FIFA Statement

FIFA Statement in relation to the 2018 and
FIFA has opened proceedings against two current members of the FIFA Executive Committee to ascertain whether they have violated the FIFA Code of Ethics, and has asked the chairman of the Ethics Committee to act without delay to take all possible steps, including the possibility of provisional measures, should the relevant conditions be met. Investigations are also ongoing in relation to other FIFA officials who may have been involved in the issue in question.

FIFA also confirms that the alleged agreements between member associations would also be a clear violation of the Bid Registration document and the Code of Ethics. Therefore, an investigation has also been opened into the member associations in question as well as their Bid Committees. FIFA has again asked the chairman of the Ethics Committee to act without delay to take all possible steps, including the possibility of provisional measures, should the relevant conditions be met.

FIFA Statement in relation to the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup bidding process

FIFA Statement in relation to the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup bidding process

FIFA has opened proceedings against two current members of the FIFA Executive Committee to ascertain whether they have violated the FIFA Code of Ethics, and has asked the chairman of the Ethics Committee to act without delay to take all possible steps, including the possibility of provisional measures, should the relevant conditions be met. Investigations are also ongoing in relation to other FIFA officials who may have been involved in the issue in question.

FIFA also confirms that the alleged agreements between member associations would also be a clear violation of the Bid Registration document and the Code of Ethics. Therefore, an investigation has also been opened into the member associations in question as well as their Bid Committees. FIFA has again asked the chairman of the Ethics Committee to act without delay to take all possible steps, including the possibility of provisional measures, should the relevant conditions be met.

USA bid committee to focus on 2022 FIFA World Cup

USA bid committee to focus on 2022 FIFA World Cup


The USA Bid Committee announced today 15 October 2010 that it has withdrawn from the 2018 FIFA World Cup bid and will exclusively focus on the 2022 campaign.

The decision comes after several months of careful deliberation with FIFA, UEFA and members of the USA Bid Board of Directors. Four European candidates now remain in the race for 2018 (Belgium/Netherlands, England, Russia and Spain/Portugal). Since the FIFA Statutes indicate that the competition cannot be held on the same continent on two successive occasions, the 2022 campaign will now be between Australia, Japan, Korea Republic, Qatar and the USA.

"For some time we have been in conversations with FIFA and UEFA about the possibility of focusing only on the 2022 bidding process, an option we have made reference to many times," said Sunil Gulati, Chairman of the USA Bid Committee and President of U.S. Soccer. "We are confident this is in the best interests of the USA Bid."

"We have had an open and constructive dialogue with the USA Bid for some time now, after it became apparent that there was a growing movement to stage the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Europe. The announcement of today by the USA Bid to focus solely on the 2022 FIFA World Cup is therefore a welcome gesture which is much appreciated by FIFA," said FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke.

The FIFA Executive Committee will gather in Zurich on 28 and 29 October to discuss among other items the final voting process for the selection of the host nations for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups.

"We wanted to make the announcement now – still 48 days before the final decision – in order to make our intentions clear during the last part of our campaign. This also enables FIFA to finalize the selection procedures during its upcoming scheduled Executive Committee meeting," added Gulati.

Young Chollima reclaim Asian laurels

Young Chollima reclaim Asian laurels


Korea DPR outlasted Australia 3-2 on Sunday in the final to the 2010 AFC U-19 Champions to take their third Asian title. The Young Chollima first emerged victors on the continental stage in 1976 before reigning supreme four years ago at India 2006. Both Korea DPR and Australia, plus the two losing semi-finalists, Korea Republic and Saudi Arabia, each secured a berth to the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup which commences next July in Colombia.

The game at the Chinese city of Zibo proved a fitting finale with the two contestants also yielding the top individual awards. First to shine was Australia’s phenomenal goalscorer Kerem Bulut, who netted twice in a space of five minutes midway during the opening half to put his side ahead. However, it was his rival Jong Il-Gwan who proved the night’s true star, with the North Korean No16 single-handedly firing his team to the crown.

Jong opened the scoring for Young Chollima after ten minutes and although Australia quickly went in front courtesy of Bulut’s two goals, the Korean struck just before the break to draw them level, before capitalising on a goalkeeping error by Mark Birighitti to grab the match and tournament-winning goal two minutes from time. With five goals garnished in as many games, the 18-year-old Rimyongsu forward plucked the tournament's Most Valued Player award while Bulut was crowned top-scorer with his brace taking his tally to seven.

Korea DPR’s performances were marked by solid defence and lethal counter-attacking spearheaded by Jong. En route to the final they had conceded just a single goal across five matches including two impressive 2-0 triumphs over hosts China in the crucial quarter-final clash and against Korea Republic in the semi-final. “Our players played well throughout the competition as a team and they ran hard until the final whistle,” stated Korea DPR coach Yun Jong-Su. “Jong played very well in the final. He may graduate into the national senior side if he keeps working hard.”

Despite losing in heart-breaking fashion, there is still plenty for the Young Socceroos to brag about having made sustained progress under Jan Versleijen during the past two years. Appointed in 2008, the Dutch boss took Australia to fourth place in the previous edition of the continental championship to book their place in last year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt. “There was an element of luck in Korea DPR’s third goal and we were unlucky,” he said. “But this is a good learning experience for the players as we now look towards our next challenge at the FIFA competition next year.”

Decisive quarter-finals
Both Korea DPR and Australia deserved their places in the final taking into account the way they booked qualification for Columbia 2011. Finishing in their group second behind Uzbekistan, the North Koreans were pitted against China in the last-eight meeting but despite the daunting task against the hosts, the visitors looked unstoppable with Jong breaking the deadlock shortly after interval before Pak Song-Chol scored the goal that ensured their progression to the world stage. Australia, for their part, finished atop a tough group ahead of the likes of Korea Republic and Iran to set up the quarter-final meeting with the United Arab Emirates, where Versleijen’s charges prevailed with a breath-taking 4-2 extra-time victory.

Completing the quartet of Asian representatives at next year’s global showpiece are Korea Republic and Saudi Arabia, who each held their nerve to prevail over Japan and Uzbekistan for hard-fought quarter-final wins. The South Koreans battled from two goals down to undo Japan 3-2 with goals from Kim Kyung-Jung, Hwang Do-Yeo and Jung Seung-Yong, while the Saudis were indebted to Fahad Al Johani who scored the winner against the Uzbeks in extra time for a 2-1 win.

Elsewhere, China’s impressive results in the early stage flattered to deceive with the home side again bowing out at the quarter-final stage having lost to Uzbekistan in the same knockout stage two years ago. So far, the 1985 winners have now failed to progress to the FIFA competition across three consecutive cycles with their last appearance coming at Netherlands 2005. Perhaps even more disappointing were the defending champions United Arab Emirates, who agonisingly found themselves eliminated after an extra-time battle against Australia, despite boasting the 2008 AFC Young Player of the Year Ahmed Khalil who scored six times in as many matches.

European Leagues review

European Leagues review


This weekend saw the leaders’ title credentials put to the test across Europe, with clubs experiencing varying degrees of success. Some, like Rennes and Chelsea, maintained their lofty positions in spite of both being held to scoreless draws away from home, while others, such as Valencia and Mainz, were defeated and knocked from their respective perches in the process. Only Lazio passed the examination with flying colours, winning 2-0 at Bari. FIFA.com reviews all the latest developments across the continent.

Premier League: United stumble, Everton win derby
They may still be unbeaten, but fourth-placed Manchester United let two precious points slip through their grasp against West Bromwich Albion, despite leading by two goals at half-time. Leaders Chelsea were unable to take advantage, sharing the spoils with Aston Villa. Arsenal and Manchester City, on the other hand, did not let slip the chance to cut the gap, beating lowly Birmingham City and mid-table Blackpool respectively. Carlos Tevez was in fine form, netting twice in a 3-2 victory that moved Roberto Mancini's men two points off the pace.

After their impressive 2-1 win away to Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur find themselves right on the edge of the chasing pack in fifth. Meanwhile, for the first time in four years, Everton supporters finally have a post-derby smile on their faces following a 2-0 defeat of Liverpool at Goodison Park. The result lifted the Toffees to 11th, and left the Reds level on points with rock-bottom West Ham United.

Top three: Chelsea (19 points), Manchester City (17), Arsenal (14)
Bottom three: Wolverhampton Wanderers, Liverpool, West Ham (all 6)
Top scorers: Carlos Tevez (7 goals,) Florent Malouda, Didier Drogba, Dimitar Berbatov (all 6)
Weekend stat: 800 – the number of games that Arsene Wenger has now overseen as Arsenal manager in all competitions.

La Liga: Barça victory allows Real to go top
Following Barcelona’s tight 2-1 defeat of erstwhile table-toppers Valencia, Real Madrid’s players were aware that a positive result in Malaga in Saturday’s late match would lift them a point clear of both sides and into pole position in the process. Braces for both Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuain went on to serve up a resounding 4-1 triumph for the away team.

But Villarreal, lying fourth, may well have the last word of this round, as a win over Hercules tonight will allow them to overtake Los Merengues at the summit. Elsewhere, in seeing off city rivals Getafe 2-0, Atletico Madrid moved back up to fifth, while Espanyol jumped to sixth after securing their first away win of the season at Mallorca. Sevilla’s quest for consistency continues, their 2-0 loss to Sporting Gijon leaving them six points behind the pacesetters.

Top three: Real Madrid (17 points), Barcelona (16), Valencia (16)
Bottom three: Osasuna (6), Deportivo (4), Zaragoza (3)
Top scorers: Nilmar, Cristiano Ronaldo (both 5 goals), Gonzalo Higuain, Giuseppe Rossi (both 4)
Weekend stat: 1 – Valencia’s first reverse of the season was welcome news for Real Madrid, who promptly replaced Los Che at the top of the table. Jose Mourinho’s men can also boast the most miserly defence and prolific attack in the league, having conceded three and scored 16.

Bundesliga: Mainz stumble; Bayern bounce back
Late goals were highly influential in Germany this weekend: Nuri Sahin’s injury-time strike for Borussia Dortmund against Cologne earned the former a 2-1 win that sent them top at the expense of Mainz, sunk at home by Jose Guerrero’s 89th-minute winner for Hamburg. Bayer Leverkusen sit third after a pulsating 3-2 success at Wolfsburg.

Hoffenheim remain in touch in fourth after beating Monchengladbach 3-2, while sixth-placed St Pauli continued their remarkable start to the season by overcoming Nuremberg by the same scoreline. A Mario Gomez-inspired 3-0 victory over Hannover allowed Bayern Munich fans to breathe a collective sigh of relief, but Stuttgart supporters cannot yet say the same, their draw with fellow strugglers Schalke leaving the 2007 champions languishing at the foot of the table.

Top three: Borussia Dortmund, Mainz (both 21 points), Bayer Leverkusen (15)
Bottom three: Schalke, Cologne (both 5), Stuttgart (4)
Top scorers: Papiss Cisse, Theofanis Gekas (both 7 goals), Edin Dzeko, Pavel Pogrebnyak, Grafite, Srdan Lakic, Hugo Almeida, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (all 5)
Weekend stat: 7 – Undone 1-0 by Hamburg, Mainz were unable to set a new Bundesliga record, after registering seven victories from their first seven matches. To make matters worse, they also relinquished the leadership to the Dortmund side, the first time the Westphalians have been in such an elevated position since August 2003.

Serie A: Lazio show grit
Lazio emerged victorious from their tricky trip to Bari, consolidating first place in Serie A at the same time. AC Milan lead the chase in second, goals from Alexandre Pato and Robinho securing a 3-1 success versus Chievo. Inter Milan are third by virtue of having scored two fewer than their great rivals. Fourth-placed Napoli are two points back after only managing a 1-1 draw with mid-table Catania.

Juventus confirmed that their return to form is indeed genuine by disposing of Lecce 4-0. The Turin giants are joint fifth with Palermo, equally effective in their 4-1 dismantling of Bologna. Roma, now 13th, gave themselves some breathing room by beating Genoa 2-1, while Fiorentina took over the mantle of ‘crisis club’ by losing by the same scoreline to Sampdoria, thereby slipping to last place.

Top three: Lazio (16 points), AC Milan, Inter Milan (both 14)
Bottom three: Udinese (7), Parma (6), Fiorentina (5)
Top scorers: Samuel Eto’o, Edinson Cavani (both 6 goals), Marco Di Vaio (5)
Weekend stat: 178 – the record number of goals scored by a Juventus player in Serie A, achieved by Giampiero Boniperti, and, as of this weekend, Alessandro Del Piero. The veteran forward came off the bench in his club’s game with Lecce to net the final goal in a 4-0 win.

Ligue 1: Rennes keep the reins
Despite their unconvincing draw with lowly Lens, Rennes can be pleased with their weekend’s work. Due to Saint-Etienne’s 2-1 loss to Nice, the Breton side’s lead at the summit ended up increasing. Below the leading pair, things are starting to heat up, with Paris Saint-Germain’s 2-0 win over Toulouse helping them claim third place. A Loic Remy goal saw Marseille defeat Nancy 1-0, propelling the reigning champions to fourth.

Bordeaux are three spots further down the table, having continued their recent revival by beating Auxerre 1-0 away. Lyon followed suit by turning on the style to overcome Lille 3-1. Finally, in a mid-table clash where the clubs’ suspended coaches were both conspicuous by their absence, Montpellier saw off Sochaux 2-0.

Top three: Rennes (19 points), Saint-Etienne (17), Paris Saint-Germain (15)
Bottom three: Nancy (8), Lens (6), Arles-Avignon (1)
Top scorers: Dimitri Payet (8 goals), Youssef El-Arabi, Moussa Sow (5)
Weekend stat: 1 – By drawing 0-0 with Brest on Saturday, Arles-Avignon claimed the very first Ligue 1 point in the history of the club.

Elsewhere
In Ukraine, the Donetsk derby between Metalurg and Shakhtar went the way of the latter by a score of 2-0. Mircea Lucescu’s men thus maintained a five-point lead over closest challengers Dynamo Kiev, 1-0 winners over Karpaty Lviv.

Finally, in Scotland, the Old Firm appear to be playing in a league of their own again this season. Rangers’ 4-1 win over Motherwell and Celtic’s 2-1 defeat of Dundee United extended the gap between the Glasgow giants, who are level on points at the top, and the SPL’s third-placed team – Motherwell – to a hefty 11 points.

Valdano happy with Madrid attack

Valdano happy with Madrid attack


Real Madrid director general Jorge Valdano has lauded his side's attack and questioned the need for another goalscorer amid rumours linking Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney with a move to the Spanish giants.

Valdano also reiterated coach Jose Mourinho's comments last week that Madrid are not planning on making any changes to their playing squad during the January transfer window.

Reports have suggested Madrid as a possible destination for Rooney if United decide to cash in on the England striker, whose contract with the Red Devils runs until the summer of 2012 and whose relationship with manager Sir Alex Ferguson has been the subject of plenty of speculation recently.

Madrid have also been linked with Athletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente, but Valdano was keen to highlight the firepower already at the club, with the likes of Gonzalo Higuain, Cristiano Ronaldo, Angel Di Maria, Mesut Ozil and Karim Benzema carrying the fight up front for Mourinho's men.
The question is, who would we move aside if we signed another striker?
Jorge Valdano, Real Madrid director general

When asked about Rooney, Valdano was quoted as saying on Telemadrid: "Madrid have two great strikers; Higuain and Cristiano, who already showed last season that they are capable of scoring 60 goals between them.

"As well as that there are Di Maria and Ozil, who are going to help these two goalscorers. The question is, who would we move aside if we signed another striker?"

When asked if Madrid did not need another striker, Valdano said: "It's not a debate in Madrid. Mourinho had to come out and stop these types of rumours. And as well as that, Benzema has not had the last word."

On in-form Spain frontman Llorente, Valdano added: "I like him, but from that to finding him a place in Madrid, that won't be easy. Every season there will be a new player, but it doesn't always have to be a centre-forward. Llorente is improving a lot and he is ready for new experiences, but often the media are discussing things that are not happening in the club."

It remains to be seen if things change over the course of the season, but Valdano also confirmed that the Bernabeu club will not be doing business in the January transfer window. "In January there will be neither ins nor outs. June is a long way away," he said.

Esperance set up Mazembe showdown

Esperance set up Mazembe showdown


Defending champions TP Mazembe Englebert have in the past proven their attacking capabilities, but it was their defence that took the credit at the weekend as they reached the CAF Champions League final for a second successive year. The Congolese side will be chasing a fourth title when they meet Tunisia's Esperance in the two-legged final later this month and in November.

Esperance squeaked past Al Ahly of Egypt on the away-goals rule, with the decisive blow in Sunday’s semi-final second leg coming inside the first minute of action. The Tunisians are in the final for the first time in a decade and have the advantage of being at home for the second leg in mid-November.

Mazembe secured a 3-1 aggregate win over JS Kabylie of Algeria after a goalless away draw in Saturday’s second leg, putting up a resolute defensive performance that resulted in their hosts giving up on the match long before the final whistle.
We prepared a tactic of pressuring our opponents in front of their goal and we got an early strike.
Faouzi Benzarti, Esperance coach.

Mazembe had prepared well for the match, travelling to Algeria early and spending almost a week in north Africa before the game. Captain Pamphile Mihayo was imperious at the back along with Joel Kimwaki and Bedi Mpenza as Mazembe overcame the scare of a 21st minute effort from Nassim Oussalah which hit the upright.

Kabylie’s cause was not helped when midfielder Bilal Naili was sent off just after the hour mark after picking up a second yellow card, and in the end, the Algerians seemed to run out of ideas in their fortress at Tizi-Ouzou.

“We did not expect the injury to our defender [Idrissa] Coulibaly nor the expulsion of Naili," said JSK’s Swiss coach Alain Geiger after the 0-0 stalemate. "It skewed our calculations. We did not expect these scenarios, and they were two major events that undermined the morale of our players."

More drama in Rades
The quiet end to the that game contrasted with the drama 24 hours later at the November 11 Stadium in Rades, on the outskirts of Tunis. Al Ahly had slender 2-1 lead from a tempestuous first leg in Cairo at the start of October into a match that was always going to be a talking point.

That lead was negated after just 50 seconds as Michael Eneramo dived in full length at the back post to steer home the ball amid protests that Esperance’s Nigerian import used his arm to force the ball into the net. It proved to be the only goal of the match, but Al Ahly had Mohamed Barakat sent off after 21 minutes for lashing out at an opponent in retaliation after a tackle. Down to ten men, Ahly’s chances of comeback after that were drastically reduced.

Esperance coach Faouzi Benzarti said his side’s progress to the final was a validation his young players' ability. “We prepared a tactic of pressuring our opponent in front of their goal, and we got an early strike," he said. "We had chances to score a second goal, but unfortunately they did not come. However, we prevented Ahly from playing their game, and, for that, I congratulate my young players on their efforts.”

Esperance last reached the final in 2000 when they lost to Hearts of Oak of Ghana. They also reached the final in 1999 when they went down to Raja Casablanca of Morocco on penalties. Their only success in Africa’s top club competition came in 1994.

Mazembe will host the first leg of the final in Lubumbashi on 31 October with the return leg in Tunis on 13 November.