Inside World Football - Page 1837 of 2131 - For the Business of Football

Andrew Warshaw: Football wasn’t born in Qatar overnight just because of 2022

Andrew Warshaw_IWF

It is just over two years since that momentous December day when Qatar stunned the footballing world by winning the race to stage the 2022 World Cup by a landslide.

At virtually every turn since, Hassan Al-Thawadi and his campaign team have had to cope with negative reporting about the methods used by the tiny Gulf state to achieve one of the most jaw-dropping results in the history of sports event bidding.

But if you think Al-Thawadi – the razor sharp,

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FIFA extends Indonesia sanction deadline as festive gesture

Indonesia fans

By Andrew Warshaw

December 17 – FIFA has given Indonesia one final chance to put its house in order in what President Sepp Blatter described as a “Christmas gift”.

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Exclusive: Sport is within our DNA, insists Qatar 2022 chief

qatar world_cup_trophy

Andrew Warshaw in Doha

December 17 – Pinned to a wall in the engine room of Qatar’s 2022 World Cup headquarters in downtown Doha is a detailed planner outlining what is headed “Programme Wide Masterplan: Stage One Draft.”

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12 Bulgarian players arrested for match-fixing allegations

Chernomorets Burgas

By Andrew Warshaw

December 14 – Bulgarian police have detained 12 players and two alleged organisers in the first arrests of an ongoing investigation into match-fixing.

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Cyprus FA President to hold meeting to reunite divided island

Costakis Koutsokoumnis

By Andrew Warshaw

December 14 – A hugely symbolic development in relations between the football authorities on both sides of the political divide in Cyprus will take place in the New Year when the President of the Cyprus Football Association (CFA), Costakis Koutsokoumnis, holds a formal meeting with representatives on the Turkish-controlled north of the island.

Africa

FIFA close Mohamed Bin Hammam bribery case

Mohamed Bin_Hammam_AFC

By Andrew Warshaw

December 14 – The FIFA-appointed corruption buster looking into the conduct of Mohamed Bin Hammam, the man who tried to challenge Sepp Blatter for the FIFA Presidency, has admitted no new charges will be brought to support the claim that Bin Hammam bribed Caribbean officials during his doomed election campaign.

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Exclusive: “We have to keep our eyes on the ball, the minute we don’t, people will say we can’t deliver”, says Qatar 2022 chief

Hassan Al-Thawadi_Qatar_2022

By Andrew Warshaw in Doha

December 14 – It is just over two years since that momentous December day when Qatar stunned the footballing world by winning the race to stage the 2022 World Cup by a landslide.

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FA criticise UEFA’s Serbia racial abuse punishment

England Under_21_officials_and_Serbia_Under_21_officials

By Andrew Warshaw

December 14 – Despite UEFA President Michel Platini’s oft-quoted insistence that his organisation favoured a zero tolerance approach to racism, Serbian authorities were handed a series of less than drastic sanctions today in the wake of their fans’ behaviour at the now infamous under-21 fixture against England in October.

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TEAM sister agency extends EBU deal

December 13 – Highlight Event & Entertainment AG group of companies, which owns TEAM Marketing, the exclusive agency of the UEFA’s club competitions, has extended another major agreement, this time with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) through its Highlight Event subsidiary.

Africa

Exclusive: North African football emerges from the Arab Spring, badly bloodied but robust

Khaled Mortagy_a_board_director_of_Al-Ahly

December 13 – Speaking at the International Football Arena (IFA) conference in Japan, Khaled Mortagy, a board director of Egyptian champions Al-Ahly and the African qualifiers for the FIFA Club World Cup, gave a brutally honest presentation outlining the journey the game was taking away from the dark days of football corruption, Government interference and the scenes of shocking violence.

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I want to make a real contribution to football in Qatar, says Raúl

Raul 2

By Tom Degun

December 13 – Former Spain and Real Madrid striker Raúl says he wants to make a real contribution to football in Qatar ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which is why he chose to move to Doha-based club Al Sadd, who play in the Qatar Stars League.

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Exclusive: Valcke puts grassroots club football to the top of FIFA agenda

IFA Roundtable_Tokyo_2012

December 13 – Speaking at the International Football Arena (IFA) Roundtable in Tokyo, FIFA general secretary, Jerôme Valcke said that the future of football lies in the development of grassroots activities, “which must be dominated by a strong infrastructure that is centered around club football anywhere in the world.”

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Pelé unveiled as new P&G ambassador by tennis star Federer

Pele and_Federer

By Tom Degun

December 13 – Brazilian icon Pelé (pictured left), who is widely considered the greatest football player ever, has been unveiled as a new ambassador for P&G by no less than Switzerland’s Roger Federer (pictured right), arguably the greatest tennis player ever.

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UEFA calls for ban on third party player ownership

Gianni Infantino

By Andrew Warshaw

December 12 – European football’s governing body is clamping down hard on third party ownership – by which footballers are partly controlled by outside parties when it comes to access and transfer rights.

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Indonesian Government appoints football task force as FIFA ban looms

Indonesia

By Tom Degun

December 12 – The Indonesian Government has formed a football task force in a last-ditch attempt to avoid a FIFA suspension following a major row between two rival soccer factions in the country.