By David Gold
March 29 – Football Association general secretary Alex Horne has said that English football has a decision to make about the state of the game’s finances, whilst chairman David Bernstein suggested that there may have to be measures designed to control the spiralling finances in the game.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 29 – The war of words between FIFA President Sepp Blatter and his main challenger Mohamed Bin Hammam has started with a vengeance ahead of the election, with the Qatari claiming Blatter is personally responsible for the unpopularity of the world governing body.
If ever there was a lie to the old adage that sport and politics don’t mix, the festering row over a united British football team at next year’s London Olympics must rank as the ultimate example.
Ever since London won the right to stage the Games, the three non-English Home Associations have steadfastly insisted they do not want to know anything about a united team because of a perceived threat to their independence.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 28 – Former three-time South American player of the year Elias Figueroa has confirmed he may challenge Sepp Blatter for the presidency of FIFA.
By David Gold
March 28 – American businessman Thomas DiBenedetto, a partner in the group which owns both the Boston Red Sox and Premiership giants Liverpool, is in Italy leading a group aiming to buy 67 per cent of Serie A outfit Roma.
By Duncan Mackay
March 25 – Jack Warner, who is set to play a key role in shaping who leads FIFA, will be re-elected as CONCACAF President without a challenger in the North and Central American and Caribbean region.
By David Gold
March 27 – Brazil’s Sports Minister Orlando Silva responded to FIFA President Sepp Blatter’s criticism of the country’s preparations for the 2014 World Cup by reassuring him that they were making good progress and that he was confident everything would be ready in time for the showpiece tournament.
By David Gold
March 27 – Rome’s Court of Appeal has reduced former Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi’s jail term to a year.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 26 – Two failed bidders for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup have been approached to back a hitherto unknown group seeking to end the 13-year reign of FIFA President Sepp Blatter.
March 26 – Indonesia edged closer to facing FIFA sanctions when a scheduled assembly to organise the association’s first leadership election in four years descended into chaos and was cancelled.
March 25 – Brazil Sports Minister Orlando Silva is seeking help from the country’s Congress to simplify bidding processes and speed-up work ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Olympics and Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 25 – When politicians, famous sportsmen and other public figures retire to proverbially spend more time with the family, there are often suspicions of some hidden agenda.
By Andrew Warshaw
March 25 – FIFA President Sepp Blatter warned today that match fixing must be stamped out to preserve the integrity not only of world football but of sport in general.
By David Gold
March 24 – Bulgaria and Romania have confirmed their intention to apply to jointly host the 2020 European Championships.
By David Gold
March 24 – La Liga games on the weekend of April 2/3 could be postponed if the Spanish professional soccer league (LPF) fails to resolve its dispute with the Government over a ruling that a La Liga game per matchday must be shown on free to air television.