By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
August 11 – FIFA President Sepp Blatter has demanded answers from North Korea after reports that its World Cup squad was publicly humiliated and coach Kim Jong-Hun sentenced to hard labour.
By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
August 11 – Sepp Blatter claimed today that his view on goal-line technology had never changed and that he is behind calls for its introduction as long as the right system can be developed.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 11 – Russian officials insisted today that next week’s FIFA inspection visit for their 2018 World Cup candidature would most likely still go ahead despite the drought crisis that has plunged Moscow into a choking heat cloud.
August 11 – A battle is set to be launched over the allocation of World Cup spots between Asia and Oceania, Japan Football Association President Junji Ogura has predicted.
By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
August 10 – FIFA Executive Committee Amos Adamu (pictured) today told Nigeria’s leaders that there is nothing wrong with football in the country despite the Super Eagles disappointing performance at the World Cup in South Africa.
August 10 – Euro 2012 poses a challenge for anti-terrorist services and “at this stage of preparations we consider all kinds of threats, even those which are remote but cannot be completely ruled out,” Deputy Polish Minister of Interior Adam Rapacki said.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 10 – World football’s leading medical expert has issued a stark warning against footballers being treated with anti-infammatory drugs, saying normal over-the-counter medications can have startling side-effects that could potentially wreck careers.
By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
August 10 – Sebastian Coe, Britain’s double Olympic 1500 metres champion and now the head of the committee organising the London 2012 Olympics, has blamed the Football Association and Fabio Capello for England’s failure to do well at the World Cup in South Africa earlier this year.
By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
August 10 – South African President Jacob Zuma has offered his country’s help to aid Russia’s bid to host the 2018 World Cup.
By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
August 10 – West Ham United have revealed details of their plans for the Olympic Stadium if they take it over after the 2012 Games and have pledged to retain an athletics track in a newly reconfigured 60,000-capacity arena.
By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
August 9 – FIFA President Sepp Blatter is attend the opening match of the football tournament of the inagurual Summer Youth Olympic Games in Singapore, which will feature the Iranian girls team, whose participation had been in doubt over a row over what they could wear.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 9 – FIFA’s 2018/2002 World Cup inspection team rolled into Holland and Belgium today with the rank outsiders convinced they will not just be making up the numbers when the all-important vote is taken on December 2.
By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
August 9 – Sahara India Group, one of the groups interested in buying Liverpool, has pulled out of the race they announced today.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 9 – England manager Fabio Capello today apologised for the country’s dire showing at the World Cup, admitting that his players were both physically and mentally below-par.
August 9 – Heathrow Airport has signed up to become an official sponsor of England’s bid to hold the 2018 World Cup.