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 Paul Nicholson
January 27 – Five of the Premier League home teams recorded stadiums over 99% full for Round 23. West Ham again topped the table with just 39 seats unfilled. At the top five games there were less than 1,100 seats left unfilled.
‘Oh shut up, silly woman,’ said the reptile with a grin
‘You knew damn well I was a snake before you took me in.’
From The Snake by Al Wilson
My social media threads at the start of this week were full of the sarcastic indignation that is part of the medium’s stock-in-trade.
By Paul Nicholson
January 26 – CONCACAF has released details of its proposed reform measures to its member federations, at the centre of which would be the replacement of the executive committee with a CONCACAF Council.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 26 – Amid confusion, contradictions and hints of buck-passing and election games, a planned televised debate involving three of the five FIFA presidential candidates has been scrapped after two of them withdrew with just 48 hours’ notice.
January 26 – Mitre, a brand of UK-based Pentland Group, has been unveiled as the new official match ball sponsor of Singapore’s S. League in a new five-year deal which sees the world’s oldest manufacturer of footballs become the league’s official football and product supplier.
January 26 – Amidst burgeoning scandals in both football and athletics, the role of the International Centre for Sport Security in combating the scourge of corruption has been given further recognition by the Commonwealth Games Federation in order to enhance good governance across its various sports.
By Samindra Kunti
January 26 – Dutch giants Ajax Amsterdam are restricting their spending during the transfer window to minimise the risks of a financial pitfall, despite the club’s finances being in a good position.
January 26 – Gianni Infantino’s bid to squeeze over the line in next month’s FIFA presidential election has been given impetus after he received the bloc support of the central American Football Union (UNCAF), which carries seven votes in next month’s ballot.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 26 – FIFA presidential candidate Shaikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, the emerging favourite to take over from Sepp Blatter, has intriguingly left the door open for a deal with rival contender Gianni Infantino to become his number two if he wins next month’s election.
By Mark Baber
January 26 – Jack Warner’s solicitors have won a victory in their battle to prevent, or at least delay, their client’s extradition from Trinidad and Tobago to face charges of racketeering, wire fraud and money-laundering in the US.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 26 – South Africa’s Tokyo Sexwale, increasingly regarded as an outsider, has been challenged by his own federation to explain his low-profile FIFA presidential campaign.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 25 – A number of European federations want more time before committing themselves to UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino’s bid to succeed Sepp Blatter at next month’s FIFA presidential election, Insideworldfootball has learned.
By Paul Nicholson
January 25 – The president of the Bermuda FA and chair of FIFA’s appeals committee, Larry Mussenden, has announced that he will run for the vacant CONCACAF presidency. The president will be elected at a congress in May.
January 25 – In another illustration of growing tensions in the region, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has decided to amend the schedule for the AFC Champions League involving matches between clubs from Saudi Arabia and Iran but has stopped short, pending further checks, of upholding a Saudi request to play fixtures on neutral ground because of safety concerns.
By Samindra Kunti
January 25 – When wealthy Chinese businessman Wang Hui (pictured) took over Dutch club Ado Den Haag last year there were promises of substantial investment and new sporting glory. But the promises have gone unfulfilled.