NRG Stadium sold out for Gold Cup final
July 6 – Concacaf has announced that today’s 2025 Gold Cup Final at NRG Stadium, Houston, between the United States and Mexico, is sold out.
Women's Euro 2025
Swiss keep knockout hopes alive as Iceland exit
Switzerland 2 Iceland 0
July 6 – Switzerland got their Euro 2025 campaign back on track with a 2-0 victory against Iceland, the first team to be eliminated from the tournament.
Other Stories
Blatter plays Santa and gives Europe its Christmas 2022 back
By Andrew Warshaw in Belfast
February 27 – FIFA president Sepp Blatter has been quick to clear up arguably the main sticking point regarding the 2022 winter World Cup by promising it will not stretch as far as two days before Christmas.
Feyenoord’s banana skin on another night of crowd shame
By Paul Nicholson
February 27 – Dutch fans of Feyenoord are desperately taking to social media to insist that the inflatable plastic banana thrown on to the pitch during the Europa League match against Roma was not a racist act. Just an unfortunate choice of fruit? Equally unfortunate that it appeared to be aimed at Roma’s Gervinho?
Man Utd continue table topping Twitter run as Palace and Toon Army sink
By Paul Nicholson
February 27 – Manchester United, looking to move back into Champions League qualifying position this weekend, have topped the Premier League table of new Twitter followers for the second week running. Arsenal, third last week, have moved up to second, while Liverpool move up a place to third and Chelsea drop from second to fourth.
4th sub, sin-bins and video refs on football rulemakers’ agenda
By Andrew Warshaw
February 27 – The lawmakers of world football are to consider allowing a fourth substitute in extra time and will at last try to get to grips with the contentious so-called “triple punishment” when they convene in Belfast today and tomorrow.
Poland is next frontier as Fox eyes up Ekstraklasa TV rights
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
February 27 – Fox Sports is continuing its TV rights acquisition march across Europe into Poland where it is considered as one of the leading contenders to acquire the TV rights for Poland’s top tier Ekstraklasa. If Fox were win the domestic rights the broadcaster would replace Polish direct-to-home platform nc+ for the 2015/2016 season.
Bookmaker Ladbrokes to close 60 shops after biggest ever football loss on record
By Mark Baber
February 27 – Ladbrokes has revealed it plans to close 60 betting shops as it revealed its pre-tax profits for 2014 fell from £68 million to £38 million, partly due to its biggest ever football loss on record of £8.1 million on Boxing Day as punters celebrated the favourites winning in the major games.
Van Praag to outline ‘normalisation’ agenda before hitting Conmebol trail
February 27 – FIFA presidential candidate Michael van Praag steps up his campaign bid early next week by unveiling his manifesto on Monday – then flying straight to the Conmebol Congress in Paraguay to lobby for support.
Matt Scott: Bundesliga battle to haul back English TV gap looks a lost cause
“If you look at the German TV market, it will not be possible any time soon for the Bundesliga to sell its rights for that much money.” Christian Seifert, Bundesliga chief executive
Investors looking for safe havens for their money in these troubled times have stampeded into German sovereign debt. The rationale is that the strongest economy in Europe will never default on its borrowings and so there is no risk to the investor’s capital.
Martin Volkmar: Leverkusen save face for Germany Ausgerechnet Leverkusen rettet die deutsche Ehre
Leverkusen’s much criticised coach Roger Schmidt, after coming away with the only German victory in this week’s Champions League matches, has shifted pressure off himself, and in so doing focused attention on Stuttgart which might be the next club to make a coaching change. But even more unstable than the Bundesliga in Germany’s coaching sack race is Germany’s second tier.
Sheikh Ahmad declares his Olympian assault on FIFA’s higher summits
By Andrew Warshaw
February 27 – Kuwait’s Olympic supremo Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah, one of the most influential powerbrokers in world sport, has formally put his name forward to take up one of Asia’s slots on the FIFA executive committee. Ahead of Saturday’s deadline, Skeikh Ahmad has been officially nominated by his home football federation, prompting immediate speculation that he may ultimately be setting his sights on the FIFA presidency in 2019.
Serie A giants delay kick offs in solidarity with Parma brothers
February 27 – This weekend’s Serie A games will kick off 15 minutes late as the players show solidarity with financially-stricken Parma. Twice former winners of the old UEFA Cup but currently bottom of the league, Parma took the dramatic step of calling off last Sunday’s league game against Udinese. Players and staff have not been paid all season and stewarding costs were unable to be met to stage the fixture.
Bomb blast targets Cypriot referee outside home
February 27 – A pipe bomb exploded outside the home of a Cypriot referee early today, the latest in a string of threats and attacks against officials and their families.
Chelsea tread new path with £200m Yokohama deal
By Paul Nicholson
February 27 – English Premier League leaders Chelsea have signed a 5-year £200 million shirt sponsorship deal with Japanese tyre manufacturer Yokohama. The deal is the second largest in the Premier League, behind Manchester United’s seven year £370 million Chevrolet sponsorship.
Turkish Airlines break sponsorship records with Bosnia’s FK Sarajevo
By Mark Baber
February 26 – Vincent Tan’s FK Sarajevo has joined Barcelona, Manchester United, Feyenoord and Borussia Dortmund as a recipient of sponsorship from the fast-growing Turkish Airlines in a three and a half year deal reported to be the most lucrative ever in Bosnian sport.
Andrew Warshaw: Questions of winter timings
The cries of foul may have receded slightly since football’s most open secret – a winter World Cup for Qatar in 2022 – was all but confirmed, pending being rubber-stamped by FIFA’s executive committee. But the resentment in some quarters will linger for weeks and months to come.