Portal:Association football/News archive

2007

• Jun 23: Thierry Henry agrees to sign with F.C. Barcelona, for a reported €24 Million Euros, leaving his club of eight years, Arsenal F.C.
• Feb 2: Italian Serie A is suspended after the death of a policeman killed in the riots after the match Catania-Palermo.
• Jan 11:David Beckham signs with Los Angeles Galaxy for football's most lucrative deal on record.

2006

August

• Aug 10: John Terry succeeds David Beckham as England's national team captain. Liverpool's Steven Gerrard is named vice-captain.
• Aug 1: Steve McClaren takes over from Sven-Göran Eriksson as England's national team manager.

July

• Jul 25: Italy's FIGC sports court reduces the punishments handed out to Italian clubs. Only Juventus are demoted to Serie B but they will start the season with a points deduction of seventeen instead of thirty. The decision to strip them of their last two Serie A titles is upheld. Fiorentina and Lazio are reinstated in Serie A with their point deductions increased from twelve to nineteen for Fiorentina and seven to eleven for Lazio. AC Milan's points deduction is reduced from fifteen to eight and they are allowed to play in the Champions League qualifying rounds.
• Jul 14: Juventus, Fiorentina and Lazio are relegated to Serie B after the sentence in the Serie A match fixing scandal. AC Milan remain in Serie A but will have a fifteen point penalty next season, and are expelled from the Champions League through having forty-four points deducted from the 2005-06 season's records. Juventus are stripped of the title for 2005 and 2006, expelled from the Champions League and will have a thirty point penalty next season. Fiorentina and Lazio will start the season with twelve and seven point penalties respectively. All are expected to appeal against the convictions.
• Jul 14: The United States Soccer Federation announces a decision not to renew the contract of national team coach Bruce Arena.
• Jul 12: After the Parliament of Greece amends a new sports law to address FIFA's objections regarding governance of the Hellenic Football Federation, FIFA lifts its ban on the Greece national team and Greek club teams.
• Jul 12: Dallas Roma FC becomes the first USASA (non-league amateur) side to defeat a Major League Soccer team in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, beating CD Chivas USA 4-2 on penalties after a 0-0 draw.
• Jul 3: FIFA suspends Greece from all international and club competition after interference by the country's government into the affairs of the Hellenic Football Federation.

June

• Jun 2: Asian champions Al Ittihad to play Syria's Al Karama in the AFC Champions League quarterfinals on September 13. Al Ain drawn to face Kuwait's Al Qadsia, China's Shanghai Shenhua to meet South Korea's Chonbuk Motors while Ulsan Hyundai face Al Shabab
• Jun 2: Kansas City Wizards sign Dutch player Dave van den Bergh from Utrecht
• Jun 1: Beijing Guoan to sue German club 1860 Munich in a dispute over loan payments for China midfielder Shao Jiayi
• Jun 1: Swedish midfielder Kim Källström joins Ligue 1 champions Lyon

May

• May 31: River Plate-Quilmes Argentine league match abandoned in Buenos Aires due to crowd violence
• May 28: England's Bob Houghton appointed the coach of India national football team
• May 27: New York Red Bulls defeat Bayern Munich 4-2 in an exhibition match
• May 17: FC Barcelona come from behind to beat Arsenal F.C. 2-1 to win the UEFA Champions League
• May 15: Chelsea announce the signing of Michael Ballack on a Bosman transfer from Bayern Munich
• May 14: FC Porto win the Portuguese Cup after winning the national championship a week earlier
• May 13: Liverpool FC win the FA Cup after a penalty shoot-out against West Ham United F.C.
• May 10: Ajax Amsterdam sack coach Danny Blind. No replacement has been named yet
• May 9: Former Manchester United player Jesper Olsen was admitted to hospital following a brain haemorrhage
• May 8: Boca Juniors retained the Argentina Primera División title after a 2-0 win at Independiente
• May 8: Ronald Koeman resigned as SL Benfica manager to join PSV Eindhoven
• May 7: Arsenal F.C. beat Wigan Athletic 4-2 and Tottenham Hotspur lose 2-1 to West Ham United to ensure the fourth Champions League spot for the Gunners
• May 4: Middlesbrough F.C. manager Steve McClaren was appointed the new England national team manager. He will take over after the 2006 World Cup
• May 3: Defending champions São Paulo FC defeated city rivals Palmeiras 2-1 to reach the quarter-finals of the Copa Libertadores
• May 3: FC Barcelona retained the La Liga title after second-placed Valencia CF lost 2-1 at Real Mallorca
• May 3: A.S. Roma come back from a goal down to level the first leg tie of the Coppa Italia against Internazionale
• Apr 29: Chelsea beat Man Utd 3-0 and are champions of the Premier league, their 2nd title in two years.
• Apr 27: Middlesbrough overcome a 3-goal deficit and advance to the UEFA Cup final, where they will meet Sevilla.

April

• Apr 26: Barcelona beat Milan 1-0 on aggregate to reach the final of the 2006 Champions League
• Apr 25: Arsenal beat Villarreal 1-0 on aggregate to reach the final of the 2006 Champions League
• Apr 22: FC Porto are champions of the Portuguese Superliga, their 3rd title in four years.
• Apr 22: Liverpool beat Chelsea 2-1 in the semifinals of the FA Cup
• Apr 15: Lyon are champions of the French Ligue 1
• Apr 6: FC København wins Royal League after a 1-0 win against Lillestrøm in the final
• Apr 6: Manchester United announce £56.5million shirt sponsorship deal with American financial group AIG, a record in English football
• Apr 5: UEFA Champions League: Arsenal and Barcelona progress to the semi-finals
• Apr 4: UEFA Champions League: AC Milan and Villarreal continue to the semi finals

March

• Mar 28: Uefa Champions League is back: Eight teams, one dream. The race for Europe's club title has reached the quarter-finals, with five former and three wannabe champions in action. Arsenal v Juventus, Benfica v Barcelona
• Mar 22: Hearts manager Graham Rix is sacked. He will be replaced by Valdas Ivanauskas
• Mar 21: Liverpool beat Birmingham City 0-7 in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup
• Mar 19: Chelsea lose their third league match of the season 0-1 in an away match against Fulham and miss the opportunity to get 100 points in the league
• Mar 13: Former Celtic F.C. winger Lisbon Lion Jimmy Johnstone dies at age 61 after battling with motor neurone disease for over four years
• Mar 12: Antônio Lopes, manager of Corinthians resigns after the club's 2-1 loss in the derby match against São Paulo
• Mar 11: Rangers have agreed to a three-year deal with Paul Le Guen to become the club's new manager starting next season
• Mar 10: Draws for the quarterfinal round of Champions League 2005-06, to be held on March 24/March 25 and April 4/April 5 are made

January

• Jan 27: The draws for the qualifying round of EURO '08 are made at Montreux, France

2005

November

• The former Manchester United and Northern Ireland winger George Best has died in hospital at the age of 59
• Ronaldinho has won the European Footballer of the Year award.
• Doctors treating the former Manchester United star George Best have announced that it is "not possible" for him to recover from his infection and that he is expected to die within 24 hours[1]
• Manchester United's captain Roy Keane has left the club after 12 years
• Turkey have been threatened with disciplinary action after a fight between players at the end of their World Cup qualifying match against Switzerland
• Czech Republic, Spain, Switzerland, Australia and Trinidad and Tobago qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup through the play-offs, thus completing the qualification round
• The Los Angeles Galaxy won its second Major League Soccer title, defeating the New England Revolution 1-0 in extratime of the MLS Cup
• Manchester United ended Chelsea's 40 match unbeaten run in the Premiership with a 1–0 win at Old Trafford

September

• Arsenal F.C. striker Robin van Persie will serve a one-match Champions League ban for his dismissal against FC Thun, UEFA have confirmed
• Gabriel Heinze has been ruled out for most of the season with a cruciate knee ligament injury
• Manchester United lost valuable ground on Chelsea as they were held to a 1-1 draw by their City rivals
• Ronaldo is doubtful for Real Madrid's league match against Celta Vigo on Saturday after injuring a thigh muscle in Brazil's World Cup qualifier against Chile on the weekend
• Portugal midfielder Maniche, who has said that he hates playing in Russia, will remain at Dynamo Moscow, the Russian premier league club said on Tuesday
• Southampton defender Claus Lundekvam insists he would sacrifice a testimonial to sign for Celtic F.C. in January
• Real Mallorca reached an agreement to sign Italian midfielder Cristiano Doni from Sampdoria shortly before the transfer deadline
• Sven-Goran Eriksson faces one of the biggest tests of his reign as England coach this weekend as he prepares for a dramatic shift in tactics to face Wales in Cardiff
• Nolberto Solano was tonight on the verge of making a shock return to Newcastle United F.C. just 19 months after leaving for Aston Villa

August

• England striker Michael Owen will make his Premiership return with struggling Newcastle United F.C. after the club pulled off their biggest transfer coup since landing Alan Shearer
• Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has appealed to UEFA to let him begin the season with a clean slate
• The sudden resignation of referee Pierluigi Collina has left many Italians debating whether soccer's best-known match official was forced to quit
• Newcastle boss Graeme Souness has admitted the signing of Michael Owen would represent the 'biggest transfer' of his managerial career. Owen has agreed a four-year deal subject to a medical, dashing the hopes of former club Liverpool of securing the 25-year-old's return
• Brazil striker Frederico Chaves Guedes, nicknamed Fred, joined Olympique Lyon from Cruzeiro Belo Horizonte on a four-year contract on Tuesday
• Chelsea F.C. remain atop the FA Premier League
• Injuries have forced captain Craig Moore and forward Harry Kewell out of Australia's Oceania World Cup qualifiers with the Solomon Islands
• Newcastle's awful start to the season continued as they lost 2-0 at home to Manchester United Sunday
• Pierluigi Collina, the famous bald official who took charge of the 2002 FIFA World Cup final between Brazil and Germany, has called time on his career after quitting the Italian Association of Referees (AIA) on Monday
• The two-way fight for Michael Owen's signature continued tonight as Newcastle and Liverpool prepared to convince the England striker to choose one over the other
• Newcastle's awful start to the season continued as they lost 2-0 at home to Manchester United Sunday
• Chelsea F.C. - after a win at Tottenham today, - the self-confessed 'luck champions' last season are now atop the Premiership
• Bayern Munich maintained their perfect start to the season and moved two points clear at the top of the Bundesliga after Michael Ballack inspired a 3–0 home win over Hertha BSC on Saturday
• Brazilian playmaker Juninho has extended his contract with Olympique Lyonnais for three seasons and said he hopes to stay with the French champions until the end of his career
• Brazilian forward Robinho passed a medical at Real Madrid on Friday before signing a five-year deal with the nine-time European champions
• Bolton have agreed a one-year loan deal with Juventus for their Croatian international defender Igor Tudo
• Coach Raymond Domenech has told fans to temper their euphoria about France's chances of qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup following the return of Zinedine Zidane
• Blackburn defender Lucas Neill will serve only a one-match ban following his sending-off against Tottenham on Wednesday
• Newcastle today warned Michael Owen time is running out for him to agree a move from Real Madrid
• UEFA president Lennart Johansson has expressed his alarm at bribery, match-fixing and money-laundering linked to football
• Jose Mourinho warned that Chelsea have been given a "dangerous" draw in the UEFA Champions League group stage. The Premiership champions were placed in the same group as European champions Liverpool along with Spanish side Real Betis and Anderlecht from Belgium
• Manchester United F.C. beat Hungarian champions Debrecen 3-0 in the Ferenc Puskas Stadium to cruise into the UEFA Champions League proper with a 6-0 aggregate win
• Tottenham, Charlton, Manchester United, and Chelsea lead the English Premier League early on with six points each
• Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has cast doubts over whether Steven Gerrard could play for England in their 2006 FIFA World Cup double-header with Wales and Northern Ireland next month
• Aston Villa should complete the £6 million signing of Liverpool striker Milan Baros Wednesday after the two clubs found common ground on a fee
• Portsmouth have completed the signing of Danish international defender Brian Priske from Belgian side Racing Genk, the Premiership club said on Monday
• Robinho celebrated his last home game for Santos by converting two penalties in a 4-3 Brazilian championship win over Figueirense on Sunday
• Chelsea F.C. defeated Arsenal 1-0 Sunday afternoon.
• Arsene Wenger has called on Ashley Cole's legal team to drop their intended appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport following the tapping-up case involving Chelsea F.C.
• Ruud van Nistelrooy's explosive start to the campaign continued with the only goal of the game at Aston Villa's expense to delight United's new owners at Old Trafford
• Edgar Davids put in a typically energetic performance on debut for Spurs to help his new side to a 2-0 win over Middlesbrough and a place at the top of the embryonic Premiership table
• Corinthians F.C. striker Carlos Tevez was given a three-match ban by Brazilian football's disciplinary tribunal on Friday for swearing at a referee who sent him off
• FC Barcelona are confident of adding the Supercopa de España (Spanish Super Cup) to last season's Primera Liga title when they host Real Betis at the Nou Camp this evening (20:00 GMT, holding a 3-0 advantage from the first leg
• Wigan Athletic F.C. boss Paul Jewell has launched a striker search following an injury scare to record signing Henri Camara
• Norwich have agreed to a £2 million fee with Birmingham for striker Clinton Morrison
• Corinthians fullback Edson was suspended for 120 days by a Brazilian disciplinary tribunal on Tuesday for punching an opponent in the neck
• Tottenham have sold striker Fredi Kanoute to Sevilla for £4.4 million
• England have announced that they intend to bid to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup
• Sven-Goran Eriksson took the rare step of confirming his intended England line-up for today's friendly against Denmark more than 24 hours before kick-off - with Jermain Defoe set to partner Wayne Rooney up front
• Shaun Wright-Phillips missed England's friendly in Denmark because of a knee injury
• Michael Essien has admitted his relief at finally being given the go-ahead to join Chelsea in a £24 million deal
• Newcastle midfielder Jermaine Jenas has had the red card he received at Arsenal on Sunday downgraded to a yellow after match referee Steve Bennett reviewed his controversial decision
• Argentine forward Carlos Tevez scored twice and set up the other three goals to inspire Brazilian championship leaders Corinthians to a 5-3 win over Ponte Preta in a top-of-the-table clash on Sunday
• The English Premier League began Saturday afternoon with games including Everton losing at home 2-0 against Manchester United, and UEFA Champions League winners Liverpool fighting to a 0-0 draw with Middlesbrough
• West Bromwich Albion have agreed to a £3 million deal with Wigan for striker Nathan Ellington
• Gordon Strachan has reiterated his desire to bring China captain Du Wei back to Celtic F.C.
• The English Premier League is set to begin with Everton F.C. opening at home against Manchester United F.C.
• Manchester United have confirmed influential midfielder Paul Scholes has signed a four-year extension to his current contract
• Aston Villa are stepping up their efforts to sign Liverpool striker Milan Baros
• Zinedine Zidane made his official return to international duty when he was included along with Lilian Thuram and Claude Makelele in the France squad to play Ivory Coast in a friendly next Wednesday
• São Caetano striker Claudecir netted a spectacular late bicycle kick and was promptly sent off for removing his shirt in his side's 3-2 victory over Atletico Paranaense in the Brazilian championship on Wednesday
• Leeds United F.C., Millwall and Leicester have been fined by the Football Association for their disciplinary records last season
• Liverpool F.C. defender Sami Hyypiä has agreed a new contract which will keep him at Anfield till 2008
• Former Argentina forward Jorge Burruchaga has taken over as coach of Estudiantes de La Plata, replacing Reinaldo Merlo who resigned on Monday
• Juventus defender Lilian Thuram confirmed he would make his international comeback in France's friendly against Ivory Coast in Montpellier on August 17
• Heart of Midlothian F.C. take an early lead in the Scottish Premier League
• Rio Ferdinand has ended his long-standing contract dispute by agreeing to a new four-year deal with Manchester United F.C.
• Jose Mourinho has dismissed claims by Arsene Wenger that Chelsea F.C. paid over for the odds for winger Shaun Wright-Phillips
• Real Madrid midfielder Luís Figo left the club's pre-season training camp in Austria on Thursday to sever his connection with the Spanish giants and sign for Serie A side Inter Milan

July

• Luís Figo threatens to leave Real Madrid if he does not receive more playing time
• The United States won the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup, beating Panama in the final on penalties in East Rutherford, New Jersey
• Real Madrid have reached a €24 million deal to sign striker Robinho from Brazilian club Santos Futebol Clube
• Liverpool F.C. have agreed terms with Southampton F.C. for the transfer of striker Peter Crouch for £7million
• Chelsea F.C. acquire Shaun Wright-Phillips from Manchester City F.C. for £21million
• Serie A Italian champions Juventus acquire Patrick Vieira for £13.7 million
• The 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup is taking place in the United States
• Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher sign new contracts with Liverpool F.C.
• Argentina defeated Nigeria 2-1 in the 2005 Football World Youth Championship final on Saturday
• Malcolm Glazer and his family require a police escort leaving Old Trafford in Manchester

June

• Brazil defeated Argentina 4-1 in the 2005 Confederations Cup final on Wednesday
• Brazil is to face Argentina in the Confederations Cup final on Wednesday after Argentina defeat Mexico 6-5 on penalties Sunday
• Brazil is to face either Mexico or Argentina in the Confederations Cup final on Wednesday
• The draw for the next UEFA Champions League is released by UEFA
• Darren Carter is transferred to West Bromwich Albion F.C. from Birmingham City
• Diego Maradona accepts an offer to take on director's role at Boca Juniors
• Germany wins the UEFA Women's Championship for the fourth time in a row, beating Norway 3-1 in the final
• Wayne Routledge is dealt to Tottenham Hotspur F.C. from Crystal Palace F.C.
• June 15 - June 29: The 2005 Confederations Cup takes place in Germany
• The line-up of the 2005/06 Champions League tournament is set as the last four titles to be decided in Europe was won this weekend, including, amongst others, Steaua Bucuresti and Brøndby
• Dutch footballer Robin van Persie (Arsenal F.C.) is arrested on suspicion of rape
• UEFA changes the rules allowing Liverpool F.C. to defend their Champions League title, even though they placed fifth in the FA Premier League
• Due to Malcolm Glazer's successful takeover bid of the FA Premier League's Manchester United F.C., ticket prices for that club are reportedly set to increase by 54 percent within the next 5 years
• 10 June-2 July: The Football World Youth Championship 2005 takes place in the Netherlands
• 5 June-19 June: The 2005 UEFA Women's Championship takes place in England