"The UN should be weary to associate itself too closely with an institution characterised by a lack of transparency, internal democracy and accountability," says Antoine Duval in this comment discussing the UN resolution recognising the autonomy of sport.

It is essential to have a separate and totally independent process in place for decision-making in disciplinary matters, says Christer Ahl in this comment, where he also explains why it can be tempting to apply political considerations.

This comment by solicitor Kevin Carpenter, written for LawInSport, examines exactly what the legal position is in relation to the publication/confidentiality of the report into the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids produced by Michael J. Garcia.

Recent defections in the bids for the 2020 Winter Olympics have demonstrated a public distrust in the Olympic Games, says senior researcher Antoine Duval in this comment piece and brings forward suggestions to how the Olympic bidding process can change and regain trust.

International director at Play the Game, Jens Sejer Andersen was invited to give a speech when European ministers were gathered in Magglingen, Switzerland to discuss corruption in sport and to sign a convention against match-fixing. In his speech, Andersen stressed the need to address corruption in sports organisations and listed five proposals for the European ministers to take on. Read the full speech held at the Council of Europe meeting here:

Annual Olympics could be a way to salvage the Games, says Christer Ahl in his returning column and suggests to split up the Summer Games in three separate events, while hoping to create a debate which goes beyond considering cosmetic changes to the status quo.

When most of the matches played during the recent World Cup are long forgotten, we should still remember and thank the Brazilians for having set a new international agenda in sport, writes Jens Sejer Andersen, international director of Play the Game.

It does not help the referees or the image of football if geopolitical considerations cause FIFA to introduce an absurd neutrality concept when nominating referees, Christer Ahl writes in his column looking back at the recently completed World Cup in Brazil.

Four years before the opening match, the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia has already produced significant cost overruns and construction work is falling behind deadlines. Overall, it looks set to become the most expensive World Cup ever, says Martin Müller from the University of Zürich in this comment piece.

It may be an overlooked reason for the protests in Brazil, that this World Cup has taken football away from its traditional audiences, says PhD candidate Guilherme Nothen in this comment piece.