High level support is pouring in to Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams, the two American sports journalists who are facing jail for up to 18 months because they refuse to say who leaked them confidential grand jury testimonies from athletes questioned in the Balco doping case.

At a recent meeting no less than 600 people cheered for FIFA vice president Julio Grondona and encouraged him to run for the eighth consecutive reelection as president of the Argentinian Football Association (AFA). The rally went on despite the terrible mess that was the last AFA tournament - clearly the most controversial in the football history of Argentina.

China has issued a new set of rules for foreign journalists who want to cover issues in China up to and during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. According to a spokesperson from the Foreign Ministry, foreign reporters will be allowed to travel anywhere in the country without prior permission from local authorities.

Two Argentinian sports journalists have been beaten up by football fans that were angry with one of the journalists after he had accused fans of threatening players in order to harm a rival team. The journalists were only rescued when police opened the doors into the changing rooms at the stadium to allow them an escape.

Play the Game is organising a course on international sport in Switzerland in December. The target group is Nordic journalists but a few places will be available for journalists from other countries in Europe.

Talk or go to jail! A federal judge in California has issued a ruling which sends two investigative sports journalists, Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams, to prison for up to 18 months because they refuse to reveal who leaked them confidential grand jury testimonies from athletes investigated in connection with the Balco case.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has written to FIFA to demand that it lifts its intolerable ban on investigative reporter Andrew Jennings and allows him back in at FIFA press conferences. Jennings is the only reporter banned from FIFA but leaked minutes from FIFA’s Committee on Ethics and Fair Play show that at least one other reporter has also been in danger of exclusion.

FIFA does not see any reason to comment further on allegations in Andrew Jennings’ book, “Foul!”, and also maintains its right not to enter into discussions with or answer to journalists who oppose FIFA and severely violates the principles of proper journalism. So replies FIFA to a letter from Play the Game which raised seven key questions in relation to Jennings’ book that was published in May this year.