From @Jordan Harvey: "After a LONG day it was nice to sit down and read all of your messages.
Thank you @PhilaUnion fans for all the amazing memories. @SonsofBen"
From @JordanCHarvey: "Bummed to be leaving such great fans, but everything happens for a reason,
right?
Ever since Qatar were awarded the 2022 World Cup in a process that definitely involved absolutely no foul play, the Arab state's quest to hold the planet's biggest football tournament has been wrought with controversy.
Among the chief complaints are the utter lack of football heritage in the Sharia Law-governed nation, and the 120-degree heat that will greet fans and players at stadiums that have not yet been built, using air cooling technologies that have not yet been invented.
As if Sepp Blatter and FIFA did not already have enough yolk on their faces regarding the 2022 World Cup bidding process.
France Football magazine, in a 16-page report, has accused FIFA of awarding Qatar the 2022 World Cup on grounds of corruption.In the report titled 'Qatargate', Michel Platini was said to have been present at a secret meeting in the French presidential palace in Paris with Qatari prince Tamin bin Hamad al-Thani and the previous owners of Paris Saint-Germain.
After conducting an investigation of their own, French football magazine France Football - yes, the Ballon d'Or monsieurs have claimed that they are sitting onempirical evidence that the bidding process for the 2022 World Cup was rigged in Qatar's favour.
The FA hates Liverpool, but the feeling's probably mutual. Dirk Kuyt can score, or at least he
used to be able to. And hey, I've got something to show you. Right over here. That's right, don't
be frightened...
* Are you English? Are you too young to drive? Can you kick a football?
With the increased globalization of the game, major tournaments are heading to new lands. Austria
and Switzerland hosted Euro 2008, with next year's event heading to Poland and Ukraine. Last year
South Africa staged the World Cup with Russia and Qatar on the horizon. While I'm all for spreading
the game around the globe (aside for whatever shadiness helped Qatar land the 2022 World Cup), this
trend presents a flaw with regards to tournament seeding.
World Cup 2022 could be in December says Michel Platini
UEFA president Michel Platini says he is willing to move European club competitions in order to
allow the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to be played in the winter.
View the full story here: The Mail
A news article on 2011-12-02 12:27:44 from: The Mail
This news item has been reproduced from today's media.
Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it. |
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In a week when FIFA president Sepp Blatter was embroiled in yet another
scandal: this time about race, we report on four of the many controversies that FIFA's leader has
been involved in.
When it was announced on December 2nd that Qatar were to hold the 2022 World Cup, football fans
around the globe collectively spat their coffee across the room in disbelief. Heck, I bet even the
people of Qatar were in a state of shock when Sepp Blatter pulled their nation from the
envelope.
The 2022 World Cup will set the Qatar government back by $221bn in development and
infrastructure costs according to an analyst who does this for a living. Small change for the
richest country in the world even as they stand to lose billions without recouping but a small
fraction. FIFA by the way will have made out with its billions in TV and merchandising revenue with
all its earnings non-taxable because of its non-profit status.
Why I am completely losing patience with international football
The joke that is FIFA and its award of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar has made me lose patience
with the international game. That's one of the reasons why the European Club Association suggestion
yesterday that each country should play a maximum of six games a year seemed like common sense.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter says he does not have any intention of taking the 2022 World Cup
away from Qatar but could reconsider if new evidence comes to light.
FIFA has finally punished someone in a corruption case.
No, really, the previously unthinkable happened on Saturday after FIFA banned Mohamed Bin Hammam
from soccer for life for attempting to bribe voters in the FIFA Presidential Election.
The decision wasn't really a surprise, and Bin Hammam took no part in the proceeding, skipping
the Friday hearing to discuss the charges against him.
Although the sport sections of French newspapers have been dominated this past week by Les
Bleues' exploits in the Women's World Cup, the fate of the Ligue 1 may dramatically -and
discreetly - change in the coming days.
Keir Radnedge, editor for Sports Features Communications and chairman of the Football Commission of
the International Sports Press Association, has uncovered the identity of the 'whistelblower' who
alledged that Qatar had paid $1.5 million to three members of the FIFA Executive Committee to
secure their votes for the hosting of the 2022 World Cup.
Jack Warner has described as "nonsense" claims by one of his close associates that he voted for
Qatar instead of the United States to be hosts of the 2022 World Cup.
Czech Republic vs Portugal
Quarter Final 1
Warsaw National Stadium | 20:45
You've definitely hit the jackpot of all Ballboy Jackpots if you're a
15-year-old Polish ball-boy assigned to Portugal's training session. Just ask these guys in
Opalenica, Poland, who lined up to get their kits signed by Real Madrid's favourite smoker,
Fabio Coentrao yesterday.
Qatar advanced to the final round of World Cup qualifying while Saudi Arabia and Bahrain were
eliminated in a wild day of matches across the Asian continent.
The 2022 World Cup hosts, currently ranked 96th in the world, scored a late goal to draw 2-2
with Iran. The draw moved Qatar into second place in Group E at the expense of Bahrain.
The air conditioned stadiums that are supposed to combat the heat during the 2022 World Cup
might have been a major selling point of Qatar's World Cup bid, but they might never come to
fruition.
The architects in charge of designing Qatar's World Cup stadiums are reportedly against having
air conditioning in the arenas.
The Middle East and North Africa loom large as FIFA's executive committee meets in Zurich this week
against the backdrop of calls to investigate Qatar's bid to host the 2022 World Cup and blatant
political interference in Egyptian soccer, says writer James Dorsey.
Mirror: Why the heat is on FIFA to make the 2022 World Cup in Qatar a
success
It's Friday evening in the western suburbs of Doha in Qatar and the car park outside the giant
Villaggio shopping mall is jammed with 4 x 4s trying to find a space. A kid is showing off by
letting a python writhe around on his shoulders outside the mall entrance which is a giant mock-up
of the San Siro in Milan, all red-painted steel and criss-cross girders.
Ahead of last week's end of the season press conference, we posted a piece that looked at all of
the different midfield lineups the Union fielded in 2011 (there were 26 of them). MLSsoccer.com
published a piece yesterday with quotes from Nowak defending his use of so many different lineups
and formations.
"I'm retiring to spend more time with my iPod."Chuck Blazer, CONCACAF's General Secretary, will
step down at the end of the year he announced today. Blazer, a frequent homeless person
impersonator, will still remain a member of FIFA's Executive Committee.
"My passion for soccer is undiminished and it is time for me to explore new challenges
within this wonderful sport," Blazer said in a statement.
I never thought I would be saying it, but I feel a bit sorry for Mohamed Bin Hammam.Banned for life
from football and with all his friends now deserting him. A few months ago it had all looked so
rosy as he dreamed of handing the 2022 World Cup over to the winning captain in his native Doha. as
FIFA President.
The Premier League chairman and FA vice chairman, Sir Dave Richards made a thorough ass of
himself at a recent symposium on the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. His is a very Eurocentric view and on
top of that it's a subset (England and Germany) he uses to make his point. As if these are the only
two countries that matter.
Once again, sorry for the lack of activity on this blog. I'm still looking to hire some full
time writers so bare with me on this one. Secondly, apologies is this post has a rather sombre tone
it just feels as if, maybe especially towards the latter end of the year, that its not been a great
year for football in general.
It remains to be seen whether the 2022 World Cup will be played in the summer or the winter, but
one high-ranking FIFA official has a solution to ensure a winter World Cup gets played without a
problem: Move the two biggest competitions in European club soccer.
Ahead of Friday's Euro 2012 draw in the Ukraine, UEFA president Michel Platini said that he is
open to moving the UEFA Champions League and Europa League competitions in order to accommodate a
winter World Cup in Qatar.
A wild weekend that included several major upsets concluded Sunday night in Mexico, where the
four semifinal places in the Apertura playoffs were set.
Chivas de Guadalajara, despite finishing first in the regular season standings, could not
overturn the deficit from their shocking 2-1 loss to Queretaro from last week.
Just some quick thoughts on the FIFA bidding process. For more detail on the ongoing effort to
secure rights fees for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, take a look at some of the other posts
below.
Last night Grant Wahl tweeted that the FIFA World Cup bidding process was not quite finalized.
Despite expectations that the winner of rights to the 2018, 2022 World Cup (along with other events
including Womens World Cups and youth tournaments), would be announced Thursday or Friday, Wahl has
reported that FIFA has requested new bids.
In what is a fairly stunning move Fox has won the rights to the English language broadcasts in
the USA of all FIFA events from 2015-2022. This will include the signature events of the 2018 World
Cup in Russia and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, as well as the 2015 Women's World Cup in Canada and
the 2019 Women's World Cup which has yet to be awarded to a host nation.
At three different points of the year MLS Commissioner Don Garber makes the big time media
rounds and talks about the future of Major League Soccer. Tonight's All-Star Game is one of those
times. MLS is getting really good, despite all the times they are the brunt of jokes, at getting
exposure. This week they've done the traditional morning shows, as well as hosted a series of
events throughout Manhattan.
But in an attempt to lighten the mood against what many on here seem to see as an almost certain
loss to the hated Seattle Sounders on Saturday, let's see if Tropical Storm/Hurricane Don can delay
matters somewhat. Them Seattles may have rain for 330 (or more) out of every 365 days per year, but
they come down here and we'll show them what a Gulf Coast rainstorm can do!
Nepal, who are coached by former England international Graham Roberts, eased into the second round
with a 7-1 aggregate win over Timor Leste but will find a much sterner challenge in the shape of
Jordan as the two teams meet for the first time.
Eight games left to go for the Sounders this season, and chances are that Seattle is out of the
supporter's shield, nine points behind the San Jose Earthquakes. But even without a win down in Big
D, Seattle's tie in near Dallas held some positive developments, as this article from some guy
named Jeremiah Oshan outlines.
Morning all. Have you ever wandered across these humble pages and thought 'Y'know what, this is an
alright website and all that but what I'd really like to see is the chance to win some free stuff -
a competition, perhaps'? You have! Well, that's frighteningly convenient as The Boys From White
Hart Lane has joined forces with the wonderfully creative gang at Philosophy Football and guess
what?
Deep thoughts: FIFA President Sepp Blatter appears to be pondering about which group he can
offend next while attending a recent Euro 2012 qualifier (AP Photo).
FIFA President Sepp Blatter has added offensive comments about racism to a questionable
repertoire that included previous missteps involving sexism and bigotry toward gays.
I really really really DISLIKE the idea of an unbalanced schedule for MLS next season.
-If you play more games against your biggest rivals then each game means a little less, not
more.
dN
Oguchi Onyewu broke a rib of Zlatan Ibrahimovic during a training session fight when they were both
at AC Milan a year ago.
