Saudi Arabia 1 Trinidad and Tobago 1
June 22 – Saudi Arabia lived dangerously at the end of their final group encounter against Trinidad and Tobago at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas to secure a spot in the quarter finals. Having dominated possession for most of the game, Trinidad came to life in the final 15 minutes but failed to put away a succession of chances.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 26 – Hassan Al-Thawadi, the face of Qatar’s 2022 World Cup campaign who has kept an unusually low media profile as he seeks a place on the top table at FIFA, has finally unveiled his reasons for being elected to its executive committee next week.
April 26 – The shockwaves from Jack Warner’s ‘Straight Talk’ public meeting last night have reached as far as under-fire AFC presidential candidate Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 26 – Embattled former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner, renowned for his often outrageous rants during a scandal-tarnished career in football, launched one final no-holds-barred attack on his critics Thursday as he reluctantly stepped down as a politician in his native Trinidad and Tobago.
April 26 – Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber has said the league is hoping to announce a second franchise in New York in the next four to six weeks. That team will not be the New York Cosmos.
By Mark Baber
April 25 – FIFA President Sepp Blatter has been urged by two human rights organisations to step in and prevent Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa of Bahrain (pictured) from running next week for President of the Asian Football Confederation and a position on FIFA’s all-powerful executive committee.
By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent
April 26 – The three West Asian contenders fighting to become the next head of Asian football have failed to reach a consensus on putting forward one sole candidate for next week’s presidential election but are set to hold further private talks in the build-up to the vote.
After watching this pint-sized Uruguayan, on a bitterly cold winter’s night, at Johannesburg’s Soccer City, blatantly cheat his way to the 2010 World Cup semi-final, in front of nearly 90,000 witnesses, as well as have the temerity to subsequently gloat about his act of theft, I have found it very hard to have any regard for Luis Suarez.
And so do many people around the African continent, especially folks that come from Ghana.
By Tom Parsons
April 25 – Cardiff City are looking to expand their 26,828 all-seated stadium to a 35,000 all-seater – and it could be ready in time for the 2014/15 season.
April 25 – FIFA is launching a museum in its home city of Zurich designed to be a meeting place for the entire football family including fans, clubs and sponsors.
By John Duerden
April 25 – Worawi Makudi, one of four candidates in the running to become the president of the Asian Football Confederation in next Thursday’s election, has told Inside World Football that he has enough support to win.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 25 – FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke, never afraid to speak his mind when it comes to the problems involved with next year’s World Cup, has talked openly about the challenges of working with local hosts.
By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent
April 25 – A week ahead of the eagerly awaited election to choose a new leader to clean up Asian football, Bahrain’s Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa is again having to fend off serious allegations of human rights abuses in his country.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 25 – Uruguay’s Eugenio Figueredo (pictured) has taken over the running of South American football following the resignation of CONMEBOL president Nicolas Leoz.
By Mark Baber
April 25 – Italian football federation vice-president Demetrio Albertini has suggested cutting Italy’s Serie A to 18 or even 16 teams.
April 25 – As World Cup 2014 nears, hype, rumour, misinformation and emotions is rising -are starting to raise a level – and nowhere more so than in Brazil itself.