Exclusive: FA chair timetable slipping
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By David Owen
December 15 – The timetable for appointing a new Chairman of the English Football Association appears likely to slip, insideworldfootball has learnt.
Exclusive: London rivals’ fight over Olympic stadium “should be decided by end of March”
By Andrew Warshaw in London
December 15 – The battle over the future of the Olympic Stadium post-2012 looks set to be decided by the end of March next year.
Exclusive: Me? FA chairman? I haven’t got time, says Mills
By Andrew Warshaw
December 14 – London 2012 deputy chairman Sir Keith Mills today ruled out any chance of becoming the new chairman of the English Football Association as the hunt continues to find a permanent replacement for Lord Triesman who resigned earlier this year after being caught up in a newspaper sting.
Olympic champions lead opposition to Tottenham London 2012 Stadium plan
December 14 – Olympic champions Dame Kelly Holmes, Daley Thompson and Sally Gunnell are among a host of former British athletes who have made a passionate plea in an open letter for the Olympic Stadium to retain an athletics track after the 2012 Games.
David Owen: “Going it alone” could mean the end of England national team
The World Cup is gone. English football now needs some clear thinking about its future relations with the international game.
The disappointment of the Zurich vote that saw the 2018 World Cup awarded instead to Russia brought with it talk of breaking away from FIFA.
Such thoughts, moreover, were not confined to those whom one might easily write off as “extremists” in this context.
Violent clashes involving Spartak Moscow fans leaves one dead
By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
December 11 – Sergei Fursenko, the President of the Russian Football Union (RFU), has claimed that nationalist organisations were behind violent clashes involving Spartak Moscow fans that today claimed the life of one fan and left another 29 injured.
Platini claims victories of Russia and Qatar “beautiful”
By Andrew Warshaw
December 10 – UEFA President Michel Platini says there was nothing wrong with last week’s controversial World Cup ballots which, he said, reflected a clear philosophy to take the tournament to new destinations.
Ex-Qatar confederation chief warns of European boycott over heat
By Andrew Warshaw
December 9 – Qatar’s insistence that hosting the 2022 World Cup in the heat of mid-summer would be negated by their revolutionary cooling plans has been questioned by the former head of their own confederation.
Thompson breaks silence over England World Cup humiliation
By Andrew Warshaw
December 8 – England’s beleaguered 2018 World Cup bid chairman Geoff Thompson (pictured) has broken his silence on his country’s two-vote humiliation by adding his voice to those who believe FIFA should have given clearer guidelines to bidding nations.
Football consultants acquire controlling stake in Grass Roots Football LIVE
December 8 – A group of leading international football consultants has acquired Grass Roots Football LIVE, Britain’s premier event of its type held annually at the NEC in Birmingham.
Jack Warner slams Cup winners for being greedy
By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
December 8 – Jack Warner, the President of CONCACAF, has hit out at Jamaica’s national team for a series of cash demands they made during their successful defence of the Digicel Caribbean Cup.
Mihir Bose: England will be making an historic mistake if it takes its ball home
So FIFA is corrupt, full of Executive members who look you in the eye and lie, and England is taking its ball home.
Should such a statement be put to the British public today, I am quite certain it would receive unanimous support. Even before the Zurich debacle, FIFA, and in particular President Sepp Blatter, would have struggled to win a popularity contest in the mother land of football. But I have rarely seen a country and its media so united in its condemnation of the organisation.
Chechnya launches appeal to host 2018 World Cup matches
December 7 – Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov has claimed that he hopes the Republic’s capital Grozny will be chosen to host a match when Russia stages the World Cup in 2018.
Exclusive: Ethics member warns FIFA “in big trouble” over “lunacy” of Qatar decision
By Andrew Warshaw
December 7 – A member of FIFA’s own Ethics Committee has sensationally questioned Qatar being awarded the 2022 World Cup as suspicions continue to plague the tiny Middle East state’s credentials.
FIFA allegations force Switzerland to confront corruption fears
By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
December 7 – Switzerland is concerned about the number of sports federations based there who have been accused of corruption, the country’s Sports Minister Ueli Maurer admitted today.