Guatemala 0-1 Panama:
June 20 – Friday night at Q2 Stadium bore no resemblance to the venue that hosted football just 24 hours earlier. The transformation was complete, and the catalyst was simple: unbridled passion provided by the hordes of Guatemala supporters who descended on Austin. Stark contrast to the lack of interest shown by US fans on Thursday.
October 22 – Jose Mourinho is in the headlines again. On Thursday, the Portuguese coach suffered the biggest defeat of his career with AS Roma at the hands of Norway’s Bodo/Glimt, but Mourinho blamed his players for the 6-1 result.
October 22 – Nine European leagues, members of the Association European Leagues Association, have agreed a joint international broadcast deal with ELEVEN and OneFootball that includes both live rights and highlights.
October 22 – Manchester City tops a ranking of the five major European leagues of clubs who create the most ‘big’ chances against chances conceded.
By Paul Nicholson
October 21 – Details are emerging of how controversial AEK Athens owner Dimitris Melissanidis allegedly misappropriated money from his now bankrupt shipping business to fund his own lavish lifestyle and the Greek club.
October 21 – The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will replace Japan as hosts for the 2021 Club World Cup, with the tournament that should have taken place in December now to be rescheduled for early next year.
October 21 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino has shielded Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) president and FIFA Council member Fouzi Lekjaa over his new role in the Moroccan government, claiming that FIFA is politically neutral.
October 21 – South Korea’s Pohang Steelers will face Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal in the final of the Asian Champions League after beating current ACL holders Ulsan Hyundai on penalties.
October 21 – The blurring of ‘sporting’ boundaries and rights ownership that eSports throw up is brought sharply into focus again today with the EA Sports-sanctioned FIFA 22 Challenge.
October 21 – After two seasons in charge of his hometown club, Steve Bruce has exited Newcastle United after the club’s new owners confirmed his departure by mutual consent.
By Samindra Kunti
October 20 – Is the biennial World Cup dead and buried? After months of relentless PR and intense lobbying, a downbeat Gianni Infantino pivoted away from his brash crusade to railroad through his World Cup plans and overhaul the international match calendar following FIFA’s council meeting, held today at the world governing body’s headquarters in Zurich.
October 21 – Belgium are still top of the FIFA men’s national team world rankings, a position they have held since October 2018 when they supplanted France. The French, on the back of their Nations League win this month, have moved back into the top three and sit behind Brazil.
October 21 – Manchester City has extended its global partnership with consumer appliances producer Midea for a third season.
By Paul Nicholson
October 20 – UEFA has reacted furiously to FIFA’s announcement of the 21 names on their Technical Advisory Group, saying that the group is not a representative of the bodies that run women’s competitions.
October 20 – Danish head coach Kasper Hjulmand has criticised FIFA’s biennial World Cup consultation process with the world federation telling national team coaches from around the world that it will push ahead with plans that will dramatically overhaul the international match calendar and reduce the quadrennial cycle of the world’s leading sporting event.
October 20 – The final group qualifiers to fill the remaining 11 slots for the AFC Asian Cup China 2023 will now be played as single round robin ties at centralised venues.