FIFA President, Sepp Blatter decides to finalise the integration of Goal-Line Technology

by

How many times have fans seen legitimate goals waived and controversial goals counted by linesmen and referees alike; too many times. This is why it does not come as a surprise as FIFA has publicised that the much-awaited World Cup in Brazil will feature goal-line technology. In addition to that, bidders have been invited to present their programs before the CONFED Cup starts in the summer.

Sepp Blatter, the president of FIFA, was known to be a lover of such technology. Thus, during the Club World Cup last year, they tried the program and saw success. That’s why he would want to finally implement said technology starting from the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

The FIFA president expressed his delight at seeing success in what was the first time he allowed goal-line technology. When he was interviewed, he stated his plans of finalizing the use of the technology before the CONFED Cup and the World Cup so as to see how good it will be for the players, the fans and the officials alike. However, there are a lot of people that have expressed their thoughts on the matter negatively but still Pres. Blatter stands firm on his decision earlier in the year.

The goal-line technology that Sepp Blatter wants to integrate in football is primarily intended to help the linesmen and referees during the course of the game. Furthermore, it somehow helps both teams because the eyes of the fans across the globe have realised that there are some instances when human error is costly.

On the other hand, this shows some kind of disrespect to the legacy of football. The past has seen the skills of officials in deciding whether or not to give a foul or not, let alone allow or disallow a goal but Sepp Blatter has seen and has hear enough of this shenanigans and imposes upon world football to use goal-line technology.

 

Damning report about FIFA welcomed by Sepp Blatter

by

Sepp Blatter is a man that has made enough bizarre statements to last anyone a lifetime but yesterday, his statement of approval that a Swiss court had a document about FIFA and the bribing situation, was merely incredible. It seems that the president of FIFA was simply happy that after years of pressure everyone was finally able to see just how much greed, corruption, and self-interest has plagued FIFA over the last few years.

The document was simply shocking as well as being damaging to the organisation as it clearly showed that FIFA has not been helping football out at all. Throughout the document were plenty of allegations that were substantial about how FIFA senior members Ricardo Teixeira and Joao Havelange have walked away with more than £14m in bribes over the past eight years from a marketing company that wanted the rights to broadcast the matches.

Gary Neville rules out a repeat of the WAG problems of the 2006 World Cup

by

Gary Neville, a coach with the English football team, has said that there won’t be any repeat of the WAG problems that occurred during the World Cup in Germany back in 2006. Many families of footballers have also chosen to stay away from Poland and Ukraine because they fear that there might be some instances of racism.

In 2014 the competition is going to be held in Brazil and it is more likely that the WAG issue is going to re-occur then when the families of the footballers will probably want to go with them. Mr Neville has assured people that the chaotic scenes of the past are not going to occur again and the families of the footballers are not going to overshadow the footballers themselves.

Mr Neville has commented, “When we go abroad for a competition it is important that we don’t disturb the players too much, and that they have conditions that are similar to what they would experience at home. Between matches in the UK, footballers do not go out into the countryside, but they live in the city. This is why when we travel abroad, we choose to find accommodation in the city centre. This maintenance of normality is a way to ensure that the players perform at their best.”

This is Mr Neville’s first appearance as a football coach which is a great leap of faith when you consider the importance of the upcoming matches. Although he was a successful player, it is unknown about whether he is going to be able to translate that into coaching brilliance. Roy Hodgson chose Mr Neville as the coach after he was impressed by the various observations that he made while appearing as a pundit on Sky television.

Many people have been considering that the fact he was a television pundit might be a problem as he made comments about several of the players who he is now trying to work with. About this he commented, “Sure, I’ve highlighted mistakes, but I’ve always been honest and I think the players know this.”

Lydia Nsereka becomes first woman to be co-opted onto FIFA’s executive committee

by

President of the Burundi Football Association, Lydia Nsekera, became the first woman to be co-opted onto the executive committee of FIFA on Tuesday. She is a member of the Woman’s Football and the Woman’s World Cup committees and on the organizing committee of the Olympic Football Tournament. She has been on the International Olympic Committee since 2009.

Nsekera, 45, will take her place as a co-opted executive committee member at the 62nd FIFA Congress this week and the formal election of a woman onto the committee will take place at the FIFA Congress next year. Meanwhile FIFA is going ahead with its’ restructure of the ethics committee. There will actually be two committees now, one to investigate matters and another to adjudicate.

Due to the illness of one of the candidates for heading the committee, the announcement of who would chair them has been postponed. An extraordinary meeting will be held in Zurich in July after the FIFA Congress has approved amendments to the Statutes. Then they will appoint both chairs. The new Statutes will come into force 6o days after Congress.

Swiss-Italian businessman, Dominic Scala, did not have to wait for his appointment when he was made independent chairman of the Audit and Compliance Committee. This will be made official at Congress. Other countries have been given the go ahead to play friendlies against Kosovo, taking them a step nearer full FIFA membership.

Elsewhere, FIFA named the six cities to host the Confederations Cup next year in Brazil. There are concerns over stadium building projects so there are contingency plans in place for only four or five cities being ready. The six cities are Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, Fortaleza, Salvador, Recife and Belo Horizonte. FIFA also said its insurance programme was being extended to cover players at the Olympics.

 

Images released of new M&S suits for the England football team

by

 

Images released of new M&S suits for the England football team

Images released of new M&S suits for the England football team

On the 23rd April, St George’s Day, came the official launch of the suits that the English football team will be wearing as their formal dress at the Euro 2012 competition.

The suits have been both designed and supplied by Marks & Spencer and the images show a traditional team line up with a bit of a twist; there are 3 real lions lined up alongside the players.

This is the fifth year that M&S has been the official tailor for the England team, having supplied them with their formal wardrobe since 2007. For these latest suits, their bespoke in house tailors have followed guidelines set down by the England team itself. They have sourced the finest British fabrics and finishes and made each suit a perfect fit for every player.

The suits have been specially created to be lightweight and comfortable in the hot summer temperatures of Poland and the Ukraine. Richard price is the director of menswear at M&S and he has said that this has resulted in modern and slim fitting Autograph two buttoned suits that deserve a place in the wardrobe of every football fan.

The two-button single breasted suit jacket is sculpted to a slimming modern block with sleeve head roll shoulders for a classic fitting, slim silhouette. Additional styling details include narrower lapels and slanted pockets, along with impeccably finished internals featuring the World Cup winners star. Trousers are flat fronted and slim fitting with an elegant modern shape. The suit is cut from 100% British wool fabric in bright navy, complimented by a navy stripe tie, crisp plain white shirt and pointed Gibson shoes.

“We’re really pleased to continue our relationship with M&S and are delighted with the latest suit that has been designed for the team. The players are all really happy with how it looks and feels and we’ve had a fantastic reaction to the iconic lions imagery, it really brings the partnership to life” said Sean McAuliffe, FA Group Head of Business Development.

To support the launch of the images and the campaign as a whole, M&S has partnered with the Sun Online to create an exciting online hub. Packed with behind the scenes video from the team photo shoot, exclusive competitions, quizzes and a virtual application that allows users to join the team. The microsite will also launch on St George’s Day.