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.
October 17 – Players and clubs are supporting UEFA’s #EqualGame message at 58 matches across Europe as part of the Football People action week campaign run by the anti-discrimination group, FARE.
October 17 – French Ligue 1 side Olympique de Marseille who started the season without a shirt sponsor, have now filled the space with an expansion of their partnership with telecommunications company Orange.
October 17 – Members of the legal team looking into historic sexual abuse in English football have undertaken counselling such has been the harrowing nature of their inquiry, according to UK media reports.
October 17 – The coach of Honduras has accused FIFA of being “inhumane” for scheduling the two legs of the World Cup playoff against Australia within five days of each other.
October 17 – Hertha Berlin’s players and officials became the latest sports team to “take a knee” in support of anti-racism ahead of their 2-0 defeat by Schalke last weekend.
October 17 – Controversial Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley (pictured) has put the Premier League club up for sale after a decade-long reign in charge of the iconic English team whose 52,000 capacity stadium is close to full most weeks courtesy of a fanatical fan base.
October 17 – Predictions that Tottenham Hotspur would break the Premier League’s 10-year attendance record in their clash against Bournemouth fell 2,600 fans short with Spurs only filling 81.67% of Wembley Stadium (73,502 was the official attendance figure) for their clash with Burnley.
October 16 – The UAE Pro League Committee (PLC) has engaged sports data and technology company Sportradar to collect and build stats-based content with the objective of building the fan base for the league in the country.
The US were beaten by lowly Trinidad & Tobago (no, it is one country, they weren’t playing two countries at the same time), lost fair and square and to add to their grief, Panama equalised against Costa Rica with a Thierry Henry type goal (“…the referee’s decision is final”, so don’t expect a Samoura-Senegal type replay decision to bail the US out).
By Andrew Warshaw
October 16 – Former FIFA number two Jerome Valcke, back in the firing line after months of relative silence, has strongly denied colluding with the boss of Paris St Germain and beIN Sports, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, over suspected corruption linked to 2026 and 2030 World Cup broadcasting rights.
By Samindra Kunti in New Delhi
October 16 – The Local Organising Committee of the U-17 World Cup has hailed the tournament as “a tipping point” for Indian football after the group stages, with the “door open” for India to host the U-20 World Cup in the future.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 16 – The United States are looking for a national coach once again after Bruce Arena as expected stepped down following the humiliation of the country failing to qualify for the World Cup finals for the first time since 1986.
By Samindra Kunti in New Delhi
October 16 – Hosts India were eliminated from their first World Cup on home soil following a 4-0 trashing by Ghana. England, France, Brazil and Germany marched into the knock-out phase with ease.
October 16 – Morocco have been confirmed as replacement hosts of the 2018 African Nations Championship (CHAN), beating off competition from Equatorial Guinea and Ethiopia.
October 16 – Former Ivory Coast star Yaya Toure says next year’s World Cup in Russia could be a watershed in FIFA’s efforts to stamp out racism.