March 21 – SoFi stadium, Inglewood, California is for all intents and purposes a spaceship, and the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) probably wishes they were boarding it with a one-way ticket to Mars after being dumped out of the Concacaf Nations League semifinal by Panama.
March 20 – Mexico weathered a relentless Canadian storm to win 2-0 and set up a Nations League final against Panama, a repeat of the Gold Cup final in 2023 when Concacaf were last in the SoFi Stadium.
March 21 – With a goal in the fourth minute of added time Panama derailed the USA’s expectations of a ‘fourpeat’ Nations league win with a goal by supersub Cecilio Waterman in the fourth minute of added time.
September 5 – The Rwanda Football Federation (FERWAFA) has postponed presidential elections originally scheduled for September 10th following a request from FIFA.
By Paul Nicholson at Soccerex, Manchester
September 5 – A meeting at the end of this year between the Sports Grounds Safety Authority and the government will be the next stage to deciding whether standing areas will be allowed to return to top flight English football.
September 5 – Danish company Veo has launched a video recording system that can film games without using a camera operator and deliver an edited match back to clubs and coaches within 24 hours.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 4 – Despite insisting they have played strictly by the rules, Paris St Germain’s eye-watering spending spree during the latter part of the summer transfer window is to be investigated by UEFA for possible breaches of financial fair play.
By Paul Nicholson at Soccerex, Manchester
September 4 – Facebook is coming of age as a serious marketing and broadcast option for football’s rights holders. Speaking at the Soccerex Global Convention that opened in Manchester today Jerry Newman, Facebook’s Sport Partnership Lead for EMEA, told clubs and leagues, “don’t procrastinate. Get out there.”
September 4 – Attempts to end Kuwait’s long exile from international football are expected to take place this week with talks over amending the Kuwaiti FA statutes according to local reports.
September 4 – For the second time in a matter of days, The Confederation of African Football (CAf) has called off an inspection visit to Kenya, hosts of the 2018 African Nations Championship (CHAN).
September 4 – German coach Joachim Low and his players have denounced a hardcore section of fans for their disgraceful pro-Nazi chanting during Friday night’s World Cup qualifier against the Czech Republic.
September 4 – A firework fired at the end of a friendly match between Indonesia and Fiji on Saturday in Bekasi, West Java, killed a spectator.
By Samindra Kunti
September 4 – The Belgian national team’s bonuses have been scaled down ahead of the 2018 World Cup after the Belgian FA, the KBVB, and the players reached a mutual agreement.
September 4 – Today Olympiacos FC is hosting a conference in partnership with Harvard University promoting football’s social responsibility, particularly in relation to refugees and other vulnerable groups. The Greek giants aren’t the only club in the country who believe that football has a social duty and ability to be a great equalizer.
September 4 – Subbuteo is back and now with a European dimension with UEFA having licensed a Champions League edition of the table football game with Spanish owners Eleven Force. Meanwhile Subbuteo’s world body – Fédération Internationale de Sport Football de Table (FISTF) – has announced it will be staging its own 2017 European Champions League of Table Football on October 28 – 29 in Rochefort, Belgium.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 1 – The window is closed, the brinkmanship is over and the domino effect has run its course. The result of which is that the English Premier League once again smashed its own summer transfer record with a total spend of more than £1.4 billion.
By Paul Nicholson
September 1 – The just closed record transfer window means that gross spending by Premier League clubs has surpassed £10 billion since the first transfer window in January 2003. And according to industry analysts, clubs are not spending above their means – ridiculous as some of the amounts paid appear.
By Samindra Kunti
September 1 – In October India will host their first major international tournament, the U-17 World Cup. Six host cities will welcome 24 teams, including England and debutants New Caledonia. In an interview with Insideworldfootball, tournament director Javier Ceppi discusses the build-up and preparations as local organisers seek to cross the finish line in time for the opening game between the hosts and the United States of America on October 6.