Corruption is a touchy subject for FIFA at the moment. Recently, John McBeth from Scotland was deselected as the British associations’ FIFA vice-president after he made remarks to journalists about corruption in FIFA. General Secretary Urs Linsi has also left FIFA as president Blatter circles the wagons before FIFA must defend itself against charges of corruption when the ISL case reaches court in March next year.

The executive committee of the International Boxing Federation (AIBA) has begun a regular show-down with the legacy of corruption the organisation inherited from former president Anwar Chowdhry. Based on a report from its own ethics commission, AIBA banned the former president for life and expelled its suspended secretary general, Caner Doganelli.

For very different reasons, Play the Game has seen two staff members part in recent weeks.

Since China was awarded the Olympic Games in 2008, human rights organisations and politicians have applied pressure on the International Olympic Committee to use the Games as a lever to improve China’s human rights record. But what is the rationale for regarding the Olympics as a source for political and social change?

Organisers of the Olympic Games in Beijing have promised that foreign journalists can travel freely around China, interview who they want and enjoy uncenscored access to the Internet during the Games. New freer regulations on reporting in China up to and during the Olympics came into force on 1 January 2007 but the application of the new rules show that there is still some way between promises and reality.

Millions of pounds are in the pool when the Premier League and YouTube take their fight to court. Claiming that YouTube has violated copyright law, the Premier League hopes to get a lucrative deal. YouTube says that the Premier League has misunderstood the law.

The importance of governments’ active engagement in anti-doping was highlighted during the WADA Executive Committee meetings on May 13 2007 in Montreal, which discussed intensified anti-doping demands for world’s governments.

UEFA president, Michel Platini, is calling for less judicial interference in sport. His comments are reinforced by four of Europe’s team sport federations and the UK sports minister, all backing the European white paper on sport’s proposals for less legal interference in sport.