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Tag: Fifa

  • Russian railways named as official 2018 FIFA World Cup sponsor

    Russian railways named as official 2018 FIFA World Cup sponsor

    Russian Railways has been named by FIFA on Thursday, as an official sponsor of the 2018 World Cup, which is being held in the country in June and July.

    FIFA said the state railway monopoly would be a third-tier regional sponsor of the event, joining fellow Russian companies Alfa-Bank and Rostelecom.

    Russian Railways is offering 880,000 free journeys to match ticket holders traveling between venue cities and that half of those had already been booked, FIFA said in a statement.

    It added that an additional 728 long-distance trains on 31 routes had been scheduled during the course of the tournament.

    Reuters

  • Almost 1.7m World Cup tickets sold after latest sales stage – FIFA

    Almost 1.7m World Cup tickets sold after latest sales stage – FIFA

    Fédération Internationale de Football Association, FIFA says almost 1.7 million tickets have been sold for the World Cup in Russia after some 400,000 were snapped up in the latest sales stage which ended on Tuesday.

    The football ruling body FIFA also said that 394,433 tickets were sold during a first-come, first-served window since March 13.

    Russians dominated by buying 216,134 of them, followed by fans from the not qualified U.S. (16,462), Argentina (15,006), Colombia (14,755) and Mexico (14,372).

    In all, 1,698,049 tickets have now been sold for the June 14 to July 15 tournament in 11 Russian cities, FIFA said,
    naming overall international demand at 53 per cent.

    A final sales phase starts April 18, also first come, first-served.

  • Russia 2018: FIFA names 36 referees, 63 assistants for World Cup

    Felix Brych of Germany, who officiated last season’s UEFA Champions League final match between Real Madrid and Juventus, is among 36 referees named on Thursday for the 2018 World Cup.

    World football ruling body FIFA said in a statement that its Referees Commission has also picked 63 assistant referees, with the 99 match officials representing 46 countries.

    Brych has also officiated games at the 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016.

    They were selected from 53 referee trios in a three-year process through preparatory seminars and “based on each referee’s skills and personality’’.

    “The Commission also put into consideration each referee’s level of understanding of football and ability to read both the game and the various tactics employed by teams,’’ FIFA said

    It said Europe is providing the most number of referees with 10 and also the most number of assistants with 20.

    But, for the first time, there is no World Cup referee from England.

    There is also none from Nigeria.

    FIFA, however, said another seminar has been scheduled for the last weeks of April in Italy to further prepare the referees.

    “It will also include candidates to act as video assistant referee (VAR), with the technology making its debut at the June 14 to July 15 tournament in Russia.

    “A final seminar for all officials will then start in Moscow 10 days before the first match,’’ FIFA said.

  • European clubs call for rest periods in international calendar

    European clubs want mandatory rest periods inserted into the international calendar to give players more time to recover from games and train, the head of their association said on Tuesday.

    “It is paramount to preserve and respect the main actors who are the players,” Andrea Agnelli, chairman of the European Club Association (ECA), told reporters.

    He said ECA would press for “an overall reduction of games, including mandatory rest periods” for the next international calendar, starting in 2024.

    “Preserving the game can only lead to enlarging the audience with the benefits this would bring for everyone,” added Agnelli, who is president of Serie A champions Juventus.

    The international match calendar, which is drawn up by world body FIFA, co-ordinates fixtures around the globe, allocating dates for international matches and tournaments to avoid clashes with domestic competitions.

    The current match calendar runs until 2024 and allows for eight to 10 internationals per year in addition to major tournaments such as the World Cup, European Championship and Copa America.

    Top players can easily play 60 to 70 games in a season for their clubs and national teams and Agnelli demanded that clubs be consulted before the next calendar is drafted.

    “We clubs are the ones investing in the game, we are the ones running the risks on a daily basis both on and off the pitch. So, we want to make sure our voice is properly heard when decisions are taken,” he said.

    Agnelli explained that the rest periods would mean players could train, but would not play matches.

    “Players are playing two or three times a week at club level and international level.

    “We must take into consideration weeks when players can rest and train, and reduce the overall number of games,” he said.

  • Blatter says he wants FIFA to reconsider his case

    Blatter says he wants FIFA to reconsider his case

    Former controversial FIFA president Sepp Blatter intends to ask the ethics committee of the global soccer body to reconsider his case and lift his six-year ban from the sport.

    Blatter, who led FIFA for 17 years, was barred for ethics violations in 2015 amid the biggest corruption scandal to shake world soccer’s governing body.

    The ban was imposed shortly after the Swiss attorney general’s office began criminal proceedings against him on suspicion of criminal mismanagement and misappropriation. No charges have yet been brought and Blatter has denied wrongdoing.

    “It is now two and a half years, this file has not moved,” Blatter told reporters, adding he had no indication how long the investigation would last. “It is like having the Sword of Damocles over my head because you never know what will happen.”

    Blatter, who last month told Reuters he was considering legal action to clear his name, said he was now thinking of asking FIFA’s ethics committee to re-open his case.

    “I am looking to have a solution also from the FIFA ethics committee to lift the suspension, which is a nonsense,” he said.

    “I am also trying to see how we can change it. I hope to have a solution in the next three months before we open the World Cup in Russia.”

    The Swiss attorney-general’s office could not immediately be reached for comment but in the past has said that such investigations can take several years.

    Blatter also confirmed that he had been invited by President Vladimir Putin to attend the World Cup in Russia in June and July. “I’m honored and I have accepted,” he said.

  • Former France international, Karembeu tips Super Eagles to excel in Russia

    Former France and Real Madrid star Christian Karembeu is confident that the Super Eagles team is capable of doing great things at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

    Karembeu who accompanied the FIFA World Cup Trophy to Nigeria on a four-day tour says that the three-time African champions will be one of the standout teams at the 2018 World Cup.

    Nigerian Super Eagles who have been drawn alongside Croatia, Iceland and Argentina in Group D.

    “Yes, we know there are a number of strong African countries in the game but Nigeria has always been a great footballing nation, and they have an exciting team heading to the FIFA World Cup in Russia,” Karembeu, a member of France’s 1998 World Cup-winning squad, said during a world press conference held in Abuja on Wednesday

    “I have played alongside and against so many Nigerian players and I can attest to their strength and ambition.

    “I believe the present Super Eagles squad is capable of great things.”

  • Russian President, Putin demands safe environment for FIFA World Cup in Russia

    Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday urged law enforcement officers to ensure the safety of athletes and fans in Russia during the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

    “We should hold the upcoming World Cup at the highest level and above all, ensure full safety of football players and fans,’’ Putin said at the annual expanded meeting of the Interior Ministry Board.

    Putin said Russia’s law enforcement agencies already have a great deal of positive experience and will respond correctly and in compliance with the law under any circumstances.

    “A successful World Cup and Russia’s national image directly depend on your accurate and competent work,’’ Putin said.

    Violent clashes between supporters after a Russia-England Euro 2016 match in France hurt Russian football fans’ global reputation.

    Some Western countries have expressed their concerns over safety in the lead up to the World Cup.

    The World Cup will be held from June 14 to July 15 in 11 Russian cities, including Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Kazan among many others.

  • Former FIFA president, Blatter says Morocco will be logical choice for 2026 World Cup

    Former FIFA president, Blatter says Morocco will be logical choice for 2026 World Cup

    Banned former FIFA president Sepp Blatter has put his support behind Morocco’s bid to host the 2026 World Cup finals, saying the North African country would be the logical choice.

    Morocco is bidding for the fifth time to host the World Cup finals, having also tried for the 1994, 1998, 2006 and 2010 tournaments.

    The only other bid is a joint one from the U.S., Canada and Mexico with football’s world governing body FIFA due to choose the hosts at its Congress in Moscow in June.

    Blatter said on Twitter: “World Cup 2026: Co-hosting rejected by FIFA after 2002 (also applied in 2010 and 2018). And now: Morocco would be the logical host! And it is time for Africa again!”

    Blatter, who was FIFA president from 1998 to 2015, turned against co-hosting after the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea, the only time the tournament has been shared.

    The eighty-one-year-old Swiss quit his post and was later banned for six years for ethics violations by FIFA’s ethics committee.

    The only tournament staged in Africa so far was the 2010 finals in South Africa, something Blatter is immensely proud of.

  • NFF boss, Pinnick says Nigeria capable, willing to host any FIFA event

    The President of the Nigeria Football Federation Amaju Pinnick has declared that the country is ready to host any major football programme.

    Pinnick made this known on Tuesday after the FIFA Executive Football Summit held at the Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

    “We have the capacity and we have demonstrated this on several occasions, and we have a Government that is doing everything possible to encourage and enable the blossoming of sport as a key industry.

    Just as the FIFA President himself said at the AITEO-NFF Awards, football is life in Nigeria,” Pinnick said in an NFF press release.

    “On behalf of the Nigerian Football fraternity, I want to commend FIFA for their strong support for our football and for African Football at large. Mr. Gianni Infantino visited Nigeria for the first time in his tenure in July 2016, and after he left, we witnessed a turn-around in the fortunes of our football.

    I believe that after he leaves this time, our football will soar even higher, with great possibilities of dazzling the world at the FIFA World Cup in Russia.”

    The Summit, which was one of 12 FIFA Executive Football Summits planned for November 2017 and March 2018 and one of the cardinal programmes of FIFA President Infantino, was attended as well by CAF President Ahmad, FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura, FIFA Council members Kwesi Nyantakyi of Ghana and Sonia Bien Aime from Turks and Caicos Islands, alongside presidents of 17 Member Associations of FIFA: Lesotho, Mauritius, Namibia, Somalia, South Sudan, Swaziland, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Turks and Caicos Islands, Denmark, FYR Macedonia, Lithuania, San Marino, Sweden and host country Nigeria.

    Only two other cities in Africa – Nouakchott in Mauritania and Dar es Salaam in Tanzania – are among the 12 cities worldwide hosting the FIFA Executive Football Summits. Dar es Salaam takes its turn on Thursday this week while the curtain will be drawn on the meetings in Lima, Peru next week.

  • FIFA executives storm Nigeria holds summit in Lagos

    FIFA executives storm Nigeria holds summit in Lagos

    FIFA Executive Football Summit holds at the Eko Hotels and Suites in Lagos on Tuesday.

    According to the Nigeria Football Federation, FIFA President Gianni Infantino will preside over the meeting. CAF President Ahmad and FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura will also attend the meeting.

    Lesotho, Mauritius, Namibia, Somalia, South Sudan, Swaziland and Dominican Republic football associations’ leaders are expected to attend the meeting.

     

    Others are the presidents of Grenada, Guyana, Turkey and Caicos Islands, Denmark, Macedonia, Lithuania, San Marino, Sweden and Nigeria’s football associations.

    “The summit, one of only 12 being staged across the universe between November 2017 and March 2018, is part of FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s vision of bringing FIFA back to football and football back to FIFA,” the NFF said on their official website on Monday.

    “ It comes less than 24 hours after the inaugural edition of the Aiteo-NFF Football Awards that shook the same facility to its foundation on Monday night.”