According to FIFA Task Force Football 2014, led by 'Der Kaiser' Beckbauer, the idea of red carding a defender in the box, giving a pk, and the obvious game suspension that goes with the red card is too much for teams to "endure". To reduce this, the Task Force has recommended that cards be given only if they would be cardable offenses anywhere else on the pitch.

I know this is a bit of a stretch, what with the WC about 10 years away, but follow my train of thought on this one and see if you disagree.UEFA today announced that the 2012 Euros in Poland/Ukraine were going to be tobacco free."A tobacco-free EURO 2012 is about respecting the health of our spectators and everyone else involved in the tournament," said UEFA President Michel Platini.

Yahoo Sports is reporting that 5 Mexican players on their Gold Cup squad tested positive for clenbuterol. The positive test means they have to be dropped from the squad.Of those involved, goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa is the most notable with defenders Edgar Duenas and Francisco Rodriguez and mids Christian Bermudez and Antonio Naelson also implicated.