France 1 Germany 1 (5-6 pens)
July 19 – Germany recovered from a 13th-minute red card to knockout France on penalties following a 1-1 draw and set up a blockbuster semi-final against Spain.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 27 – The millions of fans who tuned in across the globe to watch Saturday’s 2018 World Cup draw could have been forgiven for thinking everything in Russia’s garden was rosy.
By David Owen
July 27 – The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has released comprehensive statistics on anti-doping tests analysed by WADA-accredited laboratories in 2014.
By David Owen
July 25 – Things have been going well on the field of play for Scottish club Aberdeen of late, a second place finish in the Scottish Premiership last season entitling them to a slot in the qualifying phase of the 2015-16 Europa League.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 24 – FIFA’s number two, secretary-general Jerome Valcke, has admitted for the first time that he will leave the organisation when Sepp Blatter is replaced but says the next urgent priority is an emergency summit with front-line sponsors as a result of the corruption crisis enveloping the organisation.
By Paul Nicholson
July 24 – The Panamanian Football Federation (FEPAFUT), bitter at their semi-final loss in the Gold Cup to Mexico on Wednesday evening have escalated their public complaints, now calling for the resignation of the whole CONCACAF Referees Committee citing “insulting and shameful” refereeing. The demand was made in a statement on their website.
By Mark Baber
July 23 – Premier League club Stoke City have signed a new two-year partnership with parcel delivery company DPD which includes sponsorship of the east stand at the Britannia Stadium which will now be known as the DPD Stand.
July 24 – Croatia have been let off the hook and avoided being thrown out of Euro 2016 qualifying for racial discrimination, much to the relief of the entire country after the prime minister personally pleaded with UEFA president Michel Platini to show leniency.
July 24 – Another of FIFA’s top World Cup sponsors has expressed its concern at the lack of progress in cleaning up the organisation and says the recently established Reform Task Force does not go nearly far enough.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 24 – As they prepare for their biggest day since being awarded the tournament, Russia’s 2018 World Cup organisers are being constantly reminded about the issue of racism that shows little sign of diminishing.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 24 – Prince Ali bin Al Hussein of Jordan, who failed in an attempt to wrest the FIFA presidency away from Sepp Blatter in May, says the veteran Swiss should not be allowed to oversee the reform process at his corruption-plagued governing body and should leave it to his successor.
By David Owen
July 23 – A close ally of FIFA Executive Committee (ExCo) member Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah has been made heir apparent of the International Swimming Federation (FINA).
As he prepares to show his face on FIFA duty for the first time outside Switzerland since the sky came crashing down on his scandal-tarnished organisation, Sepp Blatter could be forgiven for enjoying a wry smile on the flight to St Petersburg for the 2018 World Cup draw.
Zhang Xizhe has returned to Beijing Guoan Football Club the club that sold him to the Bundesliga club Wolfsburg 166 days ago. He didn’t play a minute for the hugely improved German club, under the price tag of €2 million. Dispritied and tired, he told me that he would never play abroad again.
By Alexander Krassimirov
July 23 – Bulgaria’s Marek Dupnitsa have been fined BGN 210,000 (€105,000) by the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) disciplinary committee for match-fixing. The steep fine, in Bulgarian terms, is a hard hit for the club which was relegated from the top flight last season.