April 18 – New Zealand captain Ryan Nelsen (pictured) has today called for the country to follow neighbours Australia and leave Oceania to join the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to give it a better chance of qualifying for the World Cup. and help raise standards.
April 2 – The future of former England and Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler (pictured) is in doubt after Football Federation Australia (FFA) rescued financially-stricken A-League club North Queensland Fury.
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December 18 – New Zealand’s Wellington Phoenix could be facing extinction in 2012 after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) demanded they be axed from the A-League.
September 29 – Bryan Robson, the former England and Manchester United captain, has set his sights on leading Thailand’s team to the London 2012 Olympics after being appointed as the country’s new manager.
September 29 – FIFA officials will meet in Rio de Janeiro today to discuss possible changes on the age limit for players at the men’s Olympic football tournament at London 2012, the final of which is due to be held at Wembley.
August 31 - Bone tests will be performed on soccer players at the Under-17 World Cup in Nigeria to catch teams with over-age players, FIFA confirmed today, as first reported on insidethegames.
AUGUST 4 – FIFA PRESIDENT Sepp Blatter (pictured) today announced he planned to launch a review into the Olympic 2012 football tournament as he again urged Britain to field a team of Englishman in the event to avoid the fear of the Home Countries losing their independence.
June 13 – The Olympic football tournament at London 2012 seems set to retain its current format, leaving the door open for players like Wayne Rooney (pictured) to represent Britain.
FEBRUARY 1 – FIFA PRESIDENT Sepp Blatter (pictured) wants to lower the age limit for the Olympic soccer tournament and ban the addition of three over-23 players, he said today.
WOMEN’S football has benefitted at the expense of hockey, basketball and badminton as New Zealand today began distributing funds in the build-up to London 2012.
FIFA today agreed to adopt the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) revised drug testing code, thus avoiding another potential row over football’s future in the Olympics.
MAY 11 – FOOTBALL has been warned again that it faces being dropped from the 2012 London Olympics unless it agrees to implement a worldwide code on doping that has been ratified by nearly every other major sport and Government.