March 22 – The joy of Panamanian Ceclio Waterman, as he celebrated his last-minute winner against the USA on the set of CBS with former Arsenal great and TV pundit, Thierry Henry, screaming ‘Eres mi idolo’, Spanish for ‘You’re my idol’, reminded all watching that ‘this is the reason we love the game’.
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 22 – Prior to the Concacaf Nations League doubleheader on Thursday at SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California, the smart money was on the USA and Canada to advance and contest the final on Sunday. 180 minutes later, the smart money looked foolish.
June 9 – Welcomed with their money, but not with their product at the Qatar 2022 World Cup, AB InBev has nevertheless thrown the dice again with FIFA as official beer sponsor of FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 and FIFA World Cup 2026.
June 9 – Bulgaria’s Lokomotiv Plovdiv has extended its deal with main sponsor WINBET for a further three years. The bookmaker has been the club’s principal partner since 2021.
June 9 – The Vietnamese K+ platform, a joint venture between Canal+ Group and national broadcaster VTV, has signed a deal to become the exclusive media rights holder of all AFC competitions in Vietnam for the 2025-2028 cycle.
June 9 – Highlight the importance of diversity and inclusion in European football, UEFA has launched the FootbALL programme which is designed to help drive positive social change.
How they qualified
The Dutch topped Group 4 in the A-League with sixteen points, outplaying neighbours Belgium as well as World Cup finalists Wales and Poland. Oranje showcased their dominance with a commanding 4-1 victory over Belgium, revealing the vulnerabilities of the Red Devils, who subsequently struggled in the World Cup. However, they laboured to a 1-1 draw against Poland, but, ultimately, the Dutch secured their place in the Final Four with a 1-0 triumph over Belgium in Amsterdam.
June 8 – In a move that took much of the football world by surprise, Lionel Messi has turned his back on Saudi Arabia and is instead heading to the MLS and Inter Miami.
June 8 – Real Madrid have agreed a deal with Borussia Dortmund to sign England midfielder Jude Bellingham for €103 million.
June 8 – Despite being outplayed for most of the game, West Ham United ended a 58-year wait for a European trophy after Jarrod Bowen scored in the 90th minute to secure a 2-1 win over Fiorentina on Wednesday in the Europa Conference League final.
June 8 – Serhiy Rebrov, the former Dynamo Kiev, Tottenham and West Ham striker, has been appointed as head coach of Ukraine on a two-year contract until the end of the 2026 World Cup.
June 8 – FIFA’s vehemently disputed claims that the Qatar 2022 World Cup was carbon neutral has come back to haunt them, with the Swiss advertising authority deciding that FIFA was guilty of misleading consumers.
June 8 – Karim Benzema has completed his move to Al-Ittihad, the Saudi Arabian club have confirmed, the latest superstar to move to the Gulf state for one final financial windfall.
June 8 – In late May, a news story broke that detailed the conviction of a gang of five men for running illegal streams of Premier League football.
June 8 – Dominique Blanc (pictured) has been re-elected for a third and final term as president of Swiss Football.
June 8 – With Karim Benzema arriving in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, yesterday, ahead of his Al-Ittihad unveiling later today at the King Abdullah Sports City stadium, the Saudi Pro League (SPL) has reported a record breaking 2022/23 season and promised a new-long term ‘transformation strategy’.
June 8 – The Saudi Arabian FA has continued to gather co-operation agreements with African nations with the signing of a pact with the Somali FA to help Somalia develop grassroots and youth football.