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 Ben Nicholson
July 3 – The MLS is reportedly set to make changes to their existing rules regarding salary caps. The league has allegedly already held a league-wide call about adding, what is essentially, an extra designated player spot, in terms of a “core player” – a player who may earn over the salary cap.
July 3 – New York City FC has added PepsiCo to its burgeoning list of partners, who will now serve as the club’s exclusive partner for carbonated soft drinks, bottled water, iced tea, potato chips and salty snacks. NYC FC in its inaugural season has already become one of the league’s most visible clubs.
By Mark Baber
July 2 – With France’s Direction Nationale du Contrôle de Gestion (DNCG) having declared that Corsican club Sporting Club de Bastia should be relegated to League 2 on financial grounds, irrespective of having finished 12th in the Ligue 1 last season, the club today reacted angrily to reports the sale of Ryad Boudebouz would be insufficient to see the decision reversed.
By Mark Baber
July 2 – The UEFA sponsorship train continues to roll as MasterCard announced a three year extension of its high-profile and long-standing sponsorship of the UEFA Champions League.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 2 – The United States has formally asked Switzerland to extradite the seven senior FIFA officials arrested in Zurich in May on charges of alleged bribery and corruption – but it could take several months, possibly up to a year, for the request to be processed.
July 2 – In his most hard-hitting interview since announcing he is quitting as FIFA president, Sepp Blatter has dismissed any suggestion that he is corrupt, insists he is clean and says his detractors “should go to jail.”
July 2 – No-one is suggesting any shenanigans or rigging by Asian syndicates but yet another football scoreline in Estonia has raised eyebrows.
By Ben Nicholson
July 2 – Whilst the Women’s World Cup in Canada is attracting record numbers of spectators, Fox Sports are capitalising on the growing market for women’s soccer in North America by securing a broadcasting deal with the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).
By Paul Nicholson
July 2 – With a number of English Premier League clubs now only two weeks away from their pre-season trips to Asia, Nike have announced that they will release their most “advanced football ever”, the Ordem 3, at the Barclays Asia Trophy 2015 in Singapore. Meanwhile Liverpool have released have released a final batch of tickets for their four match friendly schedule.
By Paul Nicholson
July 2 – If Sepp Blatter is looking for something to do when he finally hands in his FIFA presidential mandate we think we may have found just the activity in England’s Newcastle upon Tyne.
By Mark Baber
July 2 – Gheorghe Chivorchian (pictured), the general secretary of the Romanian Football Federation (FRF) has suspended himself from his position after prosecutors charged him with abusing his position and forging documents when he was chairman of club side Poli Timisoara.
By Mark Baber
July 2 – Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat was re-elected President of the Pakistani Football Federation (PFF) for a further four years at a meeting of the PFF congress held in Abbotabad’s Hotel Legrand.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 1 – Clearly aware that his president Michel Platini voted for Qatar to stage the 2022 World Cup on condition it was held in winter, UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino has urged Spanish football officials to stop challenging the decision to switch the tournament from its traditional summer slot to November-December.
By Paul Nicholson
July 1 – The English Premier League in their 2014/15 season review released detail of its revenue distribution to clubs alongside an impressive set of figures generally for the performance of the league whose 20 clubs sold a massive 13.7 million seats over the season.
By Paul Nicholson
July 1 – Could there be a gentle thawing of political and business relations between the West and East – at least the European West? And is the 2018 World Cup the bridge to a wider and renewed co-operation with Russia?