Mexico 2-0 Suriname:
June 18 – The Mexican national team is perhaps the only country in world football that plays home matches in two countries. The Azteca Stadium in Mexico City is, of course, their spiritual home; however, in Los Angeles – where they roared to victory over the Dominican Republic – and tonight in the heart of Texas at AT&T Stadium in Arlington versus Suriname, the team is welcomed by partisan support and rapturous anticipation.
By Paul Nicholson
November 3 – Carlos Cordeiro’s entry into the running to become the next president of the US Soccer Federation (USSF) could signify the reign of incumbent president Sunil Gulati is coming to an end after 12 years in charge.
November 6 – Already in trouble on the pitch despite a come-from-behind victory on Sunday, English Premier League club Everton, who spent around £150 million in the summer to try and break into the top places, are now the subject of a television investigative documentary into who owns them.
By Paul Nicholson
November 6 – The North American Soccer League (NASL) has lost its court bid to retain its Division II status, putting the future of the league in doubt. The NASL has said it will appeal the decision.
By Mark Baber
November 6 – India could face FIFA sanctions that would all but wreck their bid to host the U20 World Cup and could even lead to a suspension of the federation in the world’s second largest nation that was just starting to find its football feet.
November 6 – Hong Kong residents who jeer the Chinese national anthem might soon face up to three years in prison.
November 6 – Peru’s team doctor says strict controls on what they gave their players means that there was no way they could have administered the stimulant that led FIFA banning their captain Paolo Guerrero from two crucial upcoming World Cup play-off matches against New Zealand.
November 6 – Reports in Africa suggest a coup is being hatched against Sirelkhatim Mutasim Gafaar. president of the Council for East and Central Africa Football Association (CECAFA), Africa’s oldest regional football organisation.
November 6 – Tottenham Hotspur had their second win in a week at their temporary Wembley home, but in contrast to the mid-week Champions League victory which saw 86,000 fans pack the national stadium, 65, 270 turned up to watch the London rivals Crystal Palace.
By Paul Nicholson
November 3 – You couldn’t make this up. FIFA, under fire in this publication last month via its women’s rankings that showed a lack of women’s development in nations where three Confederation presidents reign, has in the latest edition of its FIFA 1904 magazine not bothered to even publish the women’s rankings page. The men’s rankings were, of course, published.
By Mark Baber
November 3 – Despite being stripped of the hosting rights for the 2018 African Nations Championship (CHAN) due to the failure to deliver on new venues, Kenyan officials have expressed hope the country will be chosen to host the U20 World Cup 2019, claiming to have the support of CAF.
November 3 – Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho reached a settlement with Spanish tax authorities today before telling reporters the case was closed.
November 3 – Former CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb, currently awaiting sentencing next July for his role in the FIFA corruption scandal, has handed over the cash from the sale of his Loganville, Georgia, home to the US justice department.
November 3 – Sierra Leone’s women have withdrawn from both under-20 and under-17 World Cup qualifying as the crisis within the country’s troubled football federation deepens.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 3 – Hassan Al-Thawadi, the public face of the 2022 Qatar World Cup, has shrugged off suggestions that the diplomatic and trade blockade of his country by Gulf neighbours could undermine the hosting of the tournament.
November 3 – Former World player of the year and Ballon d’Or winner George Weah has had his bid for political power halted after Liberia’s supreme court ordered preparations for next week’s presidential run-off to be held up amid allegations of fraud in the first round.