Inside World Football - Page 1738 of 2246 - For the Business of Football

Cameroon federation opens investigation into match-fixing

Song elbow

By Andrew Warshaw
July 1 – Cameroon officials are to investigate claims that up to seven of their players could have been involved in match-fixing at the World Cup. In the first case of possible manipulation at the tournament, something FIFA feared but recently said there was no indication of actually occurring, the Cameroon FA (FECAFOOT) said it had instructed its ethics committee to look into allegations of possible wrongdoing in their three games in Brazil,

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David Owen: Brazil 2014 – another small step, not a giant leap, for soccer in the USA

Twenty-eight years ago I moved to Chicago a month or two before the 1986 World Cup started. A report I wrote then underlines how far soccer has come in the land of the gridiron and the baseball diamond in the intervening nearly three decades.

“Just my luck,” I wrote. “While the rest of the football-mad globe is getting punch-drunk on a ball-by-ball account of the trail to glory, Windy City is more concerned with the size of Bears quarterback Jim McMahon’s close-season midriff.”

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World Cup TV makes unlikely ‘friends’ of enemies in Egypt

beIN Sports world cup

By Mark Baber
June 30 – The popularity of the World Cup is making for some unexpected relationships in Egypt, especially after a mooted deal to show the games on Egyptian TV fell through.

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FIFA health initiative rolls out across Brazil

11 for health

June 30 – FIFA’s ’11 for Health’ initiative has been using the tournament to spread its messages throughout Brazil. A closing ceremony was held at the Arena Amazonia in Manaus to mark the climax of a thirteen-week long schedule of events that involved children from the surrounding area, engaging them with the lure of football to learn about health.

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Day 19 Match stat pack: GER vs ALG, FRA vs NIG

June 30 – The might of Africa takes on the old world Europeans with Nigeria facing France, and Algeria breaking new ground for North Africa in the last 16 of a World Cup against Germany.

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Luis Suarez: What they’re saying about the world’s most controversial player

Luis Suarez2

June 28 – Villain or victim? Serial offender or just misunderstood? Fit for purpose or needing treatment? Luis Suarez is splitting opinion depending on where you come from. Here is some of the comment.

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Uruguay to appeal length of Suarez ban, Tabarez blames … everyone

Oscar Tabarez

By Andrew Warshaw in Rio de Janeiro
June 28 – Uruguay’s football federation has confirmed to FIFA that it intends to appeal against the record World Cup suspension imposed on Luis Suarez for biting. FIFA announced that Suarez’s team have seven days to prepare the necessary paper work before an appeals panel sits to deliver a final verdict.

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Day 18 match previews: NED v MEX, COS v GRE

June 29 – CONCACAF vs UEFA. Mexico are growing in stature, the Dutch are growing in renewed promise. Costa Rica have grown up while Greece have the look of having grown old, and sage in the process. All up for grabs in the battle for places in the quarter finals.

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Suarez returns to hero’s welcome but sponsors get increasingly cold feet

Suarez returns to Uruguay

By Andrew Warshaw in Brazil
June 28 – Waving national flags and carrying banners accusing FIFA of a conspiracy, hundreds of Uruguay fans gave Luis Suarez a hero’s welcome when he returned to the country following his record World Cup ban for biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini as the severity of the punishment split world opinion.

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Bayern consolidates its lead, but Napoli and Porto excel on list of World Cup survivors

world cup players

By David Owen
June 28 – Elite club football may be increasingly the province of the monied few, but the very biggest names from the club game are not having things all their own way at the 2014 World Cup.

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Der Kaiser bows to Garcia’s questions and can now go to the Brazil 2014 ball

Franz Beckenbauer

By Andrew Warshaw
June 28 – FIFA has lifted Franz Beckenbauer’s ban from all football-related activity for failing to assist the investigation of alleged corruption into the 2018 and 2022 World Cup votes, according to his manager.

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Europe wakes up and smells the Brazilian coffee

Brazil eye

By David Owen
June 27 – European teams finally began performing to their potential in the last round of World Cup group matches, running up an impressive eight victories and enabling UEFA to snatch second spot in the race to be the best-performing confederation at Brazil 2014.

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American businessman Bragiel lines up stake in Poland’s Slask Wroclaw

slask wroclaw fans

By Jaroslaw Adamowski
June 27 – American businessman Paul Bragiel is looking at acquiring a stake in Poland’s Slask Wroclaw. The troubled football club is looking for new partners to fill the financial gap left by its previous majority shareholder, the city of Wroclaw.

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Adidas asserts grip on Battle of Brands

adidas

By David Owen
June 27 – Adidas teams enjoyed a storming final round of group-stage matches at the World Cup in Brazil, as those supplied by rival Puma wilted. With 75% of Brazil 2014 games now completed (even if the most important are still to come), the company, which expects to sell more than 8 million World Cup team replica shirts and 14 million ‘Brazuca’ footballs, has taken a grip on the World Cup Battle of the Brands.

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Day 17 match previews and stats: BRA vs CHI, COL vs URU

June 27 – The peculiar feeling of a rest day has settled around the world before the World Cup gets down to last 16 business, the calm before the storm begins again. The opening two knockout matches are all Latin American affairs featuring two of the most exciting teams in the World Cup so far, Colombia and Chile. Brazil are playing as well. As are a toothless-looking Uruguay.