Iran and Iraq to meet in Olympic qualifier at London 2012
By David Gold
March 30 – Iraq and Iran will go head to head in the second round of the qualifiers for the London 2012 Olympic men’s football tournament after the draw was made today.
News
Beckenbauer calls for investment as 1860 Munich face bankruptcy
By David Gold
March 29 – Bayern Munich President Franz Beckenbauer has spoken of his hope that investment can be found to save the club’s city rivals 1860 from insolvency.
Bosnia facing international football ban
By David Gold
March 29 – Bosnia faces the prospect of being suspended from international football as they refuse to comply with FIFA and UEFA requests to cut the number of its Presidents from three to one.
Government cuts off funding to Indonesian Football Association amid election row
By David Gold
March 29 – Indonesia’s Football Assocation (PSSI) has provoked a row after a FIFA observer was reportedly prevented from attending its Congress as controversy grows over the legitimacy of its chairman.
FA chiefs call for financial controls in English football
By David Gold
March 29 – Football Association general secretary Alex Horne has said that English football has a decision to make about the state of the game’s finances, whilst chairman David Bernstein suggested that there may have to be measures designed to control the spiralling finances in the game.
Bin Hammam blames Blatter for FIFA unpopularity
By Andrew Warshaw
March 29 – The war of words between FIFA President Sepp Blatter and his main challenger Mohamed Bin Hammam has started with a vengeance ahead of the election, with the Qatari claiming Blatter is personally responsible for the unpopularity of the world governing body.
DiBenedetto nears Roma takeover to add to Liverpool and Boston Red Sox
By David Gold
March 28 – American businessman Thomas DiBenedetto, a partner in the group which owns both the Boston Red Sox and Premiership giants Liverpool, is in Italy leading a group aiming to buy 67 per cent of Serie A outfit Roma.
Warner set to play key role in FIFA election after being given free passage at CONCACAF
By Duncan Mackay
March 25 – Jack Warner, who is set to play a key role in shaping who leads FIFA, will be re-elected as CONCACAF President without a challenger in the North and Central American and Caribbean region.
Brazil Sports Minister hits back at Blatter criticism of 2014 progress
By David Gold
March 27 – Brazil’s Sports Minister Orlando Silva responded to FIFA President Sepp Blatter’s criticism of the country’s preparations for the 2014 World Cup by reassuring him that they were making good progress and that he was confident everything would be ready in time for the showpiece tournament.
Moggi jail sentence reduced by Rome court
By David Gold
March 27 – Rome’s Court of Appeal has reduced former Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi’s jail term to a year.
Indonesian football left in limbo after Congress cancelled
March 26 – Indonesia edged closer to facing FIFA sanctions when a scheduled assembly to organise the association’s first leadership election in four years descended into chaos and was cancelled.
“We need to make things simpler so we can be ready for 2014 and 2016” admits Brazilian Sports Minister
March 25 – Brazil Sports Minister Orlando Silva is seeking help from the country’s Congress to simplify bidding processes and speed-up work ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Olympics and Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Bulgaria and Romania announce plan for joint Euro 2020 bid
By David Gold
March 24 – Bulgaria and Romania have confirmed their intention to apply to jointly host the 2020 European Championships.
La Liga strike planned for start of April
By David Gold
March 24 – La Liga games on the weekend of April 2/3 could be postponed if the Spanish professional soccer league (LPF) fails to resolve its dispute with the Government over a ruling that a La Liga game per matchday must be shown on free to air television.
Exclusive: FIFA vice-president determined to find solution to Team GB London 2012 row
By Andrew Warshaw in Paris
March 23 – Britain’s new FIFA vice-president Jim Boyce says there is still time to persuade the four national Home Associations to provide players for a unified team at the 2012 London Olympics.