental, a leading Peruvian bank, has become an official sponsor of the Peruvian Football Federation with a focus on the development of the lower divisions of Peruvian football and young talent in the country.
November 21 – Days after Mexican broadcaster Televisa was named in the New York corruption trial as paying bribes for World Cup rights, one of its senior executives, Adolfo Lagos Espinosa, was shot dead in Mexico City. It is unclear whether this was related to the courtroom revelation.
November 17 – The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has signed a new TV rights deal with Globo worth $2.5 million per match for the Brazilian national team until 2022.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 16 – The drama of the FifaGate corruption scandal trial in New York has taken a tragic turn with a one-time Argentine government official taking his own life just hours after being accused of bribery.
November 6 – Peru’s team doctor says strict controls on what they gave their players means that there was no way they could have administered the stimulant that led FIFA banning their captain Paolo Guerrero from two crucial upcoming World Cup play-off matches against New Zealand.
October 23 – Eight Uruguayan league games, including a clash between frontrunners Penarol and Defensor, were cancelled at the weekend in an ongoing dispute between players and administrators over image rights.
October 13 – Five Ecuadorian players have been suspended from the national side for indiscipline following this week’s 3-1 home defeat to Argentina which sent the visitors through to the World Cup finals.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 12 – Players from Colombia and Peru have denied they deliberately colluded to make sure both had a chance of qualifying for next year’s World Cup in Russia.
By Samindra Kunti
October 10 – The crisis in the Brazilian women’s game is deepening following an open letter from veteran players to the Brazilian FA (CBF) demanding gender equality and reform in the game.
October 6 – The unthinkable – no Lionel Messi or Argentina at the World Cup – is seriously close to become a reality.
By Mark Baber
September 29 – A joint IMG/Perform joint bid has won the commercial rights to South American confederation Conmebol’s continental club competitions – the Copa Liberatores, Copa Sudamericana and the Recopa – along with several other tournaments.
By Samindra Kunti
September 29 – The former Millonarios player Jair Abonia, 53, has been shot dead in his native Colombia while coaching children. His death has caused shockwaves throughout Colombian football.