Japan target adding London 2012 Olympic gold to World Cup title
By Andrew Warshaw
July 19 – Japan’s women footballers are aiming for gold at next year’s London Olympics after their historic World Cup victory in Germany.
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Singaporean jailed over Finland match fixing scandal
By David Gold
July 19 – Singaporean Wilson Raj Perumal has been sentenced to two years in prison by a Finnish court for his role in a match fixing scandal in the country, while nine players have been spared jail and instead were handed suspended sentences for their part in the affair.
Blažević quits as head of Chinese under-23 team after Olympic blow
By Emily Goddard
July 19 – Veteran coach Miroslav Blažević has said he will leave his post as manager of the Chinese under-23 football team before the end of the year following the team’s failure to qualify for next year’s London Olympic Games.
Banned African powerbrokers still operating as CAF officials
By Andrew Warshaw
July 19 – World football’s governing body has been plunged into yet more infamy with the revelation that two suspended African powerbrokers are still involved in the game despite being barred from all footballing activities.
Manchester United tops world rich list
By David Gold
July 18 – Forbes has named Manchester United as the most valuable sports team in the world, just ahead of American Football giants the Dallas Cowboys and baseball’s New York Yankees.
US investors save Beitar Jerusalem
By David Gold
July 17 – Israeli giants Beitar Jerusalem have been sold to US businessmen Dan Adler and Adam Levine (pictured), who have pledged to stamp out racism at the club, whose fans have a history of anti-Arab chanting.
Sao Paulo World Cup hopes boosted by new stadium approval
By Andrew Warshaw
July 15 – One of the most embarrassing episodes hindering progress for the 2014 World Cup has moved a step closer to being resolved after Sao Paulo’s chances of hosting the opening game were given a major boost following the approval of a funding package for a new 65,000-seater stadium for local club Corinthians.
Spanish League backs UEFA’s financial fair play regulations
By Andrew Warshaw
July 14 – Spanish football officials are setting up a crack monitoring unit to make sure none of their clubs fall foul of UEFA’s financial fair play regulations.
Footballing legends set for Brazil 2014 World Cup draw
By Andrew Warshaw
July 14 – Brazil’s 2014 World Cup preparations may be the subject of constant criticism but the five-time world champions are setting up a galaxy of stars for the preliminary draw on July 30.
Arsenal replaces Thomson with Thomas Cook as its official travel partner
By Emily Goddard
July 13 – Thomas Cook Sport will return as Arsenal FC’s official travel partner for the 2011/2012 football season, bringing an end to the club’s three-year deal with Thomson after just a season.
Men’s football groups drawn for Asian Olympic qualification
By David Gold
July 12 – The draw for the final third round of Asian qualifying for the London 2012 men’s Olympic football tournament was made today, with top seeds South Korea given the toughest task.
Warner claims he’ll be back to clear up “unfinished business”
By Andrew Warshaw
July 12 – Jack Warner, the former FIFA vice-president who resigned in the wake of the sport’s worst ever bribery scandal, says he may return to football in the future to complete “unfinished business”.
There is not even a sliver of evidence behind the claims, argues Qatar World Cup chief
By Andrew Warshaw
July 12 – The head of Qatar’s victorious bid to stage the 2022 World Cup insists the campaign was totally clean and suggests anti-Arab sentiment in part fuelled the string of allegations against the oil-rich Gulf state.
German women’s football squad eliminated from London 2012 Games after shock defeat
By David Gold
July 11 – Germany will not be in attendance at the London 2012 Olympic football tournament after the women’s World Cup favourites suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Japan in the quarter finals in Wolfsburg.
FIFA confirm apology from Qatar whistleblower
By Andrew Warshaw
July 11 – FIFA became the latest organisation today to confirm receipt of an official apology from the whistleblower who has retracted serious bribery allegations made against Qatar’s 2022 World Cup bid.