By Andrew Warshaw
April 25 – FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke, never afraid to speak his mind when it comes to the problems involved with next year’s World Cup, has talked openly about the challenges of working with local hosts.
By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent
April 25 – A week ahead of the eagerly awaited election to choose a new leader to clean up Asian football, Bahrain’s Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa is again having to fend off serious allegations of human rights abuses in his country.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 25 – Uruguay’s Eugenio Figueredo (pictured) has taken over the running of South American football following the resignation of CONMEBOL president Nicolas Leoz.
By Mark Baber
April 25 – Italian football federation vice-president Demetrio Albertini has suggested cutting Italy’s Serie A to 18 or even 16 teams.
April 25 – As World Cup 2014 nears, hype, rumour, misinformation and emotions is rising -are starting to raise a level – and nowhere more so than in Brazil itself.
By Andrew Warshaw and Mark Baber
April 25 – Liverpool have expressed their “shock and disappointment” after striker Luis Suarez was banned for 10 games for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic towards the end of Sunday’s 2-2 draw.
As Manchester United celebrate yet another Premiership, and a record haul of 20 of the most sought after prize in English football, spare a thought for Dave Whelan. Had things turned out differently the Wigan owner would today not be fearful that his team may not survive in the Premiership. Instead he would be lording it over Old Trafford and joining the celebrations of the fans as the owner of greatest club in the land.
By Paul Nicholson
April 24 – German Chancellor Andrea Merkel has been dragged into the tax evasion scandal surrounding Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 24 – Twenty-three players and one official who were sanctioned by Lebanese authorities in February for helping to rig international and regional matches have had their bans extended worldwide by FIFA.
By Krzysztof Baranowski
April 24 – The crisis facing Polish top division football is deepening with Ekstraklasa club Polonia Warsaw on the brink of going out of business.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 24 – The new president of the Spanish Football League says his top priority is bringing an end to match-fixing.
By Mark Baber
April 24 – According to Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Qatar may reduce the number of stadiums for the 2022 world cup from the widely expected 12 to 8 or 9.
April 24 – Former German icon and FIFA administrator Franz Beckenbauer has signed a personal endorsement deal with Russian gas giant Gazprom designed to promote football as a tool for social integration among children.
By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent
April 24 – Here we go again. Veteran FIFA powerbroker, about to be exposed, quits citing health reasons. The figure this time is 84-year-old Nicolas Leoz, head of CONMEBOL, who has announced he is stepping down as well as relinquishing his place on FIFA’s executive committee, held since 1998.
By Monica Villar
April 23 – A Spanish judge has threatened Deportivo de La Coruña with liquidation unless an agreement can be found between the banks and the club over the share out of the Media Pro money held in escrow buy the court.