By Duncan Mackay
December 8 – Abu Dhabi organisers have been praised for their preparations for the FIFA Club World Cup, which opens tomorrow and which could be the launchpad for a bid for the 2026 World Cup.
November 28 – India plans to use next year’s Commonwealth Games as the launchpad for a bid to host the FIFA World Cup, they announced today.
November 24 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has today officially signed $100 billion (£604 million) deal with World Sport Group (WSG), extending a partnership that stretches back to 1993 and emphasises the sport’s growing value in the area, the world’s largest and most populous continent.
November 23 – Five-time world champions Brazil would be prepared to play an exhibition match against a joint Palestine-Israel team to help the peace process in the Middle East, the South American country’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said today.
November 21 – Iraqi officials has promised that they will appeal against a decision by FIFA to suspend the country’s football association because of state interference.
November 20 – Work on a football stadium being built in the West Bank, and financed by FIFA, has been stopped, after Israel claimed that it wanted to use some of the land for its own use.
November 18 – A coordinated bid from Southeast Asia, involving a number of countries including Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, could one day make a bid to host the World Cup, it has been claimed.
November 16 – The Iraqi Football Association (IFA) has been disbanded by the country’s Olympic Committee because of alleged financial and administrative irregularities and the repeated delaying of internal elections.
September 30 – The Football Association of Brunei Darussalam (BAFA) has been suspended by FIFA for Government interference in its affairs, it has been announced.
September 29 – FIFA officials will meet in Rio de Janeiro today to discuss possible changes on the age limit for players at the men’s Olympic football tournament at London 2012, the final of which is due to be held at Wembley.
August 31 - Bone tests will be performed on soccer players at the Under-17 World Cup in Nigeria to catch teams with over-age players, FIFA confirmed today, as first reported on insidethegames.
AUGUST 4 – FIFA PRESIDENT Sepp Blatter (pictured) today announced he planned to launch a review into the Olympic 2012 football tournament as he again urged Britain to field a team of Englishman in the event to avoid the fear of the Home Countries losing their independence.
June 13 – The Olympic football tournament at London 2012 seems set to retain its current format, leaving the door open for players like Wayne Rooney (pictured) to represent Britain.
June 9 – Premiership club Liverpool have signed a deal to help develop football in India as it chases its twin goals of qualifying for the London 2012 Olympics and the 2018 World Cup.
May 7 – FIFA vice-president Chung Mong-Joon (pictured) has launched an extraordinary attack on Asian Football Confederation (AFC) chief Mohamed bin Hammam, saying he had mental problems and needed hospital treatment.