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.
December 18 – Real Madrid were crowned FIFA Club World Cup champions for the second year in succession at the weekend in the United Arab Emirates, beating Brazil’s Gremio 1-0 in the final.
By Samindra Kunti
December 18 – FIFPro, the World Player’s Union, has published a report exposing gender inequality in the game, urging football’s authorities to support the professionalisation of the women’s game.
December 18 – Yet more pressure is growing on football’s lawmakers to delay the formal implementation of video technology following contentious decision-making – this time at one of FIFA’s own competitions.
December 18 – Talk about a faux pas. France’s much-touted Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann has apologised after initially telling his social media followers to “calm down” in response to an outpouring of protest about racism when he painted himself black.
December 18 – Details of the new two-tier Caribbean club championship that kicks off 31 January 2018 have been announced with eight clubs from the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago competing in the top tier.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 15 – Brazilian FA president Marco Polo Del Nero’s charmed life as leader of the CBF looks to be close to coming to an end after the FIFA’s ethics committee today banned him, though not before global pressure mounted to un-ignorable levels even in Zurich.
December 15 – As the three former South American football powerbrokers who have been on trial in New York for their alleged roles in the FIFA-gate scandal nervously await the jury’s verdict, the lawyer for one of them, former Brazilian FA boss Jose Maria Marin, wound up his defence Thursday by claiming his client had little idea about the $200 million bribery and corruption scheme.
By Samindra Kunti
December 15 – The Dutch FA (KNVB) has agreed to a significant pay rise for its national women’s team, but has shied away from the Norwegian model of equal payment to the men’s game.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 15 – The bitter in-fighting between Zimbabwean football boss Philip Chiyangwa (pictured) and the national federation’s (ZIFA) former chief executive Jonathan Mashingaidze has plummeted to new depths with Mashingaidze reportedly handed a life ban after he claimed Chiyangwa was guilty of corruption.
December 15 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino has been accused of turning a blind eye to match-fixing when he was UEFA’s general secretary during the 2010-11 scandal that rocked Turkish football.
December 15 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s determination to have video technology introduced before next year’s World Cup has taken a further knock with a spokesman for the game’s law making body questioning the system’s efficacity, especially in Germany where it is being trialled along with several other leagues.
December 15 – Kenya has been chosen by FIFA to form part of the pilot phase for FIFA’s new women’s football development programmes, with Kenya Football being offered the opportunity to benefit from a project which will focus on participation growth.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 15 – Talk about a storm in a teacup. Just a couple of days after opening an investigation against their chief executive Jonathan Ford for allegedly talking out of turn by saying the next Wales manager could be “foreign”, but “definitely not English”, the Football Association of Wales has decided to take no action.
December 15 – The Qatar Football Association (QFA) has added another co-operation agreement to its growing list of federation alliances, signing a memorandum of understanding with the Iranian football association (IFF).
December 15 – AFC Wimbledon, who have clawed their way into the third tier of English football, have taken a big step towards returning to the site of their spiritual Plough Lane home in south west London with the granting of planning permission to start building their new £25 million stadium.