USA 1 Saudi Arabia 0
June 19 – American comedian Rodney Dangerfield used to say, “I don’t get no respect.” The same could be said for the United States Men’s Soccer Team as barely 10,000 fans showed up for a supporter friendly 8.15 pm kickoff versus Concacaf Gold Cup, Group D opponents, Saudi Arabia in a 1-0 win that again raised more questions than answers.
By David Owen
February 2 – Next season’s new surge of broadcast income for Premier League clubs appeared to exert a heavy influence on another lacklustre January transfer window, with clubs in the relegation or promotion scraps in the top two tiers of English football accounting for a high proportion of expenditure.
By Samindra Kunti
February 2 – Earlier this month the Olympic dream of the Olyroos, Australia’s U23 team, faded in Doha as they made a backdoor exit from the Asian Cup, collecting a meagre 2-0 victory against Vietnam in group D alongside the UAE and Jordan. Neither the elimination nor the absence of European-based players caused disgruntlement, only the manner of capitulation did.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 2 – In an unprecedented move that will heap even more hardship and anguish on to both scandal-hit confederations, FIFA has blocked a reported $20 million in funding to CONMEBOL and CONCACAF – just when they are trying to put their respective houses in order.
By Andrew Warshaw at Wembley
February 2 – If Gianni Infantino’s chances of clinching the presidency of FIFA on February 26 were judged on promotional opportunism and slick public relations, we may as well stop taking bets now.
February 2 – Latest CIES Football Observatory figures show that in the Premier League Manchester United, Newcastle and Bournemouth have each used 28 players so far this season, while Arsenal have used just 21. Across Europe’s other Big 5 leagues Nice in France’s Ligue 1 have used more players that any other club with 33.
By Paul Nicholson
February 1 – Manchester United have moved swiftly to deny reports that their majority American owners, the Glazer family, had demanded 15% cuts in budgets across the board at the club, with a particular focus on the club’s Academy.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 1 – Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini will have their appeals against their respective eight-year bans heard by FIFA’s appeal judges in the middle of February.
By Paul Nicholson
February 1 – FIFA presidential candidate Shaikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa has outlined more detail of how he would distribute FIFA’s funds to member federations focused on “need-based support”.
By Mark Baber
February 1 – As much as $1 million in funds from soccer’s global governing body FIFA may have gone missing from Guatemala’s soccer federation last year, according to reports of an internal audit carried out by the federation.
February 1 – The spectre of racism, largely eliminated in English football, raised its ugly head again at the weekend as police revealed they are investigating reports of abusive chanting during an FA Cup tie in the north-western city of Carlisle.
February 1 – Footballers in Greece have staged a sit-down protest as a tribute to hundreds of migrants who have lost their lives trying to reach the Aegean islands.
By Paul Nicholson
February 1 – Premier League clubs may have dominated their lower league opponents in the FA Cup knockout this weekend, but their presence in the fourth round did deliver some much needed cash through the gates for their challengers.
By Paul Nicholson
January 29 – FIFA presidential candidate Shaikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa has delivered a hard hitting rebuke to the financial proposals of some of his rivals saying that their campaign promises could never be delivered out of current FIFA funds and that if they tried to, they would bankrupt the world governing body over the next four-year cycle.
By Samindra Kunti
January 29 – Last wednesday a new club competition the ‘Primeira Liga’ got underway in Brazil. The tournament doesn’t represent Brazil’s very own 1992 breakaway Premier League moment, but could be an important milestone in the development of the domestic game.
When candidates of opposition political parties in US and British elections, and in many other countries for that matter, want to convince the voting public that they are best person for the job, they frequently go head-to-head on television as an important way of their getting their messages across. So what’s so precious about football?