Senior FIFA Vice President Julio Grondona's bid for a ninth term as Argentina Football Association president is being challenged by Fernando Raffaini, head of the football club Velez Sarsfield.

The German parliament's sports committee highlights corruption in sport with a hearing in late September.

Comment: It is worth considering if the polluter-pays principle could be used in sport as a tool against doping, hooliganism, corruption and other forms of inappropriate behaviour, argues Jean-Loup Chappelet in this comment article.

The fight against corruption, match fixing and abuse of power in international sport is increasingly on the international political agenda and top politicians will continue the debate at Play the Game 2011.

President of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek has issued a call to deprive Belarus of the right to host the 2014 Men’s World Ice Hockey Championships until political prisoners have been released from Belarusian prisons.

By donating expensive stadia, China is trying to increase its influence in third world countries.

Comment: On Wednesday 30 March one of the most politicized sports events this year will take place in Mohali, India. There India and Pakistan will play the semi-final in the cricket World Cup 2011 (ICC World Cup). The cricket match is used as a framework for political talks, the question is whether cricket is the right framework to create a better relationship between the two enemies?

Egyptian football fans, emboldened by their role in protests that deposed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak after 30 years in office, are seeking to alter the politics of their country’s beautiful game.