Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin threw his weight behind his country’s powerful bid to host the 2018 or 2022 World Cup when he told visiting FIFAinspectors that Russia would do everything to organize the World Cup at the highest level. “If FIFA grant us the honor to hold the World Cup, we are ready to […]
world cup 2022
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
British prime minister offers Blatter apologies
How serious is the bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups? David Cameron, the British prime minister, called FIFA President Sepp Blatter to offer his “apologies” that he will on a family vacation next week when FIFA inspectors will visit England on their 2018/22 World Cup inspection tour. Blatterreportedly told Cameron the prime minister’s […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Is China 2026 the USA's winning card?
Simon Kuper, the soccer columnist of the Financial Times and a former Soccer America contributor, runs down the candidates for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, tobe decided by the 24 men on FIFA’s executive committee on Dec. 2. His frontrunners? Russia for 2018 and the USA for 2022. For 2018, Russia gets the nod […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Baltimore promoters look on positive side
This summer’s international friendlies haven’t enjoyed the success of the games during the 2009 “Summer of Soccer.” Saturday’s Inter Milan-Manchester City match at Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadiumdrew 36,569 fans. Last summer Chelsea and AC Milan attracted more than 71,000. Dick Cass, the NFL Ravens president, isn’t discouraged by thecrowd. “We’re going to try to get […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
High-visibility match to be played at Meadowlands
[USA-BRAZIL] Four years ago, the USA didn’t play a game the rest of the year after the World Cup. In 1998 and 2002, it went more than four months beforeplaying a friendly after the World Cup. This year, the Americans will be back in action less than a month after the final in South Africa, […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Will Obama go to Zurich in December?
[MY VIEW] A personal appeal by President Nicolas Sarkozy to the UEFA executive committee on Friday tipped the balance infavor of France, which won the right to host Euro 2016 in a 7-6 vote over Turkey. It raises the question, will President Barack Obama go to Zurich in earlyDecember in support of the USA’s bid […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Quite a photo-op: Obama, Clinton and USA 23
[WORLD CUP COUNTDOWN] How big is the World Cup in political terms? On Thursday, former President Bill Clinton, inhis new role as the honorary chairman of the USA’s 2018/22 World Cup bid committee, and the U.S. national team will head to the White House, where Bob Bradley‘sboys will get a send-off from President Barack Obama. Clinton […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They're Saying
“In my travels around the world — from the dirt fields of Lusaka, Zambia, to playgrounds in schools across America — I’ve seen the transformative power soccer has to bring peopletogether and transform lives on and off the field. I continue to be impressed with FIFA’s work to promote the game as an agent for […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Absurdity of it all is the problem
[ENGLAND]The fallout from Lord Triesman‘s secretly taped conservations with a former mistress published on Sunday was swift. Within 24 hours of revelations that hebelieved 2018 World Cup bid rivals Spain and Russia were conspiring to fix the 2010 World Cup finals and 2018 World Cup bid, he resigned as chairman of The Football Association and […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Scandal rocks World Cups
[ENGLAND] If you’ve never heard of Lord Triesman before, you sure will now. He quit Sunday as the chairman of theEnglish Football Association — the head of English soccer — and England’s World Cup bid committee after he became embroiled in a sex scandal that threatens to bring down the English bid to host the2018 […]