Son Heung-min penalty secures South Korea spot in final round of Qatar 2022 qualifying
June 14 – South Korea cemented their place in the last 12 of Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifying in Asia with a 2-1 win over challengers Lebanon.
Venezuela lose 13 players to positive covid tests before Brazil Copa America opener
June 14 – Brazil defeated a depleted Venezuela 3-0 in the curtain raiser of the Copa America, a tournament that was shifted away from both Colombia and Argentina at the eleventh hour but has still been badly hit by the coronavirus.
FIFPro chief Baer-Hoffman calls on players to confront game’s bosses on calendar crunch
June 14 – The general secretary of FIFPro, the world players’ union, has written a powerful open letter to players competing in international tournaments across the globe this summer urging them to make a stand against the demands of a calendar he says is taking its toll on their mental and physical health.
As French prepare to take on Germany, Mbappé confronts Giroud comments
June 14 – A feud between strikers Kylian Mbappé and Oliver Giroud is threatening to disrupt morale in the French camp ahead of the upcoming heavyweight Euro 2020 clash against Germany.
Fan protest over ‘soft porn’ ads forces Norwich City to ditch £5m shirt sponsor BK8
June 14 – Norwich City fans have objected to the club’s new shirt sponsor BK8 forcing the club to drop its £5 million one year deal with the online bookmaker just five days after announcing the record deal.
Demand for Argentina Fan Token sees extra launch batch sell out in 30 seconds
June 14 – Socios.com have had an overwhelming response to the launch of the Argentina national team Fan Token, increasing its all-time record of users on the app by 50% and triggering a decision to launch an extra batch of tokens.
Las Vegas calling: Gold Cup final tickets sell out in just 90 mins
June 13 –Tickets for the Concacaf Gold Cup final in Las Vegas on August 2 sold out in just 90 minutes after going on sale on Friday, a record for the tournament.
Euro 2020 teams sign Concussion Charter
June 14 – The international players union, FIFPro, has welcomed the announcement by UEFA that the 24 teams at Euro 2020 have signed a Concussion Charter that commits them to taking a series of measures to improve the care of players – but says more needs to be done.
Canal+ cancels TV deal in protest against Ligue1 opening domestic door to Amazon
June 14 – Tech and e-commerce giant Amazon has won the broadcast rights for Ligue 1 for €330 million per season for the next three seasons, prompting Canal+ to withdraw from its deal with Ligue 1, leaving French club football on the brink of another broadcast-triggered financial crisis.
Lukaku dominates for world’s no.1 team but Belgian win is muted by Eriksen’s collapse
By Samindra Kunti in Saint Petersburg
June 11 – On a night that football seemed to matter a little less, Belgium and Romelu Lukaku delivered an emphatic 3-0 win against Russia to spoil the host’s independence day party and underline their tournament credentials.
Italy promise to kick off Euro 2020 in style as emotions and expectations build
June 11 – At last, the wait for Euro 2020 is over. After having missed out on the 2018 World Cup, Italy return to a major finals tonight when they face Turkey in the curtain raiser of a tournament that governing body UEFA were forced to postpone for a year because of the global health crisis.
Euro 2020 by numbers: A historic turning point?
By Paul Nicholson
June 11 – Euro 2020 is coming at a pivotal time, both in Europe’s fight against the pandemic that has changed the world we all live in, as well as in a changing football world desperate to find stability with both internal and external challenges to a previously comfortable and accepted order of things.
Baku and Mammadov light a Euro 2020 path in a re-adjusting world
By Paul Nicholson
June 11 – When the Swiss and the Welsh open their Euro 2020 campaigns in Baku, Azerbaijan – on the outside edge of Europe bordering on Asia – Azerbaijan FA general secretary Elkhan Mammadov can justifiably open a bottle of arag.
Another big night in Asia as Aussie, Saudi Arabia and South Korea close in on qualification
June 11 – It is another big night in Asian Qualifying tonight with Australia, Saudi Arabia and South Korea just one win from guaranteeing their spots in the next round of World Cup 2022 qualifying and a spot in the 2023 Asian Cup in China.
Taking the knee? Who will be left standing in the moral cold at Euro 2020?
By Samindra Kunti
June 11 – Taking the knee, a gesture against racism, keeps dividing football ahead of Euro 2020 and Friday’s opener between Italy and Turkey. Hungarian president Victor Orban has defended his football federation’s decision to not take the knee claiming that sports and politics don’t mix, while Croatia will leave it to its players to decide.