“It was desert in July 2003.”
The Aspire academy for sports excellence – along with the city-centre skyline – is perhaps the most dramatic illustration of the pace at which Doha is changing.
By David Owen
November 16 – A World Cup in the United States could attract a staggering five million live spectators, according to a top 2018/2022 US bid committee official.
By Duncan Mackay in Doha
November 15 – England’s bid to host the 2018 World Cup is doing as well as its rivals, Mohamed Bin Hammam (pictured), the President of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), said here today.
By Duncan Mackay in Doha
November 14 – England lost 1-0 to Brazil in the Khalifa Stadium here tonight but the real winner was Qatar’s bid to host the 2022 World Cup as fans from both sets of countries praised the organisation and atmosphere of the occasion.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 14 – FIFA vice-president Jack Warner (pictured), the man who undermined England’s 2018 World Cup bid, has launched another verbal broadside, this time taking Premier League clubs to task for refusing to release players for international duty and denouncing the Football Association for rejecting a request to play a friendly against his country.
By Duncan Mackay
November 14 – Jonathan Ford (pictured), a senior executive with Coca-Cola, has been offered the £100,000 a year job of chief executive of the Football Association of Wales (FAW).
By Duncan Mackay in Doha
November 13 – David Beckham (pictured) has been asked to rescue England’s faltering 2018 World Cup by travelling to Cape Town next month to try to influence the 24 men who will decide which country hosts the event.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 13 – Call it papering over the cracks, wielding the axe. Call it what you will. The one question that remains as baffling now as it did before, following the restructuring of England’s 2018 World Cup bid board, is this. Why on earth wasn’t Geoff Thompson (pictured) brought on board from the start?
By Duncan Mackay
November 12 – England has trimmed its bid team for the 2018 World Cup to replace some of the politicians and businessmen on the board with sporting figures but Lord Triesman (pictured) remains as chairman despite speculation he would stand down or be replaced.
November 11 – Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva today demanded an explanation for the blackout which left large parts of the country which is due to host the 2014 World Cup in darkness and chaos for more than five hours after the country’s worst power outrage in a decade.
By David Owen
November 11 – Whenever Michel Platini (pictured) turns to the issue of football club finances, England’s 2018/22 World Cup bid team must hold their collective breath.
By Tom Degun
November 10 – Luther Blissett (pictured), one of the black pioneers of English football, has said that Spain should not be debarred from hosting the 2018 or 2022 World Cup because of its recent history racist behaviour at major matches.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 10 – Former Russian captain Alexei Smertin (pictured), who spent three years at Chelsea, believes his country has a better case for staging the 2018 World Cup than England.
November 9 – Carlos Bilardo (pictured) is planning to launch a challenge to become President of the Argentine Football Association (AFA) when Julio Grondona steps down, he announced today
November 8 – David Beckham (pictured) earned £10.7 million from personal sponsorship deals during his first full season with the Los Angeles Galaxy.