By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
July 22 – Bristol’s future as a potential host city for the 2018 World Cup if England are awarded the tournament is in severe doubt after local councillors rejected plans to build a Sainsbury’s superstore at Ashton Gate.
July 22 – A FIFA delegation has arrived in South Korea on the second leg of its tour to inspect bidders to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
July 22 – Brazil’s biggest city Sao Paulo is facing the prospect of missing out of hosting matches during the 2014 World Cup after officials failed to come up with a solution to finding a suitable stadium.
July 22 – FIFA’s team of inspectors today praised Japan’s 2022 World Cup bid for its balance between old and new, environmental awareness and a high-tech approach, including a plan for 3-D match telecasts.
By Mike Rowbottom
July 21 – A report from a leading sports economist warning that bidding for another World Cup would be a costly mistake for the United States has generated fierce debate.
By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
July 21 – Danny Jordaan will join up with the FIFA team of inspectors evaluating the bidders for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup in Australia, he has revealed today.
By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
July 21 – Spain’s World Cup victory has given a massive lift to the country’s joint bid with Portugal to host the 2018 tournament, Sports Minister Jaime Lissavetzky has claimed.
July 21 – Durban officials have claimed that they are working on plans to ensure that the Moses Mabhida Stadium has a sustainable future now that the World Cup is over.
By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
July 19 – FIFA’s team of inspectors arrived in Japan today to begin evaluating the candidates for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup but were unexpectedly missing Danny Jordaan, the chief executive of South Africa 2010, who had been expected to be part of the delegation.
By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
July 19 – Mohamed Bin Hammam, the President of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), will told talks with Chinese Vice-Sports Minister Cui Dalin in Beijing tomorrow with the prospect of a bid from China for the 2026 World Cup set to be top of the agenda.
By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
July 19 – A team of FIFA inspectors will today begin its marathon global trip of assessing the nine candidates bidding to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups when it lands in Japan.
By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
July 16 – Chelsea chairman Roman Abramovich has stepped in to pay the remaining 95 million rubles (£2 million/$3 million) salary of former Russian coach Guus Hiddink to avoid a damaging legal action which could have overshadowed the country’s bid to host the 2018 World Cup.
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July 15 – A new independent chairman will not be appointed by the Football Association until after the bid process for the 2018 World Cup in December is finished, the Executive Board decided today.
July 16 – Members of the Dutch Lower House are demanding to know precisely what it will mean for the country if the Netherlands and Belgium host the World Cup in 2018.
By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
July 16 – A potentially damaging new development for the four countries from Asia bidding for the 2022 World Cup has emerged after China announced today that they want to host the 2026 tournament.