April 29- The Caribbean is one seriously beautiful region in this world.Plush rain forests, beautiful beaches, sunshine all year round – and dirty little tax secrets amid the pebbled and/or sandy beaches.Much of the Caribbean was her Majesty’s property for hundreds of years.
By Paul Nicholson
April 29 – With CONCACAF and South American confederation CONMEBOL readying for their Miami press conference, CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb has hinted that changes to the accepted structures of the regional competitions could be considered in the future.
By Paul Nicholson
April 29 – History will be made in the Caribbean next month when the first Caribbean Football Union (CFU) senior women’s tournament will be held. Winners of the inaugural CFU Women’s Caribbean Cup will qualify for both the CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup and the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
April 17 – The MLS has added a 22nd franchise in Atlanta. The team will play its first season in 2017 in a 29,000 capacity stadium it will share with NFL team the Atlanta Falcons, Both franchises are owned by Arthur Blank.
April 17 – David Beckham’s dreams of starting a new football franchise in the United States have suffered their first wobble.
April 18 – The dispute over the ownership of the Trinidad centre of excellence currently held by former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner has become a point of political contention in Trinidad government politics with Warner saying the issue is being driven on to the political agenda by Trinidad’s Attorney General.
By Paul Nicholson
April 15 – CONCACAF’s Club Licensing Department has published its first Case Study to showcase and promote best practice in the region. The study looks at the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) which is about to start its second season.
By Paul Nicholson
April 11 – Antiguan clubs are rebelling against their federation, the Antiguan and Barbuda Football Association (ABFA), and calling for FIFA or CONCACAF to step in and take control. They want the ABFA audited and full financial transparency by an independent body.
By Paul Nicholson
April 10 – It has emerged that the Paynters St Georges football ground that is home to the Antigua and Barbuda Football Association (ABFA) has been mortgaged for EC$3 million ($1.1 million) at the Antigua Commercial Bank, where ABFA general secretary and Caribbean Football Union (CFU) president Gordon Derrick is vice chairman.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 7 – After just 15 months in the job, Tom Sermanni has been sacked as coach of the United States’ women’s team just a year ahead of the World Cup finals in Canada.
April 7 – CONCACAF is holding its first ever Beach Soccer coaching course starting this week in Fort Lauderdale, Miami. The course is the next extension of the confederation’s development programme led by CONCACAF’s director of development Hugo Salcedo.
April 7 – CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb hosted UEFA president Michel Platini in the Cayman Islands this weekend. The two confederation chiefs signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) “for mutual co-operation towards the development of the game”.
By Paul Nicholson
April 4 – The final of FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica takes place tonight with Japan and Spain competing for the top honour. Italy and Venezuela will face off for the bronze medal.
By Paul Nicholson
April 3 – In global politics it is normally the all-powerful US that has the ‘Big Brother is watching you’ reputation. But in football it is different. Mexico’s Deportivo Toluca has been handed a $5,000 fine by CONCACAF’s disciplinary committee for spying on a San Jose Earthquakes training session.
By Mark Baber
March 26 – Major League Soccer (MLS) has announced a multi-year partnership deal with Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, with Etihad becoming the official airline partner of MLS in the United States.