Tag Archives: FIFA

From bad to worse for Barcelona – the tarnishing of a golden image

For many years, Barcelona enjoyed a golden image around the globe. But that image has been shattered by a series of negative episodes – of which a transfer ban is just the latest. …It didn’t used to be like this. Barca’s ‘More Than A Club’ motto suggested a club morally superior to their rivals, who […]

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A Golden Chance For Qatar

Qatar has never been a popular choice, especially in the West. There are those who don’t like it because of the vast amounts of money spent on the bid; elsewhere in football, there are those who don’t like it because of the heat; there are those who don’t like it because of its size; there […]

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Home Fans with ‘foreign names’ banned for UCL games by Copenhagen

FC Copenhagen have rejected claims of discrimination after the club banned home fans with foreign-sounding names from attending their upcoming Champions League group games. The Danish champions were drawn in Group B alongside Real Madrid, Juventus and Galatasaray, but sent out an email on Friday informing supporters with non-Danish surnames that their tickets were being cancelled […]

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Human Traffic – Africa’s Lost Boys

It has been a starting point for some of the world’s top soccer players. As youngsters, the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Andrea Pirlo, Carlos Tevez, Javier Mascherano, Thierry Henry and Nicolas Anelka all played in the Mondial Montaigu youth tournament in France. Known as “Mondial Minimes,” the 40-year-old competition is contested by under-16 national teams over Easter, […]

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Sympathy for the ‘devil’: In defense of Sepp Blatter

There can’t be many people whose image has sat side by side on a front page with Colonel Gaddafi, the now expired former dictator of Libya. But Sepp Blatter, the president of soccer’s governing body FIFA, is one of the few to hold this dubious honor. It was June 2011, and The Sun — a […]

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FIFA authorizes use of Goal-line technology

Two goal-line technology systems have been licensed for worldwide use by Fifa, football’s world governing body. The approval means that Hawkeye and GoalRef can now provide their products to leagues and competitions. “This milestone means that the companies now have authorisation to install their technology systems worldwide” said a Fifa spokesman. Goal-line technology is due […]

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International Match-day roundup: Goals Galore and a Few Shocks

As the major leagues of the world come to a screeching halt for a “much-loved” international break, TKTG takes a look at some of the results as well as the hot topics from a weekend of WC 2014 qualifiers and international friendlies. The Friendlies With most major teams involved in battles to qualify for WC […]

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Indian football has a lot of ground to make up

India are at their lowest ever ranking. FIFA puts 168 nations above the planet’s second-most populous country. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has targeted a place at the 2022 World Cup. Nine years from now, when qualification is over, one of those facts is going to be repeated with incredulity. It seems that 2022 […]

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Bend it like… Babar?

“Football has really picked up among youngsters in recent years because people have had more exposure to the sport on television than ever before,” says Khan. Before 1999, Pakistan Television was the only source for Pakistanis to watch international football competitions. Then the satellite dish service arrived and became the avenue for local audiences to […]

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