By David Gold at Russia.Park in Kensington Gardens
July 27 – Vitaly Mutko, the Russian Sports Minister, has ruled himself out of contention to become the new President of the Russian Football Union (RFU).
By David Gold
July 27 – ESPN has made further inroads into the European football market after signing deals to broadcast Dutch, French, German, Italian and Russian top flight football.
When Ryan Giggs (pictured below) led the Great Britain team out against Senegal at Old Trafford yesterday, it was their first competitive Olympic match for 41 years.
In those days, the game in England was still divided between professionals and amateurs and Great Britain were drawn to play Bulgaria in their quest to reach the Olympic Games in Munich.
Charles Hughes, a coach at the Football Association (FA) and the manager of the England amateur team was put in charge.
By David Gold
July 27 – UEFA has cracked down on third party ownership after a successful campaign by the English Premier League and Ligue 1, the French Premier League.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 27 – British Olympic Association (BOA) chairman Colin Moynihan has played down suggestions by FIFA President Sepp Blatter that Tottenham Hotspur’s Gareth Bale could be banned for pulling out of the Olympics if there was an official complaint that he did so under false pretences.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 26 – Former England manager Fabio Capello as expected was named as Russia’s new head coach today on a two-year deal aimed qualifying for the Brazil 2014 World Cup finals – four years before the Russians host the event.
By Andrew Warshaw at Old Trafford in Manchester
July 26 – On the eve of the London 2012 Opening Ceremony and more than half a century after their last appearance at the Olympic football tournament, Britain’s men came within nine agonising minutes of pulling off an historic victory tonight but ultimately ran out of steam as party-poopers Senegal ruined Ryan Giggs’ special night.
By David Gold
July 26 – Japan caused the first major shock of the men’s Olympic football tournament as they stunned world and European champions Spain with a 1-0 victory at Hampden Park in Glasgow.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 26 – FIFA’s new independent investigator has wasted no time to make his first move, suspending Mohamed Bin Hammam for 90 days little more than a week after the former Asian powerbroker had his life ban for bribery lifted by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
By Andrew Warshaw at Old Trafford in Manchester
July 26 – It may not be have been as humiliating a gaffe as the North Korea flag incident at Hampden Park in Glasgow 24 hours earlier, but organisers of the Olympic football tournament had more red faces today when the official programme for Team GB listed Welsh midfielder Joe Allen as being English.
The Olympic men’s football tournament gets underway today, and although 16 teams start with hopes of success there are three countries that stand head and shoulders above the rest.
Brazil, Spain and Uruguay could well be the teams taking away gold, silver and bronze this summer, although in which order is harder to predict. But it is difficult to see beyond them when it comes to anticipating the next two weeks.
For Brazil,
By Andrew Warshaw
July 26 – FIFA President Sepp Blatter says Gareth Bale (pictured) could be banned from playing any further friendly matches for his club, Tottenham Hotspur, for the duration of the Olympic Games.
By David Gold
July 25 – The reigning Olympic champions, the United States, were given an almighty scare by France in their opening match of defending their women’s football title, but eventually came through to register a 4-2 win at Hampden Park in Glasgow.
By David Gold
July 25 – The opening day of sport at London 2012 has sparked a row with North Korea after the South Korean flag was mistakenly displayed prior to their women’s football opener against Colombia at Hampden Park in Glasgow.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 25 – Global attention may be focussed on Friday’s Olympic Opening Ceremony but the first competitive action of London 2012 got under way today – not in the capital but at Cardiff ‘s Millennium stadium 150 miles away.