Monday, December 28, 2020

Beckham and Ballack among Europe's showstoppers

Spain-Denmark, 1993: Danish dreams dashed again by La Roja

"What Spain gave me in club success, it took back with its national team," Denmark's Michael Laudrup once told FIFA.com. With good reason too, the Scandinavian side having fallen victim to their bête noire in the Round of 16 at Mexico 1986, two years after losing out in the semi-finals of UEFA EURO 1984. Then, in November 1993, the teams crossed paths again – with Denmark a point clear of Spain in Group 3 ahead of this final qualifier. European champions in 1992, the Danes had already defeated La Roja1-0 in Copenhagen and boasted the greatest generation in their history, so would they finally turn the tables?

17 November 1993, Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, Seville, Spain 1-0 Dent began to look like mission impossible for Javier Clemente's Spain after just ten minutes, when Andoni Zubizarreta passed a clearance to Michael Laudrup and brought the forward down, trying to limit the damage. The goalkeeper was shown a straight red card and suddenly a young Santiago Canizares, denied the time to warm up, was sent into the fray. Despite the pressure, Canizares pulled off an exceptional performance as Denmark laid siege to his goal for the 80 minutes that remained.

It began to look like mission impossible for Javier Clemente's Spain after just ten minutes, when Andoni Zubizarreta passed a clearance to Michael Laudrup and brought the forward down, trying to limit the damage. The goalkeeper was shown a straight red card and suddenly a young Santiago Canizares, denied the time to warm up, was sent into the fray. Despite the pressure, Canizares pulled off an exceptional performance as Denmark laid siege to his goal for the 80 minutes that remained.

At the other end, ten-man Spain relied exclusively on set-pieces to create danger. And, with just over an hour gone, it was from an Andoni Goikoetxea corner that they broke the deadlock, Fernando Hierro finding the net after Peter Schmeichel's misjudged attempt to claim the ball. Thanks to a defensive stalwart and a novice keeper, Spain had thwarted Denmark once again, denying them the point they needed to reach USA 1994

Germany-England, 2001: Owen's hat-trick heroics

In October 2000, Germany triumphed 1-0 in the very last game at the old Wembley Stadium, a result that spelled the end of the road for England manager Kevin Keegan and brought Sven-Goran Eriksson into the hotseat. The return fixture at the Olympiastadion – where Germany remained unbeaten since 1973 – would prove critical to the Three Lions' chances of reaching Korea/Japan 2002.

1 September 2001, Olympiastadion, Munich, Germany 1-5 England

Goals: Carsten Jancker 6' (Germany); Michael Owen 12', 48', 66', Steven Gerrard 45+2', Emile Heskey 74' (England)

To nobody's great surprise, Germany kicked off the encounter with confidence, and it did not take long for Carsten Jancker to open the scoring. Just a few minutes later, however, England struck back via Michael Owen. Their tails now up, the visitors were starting to grow in belief when, on the cusp of half-time, Steven Gerrard fired in a powerful effort from distance. England increased their lead two minutes after the restart, Owen pouncing on Heskey's headed lay-off. The Liverpool striker was at the peak of his powers and completed his hat-trick after latching onto Gerrard's through-ball. And an eye-catching turnaround became a football lesson when Heskey got his own name on the scoresheet.

"I've never seen an England team play better," said Franz Beckenbauer. "They had pace, aggression, movement and technique. It was fantasy football. When they scored their third goal, they started to play football that would have beaten anyone in the world." Four days later, England defeated Albania to take top spot in the group on goal difference – and second-placed Germany would ultimately be left facing the play-offs.

Saturday, April 11, 2020

Mazahir's Lock Down Walkaway

Thursday, April 9, 2020

2020 FIFA Club World Cup

Tournament

Description

The 2020 FIFA Club World Cup is scheduled to be the 17th edition of the FIFA Club World Cup, a FIFA-organised international club football tournament between the winners of the six continental confederations, as well as the host nation's league champions. The tournament will be hosted by Qatar in December 2020. Wikipedia

Location: Qatar

Date: December 2020

Teams: 7

he 2022 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to be the 22nd edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international men's association football championship contested by the national teams of the member associations of FIFA. It is scheduled to take place in Qatar in 2022. This will be the first World Cup ever to be held in the Arab world and the first in a Muslim-majority country.^[1] This will be the second World Cup held entirely in Asia after the 2002 tournament in South Korea and Japan.^[2] In addition, the tournament will be the last to involve 32 teams, with an increase to 48 teams scheduled for the 2026 tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The reigning World Cup champions are France.^[3]

This will also mark the first World Cup not to be held in May, June, or July; the tournament is instead scheduled for late November until mid-December.^[4] It is to be played in a reduced timeframe of around 28 days, with the final being held on 18 December 2022, which is also Qatar National Day.^[5]

Accusations of corruption have been made relating to how Qatar won the right to host the event. A FIFA internal investigation and report cleared Qatar of any wrongdoing, but the chief investigator Michael J. Garcia has since described FIFA's report on his inquiry as "materially incomplete and erroneous".^[6] On 27 May 2015, Swiss federal prosecutors opened an investigation into corruption and money laundering related to the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.^[7]^[8] On 6 August 2018, former FIFA president Sepp Blatter claimed that Qatar had used "black ops", suggesting that the bid committee had cheated to win the hosting rights.^[9]

Additionally, Qatar has faced strong criticism due to the treatment of foreign workers involved in preparation for the World Cup, with Amnesty International referring to "forced labour" and stating that workers have been suffering human rights abuses, despite worker welfare standards being drafted in 2014.

2022 FIFA bidding (majority 12 votes)
Bidders	Votes
Bidders	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4
Qatar	11	10	11	14
United States	3	5	6	8
South Korea	4	5	5	Eliminated
Japan	3	2	Eliminated
Australia	1	Eliminated

There have been allegations of bribery and corruption in the selection process involving members of FIFA's executive committee. These allegations are being investigated by FIFA .

Qatar is the smallest nation by area ever to have been awarded a FIFA World Cup – the next smallest by area is Switzerland, host of the 1954 FIFA World Cup, which is more than three times as large as Qatar and only needed to host 16 teams instead of the current 32.

Possible expansion

On 12 April 2018, CONMEBOL requested that FIFA expand the 2022 FIFA World Cup from 32 to 48 teams, four years before the 2026 FIFA World Cup as initially planned.^[21]^[22] FIFA President Gianni Infantino expressed willingness to consider the request.^[23] However, the FIFA congress rejected the request shortly before the beginning of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Infantino said the global football governing body would not discuss the possibility of having a 48-team World Cup, and that they would first discuss the matter with the host country.^[24]

In March 2019, a "FIFA feasibility study" concluded that it was possible to expand the tournament to 48 teams, albeit with the assistance of "one or more" neighbouring countries and "two to four additional venues." FIFA also said that "while it cannot rule out legal action from losing bidders by changing the format [of the tournament], the study said it 'concluded that the risk was low.'" FIFA and Qatar would have explored possible joint proposals to submit to the FIFA Council and the FIFA Congress in June 2019. Had a joint proposal been submitted, FIFA's member associations would have voted on the final decision at the 69th FIFA Congress in Paris, France by 5 June 2019.^[25]^[26] However, on 22 May 2019, FIFA announced it will not expand the tournament.^[27]

Source: Wikipedia

Friday, July 17, 2015

FIFA, others defeat U.S. football concussion lawsuit

(Reuters) - A U.S. judge has dismissed a lawsuit by football players and parents seeking to force FIFA and other governing bodies to change the sport's rules to limit the risk of concussions and other head injuries, especially for children.

In a decision on Thursday, Chief Judge Phyllis Hamilton of the federal court in Oakland, California, said the plaintiffs could not use the courts to change FIFA's "laws of the game," noting it was their decision to play football.

"Plaintiffs have acknowledged that 'injuries' are a 'part of football,'" Hamilton wrote, citing the complaint. "Those who participate in a sporting activity that poses an inherent risk of injury generally assume the risk that they may be injured while doing so."

The judge also said FIFA was not a proper defendant because there was "no connection" between the lawsuit and any activity that the sport's international governing body, which is based in Switzerland, undertook in California.

Claims against FIFA were dismissed with prejudice, meaning they cannot be brought again.

Hamilton said claims against bodies such as the United States Football Federation and various youth and club football organizations can be brought again if the plaintiffs show they have standing to sue, including by demonstrating injury.

"We will amend the complaint to satisfy the court's order and appeal the FIFA ruling," Steve Berman, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said in an email.

FIFA said in a statement that it welcomed the decision, and through its medical committee would continue monitoring issues affecting players' health. Lawyers for the other defendants did not respond to requests for comment.

The lawsuit is not related to the ongoing corruption scandal at FIFA, whose full name is Fédération Internationale de Football Association.

Hamilton's 46-page decision is a setback for efforts to make football, considered the world's most popular sport with roughly a quarter billion participants, safer to play.

The proposed class-action lawsuit was brought on behalf of seven players, including four under the age of 17.

They sought a variety of rule changes, including limiting headers by players under 17, and making it easier to substitute during games for players experiencing head trauma.

The plaintiffs also sought medical monitoring for people who have played the sport since 2002. Money damages were not sought.

THOUSANDS OF CONCUSSIONS

According to the complaint, 46,200 U.S. high school football players suffered concussions in 2010, more than from baseball, basketball, softball and wrestling combined.

At least 30 percent of football concussions come from heading or attempting to head balls, the complaint said.

But only one of the seven plaintiffs claimed she suffered a concussion from playing football, and Hamilton said this appeared to be a one-time injury that ended with a full recovery.

She also called it "too speculative" to assume the other plaintiffs might suffer concussions in the future, and thus they did not deserve standing to seek rule and protocol changes.

Other lawsuits over concussions have been filed in recent years against the National Football League, the National Hockey League and the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

A recent settlement between the NFL and roughly 5,000 retired players could reach $1 billion.

Though the football lawsuit was dismissed, "this is not the end of the day for claims against the football federations," said Michael Kaplen, a lawyer specializing in traumatic brain injuries who teaches at George Washington University Law School.

"Groups are trying to market these sports as safe, when they are not," he said in an interview. "Unless and until officials and medical professionals testify under oath, the truth will never come out."

The case is Mehr et al. v. Fédération Internationale de Football Association et al, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 14-03879.

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

The 7 Oldest NFL Quarterbacks of All Time

Nearly all sports, when played at the highest level, are pursuits for the young. Professional careers overlap with athletic peaks, which tend to occur early, and the aging process will eventually force everyone, no matter their skill level or determination, to retire. That said, retirement comes at different times for everyone, and for every Rashard Mendenhall, who retired at 26 to travel the world and write, there’s a Brett Favre, who, well,couldn’t stay gone.

The game of football isn’t easy for anyone, and it’s particularly difficult for quarterbacks, who spend the start of every possession staring down 11 guys who are being paid to take him off his feet with extreme prejudice. When we look at the already injury-riddled careers of guys like Sam Bradford and Robert Griffin III, the idea that anyone could play as long as someone like Favre, who retired, for the last time, at 41, seems absurd. And that’s in the modern-day NFL, which is routinely dressed down as “touch football” or “flag football” by those in the fandom who don’t see why making a game safer is probably a good thing.

What’s really wild about Favre is that he doesn’t even come close to the oldest quarterbacks ever to suit up in the NFL. Using information gathered by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, here are the seven oldest quarterbacks in league history.

The 10 Greatest NFL Quarterbacks of All Time

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Second only to the U.S. President, the NFL quarterback is the most glamorous, if not important, job in the country. In addition to the hopes and dreams of his team, the quarterback carries the flag for entire cities, regions, and metaphorically, ways of life. The pressure is unreal, considering the fact that sports-obsessed Americans look to the gridiron gladiator for strength, controlled violence, and an escape from the routine fare of the daily grind. The quarterback is viewed as the one member of the entourage that combines leadership, intelligence, and strategic thought alongside brute force to control games and emerge victorious.

NFL teams sell their collective souls to trade up at the draft, or wheel and deal at the free agent marketplace to land that once-in-a-lifetime franchise quarterback opportunity. Certainly, today’s NFL fanatics are privy to the circus atmosphere that has surrounded Cleveland Browns’ rookie quarterback Johnny Manziel. The outrageous hype is largely based on potential — for now, Manziel is the solid number 2 behind incumbent veteran quarterback Brian Hoyer.

Sports fans, of course, recognize that the greatest NFL quarterbacks of all time emerge as icons that define cities, dynasties, and eras. In order to be defined as great, the signal caller must combine top-shelf mechanics with game-time smarts and decision making. Beyond the nuts and bolts of execution, the quarterback must have “it.” Best described as the ability to win, “it” is the poise to lead comeback drives, refuse to back down from raging linebackers, and inspire offensive linemen and teammates to lay it on the line and go to war, day in and day out. Further, “it” is a style and flair that matches success on the field, with the ideals of a nation off the field.

Indeed, the term “quarterback” entices the imagination to personify “all that is right” with America. Let’s introduce the top ten greatest NFL quarterbacks of all time after the jump. All stats are from Pro-Football-Reference.com.

Which College Football Conference Has Won the Most National Title?

Which College Football Conference Has Won the Most National Titles?

May 19, 2015

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

In the constantly evolving world of college football, it has become difficult to keep track of which schools are in which conferences. What’s even more difficult is tracking national championships through the years in the division that is now known as the Football Bowl Subdivision. Prior to the Bowl Championship Series, and now the College Football Playoff, there were numerous outlets that crowned national champions, which has convoluted college football’s history books.

Using only national championships that are recognized by the National Collegiate Athletics Association, I compiled a list of the conferences with the most football national championships of all-time. It is important to note that the Ivy League no longer plays at the FBS level, but their national titles that are included were won when they were playing at college football’s highest level. Also, this list reflects current conference alignment and some national championships may have been won when teams were members of other conferences.

So, which conference has the most national championships of all-time? Here is a look at the total number of football national championships won by each conference.