By Andrew Warshaw in Doha
November 15 – The head of Qatar’s 2022 World Cup bid has launched a passionate defence of his country’s campaign as the Gulf state readies itself for a verdict that could decide its fate two weeks before schedule.
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The FA have just written to FIFA to try and repair the damage caused by the Sunday Times and forthcoming BBC Panorama investigations into World Cup bidding. I’m sorry to say that I don’t think the letter will make an iota of difference, although I hope I’m wrong, because I would dearly love to see the World Cup come back to England.
But FIFA is desperate not to make a mistake in awarding the 2018 World Cup,
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November 15 – England 2018 have sent a letter to all FIFA Executive Committee members to try to repair the damage caused by two media investigations into World Cup bidding.
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Sir Alex Ferguson’s famous comment “football, bloody hell” made after Manchester United did the treble in 1999, could well apply to the World Cup bids. Had a script-writer presented this scenario, it would have been rejected out of hand.
The script has as a key player a man who scored the winning goal against England nearly 30 years ago, and has seen the English bid team effectively apologising for the UK media.
The key question is: can David Cameron do what Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær did for Manchester United in Barcelona and conjure up an England victory?
By Andrew Warshaw
November 14 – One of the two FIFA officials under investigation over World Cup bribery claims is taking legal action against the Sunday Times as he waits to be told whether he face further sanctions from the top table of world football.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 12 – The most powerful man in Asian football reacted furiously today at suggestions he had fuelled corruption allegations during a recent meeting of the FIFA executive committee.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 12 – Holland and Belgium’s joint 2018 World Cup bid rolled into France today and shook off the underdog status that has dogged them since the start of the campaign.
By David Owen
November 12 – A glittering array of VIPs is expected in Zurich next month for the climax of the high-stakes battles for the right to stage the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
November 12 -Budding young Australian footballers enjoyed a “video breakfast” with their heroes – Qantas Socceroo Mark Schwarzer in London and Westfield Matilda Melissa Barbieri in Melbourne.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 11 – Franz Beckenbauer is standing down as a member of FIFA’s Executive Committee, ruling him out of standing against Sepp Blatter for the Presidency next year.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 11 – FIFA President Sepp Blatter has called an unscheduled meeting of his Executive Committee for November 19, two days after a potentially landmark ruling over World Cup corruption allegations involving two high-ranking members and two bidding nations.
By David Owen
November 11 – Keenly-awaited reports on the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids are set to be dispatched to FIFA Executive Committee members tomorrow as the battle to host one of the world’s biggest sporting occasions heads for a dramatic denouement, insideworldfootball has learnt.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 10 – The contents of an infamous hand-written note could hold the key to Spain-Portugal and Qatar being exonerated of any World Cup bidding collusion next week.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 10 – The United States’ bid for the 2022 World Cup has received a jolt with the revelation that one of its own confederation members on FIFA”s Executive Committee may not vote for it.
November 9 – FIFA President Sepp Blatter today claimed that if Korea hosted the 2022 World Cup it had the potential to unite the divided northern and southern halves of the country.