[WORLD CUP 2022] There was more fallout from FIFA’s decision to award Qatar the 2022 World Cup. There were new accusations of corruption with charges that $1.5million deals were struck for the votes of two executive committee members by a sports organization working on behalf of Qatar 2022 bid committee. And German FranzBeckenbauer, a member […]
world cup 2022
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
England bid members shocked by voting snub
After receiving just two votes in the initial round of bidding for the 2018 World Cup, members of the England bid contingent who had traveled to Zurich expressed surprise and disappointment. “We didn’t expect it to happen,” said Galaxy midfielder David Beckham. “We all felt we had put ourselves in a strong position to get […]
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
FIFA Has Spoken. So Be It. USA Must Move On
By Paul Gardner Of course Sunil Gulati is correct to indicate that politics – FIFA politics – are the key to understanding the voting that gavethe 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 version to Qatar – and left the USA out in the cold. That being the case, one can say with […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
It doesn't sound so funny now
[MY VIEW] The announcement that it was Qatar 2022 was quickly followed by emails from family and friends. Forget “Why Qatar?” No, it was “Where is Qatar?” Theformer British protectorate, located next to Saudi Arabia on the Qatari peninsula and smaller in size than the state of Connecticut, was known for pearling in the Persian […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Sunil Gulati: 'A great bid … sharp disappointment'
[WORLD CUP 2022] Despite being the USA being only contender for the 2022 World Cup to get a 100 percent rating in the FIFA-commissioned “World Cup Host Candidate Report,” the FIFA executive committee voted to give the tournament to Qatar. Forreactions from Sunil Gulati, the U.S. Soccer president and bid committee chairman …
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
The Unknowledgeable In Pursuit of the Unknowable
By Paul Gardner Yet again we find ourselves confronted with a massive soccer drama that, truth be told, has very little to do with the sport itself. Thescene is Zurich. All those important executives from FIFA are there — the members of the Executive Committee, the ones who will be voting to decide which countries […]
Posted inSpecial Edition, What They're Saying
What They're Saying
“It’s important that all the teams who come to any World Cup venue feel that they, too, are playing at home, not just for people watching on television. Maybe America’s best claimto this World Cup is that we have the only nation you can put the World Cup that can guarantee no matter who makes […]
Posted inSpecial Edition, Story
No clear favorites in final hours
[WORLD CUP 2018/22 BIDS] With Zurich’s Bauer Au Lac hotel on lockdown and crawling with Secret Service and other security officials, FIFA executive committeemembers bunkered down for the night before they hear presentations on the 2018 World Cup and select the hosts of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Bid committee members have been warned […]
Posted inSpecial Edition, Story
Case for and against the USA
[WORLD CUP 2018/22 BIDS] It’s down to the home stretch in the race for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Only one more night of feverish lobbying and the 2018 bidpresentations on Thursday morning before the 22-man FIFA executive committee votes. The 2018 race took a shocking turn Wednesday as Russia seemed to be fading […]
Posted inSpecial Edition, Story
USA gets perfect grade
[WORLD CUP 2018/22 BIDS] The United States was only contender for the 2022 World Cup to get a 100 percent rating in the “World Cup Host CandidateReport,” commissioned by FIFA and prepared by consulting firm McKinsey & Co. to evaluate the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids for five key revenue streams: sponsorship, ticketing, hospitality,licensing […]