Valencia strike deal for work on new stadium to restart
By David Gold
December 12 – Spanish side Valencia have struck a deal with Bankia to allow work to be restarted on their new stadium.
News
Egypt secure Olympic qualification with victory over Senegal
By David Gold
December 10 – Egypt beat Senegal 2-0 in the third-place play-off of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) under-23 tournament in Marrakech to qualify for the London 2012 Olympic Games.
IOC have “disrespected” Africa over Hayatou reprimand, claim CAF
By David Gold
December 10 – The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has expressed its disappointment at the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to reprimand its President Issa Hayatou for allegedly accepting payments from FIFA’s former marketing partner ISL.
Gold Cup matches may have been fixed, warns FIFA security chief
By Andrew Warshaw
December 9 – FIFA’s head of security believes certain games at this year’s Gold Cup may have been rigged in the latest match-fixing controversy to hit world football.
Jordaan withdraws from race to take over as head of COSAFA
By Andrew Warshaw
December 9 – South Africa’s World Cup organiser Danny Jordaan dramatically pulled out of the race to lead the sport in Southern Africa leaving Suketu Patel of the Seychelles to be re-elected for a second term.
Manchester United and Manchester City face television shun
By Declan Warrington
December 9 – Manchester United and Manchester City face the possibility of being overlooked for Channel 5’s coverage of the Europa League.
UEFA will not investigate Lyon Champions League match despite big goal swing
By David Gold
December 8 – Lyon’s stunning 7-1 win over Dinamo Zagreb in their crucial Champions League qualifying game will not be investigated for irregular betting patterns, UEFA has said.
England’s Euro 2012 chances boosted as Rooney’s match ban is softened
By Andrew Warshaw
December 8 – Wayne Rooney’s (pictured left) chances of playing a major part in England’s Euro 2012 campaign received a major boost today when a UEFA appeals panel reduced his three-match ban.
FIFA vice-president Prince Ali wades in on match fixing debacle
By Andrew Warshaw
December 8 – FIFA vice-president Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein is the latest high-profile figure to stress the need to eradicate match fixing.
Manchester United set to lose £22 million after Champions League exit
By David Gold
December 8 – Manchester United’s accountants will be counting the cost of their shock elimination from the Champions League at the hands of Basle last night, as the club could lose up to £22 million ($34 million/€26 million) in income.
Morocco book place at London 2012 with victory over Egypt
By David Gold
December 7 – Morocco beat Egypt 3-2 in the African Olympic qualifiers semi-final in Marrakech to secure a place at the London 2012 Olympic Games football tournament.
CFU general secretary Kanhai resigns due to “pressures”
By Andrew Warshaw
December 7 – Angenie Kanhai (pictured), general secretary of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) who is understood to have helped FIFA in its investigation of the cash-for-votes scandal, is resigning in the face of “emotional, psychological and physical” pressure.
Jordaan takes on Patel for top COSAFA role
By Andrew Warshaw
December 7 – Danny Jordaan (pictured), organiser of last year’s World Cup in South Africa, goes head to head with a single rival on Friday (December 9) in a bid to get back into the footballing spotlight and oversee the game in southern Africa.
Indictments made in Turkish match fixing scandal
By David Gold
December 7 – Turkish prosecutors have indicted 93 suspects in the match fixing scandal which has rocked the game in the country.
Brazil overturns alcohol ban with new World Cup law
By David Gold
December 7 – Brazil has drafted a new 2014 World Cup Law, which overturns a ban on alcohol being sold and consumed at sports venues.