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Football is a remarkably conservative sport when it comes to changing the rules.
Normally, I’m all in favour of a cautious approach to this fundamental matter; it tends to be a sign of a sport in good health.
July 15 – Cricket South Africa said it expects to lure the largest crowd to a cricket match in the country by hosting a 20-20 match between India and South Africa at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, which was built specially for the World Cup.
July 14 – Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (pictured centre) has hit out at critics of the country’s preparations for the 2014 World Cup after it was claimed that they were already facing facing serious delays.
Superficially, the 2010 World Cup final was contested by two football teams.
But at a deeper level, it was a struggle between and octopus and a parakeet. Or rather, it was an octopus and a Malaysian parakeet against a Singapore parakeet.
By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
July 13 – South Africa will bid to host the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics after the outstanding success of the FIFA World Cup, they announced today.
July 13 – Wimbledon champion Rafael Nadal has become a shareholder in Real Mallorca in an attempt to help out the cash-strapped club.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 12 – FIFA President Sepp Blatter got at close as he possibly could today to laying the blame for Sunday’s fiery World Cup final directly at the feet of the vanquished Dutch.
By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
July 12 – Simon Freedman (pictured) has become the latest senior executive to leave the Football Association, quitting his role as head of marketing.
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July 12 – Ukraine is to launch a major advertising campaign later this year to promote its hosting of Euro 2012, the country’s Deputy Prime Minister Borys Kolesnikov has announced.
By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
July 12 – A new study released today claims that if Australia is chosen to host the 2022 World Cup it will be worth $35.5 billion (£20.6 billion) for the country’s economy – more than four times the amount generated by the Sydney Olympics.
July 12 – Boutros Boutros (pictured left), the senior vice-president of corporate communications at airline Emirates, is the latest speaker to commit themselves to Leaders in Sponsorship, the world’s most exclusive sport sponsorship taking place at Chelsea on October 6.
By Andrew Warshaw
July 10 – Keisuke Honda, Japan’s outstsanding player at the World Cup, is the latest signing by the country’s bid team seeking to win the right to host the 2022 finals.
So Spain versus the Netherlands it is.
And an obvious question presents itself for students of the race to host the 2018 World Cup: Is this an omen for the vote in December?
July 9 – Supermarket giant Sainsbury’s has revised plans for a flagship store it wants to build at Ashton Gate which holds the key as to whether Bristol will be able to build the new stadium it needs to if it wants to hold World Cup matches if England’s bid to host 2018 is successful.
By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
July 8 – Danny Jordaan (pictured), the organiser of South Africa 2010, will not have any opportunity to rest after the end of the tournament as he will be jetting off a 11 nations tour as part of the FIFA inspection team who will evaluate the nine bidders to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cup.