FIFA Inquiry Into Triesman's Comments Adds To 2018 World Cup Fears
by Matt Scott and Owen Gibson (Preview | Guardian - May 18)
Fifa last night referred comments allegedly made by the former Football Association chairman Lord Triesman about rivals to host the 2018 World Cup to its ethics committee, dashing hopes among England's bid team that they could swiftly draw a line under the affair. more details | go to article

Sepp Blatter Braced For A World Cup That Will Define His FIFA Legacy
by Owen Gibson (Profile/Interview | Guardian - February 19)
Nestling in the snowy hills above Zurich, Fifa's opulent HQ is a long way from the promised atmosphere at a World Cup in South Africa that will go a long way to deciding the future of Sepp Blatter, the governing body's president, and therefore the shape of the global game. more details | go to article

John Terry To Learn His England Fate By End Of The Week
by Dominic Fifield and Owen Gibson (Profile/Interview | Guardian - February 2)
John Terry yesterday pleaded his case to Fabio Capello's staff and should know by the end of the week whether he will retain the England captaincy in the wake of the avalanche of criticism which has greeted allegations that he had an affair with the former girlfriend of his international team-mate Wayne Bridge. more details | go to article

Aussies Want Change Of Rules For World Cup 2018 Bid
by Owen Gibson (Preview | Guardian - December 9)
The rival bid of Australia is now likely to apply to Fifa for a special exemption allowing its rugby union, rugby league and Aussie Rules leagues to continue during any potential World Cup in an effort to head off an escalating row with the bigger and better-funded codes. more details | go to article

Lord Triesman Resists Calls To Resign From England's 2018 World Cup Bid
by Owen Gibson (Preview | Guardian - November 29)
The chairman of England's campaign to host the 2018 World Cup today admitted the public infighting that has damaged the bid was "pretty disappointing" but vowed to resist calls for him to stand down ahead of a pivotal week. more details | go to article

Media Match Of The Season: Underdog Setanta Takes On Sky At Its Own Game
by Owen Gibson (Analysis | Guardian - July 31)
Aggressive tactics launch multimillion-pound battle; newcomer highlights low prices and younger team. more details | go to article

Murdoch And Branson Battle For Live Football Tv Rights
by Owen Gibson (Analysis | Guardian - April 27)
Two charismatic billionaires who have built their empires on flamboyant gambles will today go head to head in a £2bn battle for the right to screen live Premier League football matches. more details | go to article

Roll Up For This Week's Game Of The Century
by Owen Gibson (Commentary | Guardian - November 30)
Before the game, newspapers and broadcasters were billing it as the "match of the decade". Afterwards, even Manchester United's website referred to last month's clash with Arsenal as "grossly overhyped". An analysis shows that in the three weeks beforehand the game received a record amount of press - 463 articles to be precise, according to the monitoring organisation Press Watch Media. In the corresponding week the previous season there were fewer than half that number. more details | go to article