Canada 5 Honduras 0
June 17 – Canada over the past six years have forced their way into Concacaf’s elite but have so often flattered to deceive. They are the team everyone quite likes but have never delivered the championship title their talent screams for. Re-adjust everyone.
By Samindra Kunti in Paris
May 29 – Japan are keen to host the 2023 Asian Cup, the president of the Japanese Football Association (JFA) Kozo Tashima confirmed to Insideworldfootball. China withdrew from staging the continental championship because of the Covid-19 crisis.
May 30 – Nottingham Forest ended their 23-year wait for a return to the top flight of the English football with a narrow 1-0 win over Huddersfield Town in the Championship play-off final on Sunday in the so-called richest individual match in the world game, worth an estimated £170 million.
By Samindra Kunti in Paris
May 29 – The Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid descended into chaos because of major safety concerns in the hours leading up to the final and even after kickoff had been delayed by 36 minutes. The complete disorder raises serious questions of UEFA and the Paris organisers.
May 29 – UEFA has decided that teams from Belarus and Ukraine will be kept apart in the draws for any future UEFA competitions.
May 30 – After an 18-year stay in the top flight, Saint-Etienne, one of France’s most iconic clubs, were relegated from Ligue 1 on Sunday, prompting a pitch invasion by angry fans.
May 30 – This Wednesday will see the Finalissima 2022 played at Wembley Stadium between South American champions Argentina and European champions Italy, a revived version of the Artemio Franchi Cup, last played in 1993.
May 30 – M&S Food, the food division of the M&S retail chain, has agreed a sponsorship across the four UK Football Associations of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
By Samindra Kunti in Paris
May 28 – Real Madrid won a record 14th European Cup with the narrowest of margins through a second-half Vinicius Junior strike against Liverpool in a Champions League final that failed to deliver on the promise of a great spectacle by the competition’s two finest teams. The final’s kickoff was delayed because of major crowd incidents and security breaches.
By Samindra Kunti in Paris
May 27 – In a repeat of the 2018 Champions League final, Liverpool will be marginal favourites to defeat Real Madrid and win a seventh European Cup, but the resilience and attacking firepower of the Spanish champions can never be underestimated following an extraordinary run to the final.
May 27 – Forget the Champions League final, the most valuable fixture in world football will be played on Sunday between Huddersfield and Nottingham Forest at Wembley.
May 28 – No fewer than 87% of professional footballers want back-to-back matches limited in order to guard against a heavy workload, pointing out they are “athletes, not machines”, according to a new survey by global players’ union Fifpro.
May 27 – Ukrainian defender Oleksandr Zinchenko said his team hopes to make their country proud when they take on Scotland in a World Cup playoff semi-final next week.
May 27 – The CIES Football Observatory has produced a ranking of Best XI player for each of 32 European leagues analysed over the 2021/22 season.
May 27 – Gambling regulations in Spain will prevent LaLiga clubs from taking shirt sponsorship from betting firms from the end of the season, but it is not stopping bookmakers cutting promotional deals with clubs for other markets.
May 27 – Canada Soccer has cancelled a controversial World Cup warm-up match against Iran citing its “significantly divisive” nature.