Euro 2008
The Euro 2008 quarterfinals begin today with Germany facing Portugal in Basel, Switzerland at 8:45 p.m. The winner will face the top team from tomorrow’s match between Croatia and Turkey.
The other semifinal will be decided by the June 20 game between Netherlands and Russia and the June 21 match of Italy and Spain.
Much to FIFA President Sepp Blatter’s dismay, his home team has been eliminated. Blatter blamed Switzerland’s failing on coach Koebi Kuhn.
"We had reached the ceiling with this coach," Blatter said after Switzerland’s second round loss in the 2006 World Cup.
The final will be on June 29 in Vienna.
World Cup Qualifiers
Spots in 2010 World Cup qualifying matches remain open on most continents, but the field of candidates is smaller after the completion of more than half of the 100 qualifying matches scheduled between June 14 and 22.
In the South American region, Paraguay, Argentina, Columbia and Brazil are in the four qualification spots after this round of games. Only Venezuela and Chile are left to play today with the next round of qualifications in September.
After weeks of carping about the FIFA altitude ban that would prohibit Bolivia from playing in La Paz, the Bolivian squad fell to Chile in front of the home crowd.
In the North American and Caribbean region, stage two of preliminary competition will be complete on June 22, leaving 12 teams to compete for three and a half spots. The fourth-placed team will have to win a play-in game against the fifth placed South American team.
Jamaica and Honduras already clinched berths for the final dozen.
In the Asian region, two spots for the next round will be decided on June 22. The winner of the United Arab Emirates v. Syria match will advance. Iraq’s team, which was nearly banned by FIFA, will play Qatar for a spot after upsetting China.
Australia, Bahrain, Japan, Iran, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, and North and South Korea have already cemented spots for the next round of qualifiers.
In the African region, the winner of each of the 12 groups and eight runners up will advance to the next round. With at least three games remaining for each squad, no team has pulled away yet.
AFC Supports Blatter
Asian Football Confederation head Mohamed Bin Hammam says he will not challenge FIFA President Sepp Blatter for the post in 2011. Hammam says he is happy with his current position and most Asian federations will back Blatter.
Blatter, FIFA President since 1998, was reelected in an uncontested vote in 2007.
Briefs…
FIFA Vice President Jack Warner warned Nigerian officials not to dissolve the local organizing committee
for the 2009 U-17 World Cup. Warner said the organizing committee has gained the experience necessary to organize a successful World Cup, and FIFA has contingency plans if the Nigerian government interferes. FIFA took the World Youth Championship away from Nigeria in 1995.
FIFA will not punish Spanish club Real Madrid for pursuing Christiano Ronaldo, who is under contract with English premier team Manchester United. "From the documentation received, no breach of contract appears to have occurred yet," FIFA said in a statement.
South Africa will provide specialist health care for footballers as a legacy for the 2010 World Cup. “The OC has a legacy policy that seeks to ensure that football has sustainable gains that derive from the 2010 Fifa World Cup and related activities,” says Irvin Khoza, chairperson of the LOC.
Construction on a $3 million football pitch designed to FIFA specifications underway at the University of the West Indies in Barbados. Officials hope the field will be ready by August 1. "It's an enormous project. It is a FIFA-approved soccer field. It will be fully equipped to enable Barbados, if it so desires, to honor its international obligations here," principal Sir Hilary Beckles said.
Media Watch…
India’s Economic Times speculates on which broadcaster won the India rights for 2010 world cup broadcast. The price tag is supposedly in the neighborhood of $40 million.
The Montenegro Times discusses the political obstacles between Kosovo and FIFA membership.
Written by Eric ConnellyFor general comments or questions, click hereClick here to see the latest Around the Rings Olympic Bid Power Index -- the only authoritative ranking of the 2016 bid cities.
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