France 1 Wales 1
July 9 – A rampant France booked their ticket to the quarter-finals with a commanding 4-1 win over Wales in St. Gallen on Wednesday night. Despite heavy rotation, the French side pulled no punches against the Euro debutants, delivering a dominant performance that sends a clear message to whoever awaits them next week.
By David Owen
January 28 – Brazil’s brightest current football star Neymar has said he hopes to help his country win its first men’s Olympic football gold medal at South America’s first Olympic Games next year in Rio de Janeiro.
By Mark Baber
January 27 – The news that FIFA is in the process of gathering information and documentation regarding the signing of 51 underage players at Real Madrid has led to speculation that the club may face a transfer ban, similar to that imposed on Barcelona, as FIFA continues its effort to ensure the regulations regarding transfers of minors are firmly adhered to.
When Michel Platini announced last summer that he had decided against taking on Sepp Blatter for the Fifa presidency, most seasoned observers of election processes shrugged their shoulders and looked beyond Uefa for a credible challenger to Blatter’s turbulent reign.
January 27 – Senegal striker Diafra Sakho says he is “saddened” and “angered” by criticism of his absence from the Africa Cup of Nations.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 27 – The rapid rise of England’s David Gill up the political footballing ladder has been given a further boost after the Englishman emerged as odds-on favourite to become the latest FIFA vice-president.
By Paul Nicholson
January 27 – With Rangers close to running out of cash and being unable to pay wages at the end of the month, the Scottish club has agreed terms for a £10 million loan from companies owned by Mike Ashley, the shareholder a majority of fans are desperate and aggressively campaigning to keep out of the club.
January 27 – UEFA have refused to confirm reports that they are brokering a separate deal for clubs playing in the controversial annexed region of Crimea.
January 27 – Manchester United have signed their first online financial services partner, aimed at exploiting their estimated 659 million fanbase worldwide.
January 27 – Two teams, 770 players, 9 hours, 97 goals and a world record. Arsenal FC broke new boundaries in Indonesia last weekend with the country’s longest non-stop football match ever.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 26 – Michael van Praag, the Dutch football chief who led a much-publicised European rebellion against Sepp Blatter’s leadership of FIFA last summer, emerged today as a surprise late contender to unseat the Swiss veteran at the presidential election in four months’ time.
January 26 – The steps towards a professional league in the Caribbean took another pace forward with the second meeting of the Caribbean Premier League Task Force which reviewed regional stadium infrastructure study with a view to identifying which countries could host league matches.
By Samindra Kunti
January 26 – The Dutch FA, the KNVB, and the Dutch parliament want to tighten the application of the ‘football law’ (Law MBVEO). The proposed amendments are aimed at further reducing violence and incidents at Dutch football grounds.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 26 – David Ginola faces disqualification from his unlikely bid to run for FIFA president for allegedly breaking strict rules over being associated with the betting industry.
By Mark Baber
January 26 – The sense that the deck might be stacked against Iran in international football received a boost over the weekend as they were knocked out of the Asian Cup by Iraq, after a quarter-final match in which one of their players was sent off in a bizarre decision by the Australian referee, and which featured an Iraqi player who had produced a sample which proved positive for the banned stimulant methylhexaneamine whilst playing for an Iranian club last year.
January 26 – A compromise between UEFA and Russian football authorities over the future status of clubs in annexed Crimea could be about to take shape.