By David Gold
May 16 – The Institute of Economics and Transport Development in Russia has prepared a draft plan for the development of a rail network to transport fans and players across the country during the 2018 World Cup.
By David Gold
May 16 – Djoko Driyono, the acting secretary general of the Indonesian Soccer Association (PSSI) has confirmed that their congress was being held to avoid further censure from FIFA.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 16 – West Ham United insisted today that they still plan to move into the Olympic Stadium after London 2012 despite being relegated from the Premier League.
By David Gold
May 16 – More than 120 Spartak Moscow supporters were arrested after a riot during their match against Krylia Sovetov Samara in the Russian Premier League.
By Duncan Mackay
May 16 – Another British MP has come forward to claim that Paraguay’s Nicolas Leoz (pictured) asked for a knighthood in return for voting for England to host the 2018 World Cup.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 16 – Mohamed Bin Hammam today hit back at Sepp Blatter’s assertion that a vote for the Qatari challenger at next month’s FIFA Presidential election would result in the organisation “disappearing into a black hole”.
Andrew Warshaw
May 16 – FIFA’s Thai executive committee member Worawi Makudi publicly confirmed today that he plans to file charges against former English Football Association chairman Lord Triesman for making bribery accusations against him over England’s 2018 World Cup bid.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 16 – English FA chairman David Bernstein has admitted that the latest corruption claims against FIFA Executive Committee members may be impossible to prove.
Former Football Association chairman Lord Triesman’s allegations last week to a UK Parliamentary Committee concerning four FIFA Executive Committee members certainly caught the eye of the media.
And they have already resulted in one of the four – Worawi Makudi of Thailand – claiming he is planning to sue the former UK Foreign Office minister, who also headed England’s unsuccessful bid for the 2018 World Cup until forced to resign a year ago.
By David Gold
May 15 – FIFA President Sepp Blatter and his UEFA counterpart Michel Platini have opened a “House of Football” in Serbia, consisting of six fields, a hotel, several gyms and training grounds.
By David Gold
May 15 – Scottish Premier League outfit Heart of Midlothian has agreed a shirt sponsorship deal with Wonga.com, the online short term loans company, replacing Ukio Bankas from the start of next season.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 15 – One of the British MPs who exposed football’s latest corruption scandal has urged FIFA to stage a re-vote if it is proved that 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar bribed two senior officials.
By Duncan Mackay
May 14 – Worawi Makudi, one of the FIFA Executive Committee members who allegedly asked for favours to vote for England to host the World Cup in 2018, claimed today he is planning to sue Lord Triesman, the former leader of the bid.
“Congrats to Mark van Bommel for being first player to win league titles in four different countries (PSV, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and AC Milan).”
When I read this on Twitter on Sunday morning, I nearly went straight back to bed.
If there is a player who epitomises the way the Dutch national team has been transformed over the past decade from Europe’s foremost footballing artists to a group of efficient, but soulless functionaries,
By Andrew Warshaw
May 14 – Sepp Blatter has launched his most passionate defence yet of why he should retain the FIFA Presidency by declaring the organisation’s very survival is at stake and risks “disappearing into a black hole”.