Canada 2-0 El Salvador
June 24 – Fresh from emerging from a Concacaf-imposed timeout, Canadian head coach Jesse Marsch returned to the technical area at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston, knowing any more misbehaviour would send him back to the naughty room. He needn’t have worried as their opponents El Salvador simply imploded in a red mist.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 19 – Next month’s World Cup qualifier between Thailand and Australia will to go ahead as planned in Bangkok, despite the death of King Bhumibol which has plunged the Asian nation into a year of mourning.
October 19 – Arsenal and Chelsea have filled more than 99% of the capacity of their stadium for every Premier League home fixture this season (they have each played four), but for efficiency Stoke topped the weekly stadium capacity table with just 42 unfilled seats and a stadium capacity of 99.85%.
October 18 – Rome-based John Cabot University (JCU) has joined with exclusive sports law association Rex Sport to launch their Advanced Course in International and Comparative Sports law, a masters-level course aimed at law and other graduates who want to build careers in sports law.
October 18 – UEFA’s ‘No to Racism’ campaign is again under way with the backing of star names, top clubs and – for the first time ever – the Women’s Champions League.
October 18 – The English Football Association has been accused of “institutional failure” by a group of parliamentarians for failing to conduct proper due diligence into Sam Allardyce, the England manager who lasted only 67 days and one game in charge following a newspaper sting that led to him stepping down but which he described as entrapment.
October 18 – New football-based sport Teqball was officially launched today in Budapest. The table-based game has already signed a number of ambassadors, including Brazilian Ronaldinho, who was present at the presentation.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 18 – The sensitivities of FIFA’s task in trying to solve the Israeli-Palestinian impasse in the occupied territories have been underlined by reports that a Palestinian league team posed for a picture with a banner praising a terrorist who killed two Israelis last Sunday.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 18 – Greek football, for months in turmoil on and off the pitch, has been plunged into further disarray after FIFA announced it is temporarily taking over the running of the Hellenic Football federation.
October 18 – American businessman Frank McCourt is the latest entrepreneur from across the pond to take over a big-name European club, completing his acquisition of France’s Olympique Marseilles.
October 18 – Adidas vs Nike or Man Utd vs Chelsea. The apparent ease with which Adidas let Nike takeover at Chelsea in a new £60 million per year, 15-year deal, suggests an even greater concentration by the sportswear sponsors on the mega club brands.
October 18 – Spending money on hordes of new players does not make for a winning team. The teams that are the most successful have the most continuity in their playing squads, recruiting the fewest number of new players.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 17 – North America seems virtually certain to host an expanded World Cup in 2026 after FIFA essentially barred Europe and Asia from bidding. FIFA’s new-look Council has agreed that the next two host confederations should not be allowed to bid again so soon, leading US Soccer federation president Sunil Gulati (pictured) to remark: “That has changed the landscape a little bit.”
October 17 – Bahamas, host of the 2017 Beach Soccer World Cup, will also host the 2017 CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship. That competition will qualify two teams to the World Cup finals, alongside hosts Bahamas.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 17 – Palestinian officials and human rights organisations will be disappointed at FIFA’s refusal to take a decisive stand over the issue of Israeli clubs based in occupied territory.
October 17 – European leagues unfairly disadvantaged by the controversial revamping of the Champions League could receive special financial aid from UEFA to offset the three-year deal that favours the Continent’s most affluent clubs.