A European database will be established to study the economic effects of sport, its role in national economies and its impact on the labour market.

A verdict from a court in Lichtenstein obtained by the Play the Game documents that it was a representative for FIFA who repaid bribes money in the amount of 2.5 million Swiss Francs to the insolvent estate of sports marketing company ISL. But despite the documentation FIFA president Sepp Blatter still denies any knowledge of the payment in an interview with a Swiss newspaper.

An unusual plot of money interests lay behind a friendly football match between Spain-Argentina in which a key player was seriously injured.

International academics and experts on the social and economic impact of mega events will convene in Denmark in September to discuss facts and myths surrounding the effects of major sports events. The Danish government is currently discussing whether to bid for the Olympic Games in 2020 and the conference hopes to inform that debate.

Knowledge bank: EUROPEAN TOUR OPERATORS ASSOCIATON:OLYMPIC REPORT

Football can, it seems, revive national rivalries and conjure the ghosts of past wars. But football, can also, in a different way than long speeches or international resolutions, help induce progress toward peaceful solutions for military conflicts.

Knowledge bank: Jørgen Delman presents the history of China's modern development on its way from being a developing country to an economically strong nation in relation to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Knowledge bank: Rafael Maranhao speaks at Play the Game 2005 about corruption and money laundering in Brazilian football.