March 20 – When Canadian national team boss Jesse Marsch threw a political grenade at SoFi Stadium two weeks ago in the direction of US President Donald Trump, he embraced sports and politics.
His American-Argentine counterpart, USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino, was a little more ginger with the subject when quizzed prior to his team’s semifinal match-up against Panama in the Concacaf Nations League.
March 20 – New Zealand will be sky-high favourites to clinch Oceania’s 2026 World Cup ticket, but in the final round of qualifiers other contenders can secure a playoff berth.
March 20 – In a bizarre proposal, the Canadian host city of Toronto is considering spending $10.7million on hospitality tickets for the 2026 World Cup with the aim of reselling them at higher prices.
March 20 – “This has the potential to be a real heavyweight fight and we are excited to be part of it.”
October 31 – South Africa’s Justice and Correctional Services Minister Michael Masutha says he cannot act on claims of sexual assault against South African Football Association chief Danny Jordaan unless they are reported officially by the alleged victim.
October 31 – Big is beautiful if you are West Brom, but small is more perfectly formed if you are Man City, Barcelona, Real Madrid or Olympique Lyonnais.
October 31 – The four British associations will request permission from FIFA to wear the poppy symbol on their kit during November’s international matches to honour the victims of World War 1 and II.
October 31 – Cologne have been fined €60,000 by UEFA after crowd trouble marred their Europa League group match at Arsenal in September.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 30 – As anticipated, last week’s astonishing decision by FIFA to close down its Middle East mediation initiative has prompted an angry backlash with Palestinian sports officials accusing world football’s governing body of deceit and leaving them in the lurch.
By Samindra Kunti in Kolkata
October 30 – The president of the African Football Confederation Ahmad Ahmad has queried CONCACAF’s unity for the region’s 2026 World Cup bid. CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani downplayed the United States’ elimination from the 2018 World Cup as a destabilising factor for his confederation’s bid. Last August Morocco joined the race to land the first 48-team tournament.
Saudi Arabia may be breaking through a long criticised barrier to allow women to watch sports in stadiums, but the real questions should perhaps be around what sports they will be able to watch.
By Samindra Kunti in Kolkata
October 30 – At the close of the U-17 World Cup in India, All India Football Federation president Praful Patel pitched the country’s bid to stage the U-20 World Cup to the FIFA Council. FIFA president Gianni Infantino dubbed the tournament “a resounding success” but didn’t offer clues about the next U-20 World Cup host. The Bureau of the Council will take a decision early next year.
October 30 – The Confederations Cup, the traditional World Cup warm-up tournament, could eventually be scrapped in its present format and replaced with a revised and far more credible version of the Club World Cup, a much-maligned annual tournament featuring the champion of each Continent but which has not caught on in the way FIFA might have hoped.
October 27 – FIFA is expanding its eSports presence and revamping its own World Cup competitive gaming format with the launch of The Road to the FIFA eWorld Cup which is built around the new EA SPORTS FIFA 18 Global Series.
October 30 – Kurdish fans around the world may not have a national team but they are nevertheless celebrating after Swedish club Dalkurd won promotion to the country’s top division after existing for just 13 years.
October 30 – All Kenyan Premier League games scheduled for last weekend were postponed because of political tensions in the country, and provisionally rescheduled for November 14 even though that is earmarked as part of an international week.
October 30 – Premier League Manchester City have added Khmer Beverages’ Cambodia Beer as its Official Beer Partner in South East Asia in a multi-year deal.
By Samindra Kunti in Kolkata
October 29 – England’s wonder kids completed a miraculous 5-2 comeback against Spain to lift the U-17 World Cup. Philip Foden, the player of the tournament, and Rhian Brewster, the golden boot, starred in a remarkable second-half comeback, the culmination of a successful first World Cup on Indian soil.
By Andrew Warshaw
October 27 – After years of delays and buck-passing, FIFA has officially closed down its much-troubled Middle East mediation initiative, a highly provocative move that could enflame tension in the region and seems bound to infuriate the pro-Palestinian lobby like never before.