Mexico 1 Honduras 0
July 2 – The question on the lips of pundits and fans at Levi Stadium, Santa Clara, was “would tonight be business as usual or unusual business?” as Mexico and Honduras met for the right to face the United States in the Concacaf Gold Cup Final on Sunday in Houston.
July 3 – The battle to escape Group B gets under way with a clash between two sides looking to disrupt the natural order. Spain may be the headline act, but Italy and Belgium both know this opening game could define their tournament. With pressure mounting and little room for error, expect tension, tactical caution, and the kind of moments that shape group-stage narratives.
By David Gold
August 25 – South Africa will host the 2013 African Nations Cup instead of Libya after their respective football federations agreed a deal.
By Andrew Warshaw in Monaco
August 26 – Players who surround the referee to protest decisions could be red-carded in a new crackdown initiated by Pierluigi Collina, arguably the game’s most famous official who is now UEFA’s chief refereeing officer.
By Andrew Warshaw in Monaco
August 26 – UEFA President Michel Platini today launched his most hard-hitting rebuke for months on the state of European football, saying “red lights were flashing” throughout the continent and that he feared for the game’s very future.
By Andrew Warshaw in Monaco
August 26 – Scottish club football’s European season could be saved from total humiliation with Celtic being parachuted back into the Europa League, UEFA announced today.
By Andrew Warshaw in Monaco
August 26 – Barcelona picked up yet another piece of silverware to add to their bulging trophy cabinet tonight as they ultimately cruised past nine-man Porto 2-0 to lift the UEFA Super Cup, the annual early-season showpiece between the Champions League and Europa League winners.
By Andrew Warshaw in Monaco
August 25 – Defending champions Barcelona were drawn to play AC Milan in this season’s Champions League group stage today in a classic showdown of two teams who have won the tournament 11 times between them.
By David Gold
August 25 – French club Sochaux have reported Newcastle United to FIFA for allegedly making an illegal approach to their forward Modibo Maïga (pictured).
By Andrew Warshaw in Monaco
August 25 – Barcelona will open the defence of their Champions League title on Sept 13 against AC Milan in a mouth-watering clash between teams who have won the tournament 11 times between them.
The cult of the manager may have been developing since the 1960s, but football now faces a situation that not many could have imagined. This is the age of the manager as a celebrity, with his every action judged to be as important and worthy of highlight, at times even more so, than the players he manages.
This marks a fundamental change in the how the game is perceived. When Pelé described football as the beautiful game,
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By David Gold
August 25 – Mohamed Bin Hammam, banned for life from football activity by FIFA in July after being found guilty of bribing Caribbean officials ahead of June’s Presidential election against Sepp Blatter, has confirmed that he will take his appeal against the ban to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
By Andrew Warshaw
August 24 – Turkish champions Fenerbahçe were sensationally thrown out of the Champions League today over the country’s match fixing scandal that has even implicated the club’s chairman.
By David Gold
August 24 – An e-petition calling the British government to release files relating to the 1989 Hillsborough tragedy has passed the 100,000 mark, meaning the House of Commons business committee must consider putting it forward for discussion in Parliament’s lower chamber.
By David Gold
August 18 – Tony Fernandes has brought the summer long ownership saga at Queens Park Rangers to an end by purchasing a 66 per cent stake in the Premier League outfit.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 24 – Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger has won a brief stay of execution from UEFA by being allowed on the touchline for the club’s potentially season-defining Champions League play-off second leg against Udinese later today.
By David Gold
August 24 – Tottenham Hotspur’s legal fight over the future of the 2012 Olympic Stadium has begun at the High Court, contrary to reports suggesting they were set to drop their case.