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.
“Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted.” Albert Einstein
When Einstein wrote the most famous equation in physics, he identified his inputs very clearly as energy, mass and the speed of light: E=mc2. But then the relationship between energy and mass is itself intrinsic, a fact represented in the paradox about what counts and can be counted.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 8 – In the latest groundbreaking deal between English football and American gridiron, Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur have announced a 10-year partnership with the NFL that will see the north London club host at least two NFL games a year at its new stadium due to open in 2018.
When FIFA’s new chief ethics investigator Cornel Borbely took over back in March, he insisted he would not be influenced or sidetracked by anyone within the heirarchy of football’s world governing body when it came to making independent decisions.
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
July 8 – Stomil Olsztyn and the city authorities in Olsztyn have launched a competition to select the design of its new stadium. The Polish side aims to fit its planned sports facility with a capacity of 12,000, according to the released technical requirements.
By Mark Baber
July 8 – Russian Sports Minister and YouTube sensation Vitaly Mutko has been nominated to stand as a candidate in September’s election for a new president of the Russian Football Union (RFS).
July 8 – Singapore, frequently cited as being the operating centre of Asia’s match-fixing scourge, becomes the hub of the region for more positive reasons next week when it hosts a series of workshops delivered by the English Premier League to help the sport develop off the field.
July 8 – Former German president Christian Wulff has again rejected allegations by Sepp Blatter that he tried to influence proceedings ahead of Qatar being selected to stage the 2022 World Cup.
July 8 – Third division Spanish team CD Guadalajara has demonstrated its support of the LGBT movement in its newly unveiled home kit. A rainbow stripe runs down the center of the purple shirt, in aim of challenging social injustices such as homophobia.
July 8 – Gold Cup sponsor Allstate Insurance is activating its partnership with the additional moniker as the Official Protector of the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup Trophy. The activation will see Allstate take the Gold Cup Trophy on a seven-city tour across the US during the tournament which kicked off last night in Texas with a win for the US over Honduras.
By Paul Nicholson
July 8 – CONCACAF have ended their representation agreement with embattled marketing agency Traffic Sports USA with immediate effect. The announcement was made on the opening day of the Gold Cup, an event that Traffic owned exclusive rights to and had sold all of the current sponsorships for.
By David Owen
July 8 – Football is generally a low-scoring game, but it is not invariably so. Arbroath 36 Bon Accord 0 in September 1885 in the Scottish Cup is one well-known counter-example that springs to mind. Australia 31 American Samoa 0 in April 2001 in a World Cup qualifier is another.
By Paul Nicholson
July 7 – TV viewing figures from the US for Sunday’s Women’s World Cup final are reporting a stunning picture for soccer in the country and for the women’s game in general.
By Mark Baber
July 7 – CONCACAF have announced that all tickets have been sold for the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup doubleheader in Dallas this evening which kicks off at the 20,500 capacity Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
July 7 – The money gap when compared to the men may still be huge but FIFA’s decision to stage the women’s World Cup in Canada and increase the finalists to 24 teams certainly paid off in terms of crowds and global interest – and, on the field, in terms of excitement.
July 7 – FIFA has ordered Yemen to default a World Cup qualifying match against North Korea for fielding a player who was technically banned. Yemen, officially the home side for the match that was played in Qatar, lost 1-0 on June 11.