News Headlines

Russia bid chairman apologises for drink and crime slur

• Vitaly Mutko spoke to Geoff Thompson and Andy Anson• England bid team accept peace offering to end snipingThe chairman of the Russian 2018 World Cup bid has apologised publicly for his country's derogatory remarks about England in an attempt to defuse the bitter row between the two...

World Cup 2018: England's domestic tussle could leave bid battered and bruised

Roger Burden's candidacy for FA chairman once again risks clouding the 2018 World Cup bid with domestic in-fighting.

Will media win or lose the 2018 bid?

The recent media stories alleging corruption at Fifa have sparked a nervous mood among the ruling body's officialsThe British media is not guaranteed a warm welcome in Zurich this week. In the wake of newspaper revelations about the World Cup bidding process, and paranoia about an ongoing BBC...

FIFA sponsor Sony unhappy with allegations of corruption

digg_url = '= 'FIFA sponsor Sony unhappy with allegations of corruption';digg_bodytext = "FIFA sponsor Sony has said the probe into the bidding to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cup \u201cisn\u2019t great\u201d and appeared to distance itself from the football\u2019s world governing body, reports...

England bid demands Russia apology

• Russian bid criticised London's crime and alcohol problems• Comments forced Boris Johnson to start Twitter campaignThe already controversial race to host the 2018 World Cup has exploded into acrimony after the English bid complained to Fifa over derogatory comments by its Russian...

Stench of sleaze refuses to go away as World Cup bid process gets serious

With just 37 days to go until Fifa's Executive Committee (ExCo) members vote on who will stage the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, every week will be a big one for the bidders, England included, and this week, with two major events in Zurich, certainly lives up to that billing.

Fifa admits 'extremely tense' atmosphere

• Sepp Blatter involved in crisis meetings• Plans of World Cup bidders left in disarrayThe Fifa standing committee for fair play and social responsibility is one of many that will meet in Zurich over the coming days. With the twin races for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups on the brink of...

Charles Sale: Hooligans hinder Russia's 2018 World Cup bid

The latest outbreak of football hooliganism in Russia will give the major rivals to England's 2018 World Cup bid some serious questions to answer in Zurich this week.