In this first of two articles by Osasu Obayiuwana looking into recent match-fixing cases in African football, he takes us through how an Asian betting syndicate infiltrated African football and led Zimbabwe into the continent’s biggest match-fixing scandal.

It is time to rank the most important sports political cases of 2011 and to offer a list of prophecies – what will be the most important cases in 2012?

Comment: "Didier Drogba is best known as a Chelsea player and the biggest star of The Elephants, but he has also played a central role in the peace process in Ivory Coast. His role in this process shows both the powerlessness and the power of the world-famous soccer player", writes Andreas Selliaas.

Comment: The AFC Asian Cup 2011 starts this week in Qatar. It is the second time Qatar arranges the AFC Asian Cup (last time was 1988), but this time extra attention is drawn to the cup, as Qatar last month controversially won the right to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022. The big topic of discussion after Qatar got the World Cup - next to accusations of corruption - has been Qatar’s hot climate.

Comment: In the bathroom, during the opening ceremony of the World Cup in South Africa this summer, the North Korean ambassador in Pretoria grabbed hold of the arm of his South Korean counterpart and threatened South Korea with non-specific measures unless Seoul stopped accusing North Korea of sinking the South Korean navy vessel Cheonan. The Cheonan was sunk in March this year and 46 South Koreans died.

The Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA) won a 2010 Common Ground Award for its innovative community and peace building programmes with youth in the Mathare slums, with young refugees in the Kakuma Camp in northwest Kenya, with demobilized child soldiers in Rumbek in southern Sudan and with youth in other poor urban and rural communities in East Africa and Botswana.