South Sudan to become provisional CAF members
By David Gold
February 9 – South Sudan is set to become a provisional member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as they continue their journey on the way to becoming a member of FIFA.
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Africa joins forces with United Nations to support peace in Africa
By David Gold
February 9 – The Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA) have agreed to work together to promote peace and security in central Africa.
Kiev is as ready for Euro 2012 as London is for the Olympics claims top official
By David Gold
February 9 – Oleksandr Popov, the head of Kiev’s city State Administration, has said that they are as ready for the European Championships, which Ukraine co-host this summer with Poland, as London is for the Olympic Games.
Fabio Capello quits as England manager leaving Redknapp as favourite to take over
By Andrew Warshaw
February 8 – Fabio Capello sensationally quit as England manager tonight with immediate effect – ironically on the day Harry Redknapp, the bookies’ favourite to have replaced him after Euro 2012, was cleared of tax evasion charges after a two-week trial.
Sauli Niinistö steps down as boss of Finnish FA to take up role as nation’s President
By David Gold
February 8 – Sauli Niinistö (pictured left) has quit his post as President of the Football Association of Finland (SPL-FBF) after being elected as the President of Finland.
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp cleared of tax evasion charges
By Andrew Warshaw
February 8 – Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp (pictured), who has spent the last two weeks in the glare of publicity for alleged tax evasion, was today cleared of all charges.
Legal row forces Oceania London 2012 qualifiers to be moved from Fiji to New Zealand
By David Gold
February 8 -Oceania’s football qualifying tournament for the London 2012 Olympic Games will be held at the Owen Delany Park in Taupo, New Zealand, from March 16 until 25, after they moved from Fiji following a legal row involving a leading official.
Manchester United strikes three year sponsorship deal with Globul
By Andrew Warshaw
February 8 – Manchester United have signed a three-year sponsorship agreement with Bulgarian telecommunications company Globul, offering the club’s fans in the eastern European country mobile phone access to exclusive news and interviews.
World Cup will boost Qatar tourism by 10 per cent, says Qatar 2022 boss Al-Thawadi
By Andrew Warshaw
February 8 – The 2022 World Cup will boost tourism to Qatar by 10 per cent according to Hassan Al-Thawadi (pictured), secretary general of the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee.
Clubs show a terrifying lack of respect for players, warns FIFPro
By Andrew Warshaw
February 8 – The global union for professional players, FIFPro, has called on FIFA and UEFA to heed their calls to make sure players in some countries are paid on time by their clubs or risk a potential strike.
World Cup organiser appointed new head of communications for Baku 2020
By Duncan Mackay
February 8 – Baku 2020 has appointed Elkhan Mammadov, the general secretary of the Azerbaijani Football Association (AFFA), as its new head of communications for its bid to host the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics.
Dutch court delays appointment of Louis van Gaal as director
By David Gold
February 7 – Louis van Gaal (pictured) cannot be named as a director at Dutch champions Ajax, a court in Amsterdam has ruled, following a dispute between members of the club’s Supervisory Board over his appointment last November.
No more critical issues in Ukraine’s Euro 2012 preparation, promises Bubka
By Tom Degun at the Park Lane Hilton in London
February 7 – Sergey Bubka (pictured), one of the one of the most influential figures in world sport, has calmed fears that preparations for the 2012 European Championships in Ukraine and Poland are behind schedule as he assured that huge progress has been made over the last two years to ensure everything is ready on time.
Liverpool extend travel partnership with Thomas Cook Sport
By David Gold
February 7 – Liverpool have extended a partnership with their official travel partner Thomas Cook Sport until 2015, as the club look to attract more overseas fans to Anfield.
Brazil airport renovation rights auctioned ahead of 2014 World Cup
By David Gold
February 7 – Brazil has auctioned off the rights to overhaul three key airports which are being renovated for the 2014 World Cup.