INFANTINO NOT MOVED BY WC HOOLIGANISM THREAT

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has said that he is not moved by the threat of hooliganism making the rounds in the media ahead of World Cup 2018 in Russia.


The BBC did a documentary that featured a Russia fan saying chaos is “100% guaranteed” at the mundial in Russia.

At the last Euro tournament in France, there were violent clashes between Russian and English fans. Many believe this would reoccur in Russia next year but Infantino is “not all concerned.” He said he has full confidence in the hosts to manage any situation.

“They have been in contact with UEFA and French organizers to learn the lessons from France. As part of this, the Russian government has put in place an ID system which will help us when it comes to any potential trouble,” Infantino said.

The president also spoke about the next editions of the number one football tournament. He said for the sake of travel, multiple host nations for the 2026 World Cup would have to be “ideally” close to one another. The tournament would see an expansion to 48 teams but the bidding for it is yet to begin. (more…)

ARTURO VIDAL – CHILE CAN BE WORLD CHAMPION

Chile international Arturo Vidal has expressed his opinion that Chile has what it takes to bring home the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which will take place in Russia.


He also revealed that he has aspirations to go down as Chile’s greatest player of all time.

The current Chile’s national team is one of the countries best so far, with top stars such as Vidal, Claudio Bravo, and Alexis Sanchez. The team has claimed the Copa America crowns back-to-back, and sits fourth in South American, qualifying behind Ecuador on goal difference and above Argentina by a point, with high hopes of reaching three consecutive World Cups for the first time.

Speaking to Radio ADN, he explained that the journey to become world champions is tough, but the team is determined to achieve this goal. He said:

“First we have to qualify well, leave a good impression, and keep growing as a team. And in Russia try to become world champions. We’re very demanding with what we want. It’s very difficult to become world champions, but we can. With effort you can achieve a lot. If we unite you can expect something big.” (more…)

WORLD CUP 2018: BRAZIL STILL IN THE RACE

After recent performances at the FIFA world Cup 2018 qualification matches, many have questioned the hopes of seeing the star studded Brazilian team in the Cup Finals in Russia come 2018. The team’s head coach Dunga said the team’s qualification is far from conclusion.

The South American giants fought back from two goals down to draw level with Paraguay in a crucial match. Brazil men national team has won only two games of six. The team has played a draw in three matches and lost one.

Coach Dunga even admitted that the qualification is complicated. The results from the match with Paraguay leaves out the option of automatic qualification for the five-time world champions.

In the match against Paraguay, amazing strikes from Dario Lezcano and Edgar Benitez gave Paraguay the lead. However, a lapse in concentration in the final ten minutes turned the game around for The Little Canary as they scored two goals. Ricardo Oliveira struck in the 80th minutes followed by an impressive effort by Barcelona star, Dani Alves in injury time.

Brazil would face group leader, Ecuador next. Dunga still insists that it isn’t over but “complicated.” In his post-match interview, Dunga said: “The beauty of football is that the next match of ours is against the leader.” (more…)

Following the resignation of Sepp Blatter, England are now the favorites of hosting the 2018 World Cup

On June 2, Sepp Blatter decided to resign from his presidential role at FIFA and this is due to the corruption scandals and pressure which has been building in the past few weeks. It was already announced that over 5 FIFA executives were arrested and it’s believed that Sepp Blatter is now being investigated due to corruption and bribery involving the international soccer organization and especially some decisions which has been made involving the 2018 and 2022 World Cup.

Sepp Blatter was the main supporter of having the 2018 World Cup in Russia as they were chosen as the hosts ahead of England and joint bids from Spain/Portugal and a few other countries.

However, now that Sepp Blatter has resigned a string of reports have been emerging which are claiming that England has turned into the favorites of hosting the 2018 World Cup.

Speculation is starting to rise suggesting that Russia might be stripped from the rights of hosting the next World Cup and it could be changed to another country. (more…)