Canada 5 Honduras 0
June 17 – Canada over the past six years have forced their way into Concacaf’s elite but have so often flattered to deceive. They are the team everyone quite likes but have never delivered the championship title their talent screams for. Re-adjust everyone.
January 7 – With Iran having set down an emphatic marker with their 5-0 win over Yemen, the battle between the two other group D teams Iraq and Vietnam assumes even greater importance in the bid to secure the top two automatic last 16 qualifying slots.
January 7 – With the European winter transfer window now open, any club looking to buy at the top end of the player market is going to have to spend over €100 million, and to buy at the very top they would need more than €200 million – if the players were for sale.
January 7 – Iran coach Carlos Queiroz showed his satisfaction with his team’s 5-0 demolition of Asian Cup debutants Yemen in their opening game, warning that the Asian Cup is not a “cheese cake” before picking a fight with Persepolis coach Branko Ivanković back home.
By Samindra Kunti in Abu Dhabi
January 8 – Srecko Katanac, the Slovenian in charge of Iraq, is back in the UAE but this time as manager of Iraq. Charged with rebuilding what was an aging team, he has his sights set on 2022. He spoke with Samindra Kunti.
Iran 5 Yemen 0
By Samindra Kunti in Abu Dhabi
January 7 – Iran asserted their title credentials at the 2019 Asian Cup with a resounding 5-0 demolition of tournament debutants Yemen in their opening Group D game. Medhi Taremi, twice, and an own-goal inside the first 25 minutes set Iran on the path of a comprehensive victory.
January 7 – UEFA’s chief financial investigator has confirmed that reigning Premier League champions Manchester City could be kicked out Europe if alleged irregularities exposed in the Football Leaks scandal prove to be true.
January 7 – The World Jewish Congress and the Board of Deputies of British Jews have condemned the use of the word ‘Yid’ to describe Tottenham Hotspur supporters, a club whose own fans historically use the word but as a badge of honour.
January 7 – Serbian coach Milan Rajevac was relieved from his role as Thailand coach after a disastrous 4-1 defeat at the hands of India in their opening group A game in the 2019 Asian Cup.
January 7 – The Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) executive committee has condemned third-party interference in running of the affairs of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) and has promised its support to ousted PFF president Faisal Saleh Hyatt (pictured).
January 7 – Reports that Nigerian FA chief Amaju Pinnick, a strong ally of FIFA president Gianni Infantino, has been arrested over allegations of fraud have been strongly denied by the office of the country’s President Muhammadu Buhari.
January 7 – Former England captain Wayne Rooney, who has played for D.C. United in the United States since last year, was arrested in mid-December on a minor charge of public intoxication and had to pay a token fine of $25 with $91 in costs, it was revealed over the weekend.
January 7 – Real Betis, currently in sixth in LaLiga’s top flight, have expanded their agreement with Italian car manufacturer Alfa Romeo who will now become one of the club’s main partners.
January 6 – Iran have not won the Asian Cup since 1976 and as Team Melli chase a fourth continental title Carlos Queiroz has stressed that Iran are not underestimating Yemen in their opening fixture, calling it “a crucial game”.
By Samindra Kunti in Abu Dhabi
January 6 – India enjoyed a dream start in the 2019 Asian Cup as the Blue Tigers outclassed Thailand in a 4-1 victory in their opening game, but a down-to-earth head coach Stephen Constantine refused to get carried away and called the landmark win just “another result”.
By Samindra Kunti
India 4 Thailand 1
January 6 – India steamrollered Thailand 4-1 in their opening game on Sunday to take a huge step towards reaching the knockout phase of the Asian Cup for the first time. Talisman Sunil Chhetri scored twice as Anirudh Thapa and substitute Jeje Lalpekhlua also got on the score sheet.