Alongside their successful bids for high profiled sports events, Qatar and other Gulf states are gaining an increasing influence in European football through their acquisition of European soccer clubs, broadcasting rights and sponsorships. James M. Dorsey maps the Middle Eastern offensive, which is welcomed by some fan groups, but questioned by other stakeholders.

Trinidad and Tobago High Court has given the former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner a deadline of February 10 to provide an account of all income, donations, gifts, grants or benefits and all expenditure arising from the Germany 2006 World Cup. But it is still too early to tell whether Warner will be remembered as a living parody or a cunning politician, Lasana Liburd writes.

Bringing change to the heart of sport was the slogan for the 2011 Play the Game conference. Judging from media coverage of the conference, there is little doubt that the heart of sport lies in football, and its main affliction is corruption.

The British newspaper, The Telegraph, has published videos and a transcript of a speech given by former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner back in May in which he appears to urge FIFA officials from the Caribbean to accept cash gifts from Mohammad Bin Hammam, who challenged Joseph Blatter for the FIFA presidency earlier this year.

The Military Academy Stadium in Cairo, Egypt looked as though it was on fire. Sizzling flares peeked through the smoke at intervals. A closer look at James M. Dorsey’s video presentation at the 2011 Play The Game Conference revealed thousands of sweaty young men bouncing up and down as they waved flags and flares.

FIFA has lost all public confidence that it is willing to, or even capable of, handling the problems of corruption that the organisation is currently facing. So blunt was the assessment from long-term IOC member, Richard W. Pound, when he spoke about corruption in sport at today's opening session of the 2011 Play the Game conference in Cologne, Germany.

The IOC should take the lead in mobilising sports organisations to deal with corruption. Although sports organisations are unable to fight corruption without the help of authorities, it would be wrong to expect governments to take the lead, former WADA President and long-term IOC member, Richard W. Pound, said at the opening of the 2011 Play the Game conference in Cologne.

The Council of Europe has adopted a recommendation to its member states against match-fixing and other sorts of manipulation of sports results.