USA 2 Costa Rica 2 (USA win 4-3 on pens)
June 29 – You’d hate to use the word ‘sterile’ to describe a Concacaf Gold Cup quarter-final, but following the drama and passion of Guatemala versus Canada, it all felt a little flat as the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) and Costa Rica kicked off for the right to face Guatemala in St. Louis. After 90 minutes and the drama of penalty kicks,
January 28 – An unsavoury row has broken out between Barcelona and Paris St Germain over the future of Lionel Messi with the Catalan giants threatening to report the Middle East-owned Ligue 1 champions to FIFA and UEFA.
January 28 – The premium women’s national team competition in Asia, the AFC Women’s Asian Cup to be played in India in 2022 will be held January 20 to February 6.
By Paul Nicholson
January 28 – The role of FIFA in African football politics is again coming under scrutiny after the world governing body surprisingly ruled out current interim president Constant Omari (pictured) from the Congo from standing for election for the FIFA Council. FIFA did however clear South Africa’s Patrice Motsepe and Mauritania’s Ahmed Yahya to stand for election for presidency, which confers its own seat on the FIFA Council.
January 28 – A survey of football fans has found that generally they think agents are overpaid, that leagues are too weighted towards so-called big teams, that there are too many national team matches but not too many club games, and that it costs too much to watch whether via pay TV or in stadia.
January 28 – Chicago’s second professional men’s team, who will begin play in the third tier NISA for the upcoming 2021-22 season, will base themselves at the SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois.
January 28 – The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) in the US has released dates for the start of its season that will open April 9 with the NWSL Challenge Cup.
January 27 – The AFC today completed the draw for its expanded 2021 Champions League at headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.
By David Owen
January 27 – Losses have widened at Brighton and Hove Albion, the progressive south-coast Premier League club, after a season described by chairman Tony Bloom as “one of the most challenging in our club’s history”.
January 27 – FIFA plans to appoint host cities for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico by the last quarter of this year.
January 27 – Premier League broadcast rights partner NBC, is shutting its Sports Network in the US and is expected to close operations by the end of 2021.
January 27 – World federation FIFA has cleared all four candidates, including South Africa’s Patrice Motsepe (pictured) and Mauritania’s Ahmed Yahya both whose eligibility had been in doubt, to run in the presidential elections of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
January 27 – The next president of the African Football Confederation must be “absolutely honest”, according to FIFA’s Chief Member Associations Officer, Veron Mosengo-Omba.
January 27 – As predicted, Thomas Tuchel has become the 11th full-time Chelsea manager in the ruthless 18-year Roman Abramovich era following Frank Lampard’s sacking, and takes charge of the club for the first time tonight at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
January 27 – Premier League Manchester City have gone ownership local with a new partnership with life insurer Zurich International Life, who will become the Club’s Official Insurance Partner in the United Arab Emirates, the country of the club’s owner.
By Paul Nicholson
January 26 – A Court of Arbitration for Sport double ruling against the Asian Football Federation (AFC) in regard to one of its elections has renewed questions about CAS’s decision making and left observers scratching their head over the logic of the decisions and the process.