By Andrew Warshaw
November 16 – Sepp Blatter, already under fire over his comments about racism in football, has also taken Brazil to task over personality clashes between the Government and 2014 World Cup organisers.
By Andrew Warshaw in Doha
November 14 – Hassan Al-Thawadi (pictured), the public face of Qatar’s landslide 2022 World Cup bid victory, has spoken at more sports forums over the past few years than he can possibly name.
By Andrew Warshaw in Doha
November 13 – Qatar has taken the next decisive step in its preparations for the 2022 World Cup by signing a collaboration agreement with The International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS), the not-for-profit sport organisation based here in the capital.
By Andrew Warshaw in Doha
November 13 – The operations director for the 2014 World Cup insists the country will be ready on time despite constant concerns expressed by both Sepp Blatter and his FIFA number two, Jerome Valcke.
By David Gold
November 13 – Brazil’s preparations for the 2014 World Cup were boosted at the weekend as 3,000 special police officers backed by 24 armoured vehicles and seven helicopters occupied Rocinha, the largest slum in Rio de Janeiro, where the final of the competition will be held.
By Andrew Warshaw in Doha
November 12 – Brazil’s turbulent 2014 World Cup preparations came under the spotlight again today when FIFA’s head of security warned that traditional gun-carrying methods of imposing security at games would have to end – and fast.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 12 – The row over how to cool the 2022 World Cup in Qatar burst into controversy again today when the designer of one of the Gulf state’s main stadiums denounced as “incredibly embarrassing” the comments of one of his own colleagues whom he described as “uninformed”.
By David Gold
November 10 – 22 teams across Africa get their 2014 World Cup campaigns underway this weekend as they seek to be one of five sides from the continent to qualify for the competition being held in Brazil.
By David Gold
November 9 – The first country to be eliminated from the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Myanmar, is now back in contention to qualify after FIFA annulled their tournament expulsion.
By David Gold
November 9 – An African businessman is seeking 506 million South African rand (£40 million/$63 million) from the Department of Education in Gauteng to compensate the losses made by his now liquidated hospitality company, set up to provide a range of services for the 2010 World Cup.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 9 – FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke has warned Brazil once again that they are lagging behind schedule and that there is “not a day to lose” in organising the World Cup.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 9 – Qatari authorities have hit back quickly at suggestions by one of their leading 2022 World Cup architects that air conditioning the stadiums is not the way forward.
By David Gold
November 4 – A police force has been permanently posted to a favela near the Maracanã stadium (pictured) in Rio de Janeiro, which will host the final of the 2014 World Cup and the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2016 Olympic Games.
By David Gold
November 3 – FIFA’s exclusive hospitality programme rights holder MATCH Hospitality has appointed Jet Set Sports as the exclusive sales agent for Norway, Sweden, Russia and Australia for hospitality packages at the 2013 Confederations Cup and 2014 World Cup, both being held in Brazil.
By David Gold
November 2 – The Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee has reiterated its call for FIFA to conduct a full independent investigation into the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, awarded to Russia and Qatar respectively in December 2010.