Another pair of offense-shy matches took place on MON 26 JUN 2006. more...

Sepp BLATTER's nightmares came true on FRI 23 JUN 2006, as the referees became the stars of the show. more...

The form book held up again as European favourites won on MON 19 JUN 2006. more...

All three matches involved a late goal – some more important than others – on WED 14 JUN 2006. more...

The final draw for the 2006 Men's World Cup paired up several well known opponents, starting in Group B, where for the second straight World Cup, England will face Sweden in the first round. In Group G, qualifying rivals France and Switzerland, who battled in UEFA Group 4, meet again. Brazil, Australia, and Japan, who regularly meet at Confederations Cup tournaments, are together again in Group F. But the consensus Group of Death is likely to be Group C, made up of Argentina, Côte d’Ivoire, Serbia-Montenegro, and the Netherlands. The tournament's opening match will be Germany-Costa Rica, FRI 09 JUN 2006 in München. more...

A quick summary of action around the UEFA group phase on WED 07 SEP 2005. more...

The first UEFA place at Germany 2006 was claimed in the UEFA group phase on SAT 03 SEP 2005. more...

A quick summary of action around the UEFA group phase on WED 08 JUN 2005. more...

On FRI 29 APR 2005, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee handed down punishments for crowd trouble at 2006 Men's World Cup qualifiers in MAR 2005. Korea DPR must play at a neutral venue, with doors closed, against Japan on WED 08 JUN 2005 after unrest at AFC group B matches against Bahrain and Iran. Iran, in turn, must play Korea DPR on FRI 03 JUN 2005 with no more than 50,000 spectators in attendance. Six were killed in a crush at the exits at Iran's match against Japan on FRI 25 MAR 2005. Georgia, whose fans threw objects onto the field at UEFA Group 2 matches against Greece and Turkey, are to face the Ukraine on SAT 03 SEP 2005 and Kazakhstan on SAT 08 OCT 2005 behind closed doors. In addition, Korea DPR were fined 20,000 Swiss francs [US$16,700], Iran CHF30,000 [US$25,100], and Georgia CHF5,000 [US$4,200]. All of these decisions can be appealed.

A quick summary of action around the UEFA group phase on WED 30 MAR 2005. more...

On WED 09 MAR 2005, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee decided to punish Albania and Costa Rica with closed door bans after crowd trouble at recent Men's World Cup qualifiers. Albania's UEFA Group 2 match against the Ukraine on WED 09 FEB 2005 was marred by objects thrown from the stand and a pitch invasion after the final whistle. Because Albania had already been fined and warned for a previous incident, it was fined 40,000 Swiss francs [US$34,500] and ordered to play the next two home matches [against Georgia on SAT 04 JUN 2005 and Kazakhstan on SAT 03 SEP 2005] behind closed doors. Missiles were also thrown at the CONCACAF final round match between Costa Rica and Mexico on the same day, requiring a police escort as the Mexican squad left the pitch. Costa Rica's fine is 20,000 Swiss francs [US$17,000], with the home match against Panama on SAT 26 MAR 2005 also to be played behind closed doors. Both nations can appeal the decisions.

A quick summary of action around the UEFA group phase on WED 09 FEB 2005. more...

Brazil's RONALDINHO tallied 620 points, including 89 out of 302 first place votes, to earn FIFA's World Player of the Year award for 2004. The Barcelona midfielder/forward is the fourth Brazilian to win the title, following ROMÁRIO [1994], RONALDO [1996-7, 2002], and RIVALDO [1999]. France's Thierry HENRY finished second, followed by the Ukraine's Andriy SHEVCHENKO. On the women's side, Birgit PRINZ of Germany won for the second straight year, edging Mia HAMM of the United States and MARTA of Brazil.

Andriy SHEVCHENKO, Ukraine forward, was honoured as the 2004 European Footballer of the Year. His 175 votes led the voting, conducted by France Football magazine, and his 24 goals for AC Milan in the 2003-4 season led Italy's Serie A. Shevchenko is the first to take the Ballon d'Or to the Ukraine since its 1991 independence. DECO of Portugal and his Barcelona teammate, Brazil's RONALDINHO, were second and third respectively in the voting.

A quick summary of action around the UEFA group phase on WED 17 NOV 2004. more...

A quick summary of action around the UEFA group phase on WED 13 OCT 2004. more...