2010: what happened then . January . 10 FOOTBALL Africa Cup of Nations (to 31), Angola. Winners: Egypt (Story 1) (2) (3) 18 TENNIS Australian Open (to 31), Melbourne Park, Melbourne. Winners: R Federer / S Williams (Story 1) (2) (3) (4) . February . 7 N.F .L Super Bowl XLIV, Sun Life Stadium, Miami. Winners: New […]

26 January 2010 Did Diego Maradona get away with the ‘Hand of God’ goal that helped Argentina to eliminate England from the 1986 World Cup because he was small, or to use a more technical term, because of “height perception bias”? The Argentina manager’s specific case is not dealt with in a fresh and wide-ranging […]

By Nick Harris 26 January 2010 The revelation last night by Fifa’s president, Sepp Blatter, that bidding to host the 2018 World Cup could be restricted to candidates from Europe won’t necessarily increase England’s chances of staging the tournament. In those circumstances, eight key Fifa voters within Europe would get a “free hand” where to […]

Sporting Intelligence will host open forums on topical subjects on a regular basis, with contributions welcomed directly via this site, as well as through our pages on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. All contributions will be collated here at the forum, a depository for wisdom. Join in. Please do …. Who will win the three World […]

By Jonnie Baker 19 January 2010 The English Premier League, or EPL as people who must immediately be smothered are prone to call it, is the best league in the world. We know this because a man said it the other day and we must trust the men from football or all about us shall […]

This section of the site will be expanded over time to include a monthly briefing of major sports law cases; plus details and links relating to major legal cases that have shaped the sporting world and / or the lives of those who work and play within in it. For contemporary sports law stories, go […]

8 January 2010 Terrorist gunmen in Angola – host nation for the 2010 Africa Nations Cup, which starts on Sunday – today shot and wounded members of Togo’s team and their support staff, two of them “seriously”, as they travelled by coach through the host country. The central defender Serge Akakpo, 22, who plays in […]

By Andy Cole 17 December 2009 England’s bid to stage the 2018 World Cup will ultimately succeed or fail on the basis of 24 votes cast by Fifa’s Executive Committee (ExCo), so it was heartening to visit Nigeria this week and witness the enthusiasm for English football of one of those 24 voters, Dr Amos […]

7 December 2009 South African police have this evening complained that they are unhappy with reports that ex-SAS soldiers will help protect some top teams at the World Cup next summer. Police spokesperson Sally de Beer described the media reports as “absurd”. Yet some Fifa officials and sponsors will also use private security, according to sources, although […]