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 Samindra Kunti in Kolkata
October 30 – At the close of the U-17 World Cup in India, All India Football Federation president Praful Patel pitched the country’s bid to stage the U-20 World Cup to the FIFA Council. FIFA president Gianni Infantino dubbed the tournament “a resounding success” but didn’t offer clues about the next U-20 World Cup host. The Bureau of the Council will take a decision early next year.
October 30 – The Confederations Cup, the traditional World Cup warm-up tournament, could eventually be scrapped in its present format and replaced with a revised and far more credible version of the Club World Cup, a much-maligned annual tournament featuring the champion of each Continent but which has not caught on in the way FIFA might have hoped.
October 27 – FIFA is expanding its eSports presence and revamping its own World Cup competitive gaming format with the launch of The Road to the FIFA eWorld Cup which is built around the new EA SPORTS FIFA 18 Global Series.
October 30 – Kurdish fans around the world may not have a national team but they are nevertheless celebrating after Swedish club Dalkurd won promotion to the country’s top division after existing for just 13 years.
October 30 – All Kenyan Premier League games scheduled for last weekend were postponed because of political tensions in the country, and provisionally rescheduled for November 14 even though that is earmarked as part of an international week.
October 30 – Premier League Manchester City have added Khmer Beverages’ Cambodia Beer as its Official Beer Partner in South East Asia in a multi-year deal.
By Samindra Kunti in Kolkata
October 29 – England’s wonder kids completed a miraculous 5-2 comeback against Spain to lift the U-17 World Cup. Philip Foden, the player of the tournament, and Rhian Brewster, the golden boot, starred in a remarkable second-half comeback, the culmination of a successful first World Cup on Indian soil.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 27 – After years of delays and buck-passing, FIFA has officially closed down its much-troubled Middle East mediation initiative, a highly provocative move that could enflame tension in the region and seems bound to infuriate the pro-Palestinian lobby like never before.
By David Owen
October 27 – England wanted to stage a football World Cup in 2018 – and now it is to get its wish.
October 27 – Italian football’s efforts to tackle a resurgence of anti-Semitism backfired disgracefully when a section of Lazio fans, traditionally among the worst culprits, sang fascist songs instead and made salutes.
October 27 – Under-fire English Football Association chairman Greg Clarke (pictured) has admitted his organisation has “lost the trust of the public” over its handling of discrimination claims made against former England women’s manager Mark Sampson.
October 27 – South African activists have urged their compatriot Tokyo Sexwale (pictured centre) to step down as FIFA’s chief Middle East negotiator because of the body’s distinct lack of progress in settling the footballing impasse between Israel and the Palestinians in the occupied territories, specifically the ongoing dispute over Israeli lower-league clubs playing official games on settlements in the West Bank.
By Paul Nicholson
October 27 – Arsenal’s annual general meeting – an almost pointless gathering of shareholders as the two largest (Stan Kroenke and Alisher Usmanov) control 97% of the shares – was a stormy reflection of the relationship between the club and its London-based support.
By David Owen
October 27 – A total of 168 urine samples provided to drug testers by footballers resulted in adverse analytical findings (AAFs) in 2016, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has revealed.
October 27 – The Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL) has signed a co-operation agreement with the Colombian División Mayor del Fútbol Colombiano (DIMAYOR) that will see the two leagues develop joint sports, marketing and management initiatives.