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,
August 28 – Manchester United star Paul Pogba has been left out of France’s squad for the upcoming Nations League games against Sweden and Croatia after testing positive for coronavirus.
August 28 – Despite some countries making tentative plans for a gradual return of fans, the Bundesliga looks set to remain largely behind closed doors until at least the start of next year after German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that a ban on large events will be extended from October 31 to December 31.
August 28 – Manchester City who just avoided falling foul of the ‘buy now, pay later’ mentality when it won its CAS appeal against UEFA’s sanction for overspending and breaking its financial fair play rules, has somewhat appropriately signed a new financial sponsor who offers exactly that kind of consumer service.
By Paul Nicholson
August 27 – The soap opera that has become Trinidad and Tobago football took another turn for the worse for the rank and file of the game on the islands yesterday as FIFA issued a deadline, via letter, and a clear warning of suspension. At the same time former TTFA former president William Wallace issued his own warning to FIFA that he and his allies will not back down.
August 27 – Major League Soccer cancelled five games that were due to be played on Wednesday (yesterday) joining a wave of boycotts in US sports, with NBA play-off games, baseball and tennis matches all called off in protest over the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin on Sunday.
August 27 – The SIGA organised Sport Integrity Week taking place September 7-11 has now released a list of 38 speakers as it nails down its final agenda.
August 27 – The English Football League (EFL) has agreed a streaming deal for non-TV matches with its anchor UK broadcaster Sky Sports to give fans access to games while stadium attendance is restricted during the Covid-19 crisis.
August 27 – Manchester United captain Harry Maguire will get a full retrial in a more senior Greek court after the appeal his lawyers lodged was accepted. The appeal nullifies Maguire’s suspended jail sentence of 21 months and 10 days handed down by a lower Greek court on Tuesday.
August 27 – Glasgow Celtic crashed out of the Champions League following a dramatic 1-2 defeat at the hands of Hungarian championss Ferencvaros. It was the Scottish club’s earliest exit in the competition in 15 years.
August 27 – World Cup 2022 hosts Qatar have become the first to submit their full bid documentation to host the AFC Asian Cup in 2027.
August 27 – Premier League champions Liverpool has expanded its partnership with Petro-Canada Lubricants to include parent company HollyFrontier.
By Samindra Kunti
August 26 – Lionel Messi has done what previously would have been considered unthinkable. The greatest player of his generation has told his club FC Barcelona that he wants to leave. On Tuesday, he handed in his transfer request, dealing an existential blow to the Catalan giants.
August 26 – UEFA has confirmed that the Super Cup to be played on 24 September 2020 in Budapest will be the first of its competitions to see a partial return of fans to the stadium, but all other matches will continue behind closed doors “until further notice”.
August 26 – US food and beverage giant PepsiCo has taken a deep step into the women’s game in Europe with the signing of a five-year sponsorship running through to the end of the 2025 season.
At a time where the Swiss are engaged in some legal house-cleaning, having appointed a Special Prosecutor to investigate the former Swiss AG Lauber and his motley crew (as well as the odd birds that flew in from the increasingly legendary Canton of Valais: birthplace of Blatter, Infantino and local celeb AG Rinaldo Arnold), Infantino’s professional defenders have decided unequivocally that they don’t see eye to eye with Swiss Legal Eagles and declare, to anyone who will listen,