By Tom Degun at SportAccord in London
April 6 – Sport and Olympics Minister Hugh Robertson has stated that he wants to see non-English footballers, such as Gareth Bale (pictured) and Aaron Ramsey of Wales, permitted to represent Great Britain at the London 2012 Games so as to not be denied the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to compete in a home Olympics.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 5 – Andy Anson, the public face ofEngland’s failed 2018 World Cup campaign, declined to comment today on reports that he is close to being appointed a non-executive director of the British Olympic Association (BOA).
By Andrew Warshaw in London
April 6 – English football can never embrace a winter break unless FIFA and UEFA do something about fixture congestion, the Premier League claimed today.
This autumn could see English football face its moment of truth
That moment being when the Government appoints a regulator to run the national game. Remember, this is a Tory-led collation wedded to free enterprise and firmly believing that sports bodies should run their own sports and the Government should be a facilitator not a regulator.
Now, talk of a regulator running the game is not new. Almost exactly a year ago,
By David Gold
April 4 – West Ham have pledged to take seriously and investigate claims that the families of forwards Victor Obinna and Frederic Piquionne were racially abused during the 4-2 defeat to Manchester United last weekend.
By Andrew Warshaw at Sport Accord in London
April 4 – FIFA President Sepp Blatter rolled into London today but refused to give any details of his campaign to be re-elected for a fourth term of office at the head of football’s world governing body.
By David Gold
April 4 – Egypt’s Football Association President Samir Zaher has said that the country would have to reconsider the resumption of domestic football in mid April after a Champions League game in Cairo had to be abandoned after supporters invaded the pitch.
By David Gold
April 4 – William Gallas has threatened legal action if he does not receive his World Cup bonus from the French Football Federation, according to the Tottenham Hotspur player’s lawyer.
By David Gold
April 4 – Neymar has refused to apologise to Scottish supporters for claiming that he was the victim of racist abuse at the game between Scotland and Brazil on March 27, insisting that he was not pointing the finger at any particular group of fans.
By David Gold
April 4 – A train journey of 26 hours potentially lies in wait for supporters following any teams playing at the Russian city of Yekaterinburg during the 2018 World Cup, though officials insist that plans for a high speed rail network should cut travel time by more than two thirds.
By David Gold
April 4 – Reports claim that Japan has officially withdrawn from the Copa America this summer, with Costa Rica or the United States favourites to take their place in July’s tournament.
By David Gold
April 2 – Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana, which is intended to host the final of 2014 World Cup, will need a new roof, Brazil Football Federation President Ricardo Teixeira has confirmed.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 2 – No new figurehead came forward to challenge Sepp Blatter and Mohamed Bin Hammam for the FIFA Presidency in the final hours before last night’s midnight deadline and the pair will now square off face to face in Zurich on June 1.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 2 – Fresh claims have emerged over controversial FIFA vice-president Jack Warner’s alleged involvement in a World Cup ticket scandal.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 1 – Grant Wahl, the American journalist who hoped to run for FIFA President, has withdrawn his candidacy after failing to gaining the required nomination from any of FIFA’s 208 member federations.