By Andrew Warshaw in Sochi
September 23 – Russian officials are hoping that the choice of Sochi to host the 2014 Winter Olympics will boost their chances of landing the 2018 World Cup as well.
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By Andrew Warshaw in Moscow
September 22 – Russian 2018 World Cup bid officials have flown to Cairo in an attempt to woo Africa’s FIFA Executive Committee members as the build-up to the all-important December 2 vote intensifies.
By Andrew Warshaw in Moscow
September 21 – The most important official in Russian sport has launched another passionate defence of his country’s record on racism and urged FIFA not to be influenced by “stereotypes and misconceptions” when it votes on where to stage the 2018 World Cup.
September 21 – British pop star Sting rocked a crowd of nearly 30,000 people in Poznan, central Poland, in a concert that opened the country’s first stadium to be ready for Euro 2012.
By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
September 20 – Football legends David Beckham and Ruud Gullit, who were briefly together at Los Angeles Galaxy, are spearheading high-profile attempts this week to ensure that FIFA vice-president Jack Warner votes for their country’s bid to host the World Cup in 2018.
By Andrew Warshaw in St Petersburg
September 20- Russia’s second city is leaving no piece of granite unturned in its efforts to play a major part in the World Cup if the country wins the vote to stage the 2018 tournament.
By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
September 20 – The countries awarded the 2018 and 2022 World Cups will be announced at Messe Zurich, a giant conference centre in the Swiss city, on December 2, FIFA revealed today.
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By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
September 20 – Australia needs to make sure it increases its international support before the final vote to decide which country will host the 2022 World Cup, bid leader Frank Lowy warned today.
September 19 – Qatar World Cup officials are due to travel to Syria on Tuesday (September 22) for the official opening of a FIFA-standard artificial football pitch in Yarmouk Camp on the outskirts of Damascus, home to the largest Palestinian population in Syria.
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By Andrew Warshaw
September 18 – As FIFA’s World Cup inspection team retires to compile its technical report into the nine candidates for 2018 and 2022 and the lobbying and politicking move up a gear, the four Asian contenders could be in for a massive disappointment - through no fault of their own.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 18 – Peace appears to have broken following an unsavoury row over match-fixing allegations between UEFA and German giants Bayern Munich.
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If you see a man wearing a glazed expression, a hard hat, a pair of UGG boots and an England shirt signed by Fabio Capello, don’t call the police.
It’s probably just a FIFA World Cup bid inspector.
Harold Mayne-Nicholls and his doughty band on Thursday completed their hectic perambulation around the nine bids and 11 countries still hoping to stage either the 2018 or the 2022 World Cup.
By Duncan Mackay in Doha
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
September 17 – Qatar are hoping that the announcement of Zinedine Zidane as the most high-profile of their ambassadors will help revive their bid to host the 2022 World Cup after FIFA cast serious doubt over its chances.
September 16 – Bristol City’s hopes of hosting World Cup matches in 2018 if England are awarded the tournament have receeded even further after their bid to build a new stadium at Ashton Vale suffered another blow.
By Duncan Mackay in Doha
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
September 16 - Qatar’s bid to host the 2022 World Cup has suffered a serious setback after FIFA’s inspectors warned that the country was too small to host the tournament and it would present significant “logistical challenges”, at a stroke undermining one of the key planks of its campaign.