UEFA opens disciplinary proceedings against England after Wembley semi-final
July 8 – UEFA has opened disciplinary proceedings against England following the Euro 2020 semi-final match between England and Denmark at Wembley last night.
World Football
Concacaf Congress: Montagliani ‘positive’ about progress as Gold Cup primed for kick-off
July 7 – Concacaf president and FIFA Vice President Victor Montagliani told his member associations that he was both “positive” and “reflective” about what they have achieved, emphasising his “putting football first” message that was the key pillar of his election manifesto when he first took the presidency in 2016.
Portuguese police swoop on Benfica’s Vieira in money laundering and tax probe
July 8 – In a move that has rocked Portuguese football, Luis Filipe Vieira, president of Benfica, the country’s biggest club, has been detained as part of an investigation into alleged tax fraud and money laundering and forgery.
Bundesliga to restart with up to 25,000 fans at matches
July 8 – German authorities have green lighted the return of fans to next’s season Bundesliga with the total number of supporters per match capped at 25,000.
Concacaf returns Fulford and Hernandez to FIFA Council for new terms
July 7 – Concacaf have returned both Sonia Fulford (pictured) from the Turks and Caicos and Luis Hernandez from Cuba for new terms on the FIFA Council.
Martinez’s 3 penalty saves sets up Argentina vs Brazil final at Copa America
July 7 – Emiliano Martinez saved three penalties as Argentina beat Colombia in a semi-final shootout to advance to Saturday’s Copa America final against arch-rivals Brazilat the historic Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
Concacaf names female refs to Gold Cup officiating teams as VAR debuts
July 6 – Concacaf have broken new ground with their officiating teams and is introducing VAR – it debuted in the Preliminary Qualifying rounds last weekend – for the first time.
Montagliani stresses the importance of fans as Concacaf set for big Gold Cup month
July 4 – In an open letter to fans and federations, Concacaf president Victor Montagliani has welcomed the important return of fans to stadiums for the Gold Cup and highlights the increased playing national team playing opportunities as the confederation celebrates their 60thanniversary.
French football’s financial regulators send Girondins and Angers to Ligue 2
July 5 – Lurching from crisis to crisis, French football has been rocked again after the Direction Nationale du Contrôle de Gestion (DNCG) temporarily demoted both Bordeaux and Angers to Ligue 2 and placed Nantes under supervision.
AFC confirms Yili as first Chinese global sponsor
July 4 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has confirmed dairy giant Yili as an Official Global Partner of the its national team competitions for the 2021 to 2024 rights cycle.
Guatemala and their fans up the ante with play-off win over Guyana
Prelims Qualifer: Guatemala 4 – Guyana 0
July 4 – A pulsating night of crowd energy and fast paced football in Fort Lauderdale last night ignited the touch paper for the Gold Cup whose group stages start July 10.
Cuba forfeit Gold Cup play-off after no-show in Florida
July 4 – Cuba became the first covid and visa casualty of the return to competitive international football after the country failed to get to Fort Lauderdale in Florida for their 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup Preliminary Round (Prelims) qualifier for a spot in the group stages that start July 10.
Guadeloupe siege eventually breaks Bahamas’ defensive wall
Prelim Qualifier: Guadeloupe 2 Bahamas 0
July 3 – Guadeloupe scored twice to overcome a Bahamian rearguard resistance to take them one step nearer to the Gold Cup group stages at the DRV PNK.
Trinidad and Tobago reverse fortunes to dispatch Monserrat in bid for Gold Cup group spot
Trinidad and Tobago 6 Monserrat 1
July 2 – Trinidad and Tobago’s players put the off-field soap opera of their federation’s disastrous administration behind them with an emphatic 6-1 win over Monserrat in the First Round of the 2021 Gold Cup Prelims on Friday night at the DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Wells’ Gold Cup record sets Bermuda up winner-takes-all Haiti tie
Prelims Qualifier: Bermuda 8 Barbados 1
July 2 – It took just 17 seconds for Nakhi Wells to put Bermuda a goal ahead in the Gold Cup preliminary play-offs and begin what was a night of pain for Barbados as they crashed to an 8-1 defeat.