December 9 - As World Cup organisers prepare for a rush of bookings following last week's draw, with fans working out exactly how much they can afford and how to get the best deals, FIFA have amended kickoff times of seven matches for the purposes of television coverage.

By Andrew Warshaw
December 9 - With the glitz and glamour of the World Cup draw still fresh in the mind, Brazilian organisers have suffered a massive public relations blow after television pictures of scores of fans fighting running battles in a domestic championship match were flashed around the world. Play was held up for more than an hour during the decisive fixture between Atletico Paranaense and Vasco da Gama as rival supporters clashed, forcing police to fire rubber bullets and even fly a helicopter on to the field order to airlift one fan to hospital with a serious head injury.

By Andrew Warshaw
December 9 - A German second division club has terminated its advertising contract with Saudi Arabia's state-owned airline following reports that it refuses to fly Israeli citizens.

By Jaroslaw Adamowski
December 9 - Following a series of defeats which pushed the football club towards the relegation zone of Poland's Esktraklasa, the Ultras of Zaglebie Lubin assaulted one of the club's players, damaged another one's car with bricks and threatened to assault a third player.

December 9 - Sports ministers from across the world were convening in Qatar today to explore the idea of creating a G20 sports grouping to mirror the economic equivalent. Sports officials from a raft of nations including South Africa, Brazil, Mexico and Italy were taking part in the summit as part of the three-day Doha Goals conference.

By Andrew Warshaw
December 9 - A one-time English Premier League footballer and Nigerian international has admitted being involved in spot-fixing in a second damaging newspaper sting that has led to six people being detained and has once again seriously undermined the reputation and credibility of English football. 

By Paul Nicholson
December 6 - "There is a bit of mystery about pot X," said FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke at the 2014 World Cup draw in Costa do Sauipe in Brazil. There was no mystery once the draw was made and the teams were allocated – the World Cup is without doubt underway.

By Andrew Warshaw
December 6 - It's being described as the European 'floater; and it could have major ramifications at today's eagerly awaited World Cup draw in Brazil. Under a new formula designed to ensure an even geographical spread, before the main draw even takes place one of the nine unseeded European teams from Pot Four will be drawn at random by organisers and switched to Pot Two alongside Ecuador, Chile and the five African contenders, with the likelihood of meeting not only one of the top World Cup seeds but also another strong European team.