By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
December 7 – Some FIFA Executive Committee members believed that the accusations of corruption levelled at them by the Sunday Times·were motivated by racism, Japan’s World Cup bid leader·Junji Ogura claimed today.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 6 – Future FIFA vice-president Jim Boyce today denied he had given up the post in protest at England’s 2018 World Cup elimination.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 6 – The man behind Qatar’s successful marketing campaign for the 2022 World Cup says England’s failure to secure the event in 2018 is as much down to their own failings as any perceived broken promises by FIFA voting members.
By Tom Degun in London
December 6 – London Mayor Boris Johnson has admitted that he may not be able to prevent members of FIFA’s Executive Committee from staying at the exclusive Dorchester Hotel during the London 2012 Olympics despite him withdrawing his offer for them to stay there.
By David Owen
December 6 – Russian World Cup bid leader Alexei Sorokin (pictured) was struck by malaria during his country’s successful campaign to win the right to host the 2018 World Cup.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 5 – The general secretary of the Football Association believes FIFA should introduce a filtration process to prevent World Cup bidding nations needlessly throwing away an entire budget.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 4 – The 2022 World Cup in Qatar should take place in January or February to avoid the scorching temperatures of the summer, according to FIFA Executive Committee member and German legend Franz Beckenbauer (pictured).
By Duncan Mackay in Zurich
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
December 3 – The Football Association’s acting chairman Roger Burden (pictured) tonight said he will quit because he no longer trusts members of FIFA after the failure of England’s World Cup bid.
By Andrew Warshaw in Zurich
December 3 – After the night of the long knives for England’s vanquished 2018 World Cup bid, the post-mortems intensified today when campaign leader Andy Anson renewed his attack on FIFA”s bidding process.
By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
December 3 – Tottenham Hotspur today ruled out holding a referendum among its supporters to see if they back a proposed move to the Olympic Stadium in East London.
By David Owen in Zurich
December 3 – FIFA does not reveal how individual Executive Committee members cast their votes.
By Andrew Warshaw in Zurich
December 2 – Cometh the hour, cometh Vladimir Putin. Well a few hours late, to be precise.
By David Owen in Zurich
December 2 – Money, money, money – Qatar’s audacious yet hugely well-resourced bid could not have won the 2022 World Cup without it.
By David Owen in Zurich
December 2 – The Spanish bid chief executive officer Miguel Ángel López was part right: all the fish WERE sold – only not to the Spanish.
By Andrew Warshaw in Zurich
December 2 – So much for top-ranked technical and evaluation reports, Princes and Prime Ministers, an impeccable final presentation, words of commendation from FIFA President Sepp Blatter, history and tradition.