Guatemala 0-1 Panama:
June 20 – Friday night at Q2 Stadium bore no resemblance to the venue that hosted football just 24 hours earlier. The transformation was complete, and the catalyst was simple: unbridled passion provided by the hordes of Guatemala supporters who descended on Austin. Stark contrast to the lack of interest shown by US fans on Thursday.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 9 – Wolfgang Niersbach, one of the leading voices in European football administration and touted by many as a future president of UEFA, succumbed to what had become almost insurmountable pressure by resigning today as head of the German FA (DFB) over the 2006 World Cup slush fund scandal.
By Mark Baber
November 9 – Football Federation Australia has announced the launch of the Football Cares initiative which aims to raise donations for UNHCR’s programmes to support displaced Syrians – both domestically and internationally.
By David Owen
November 9 – Justin Trudeau, the new Canadian Prime Minister, may not be a soccer fan, but he has reason to be thankful for the economic boost that the sport has given the country in recent times.
By Samindra Kunti
November 9 – The Dutch FA KNVB is considering possible legal steps against FIFA after Sepp Blatter’s controversial revelation that Russia was awarded the 2018 FIFA World Cup with a fixed agreement. The KNVB have contacted their Belgian counterparts for consultation.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 9 – The English Football Association has written to FIFA demanding answers to “important questions”, following Sepp Blatter’s revelation that a pre-arranged pact was made to hand the 2018 World Cup to Russia before the vote.
We may be heading towards a tipping-point in the globalisation of football. Actually, that is not quite exact: we may be heading towards a tipping-point in the Europeanisation of world football culture. What I have in mind is the point when the big European leagues – Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A – start to earn more from international rights to broadcast their matches than domestic rights.
November 8 – Suspended FIFA president Sepp Blatter has been ordered to rest because of stress as he awaits the outcome of an ethics investigation into alleged financial misconduct.
November 8 – One of Europe’s most famous derbies was played out in front of thousands of empty seats on Sunday as fans of both Roma and Lazio boycotted the game in protest over increased security measures at the Olympic Stadium.
By David Owen
November 8 – The President of three-times European Cup winners Internazionale has been elected chairman of the Indonesian Olympic Committee.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 8 – Secret documentation obtained by Insideworldfootball appears to contradict the assertion of a senior German 2006 World Cup official that no financial inducements were paid to land the tournament.
By Paul Nicholson
November 8 – Two Bahraini footballers at the centre of the human rights abuse allegations against FIFA presidential candidate Sheikh Salman have come forward saying there was “absolutely” no torture and that they have no knowledge of him being involved in action against protest marchers in 2011.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 6 – The leader of Palestinian football has accused Saudi Arabia of playing politics and pulling rank after his country was ordered to play a vital forthcoming World Cup qualifier on neutral ground instead of on home soil.
By Tom Parsons
November 6 – Manchester City have unveiled their first ever annual Christmas photo which stars first team players such as Joe Hart and Jesus Navas as well as former Manchester City player and local legend Mike Summerbee.
By Mark Baber
November 6 – The Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) has officially launched the 2016 edition of the COSAFA Cup with the announcement that Castle Lager will return as title sponsor of the tournament for the next five years.
By Tom Parsons
November 6 – Tottenham Hotspur have extended their global reach through Spurs TV broadcast deals which will now see them have their content available to over 300 million people worldwide.