Japan stun Brazil 3-2 with comeback win to break Ancelotti’s unbeaten run
October 15 – Japan staged an impressive second-half comeback in Tokyo to claim their first-ever victory over Brazil in a friendly.
Federations
FIFA’s Afghan women’s refugee team is picked and ready for UAE action
October 2 – In Afghanistan girls have been banned by the ruling Taliban from any form of secondary school education. Later this month an Afghan women’s refugee team will take part in a four team international friendly tournament in the UAE.
Amnesty calls on FIFA and UEFA to ban Israel over settlement clubs playing in Israeli leagues
October 1- Amnesty International has added its voice to calls for FIFA and UEFA to suspend Israel from the international game because of Israeli settlement clubs in the West Bank.
Afghan FA boss accused of asking for $10K bribe to put Aussie-based player on national team
October 1 – The president of the Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF), Mohammad Yousef Kargar (pictured), has been accused of demanding a $10,000 bribe to secure a place for a player on the national team.
Croatian and Japanese FAs sign wide-ranging co-operation agreement
September 19 – The Croatian Football Federation (HNS) and the Japan Football Association (JFA) have signed a cooperation agreement, strengthening the relationship between the two organisations. The deal was finalized at a meeting in Tokyo by HNS president Marijan Kustić and JFA president Tsuneyasu Miyamoto.
Indian FA and its sales partner near agreement on December kick-off for Super League
August 29 – The Indian FA (AIFF) and its commercial partner Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), have proposed to schedule the start of the Indian Super League (ISL) in December.
Indian court orders AIFF and Super League operator FSDL to agree a new deal
August 22 – India’s Supreme Court has stepped in to break the ISL deadlock, directing the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and league organisers Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) to seek a swift resolution.
Fifpro calls for road map to start of crisis-hit Indian Super League season
August 20 – World players’ union Fifpro has pressed for urgent action to end the crisis paralysing Indian domestic football as the Indian Super League (ISL) remains on hold.
Bengaluru FC suspend wages as doubts grow over future of Indian Super League
August 6 – With the future of the Indian Super League (ISL) in doubt, Bengaluru FC have stopped paying the salaries of players and staff.
Shillong, India, plans for 40,000 capacity football stadium
July 28 – The hill city of Shillong in India is getting a serious football facelift. The Government of Meghalaya has broken ground on a new 40,000-capacity stadium – a project that aims to put the state, and India, firmly on the international football map.
Al Nassr hand Ronaldo £492m 2-year deal
June 27 – Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a record-breaking new two-year contract with Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, worth a staggering £492 million in basic salary, making it the most lucrative deal in sports history, according to reports.
Palestine FA wins warmth of FIFA Congress but is brutally shut down by FIFA executive
May 16 – FIFA and its administration have once again kicked the issue of Israeli settlement clubs into the long grass, a tradition the world governing body has maintained for more than a decade.
Saudi women’s coaches complete week-long exchange at Frauen-Bundesliga’s Frankfurt and RB Leipzig
May 16 – A week-long coaching exchange between the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) and Bundesliga clubs Eintracht Frankfurt and RB Leipzig has wrapped up in Germany, marking another significant step in Saudi Arabia’s growing investment in women’s football.
FIFA to fill gender gap with women’s refugee team, but Afghan FA remains a FIFA member
May 12 – FIFA is to establish an Afghan women’s refugee football team, allowing exiled Afghan players to compete in matches recognised by the sport’s global governing body, but which will not count towards the country’s ranking.
J.League sets record single day attendance record
May 12 – Japan’s Meiji Yasuda J.League has set a new record for total attendance in a single day, recording more than 420,000 fans for the first time in the league’s history on May 3.
