WebProNews

Tag: FIFA

  • Matt Damon and Ben Affleck To Bring FIFA Scandal to Big Screen

    Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are set to produce a film based on Houses of Deceit–an upcoming book highlighting the scandal within the international governing body of soccer. Warner Bros. just acquired rights to the film.

    The Los Angeles Times reports that Gavin O’Connor, who just wrapped filming The Accountant, starring Ben Affleck, is on board to direct the FIFA movie, too.

    The upcoming book, written by Ken Bensinger, will expand upon the author’s 2014 report about Chuck Blazer. Blazer is the American FIFA exec who not only helped popularize the sport in the U.S., but also admitted to accepting bribes and kickbacks amounting to millions over the course of his career.

    Making this film will serve as a reunion of sorts for Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. The two will forever be known as the Good Will Hunting boys. The 1997 film that also starred the late Robin Williams made Matt Damon and Ben Affleck household names.

    So what have Affleck and Damon been up to since then? Career-wise they’ve stayed prominently visible for the nearly 20 years since Good Will Hunting–which is exceptional in the film world.

    Ben Affleck will soon appear in The Accountant, which hits theaters in January, as well as Batman v. Superman (he plays Batman), which premieres in March.

    Matt Damon is best known for his work on the Bourne franchise. He will appear on the big screen in The Martian in October, and once again alongside Julia Stiles as Jason Bourne in July of 2016.

    Are you excited to learn that Matt Damon and Ben Affleck will soon be back together again as they prepare to work on this film about the FIFA scandal? They will no doubt add passion and intrigue to this facet of the sports world.

  • FIFA 15 Is Out Today in the U.S.

    FIFA 15 Is Out Today in the U.S.

    After a long summer with few big game releases, the fall video game season is now here. As one of the largest publishers in the industry, EA is getting a head start with the release of its big sports titles. Madden NFL 15 made its debut just over one month ago and EA Sports NHL 15 hit stores two weeks ago.

    This week the biggest sports video game franchise of them all is being released. FIFA 15 is out today in North America. Europeans can get their hands on the title starting Thursday (Friday for the UK).

    The game is being released on all major platforms, including PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC. PC gamers will be required to access FIFA 15 through EA’s Origin client. Xbox One gamers who already bought into EA’s new EA Access subscription service have had access to the game since last Thursday.

    According to EA over 5.5 million people have already played the FIFA 15 demo since it was released two weeks ago.

    As with other EA sports games, FIFA 15 doesn’t feature huge technical leaps over last year’s version. Instead, smaller features have been tweaked or improved along with the game’s graphics and animations. Improvements to player face graphics in particular have been a focus of this year’s FIFA.

    EA has also added more than 600 new player reaction animations to the game. In-game players now have “emotional” feelings (both good and bad) toward other players, which is supposed to enable more realistic in-game reactions.

    “We believe we have built a game in FIFA 15 that delivers the most immersive and responsive gameplay experience ever in the FIFA franchise, and we can’t wait for the millions of fans to start their season and experience all of the innovations,” said David Rutter, general manager of EA Sports FIFA.

    Another focus of this year’s FIFA improvements has been goalkeepers. FIFA 15 keepers have new animations and improved artificial intelligence, allowing them to react to shots in a more realistic manner.

  • World Cup Highlight Twitter Bot Suspended After FIFA Takedown Request

    And here’s the corner from the DMCA…it’s a line drive…right at FIFA, who’s on a run – FIFA with the header…GOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLL!!!

    In other words, FIFA has successfully petitioned Twitter to suspend the increasingly popular @ReplayLastGoal account, a single-purpose Twitter bot that automatically tweeted the video replay and animated GIF of the latest #Worldcup goal. You know, so the world could easily see the most important action from the world’s game’s biggest stage.

    Account creator Xavier Damman tweeted out the bad news earlier:

    Though it’s not 100 percent confirmed that FIFA is responsible for the takedown, FIFA is responsible for the takedown. Damman received a notice from Twitter 11 days ago warning him that they had received a copyright takedown notice, pursuant to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

    Of course, the complaint came from the Federation Internationale De Football Association.

    “On behalf of FIFA as owner of the exclusive rights to the copyrighted material at issue in this notice, we hereby state that we have a good faith belief that use/display of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.”

    In other words, FART.

    ReplayLastGoal and Damman argued fair use, noting that there are “plenty of Vines and GIF out there,” a fact which is abundantly clear by looking at Twitter.

    But FIFA persisted, and Twitter finally suspended the account.

    So, you can’t watch World Cup goals generated by this particular Twitter bot. you can watch World Cup goals in about a gajillion other GIFs and videos being posted from a gajillion other Twitter accounts.

    You can also watch John Oliver’s discussion of FIFA right now.

    via Re/code
    Image via Last Week with John Oliver, YouTube screenshot

  • Beats Headphones Banned at World Cup, But That’s Not All Bad from a Marketing Standpoint

    You won’t see any stars wearing Beats by Dre headphones on the pitch or at press conferences during the 2014 World Cup, but that doesn’t mean that Beats aren’t enjoying a nice marketing opportunity.

    As Reuters reports, FIFA has banned the on-field use of Beats headphones, due to a licensing agreement with rival Sony.

    But Beats has the support of plenty of footballers, including Neymar, Rio Ferdinand, Daniel Sturridge, and Luis Suarez (among others) – and those stars have been wearing their personal Beats headphones outside of the official FIFA ban zones – buses, practices, and such.

    “When fans see World Cup athletes wearing Beats in their downtime, by choice, it has as much impact as seeing them lace their Adidas (boots) or sip a sponsored beverage,” said Ellen Petry Leanse, former Apple and Google strategist.

    And she’s right, of course. For those who see Neymar, for instance, sporting Beats headphones off the field and Sony headphones on it will come to the obvious conclusion that the latter is for show, and the former is for pleasure. It’s a funny, but interesting form of indirect marketing.

    Beats isn’t all about indirect marketing, of course…

    All of those are part of Beats’ ‘The Game Before The Game’ ad campaign that kicked off earlier this month with a sprawling five-minute ad that hit viral paydirt and racked up over 17 million YouTube views.

    Last month, Apple officially announced their acquisition of Beats for $2.6 billion, bringing co-founders Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre along for the ride.

    Image via Beats by Dre, Instagram

  • Zlatan Ibrahimovic Disses US Soccer Team, Says They’re “A Big Joke”

    Zlatan Ibrahimovic may not be taking part in the World Cup, but that doesn’t mean that he’ll stay quiet during the whole tournament.

    Ibrahimovic, a Paris Saint-Germain striker, is taking a short vacation in Los Angeles, and someone from gossip website TMZ spotted him getting out of Boa Steakhouse and conducted a short interview with him.

    He was not happy about being stopped on the street just so he could be asked about his thoughts about the World Cup. When asked about his opinion regarding Landon Donovan not being included in Jurgen Klinsmann’s team for the World Cup, he responded with, “It’s his problem.”

    The 32-year old was then again asked by the reporter about who he thinks will win the World Cup. The Swedish striker answered with, “The US.” The reporter responded by asking Ibrahimovic if that was a joke, to which he answered, “A big joke.”

    His team was not able to enter the top 32 teams and make it to the World Cup this year.

    For someone who has said that soccer in the US is “very interesting,” he might need to be more careful about what he says if he is thinking about playing for the country. It is well known that the forward is very outspoken, and this will not really gain him a lot of fans.

    Let’s give Ibrahimovic the benefit of the doubt. The interview was done right before US won over Ghana and let’s face it, TMZ might have interfered with a lovely evening for the Swedish-born striker.

    Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a striker for Paris Saint-Germain and is also the captain for the Swedish national team. In the late 1990s, Ibrahimovic started his career with Malmö FF, prior to being signed by Ajax. His playing style has been compared to Marco van Basten, a Dutch legend. He is regarded as one of the best finishers in football and is considered one of the best footballers of his generation.

    Image via YouTube

  • FIFA World Cup Set To Begin As Controversy Looms

    Well, we’re on the threshold of a fresh FIFA World Cup. What should simply be a tournament about the best of the best from each country competing for the 2014 title is often overshadowed by a series of controversies and corruption charges.

    This may be a make-or-break moment for the entire competition.

    Firstly, there was the decision to select Brazil as a host nation for this year’s World Cup. Keep in mind, Brazil will also be hosting the Summer Olympics in 2016.
    At least that’s the plan.

    Brazil’s struggles to keep on schedule have stayed in the headlines over the past four years. Not to mention the fact that eight workers have been killed during the rush to finish preparations for the World Cup on time.

    The inability to adequately prepare for the World Cup may signal to the International Olympic Committee that Brazil was a poor choice to host the Games.

    If World Cup preparations leaves Rio De Janeiro unable to finish on time for the 2016 Olympics, some are hoping that London may once again be the host of the Olympics. Otherwise…the consequences of choosing Brazil for the World Cup could have the unintended consequence of ruining the 2016 Olympics.

    The questionable selection of World Cup hosts has led to increased whispers of corruption. The controversial Qatar bid acceptance has outright led to accusations of bribery and a request that FIFA president Sepp Blatter step down as president.

    In Brazil, there has been some political dissatisfaction over the decision to host the World Cup. Protesters regularly march in the streets by the hundreds, even thousands.

    There are those who feel that the millions of dollars poured into World Cup preparations should go towards much needed education expenses and medical coverage for poorer citizens.

    There is much mistrust and unhappiness about the World Cup in Brazil, and there are worries that it could prove disastrous.

    Until the worst actually occurs, this is merely speculation.

    For now participants and observers can only hope for a safe and exciting football spectacle that is remembered for inspiring feats of athleticism…not controversy or tragedy.

    Image via YouTube

  • Fanny Neguesha Says Yes to Mario Balotelli

    With the FIFA World Cup being played only once every four years, one can only imagine the pressure soccer’s greatest superstars are under to perform at their peak level for their respective nations. While Brazil is obviously under the most pressure to succeed this year (being the host country and whatnot), there are certain countries which are expected to win the cup every year. Italy, led by soccer stud Mario Balotelli, is one such country.

    Balotelli, a 24-year-old striker for the Italian national team, perhaps felt more pressure than most coming into the World Cup due to his high potential and athletic prowess. Therefore, Balotelli most likely made the right move in proposing to his girlfriend, Fanny Neguesha, days before the kickoff of the 2014 World Cup.

    Unlike most teams, Italy’s coach, Cesare Prandelli, has decided to open Italy’s training camp in Brazil to the girlfriends and wives of the players, allowing Balotelli and Neguesha much time together before Balotelli’s schedule becomes quite hectic.

    One should not let the happy nature of the Tweets and Instagram posts fool oneself, however. Balotelli and Neguesha’s relationship has been rocky, to say the least.

    In May of this year, Neguesha changed her relationship status on her Instagram account to single, making many think that she had finally decided to part ways with Balotelli. Shortly after Neguesha’s relationship status was made known, a bookie in Italy started taking bets as to who would be Balotelli’s next girlfriend.

    Their split supposedly came after Balotelli and his brother were rumored to have had a foursome with an Italian Playboy model.

    Obviously, the two have rectified their differences, however, and are eager to start their new lives together.

    The couple does not have long to celebrate, though, and Balotelli’s teammates were the first to remind him of his priorities: “He must have gone through a lot of emotions last night. But now we all need to focus on the World Cup,” stated teammate Claudio Marchisio.

    Balotelli’s Italian squad faces England Saturday. The other two teams in their group are Costa Rica and Uruguay.

    Image via Instagram

  • Qatar Airport Receives First Flights

    Qatar Airport Receives First Flights

    Hamad International Airport opened today in the Qatari capital of Doha, with a ceremonial Qatar Airways flight landing from Doha International Airport. National carrier Qatar Airways is scheduled to fully move into the airport on May 27.

    The new airport cost about $15 billion to build, and Qatar plans to spend roughly $100 billion on upgrading its infrastructure in time for its hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the largest sports event on the planet.

    Abdul Aziz Mohammad al-Noaimi, chairman the airport steering committee, called the new airport “a source of pride and joy” for all Qataris, and mentioned that it can presently accommodate 30 million passengers annually. In time, the facility might be able to serve up to 93 million passengers per year, which would make it the second largest airport in the region after Dubai International Airport.

    “It will deliver a memorable experience to all passengers that will travel through its gates, an experience that reflects Qatar’s status and importance on the world travel and tourism map,” al-Noaimi added.

    Here is a clip of a small tour of the Hamad terminal:

    In related news, The Qatar Museum Authority decided to buy a 16-foot tall statue of Zinedine Zidane infamously headbutting Marco Materazzi, for an untold sum in October, as a sort of “ode to defeat” World Cup ornament.

    Oil-rich Qatar has been recently struggling to keep dibs on hosting the international soccer event. Aside from the classy headbutt statue acquisition, the country has been questioned by soccer federation FIFA about its use hundreds of thousands of migrant workers, in a situation similar to modern-day slavery. It’s been reported that over 40 Nepalese workers died last year, while building World Cup infrastructure.

    Image via Twitter

  • Soccer Cleats: Nike Unveils Mercurial Superfly Shoe Ahead Of World Cup

    Soccer cleats are easily the most intimidating footwear in sports. Not only do the spikes on the bottom remind me never to get drop kicked by a professional footballer, but the overall design is slick to a dangerous degree. Nike has just made the soccer cleat even more intimidating with its latest product.

    This week, Nike introduced the world to the Mercurial Superfly IV – a new soccer cleat that the company promises will make soccer players faster on the field. It does this through two innovations. The first is a new weave that reduces the amount of material between the foot and the ball. Nike says this gives players more control of the ball when moving at fast speeds. The second is a full carbon plate attached to the bottom of the cleat which “helps players to more efficiently transmit power through the ground.” In other words, this is a badass shoe.

    Nike goes on to say that the Mercurial Superfly IV will feel like a natural extension of the body for any player who puts it on:

    “Players have told us that the Mercurial fits like no other boot,” said Phil McCartney, VP of Sport Performance Footwear. “It feels like an extension of the body because the Dynamic Fit Collar integrates the foot, the ankle and the lower leg. It removes distractions and allows the player to be quicker to the ball and quicker with the ball. This is the huge advantage of Flyknit: We can tune a boot to match a player’s attributes.”

    McCartney later says that the Mercurial Superfly came about as more players demanded a better shoe for a more intense game. That’s what this latest soccer cleat is all about:

    “We’ve delivered the boot for this new game because we know what a split second means. It can mean the difference between qualifying for the next round and elimination. It can mean the difference between being a champion and being a footnote,” said McCartney. “At Nike, we design boots to bring out the champion in all of our players. That drive and pursuit of perfection has led us to today and the Mercurial Superfly.”

    If you can’t take Nike’s own word for it, maybe you’ll believe this advertisement that seems to say the Mercurial Superfly hates sculptures:

    The Mercurial Superfly IV will be available for pre-order on May 26 and will be available in store on June 12 – the same day as the World Cup.

    Image via Nike Football/YouTube

  • Christiano Ronaldo on TIME’s ‘Most Influential’ List

    FIFA soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo is featured this year in TIME magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World” and joins other influentials like Pope Francis, Barack Obama and pop icon Beyoncé on this year’s list.

    There were only five other sports dignitaries noted on the magazine’s 2014 list. They were Brooklyn Nets star Jason Collins, Seattle Seahawks SuperBowl champion Richard Sherman, Tennis virtuoso Serena Williams and golf pro Lydia Ko.

    Brazilian soccer legend Pele heralded his fellow ‘futball’ star on the magazine page featuring the FIFA Ballon d’Or 2013 winner.

    “Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most influential athletes in sports today. I greatly respect his competitive mind-set on the field, and it’s no surprise that he is currently considered the best soccer player in the world. He reminds me a bit of my late friend and Portuguese soccer legend Eusebio,” said Pele.

    “I had the opportunity to share his joy onstage at this year’s FIFA Ballon d’Or ceremony in Zurich. Cristiano never ceases to give his best for his national team. He reminds me a bit of my late friend and Portuguese soccer legend Eusébio. They have the same elegance and creativity,” said Pele.

    “Back when I played, I would have loved having a teammate like Cristiano to play with up front. I would like to encourage him to keep up the hard work and to continue to fuel the passion for the sport among today’s youth.”

    The Portuguese native is the only Real Madrid player in history to have scored more than 30 goals in four consecutive seasons and the fastest player to have reached 100 goals.

    Image via YouTube

  • Brazil No-Fly Zones for World Cup: With a Catch

    Brazil’s Air Force has established no-fly zones around the stadiums hosting the 64 soccer games of the 2014 FIFA World Cup taking place July 12-13. A four mile perimeter has been set around each stadium, and the suspensions will begin one hour before each game, and last 4-5 hours, though takeoffs are permitted. Planes cannot land at any of the eight airports that sit near any stadiums hosting games during the no-fly period.

    Though, there is a bit of a catch. The Brazilian Air Force isn’t legally allowed to shoot down any offending planes, and the anti-aircraft guns posted around the stadiums cannot legally be fired at intruders, according to Air Force Brigadier Antonio Carlos Egito. The games will take place in 12 cities, and though defenses are in place, as of now, they can’t be utilized if an incident were to occur. The Air Force is lobbying to change some laws before the games begin.

    The following clip describes the cities and stadiums where the 2014 World Cop games will be hosted:

    The no-fly zone measure won’t affect any of Brazil’s major airports, though the suspensions will hinder flights at Rio de Janeiro’s domestic airport Santos Dumont. Still, civilian aviation regulator ANAC president Marcelo Guaranys says that only ten percent of seats have been sold on Brazilian domestic flights for the games.

    An estimated 600,000 foreigners are expected to arrive for the World Cup, along with another 3 million Brazilians. In order to alleviate the impending crunch due to the influx of visitors, the Air Force is allowing certain flights to land at various bases. Portugal’s team will land in Campinas, followed by a press plane with 200 journalists and four private jets carrying superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and his family.

    Civil Aviation Minister Wellington Moreira Franco confirmed that Italy will be able to use Santa Cruz Air Force base near Rio de Janeiro, in order to bypass the city’s crowded airports.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons.

  • FIFA World Cup 2014: Will Brazil Be Ready?

    Brazil will be hosting the next FIFA World Cup, but many are wondering if they will be ready in time, as there are less than 3 months left before the event is scheduled to begin.

    Cuiaba, the capital city of Brazil’s Mato Grosso state, is filled with unfinished structures that were supposed to be done last December. Reports also say that construction is behind schedule in 11 other host cities. Six of the 12 World Cup stadiums have been finished last summer in time for the Confederations Cup, but the other six stadiums missed their deadline. To date, four stadiums remain to be under construction.

    In 2007, after Brazil got the World Cup, politicians stated that an $8 billion budget would be spent on nationwide projects for the renovation and construction in preparation for the 2014 World Cup. However, some of the infrastructures have not yet been completed, with only a few months remaining.

    Sports economist, Victor Matheson, said, “They started late and have boxed themselves in.” Now, efforts have to be doubled in order to make sure that the stadiums get finished on time. The delays in construction have been embarrassing for a lot of Brazilians, and many are even angered by it. A number of Brazilians also say that the country has lost, even if they win the World Cup. According to local businessman, Atilio Martinelli, there is a slim chance that all the other projects will be finished in time for the World Cup. “It’s going to be a great humiliation for us.” Martinelli runs a locksmith business located near one of the building sites. Brazil seemed like the ideal location to hold a soccer event. However, things are looking bleak with all the debris and unfinished infrastructures. There were also anti-government protests that happened during the World Cup pre-tournament, which happened last year.

    Brazil Works Hard To Complete Venues For World Cup 2014

    http://youtu.be/fulwjsA-sGI

    Image via YouTube

  • World Cup-Branded FIFA Game Coming This Spring

    The annual FIFA franchise is one of publisher EA’s biggest money-makers each year and the World Cup is the most-hyped sporting event in the world. It makes sense, then, that EA would put out a special World Cup edition of FIFA 14.

    EA today announced that 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil is, indeed, coming to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles. The game will hit the U.S. on April 15. Oddly enough, a version of the game for PlayStation 4 or Xbox One has not been announced – despite the fact that FIFA 14 was released on both.

    Being built on top of FIFA 14, the World Cup game will feature gameplay similar to that seen in last fall’s new FIFA title. In fact, EA is touting all the same “innovations and improvements” to gameplay that it was during the run-up to FIFA 14‘s release.

    What is new to 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil is the teams, the players, and the stadiums. According to EA the game will include 203 national teams filled with 7,469 players. 21 New stadiums are also included in the game, 12 of them modeled after Brazilian stadiums in which the real World Cup will be played.

    In addition to the new assets, the game will include a fairly robust World Cup-styled tournament mode. The mode allows up to 32 players (or just teams) to create a local tournament. Players then take their team against other players all the way from group stages to the championship game.

  • FIFA World Cup: U.S. Draws ‘Group Of Death’

    FIFA World Cup: U.S. Draws ‘Group Of Death’

    The U.S team will face tough competition in the first round of the 2014 World Cup. The team wound up in the ‘group of death‘, comprising of Ghana, Portugal and Germany. Soccer analysts say it would be a big accomplishment if the U.S. progress to the next level.  Ghana had eliminated the U.S. in the last two World Cups while Germany and Portugal are composed of the world’s top soccer stars – namely Ronaldo Cristiano of Portugal.

    Adding to the U.S. team’s challenge is the ridiculous amount of travelling they will need to do. They will have to cover about 9,000 miles to compete in all their group matches. The U.S. team, however, may be the best equipped to handle the hectic travel schedule because their level of fitness is said to be superior to that of other teams. In 2010, the team lacked depth. They had the heart but not the endurance, which caused them to claw their way into the second round — that should not be the case this year. The team’s exceptional fitness will also serve them well when playing in the harsh rainforest conditions in Brazil. Many of the matches will not just be about skill but also be a real test of endurance.

    “It’s going to be difficult for them to advance, but not impossible,” said Steve Sampson, former U.S coach.

    However, U.S. captain Clint Dempsey is refusing to dampen team spirit by saying, “I think we have the quality, if we play our best ball, to get out of the group”.

    Dempsey further stressed the importance of self believe, “You can’t think about, am I the favorite? Am I the underdog? What’s it going to be like playing in the heat? What’s it going to be like with the travel?” Those are factors that come into it, but at the end of the day both teams have to deal with it.”

    U.S. Head Coach Says Draw Is Tough, But They Are Prepared.

    Watch Video.

    (image via YouTube)

  • World Cup Pots Announced; US Potentially Doomed

    The draw for the 2014 World Cup pots will happen on Friday in Brazil, the host country for the event. However, in a press conference which demonstrates once again why Americans aren’t in love with the most popular sport in the world, the final draw pot allocations were announced today. In looking at the potential match-ups the US could find itself facing, the odds are not in the United States’s favor to advance far in 2014.

    Pot 1 consists of the highest ranking FIFA qualifying members and host country Brazil:

    Pot 1: Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Uruguay, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Switzerland

    Pot 2 is comprised of 5 unseeded African teams, 2 South American countries, and a yet-to-be-determined European team:

    Pot 2: Algeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Chile, Ecuador, European Team TBD

    Pot 3 is made up of the 4 CONCACAF qualifying members, Australia, and 3 Asian competitors:

    Pot 3: USA, Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras, Australia, Iran, Japan, Korea Republic

    Pot 4 is composed entirely of 9 unseeded European teams:

    Pot 4: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, England, France, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Russia

    In order to decide who plays who this Friday, the process works as such: 8 pools will be created (labelled A-H), and each pool will consist of 4 competitors. Brazil, as host, is already slotted to post A-1. In order to ensure geographical separation, slots 2-4 in Pot A will be filled by one competitor each from Draw Pots 2-4.

    The initial process is fairly simple, but there is a special caveat this year due to the high number of qualifying European teams. As it currently stands, there are 9 teams in Pot 4 and 7 teams in Pot 2. In order to balance the teams, there will be a preliminary drawing on Friday to put another European team from Pot 4 into Pot 2. That European team will be guaranteed to play one of the top-ranked South American teams in a move that is supposed to create the most fair and equally balanced World Cup. In essence, all this means that one of the 8 pots will contain 2 European teams, something no country wants to face due to the high quality of European teams this year.

    What all of this also means is that the odds of the United States winning the 2014 World Cup are terribly slim. No matter how one cuts the cake, the US is almost predetermined to be placed into an unfortunately difficult pot. The best case scenario places the United States into a Pot with Switzerland, Algeria, and Croatia (The odds of the US advancing from this pool are at 73.6%).

    Unfortunately, the US will most likely not receive a favorable draw, though, due to the fact that the US has been placed in an initial pot with the lowest ranked teams, ensuring that they will not be placed with these teams in the final draw. The worst Group of Death scenario for the US team places them into a Pot alongside Spain, the Netherlands, and Chile. In this scenario, the United States would have only a 15.3% chance of advancing to the second round.

    If the people of the United States needed another reason to add to their list of reasons why they don’t have an affinity for soccer, here it is.

    [Image via Facebook]

  • Cristiano Ronaldo Upset at FIFA President’s Remarks

    It is one of the most debated questions in the soccer world: Messi or Ronaldo? While many people believe that Messi is perhaps the best player to ever grace the field, Ronaldo is arguably just as talented. Thus, when presented with an opportunity to question Sepp Blatter, the President of FIFA, students at Oxford University had to ask Blatter whom he preferred. Blatter’s answer would not be the one Ronaldo hoped to hear.

    Blatter started his response by stating that “Lionel Messi is the good boy every mother and father would like to have at home. He’s a good man. He’s very fast. He’s very fast. He’s not exuberant. He’s playing well, he’s really, he’s dancing. He’s a kind man. He’s really good. He’s a good boy. And that’s what makes him so popular and naturally he’ll always get a lot of votes because he is this nice man. And he plays well and scores goals.”

    While Blatter did not outright say that he preferred Messi, it is fairly obvious from his statement that Blatter wishes Messi was his own progeny. So what did Blatter have to say about Ronaldo?

    “And the other one [Ronaldo] … this is something else. The other one, he is like a commander on the field of play, bah bah bah [does impersonation of Ronaldo]. This is the other side of football, and that’s good to have such commanders on the field also because you don’t have the same attitude. That gives life to football. One has more expenses for the hairdresser than the other but that doesn’t matter.”

    It’s understandable to see why Ronaldo could have taken exception to the latter statement concerning the hairdresser. It’s not Ronaldo’s fault that he makes 7 million more euros per year than Messi. Perhaps that even gives more credence to the idea that he is the better soccer player. Wouldn’t the best player make the most money?

    However, why Ronaldo takes exception to the former comment is befuddling. Commanders lead their troops into battle, and their decisions ultimately determine the outcome of the battle. So why is being considered a general a bad thing?

    Whatever the offense, Ronaldo took to Facebook to voice his anger…in a very subdued and backhanded fashion:

    (image)

    Not only did Ronaldo respond, but Florentino Perez, Real Madrid’s club president, sent a letter to Blatter demonstrating how offensive the club found the FIFA president’s comments to be:

    We, at Real Madrid, a club which has a special connection with FIFA in view of our position as a founding member, are profoundly disappointed by the whole episode and, as President of Real Madrid, I want you to know that we condemn your comments, which is why we would ask that you retract them to make up, to the extent possible, for the damage caused both to the player and the institution that we represent.

    Wanting to stop the situation from escalating too far, Blatter promptly sent a return letter apologizing for his actions:

    I regret that this situation at a university ceremony has caused you so much distress and I would like to apologise for it. It was never my intention to cause discomfort or show a lack of respect to Real Madrid FC, one of it players or its support, not only because it is the founding club of FIFA but also because it is a club that I have followed and admired since I was a child.

    Taking his gesture one step further, Blatter also issued a Twitter-apology to Ronaldo himself:

    (image)

    In the end, this ordeal seems to be a bunch of drama over nothing. Blatter was asked to respond to a question and he did so in a fashion he deemed appropriate. In watching the video, it appears that Blatter attempted to answer the question without answering it, as all good politicians and leaders have a tendency to do. It is hard to believe that Blatter meant the general comment as an insult, and there is sure to be some meaning lost in translation seeing as Blatter is not a native English speaker. The hairdresser comment was most likely Blatter’s poor attempt to humor the audience; No guest speaker ever wants to be a bore.

    So what did we learn today? There is a reason why soccer fans are labeled as the most rabid in the world – the soccer community is capable of making the most mundane of issues become front-page stories.

    Image via Facebook

  • 2014 World Cup: USA Defeats Panama, Gives Mexico a Hand

    England, Spain, Russia and Bosnia-Herzegovina are celebrating spots in the 2104 World Cup in Brazil. They’ll join Belgium, Italy, Germany, Holland, Switzerland at the finals next year, while Croatia, Sweden, Romania, Iceland, Portugal, Greece, Ukraine, France await their play-off draws.

    Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium (UEFA), Brazil, Argentina and Colombia make up the South American group, while Japan, Australia, Iran and South Korea finished in the top two of their Asia qualifying groups. The United States and Costa Rica are a lock in the US/Caribbean group.

    Two injury-time goals against Panama by USA in the finals of the Concacaf World Cup qualifying group put Mexico in the top four. Panama is out, and Mexico, who has appeared at every World Cup since 1990, will face New Zealand in the coming weeks.

    Mexico, the USA arch nemesis, was actually rooting for the Americans, as they’d rallied against Panama. USA was down 2-1, but was already secure, and had the second string on the field. Still, the Americans were able to put together a win regardless, beating Panama 3-2.

    Here’s a clip of Panama, crying over the loss:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1zieryd_nE&feature=youtu.be

    And here USA consoles Panama:


    It’s been said that Mexico, a more talented team than New Zealand, plainly needs to pull it together to overcome the Kiwis.

    In related news, The Qatar Museum Authority has decided to buy a 16-foot tall statue of Zinedine Zidane infamously headbutting Marco Materazzi, for an untold sum. Qatar, which is the tentative site of the 2022 World Cup, had moved the “ode to defeat” to its shores last week.

    Oil-rich Qatar has been recently struggling to keep dibs on hosting the 2022 World Cup. Aside from the classy headbutt statue acquisition, the country has been questioned by soccer federation FIFA about its use hundreds of thousands of migrant workers, in a situation similar to modern-day slavery. It’s been reported that 44 Nepalese workers died so far this year, while building World Cup infrastructure.

    The World Cup is the largest sports event on the planet, and Qatar is putting about $100 billion into hosting the event. While soccer isn’t so big a deal in the U.S., foreigners take the game very seriously.

    Image via Twitter.

  • Abby Wambach, US Soccer Superstar, Gets Hitched

    Forward for the US Women’s national soccer team and the Western New York Flash in the National Women’s Soccer League, Abby Wambach, married her longtime girlfriend in a private ceremony in Hawaii this past weekend, as first reported by TMZ.

    Wambach and now wife, Sarah Huffman, have had a longstanding professional and personal relationship as teammates. The couple first played together with the Washington Freedom in the Women’s Professional Soccer league in 2009. Both then went on to play with magicJack, and now Wambach and Huffman are both members of the Elma, NY based Western New York Flash.

    Wambach has gained international recognition since she led the US women’s national team to Olympic gold in 2012. She has become known for her headers during matches, even becoming the center of an ESPN “Storied” documentary entitled Abby Head On.

    The couple’s ceremony in Hawaii was attended by a select few, including US soccer teammates, Alex Morgan and Sydney Leroux. Activities included physical activities such as hiking, cliff-diving, and a boat ride.

    Earlier this year, Wambach was named the FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year Award, becoming the first US player to win the award since Mia Hamm. Alex Morgan, Wambach’s national teammate, placed second in voting.

    This June, Wambach became the highest scoring international soccer player ever, scoring her 160th goal in a friendly against South Korea. With 4 goals in one game, Wambach surpassed Hamm for the record. Even more impressive, Wambach reached 158 goals in 68 fewer matches than it took Hamm.

    The sports world has yet to catch up with contemporary culture in its views toward homosexual athletes, as evidence by the fact that Jason Collins has yet to be signed by an NBA team after revealing his sexuality (and the fact that the story was such a big deal). Yet, it’s nice to see such a success story coming from the world of women’s soccer. Hopefully men’s athletics can use the marriage of Wambach and Huffman, current teammates, as a model as to how same-sex relationships should be handled in professional sports – just like any other relationship.

    Image via YouTube

  • ‘FIFA 14’ Out Today, Mobile App Also Released

    FIFA 14, possibly the most-anticipated sports video game release of the year, is out today in North America for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC (through Origin). Early adopters of the next-generation consoles will be able to play the game on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One when those consoles are released, and Xbox One pre-orderers in Europe will even receive a free copy of FIFA 14 with their console.

    Soccer fans buying this year’s version of FIFA on current-gen consoles will be greeted with familiar visuals and modes such as “Ultimate Team” and “Skill Games.” Reviews for the game have been overwhelmingly positive, with reviewers citing improved controls as a major step up from last year’s FIFA.

    In addition to the console version of FIFA 14, publisher EA this week also released a mobile version of the game. As a free download on Apple’s App Store, Google Play, and the Amazon Appstore, the app simulates the FIFA experience on a mobile platform.

    The mobile FIFA 14 is, obviously, graphically inferior to the console version, resembling more the FIFA games seen on earlier video game consoles. The game’s controls have also been re-engineered for mobile, with tapping, flicking, and swiping replacing the button controls of the full version. A new trailer for the mobile version depicts what players are in for, including a mobile verison of “Ultimate Team” and several other modes that are purchasable through microtransactions.

  • FIFA 14 Gets “Legendary Footballers” on Xbox One

    At its press conference today at Gamescom, Microsoft announced that every pre-ordered Xbox one Day One Edition console in Europe will come bundled with a free copy of FIFA 14. It’s quite a gambit for Microsoft to pay for that many copies of FIFA, but the company hasn’t stopped there. It has also obtained exclusive content for the Xbox One version of FIFA 14.

    FIFA 14 on the Xbox One (and the Xbox 360) will come with special “legendary footballers” for Ultimate Team mode. The exclusive players include Pele’, Patrick Viera, Freddie Ljungberg, Ruud Gullit and Gary Linekar. Ljungberg and Gullit will be the first “legends” added to the game, coming sometime “later this year.”

    “We’re thrilled to bring legendary footballers to ‘FIFA 14’ Ultimate Team on Xbox,” said Matt Bilbey, SVP at EA Sports. “Only on Xbox will you be able to terrorize defenses with a dream partnership of Messi with the legendary Pelé.”

    Though the language in Microsoft’s announcement is a bit squirrelly, the announcement does not mean that Ultimate Team mode for FIFA 14 is exclusive to Xbox consoles. The mode will be available on other consoles, though players will not get to add the Xbox-exclusive “legendary” players to their roster on PlayStation 4 or Wii.

    A trailer previewing the exclusive players has been released along with the announcement. It is not clear whether all the players shown in the trailer are exclusive to Xbox.

  • Xbox One Pre-Orders Come With FIFA 14 in Europe

    Though Microsoft did not stream its Xbox One conference from this year’s Gamescom, the company did have plenty of announcements to share about its upcoming next-generation console. Perhaps the biggest announcement made during the presentation was the confirmation of yesterday’s rumors – FIFA 14 will come bundled with Xbox One pre-orders in Europe.

    Microsoft’s official statement says that all pre-ordered Xbox One Day One Edition consoles in Europe will come with a digital version of FIFA 14 packed-in. Xbox Live Director of Programming Larry “Major Nelson” Hyrb made things a bit less clear by tweeting that all pre-orders (not just Day One Editions?) of the Xbox One will come with FIFA 14, though he did qualify that by adding “while stock lasts.”

    Though the FIFA 14 pre-order offer undoubtedly increases the value of an Xbox One in Europe, the announcement has raised some questions of its own. The first is how many (or how few) pre-order numbers Microsoft must be seeing in Europe to pay EA millions for what is at least hundreds of thousands of FIFA 14 copies. Another is whether FIFA 14 will be the free game promised to the 8 European countries that recently had their Xbox One launches pushed back to next year. A final question is whether this will be enough to entice Europeans, who have heavy brand loyalty to PlayStation, to jump onto Microsoft’s next generation platform – especially when an Xbox One with FIFA 14 packed-in is still more expensive that buying a PlayStation 4 and FIFA 14 separately.

    One thing that’s clear is that Microsoft views sports gaming as a front in the coming console war. A version of the Xbox 360 bundled with a copy of FIFA 14 was also announced. Microsoft has also obtained exclusive “legendary footballers” for the Xbox One version of FIFA 14.