Mark Baber
July 1 – Evonik and Borussia Dortmund (BVB) have made a joint-announcement that their partnership will be broadened and extended to 2025, with chemicals manufacturer making a cash injection of €26.7 million for a 9.06% stake in the club and extending its sponsorship agreement from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2025.
July 1 – The final day of the last 16 matches pits Argentina against Switzerland and Belgium against the USA. The winners will meet in the quarter final on Saturday in Brasilia.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 1 – After a week of denials on his part and verbal attacks on both FIFA and the media by his compatriots, Luis Suarez has finally said that he did bite Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup, that he wasn’t the victim and that it will never happen again.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 1 – Cameroon officials are to investigate claims that up to seven of their players could have been involved in match-fixing at the World Cup. In the first case of possible manipulation at the tournament, something FIFA feared but recently said there was no indication of actually occurring, the Cameroon FA (FECAFOOT) said it had instructed its ethics committee to look into allegations of possible wrongdoing in their three games in Brazil,
Twenty-eight years ago I moved to Chicago a month or two before the 1986 World Cup started. A report I wrote then underlines how far soccer has come in the land of the gridiron and the baseball diamond in the intervening nearly three decades.
“Just my luck,” I wrote. “While the rest of the football-mad globe is getting punch-drunk on a ball-by-ball account of the trail to glory, Windy City is more concerned with the size of Bears quarterback Jim McMahon’s close-season midriff.”
By Mark Baber
June 30 – The popularity of the World Cup is making for some unexpected relationships in Egypt, especially after a mooted deal to show the games on Egyptian TV fell through.
June 30 – FIFA’s ’11 for Health’ initiative has been using the tournament to spread its messages throughout Brazil. A closing ceremony was held at the Arena Amazonia in Manaus to mark the climax of a thirteen-week long schedule of events that involved children from the surrounding area, engaging them with the lure of football to learn about health.
June 30 – The might of Africa takes on the old world Europeans with Nigeria facing France, and Algeria breaking new ground for North Africa in the last 16 of a World Cup against Germany.
June 28 – Villain or victim? Serial offender or just misunderstood? Fit for purpose or needing treatment? Luis Suarez is splitting opinion depending on where you come from. Here is some of the comment.
By Andrew Warshaw in Rio de Janeiro
June 28 – Uruguay’s football federation has confirmed to FIFA that it intends to appeal against the record World Cup suspension imposed on Luis Suarez for biting. FIFA announced that Suarez’s team have seven days to prepare the necessary paper work before an appeals panel sits to deliver a final verdict.
June 29 – CONCACAF vs UEFA. Mexico are growing in stature, the Dutch are growing in renewed promise. Costa Rica have grown up while Greece have the look of having grown old, and sage in the process. All up for grabs in the battle for places in the quarter finals.
By Andrew Warshaw in Brazil
June 28 – Waving national flags and carrying banners accusing FIFA of a conspiracy, hundreds of Uruguay fans gave Luis Suarez a hero’s welcome when he returned to the country following his record World Cup ban for biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini as the severity of the punishment split world opinion.
By David Owen
June 28 – Elite club football may be increasingly the province of the monied few, but the very biggest names from the club game are not having things all their own way at the 2014 World Cup.
By Andrew Warshaw
June 28 – FIFA has lifted Franz Beckenbauer’s ban from all football-related activity for failing to assist the investigation of alleged corruption into the 2018 and 2022 World Cup votes, according to his manager.
By David Owen
June 27 – European teams finally began performing to their potential in the last round of World Cup group matches, running up an impressive eight victories and enabling UEFA to snatch second spot in the race to be the best-performing confederation at Brazil 2014.