Sepp Blatter listens to FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke during a press conference on May 9, 2011.

For those of you slightly confused or even overwhelmed by the stories emerging from FIFA headquarters in Zurich this week, we understand your pain. Fasten your seatbelts and let us try to tell you what is at stake.

On Wednesday the body which runs world football, FIFA, will vote for its new president. The incumbent Sepp Blatter is favorite to land the job, largely because he’s the only candidate in the race.

But this is the most senior job in world football, so why has an election to a post of such importance attracted fewer candidates than the campaign to become student union treasurer at my local college?

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Posted by: Executive Producer, Geoff Hill, Newsgathering
Filed under: Football

Scenes like these, after minnows Ireland beat England in the 2011 Cricket World Cup, may not be seen in the event again.

Every major tournament has its memorable moment, an occasion when the plucky underdog pulls off an unexpected victory against a giant of the game. It is all part of the unforgettable drama that only an international sporting event can produce.

The football game that goes into extra time and penalties, the fifth set in a gladiatorial tennis encounter, or the cricket match that comes down to the last ball.

It’s what makes sport unpredictable, exciting and addictive. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by: Executive Producer, Geoff Hill, Newsgathering
Filed under: Cricket

David Beckham was welcomed onto the England coaching bench in South Africa by Fabio Capello. (AFP/Getty)

Johannesburg, South Africa (CNN) – Germany did it with great success. Argentina and Brazil are doing it right now, and both teams are setting the pace in South Africa. Holland did it with less impressive results. But these great footballing nations weren’t afraid to try it - and now it’s time for the English Football Association to fast-track one of its favourite sons into managing the national side.

The FA has told Fabio Capello that he will learn his fate soon. Capello is a proud man with an enviable record in the game – he's a proven winner. But despite the hype surrounding his appointment - not to mention his wage demands – he has proved to be another disappointment for the FA and English football fans.

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Posted by: CNN Producer, Geoff Hill
Filed under: Football

South Africans watch Friday's match on a giant screen in Soweto. Geoff Hill/CNN.

Soweto, South Africa – It was quite simply one of the loudest and most colorful starts to a football match, but the players and the pitch were nowhere to be seen -– except on a giant TV screen.

More than 20,000 fans dressed in yellow and green descended on Soweto’s Elkah Stadium to witness the start of Africa’s first ever World Cup.

Crowds started to gather hours before the match eager to soak up the atmosphere, which could easily be summed up in one word: loud.

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Posted by: CNN Producer, Geoff Hill
Filed under: Football