By Andrew Warshaw
January 24 – As the 500-day countdown approaches for the 2014 World Cup, Brazilian sports minister Aldo Rebelo (pictured) has promised the country will deliver a tournament to be proud of despite persistent concerns over security, travel and infrastucture.
By Andrew Warshaw, Chief Correspondent
January 24 – The English Premier League may boast of attracting more fans worldwide than any of its rivals and having the fattest television deals but German officials are flagging up the fact that the Bundesliga still attracts the highest average attendance of any domestic league in terms of supporters through the turnstiles.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 24 – The Gold Cup, Concacaf’s most prestigious national team tournament, has embarked on a major expansion programme with 13 venues selected – eight of them new – for this year’s event which will take place from July 7-28.
One important reason why football of all ball games is the most popular game in the world is because it is simple. Its rules are easy to understand and have none of the complexity that, for example, rugby has. Football’s celebrated off side rule may be a diverting after dinner conversation with which to bait those who do not care about the game but it is nowhere near as mind blowing as trying to work out why a penalty is given in rugby.
By Andrew Warshaw, Chief Correspondent
January 23 – The importance of qualifying for the Champions League has been underlined yet again, this time by Tottenham Hotspur announcing a loss of £4.3m for the year ending June, 2012 compared to the profit of £700,000 they recorded the year before which covered the period when they were competing in the competition.
By Andrew Warshaw, Chief Correspondent
January 23 – It may receive scant global publicity compared to the real thing but 64 countries will participate in the 2013 Homeless World Cup in Poznan, Poland, organisers have announced.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 23 – Marco Materazzi, the former Italian international who was infamously headbutted by Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 World Cup final, has opened up a war of words with current Chelsea interim boss Rafa Benitez.
By Andrew Warshaw, Chief Correspondent
January 23 – Fresh evidence in the trials of those accused of involvement in last year’s Port Said stadium disaster has been handed over by prosecutors according to reports in Egypt.
By David Owen
January 23 – Teams qualifying for the knock-out stages of the 2020 Olympic football competitions may face some late nights if Tokyo wins the right to stage the Games.
By Mark Baber
January 22 – The award of the FIFA Fair Play Award 2012 to Uzbekisan has been met with delight and a reason for national pride by the Uzbek President Islam Karimov and reminders of the Central Asian country’s lack of fair play in the political arena by media and human rights groups.
By Mark Baber
January 22 – Manchester United have acquired the one-third minority equity stake in Manchester United Television (MUTV) held by BSkyB (Sky) giving the club 100% control of its television channel.
By Mark Baber
Janaury 22 – Glo Mobile Ghana has renewed its sponsorship of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) for $2.1 million. The funding will support of the Black Stars (national team) and the Ghana Premier League.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 22 – Former England manager Sven Goran Eriksson insists he has not taken up his latest job just for the money after agreeing an 18-month contract as a technical adviser of United Arab Emirates’ Al Nasr club.
By Mark Baber
January 22 – In preparation for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Puma has signed a new sub-license deal with the Cameroon, Ghana, the Ivory Coast and Senegal aimed at the South American market as well as entering into a partnership with Centauro, one of the largest sporting goods retail chains in Latin America which has over 130 stores in Brazil.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 22 – Qatar’s Aspire academy, which has been attracting increasing publicity as one of the world’s most sophisticated sports facilities since the Gulf state won the right to stage the 2022 World Cup, has struck another coup by being chosen by Manchester United for a mid-season training camp this week.