By David Owen
January 29 – The Turkish Government has announced plans for a colossal €27 billion (£23 billion) infrastructure upgrade, as the country vies for the right to stage the Euro 2016 football tournament.
As a long-time West Ham fan – I hesitate to say supporter because I am no longer a regular at Upton Park, but still cherish and relish the memories the halcyon days of Moore, Hurst, Peters and the cultured stewardship of Ron Greenwood – the recent appointment of Karren Brady as vice-chairman has me blowing bubbles again.
By Steven Downes
January 28 – John Armitt (pictured left), the chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), tonight gave a green light to the possibility of Premiership football club West Ham United moving in to London’s Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Games, while fulfilling the venue’s brief to deliver a lasting legacy as a national athletics stadium.
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January 27 – FIFA President Sepp Blatter (pictured) is coming under pressure to backtrack on his claim that only European nations may be considered as hosts for the 2018 World Cup.
We all know that the two great certainties of life are taxes and death. But in football there is a third: bungs.
The earliest formal form of football dates back 3,000 years to Ancient China.
Priorities, priorities. Is Arsene Wenger beginning to trust his own judgement to the point of becoming self-delusional? And more alarmingly, are Arsenal fans beginning to lose faith in their beloved manager?
Not for the first time, Wenger’s decision to send out a weakened team to play Stoke City in the FA Cup at the weekend came back to bite him on the backside.
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By Duncan Mackay
January 26 – Only European nations should be considered to host the 2018 World Cup, FIFA President Sepp Blatter (pictured) has claimed in a move which would leave Australia and the United States battling for the right to host the 2022 tournament.
By Duncan Mackay
January 26 – Rod Allen (pictured), a former journalist, has been appointed as Football Federation Australia’s (FFA) new head of media relations, including handling the country’s bid to host the 2018 or 2022 World Cup, following the shock departure of Bonita Mersiades.
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January 26 – Bidding countries, including England led by former Liverpool striker John Barnes (pictured), are beginning to arrive in Angola for the Confederation of African Football (CAF), which has controversially been sponsored by Qatar 2022.
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January 25 – Prime Minister Gordon Brown (pictured) today admitted that the rising amount of debt being carried by several Premier League clubs was a ‘”concern” but Government intervention was out of the question.
By David Owen
January 25 – Two Asian football heavyweights are said to have drawn a line under their differences, in a move that could have profound consequences for the leadership of the world’s biggest sport.
By Duncan Mackay
January 24 – Bonita Mersiades (pictured), a key member of Australia’s campaign to host the 2018 or 2022 World Cup, has quit unexpectedly on the eve of a planned trip to Angola to lobby on behalf of the bid.
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By Duncan Mackay
January 24 – Europe’s leading clubs will be forced to release their top stars, like Didier Drogba (pictured), to play in the African Cup of Nations once every four years under plans proposed by FIFA President Sepp Blatter.
By Duncan Mackay
January 24 – South Korea’s President Lee Myung-bak (pictured) is set to meet FIFA President Sepp Blatter on Wednesday (January 27) to lobby on behalf of his country’s bid to host the 2022 World Cup.