By David Owen
November 24 – The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) has called a meeting of its Executive Committee on Saturday (November 27), amid growing expectations that moves may be made to ensure the region retains a say in where the 2018 and 2022 World Cups are played.
By Duncan Mackay in Rio de Janeiro
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
November 23 – Russia’s Government are making final plans for Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to travel to Zurich next week to support the country’s bid to host the 2018 World Cup – putting an end to doubts over whether he would make the trip.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 23 – The head of Spain/Portugal’s World Cup 2018 bid says he is confident of getting at least eight votes when the ballot takes place next week for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.
November 23 – F1 racing legend Frank Williams has accelerated the development of his interests in Qatar by giving his support to the country’s bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 22 – Jack Warner, FIFA’s longest serving vice-president, has described as “stupid” a forthcoming BBC investigation into World Cup bidding.
By Duncan Mackay in Rio de Janeiro
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
November 22 – Ruud Gullit has claimed that Holland and Belgium’s joint campaign to host the 2018 World Cup still has a chance of winning next week despite being the lowest ranked of the four European bidders.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 22 – The growing animosity between Qatar and the United States over which of the two should host the 2022 World Cup intensified today within the inner sanctum of FIFA.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 21 – The United States is pulling out all the stops in an effort to prevent its 2022 World Cup bid being derailed by FIFA’s suggestion that there are insufficient financial guarantees to support the campaign.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 19 – FIFA president Sepp Blatter admitted today his organisation was split over the severity of the penalties meted out to six officials caught up in the World Cup bidding scandal.
By Andrew Warshaw in Doha
November 18 – The head of Qatar’s 2022 World Cup bid team today welcomed FIFA”s decision to clear them of any vote-trading collusion saying he always knew they had done nothing wrong.
By Duncan Mackay in Zurich
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
November 18 – British Prime Minister David Cameron has invited FIFA vice-president Jack Warner to lunch in Zurich next week as lobbying for the 2018 World Cup intensifies, it has been reported.
By Duncan Mackay in Zurich
November 18 – Two members of FIFA’s ruling Executive Committee accused of corruption were today prevented from voting in the decision to award the World Cup in 2018 and 2022 after they were banned for three and one years respectively by the organisation’s Ethics Committee.
By Tom Degun in London
November 17 – Andy Anson, the chief executive of the England 2018 World Cup bid, has hit out at the BBC accusing them of being “unpatriotic” in their plans to screen a Panorama documentary regarding allegations of FIFA corruption.
By Andrew Warshaw in Doha
November 17 – The most powerful man in Asian football insisted today that Qatar was still on track to host the World Cup despite an unfavourable assessment by FIFA but stressed the world governing body should “never again” vote on back to back tournaments at the same time.
By David Owen
November 16 – Qatar’s ambitious bid to bring the World Cup to the Middle East has been dealt a blow by FIFA inspectors, who have branded plans to play the competition there in June and July as “a potential health risk”.