Blair to Unveil Moore Statue at Wembley

Having announced his resignation Tony Blair will spend the first day of his notice period at Wembley, where he will unveil the statue of Bobby Moore that overlooks the Wembley Way. The bronze will be the FA's first official tribute to England's sole World Cup-winning captain. The prime minister will be back at the stadium for the FA Cup final a week tomorrow, although he will play no part in the official opening ceremony on the day. His expected successor will not be joining him - Gordon Brown was invited to the match but has other plans.

Compiling the Wembley Cup final guest list has potential for causing embarrassment and offence and, with that in mind, the FA has been working to ensure that senior figures in public life and sport have all received an invitation. As well as Blair and Brown, the foreign secretary Margaret Beckett and outgoing home secretary John Reid have been invited, as has the Conservative leader, David Cameron. The Tories' shadow sports team, Hugo Swire and Hugh Robertson, will also be present.

About 400 "VVIPS" can fit into the Royal Box and Lounge but it is still too small to accommodate everyone who wants to be there. The FA has been inundated with requests from Cup final players and their relatives for tickets but cannot satisfy everyone. One dignitary who will not be in attendance, however, is the Fifa president, Sepp Blatter.

Bean-Megson in defence

Gamekeeper-turned-poacher Graham Bean, below, the former Football Association compliance chief who now makes his living defending clubs against disciplinary charges, is launching a new venture with the former West Brom manager Gary Megson. Bean-Megson will offer advice to clubs, lawyers and insurance companies in negotiations over insurance costs for players who have reached the end of their careers. Bean's core business Football Factors, launched in 2003 after his departure from Soho Square, has acted for 44 professional clubs including Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham.

Morris woos Leeds fans

The property developer Simon Morris will try to gather public support for his takeover bid for Leeds United by launching a website to garner advice and suggestions from the club's supporters. Morris, a former director, has promised a new ground and investment if the administrators KPMG recommend his bid at next week's creditors' meeting.

Glazers to join the party

Sources close to the Glazer family have indicated that some or all of the six children, five brothers and one sister, on the Manchester United board are expected to attend the final home game of the season at Old Trafford on Sunday and the FA Cup final six days later, scotching suggestions from supporters that they will blank the title celebrations. The Glazers' appearances at Old Trafford have been more frequent in recent weeks, though small numbers of supporters still unhappy at the takeover have attempted to stage protests.

Battle-hardened Russians

The race to host the 2014 Winter Olympics promises to be tight, with free-spending bids from the Russian resort Sochi and the South Korean city Pyeong Chang up against the Old-Europe attributes of Salzburg. The Russians are leaving no stone unturned in their quest for the Games, dispatching the Olympic bidding veteran Charlie Battle to London this week to meet the four International Olympic Committee members attending the Commonwealth Games Commission meeting. Yesterday they announced that Maria Sharapova will be an ambassador for the bid. Unfortunately for Sochi, should the former Wimbledon champion make the second week at the All England Club this year she will be unable to support them during the final vote in July, which clashes with the championships.

League looks to the East

The Premier League is following the rush to China and staging its annual Asia Cup pre-season tournament in Hong Kong this July. Portsmouth and Fulham will join Liverpool in the tournament, with a Hong Kong XI making up the quartet.