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 Paul Nicholson
December 18 – It has been a tumultuous week for Chelsea and Leicester City. On the pitch Leicester deepened the Blues at Chelsea with a Premier League victory that put them top of the league and eventually pushed Jose Mourinho out of Stamford Bridge. On twitter Leicester had the biggest percentage increase in followers of any Premier League club this week at 4.25% – Chelsea recorded a 0.45% increase.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 18 – It is unlikely to be a particularly restful weekend for Sepp Blatter – or Michel Platini for that matter. After appearing before the very ethics committee he helped create, the FIFA president runs the risk of never being able to return to the building from which he has run world football’s governing body, often controversially, for the best part of 18 years.
December 18 – More American money is joining the Premier League ownership roster with Josh Harris and David Blitzer, owners of NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils, spending $100 million to buy a controlling stake in south-east London club.Crystal Palace.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 17 – The Swiss Justice Ministry has frozen millions of Swiss francs related to FIFA as football’s worst ever corruption scandal took another unexpected twist.
By Paul Nicholson
December 17 – Three of the five FIFA presidential hopefuls will parade themselves before a Brussels forum next month to be grilled on their manifestos and plans for football’s world governing body.
December 17 – Adidas CEO Herbert Hainer has raised a questionmark over his company’s future sponsorship of FIFA saying that of they are to continue then the governing body’s reform has to be robust and real.
December 17 – FIFA presidency candidate Tokyo Sexwale says he won’t let previous loyalties stand in his way if he wins the vote on February 26 next year.
December 17 – The FIFA panel trying to bring about free movement of Palestinian players and equipment in the West Bank held its second session this week under the chairmanship of Tokyo Sexwale.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 17 – In the starkest example yet of the European crackdown on Third Party Ownership of players, Dutch top-flight club FC Twente have been banned from European competition for three years by their own federation.
December 17 – Manchester United have continued their live event format in India with the addition of two new event days in Bangalore and Mumbai.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 17 – After protesting his innocence, Sepp Blatter was returning to the building where he has reigned for almost 18 years this morning to make a last-ditch defiant stand to save his battered reputation.
By Paul Nicholson
December 17 – Somalia makes a small but significant piece of national football history today with the first live football broadcast of a match played in the country.
December 16 – Organisers in Jordan want next year’s under-17 women’s World Cup to “send a message that will hopefully ripple across the region” in terms of promoting gender equality.
FIFA in its present form may or may not be destroyed, as the US Justice Department is clearly aiming to do, but for all the never ending stories of corruption that continue to emerge from the world of football one point needs to be stressed. This is that, however dreadful the governance of football, the FIFA scandal as far as sport is concerned does not match what has happened in athletics. There, as has been well reported,
December 16 – Organisers of the 2016 Copa America Centenario have announced that the final will be played at the 82,000 capacity MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.