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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

By JOEY SAMUEL

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.

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it. | Subscribe: Main Listening Report | Complete List Here

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.

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.

Union

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.

Former Liverpool chief Rick Parry to help Qatar 2022

Qatar has signed up former Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry to help cope with security issues at the 2022 World Cup.

View the full story here: The Mail

A news article on 2011-11-12 22:36:47 from: The Mail

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

STARTERS
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.

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.

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.

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.

"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.

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.

photo by Michael Janosz/ISIphotos.com

By FRANCO PANIZO

If David Beckham makes a return to the Premiership after the MLS season, it appears it won't be with Queens Park Rangers.

The club's manager, Neil Warnock, played down rumors linking QPR with the Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder on Thursday.

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.

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.

Answer: It can't. Not really.

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!

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.

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.

South Asians' Middle East mission
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.

By Ulysse Pasquier, writing from Paris

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.

Photo: Paul Rudderow

Jordan Harvey, 2010-2011

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?

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.

Photo: Paul Rudderow

Union

Sheanon Williams is named to MLSsoccer.com's Best XI for Week 16. This is the second time he's gotten Best XI honors from the league's website.

The Union score big in Goal.com's midseason awards with Carlos Valdes named Newcomer of the Year and getting an honorable mention nod for Defender of the Year.

If you wanted another reason why Qatar winning the 2022 World Cup bid is a joke, consider this: To deal with the sweltering conditions in the summertime in Qatar, FIFA is considering a proposal to play 90 minute games over three 30-minute periods...
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I remember once going to watch my brother play football. It was a long, long time ago and it was the sort of Scottish day that was as wet as it was cold.
The sort of day that threatens to drown a diminutive full back and turn a skinny left winger a very unhealthy shade of blue.
The sort of day that might make you despair of a nation that sends ten and eleven year old boys out to play football in such conditions.

Innovation – Not Soccer – Is Headlining FIFA World Cup 2022 Business 2 Community In what began as a vision in its bid to FIFA to host the 2022 World Cup , Qatar's promise of new cooling technologies, carbon-neutral facilities and man-made clouds is slowly becoming reality. Last summer, the Showcase (pictured below) was built to show .

Just a week ago, the football world was up in arms over the various scandals and accusations surrounding FIFA and CONCACAF. Sepp Blatter's re-election went through despite attempts by the English FA to delay the vote, sponsors were being threatened with boycotts if they continued to be complicit in FIFA's corruption.

(Note: Still no pictures. Sorry for not having updated in a while; final exams and continued tech glitches are a powerful combination)

You may be lost about what's going on with CONCACAF. In fact, I'd be surprised if you weren't. Apparently, while we were all worried about FIFA collapsing under a power struggle driven by corruption, CONCACAF began collapsing under a power struggle driven by corruption.

A West Asian investment vehicle has acquired a majority stake in leading French Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). According to AFP, the Qatar Investment Authority, an investment arm of the 2022 World Cup country's government, has snapped up a 70% shareholding from US group Colony Capital, which became the majority owner of PSG in 2006 after buying the club from Canal Plus.

For those of you who haven't been following the drama happening within FIFA, you really should be. It's fascinating how such an inward, closed-off organization was finally pried open, if only a little bit, for the rest of us to see how it works. Over the last week or so there's been a lot of upheaval within the organization over corruption to the point where FIFA had no other option than to address them properly.

Sepp Blatter, the self-proclaimed "captain" of "the FIFA ship," has announced that future World Cup hosts will be determined by a vote of the 208 FIFA member associations as opposed to the 24-man executive committee.

"In the future, the World Cup will be decided by the FIFA Congress," Blatter told the Congress in Zurich.