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.
October 7 – Franz Beckenbauer has once again backed Tokyo Sexwale as an ideal candidate for the FIFA presidency to succeed Sepp Blatter and says the German FA would support him if he decides to stand by the October 26 deadline.
October 7 – An invitation to FIFA presidential candidates to present their respective cases for taking over from Sepp Blatter has not got off to the best of starts with Michel Platini reportedly saying he cannot attend the forum in Strasbourg scheduled for 48 hours after the deadline for nominations.
October 7 – Turkish prosecutors have called for match-fixing charges against Fenerbahce President Aziz Yildirim to be dropped. In a seven-page document submitted to the Istanbul’s High Criminal Court prosecutor Abdullah Mirza Coskun said the charges should be withdrawn on the grounds of insufficient evidence.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 6 – Not for the first time, International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach has given FIFA a gentle reminder of how genuine reform can be achieved.
By Samindra Kunti
October 6 – The World Sport Company in partnership with Global W Mexico has announced that the first edition of the World Legends Cup will be hosted by Mexico in January 2017.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 6 – Wherever he travels at present, Tokyo Sexwale is asked the same question. Will he be running for Fifa president? The South African human rights icon keeps giving the same diplomatic answer, that he has not yet made up his mind. But he only has until October 26 to do so.
By Mark Baber
October 6 – Thursday’s crucial European Championship qualifier between Romania and Finland will be played in front of spectators after UEFA lifted a stadium ban on the Romanians imposed after fans were accused of racism and throwing missiles during a match against Greece in Bucharest.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 6 – In arguably the most explosive attack on FIFA and its judicial procedure, South Korean presidential candidate Chung Mong-joon has confirmed for the first time that he faces imminent suspension, possibly for 15 years, but not before laying bare what he claims are rampant double standards by FIFA’s ethics committee.
By Samindra Kunti
October 6 – Qatar’s infrastructure work for the 2022 FIFA World Cup is progressing with the Al Khalifa stadium expected to be delivered by 2017, while work on the Lusail stadium has commenced.
By Paul Nicholson
October 6 – Rafael Esquivel, one of the seven FIFA executives arrested in the dawn raids at the end of May and detained on US warrants for his extradition, has been refused release from custody on health grounds as the Swiss view him as a flight risk.
By Samindra Kunti
October 6 – The ICSS and the Aspire Academy have renewed their partnership, while the French Football Federation have made a pledge for a closer cooperation with their Qatari counterpart. The agreements were announced at the Aspire Academy Global Summit on Football Performance and Science in Berlin.
By Ben Nicholson
October 6 – The MLS has added another TV deal to its expanding roster by partnering with FOX Sports Latin America to televise matches in Mexico, South America (excepting Brazil where the MLS already partners with Globosat), Central America and the Caribbean. The deal now makes the MLS available for viewing in almost 120 countries and territories worldwide.
“We dare not tempt them with weakness. For only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt can we be certain beyond doubt that they will never be employed.” John F Kennedy
Strategy for both the Eastern bloc and the NATO allies during the Cold War was simple: arm yourselves to the teeth until the threat of Mutually Assured Destruction guaranteed neither side would be stupid enough to go to war.
By Mark Baber
October 5 – Following the murders of an Italian aid worker and a Japanese tourist, which have both been claimed by the Islamic State (IS), Australia’s Football Federation (FFA) has expressed its concern over the security situation in Bangladesh, ahead of a scheduled World Cup qualifier on November 17.
By Paul Nicholson
October 5 – US Ambassador to Switzerland Suzan LeVine (pictured) has emphasised that all those arrested in the corruption scandals engulfing FIFA had US links or US citizenship, seemingly offering an explanation to the Swiss public as to why the US justice authorities have acted so invasively in Swiss territory.