By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
March 18 – Vladimir Putin (pictured) is being urged to reprise his successful role in bringing the 2014 Olympics to Sochi and personally lead Russia’s bid to host the 2018 or 2022 World Cup in December.
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March 18 – Gordon Smith, the chief executive of the Scottish Football Association (SFA), is to warn the British Government that if they force them to sell their international matches to a free-to-air television channel then it will cost them nearly £30 million in lost revenue.
March 18 – Indonesia’s top football administrator, Nurdin Halid (pictured), is to be asked to explain to the country’s lawmkers how the country can be more successful on the international stage.
March 17 – Belgium’s King and Prime Minister have rolled out the red-carpet for Mohamed Bin Hammam, the President of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), to try to help the campaign for the country’s joint World Cup bid with the Netherlands.
March 17 – Portsmouth’s former chief executive Peter Storrie (pictured) must take some of the blame for the crisis the Premier League club finds itself in after its nine-point deduction for going into administration was confirmed today, it was claimed.
By David Owen
March 17 - Sebastian Coe (pictured) has been replaced as chairman of FIFA’s Ethics Committee.
March 17 – Virgin Atlantic has been named as the official airline of England’s World Cup team in a deal that is a massive snub to British Airways, who had performed the role for the last three tournaments.
March 14 – David Beckham is set to be able to spend more time promoting England’s bid to host the 2018 World Cup after suffering a serious injury that will keep him out of this year’s tournament in South Africa.
March 14 – Liverpool are in talks with a private-equity firm, the Rhone Group, over a £118.5 million deal to buy a controlling share of the club and halve their debts.
March 12 – The Football League have appointed Greg Clarke (pictured), the former chief executive of Cable and Wireless Communications, to be their new chairman.
March 13 – Togo goalkeeper Kodjovi Obilale (pictured) fears he will never play again and is planning to sue the Confederation of African Football (CAF), he has announced.
March 12 – Bristol City’s hopes of being able to build a new £92 million stadium in time for the World Cup in 2018 if England’s bid to host the tournament is successful has moved an important step closer.
By Andrew Warshaw in Zurich
March 5 – Giving the fourth official a greater say in decision-making and another attempt to introduce goalline technology are the main items on the agenda at Saturday’s annual meeting of the International FA Board, the game’s rule-makers comprising FIFA and the four British Home Associations.
By Andrew Warshaw in Zurich
March 5 – Interpol will mount its biggest ever joint intelligence gathering operation for a sports event at this summer’s World Cup, the organisation’s security chief said today.
