Asia backs England to host World Cup

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Asia backs England to host World Cup It does appear that the ‘soccer wars’ will be heating up in the coming months before FIFA announces the winner of the bidding to host the 2018 World Cup.  The announcement will come in December, and until then the race is on.

England got a boost from Mohammed Bin Hammam, president of the Asian Football Confederation, with his comments in an article for the Premier League’s season review.

Bin Hammam praised the League’s work with the Asian soccer community, referencing coaching clinics in India and speakers from the English league who share their knowledge at AFC seminars.  He certainly gave the strong impression that he’ll cast his vote for England in December.

However, it’s going to take more than the Asian vote to land the World Cup on British soil for the first time since 1966.  Since this year’s win by Spain, the Spanish contingent, in a joint bid with Portugal, is focusing on the challenge with renewed vigour, but Russia and the U.S. are both strong contenders, and both have a lot of positives to offer in the venue department.

Depending on who you’re listening to at any given time, the odds on the favourite keep changing, and there may be even more surprises before the winner is declared.

Stampede before World Cup brings new security measures

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Stampede before World Cup brings new security measures The stampede and resulting injuries amongst soccer fans at an exhibition match between Nigeria and North Korea prompted football authorities to put some better security measures in place for the games in the upcoming World Cup.  At least 14 people, including one police officer, were injured in the crush trying to get through the stadium gates at Makhulong on Sunday.

FIFA, football’s chief governing board, maintains that the responsibility for the melee lies with the Nigerian security organization, and that FIFA had nothing to do with arranging the ‘friendly’ match.

The FIFA president, Sepp Blatter, said his organization takes this warning very seriously, and assured members of the media that this sort of thing will not happen during the World Cup games.

The stampede was apparently caused chiefly by the distribution of free tickets at the stadium just prior to the match.  Fans both with and without tickets mobbed the gates once they were opened, and police and security guards managed to get them closed temporarily, but another stampede occurred when they reopened a short time later.

FIFA emphasized that they will exercise greater caution in several respects, including pre-game distribution of tickets and keeping a wider perimeter around the stadiums where World Cup matches are played.  Presumably, no one without a valid ticket will be able to get closer than 40 metres from the gates, and there will be more entrances to keep bottlenecks from forming.  Fans will also be warned to get there on time or early, and leave their cars parked elsewhere.

Capello calls for FA to get World Cup bid in order

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Capello calls for FA to get World Cup bid in order The Football Association is still dealing with the weekend affair that left Lord Triesman without his job as chairman of the World Cup bid, and his position as chairman of the organization.

FIFA are also now involved in order to investigate allegations that the Spanish FA’s and Russian FA’s within the broadside of Lord Triesman went against bid regulations.

The mess clearly has affected England’s chances of winning the right to host the largest football tournament in the world, with Russia pulling ahead as the favorite.

Geoff Thompson, the former FA chairman, has been charged with figuring out the mess before the decision comes in December of 2010.

Before this happens however, Capello has issued a request to the FA try to figure out their position, stating that the team is still confident they will be allowed to host the 2018 World Cup given that England is a great location with excellent stadiums and facilities.

While England has had their stance weakened by recent events, many feel that Triesman’s exit will help England out down the road, due to the fact not everyone approved of his confrontational style.

Capello stated that he however did have a great relationship with Lord Triesman and regrets what happened but that England’s chance to get the bid for 2018 has not been altered, since those in charge of making the final decision will be able to see and comprehend what occurred.