July 18 – Switzerland boss Pia Sundhage has called the quarterfinal against Spain the biggest managerial challenge of her career yet.
By Samindra Kunti
January 8 – South American football powerhouses Argentina and Uruguay will jointly bid to co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup. State presidents Mauricio Macri (Argentina) and Tabare Vazquez (Uruguay) made the announcement yesterday at a press conference. Uruguay hosted the inaugural edition of the tournament in 1930.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 8 – The 2020 European Championship finals, taking place in 13 venues across the Continent, looks set to become the first major tournament to embrace video replays, arguably the most ground-breaking law change in the history of the game.
By Paul Nicholson
January 8 – The last two weeks have seen a huge amount of tweeting by Premier League clubs who, combined, averaged just over 7,000 tweets a week compared to an average of about 4,500 tweets a week, in the four weeks leading up to Christmas.
January 8 – The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) has announced a preliminary list of 145 players entered into the 2016 NWSL College Draft. Clubs will make their picks on January 15 at the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Convention in Baltimore.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 9 – The dream is finally over. Faced with the growing realisation that time is running out, Michel Platini, only a few weeks ago odds-on favourite to succeed Sepp Blatter, has been forced to withdraw from the FIFA presidential election.
By Samindra Kunti
January 8 – This weekend the ninth edition of the I-League kicks off with Mohun Bagan facing Aizawl FC in Kolkata, but big questions marks hang over the sustainability of a league with little money and little exposure.
By Paul Nicholson
January 8 – Just when you thought he had gone he came back. And just when you thought he was back he is gone again. Brazilian football confederation (CBF) chief Marco Polo Del Nero is to take another 150 days of leave just two days after returning to his post.
One thing that unites all the Presidential candidates is their promise that they can deliver a FIFA that will get away from the scandals of the last year and become an organisation fit for purpose. Yet reading their proposed reforms what is striking is how timid these proposals are. None of them go far enough. They will amount to cosmetic changes that will not produce the new FIFA we need.
By Mark Baber
January 7 – The Liberian Football Association (LFA)and the country’s sports minister are at loggerheads after the minister Lenn Eugene Nagbe entered into a sponsorship arrangement with LoneStar Cell/MTN the rival to Cellcom GSM, the LFA’s partner and apparently holder of sole rights to sponsorship of football-related activities at LFA stadiums.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 7 – FIFA’s ethics committee has opened formal proceedings against Jerome Valcke after investigators recommended a nine-year ban against the organisation’s 55-year-old general secretary.
By Paul Nicholson
January 7 – Delegates heading to the world’s largest coaching event – the NSCAA Convention – in Baltimore next week, will be able to experience the US Club Soccer organisation’s latest hook-up with LaLiga as they demonstrate the technical resource that has been added as part of the Players First initiative.
By Samindra Kunti
January 7 – Rio-based club Fluminense have teamed up with sportswear manufacturer Dryworld in a five-year kit supply deal.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 7 – One month after being arrested as part of the new wave of US justice department indictments in the FIFA corruption scandal, former FIFA vice-president Alfredo Hawit has agreed to his extradition from Switzerland.
By Paul Nicholson
January 7 – The musical chairs at the top of South America’s leading football federations continued yesterday with an unusual twist. Recently the news has only been of presidents being arrested or removed from office, but this time the game changed with the return of Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) head Marco Polo Del Nero who resumed his position from Marcus Antonio Vicente.
January 7 – Manchester United is to launch its dedicated TV channel in China with Sina Sports. The multi-year deal is exclusive to Sina Sports.