July 2 – Having looked like a team that were struggling to find any cohesion or common purpose after four straight losses, including a miserable performance in March at the Concacaf Nations League final, suddenly the USA look as though, if not the real deal, they are certainly worth a reappraisal.
July 2 – Elite football in the form of major tournament returns to Switzerland for the first time since 2008, with Euro 2025 and the quest for continental glory set to take over the Alpine nation this July with more than 600,000 tickets sold and increased prize money on offer for the 16 finalists.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 15 – As he begins a 12-year ban from football, in contrast to flying round the world and staying in luxury hotels as FIFA’s most senior day to day administrator, Jerome Valcke’s lawyer insists the organisation’s former number two has done “absolutely nothing wrong” despite being punished for abusing FIFA’s money and a host of other misdemeanours.
By Samindra Kunti
February 15 – The Dutch FA, the KNVB, have confirmed that the 2009 Eredivisie match Utrecht vs Willlem II was subject to match-fixing after a year-long probe. A charity match between Willem II and the Sierra Leone national team may also have been manipulated.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 15 – The latest move in Michel Platini’s efforts to resume his shattered career as UEFA president was taking place today with FIFA’s appeals committee considering his eight-year ban from all football-related activity.
February 15 – Thirteen more European federations have pledged unanimous support to Gianni Infantino in his bid to become FIFA president, according to the Serbian FA (FSS).
February 15 – Liverpool’s ticket prices weren’t the only activity at the club that stopped rising last week. A ‘topping out’ ceremony was held at Anfield to mark the new Main Stand having now reached its maximum height.
Manchester United exec Ed Woodward sees the newly-acquisitive Chinese Super League (CSL) as “another useful market if we are looking to sell players”. And the recent £20 million-plus deal that took Ramires to Jiangsu Suning, to the considerable benefit of Chelsea’s bottom-line, surely demonstrates that he is right.
The sorry Liverpool saga about season ticket prices, increasing prices, fans walking out, then price rise rescinded, has once again raised the question of what is the place of fans in modern football.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 12 – Jerome Valcke, for years Sepp Blatter’s right-hand man and his most senior day-to-day administrator, was sensationally banned from all football activities for 12 years today for serious misconduct including underselling TV and media rights for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, using FIFA’s money for private travel and destroying evidence.
February 12 – FIFA presidential candidate Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa has signed an amended version of an Amnesty International pledge to end human rights abuses and corruption in the sport.
At the start of the FIFA presidential race, all we heard was the need for a clean campaign, with each candidate energetically promoting his own cause. No finger-pointing, no duplicity, no mud-slinging.
February 12 – Attendance figures picked up slightly on the previous week for round 25 of the Premier League season but with 19, 356 seats unfilled across the 10 fixtures, Aston Villa despite a 2-0 win accounted for more than half of them.
By Mark Baber
February 12 – A new era has dawned for the Football Kenya Federation as Nick Mwendwa has been voted in as the new president of the Football Kenya Federation, finally bringing to an end the controversial reign of incumbent Sam Nyamweya.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 12 – If Africa is regarded as the main battleground to pick up votes in the forthcoming FIFA presidential election, then CONCACAF runs a close second.
By David Owen
February 12 – The return of Champions League football has benefited Manchester United, with the Old Trafford club announcing doubled pre-tax profits of £33.1 million for the six months to December 31.
By Paul Nicholson
February 12 – The long held lead by Arsenal as the Premier League club with the most Twitter followers is likely to end this week with Manchester Untied having closed the gap on their London rivals to just 6,500 followers.