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,
By Andrew Warshaw
October 6 – The dream, remarkably, is still alive. Striker Omar Al Somah blasted home an 85th-minute penalty to keep war-torn Syria in the hunt for World Cup qualification as they drew 1-1 draw with Australia in the first leg of their Asian Football Confederation playoff.
October 6 – In a damaging blow to both the country itself and its regional African confederation, Equatorial Guinea have been kicked out of the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France for fielding no fewer 10 ineligible Brazilian-born players during qualifying for the 2016 Olympics.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 6 – A FIFA technical team led by director of competitions Colin Smith has completed the latest inspection to Russia’s World Cup sites and reports that although preparations are on course a “significant” amount of work is still to be done over the next few months.
By Paul Nicholson
October 6 – Newcastle United have lost the first legal round of the case against brought against them by the UK tax authorities. A court has ruled that the dawn raids on the club’s office on April 26 were legally authorised and that there are grounds to suspect the club has “systematically abused” the tax system.
October 6 – UEFA’s investigation into whether Paris St Germain have broken financial fair play rules got under way this week with PSG officials summoned to UEFA’s headquarters, according to l’Equipe.
October 6 – The unthinkable – no Lionel Messi or Argentina at the World Cup – is seriously close to become a reality.
October 6 – The French Football Federation (FFF) has upgraded its deal with Orange who become a major sponsor of the national mens and womens teams in a four-year deal staring in 2018.
By Mark Baber
October 6 – Free Tibet have launched a campaign to press Liverpool FC to terminate a controversial sponsorship deal signed with Chinese water bottling company Tibet Water Resources Limited.
October 6 – England may have qualified for next year’s World Cup finals but that should fool no-one and their chances of success are next to nil judging by reaction to the last-gasp win over Slovakia that sealed their place in Russia.
October 6 – Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer Hisense has continued its global sponsorship expansion into football becoming the Official TV and Appliance Manufacturer of the US national teams in a deal that will take them through the 2018 World Cup in Russuia, 2019 Women’s World Cup, as well as including the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, and U. male and female youth teams.
By Samindra Kunti
October 6 – The All India Football Federation president Praful Patel (pictured) will roll out his master plan for Indian football to the FIFA Council at the end of the month in aim to underpin his bid for the U-20 World Cup. He has also expressed interest in bringing the Asian Cup to India.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 5 – Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay have launched a three-nation bid to host the 2030 World Cup, the event’s centenary tournament.
By Paul Nicholson
October 5 – The value of broadcast rights will continue to rise driven by demand for premium content and spending power of the five digital giants from the US – Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google and Microsoft – and China’s Alibaba and Tencent, said Martin Sorrell, CEO of ad agency WPP.
October 5 – The financial rumour mill is again buzzing with talk that Mike Ashley could at last find a buyer at a price he would accept for Premier League Newcastle United.
October 5 – The list of potential host cities for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico has been further trimmed, this time to 32.