World Cup

England Also Played ‘Dirty’ in 2018 World Cup Bid

Published

7 years ago

June 28, 2017

It is getting increasingly difficult to get people who were clean during the controversial bids and double awards of the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Sports Village Square recalls that when the results of the bids were announced on December 2, 2010, it was the first and only time FIFA ever awarded two final competitions at the same time. The awards have a lot of casualties including almost the entire FIFA executive committee that was in place as at December 2010.

Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer, Chelsea owner, Abramovich among others have been embroiled in the World Cup award scandal.

Now, the English royal family and the former British Prime Minister, David Cameron have been cited in the scandal that is fast expanding. England failed in the bid for the 2018 World Cup. The released report has it that Prince William and the former Prime Minister, Cameron were at a meeting in which a vote –swapping deal between England and South Korea was discussed.

Cameron reportedly asked the South Korean delegation to support England’s bid, only to be told England would have to do the same for South Korea as it bid for the 2022 World Cup.

According to the Michael Garcia report, such a vote-swapping deal would have been in “violation of the anti-collusion rules”.

The report says Mr Cameron met FIFA vice-president Mong-Joon Chung (South Korea) in Prince William’s suite at a Zurich hotel the night before the vote for the 2018 hosting rights in December 2010.

“The Prime Minister asked Mr Chung to vote for England’s bid, and Mr Chung responded that he would if Mr (Geoff) Thompson (chairman of England’s bid) voted for Korea (to host the 2022 tournament),” the report claims.

England officials in charge of organising the country’s bid arranged jobs for the “adopted son” of FIFA vice-president Jack Warner at Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur (football clubs), and they were reportedly asked to engineer a meeting with the Queen for one FIFA official from South Africa. This official also raised the possibility of an honorary knighthood.

The report slams England’s attempt to court Warner, who was also president of North, Central American and Caribbean football, alleging officials considered twinning his hometown in Trinidad and Tobago with an English village.

In 2009 the English Football Association also covered the costs of the Trinidad and Tobago Under-20 team when it stayed in Sheffield.

“England 2018’s response shows an unfortunate willingness, time and again, to meet that expectation (of Mr Warner),” the report says.

England’s hopes of hosting the 2018 World Cup were ended swiftly when its bid received only two votes, knocking it out of contention in the first round.

The report states there was “conduct by England 2018 that may not have met the standards set out in the FCE (FIFA code of ethics) or the bid rules.

“In many cases England 2018 accommodated or at least attempted to satisfy, the improper requests made by these Executive Committee members.

“While the bidding process itself, and the attitude of entitlement and expectation demonstrated by certain Executive Committee members in the exchanges discussed in detail above, place the bid team in a difficult position that fact does not excuse all of the conduct.”

The first set of revelations from the so-called Garcia report painted a bleak picture of the background to the infamous 2010 vote that gave the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 World Cup to Qatar.

Garcia had resigned as head of FIFA’s investigatory body in December 2014 in protest after FIFA released a 40-page sanitised summary of his report which he disowned, describing it as “incomplete and erroneous”.

The full report referred to an array of suspect financial dealings including the sum of $2 million allegedly sent by a consultant for Qatar, Sandro Rosell, to the 10-year-old daughter of a FIFA official.

Garcia’s investigation also revealed that one former FIFA executive committee member thanked Qatar by mail for a transfer of several hundred thousand euros just after Qatar was awarded the 2022 tournament.

The report also documents that three executive members of FIFA were flown to Rio de Janeiro for a private party ahead of the vote to decide who would host the 2022 World Cup.

World Cup

2010 World Cup winning-goal scorer, Iniesta retires at 40

Published

35 mins ago

October 8, 2024

Kunle Solaja

Iniesta celebrates his goal at 2010 World Cup final match

Former Barcelona and Spain midfielder Andres Iniesta announced his retirement on Tuesday after a glittering trophy-laden career spanning 24 years.

Iniesta, 40, was at the heart of the Spain and Barcelona midfield during a period of sustained success for both teams in the late 2000s and early 2010s.

“Please allow me to be a little emotional today,” a tearful Iniesta, who most recently played for Emirates Club in the United Arab Emirates, told a press conference.

“I never thought this day would come. I never imagined it. Yes, all these tears we have shed these days are tears of emotion, of pride. They are not tears of sadness.

“They are tears of that boy from a small town like Fuentealbilla, who had the dream of being a footballer and we achieved it after a lot of hard work, sacrifice… of never giving up, essential values in my life. I feel very proud of this path, with all the people who have accompanied me.”

The technically-gifted Iniesta made 131 appearances for Spain, scoring the only goal of the 2010 World Cup final with a last-gasp strike to earn his country victory over the Netherlands as they lifted the global title for the first time.

He also played a key role in Spain winning the 2008 European Championship to snap a 44-year trophy drought and was named player of the tournament when they successfully defended the title in 2012.

Born in the tiny village of Fuentealbilla, less than an hour’s drive Southeast from capital Madrid, Iniesta joined Barcelona’s La Masia youth academy at 12 years old and made 674 appearances for the Spanish side, captaining them for three seasons.

A year before becoming Spain’s World Cup final hero, Iniesta worked his magic in a Champions League semi-final against Chelsea.

His brilliant shot deep in added time secured Barca a place in the final and they went on to lift the trophy, Pep Guardiola’s first European Cup triumph as a coach.

Iniesta won nine LaLiga titles with Barca, four Champions League titles, six Copa del Rey crowns, two UEFA Super Cups and three FIFA Club World Cups, many of them alongside Xavi Hernandez, a rival for the accolade of being described as the best Spanish footballer of all time.

“One of the most magical teammates and one of those who I most enjoyed playing together, Andres Iniesta, the ball will miss you and so will we! I wish you all the best, you are a phenomenon,” former Barcelona team mate Lionel Messi wrote on social media.

Runner-up for the 2010 Ballon d’Or behind Messi, Iniesta called time on his magnificent spells with Spain and Barcelona in 2018 and moved to Japan to play for Vissel Kobe.

-Reuters

World Cup

Vinicius Jr to miss Brazil’s World Cup qualifiers after neck injury

Published

2 days ago

October 7, 2024

Kunle Solaja

World Cup - South American Qualifiers - Brazil v Ecuador - Estadio Antonio Couto Pereira, Curitiba, Brazil - September 6, 2024 Brazil's Vinicius Jr during the warm up REUTERS/Rodolfo Buhrer/File Photo

Brazil forward Vinicius Jr will miss their World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Peru due to injury, the Brazilian FA (CBF) said on Sunday, making him the fourth player to be replaced in the squad.

Vinicius suffered a neck injury during Real Madrid’s 2-0 home win against Villarreal on Saturday, the club said.

Fulham midfielder Andreas Pereira has been called up to replace him, the CBF said in a statement.

Vinicius’ injury adds to the woes of coach Dorival Jr as Brazil, fifth in CONMEBOL’s World Cup qualifying standings with 10 points after eight matches, face Chile in Santiago on Oct. 10 before hosting Peru in Brasilia five days later.

The top six of the 10 teams qualify directly for the World Cup.

Dorival had already been forced to call up Paris Saint-Germain’s Lucas Beraldo, Palmeiras’ Weverton and Botafogo’s Alex Telles to replace Juventus’ Bremer, Liverpool’s Alisson and Atletico Mineiro’s Guilherme Arana, all injured.

-Reuters

World Cup

We shall pick 2026 World Cup and 2025 AFCON tickets, NFF assures Nigerian government

Published

4 days ago

October 4, 2024

Kunle Solaja

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Congress rose from its Annual General Meeting in Asaba on Friday and assured the Nigerian Government of its commitment to ensure that the Super Eagles qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

The Nigerian team has had a poor head start in the series and has not won any of the four matches. There are six more matches to be played.

Only one of the the six teams will pick an automatic ticket even as Nigeria sat dangerously fifth in Group C. Their next match is away to group leaders, Rwanda on 17 March next year.

Another drop of points portends deep dangers as the Super Eagles have zero option other than to win all the remaining six matches. Two of those matches are potentially risky. These are the away duels with South Africa on 7 September and Lesotho on 5 October next year.

Both matches will be played in South Africa which also hosts Lesotho home games apart from the fact that Lesotho is geographically completely encircled by South Africa.

The quest to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations is relatively easier as the Super Eagles are in the lead of the quartet that includes Benin Republic, Rwanda and Libya.

Two teams will qualify. Victory over Libya in the back-to-back clashes holding in the next few days will likely qualify Nigeria for Morocco 2025.

Nigeria’s World Cup Qualifying Fixtures