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.
February 10 – Manchester United have a negative balance of more than €1 billion on player transfer trading over the past decade. Add in Man City’s €984 million deficit and the 10-year account for Manchester shows a whopping €2 billion deficit.
February 2 – Belgium have retained top spot in the FIFA ranking ahead of Brazil and world champions France, with recently crowned African champions Senegal and The Gambia among the biggest risers.
February 10 – Pierluigi Collina, chairman of FIFA’s Referee Committee and FIFA’s Technology and Innovation, has emphasised that the referees and assistants on the field will still have the final decision, despite the advanced trials of the semi-automated offside technology system (SAOT).
February 10 – Online bookmaker Betway has again expanded its international football marketing footprint with its first sponsorship deals in Chile, signing up five clubs in the Chilean First Division.
February 9 – Europe and South America will again compete for the global club crown after Chelsea eliminated Asian champions Al Hilal 1-0 in a lively semi-final to set up a Club World Cup decider against Palmeiras from Brazil.
February 9 – European champions Italy have indicated their interest in staging Euro 2032 and have informed UEFA accordingly.
By Paul Nicholson
February 9 – Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) president Michael Ricketts, under pressure over his management of the JFF, has been hit with a J$9 million (US$51,000) fine for defamation after homophobic comments he made in 2017.
February 9 – Al Hilal coach Leonardo Jardim has criticised FIFA for favouring European teams at the Club World Cup, echoing comments from Al Ahly boss Pitso Mosimane earlier in the tournament.
February 9 – Esports tournament organiser BLAST will produce the 2021/22 edition of the ePremier League, the first time the esports heavyweight has entered the football gaming scene.
February 9 – In an unusual move, UEFA are sending a delegation to Albania to monitor the electoral process of the Albanian FA before clubs vote on a new president next month.
February 9 – The World Cup remains the hottest ticket in town. Football fans from across the globe applied for 17 million tickets in the first sales period of the World Cup in Qatar, with the final proving to be the most in-demand match with 1.8 million ticket requests.
February 9 – FC Barcelona CEO Ferran Reverter has resigned after less than a year in the role “for personal and family reasons”, with the club in the crucial stages of agreeing a major sponsorship deal with streaming service Spotify.
February 9 – Greece is to clamp down on fan violence following the killing of a 19-year-old fan in what was believed to be an attack by rival supporters.
February 9 – The first set of data on transfer spending and trends from the January 2022 transfer window has been released by FIFA showing an international market that is very much on the bounceback with fees breaking the $1 billion mark.
By Andrew Warshaw
And so it goes on. While Italy, France, Germany and Spain have all hosted the World Cup in the last 40 years, the other member of Europe’s so-called Big Five elite – England – remain outside looking in, conspicuous by being overlooked when it comes to staging football’s greatest show on earth.