By Duncan Mackay
January 21 – Turkey is concentrating its efforts on successfully bidding for the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics, the country’s Sports Minister Suat Kılıç (pictured) has revealed following reports that they were also planning to launch a campaign to host football’s European Championships that year.
By David Gold
January 20 – Four goals from Christine Sinclair helped Canada to an easy 6-0 win over Haiti in the opening game of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) women’s London 2012 Olympic football qualifiers at BC Place in Vancouver.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 19 – David Beckham says captaining Team GB at the London 2012 Olympics would be a “special” way of giving something back to his country after a distinguished career.
By David Gold
January 18 – The chief executive of the Scottish Football Association (SFA), Stewart Regan, has told players hoping to compete for Team GB at the London 2012 Olympics that they will face a backlash from fans.
By David Gold
January 17 – United States women’s team coach Pia Sundhage has arrived in Vancouver with a 20 woman squad for the 2012 Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Olympic women’s qualifying tournament, which takes place on January 19 until 29.
By David Gold
January 17 – David Beckham (pictured left) has confirmed his interest in representing Team GB at the London 2012 Olympic Games, as has his former teammate Manchester United player Ryan Giggs (right).
By David Gold
January 16 – The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) women’s qualifying tournament for the London 2012 Games gets underway in Canada on Thursday (January 19), with eight teams vying for two places at this summer’s Olympics.
By David Gold
January 14 – MATCH Hospitality has appointed Shankai Sports as the exclusive sub-agent in China for selling Club Prestige Hospitality Programmes for the European Championships, which take place later this year in Poland and Ukraine.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 10 – The Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) has turned down Namibia’s bid to take Burkino Faso’s place at the forthcoming African Cup of Nations, which starts on January 21.
By Tom Degun
January 9 – Football Federation Australia (FFA) have announced that the Olyroos football team for the London 2012 Olympic qualifying competition next month will be limited to three players per Hyundai A-League club.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 9 – Botswana’s preparations for the African Cup of Nations have been thrown into turmoil with players being told there is no more money for bonuses amid rumours of a boycott.
By Tom Degun
January 7 – Kirsten Nematandani (pictured), the South African Football Association (SAFA) President, is set to lead the Organising Committee for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations having already played a major role in bringing the event to the country.
By Duncan Mackay
January 5 – The six South African cities that hosted matches during the 2010 World Cup are bidding to be involved in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.
By David Gold
January 4 – Gabon’s football team is capable of following in the footsteps of the Nigerian and Cameroonian teams that won gold at the Olympic Games in 1996 and 2000 respectively, and claim glory in London later this year, says a leading sports official in the country.
By David Gold
January 3 – Swaziland have withdrawn from qualifiers for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations ahead of this month’s first round tie with Seychelles, and now risk being thrown out of the 2015 tournament.