The 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa is seen by many stakeholders, not least the national and provincial governments, to be in the interest of nation building, patriotism and community feeling at a time when there is a renewed skepticism of government and increasingly negative feelings about the state of the nation.

The International Olympic Committee is "on most accounts very satisfied" with Russian preparations for the 2014 Winter Games in its first inspection of Sochi's preparations since Vancouver passed the torch in February.

The officials of one of the most popular Olympic sports meet in Rome next weekend for an acrimonious special congress that could end in a walkout by European federations.

"Anyone who flies the South African flag while blowing a vuvuzela and mentioning the current year is in direct contravention of FIFA copyright laws and will be summarily transported (to Siberia).”

Football politics is a dirty game. In an interview with the Danish magazine “Tipsbladet”, Lennart Johansson, former president of UEFA, accuses FIFA president Sepp Blatter of corrupt behaviour – accusations which have often been echoed by other sources and media.

In the trial of Luciano Moggi, a former Juventus executive, phone tap conversations have been produced and used by the defense, implicating other Italian clubs in the match fixing scandal which rocked Italy four years ago.

The Olympic and Paralympic flags have been raised over Sochi this week, with the third visit from the International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s Coordination Commission.

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