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.
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 – 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 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.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 26 – Non-European nations applying to host the 2018 soccer World Cup have reportedly been told by FIFA they should drop out and concentrate on the 2022 tournament.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 25 – David Ginola kicks off his new role as an ambassador for England’s 2018 World Cup bid by accompanying bid officials to the Caribbean football union Congress this weekend.
By David Owen
February 25 - The Japan 2018-2-22 World Cup bid has added three more players to its team of ambassadors.
By David Owen
February 24 – Jack Warner (pictured) has entered the debate about the wisdom of staging the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, telling insideworldfootball in an exclusive interview that it was “inconceivable” that South Africa could put on as financially successful a tournament as Germany.
By Duncan Mackay in Vancouver
February 23 – The Bundesliga, the world’s most popular football league, is to back Munich’s bid to host the 2018 Olympics and Paralympics, it was announced at a special ceremony here tonight.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 23 – Qatar may not be everyone’s cup of tea as far as hosting the World Cup in 2022 but they have shown once again that if prizes were awarded for stylish presentations as distinct from footballing pedigree, they would be handed the tournament on a plate.
