By Andrew Warshaw
July 30 – Qatar’s 2022 World Cup bid team have categorically denied new revelations claiming they ran a covert campaign designed to sabotage rival bidders, specifically the United States and Australia.
By Paul Nicholson
July 20 – Overseas fans in Russia for the World Cup spent about €1.3 billion between June 14 and July 16, according to a report by Russia’s Sberbank.
By David Owen
July 20 – The chairman of FIFA’s medical committee has described medical provision during Russia 2018 as the best he has experienced in 10 World Cups.
July 17 – Croatia’s Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren has poured out his heart over their World Cup final defeat saying his side “played much better football” than France.
July 17 – Four members of the Russian punk activist group Pussy Riot have been jailed for 15 days for disrupting the World Cup final by running on to the pitch.
By Samindra Kunti in Moscow
July 16 – Qatar’s Deputy Secretary-General for Tournament Affairs Nasser Al Khater has repeated FIFA stance’s that the 2022 World Cup hosts will have the final decision-making power over the number of participants in four years time.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 16 – Long before the World Cup got under way, FIFA president Gianni Infantino was unequivocal. It was unthinkable, he said, for the destiny of the world’s greatest sporting occasion to be decided by a refereeing mistake.
By Samindra Kunti in Moscow
July 14 – Local organisers followed in the footsteps of FIFA president Gianni Infantino to heap praise on their own World Cup organisation and the results it has delivered. They said that the month-long event has changed Russia’s image and shown the true character of the nation – both to the football and the wider world.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 13 – After a tournament that has succeeded all expectations on and off the field, Gianni Infantino wasn’t going to waste the opportunity to heap praise on Russia’s World Cup organisers.
By Samindra Kunti in Moscow
July 13 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Friday repeated his position that the Qatar 2022 World Cup will be played in a 32-team format, but has left open the door for an expanded 48-team tournament in four years time. The North American 2026 World Cup is the first World Cup to have the confirmed participation of 48 teams.
July 13 – FIFA’s technical director Marco van Basten, arguably the greatest striker of his generation, has a word of advice for Neymar: cut down on the play-acting.
By David Owen
July 13- Twenty years and five days ago France and Croatia played out a cagey, tense, tetchy World Cup semi-final that France were expected to win, but ended up making mightily hard work of. A game of similar characteristics may be anticipated on Sunday, when the same two countries meet at the Luzhniki in the final of Russia 2018.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 12 – As an entire nation digests the disappointment of football not coming home after all, Croatia’s star player insists his side were underestimated and deserved to reach the World Cup final at England’s expense.
July 12 – Africa will never fulfil their potential on the World Cup stage unless they develop their youth properly and have strong enough characters on the field.
July 12 – While racism has been virtually non-existent at the World Cup, the anti-discrimination group advising FIFA says broadcasters have focussed too much on picking out attractive females and that there has been too much sexism generally in and around cities.