Since there have been a number of major European match scams, where more than 200 matches are currently under investigation for alleged match-fixing, and 17 people have already been arrested, FIFA felt it was time to take action to ensure that there is no match-fixing for the World Cup, and for other matches in the future.

There were many who gathered together in order to draw the teams for the football World Cup, which made it a good opportunity to have a meeting in order to discuss the issues surrounding match-fixing, and explain how Interpol, the International Police Association, are going to be creating an international task force to deal with these issues in football betting, as well as other sports betting.

After the meeting was over, the president of FIFA, Sepp Blatter said: “We have received wonderful support in the fight to prevent football being hostage for illegal activities. We cannot easily go to courts but we have now found a partner in Interpol. This means all the present control systems Рthe FIFA early-warning for international matches, another for UEFA plus the German Radar system will be put together.”

The win for Vettel will only act as a boon for his promising season, with victory in the United Arab Emirates sealing his 4th win this season as well as his team’s (Red Bull) third one-two this year.
Pundits had originally tipped Englishman Hamilton to cruise to victory after a hugely impressive display during the qualifying heats, where the young F1 champion said he hadn’t been better all season. Unfortunately for Hamilton however, he suffered rear brake problems from the start and was given no respite from Vettel after leaving the tracks.

"I was locking and locking and locking it was harder than ever to drive the car‚Äù. "It’s a shame as the car felt so good these last couple of days, but we haven’t had many brake problems this year so there you go. "But I still think the whole team should be really proud of how we have recovered this season."
BMW’s Nick Heidfeld finished 5th, while Toyota’s rookie Kamui Kobayashi and his team-mate Jarno Trulli finished 6th and 7th.

The new Yas Marina circuit also received special praise and recognition from F1 drivers and teams alike. The new track in the United Arab Emirate (situated 30 minutes from the capital Abu Dhabi) has received huge amounts of investment from the Abu Dhabi government in recent times.

It seems Mayweather is now destined to face pound for pound rival Manny Pacquiao, assuming the Filipino legend defeats Miguel Cotto. However Floyd’s trainer, Roger Mayweather, insisted a fight with welterweight king ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley would be more of a spectacle.

Ukrainian veteran Vitali Klitschko continues to be the shining beacon in a dreary Heavyweight division as he fended off the challenge of Chris Arreola to retain his WBC title. Klitschko kept the feisty Mexican American at bay with his superior reach (jab), as Arroeola’s corner called off the fight before the tenth round. Klitschko’s next opponent could be opinionated Brit David Haye, provided he beats Nikolai ‘The Beast From the East’ Valuev in their David v Goliath encounter.

Haye, who has campaigned most of his career at Cruiserweight, is adamant his speed and knockout prowess can make up for his lack of size in the Heavyweight division. Boxing legend Evander Holyfield believes Haye will come unstuck against Valuev, citing his lack of experience at heavyweight.

In other boxing news, newly crowned light welterweight champion Amir Kahn is lining up his first defence of his WBA title against Dmitriy Salita. Kahn, who has reformed his career following a shock knockout at the hands of Breidris Prescott by defeating Erik Morales and Andreas Kotelnik, has his eyes on a fight with stable mate Manny Pacquiao next year. Finally, 2000 Olympic Champion Audley Harrison (cruelly dubbed ‘Fraudley’ by the British public for the stagnation of his heavyweight career) resurrected his chances of a World Title fight by winning Prizefighter. He knocked out Coleman Barrett in the 3rd fight with a vicious left hook, after Mike Tyson’s conqueror Danny Williams suffered a humiliating first round defeat.

England’s 100 percent qualifying record under Fabio Capello was cut short after losing 1-0 to Ukraine. The 3 Lions endured a calamitous start after ManUtd defender Rio Ferdinand allowed Artem Milevskiya through on goal, only for matters to get worse when Rob Green was sent off with a last gasp tackle. Fortunately for England, Andriy Shevchenko provided some respite as he scuffed his penalty wide of the post, giving England another chance. However it wasn’t too long before England’s ten-man team went behind after Ashley Cole conceded possession to Ukraine just outside the box – giving pretence to a wonderful strike on the 29th minute. Wayne Rooney could have equalised late on, but sent a shot radiating past the post.

In other qualifiers, the Mediterranean men of Portugal took a step closer to the elusive play-off spot. They now just need to beat Malta at home Рalthough they’ll have to do it without talented 2009 World Player of the Year Ronaldo, who picked up an ankle injury recently. Portugal defeated Hungary 3-0, with Liedson proving to be that consistent striker that they’ve missed for so long by grabbing the second. In a Scandinavian encounter, Denmark edged out Sweden 1-0 to top the group and progress to their first major tournament since 2002.

In their typically efficient style, Germany grinded out a 1-0 victory in Moscow to top group 4. The Germans are now qualified directly.

Meanwhile Spain made it 8 wins out of 8, with goals from Fabregas and Mata helping them beat Armenia 2-1. Serbia ensured they will finish group 7 as winners with a 5-0 thrashing of Romania, where as Scotland relinquished their South Africa hopes by losing 1-0 at home to Holland.

Across the Atlantic, Diego Maradona was delighted as his Argentina side finally won a game to clinch the 4th automatic qualifying spot. They have veteran Martin Palermo to thank, as he scored in the dying seconds to beat Peru 2-1.

Iran drew 1-1 with the Korea Republic and Nigeria managed to book their place in 2010 world cup with a 1-0 victory over Mozambique.

Coming off the back of a 7-1 ODI series thrashing of England, Australia hammered their commonwealth rivals in the semi-final by nine wickets. England, who had impressed themselves in the tournament by defeating Sri Lanka and South Africa, succumbed as Shane Watson and Ricky Ponting both hit centuries.

New Zealand, who had defeated Pakistan by five wickets in their semi-final, were skittled out for a paltry 200. Peter Siddle removed dangerman Brendan McCullum for a 14 ball duck, as a rejuvenated Brett Lee, who missed the Ashes tour through injury, took two scalps. Shane Watson again proved he is one of the world’s leading all-rounders, as he hit an unbeaten 106 to steer the Aussies to a six wicket victory. Despite a fiery 3-27 spell by Kyle Mills, Watson was given ample support by Cameron White, who hit 62.

In other cricket news, enigmatic English spinner Monty Panesar has signed with South African outfit Highveld Lions to try and reclaim his spot in the England set-up. Panesar, who has been criticised for his lack of guile and variation, only featured in one Ashes test match. He has since fallen behind Graeme Swann and Abdul Rashid in the pecking order. The 27 year old will be hard pressed to find turn on South African wickets that favour seamers. England all-rounder Paul Collingwood is a doubt for the Indian Premier League as he faces a scan on a buttock muscle injury, sustained in the defeat to Australia.

Barcelona meanwhile kept up their 100 per cent start to the season, grinding out a 1-0 victory at home to Almeria. Almeria’s overly cautious, ‘park the bus’ approach prompted a post-match tirade from Barca playmaker Xavi, who claimed the opposition marking and negativity was beyond the pale.

A bullish Didier Drogba inspired Chelsea to the summit of the premier league, as he created two goals for Nicolas Anelka and Florent Malouda respectively. Liverpool hustled and bustled, and Fernando Torres spurned a guilt edged opportunity at 1-0, but ultimately their service from the flanks was poor. Chelsea’s passing was crisper, and deputy goalkeeper Hilario put in an assured performance.

The deadlock was broken when a dangerous Drogba flashed a ball across the box for Anelka to poke in. The game was wrapped up when the Ivory Coast hitman outmuscled Jamie Carragher on the by-line to gift sub Malouda a tap-in. Meanwhile Manchester Utd put in a lacklustre display against Sunderland, with Paul Scholes and Darren Fletcher particularly wasteful in possession. The deadlock was broken early on when Darren Bent produced an astute finish. United replied through a majestic Berbatov overhead kick, but Kenwyne Jones took advantage of a flappy Foster to restore Sunderland’s lead. It was misery for Anton Ferdinand as he deflected Patrice Evra’s effort into his own net in the dying moments of the game to gift United a draw.

The 32 year old Al Fahim has now become the club’s new sole owner after a lengthy summer where the club was expected to change hands. Al Fahim, the sole owner of Al Fahim Associates, is thought to have agreed a takeover in principle from Israeli owner Gaydamak as early as May. The clubs fans and players were ensconced with takeover fiascos, and while the club’s current manager denies it, the unknown future of the of club has seeped into on field results and performances.

A spokesman for Portsmouth‚Äôs former owner Alexandre Gaydamak said ‚ÄúSacha is delighted the deal has been finalized and is really pleased the club can now move forward in the best possible way. He would also like to thank Portsmouth’s supporters for their continuing loyalty to the team and wishes them all the best for the future."

The news also comes just a week after the English South-coast club announced it was in talks with a consortium headed by Peter Storrie.
At the moment, Portsmouth are in an unsteady and capricious position in the Premier League, lying at the bottom of the table with zero points and with their best player either gone or set to leave. Their star man and the club’s player of the year for the 08/09 season, Glenn Johnson, left for Liverpool this summer. England International Peter Crouch was also sold to London club Tottenham, and Sylvain Distin, the club’s current captain is also seeking a move from the club.

Notts Country were earlier taken over by Middle Eastern Arabs, with the long term aim of reaching the Premier League. The Nottingham based football club have, at the moment, a five-year plan to get into the championship – two leagues above their current situation.
In signing Sol Campbell, the club now has one of the most experienced players in England with 73 caps for England, and a raft of trophies and honors won.
Campbell, who was swayed by his former international manager Eriksson, said of the shock move "Sven played a big role. He’s a great man. He’s managed all over the world and he knows his football, he’s a proper guy.‚Äù
The 6ft 2in centre-half has also appeared in three World Cups, and also featured for England in the Euro 2008 qualifiers last year, however has not been selected by new manager Fabio Capello.
"I’m looking to the future now. Career-wise this sits perfectly for where I am at the moment in my life. I didn’t really have to think too much about it. There were offers from the Premier League but that would have been short-term. I’m thinking of the future."
Since Eriksson’s move to Meadow Lane, Campbell has now presented the biggest on-field signing since being taken over by the consortium. The former Arsenal player is set for a player-role only, and is not expected to take up a role on the coaching side. Campbell won two Premier League titles and three FA Cups during his five year spell at Arsenal, and was a centre piece in the infamous team of 2003-4 league season where the club went unbeaten in all 36 games.
He’s seen the future. It’s a challenge but I think everyone connected to the club are prepared for that challenge. It’s refreshing‚Äù said a BBC Radio Nottingham spokesman.
Campbell noted a key part of his decision was the club’s overall ambitions to get the Magpies into the Premier League.

"I’ve spoken to all the people concerned with the club and they’ve guaranteed me of their ambitions to eventually get in the Premier League. From the management to the hierarchy they genuinely think it’s believable. This is the oldest club in the world with a fantastic heritage. I’ll play for at least three years and then go from there. They’ve got a lot of ideas but I’m here as a footballer, to keep on winning promotion and getting them up into the Premier League. It’s going to be different but I don’t mind starting again. League-wise it is moving down but they’ve got ambitions to move up and I think we will. It’s going to be a different kind of situation but I just want to play football and I’m hungry. Football is in my blood and all I’m thinking about is promotion."
Campbell’s former manager, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger said he was surprised by the player’s decision to drop down three divisions after his spell with Portsmouth in the Premier League.
"It was a surprise, because of the level Notts County play at," said the Frenchman. "That shows you as well how much financial potential Notts County has suddenly. In May, did you expect Sol to go to Notts County? Certainly not. Time will show if it is a good move for him. It depends what is in his mind, if it is purely a football move or if it is a long-term move that he wants to be involved afterwards as a coach. Maybe it can be a good decision if he wants to build something on the longer term. On the short term, he will suffer a bit because he is used to top level football. When you move down, it is always difficult to cope mentally."

The manager added "Sylvinho has a wealth of experience at the very top level, having represented Brazil and played for some of the very top clubs in Europe."
City are also on the cusp of signing Everton’s highly rated English centre back Joleon Lescott in a deal worth approximately £22 million.
The Eastland club finally inveigled him after an arguably illegal and relentless approach for the 26 year old.

City had previously had two offers rejected for £15 and £18 million this summer, however with Moyes blocking both moves for the versatile defender who can play at centre-back and left back; it seems the former Wolves player is now forcing the transfer to go ahead.

The victory put Barrichello just 18 points off the Englishman, with 60 remaining for the last 6 races of the season.
Red Bull’s Mark Webber only managed 9th, causing him him to slip in the rankings to 3rd, over 20 points behind Button. His team mate Sebastian Vettel failed to finish the race after an engine failure, and now lies fourth in the proceedings.

Kimi Raikkonen got Ferrari a third place finish, and Williams’s Nico Rosberg came fifth.

Barichello dedicated his victory to fellow countryman Felipe Massa, who’s recovering steadily in hospital after a crash at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

"I had two wishes. First that he would be the same guy, and he is, and second that he will be the same driver, and I think he will be better. We knew if everything went to place we could win the race. You don’t forget how to do it, even though it’s five years. They were telling me push, push, push. You want to do it for yourself, your team, your family, your country. So there was a lot going through my mind."