Ronaldo to help coordinate World Cup 2014

SAO PAULO: Ronaldo, Brazil’s legendary footballer who retired this week, was on Wednesday appointed to help coordinate Brazil’s hosting of the 2014 World Cup.

Sao Paulo governor Geraldo Alckmin named the ex-player to his state committee coordinating the football tournament in a ceremony in a Sao Paulo stadium.

He also awarded Ronaldo, 34, a medal in honour of his sporting achievements and legacy.

“It’s an honour to help the government of Sao Paulo to put on the best World Cup of all time,” Ronaldo said.

The three-time FIFA World Player of the Year, whose goal scoring genius led Brazil to the 2002 World Cup title, confirmed his retirement on Monday in a tearful media conference.

He said he was forced to halt his career because his body was no longer up to the demands he was putting on it.

The striker, who played for Barcelona, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and AC Milan, but who appeared only sporadically for Sao Paulo side Corinthians since returning from Italy in 2009, was plagued with injuries for much of his career.

He has said he hoped to wear the national Brazil jersey one more time in a farewell match “to bring together players who were with me and appear in front of a public who loved and helped me.”

Ronaldo won the World Cup with Brazil in 2002 and became the leading scorer in World Cup finals tournaments when he scored his 15th goal at the 2006 tournament in Germany.

He was twice named European Footballer of the Year, in 1997 and 2002, and finished his international career with 62 goals in 97 appearances. 

 

Blatter: Qatar World Cup in summer, no co-hosting

LONDON: The 2022 World Cup in Qatar will be played in the summer as originally planned and will not be co-hosted with neighbouring countries, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said.

Blatter, reiterating comments made by football’s governing body two weeks ago, said there were no plans to stage a winter World Cup and any request to do so would have to come from the Qatari hosts who have already said they plan to stage the event in summer.

“Everything is settled now for summer and with all 64 matches in the territory of Qatar,” he told the BBC in an interview.

“In the bidding documents it was clearly established that the executive committee reserved the right to change anything in the bidding process, but here in this case it must come from Qatar.

“Qatar has not moved for the time being. I think for the time being this matter is on ice because we have just signed in the last days the final documents.”

Qatar were chosen as hosts in December, winning a contest also featuring Australia, Japan, South Korea and United States.

Their bid was based on a summer World Cup using air-conditioned stadiums to combat the desert heat.

Despite this, there has been wide support for a winter World Cup with Franz Beckenbauer and UEFA president Michel Platini backing a January-February tournament.

Platini also suggested a “World Cup in the Gulf” with Qatar sharing matches with neighbouring countries.

Blatter denied supporting a winter tournament himself and said he was impartial, although he feared a winter tournament could clash with that year’s Winter Olympics.

“I’m not in favour of one or the other although January and February would be in conflict with the IOC (International Olympic Committee) of which I’m a member.

“Who said first we should play in winter? It was Franz Beckenbauer, secondly Michel Platini, thirdly it was the professional players’ union, FIFPro.” 

  

FIFA begins appeals in World Cup corruption cases

ZURICH (AP): A FIFA appeals hearing for five officials suspended after allegations of corruption during the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding races began on Wednesday.

They included FIFA executive committee members Amos Adamu and Reynald Temarii who were barred from the Dec. 2 votes by the governing body's ethics committee.

Nigerian Adamu, who received a three-year ban from all football duty, became the most senior FIFA official ever sanctioned for bribery.

FIFA said its independent appeals committee, chaired by Bermuda Football Association president Larry Mussenden, opened the two-day hearings on Wednesday but gave no further details. Mussenden was a former attorney general in the Caribbean island's government.

Adamu, a former sports minister, has been quoted by Nigerian media this week saying he is confident of victory.

FIFA's ethics court found he sought bribes from undercover reporters who posed as lobbyists for a sting published by British newspaper The Sunday Times last October.

If cleared, Adamu could stand for re-election to the FIFA post he has held since 2006. He is a provisional candidate in a Confederation for African Football poll scheduled for Feb. 23 in Khartoum, Sudan.

Temarii, from Tahiti, was cleared of corruption but got a one-year ban for breaking confidentiality rules by speaking to the fake lobbyists.

He was replaced last month as a FIFA vice president and Oceania confederation president by his former deputy, David Chung of Papua New Guinea.

Three former members of FIFA's ruling panel are also appealing bans of up to three years.

Slim Aloulou, a Tunisian lawyer who chaired FIFA's disputes panel, is challenging a two-year ban.

FIFA referees committee member Amadou Diakite of Mali and Ahongalu Fusimalohi, chief executive of the Tonga federation, were each suspended for three years.

They reportedly advised the reporters how to bribe FIFA officials and how much to pay.

A sixth official, Ismail Bhamjee of Botswana, has not appealed his four-year ban.

Bhamjee was replaced by Adamu on FIFA's 24-member executive body after a ticket scalping scandal at the 2006 World Cup.

After Adamu and Temarii were suspended, a 22-man FIFA executive committee chose Russia to host the 2018 World Cup and Qatar in 2022.

  

Qatar passes 1st test of World Cup credentials

DOHA, Qatar (AP): Billed as a dress rehearsal for the World Cup, the 2011 Asian Cup was nothing of the sort.

Qatar's shock win in the December vote for the 2022 World Cup hosting rights led to a storm of criticism, and put the spotlight on the Asian Cup like never before.

The Gulf nation looked to be passing the first test quite comfortably until Saturday's final when many fans complained of being locked out of the stadium, despite holding tickets.

It was the first major organizational hitch in the tournament, and perhaps it proved Qatar still has lessons to learn about handling big sporting events.

The main criticism up until Saturday had been the rows of empty seats at many games, but a look back at previous tournaments shows that is a common problem at the Asian Cup, which is still catching up with its continental equivalents.

"We would like to see our competition is comparable to the best in the world. This is a target," Asian Football Confederation President Mohamed bin Hammam said last week.

Not many sporting events, let alone football tournaments, are comparable to the World Cup, however.

Visiting fans, other than from neighboring countries, were a rare sight at the Asian Cup. In 2022, thousands of supporters from across the globe will descend on Qatar, and the locals should be more willing to turn out to watch the world's best teams and their star players than they were to watch the best that Asia has to offer.

Indeed, while football is Qatar's most popular sport, fans are more likely to be found avidly watching Real Madrid, Barcelona or Manchester United on the television than they are at a stadium supporting their local club.

What did become clear at the Asian Cup is that Qatar, for better or worse, will produce a World Cup like no other.

For many fans, football and beer are inseparable partners but they may have to take an enforced break in 2022. Alcohol is available only in licensed bars in mainly five-star hotels — and at a high price. A Budweiser, one of the official sponsors of the World Cup, can cost nearly $10 in a hotel.

Ae-young, a 27-year-old South Korean who lives in the United Arab Emirates and came to Qatar for the Asian Cup, described Doha as a city that "sleeps early."

"It is not like in Korea where life is 24 hours," she said. "And the places we do go to have fun are all closed, and cost a lot."

The alcohol restrictions are expected to be relaxed in time for the World Cup, with drinking allowed in designated fan zones, but rowdy reveling seems unlikely to be tolerated.

In its place, visitors are encouraged to visit the Corniche, take a trip on a dhow boat, wander through the imposing Museum of Islamic Art or shop in one of the many air-conditioned malls or at the Souq Waqif — all in Doha.

If none of those options appeal, fans could spend most of their time at a football match. Qatar will be the smallest country to have hosted a World Cup, a fact the bid committee was keen to play up.

"We promoted a compact World Cup," Bin Hammam said. "We told the world: please come and feel how much more comfortable a World Cup can be organized in a small country."

It is possible to drive around the entire country in less than a day, and with World Cup venues no more than an hour apart from each other, dedicated fans might even be able to squeeze in three matches in 24 hours.

At the Asian Cup, every game took place in Doha or nearby, and no stadium was more than a short drive away, although the city's oppressive traffic meant 15-minute journeys could take more like an hour.

There is no public transport to speak of, but Qatar plans to build a new rail network and metro system and provide a shuttle bus system in 2022.

With a bulging budget and several space-age stadiums planned, one of which will be wrapped in video screens, 2022 promises to be a World Cup to satisfy tech-heads and gadget geeks.

The attitude of this gas-rich nation was summed up by Bora Milutinovic, an ambassador for the bid who has coached five different nations at World Cup tournaments.

"Whatever might become a problem, won't be a problem," the Serb said. "It's not only a matter of money, it's how it is spent. Qatar buys the best possible professional advice.

"They have a vision and they will make it reality. They are determined to make it a memorable experience. Whatever may be lacking, will be built."

Providing cheaper hotels will take up part of the multibillion dollar budget: five-star hotels far outnumber two-stars in Doha.

However, changing the weather is an insurmountable problem, even with the Qatari billions.

Ex-pats appreciate Qatar for its safe, family-friendly environment and the ease of daily life, but all agree that the summer heat, which can top 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit), is almost impossible to bear.

Most leave the country, those who stay avoid going outside. Derek Lyon, a Scotsman teaching at a school outside Doha, talks of taking his dog for a walk in the height of summer, and the dog having "had enough after five minutes."

"It's unbearable," Lyon said. "It's all very well to say you'll air-condition the stadiums. I went to the game at Al-Sadd Stadium they organized when the FIFA inspectors were here, and the air conditioning was used. It was amazing. It was 19 degrees (Celsius) in the stadium and 45 (degrees Celsius) outside.

"But you can't air-condition a whole country."

The debate seems set to rumble on for a while yet, but it would not be a major surprise if, as FIFA President Sepp Blatter has already proposed, the World Cup is moved to the Qatari winter months.

Bin Hammam was initially opposed to a move, but seems to have softened his stance of late. For now, he is happy that the Asian Cup has passed off without adding more fuel to the critics' fire.

"For me, (the Asian Cup) was actually more an opportunity for those who have less confidence in Qatar's capability of organizing a World Cup, to witness for themselves what can be done," he said.

It will take more than a successful Asian Cup to change hearts and minds completely.

  

Russia officially appointed hosts of 2018 Finals

MOSCOW: Russia on Sunday made their status as hosts of the 2018 World Cup official when signing FIFA’s declaration of appointment.

The ceremony formally confirmed the decision by FIFA to appoint Russia as hosts of the 2018 edition of the football extravaganza.

The declaration was signed by FIFA president Sepp Blatter, Russia’s Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko and Alexei Sorokin on behalf of the local organising committee and Sergei Fursenko and Nikita Simonyan, who serve as the president and the first deputy president of the Russian Football Union.

Blatter congratulated Russia again on their victory and expressed his confidence that football’s biggest event will be hugely successful on its debut in Eastern Europe.

The declaration of appointment is a formal prerequisite for the local organising committee.

This body will be entrusted with the staging, hosting and the organisation of the 2018 World Cup and the FIFA Confederations Cup, which will be staged by Russia in 2017.

  

English FA concerned about Qatar 2022 'nightmare'

LONDON (AP) - The head of England's Football Association warned Tuesday that moving the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to the start of the year would be a "logistical nightmare."

Since the contentious vote in December, FIFA president Sepp Blatter has said he expects the event to be staged in early 2022 due to concerns about the blistering summer heat in the desert nation.

"The notion of playing in Qatar just leaves me in a cold sweat at the moment," FA general secretary Alex Horne said Tuesday. "Preparing the teams for that environment, we don't know enough about what they are promising logistically in terms of training grounds etc. It doesn't feel like a great experience for the fans, the whole thing is odd, let me just say that ... I know it won't be easy."

Qatar beat out the United States, Australia, Japan and South Korea for the bidding rights despite concerns over temperatures which routinely exceed 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).

While moving the World Cup to a cooler time of year would be better for the health of players, it would throw domestic football schedules across Europe into turmoil before and after the tournament, which normally starts in June.

"It will do all sorts of odd things won't it, because you need to find nine or 10 weeks across the winter. It's going to split the season and you'll need to start early or finish late," Horne said. "It's a logistical nightmare. Whether it's a good idea or not I don't know."

Already unhappy with the voting process after England's 2018 bid flopped last month, Horne was asked about whether the 2022 event should be allowed to move since it wasn't mentioned during bidding.

"It's a bit unfortunate isn't it?" he said flippantly.

Horne is still unhappy that England only received two votes in the contest, which Russia won, with one coming from Geoff Thompson, the English member of FIFA's executive committee. One of Horne's priority as he enters his first full year in the job is to ensure England has a greater say at the heart of world football. He has already met with UEFA counterpart Gianni Infantino in recent weeks and he also plans to hold talks with FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke.

"My ambition is calmly to reset our international strategy," Horne said. "We can't host the World Cup here until 2030 now in practice and goodness knows if that'll end up being '34, '38 if they change the rules again!

"We've got to be disappointed that we're arguably the most commercially successful association on the planet ... and we just don't seem to have the clout that I would expect in either FIFA or UEFA ... there's a long-term plan to try to move the right people into position at UEFA, FIFA and resolve some of these process issues from within."

Horne said that the British home nations would not sacrifice their rotating, permanent FIFA vice-presidency to gain favor within world football's governing body.

"There's no view across the FA that that sentiment holds any water, that we should be abandoning the British vice-presidency," he said. "If we don't get goal line technology in March (at the International Football Association Board meeting), you might ask me the question again. If that isn't working then perhaps we are wasting our time."

  

FIFA plays God with winter World Cup talk

PARIS (AP) - 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 Football? 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?

If the World Cup is moved to January, when Qatar is cooler, then the tournament and its build-up would fall slap-bang in the thick of the football season in Europe.

England's Premier League, depending on the timing, might have to drop its traditional feast of matches over Christmas and New Year. Even for Germany's Bundesliga, which takes winter weeks off, accommodating the whim of FIFA boss Sepp Blatter could require severe kneading of its schedule, easier said than done.

To quote Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, it "would demand a complete reorganization of the whole world's fixtures."

Or, less diplomatically, it's folly. Much disruption for many people other than FIFA.

For that reason alone, it is difficult to see FIFA ramming this through, despite the when-we-say-jump, you-ask-how-high power it wields as the world governing body of the No.1 sport. Persisting could trigger an ugly tug-of-war among the competing interests in football, pitting clubs and leagues against national teams. The sport and its fans could do without that.

Just the suggestion from Blatter of a switch is provoking scorn. For a foretaste of the full-blown row that would erupt, consider this dripping sarcasm from Ian Holloway, manager of Premier League side Blackpool, before Christmas.

"You wait until I get home. I'm going to tell my turkeys: 'Don't worry, it ain't Christmas, we're moving it. It's alright, you've got some respite," he seethed. "'I've had a word with FIFA and we're going to move Christmas! It's no problem! Fantastic!"'

Oh, by the way, there will also be that hardly trifling event called the Winter Olympics in 2022 - unless Blatter gets the International Olympic Committee to shift that, too. It would be stupid for two of sports' biggest events to compete for attention or, heavens forbid, overlap.

Someone may have to bend so they don't steal each other's thunder. At the IOC, the man who might be its boss in 2022 - current vice president Thomas Bach - suggests FIFA may have to blink first.

"You have raised very interesting questions indeed," Bach said in an email to The Associated Press. "I guess that FIFA would consider "Winter-World-Cup" rather in the end of 2022 than at the beginning. In this case there would be no reason at all to be concerned."

Reading between the lines, a World Cup around the time of a Winter Olympics at the start of 2022 would be a worry. Nor is the international head of skiing, Gian Franco Kasper, thrilled about sharing his sport's limelight with football. A winter World Cup "would cause quite a disruption" to skiing's race schedule and "the same applies to other winter sports," Kasper says.

Then there's trampling on the principles of honesty and transparency which would result from shifting the World Cup.

Having pulled Qatar's name from the envelope with fanfare in December, Blatter is now letting on that the fine print of FIFA regulations entitles its executive committee which picked the 2022 host to alter a World Cup bid as it sees fit.

Apparently, that includes Godlike powers to make summer into winter.

But the 22 FIFA executive committee voters, who included Blatter, knew the risks when they chose Qatar over competing bids from Australia, Japan, the United States and South Korea. In black and white on page 5 of their detailed report to help committee members make their choice, FIFA's bid evaluators warned: "The fact that the competition is planned in June/July, the two hottest months of the year in this region, has to be considered as a potential health risk for players, officials, the FIFA family and spectators."

Get that? "June/July." No hint of winter.

If Blatter now truly believes that summer heat should be avoided, then FIFA should hold its vote again - with all the facts on the table this time.

To allay concerns, Qatar had promised to air-condition stadiums to a pleasant 27 degrees (81 degrees F) and share its solar-powered and "100-percent carbon neutral" cooling technology with the world, "ensuring football becomes a game to be played 365 days a year, no matter what the climate."

"This means that heat is not and will not be an issue," the chief executive of Qatar's bid, Hassan al-Thawadi, told FIFA's executives before they voted. "We want this to be a lasting global legacy."

FIFA must not let those promises become mere hot air. Its executive committee should lie in the bed it made and live with the consequences of its vote - or step down if it now feels that a summer World Cup in Qatar isn't a very good idea.

Blatter says any request for a winter switch must first come from Qatar for FIFA's executive committee to consider.

Qatar should stick to its plans. With a successful summer World Cup, it will reap positive press as the little nation that could, which beat Mother Nature to prove that the Middle East and other hot regions can host sports year-round.

But it would be just one of the losers of a winter World Cup.

  

Most hotels in Doha fully booked

MOST hotels in Doha are packed full and organisers hope there will be bumper crowds during the tournament – and prove to the doubters they have what it takes to host the World Cup.

“We have only a few rooms left,” The Peninsula newspaper on Friday quoted an official from a budget hotel as saying.

“Right now you can walk in and we will give you a room, but not tomorrow,” he added.

All budget hotels were expected to be full, the newspaper said, while most other hotels also reported full occupancy. Saudi nationals were believed to be among the biggest group of fans, the report said.

The Gulf side and its football administrators are hoping to silence sceptics who have pointed to their lack of football pedigree after being controversially chosen to host the World Cup in 2022. 

  

Premier League managers question winter World Cup plans

LONDON: Arsene Wenger has led a chorus of English Premier League managers who have questioned FIFA President Sepp Blatter’s proposal to stage a winter World Cup in 2022.

FIFA chief Blatter said this week he “expects” the tournament in Qatar will be held in the winter months to avoid the searing summer temperatures which pose risks to players and fans alike.

But Blatter’s comments have failed to impress club bosses in England, who have expressed doubts about the feasibility of restructuring the domestic football season to accommodate the global showpiece.

“It looks like an idea that has come out of nowhere because nobody was told that when the bid was voted for,” Wenger said.

“That is a bit of a surprise and certainly it would mean that the whole world of football has to be reorganised.

“As you know we have a Christmas period which is quite busy here and England would be very happy to play the World Cup in January just after that.

“It would demand a complete reorganisation of the whole world’s fixtures and I cannot see that happening.

“Certainly it would create many problems, yes, between clubs and countries and countries and FIFA.”

Sunderland manager Steve Bruce also wondered how the schedule in England and around the world could be successfully reorganised.

“What are we going to do with our league and what are they going to do with all the leagues around the world?” Bruce said.

Fulham boss Mark Hughes agreed a World Cup staged in January would likely mean that domestic campaigns would run until July of 2022.

“There must have been some thought gone into it or they would not have awarded the World Cup to Qatar in the first place,” Hughes said.

“It’s going to be a huge change that year and how it impacts on the Premier League we won’t know until it actually happens.”

Everton boss David Moyes meanwhile took aim at the fact that the dates for the tournament were now being shifted when bidding nations had campaigned on the basis of a tournament being held in the traditional June/July slot.

“Was everyone aware of that before they made their choice? Because I think if that had been put to the relevant countries, there may have been a lot of people not choosing Qatar,” Moyes said.

FIFA’s awarded the 2022 World Cup to Qatar – a small oil-rich Gulf state where summer temperatures can exceed 40°C in summer months – at a controversial vote in Zurich last month. 

  

FIFA’s Blatter expects Qatar World Cup in the winter

DOHA: The prospect of the 2022 Qatar World Cup being held in the winter moved a step closer yesterday when FIFA president Sepp Blatter said for the first time that this is what he expects will happen.

Qatar was controversially awarded the right to host the tournament last month despite summer temperatures in the Gulf emirate soaring to well over 40°C.

Concerns have been raised about the health impacts of playing in such searing heat, as well for the fans following the action, and Blatter said winter would make more sense.

“I expect it to be in the winter because when you play football you must protect the main people, the players,” he said yesterday.

“We will take it up at our executive committee meeting in March.”

German legend Franz Beckenbauer, a FIFA executive committee member, and England coach Fabio Capello are among others who have voiced support for a switch of dates.

UEFA president Michel Platini is also said to be sympathetic to the idea, with January temperatures hovering between a more comfortable 20° and 30°C.

But any change would have major implications for domestic competitions in Britain and the rest of Europe where the league programmes would be in full swing.

In England, where many of the biggest names in football play, Wolves manager Mick McCarthy branded the prospect of a winter World Cup as “nonsense” and Blackpool boss Ian Holloway said it was “crazy”.

But Chelsea’s Carlo Ancelotti and West Ham’s Avram Grant said they were in favour of the change.

Qatar has insisted that it won the right to host the World Cup on its merits. It put forward a proposal to build climate-controlled stadiums that will enable players and fans to escape the worst of the weather, but there have been sceptics amid claims that the decision was political, linked to Qatar’s deep pockets.

Blatter said FIFA had yet to be ap­­proach­ed by Qatar about a change of dates.

“They need to bring together an organising committee, then if they have any wishes on whether they want to change the basic conditions prevailing at the bidding process, then they have to make this demand of the FIFA executive committee,” he said.

“The executive committee is free to change anything. If there really is a will to change dates then we have enough time to do it because we still have 11 years to go.” 

  

Blatter endorses playing 2022 WCup in winter

DOHA, Qatar (AP) - FIFA president Sepp Blatter made his strongest endorsement yet of moving the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to winter, saying Friday that the players should be spared from the blistering summer heat in the desert nation.

Blatter, attending the Asian Cup in Qatar, said he felt the tournament should be moved to a cooler time of the year to protect the health of the players.

A similar move was initiated for this year's Asian Cup, which normally is held in the summer.

"We must play at the most adequate period to have a successful World Cup," Blatter said. "To have a successful World Cup, we have to protect actors, the players, which means (playing) in winter."

Qatar was awarded the 2022 World Cup in December despite fears that temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) pose a serious health risk to players and fans.

Soon after it won the bid over the United States, Australia, South Korea and Japan, several top football executives led by FIFA executive committee member Franz Beckenbauer and UEFA President Michel Platini endorsed the move.

The only opposition to the move thus far has been Europe's big clubs, which fear a winter World Cup would throw their league schedules into chaos. Among those that have come out are the heads of AC Milan and Barcelona.

Blatter said any change in the World Cup would have to first come from Qatar, which so far has not requested it.

If Qatar would make such a request, then it would be up to the FIFA executive committee to rule on a first-ever winter World Cup.

Blatter did not say when the committee might make such a decision but insisted there is plenty of time.

Qatar has been silent on the issue since winning the bid and a spokesman for the bid organizers could not immediately be reached for comment.