Global diary
A comprehensive record of recent events around the world
Wednesday July 5
SPAIN: Barcelona announce Lionel Messi will sign a four-year extension to his current contract, binding the 30-year-old to the club until 2021.
Thursday July 6
MALAWI: Eight people, including seven children, die in a stampede at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe as thousands try to find seats ahead of a friendly between Nyasa Big Bullets and Silver Strikers.
SERBIA: Vojvodina midfielder Nikola Trujic is attacked in the changing room by his own fans following his side’s 2-0 loss away to Ruzomberok of Slovakia in the Europa League.
ZANZIBAR: Four months after being accepted into CAF, Zanzibar’s membership is rescinded.
Friday July 7
BRAZIL: Sergio Serra quits as president of Brazilian second-tier side Paysandu after armed men threaten to kill him if the club are relegated to the third division.
Saturday July 8
ARGENTINA: Under the guidance of former Real Madrid defender Gabriel Heinze, Argentinos Juniors gain promotion back to the top flight with a 1-0 victory over Gimnasia Jujuy.
HOLLAND: Ajax’s pre-season friendly against Werder Bremen in Austria is abandoned when midfielder Abdelhak Nouri collapses and has to be taken to hospital by helicopter.
Sunday July 9
COSAFA CUP: Zimbabwe win the tournament for a fifth time, beating Zambia 3-1 in the Final.
EGYPT: Seats are ripped out and flares thrown onto the pitch as Zamalek draw 2-2 at home to Al Ahly Tripoli and are eliminated from the CAF Champions League at the group stage.
Monday July 10
ENGLAND: Manchester United sign Everton striker Romelu Lukaku for an initial £75m.
Tuesday July 11
GERMANY: USA under-20s keeper Jonathan Klinsmann, who is the son of former Germany striker Jurgen Klinsmann, signs a pro contract with Hertha Berlin following a successful trial. Real Madrid’s James Rodriguez joins Bayern Munich on a two-year loan deal.
Wednesday July 12
BRAZIL: Vasco da Gama are ordered to play their home games behind closed doors following disturbances at their ground after Saturday’s 1-0 loss to Flamengo in which a fan was shot dead.
FRANCE: Relegated from Ligue 1 last season, Bastia fail in their appeal against relegation to the third tier on financial grounds. AC Ajaccio remain in Ligue 2 after a successful appeal against demotion for similar reasons.
GERMANY: Bayern Munich cancel the contract of their Allianz Arena tenants 1860 Munich, who have slipped down the German league.
Thursday July 13
HOLLAND: Ajax says midfielder Abdelhak Nouri, who collapsed during a friendly on Saturday, suffered “serious and permanent brain damage” and his chances of recovery from the damage are nil.
Friday July 14
GOLD CUP: French Guiana, who drew 0-0 with Honduras on Tuesday, forfeit the game 3-0 after playing ex-France international Florent Malouda, who was ineligible.
RUSSIA: Spartak Moscow beat local rivals Lokomotiv by 2-1 in the Russian Super Cup.
Saturday July 15
EURO U19s: Lukas Nmecha scores the winning goal as England beat Portugal 2-1 in the Final.
SENEGAL: A wall collapses at the Stade Demba Diop in Dakar, killing eight people as fighting breaks out between rival fans at the end of the League Cup Final, in which Stade de Mbour beat US Ouakam 2-1.
Sunday July 16
RUSSIA: Zenit start their Premier League campaign with a 5,442mile trip to newly promoted SKA Khabarovsk, which they win 2-0. URUGUAY: Nacional beat Defensor
1-0 in the Torneo Intermedio Final.
Monday July 17
ENGLAND: Romelu Lukaku scores on his Manchester United debut as they beat Real Salt Lake 2-1 in a friendly in Utah.
ITALY: Roma’s Francesco Totti officially confirms his retirement as a player and announces he is to become a director of the club.
Tuesday July 18
SPAIN: Angel Maria Villar, president of the Spanish Football Federation and vice-president of FIFA and UEFA, is arrested as part of a corruption investigation.
Wednesday July 19
ALBANIA: Christian Panucci is appointed national coach. MACEDONIA: Vardar record their first European victory for 14 years, beating Malmo of Sweden 3-1 in the Champions League. SPAIN: Barcelona president Josep
Maria Bartomeu says Neymar will not be joining Paris Saint-Germain, despite reports they have triggered his € 222m release clause.
Thursday July 20
AFRICAN NATIONS CUP: CAF vote to move the tournament – which is held every two years – to June and July from January and February as of 2019, and expand the number of finalists to 24.
DJIBOUTI: Following Saturday’s 5-1 home loss to Ethiopia in the first leg of their African Nations Championship qualifier, the Djibouti Football Federation dissolves the national team in a bid to “stop poor results” and says the squad and coaching staff have been disbanded “to focus on youth football”.
TURKEY: Trailing 2-0 from the first leg in Sweden, Galatasaray exit the Europa League in the second qualifying round when they can only draw 1-1 at home to Ostersund.
USA: Seattle Sounders become the first MLS side to win after being 3-0 down, scoring four second-half goals to beat DC United 4-3.
Friday July 21
CROATIA: Hajduk Split are ordered to play the home leg of their Europa League qualifier against Brondby behind closed doors due to the “racist behaviour” of the club’s supporters and the throwing of objects against Levski Sofia in the previous round.
ENGLAND: Chelsea sign Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata for a club record £60m.
Saturday July 22
BELGIUM: Anderlecht beat ZulteWaregem 2-1 to win the Belgian Super Cup.
UKRAINE: Defending champions Shakhtar Donetsk lose 1-0 at home to Dynamo Kiev.
Sunday July 23
CHILE: Last year’s Chilean Cup winners Colo Colo beat Apertura champions Universidad Catolica 4-1 in the Super Cup.
GERMANY: Former Bayern Munich captain Philipp Lahm, who retired in May, is named German Footballer of the Year for 2017.
Monday July 24
ENGLAND: Benjamin Mendy joins Manchester City from Monaco for £52m and becomes the world’s most expensive defender.
Tuesday July 25
BRAZIL: Flamengo’s former Brazil
midfielder Ederson, 31, reveals he has testicular cancer and will undergo surgery.
GOLD CUP: Jordan Morris’ late goal gives USA a 2-1 win over Jamaica in the Final.
SPAIN: Angel Maria Villar’s threedecade reign as head of Spanish football ends as he is suspended for a year following his arrest on corruption charges.
TURKEY: Fatih Terim resigns as coach of the national side two weeks after he was involved in a brawl with a restaurant owner in the west-coast beach resort of Alacati.
SPAIN: Suspended Spanish Football Federation president Angel Maria Villar resigns from his roles as vice-president of UEFA and FIFA.
Saturday July 29
FRANCE: Dani Alves scores on his competitive debut for Paris SaintGermain as they beat Monaco 2-1 in the French Super Cup.
SOUTH AFRICA: Two people die in a crush as fans force their way into the 87,000-capacity FNB Stadium for the Soweto derby between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates.
Sunday July 30
ZAMBIA: Three late goals see Zambia win the COSAFA Under-17 title for the first time, beating hosts Mauritius 3-0 in the Final.
Monday July 31
ENGLAND: Manchester United’s Phil Jones is suspended for two games for verbally abusing an anti-doping officer at May’s Europa League Final, in which he was an unused sub in the 2-0 win over Ajax.
Tuesday August 1
SPAIN: An investigation into the alleged fixing of a 2011 Liga game that saw Real Zaragoza beat Levante 2-1 to avoid relegation, is dropped due to a lack of evidence.
Wednesday August 2
SCOTLAND: Hearts put under-20s coach Jon Daly in interim charge after sacking Ian Cathro four days before the start of the Premiership.
TURKEY: Mircea Lucescu replaces Fatih Terim as national coach.
Thursday August 3
FRANCE: Paris Saint-Germain pay a world-record transfer fee of € 222m to trigger Neymar’s release clause with Barcelona.