Players’ union wants 2022 World Cup switched to winter
Posted by Peter Fawzy
The world footballers' union believes the 2022 World Cup in Qatar should be held in the winter instead of summer.
With Gulf summer temperatures hitting 50C, FIFPro has said it is pleased Fifa is open to changing the tournament's timing to address the issue of heat.
The president of world football's governing body, Sepp Blatter, backed a possible switch to January 2022.
And in a statement, FIFPro said it "does not foresee any insurmountable problems in this regard".
In the vote by Fifa's executive committee on 2 December, Qatar beat Australia, Japan, South Korea and the United States to host the World Cup, which is traditionally held in June and July.
Panorama: Three Fifa World Cup officials took bribes
Posted by Peter Fawzy
Three senior Fifa officials who will vote on the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids took bribes in the 1990s, according to the BBC's Panorama.
Nicolas Leoz, Issa Hayatou and Ricardo Teixeira took the money from a sport marketing firm awarded lucrative World Cup rights, the programme alleges.
The alleged bribes are included in a confidential document listing 175 payments totalling about $100m (£64m).
The three men did not respond to Panorama's allegations.
Fifa, world football's governing body, also declined interview requests to address the allegations.
FIFA and CIES continue fruitful collaboration
Posted by Peter Fawzy
- Image via Wikipedia
FIFA and the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) of the University of Neuchâtel are pleased to announce that they have signed a new collaboration agreement. FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter and CIES President Bertrand Reeb, along with FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke and CIES Director Denis Oswald, renewed the funding to CIES for the next eight years, thus continuing the fruitful collaboration that began 15 years ago.
The International Centre for Sports Studies, an independent study centre created in 1995 as a joint venture between FIFA, the University of Neuchâtel and the city and canton of Neuchâtel, uses a multi-disciplinary approach (legal, sociological, geographic, economic and historical) to provide research, training programmes and consultancy services to the sports community.
FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter included on Forbes list
Posted by Peter Fawzy
- Image via Wikipedia
Forbes magazine in the USA has published a new list of the world's most powerful people, which again includes FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter. He is the only Swiss person on the list, and features at number 65.
The FIFA President is described by Forbes as running "the world's most popular sport." Blatter's achievements according to magazine include managing to get the USA interested in football, with 24.3 million people watching the Final of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ between the Netherlands and Spain on TV in the USA. These were the highest viewing figures in the United States for a football match.
Blatter takes in T&T 2010 final
Posted by Peter Fawzy
- Image by World Economic Forum via Flickr
FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter has spent the last few days in Trinidad and Tobago to be on hand for Saturday’s all-Asian final in the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. He is now taking advantage of the trip by meeting with some of the region’s football officials and launching Goal projects in Jamaica (Sunday and Monday) and Anguilla (Monday and Tuesday).
Welcomed on Thursday by CONCACAF President and FIFA vice-president Jack A. Warner, as well as Trinidad and Tobago’s U-17 women’s team, the FIFA President kicked off his voyage by addressing CONCACAF’s Extraordinary Congress on Friday morning. He then took part in a press conference held by the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Local Organising Committee, which proved an excellent opportunity to express satisfaction with the economic success of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™.
