Two Ghana’s players out
A few hours before the Black Stars’ game against Portugal begins, The Ghana Football Federation (GFA) announces Sully Montari and Kevin Prince-Boateng are kicked off the team. According to a GFA, Muntari was expelled for his involvement with a federation executive, and Boateng was sent home by the team’s coach for insulting a coach. The GFA statement says:
The decision was taken in the wake of his (Muntari) unprovoked physical attack on an Executive Committee member of the GFA and a management member of the Black Stars, Mr. Moses Armah, on Tuesday 24th June, 2014 during a meeting.
The decision was taken following Boateng’s vulgar verbal insults targeted at coach Kwesi Appiah during the team’s training session in Maceio this week. Boateng has since showed no remorse for his actions which has resulted in the decision.
Suarez suspended
0 CommentsFIFA bans Luis Suarez for nine international matches and suspends him from any football activity for four months as a result of the biting incident that took place in the World Cup playoff game against Italy. This is the most severe punishment that has ever been imposed at a World Cup. Additionally, Suarez is not allowed to enter any stadiums and has been fined 100,000 Swiss Francs ($111,000). Suarez has the right to appeal the decision.
Working fans get extended lunch break
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announces that New York’s state employees are being given an extended lunch break to view the USA – Germany game on June 26, 2014. In a letter to Team USA coach Jurgen Klinsmann:
On behalf of all New Yorkers, I wish you and the entire team the best of luck.
Banned
FIFA bans Suarez for nine international matches and from all football activity for four months after he is found guilty of biting Giorgio Chiellini in Uruguay’s 1-0 win over Italy, ruling him out of playing representing Uruguay in the 2014 World Cup knockout stage. He will also miss league, cup and European matches with club Liverpool FC. A FIFA statement:
The player Luis Suarez is to be suspended for nine official matches. The first match of this suspension is to be served in the upcoming [round of 16] FIFA World Cup fixture between Colombia and Uruguay. The remaining match suspensions shall be served in Uruguay’s next FIFA World Cup matches, as long as the team qualifies, and/or in the representative team’s subsequent official matches. The player is banned from taking part in any kind of football-related activity — administrative, sports or any other — for a period of four months. A stadium ban is pronounced against Luis Suarez, who is prohibited from entering the confines of any stadium during the period of the ban
Underwear ‘under investigation’
Brazil striker Neymar Jr. is reported to be under investigation by FIFA for revealing a pair of Brazilian flag boxer shorts during the group game with Cameroon. A local website reports that the Blue Man-brand underwear are being investigated for violating FIFA’s disciplinary code, which prohibits players from displaying political and religious messages as well as publicity slogans and non-sanctioned brands. Neymar has been under scrutiny for displaying underwear in league matches with FC Barcelona while Danish player Nicklas Bendtner has been fined around $125,000 for displaying underwear, higher than fines imposed for racism-related incidents in Spain, Serbia and Croatia.
‘I qualified Russia after 12 years’
Capello is unsure if he is equipped to stay on as Russia coach after the 2018 tournament hosts exit the 2014 World Cup at the group stage:
We’ll have to ask the management that
However despite having won only one World Cup game, a 1-0 victory for England over Slovenia in 2010, he defends his record to an English journalist:
As for England, we did actually reach the knockout round and, by the way, let me make this clear: it was thanks to us that they introduced goalline technology [after Frank Lampard’s ‘goal’ was ruled not to have crossed the line against Germany]. I qualified your team to participate in the Euros and the World Cup and the figures I got were pretty respectable. And now after 12 years [of not qualifying], under my leadership this [Russia] team made it to the World Cup, OK? I did a pretty good job there I think but if you were to say that we have not done a good job here then I agree with you.
‘Disabled’ ticket fraud
0 CommentsFIFA is investigating incidents of possible fraud involving sale of a concession batch of tickets for 2014 World Cup matches intended for pensioners, students, disabled and obese people after pictures emerge of supposedly disabled fans jumping out of wheelchairs to celebrate goals. Ticket touts are caught offering the concession passes for sale on Facebook and at the grounds, with disabled concession tickets turning extra profit as they are valid for two people to allow the disabled person to bring a carer. Police are investigating whether 22 pictures on CCTV show supposedly disabled fans standing up at the 66,000-seat Sao Paulo Arena while pictures and video appear to show fans standing up and walking in other venues.
Room broken into
Ronaldo returns to his room at the World Cup base in Brazil and finds that a 15-year-old fan has broken into his room. The boy, Yago Leal, was able to get past security, enter Ronaldo’s room and lay on his bed. Ronaldo chose to allow the boy to escape and take a photo of him, and did not involve the police. The report states:
Once inside the room, Leal took a rest on Ronaldo’s bed because, as he said, ‘he knew he had laid on it.’.
FIFA: Suarez needs treatment
FIFA’s top World Cup official and the international players’ union are saying that after three biting incidents, Luis Suarez needs treatment. FIFA secretary general, Jerome Valcke, says a third incident in Suarez’s career was “unacceptable.”
I think he should find a way to stop doing it, he should go through a treatment.
Russia keeper ‘blinded by laser’
0 Comments
Russia coach Fabio Capello says his team’s 2014 World Cup exit is due to interference from the crowd after a laser pen appears to target keeper Igor Akinfeev during the setpiece that leads to the only goal of the game, sending Algeria through to the knockout stage at the expense of the 2018 tournament hosts. Television and still pictures show a green light trained on Akinfeev’s face, and he protests strongly as Abdelmoumene Djabou’s free-kick is lofted into the area to be headed home by Islam Slimani.
He was blinded by the laser beam. There are pictures. You can see that in the footage. This not an excuse, it is a fact. There was a laser.
Suarez suspension heaviest ever
Suarez’s nine-game playing ban and four-month suspension from football activities for biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini in Uruguay’s 1-0 group victory is the heaviest penalty imposed on a player in a World Cup tournament. The ban is larger than the eight-match suspension imposed on Italy’s Mauro Tassotti for breaking the nose of Spain’s Luis Enrique in the 1994 tournament and the three-match ban imposed on France’s Zinedine Zidane for headbutting Italian defender Marco Materazzi in the 2006 final. Chile goalkeeper Roberto Rojas was banned for life after feigning injury by cutting himself with a blade concealed in his glove in a match against Brazil, but this occurred in a qualifier not the finals tournament.
Netherlands come back, beat Mexico
0 CommentsKlaas-Jan Huntelaar scores an injury-time penalty to give the Netherlands a 2-1 win over Mexico and a spot in the World Cup quarterfinals. It is awarded after Rafael Marquez brings down Arjen Robben in the area. Giovani Dos Santos gives the Mexicans the lead in the 48th minute, but Wesley Sneijder equalizes for the Dutch in the 88th minute. Says Huntelaar, who makes his first appearance at this year’s World Cup:
You don’t know when your chance will come, but it was today, and so you grab it with both hands. And it was fantastic.
Apologizes for bite
Suarez offers a public apology for biting Giorgio Chiellini in Uruguay’s World Cup game against Italy on June 24. The apology comes after Suarez was banned for nine games and suspended from all soccer-related activities for four months for the incident.
The truth is that my colleague Giorgio Chiellini suffered the physical result of a bite in the collision he suffered with me. For this I deeply regret what occurred. I apologize to Giorgio Chiellini and the entire football family. I vow to the public that there will never again be another incident like this.
Hagel: Thank you
Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, speaks briefly with U.S. men’s national team goalie, Timothy Howard, thanking him for:
defending the United States of America at the World Cup.
Howard set a World Cup record for saves in Tuesday’s match against Belgium. Hagel says Howard:
could someday become the real Secretary of Defense.
Study: Sex bans not effective
A study published in Quartz shows that all of the World Cup teams that ban sex for players, such as Russia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mexico, and Chile, fail to advance past the round of 16 in the knockout stage of the tournament. Other teams, such as Brazil, Costa Rica, France, and the Netherlands, have no ban on sex and advance at least to the quarterfinals.
Overpass collapse: at least two dead
At least two people are killed and at least 15 people injured when an overpass collapses in the Brazilian World Cup host city of Belo Horizonte. A city bus and several vehicles were crushed after a part of a bridge, which was under construction, fell onto a busy highway. The overpass, which was supposed to have been completed in time for the tournament, is almost four miles from the Estadio Mineirao, where next Tuesday’s semifinal matchup between the winners of France/Germany and Brazil/Colombia will take place.
Germany 1 – France 0
0 CommentsGermany beats France 1-0 in the World Cup quarter finals to advance to the Semi-finals. The only goal of the game was a header scored by Mats Hummels in the 12th minute of the first half.
Brazil 2 – Columbia 1
0 CommentsBrazil beats Columbia 2-1 to advance to the 2014 World Cup Semi-Finals. Brazil’s goals were scored by Thiago Silva and David Luiz, then James Rodriguez grabbed a late consolation penalty.
Neymar out
Neymar is carried off the field in tears after being kneed in the back by Columbia’s Juan Camilo Zuniga in the 86th minute of a quarterfinal game on July 4, 2014. Neymar was taken to a nearby clinic and released. Although he is not expected to need surgery, he is is unable to compete in the rest of the World Cup. Brazil team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar says:
He will not be in condition to play, he will need a few weeks to be fit again. He is very, very sad.
Suspended
Brazil captain Thiago Silva is suspended for the semi-final against Germany as the hosts fail to have a ban overturned after the centreback receives his second yellow card of the tournament in the 2-1 win over Colombia. After opening the scoring, he is booked for blocking Colombia goalkeeper David Ospina’s attempt to take a kick. The Brazilian football confederation wanted the second caution rescinded but FIFA said there is ‘no legal basis’ to grant the request.