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By David Owen
April 15 - Guus Hiddink (pictured), the internationally renowned Dutch football manager, is to go to Korea at the end of this month as part of his efforts to help the Dutch/Belgian World Cup bid.
By David Owen in Istanbul
April 14 – Turkey may bid to stage the 2026 World Cup. Orhan Gorbon, manager of Turkey’s current bid for the 2016 European Football Championship, told insideworldfootball exclusively that a campaign for the 2026 tournament was part of a personal “10-year plan”.
April 14 – Global food supplier Seara, part of the Marfrig Group, has signed up as a sponsor of the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cup, it was announced today.
By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
April 12 – Belgium and the Netherlands campaign to host the 2018 or 2022 World Cup could be damaged if there is violence at the Dutch Cup Final between Ajax and Feyenoord later this month, the chairman of the joint bid fears.
April 11 – Football Federation Australia (FFA) chief executive Ben Buckley (pictured) has dismissed fears the current turmoil surrounding the A-League will damage the country’s bid to host the 2018 or 2022 World Cup.
April 9 – South Africa World Cup organisers say 500,000 tickets are unsold and fear “tragic” empty stadiums at the sport’s showcase event.
April 9 – North Korean’s best-known player, Jong Tae Se, has backed plans for matches to be held north of the 38th parallel if South Korea’s bid to host the 2022 World Cup is successful.
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April 9 – A branch of al-Qaida has threatened to target England’s match against the United States at this summer’s World Cup in South Africa.
April 8 – The World Cup final at Soccer City in Johannesburg will be among 25 matches at this year’s tournament broadcast in 3D, it was announced today.
April 7 – Australia will lose its bid to host the 2018 World Cup, but win 2022, according to John O’Neill (pictured), the man credited with modernising the sport in the country and giving it the platform to launch a campaign.
April 2 – Australia has reached agreement with the country’s rival football codes and every State Government to support its bid to host the 2018 or 2022 World Cup, Football Federation Australia chairman Frank Lowy (pictured) has claimed.
April 1 – Plymouth Argyle claim to have boosted their chances of securing the funding needed to turn Home Park into a 46,000-seater World Cup venue if England host the 2018 tournament after shareholders voted to sell the stadium to a newly-formed property company for £7.5 million.
March 31 – South Africa’s Arts and Culture Minister Lulu Xingwana (pictured) and World Cup chief executive Danny Jordaan will hold an urgent meeting tomorrow to discuss local musicians’ anger about why so few local artists will perform at the event.
By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
March 31 – Ian Riley (pictured), the technical director of England’s bid to host the 2018 World Cup, has laid out what they need to do for its campaign to be successful ahead of other rivals like Russia and Australia.
March 31 - South Korea has revealed more details of its proposal to host matches in North Korea if its bid to host the 2022 World Cup is successful - a plan first revealed on insideworldfootball last December.