Canada 2-0 El Salvador
June 24 – Fresh from emerging from a Concacaf-imposed timeout, Canadian head coach Jesse Marsch returned to the technical area at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston, knowing any more misbehaviour would send him back to the naughty room. He needn’t have worried as their opponents El Salvador simply imploded in a red mist.
February 21 – Tunisia have become the latest country to officially submit a bid to host this year’s Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League final on May 29.
By Paul Nicholson
February 20 – The Swiss Attorney General has issued an indictment against the former FIFA secretary general Jerôme Valcke, the chairman of the BeIN Media Group, Nasser Al-Khelaifi (who is also president of PSG and a UEFA executive committee member), and an unnamed businessman.
February 20 – In a rare example of cost cutting among its highest-ranking officials, FIFA have scrapped plans to hold next month’s two-day session in South America and have told members not to travel.
By Paul Nicholson
February 20 – Sport must be given more power to protect its rights and commercial income from criminal piracy in any form, was the overriding demand from a panel at the World Congress on Global Leadership and Anti-corruption in Sport hoisted by SIGA in Rome.
February 20 – India have become the front runners to stage the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup following a recommendation by the continental governing body’s Women’s Football Committee.
February 20 – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has hit back at the president of his former club Barcelona over supporting UEFA’s two-year European ban imposed on the English champions.
February 20 – Everton have appointed construction firm Laing O’Rourke to build the club’s new £500 million, 52,000-seat stadium under a pre-construction services agreement.
February 20 – Spain’s women footballers have signed a historic first collective agreement over pay and conditions, after a battle for rights that led to an unprecedented strike in November.
February 20 – Arsene Wenger, FIFA’s new head of global development, appears to have spoken out prematurely about the need to tweak the offside rule sooner rather than later in order to get rid of the farcical situation surrounding a spate of VAR decisions.
February 20 – Internazionale are expanding Inter Academy portfolio, agreeing a partnership with IT.Sports to launch a series of football schools throughout country.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 19 – Five days after the club were sensationally banned from Europe for two seasons by UEFA, Manchester City’s chief executive has denounced allegations of financial fair play “serious breaches” as totally untrue and politically motivated.
By Paul Nicholson
February 19 – If sport, and football in particular, wants to get rid of the increased presence of organised crime both within their ranks and profiting from their activity, then sport must allocate some of its revenue to tackle criminals head-on.
February 19 – Germany’s Bundesliga has reported record 2018/19 combined revenue for the 18 clubs in its top tier, breaking the €4 billion barrier for the first time, a 5.4% increase on the previous season.
February 18 – Former Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger, now FIFA’s head of global development, is pushing for the offside rule to be tweaked in time for this summer’s Euro 2020 finals in response to a spate of VAR controversies this season.
February 18 – KAA Gent has signed up to the Belgian broadcast deal with Eleven Sports, leaving Antwerp as the only club to oppose the agreement for the country’s domestic TV rights.