by viduka

With the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups well under way, the country of Australia considers itself to be a major candidate and worthy option for the world’s greatest soccer event. In 2018 the country has a very slim chance, as European powers such as England, Russia, Belgium & The Netherlands (combined bid) and Spain & Portugal (combined bid) are all eligible to receive that bid. But in 2022, the country has a fair shot. European teams would be ineligible (should one receive the 2018 bid) leaving Australia’s competition for that bid as the United States, Japan, South Korea, Qatar and Indonesia.

Australia may turn out to be a good choice for FIFA as the country is a major tourist destination and is located in an area that has never hosted World Cup Play before. Additionally, the country is notoriously fond of athletics, has a sound economy but has not, as of yet, seriously embraced soccer. A bid for the country should ignite and excite a “virgin” population of over 20 million people to buy into the sport and further its growth.

But despite all of this positive news, Australia has one teeny tiny complication. The World Cup falls smack dab in the middle of the Australian Rules Football (AFL) season. Aussie Rules Football, or “Footy” is an extremely popular sport down under and while the AFL has shown complete support for the country’s bid, FIFA is requiring that no other major sports leagues play at the same time as the World Cup Finals, which does not suit the AFL whatsoever. So Australia is trying to get an exemption from FIFA, believing that precedents exist that would allow other competitions to continue (i.e. Major League Baseball continuing play during the 1994 World Cup in the United States). Along with the proposed exemption would be a an entire relocation plan that would move AFL, Rugby and Cricket games to different locations during World Cup play so as not to compete.

by doublebug

Whether or not FIFA would allow such an exemption in a market as small and competitive as Australia we have yet to see, but one thing is for sure, this is one commited country. I can already see the laughter that would burst out if the United States Soccer Federation asked Jerry Jones to move the Cowboys out of Dallas for a month while soccer players take over Cowboys Stadium.

by stella_gonzales2003

Instant replay has become a hot topic of conversation lately thanks to a controversial soccer goal scored by France’s William Gallas after Thierry Henry had an obvious handball that set it up. Because of that goal, France is going to the 2010 FIFA World Cup and Ireland has been eliminated. Apart from an unofficial, nationwide ban on French wine (not too difficult for the locals provided that the whiskey tap keeps pouring), this controversy does beg the question, should FIFA take a look at Instant replay?

Thierry Henry Handball Video

The replay naysayers in soccer are the same as the naysayers in Baseball, they talk of the game’s history and not wanting to slow the sport down for five minutes at a time with reviews (as seen in American Football). But the proponents of the idea point out that this is not medieval football, it’s the twenty-first century and we have the technology to correct these mistakes.

Diego Maradona Hand of God Video

It is an interesting question though and worthy of review, not just for the regular soccer powerhouses like England who were defeated by the Maradona “hand of god” goal, but for the fans of US Soccer as well who were robbed of an opportunity to see a Semi-Final berth in World Cup 2002 when a German defender used his hand to save a goal.

US – Germany World Cup 2002 Quarterfinal Handball Video (Handball Footage at 2:11)

For now, FIFA is resisting the idea but don;t forget that the big three sports leagues in the United States, the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball, also initially resisted the idea. Will it happen? Who knows, should it happen? Well, there are some people in Ireland who certainly think so.

by andreasnilsson1976

The Chilean National team avoided a possible expulsion from the World Cup yesterday, when one of the country’s club teams, the Rangers, dropped a court case contesting its disputed demotion to the second division of the national soccer league.

The dispute was over the teams relegation from the nation’s first division to its second division. Apparently the Rangers fielded six foreign players even though the league has a rule which limits teams to playing five. As the Rangers were winners of that game, the league removed three points from their season total, resulting in relegation.

Now, while it seems clear that the national league did the correct thing here as, innocent mistake or not, the Rangers violated a league rule, why did FIFA threaten to ruin the football hopes of an entire country over an internal matter? Did the national league asked for FIFA’s help? Don’t get me wrong, the court case is truly ridiculous, but it seems to me that kicking the National team out of the World Cup because a local club team is bickering over a case they can’t win, is overkill and frankly, also a bit ridiculous.

But hey, I guess it worked… of course it worked.