By David Gold
February 9 – Oleksandr Popov, the head of Kiev’s city State Administration, has said that they are as ready for the European Championships, which Ukraine co-host this summer with Poland, as London is for the Olympic Games.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 8 – Fabio Capello sensationally quit as England manager tonight with immediate effect – ironically on the day Harry Redknapp, the bookies’ favourite to have replaced him after Euro 2012, was cleared of tax evasion charges after a two-week trial.
Whatever the final outcome of the John Terry case, and Terry must be regarded as innocent until his trial is concluded, it has already had a tremendous impact on the English game.
It has made us look at the role played by the captain in English football, and the relationship between the Football Association and the England manager. But the most long lasting impact of the case could be on how black footballers feel about racism in the game.
By David Gold
February 8 – Sauli Niinistö (pictured left) has quit his post as President of the Football Association of Finland (SPL-FBF) after being elected as the President of Finland.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 8 – Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp (pictured), who has spent the last two weeks in the glare of publicity for alleged tax evasion, was today cleared of all charges.
By David Gold
February 8 -Oceania’s football qualifying tournament for the London 2012 Olympic Games will be held at the Owen Delany Park in Taupo, New Zealand, from March 16 until 25, after they moved from Fiji following a legal row involving a leading official.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 8 – Manchester United have signed a three-year sponsorship agreement with Bulgarian telecommunications company Globul, offering the club’s fans in the eastern European country mobile phone access to exclusive news and interviews.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 8 – The 2022 World Cup will boost tourism to Qatar by 10 per cent according to Hassan Al-Thawadi (pictured), secretary general of the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 8 – The global union for professional players, FIFPro, has called on FIFA and UEFA to heed their calls to make sure players in some countries are paid on time by their clubs or risk a potential strike.
By Duncan Mackay
February 8 – Baku 2020 has appointed Elkhan Mammadov, the general secretary of the Azerbaijani Football Association (AFFA), as its new head of communications for its bid to host the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics.
By David Gold
February 7 – Louis van Gaal (pictured) cannot be named as a director at Dutch champions Ajax, a court in Amsterdam has ruled, following a dispute between members of the club’s Supervisory Board over his appointment last November.
By Tom Degun at the Park Lane Hilton in London
February 7 – Sergey Bubka (pictured), one of the one of the most influential figures in world sport, has calmed fears that preparations for the 2012 European Championships in Ukraine and Poland are behind schedule as he assured that huge progress has been made over the last two years to ensure everything is ready on time.
By David Gold
February 7 – Liverpool have extended a partnership with their official travel partner Thomas Cook Sport until 2015, as the club look to attract more overseas fans to Anfield.
Under British law, you are innocent until proved guilty. So why, many neutral observers are asking, was John Terry stripped of the England captaincy when his trial doesn’t take place until July?
It’s a fair question and one which will continue to be debated in pubs and at football grounds across the country in the months ahead.
The answer is – there is no easy answer. In fact, the Football Association board was put in an unenviable position.
By David Gold
February 7 – Brazil has auctioned off the rights to overhaul three key airports which are being renovated for the 2014 World Cup.