By Andrew Warshaw
July 15 – One of the most embarrassing episodes hindering progress for the 2014 World Cup has moved a step closer to being resolved after Sao Paulo’s chances of hosting the opening game were given a major boost following the approval of a funding package for a new 65,000-seater stadium for local club Corinthians.
FIFA is facing its own News International moment with its corruption scandal. News International thought that by saying phone hacking was the work of one rogue reporter, Clive Goodman, the royal correspondent, and his confidant Glenn Mulcaire, it could isolate the problem. As the world now knows, it could not.
FIFA is in danger of making a similar mistake if it thinks the corruption scandal has been dealt with once the Ethics Committee finishes its work on July 23.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 14 – Spanish football officials are setting up a crack monitoring unit to make sure none of their clubs fall foul of UEFA’s financial fair play regulations.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 14 – Brazil’s 2014 World Cup preparations may be the subject of constant criticism but the five-time world champions are setting up a galaxy of stars for the preliminary draw on July 30.
By Emily Goddard
July 13 – Thomas Cook Sport will return as Arsenal FC’s official travel partner for the 2011/2012 football season, bringing an end to the club’s three-year deal with Thomson after just a season.
By David Gold
July 12 – The draw for the final third round of Asian qualifying for the London 2012 men’s Olympic football tournament was made today, with top seeds South Korea given the toughest task.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 12 – Jack Warner, the former FIFA vice-president who resigned in the wake of the sport’s worst ever bribery scandal, says he may return to football in the future to complete “unfinished business”.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 12 – The head of Qatar’s victorious bid to stage the 2022 World Cup insists the campaign was totally clean and suggests anti-Arab sentiment in part fuelled the string of allegations against the oil-rich Gulf state.
By David Gold
July 11 – Germany will not be in attendance at the London 2012 Olympic football tournament after the women’s World Cup favourites suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Japan in the quarter finals in Wolfsburg.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 11 – FIFA became the latest organisation today to confirm receipt of an official apology from the whistleblower who has retracted serious bribery allegations made against Qatar’s 2022 World Cup bid.
By David Gold
July 8 – Manchester City has announced a 10-year deal with Etihad Airways worth a potential £100 million, which involves renaming their stadium and shirt sponsorship, marking a significant step towards compliance with UEFA’s financial fair play rules, though the nature of the deal could attract attention from Europe’s governing body.
Football politics is a murky world at the best of times but the experience I have just encountered has made me question whether there are dark and evil forces at play.
The other day I received an email from my mobile phone supplier asking me whether I wanted to reset my password. What password? I’ve never had a password for my mobile phone. My gut instinct – and thank goodness I acted on it –
By Andrew Warshaw
July 10 – Qatar officials confirmed today that they had received an official apology from the so-called whistleblower who appears to have duped the world’s media and caused an international outcry over the credibility of the Gulf state’s 2022 World Cup campaign.
By David Gold
July 8 – FIFA has announced that two North Korean players have been suspended after failing drugs tests during the women’s World Cup.
By David Gold
July 8 – The future of Racing Club Strasbourg is in doubt still with a takeover bid from Sebastien Graeff running into a stumbling block as minority shareholder Dominique Pignatelli stalls on accepting the offer.