U20 World Cup set for Europe vs South America showdown despite video ref failure

June 6 – The U20 World Cup progressed to the semi-final stages in South Korea with England, Italy, Uruguay and Venezuela ensuring that it will be a Europe vs South America final. But not before there was proof that video technology is still very much at the experimental stage and needs fine-tuning after an incident that saw Italy’s Giuseppe Pezzella shown his marching orders in controversial circumstances. 

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Middle East: UEFA insist Council decision kept Israeli West Bank ultimatum off FIFA agenda

By Andrew Warshaw

May 24 – In the latest twist to one of the most contentious issues at the FIFA Congress earlier this month, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin is reported to have played a crucial role in thwarting a Palestinian vote against Israel. Sources close to Ceferin  insisted to  Insideworldfootball he did not influence the decision on Palestine and that it was a unanimous agreement among Council members not to allow a vote as there were not adequate enough reports for a decision to be taken at that time.

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