USA 2 Costa Rica 2 (USA win 4-3 on pens)
June 29 – You’d hate to use the word ‘sterile’ to describe a Concacaf Gold Cup quarter-final, but following the drama and passion of Guatemala versus Canada, it all felt a little flat as the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) and Costa Rica kicked off for the right to face Guatemala in St. Louis. After 90 minutes and the drama of penalty kicks,
July 26 – The return of Amaju Pinnick as head of the Nigerian Football Federation will help save hundreds of jobs, according to his number two, General Secretary Muhammed Sanusi.
July 26 – Marseille face a one-year suspension from European competitions unless the behaviour of their fans improve, UEFA have warned.
July 26 – Speculation is mounting that Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis is set to follow manager Arsene Wenger out of the club, marking the end of an era, to join AC Milan.
July 26 – Bayer Leverkusen winger Karim Bellarabi has been discharged from hospital after collapsing from exhaustion in a pre-season friendly.
July 26 – The South African Premier Soccer League (PSL) remains in a limbo after a decision on Ajax’s bid to prevent the start of the new domestic season was postponed to today. The Cape Town-based club is seeking to clarify if they are a topflight or second-tier club.
July 26 – AC Milan, cleared to play in the Europa League this season having initially been banned, and under new administrative leadership off the field, have brought former player and manager Leonardo back to the club as general manager.
July 26 – Former Canadian women’s national team goalkeeper and FIFA legend Karina LeBlanc has been appointed head of Concacaf Women’s Football.
By David Owen
July 25 – Over 37,000 anti-doping samples from footballers were analysed by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)-accredited laboratories in 2017, more than for any other sport on the Summer Olympic programme.
July 25 – The Argentine Football Association (AFA) needs to be restructured for the national team to get back to winning ways, according to the country’s most fabled player Diego Maradona.
July 25 – A High Court in Accra has granted an application filed by the government seeking to allow the Registrar General to take over the assets of the Ghanaian FA, pending liquidation.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 25 – Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has waded into the row over Mesut Ozil’s shock retirement from international football on racism grounds by saying the treatment towards the Arsenal midfielder was unacceptable.
July 25 – The on-going shareholder battles at Premier League Arsenal have taken a new turn with Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov (pictured), who has repeatedly failed in his attempts to increase his 30% stake in the club, now apparently putting his holding on the sales block to anyone but rival American shareholder Stan Kroenke.
July 25 – Spain’s national federation (RFEF) has created a new second tier league for its women’s clubs with the aim of promoting and strengthening the women’s game in the country.
July 25 – FIFA has named its 10 shortlisted nominees for Best Men’s and Women’s players for the year. The men’s award – usually a run-off between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo – for the first time in many years looks wide open.
July 25 – China’s Suning Sports, part of the Suning group of companies that owns Italy’s Internazionale, is moving more aggressively into the sports business with a find raising reported to have raised $600 million.