Chuck slams FIFA ... again.

Fifa member Chuck Blazer slams World Cup organisation

A Fifa executive member has attacked the number of South American and African places for the 2014 World Cup.

Chuck Blazer, secretary-general of Concacaf, is angry North America, Central America and the Caribbean have not been given an extra spot in Brazil. ...

Full story continues here, courtesy of the BBC.

Kicking Back Comments: Where is the fury over the lack of referee's from the region in 2010? I have to say though, he does seem to want to mix it up a bit with his own ilk ... that is, at least in the press.

Our Neighbor to the North

Kicking Back's Comments: In an unsurprising (but good for CONCACAF) move by FIFA, Canada has been selected to host the 2015 Women's World Cup. It was disappointing that where there were seven bidders originally, only Canada remained after Zimbabwe dropped out on March 1st, making FIFA's decision a Hobson's Choice. 


While our FIFA Women's panel is not very large, it is led by one of the best (IMHO) woman international referees, Kari Seitz. I am interested to see, who will be picked for this prestigious tournament, and equally interested to see if Pia's salary goes up in 2015, her World Cup Year.


FIFA passes off to Canada

FIFA HAS KICKED the ball into Canada’s corner. Now it’s up to Canadian soccer to do something with it.

Thursday’s announcement that Canada will host the 2015 Women’s World Cup was hardly unexpected since the Canadian Soccer Association was the sole bidder remaining from the seven that originally showed interest, but its selection will have a ripple effect across the country. ...

See the full story here, courtesy of ChronicalHerald.ca.

Hold that line!

Law-makers set to continue goal-line testing

Soccer's law-making body is expected to approve more experiments with goal-line technology systems on Saturday, but there is still a long way to go before any hi-tech device helps a referee make a decision.

A year after goal-line technology was rejected by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the item is back on the agenda following tests carried out at FIFA's headquarters in Zurich under the auspices of the Swiss-based technology research institute EMPA.

Although all 10 systems trialed failed FIFA's stringent tests last month, there has been a notable shift in the board's attitude towards using a hi-tech system. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of Yahoo Sports.

Kicking Back Comments: *Yawn.* You mean to say that FIFA (IFAB) can't make a clear decision. Shocking. Now I have already gone on record as saying that I don't like the goal like technology idea as THE game is human ... however it would appear that technology is getting in the way of making this work. I say that both from reading the story, and also from a recently retired FIFA AR who saw the tech in action and stated that it just does not work well.

Can't blame the referee here ...

Federation to take organizers before FIFA over botched tourney

The Nigeria Football Federation has threatened to take the organizers of the Green Bowl Soccer Tournament to FIFA for failing to notify it of the tourney's postponement. The Super Eagles were already in the United Sates before receiving news of the postponement of the tourney also known as the 2011 United States' President's Holiday Celebration Soccer Tournament. While describing the fiasco as an embarrassment to the country, NFF president, Aminu Maigari lambasted the tourney's main organizer, US-based Nigerian licensed agent, Pius Oleh and instructed the NFF secretariat to make a detailed report of the fiasco to football's world governing body, FIFA.

"This is untenable. How can he tell us that there was a ticketing problem after our team had travelled that long distance to play? How can he tell us that he did not know there was a problem until our national team arrived in America?" demanded Maigari. ...

See the full story here, courtesy of Next.com.

The Outrage!

FIFA Executive Committee Member Lashes Out at World Cup Bidding Process

Outspoken FIFA executive committee member Chuck Blazer has lashed out at FIFA’s handling of the process last December that led to Qatar’s winning of its bid to host the 2022 World Cup, while at the same time praising the Gulf state’s successful bid campaign.

In an interview with World Soccer Magazine’s March edition quoted by World Football Insider, Blazer charged that the recommendations of FIFA’s five man inspection team “were ignored completely” and said that there was a lack of willingness in the executive committee to discuss deficiencies raised in their reports.

See the full story here, from the bleacher report.

Kicking Back Comments: Chuck, where were you when we needed you? While I'm sure you kept the hope alive for the US at least through the 1st round of voting, where was all this outrage when the pressure was on FIFA to delay the vote? Why wait until now to rail against the seemingly corrupt body you are a part of? Was it conscience as this interview hit too close to home with accusations about what payoffs were being made? Was it after receiving permission from FIFA as questions still swirl about how odd a result it is for Qatar to host 2022? Was it just because the USA was dismissed out of hand based on the inspection reports as you stated? Why Chuck? Why speak up now when it is plainly too late?

EPFL v. FIFA - Round 1

Euro leagues thrown down FIFA gauntlet

The European Leagues have flexed their muscles towards Sepp Blatter and told FIFA in no uncertain terms that there will be no interference with the international fixture calendar, there will be no winter World Cup in 2022 or any other time, and they will not be dictated to on the size of national leagues. ...

See the full story here, courtesy of ESPN.

Kicking Back Comments: I am tickled that the EPFL is growing a spine in this regard and hope they remain staunch in the face of FIFA's whining that will most certainly come.

What's a snood, and why is FIFA banning them?

Is it the incredibly popular video game from Dave Dobson?

Is it the female headgear shown at right?

Or could it be as shown here ... a neck warmer that some players are making very fashionable these days?








Apparently "snoods", as they are incorrectly called, unless someone has a registered trademark on them, recently became popular in the Premier League this season, with Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez and Arsenal forward Samir Nasri among the fashion leaders. We have seen them before though with Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and Brazil defender Daniel Alves at the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa wearing them.

So what's the big deal you may ask?

Well, in a previous post (To bead, or not to bead, that was the question), we asked a similar question about hair adornments. In that case, we came to the conclusion that such were not dangerous to that player or another, so players were allowed to wear them ... at the international level.

I will not debate the wisdom here of why they should not be worn at other levels, other than to say it sends a mixed message.

Snoods however mat be different indeed. FIFA is considering a snood ban, and for good reason. They are dangerous! Imagine a player accident or not, getting hold of a snood and giving it a good yank. Yipes!

FIFA while inconsistent in their application of what is safe, and what is not (what makes a gold chain more safe than a snood?), should ban the snood as it is clearly unsafe, and has the secondary benefit to have it banned through all levels of soccer so referees don't have to deal with such adornments on a case by case basis.

It's Superbowl Day

For any who are curious what this day is all about in the United States and other places around the globe that watch this game, here is some history and some facts that I pulled out of cyberspace.

What is the Super Bowl?
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League (NFL), the highest level of professional football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The first Super Bowl was played on January 15, 1967.

How did the Super Bowl come to be (from Wikipedia)?

The game was created as part of a merger agreement between the NFL and its then-rival league, the American Football League (AFL). It was agreed that the two leagues' champion teams would play in an AFL–NFL World Championship Game until the merger was to officially begin in 1970. After the merger, each league was redesignated as a "conference", and the game was then played between the conference champions.

Who has won past Super Bowls?
As would be expected, the NFL has a very nice summary here, to see the past Superbowl's winners and all the vital stats.

Who was the referee for past Super Bowls?

About.com has a summary of NFL referee's, and which Super Bowl they officiated in. Dr. Walt Anderson will be the referee for the 2011 Super Bowl.

World Cup Final or Super Bowl, who has the larger TV audience?
From Answers.com ... it's the World Cup Final (not a surprise given the relative market penetration)

While FIFA has claimed that over 1 Billion people watch the World Cup Final, that number is greatly exaggerated.

According to a 2007 article in the UK newspaper The Independent, "Fifa's overblown figures, the World Cup finals of 1998, 2002 and 2006 respectively attracted global audiences of 1.3 billion, 1.1 billion and 715.1 million people.

According to Initiative Sports Futures, independent analysts, the figure for the 2006 World Cup Final was 260 million in the 54 key markets it surveyed, accounting for 90% of the world's TV households.

Even so, at 260 million, the World Cup final had more viewers than the 2006 Super Bowl.

2006 World Cup vs. Super Bowl viewer-ship World Cup Final, Italy v France
Claim: 715.1 million, Estimated: 260 million

Super Bowl Steelers v Seahawks
Claim: 750 million-1 billion, Estimated: 98 million

So it would seem that both FIFA and the NFL are prone to a bit of exaggeration but at the end of the day, the World Cup Final takes is by 2.5 times.

Keep in mind however, the most of the world won't get the Super Bowl televised to it, as the sport is foreign to most of the world.

Exorcises its Devils?

Kicking Back comments: While I believe this good news for the sport that some involved in the World Cup pay to play scandal have been dealt with, I hardly feel that FIFA has rid itself of all its issues.

It's a good start to be sure, but one they were forced to take with some superior investigative journalism.

Adamu Finished as FIFA Exorcises its Devils; Temarii Appeal Rejected

(WFI) Amos Adamu and Reynald Temarii, the FIFA Executive committee members caught out by the Sunday Times bungs sting, have had their appeals against their bans rejected by FIFA. ...

Adamu and Temarii were caught on film last October requesting improper inducements in return for their votes for the hosting of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

FIFA’s appeal committee today upheld three and one year bans handed out by the organisation’s ethics committee in November. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of World Football Insider.

Appealing for a call ...

Fifa opens 'corruption' hearing appeals

Fifa has begun hearing appeals by five officials suspended after allegations of corruption during the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding races.

Executive committee members Amos Adamu and Reynald Temarii were barred from voting by Fifa's ethics committee.

Nigeria's Adamu has challenged a three-year football ban for seeking bribes from reporters who posed as lobbyists. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of the BBC.

... and why did the BBC put the word corruption in quotes? It is the charge levied on these folks. Call it what it is!

2014 and 2022 Media rights going (in part) to Al Jazeera

FIFA Signs Rights Agreement With Al Jazeera

Football's world governing body has announced that it has extended its Middle East and North Africa broadcast rights agreement with Qatar-based broadcaster Al Jazeera to cover the 2018 and 2022 World Cup football tournaments. ...

See the full story here, courtesy of VOANews.

Been down this road before ...

Mohamed Bin Hammam: Sepp Blatter has been Fifa president for too long
AFC head hasn't made up his mind concerning the elections

Asian Football Confederation president Mohamed Bin Hammam insists that Sepp Blatter's long reign as Fifa president should come to an end, as it has begun to hurt the credibility of the governing body of world football.

Now the AFC head believes that the exit of the 74-year-old would ensure that Fifa would not be defenceless against accusations of corruption in the organisation. ...

See the full story here, courtesy of goal.com.

To bead, or not to bead, that was the question

Take a look at the video clip below, with specific emphasis on the GK (in yellow).

szólj hozzá: Wc 0-2 In [matchhighlight.com]

See anything?
How about his hair?

Would you as a referee allow a player to play with those beads in their hair?

How about this?

... and this?

Should these be allowed as well?

My answer for these players, at these levels, is yes. My answer is also yes for players at any level with a bona fide religious belief that requires a head covering or medical condition that requires a bracelet for such.

Should a referee allow a player to have beads in their hair, or for that matter anything ornamental at any other level?

My answer is no, and it is backed up by the LOTG and Ask A Referee here.

So why allow professional and international players to do so?

Keep in mind that at these levels the LOTG will flex as much as the players want to play, and the referee allows. This is after all for the entertainment value of the game itself for those who are watching. As I have said many times here, it is a business, and one that the referees are a part of protecting. Asking Zenga to remove his hat, or Sutter to remove his head covering would put the referee in a bad spot as it would intrude on the "branding" that player is engaging in. Also it would no doubt bring about a poor reaction for the player themselves.

To remedy this in MLS there were specific memos that came from the staff to note that such accoutrements were allowed and the referee will allow them during play. As neither of these were outwardly dangerous it made some sense.

In all cases, a referee must draw the line when an article can put another player into peril. I don't believe that FIFA, MLS, or anyone else would have issues with that. The trick of course is what is "dangerous" varies at different levels. For those upper levels, there has to be real danger as just adornments need not be removed. At any lower levels however, it should all come off.

I agree, its not fair ... and is one of the many ways that the professional and international game sets a very bad example for younger players and referees.

Bribe ... what bribe? That's a "private agreement".

Qatar's World Cup Spending Spree

Qatar's winning bid to hold the 2022 World Cup was marked by a spending spree that included investments in the home countries of several executives who were responsible for choosing the host nation, according to internal documents from the emirate's bidding committee.

The spending sheds light on how FIFA regulations—outlined in the two-page rules of conduct for World Cup host-nation bidding—left the door open for hopefuls to open wallets to exert indirect influence on international soccer's small circle of decision-makers.

Qatar also paid soccer-world luminaries—hailing from France, Spain, Argentina and elsewhere—who publicly endorsed its bid, according to Qatar bid committee documents and emails reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. Some were paid more than a million dollars in connection with the endorsements, said a person familiar with the situation. ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of the WSJ.

Winter in 2022? Looks like we will be there soon.

FIFA plays God with winter World Cup talk

PARIS — FIFA talk of possibly switching the summer World Cup of 2022 to winter is scandalous on so many levels that it's hard to know where to begin.

For starters, what arrogance. The World Cup takes a full month. Add to that pre-tournament training camps (essential for teams to gel) plus warm-up matches (equally essential) and at least one week of post-tournament recuperation for the players (they earn it, no?) and you're talking six to seven weeks.

So what about the rest of Planet Soccer? Would it simply be expected to stop and twiddle its thumbs while FIFA holds its party in Qatar, the Gulf emirate that roasts in summer? ...

See the full story here, courtesy of USA Today.

One flew from the cuckoo's nest

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — A top German lawyer has resigned from FIFA's ethics commission in protest at the world football body's apparent failure to tackle alleged corruption in its ranks.

Guenter Hirsch wrote in a letter to ethics commission president Claudio Sulser that FIFA appeared unwilling to deal with growing problems. The 67-year-old former president of Germany's highest appeals court said FIFA showed "no real interest" in trying to clean up the organization.

"The events of the past few weeks have raised and strengthened the impression that responsible persons in FIFA have no real interest in playing an active role in resolving, punishing and avoiding violations against ethic regulations of FIFA," Hirsch wrote in the letter, according to the German DPA news agency on Sunday. ...

See the full story here, courtesy of USA Today.

Kicking Back comments:

Mr. Hirsch is not just another pol who is resigning in fear of being discovered in some wrongdoing. He is the real deal and the former president of the highest court in the country of Germany. Frankly neither are some of these other folks that comprise the committee. Take the USA representative Burton K. Haimes, a Yale grad with a LL.B. and LL.M. and currently a partner at Orrick. How about Robert Torres, Chief Justice of the Unified Courts of Guam. If some of these folks are leaving, it should give FIFA great pause, as it would seem one of the few places that the organization has people of such pedigree. Notably the chair of the ethics committee, Claudio Sulser, apparently has no such creditably as a professional beyond his tremendous career as a striker. FIFA must believe that a former striker is better equipped to handle ethics matters than a man who has served at or on a country's highest court.


My question is, who is next? 

Please, no pope jokes

Oh no Hugh Don't

THE SFA has told three staff sacked over the Pope email row that they can return to their jobs - but there was no reprieve for refs' chief Hugh Dallas.

The trio successfully appealed against a controversial decision to axe them.

They were among five employees - including Dallas - given the boot in November for allegedly forwarding a photograph linking the Pope to child abuse on the same day the church leader visited Scotland.

Now the three backroom staff have been told they can go back to work later this month. ...

See the full story here, courtesy of the Scottish Sun.

I promise this time ...

Sepp Blatter proposes Fifa anti-corruption committee

Fifa president Sepp Blatter says he wants to set up an anti-corruption committee to police world football's governing body.

The move comes after allegations of corruption dogged Fifa throughout the bidding process and voting for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

Blatter said: "This committee will strengthen our credibility and give us a new image in terms of transparency.

"I will take care of it personally, to ensure there is no corruption at Fifa." ...

See the whole story here, courtesy of the BBC.

Kicking Back's comments:

All I can say is that I hope he is serious, and this committee has some teeth. It is my opinion the international game can not handle another scandal on the scale that we just saw for the bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

Cost of hosting the 2022 World Cup ... $78.4M?

Series of Gaffes Ends Soccer’s Big Year

It began as a celebrative year for Sepp Blatter, the president of FIFA, soccer’s world governing body. He took the World Cup to Africa for the first time, although many were sure that South Africa would fail as the host. As it turned out, Blatter, 74, was right. The stadiums were full, the South Africans were welcoming hosts and capable organizers, and fears of violence were unfounded.

The problem with the end of Blatter’s year, though, is that FIFA has never adapted to the standards of transparency that govern many international entities. Based in Zurich, it is an insular body unregulated by any outside organization. And since his election in 1998, Blatter and other top FIFA officials have faced repeated charges of mismanagement and corruption. ...

See the complete article here, courtesy of  the NYT.

See you in January?

Players support winter World Cup in 2022

After the comments by Sepp Blatter, Michel Platini and Franz Beckenbauer that the 2022 FIFA World Cup should be played in January instead of June/July, strong support has come from FIFPro, the world footballers’ union which also believes the 2022 World Cup in Qatar should be held in the winter instead of summer.

Summer temperatures hit 50 degrees centigrade in the Gulf and FIFPro has said it is pleased FIFA is open to changing the tournament’s timing to address the issue of heat. ...

See the full article here, courtesy of George Cumming's Football Blog.