USA 1 Saudi Arabia 0
June 19 – American comedian Rodney Dangerfield used to say, “I don’t get no respect.” The same could be said for the United States Men’s Soccer Team as barely 10,000 fans showed up for a supporter friendly 8.15 pm kickoff versus Concacaf Gold Cup, Group D opponents, Saudi Arabia in a 1-0 win that again raised more questions than answers.
January 8 – Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology makes its long-awaited debut in English football tonight when Brighton face Crystal Palace in the last of the FA Cup third-round fixtures.
By David Owen
January 5 – Another Premier League club has reported strong 2016-17 profits, as a consequence largely of the league’s new TV deal. Everton have clocked up a £30.6 million post-tax profit on turnover of £171.3 million, almost £50 million more than the previous highest recorded.
January 5 – Vitaly Mutko’s humiliating decision to step down as head of Russia’s World Cup organising committee in the wake of the ongoing doping scandal is now official.
By Samindra Kunti
January 5 – The Indian Super league descended into farce after FC Goa’s match against Atletico de Kolkata was forced to kick off at 11pm after the team were stranded when their flight from Goa to Bengal was delayed. Eventually, the game kicked off at 11pm with the visitors salvaging a draw.
January 5 – Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah won the 2017 CAF African Football Player of the Year Award. Egypt’s Hector Cuper was named Coach of the Year and for a third time Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala won the Women’s Player of the Year award.
January 5 – The failure of the Ivory Coast to qualify for next year’s World Cup in Russia continues to have a knock-on effect off the field with a raft of clubs calling for an extraordinary general meeting of the national federation and the removal its president Augustin Sidy Diallo.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 5 – Zahir Belounis, the French-Algerian footballer whose tortuous saga of being “trapped” in Qatar against his will made him an international cause celebre, has finally reached a financial settlement in his long-running dispute with Qatar Stars League team El Jaish Sports Club.
January 5 – The Chinese FA (CFA) has moved to further strengthen its domestic football infrastructure repeating its policy of restricting transfer fees during the 2018 winter transfer window and at the time announcing a restructuring of its management and organisation nationally with the recruitment of new middle managers.
January 5 – Former England manager Roy Hodgson has warned that the introduction of video technology in English football will not necessarily be a positive move judging by recent instances of controversy elsewhere.
January 5 – LaLiga has released details of its broadcast income and its club distribution. TV income rose year-on-year to in €1.247 billion from 1.237 billion, with Barcelona being the top club earner with €146.2 million.
January 5 – The first Premier League fixtures of the New Year, round 22 of the season, saw nine clubs report stadiums over 94% full. Only on the South coast where Southampton were having a generally miserable holiday period, did crowds dip below 90%.
By Paul Nicholson
January 4 – The Liberian FA (LFA) and its president Musa Bility have hit back saying that the pre-Christmas visit to their country by a FIFA team of financial investigators was in fact a compliance audit and not a forensic audit tasked with investigating financial corruption in Liberian football.
January 4 – Runaway English Premier League leaders Manchester City have more financial clout than any other club in world football, according to a new study commissioned by global sports event organisers Soccerex.
By Mark Baber
January 4 – The Russian Football Union (RFU) is to nominate Moscow as host of the 2021 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, according to deputy president Sergei Anokhin.
January 4 – In what they describe as a “unique partnership”, Leeds United, one of English football’s most iconic clubs striving to return to the top flight from the second-tier Championship, have joined forces with Qatar’s famed Aspire Academy in order to bring about “long term benefits to the club’s on the field performance.”