Inside World Football - Page 1508 of 2019 - For the Business of Football

Osasu Obayiuwana: Africa must find an edge to smash the ‘glorious loser’ tag

With two African teams making the knockout rounds in Brazil, the continent has obviously written a new chapter in tournament history.

Ever since Morocco became the first African team, at the 1986 finals in Mexico, to reach the Round of 16, the continent has maintained a solitary presence there.

Considering that I had, in a previous piece, seriously considered the possibility that its five teams were at risk of being knocked out in the first round,

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Etihad add Melbourne FC to sponsor portfolio in 5-year deal

melbourne city and etihad logos

July 7 – Etihad Airways has expanded its Australian football presence, sponsoring Hyundai A-League side Melbourne City FC in a five-year deal that will see the airline branding on the club’s shirts.

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Belo grief tinged with relief as city welcomes Seleçaõ for semi-final

Belo Horizonte

By Andrew Warshaw
July 7 – As the investigation continues into last week’s tragic accident in the World Cup host city of Belo Horizonte, when part of a flyover collapsed killing two people and injuring many others, no-one will have been more devastated than the city’s top tournament official.

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Ukraine drops Crimean teams From Premier League

Ukraine flag

By Mark Baber
July 7 – The Ukraine Football Federation (UFF) has bowed to the inevitable and cut Crimea-based PFC Sevastopol and FC Tavriya from the 2014-15 season of the Ukrainian Premier League. The move follows the reunification of the Crimea with Russia following a disputed referendum in March.

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Mind games and homework give Krul the penalty advantage

Krul penalty save

July 7 – Tim Krul, the Netherlands goalkeeper who entered footballing folklore by coming off the bench to preserve his country’s World Cup hopes in Saturday’s quarterfinal with Costa Rica, has defended his behaviour in the buildup to the dramatic penalty shootout.

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Comms chief Paiva joins Neymar and Silva in the stands

Rodrigo paiva

July 7 – As well as being without their two best players, the injured Neymar and suspended skipper Thiago Silva, Brazil will also be missing their communications chief Rodrigo Paiva (pictured) at Tuesday’s World Cup semi-final against Germany.

Africa

Nigeria face suspension as FIFA issues warning over government intervention

Nigerian fan

By Andrew Warshaw
July 7 – FIFA have given Nigerian authorities until tomorrow (Tuesday) to re-instate the board of the national association (NFF) or face being kicked out of world football for violating its rules over government intervention.

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FIFA start probe into Fofana and World Cup ticket re-selling

world cup tickets

By Andrew Warshaw
July 7 – The son of one of FIFA’s most powerful administrators has denied claims he illegally sold a World Cup ticket to touts in order to make money. Humberto Grondona, whose father Julio is FIFA’s senior vice-president as well as being head of the Argentine football association, has been asked to explain how a ticket he bought ended up in the wrong hands.

Africa

Egyptian Premier League plays out to empty stadium, but looks to 2014 restart

Egypt empty stadia

July 7 – The Egyptian Premier League finishes its 2013-14 season tonight with Al Alhy playing for an eighth successive title against Smouha in front of an empty stadium. Zmalek face Petrojet in a third place play-off, also in front of an empty stadium.

Andrew Warshaw: Mixed messages on anti-discrimination

It was the most eagerly awaited of FIFA’s daily World Cup media briefings and the questions came thick and fast. Why, asked one highly respected news agency reporter, was FIFA preaching zero tolerance towards racism when zero action on the ground was in fact the reality?

It was a fair point but few, if anybody, expected the two distinguished members of the panel to provide such diametrically opposed responses.

Sometimes, quite fairly,

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Qataris test cooling technology in open air Doha fan zone, no-one died

Cooling column at fan zone

July 4 – Brazil 2014 World Cup summer fever has bumped heads with the much-talked about June heat in Qatar. But not all fans have been getting hot under the collar as Qatar 2022 organisers have been testing cooling technology in an open air fan zone in Katera, Doha.

Africa

Nigerian chaos deepens as federation bosses arrested at Abuja airport

Aminu Maigari

By Mark Baber
July 4 – The president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Aminu Maigari, and other board members were arrested by the Department of State Security Service at Nanmdi Azikiwe International Airport as they returned from the World Cup on Friday, July 4, 2014, according to reports from the NFF secretariat in Abuja.

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Anti-discrimination chief Webb says World Cup ‘disconnect’ needs closing

Jeff Webb11

By Andrew Warshaw
July 4 – The man leading FIFA’s fight to cut out discrimination has said that insufficient effort has been made by the authorities at the World Cup and that there has been a “disconnect” between the stated aim and what has actually occurred.

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Brazilian police bust industrial-scale World Cup ticket tout ring

world cup tickets

July 4 – In an operation dubbed Jules Rimet, police in Brazil have arrested 11 people and broken up an international gang that was apparently involved in the illegal sale of World Cup tickets.

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Belo Horizonte mourns as bridge disaster leaves two dead, inquest opens

Belo bridge collapse

By Andrew Warshaw
July 4 – In the first serious infrastructure tragedy during the World Cup, at least two people have been killed and several more injured after part of an unfinished overpass collapsed on to vehicles in the host city of Belo Horizonte.