2022 football World Cup in India - Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly during FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour in Kolkata on Sunday (PTI)

Sachin Tendulkar found himself in a slightly different territory on Sunday as he pitched for football, saying that with the 2017 Under-17 World Cup coming to the country, qualifying for the 2022 senior main event is a realistic target.

"2022 sounds like a realistic target. We are hosting the 2017 World Cup, so it sounds realistic... I would like to believe that," Tendulkar said during an event of the Indian leg of the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour.

"We need to focus on the process. We cannot look to go directly to the 100th floor. We have got to start from the first floor and gradually climb up the building," he added.

"To participate in a big tournament like World Cup is something that does not happen overnight. It's a journey and for a journey to happen, there's a process. As I mentioned, the platform has to be provided to the young talent."

Tendulkar said lot of work needs to be done to bring up talent that match the best in the world.

"To achieve those, there's a lot of hard work and planning. You have got to have proper facilities and teach the young kids. So when all those things come together at the professional level, in the sense, what the champions teams are doing," he said.

"We need to attain that level. The system has to be put in place. Then only we can expect them to compete at that level. we can't obviously expect them to go out and thrash the rest of the world. As long those gradual steps are in order,

that's when the results will follow."

This is not the first time Tendulkar was associated with football as the Mumbai maestro remembered visiting the Under 15 FIFA tournament and sitting with Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri.

World Cup arrives in UAE

Prestigious Fifa trophy accorded a ‘Royal’ welcome on its maiden stopover in the UAE 

UAE FA President Yousef Al Serkal (right), Fifa representative former Argentinian footballer and international coach Gabriel Calderon (centre) and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Airports Ali Majed Al Mansoori take a close look at the Fifa World Cup 2014 trophy in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. — AFP

The UAE may have not qualified for the Fifa World Cup to be held in Brazil 2014, but the country had the honour of being a part of the biggest showpiece on the planet.

The Fifa World Cup Trophy touched down in the UAE for the very first time in history and it received a truly ‘Royal’ welcome. The pure gold Trophy, weighing in at just over six kg of 18 carat gold and standing at 14.4 inches tall, arrived from Doha, Qatar in a Coca-Cola-liveried plane at the Royal Jet Terminal of the Abu Dhabi International Airport on Sunday.

The Fifa World Cup Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola was launched in Brazil on September 12 this year and the UAE was one of the three Middle Eastern stopovers. The Trophy arrived in Saudi Arabia before travelling to Doha, Qatar, the venue of the 2022 World Cup.

The UAE was the last stopover. The Trophy will spend two days in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The Trophy was taken to the Burj Plaza in Dubai on Sunday. It will return to the Capital on Monday, where it will be kept for public viewing at the Malaib, at the Corniche Road from 10 a.m to 10 pm.

The media drew clamour to get a perfect shot of the Fifa World Cup at the Abu Dhabi International Airport on Sunday. — KT photo by Nezar Balout

After which, the Trophy will travel to the Pacific Islands, Central America, the Caribbean before winding its tour in Brazil in April. The Trophy would have visited 90 countries, travelled 92,000 miles, which is over 3.5 times around the world, over nine months.

A private ceremony was held at the Royal Jet Terminal, hosted by the Coca-Cola delegation in co-ordination with Fifa representatives. In attendance were a number of VVIPS such as Shaikh Mohammed bin Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan and UAE FA President Yousef Al Serkal.

“We are honoured to be one of the stop overs in the Middle East. The UAE will be the last stopover in the Middle East,” Yousef Al Serkal, President of the UAEFA said as the Trophy was unveiled at the Terminal.

“We are very proud to welcome the Fifa World Cup Trophy to the UAE, a country that embodies the very essence of football, from the national passion for the sport, to the unity that defines the sportsmanship. This is a very special milestone and we are happy to be a part of it and to host the Trophy on UAE land, spreading happiness to all,” he added. Former Argentine international Gabriel Calderon, who has experience of coaching in the UAE, hoped that it will inspire more youngsters to take up football.

“I’m glad to be back here. The Fifa World Cup transcends cultures and religions. And that is why I love football. Having this Trophy close to you allows us to dream. I hope it inspires young people to play football. The UAEFA has done a lot for the development of football. This country sets a good example to develop football. I have seen it over the past 10 years,” said Calderon, who is the Fifa Ambassador for the event. He previously coached UAE club Bani Yas. Ali Majed Al Mansoori, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Airports, echoed what was on everyone’s mind. “We hope that the Trophy will come to Abu Dhabi someday and stay for four years,” Al Mansoori said.

At the Malaib, at the Corniche Road, a Fan Zone has been set up and fans will be able to participate in a series of interactive activities before going through to see the Trophy. A larger than life ‘Brazuca’ football, the official match ball of the 2014 Fifa World Cup, will be made readily available for fans to rejoice in the adidas area, making for a truly authentic experience.

Brazil meet Croatia in opening match

Host nation Brazil will kick off next year’s soccer World Cup against Croatia in Sao Paulo on June 12 and the favourites will be happy with a Group A also containing Mexico and Cameroon as they seek their sixth title.

Friday’s complicated draw procedure went off smoothly as holders Spain and 2010 runners-up Netherlands were put together in the group stages, but have a tough task with Chile and Australia alongside them in Group B.
England, Italy and Uruguay, all former winners, were put together, along with Costa Rica, in Group D, with England facing Italy in the jungle city of Manaus in their first game.
A meeting with Uruguay, the 2011 Copa America winners and semi-finalists at the last World Cup promises to be a hard enough test for England in their second match in Sao Paulo on June 19.
“It’s a tough group, there’s no doubt about that,” said England coach Roy Hodgson, whose team also face Costa Rica.
“In Italy and Uruguay it’s almost as though we have got two number one seeds in our group.”
Germany will come face to face with their former striker and coach Juergen Klinsmann, now in charge of the United States, with Portugal and Ghana completing the Group G lineup.
The two European nations will meet in their first match in Salvador on June 16.
The draw was kinder to host nation Brazil, however, as they seek to make up for their failure to lift the trophy when they last hosted the finals back in 1950.
After scraping through qualifying via a play-off, France were drawn in Group E with neighbours Switzerland, Ecuador and Honduras.
Bosnia, the only one of the 32 teams taking part in their first World Cup finals, face Argentina, Iran and Nigeria.
Colombia will face Greece, the Ivory Coast and Japan in Group C, while Belgium, another of the potential dark horses, will meet Algeria, Russia and South Korea in Group H.
The final is in Rio de Janeiro on July 13.

Brazil 2014: Did FIFA fix the World Cup draw? Argentina, Nigeria, Iran, Bosnia fixtures allegedly fixed

Argentina, Nigeria, Iran, Bosnia fixtures allegedly fixed

By KUNLE SOLAJA

Eurosport blog has alleged that Group F, involving Argentina, Nigeria, Iran and Bosnia-Herzegovina may have been fixed. Quoting series of social networking websites allegedly opened 24 hours to Friday’s draw, it claims that conspiracy theories are flying after a user on Twitter apparently correctly predicted two major elements of the draw.

The Twitter account named “Brasil 2014 Fraude” and written in Spanish. It was reportedly shared tens of thousand times around the world.
However, it was also being suspected as an elaborate hoax by a group of computer hackers. The first element correctly predicted was that Italy would be the European team to be moved from Pot 4, which initially contained nine teams to Pot 2, which had seven teams comprising five from Africa and the two unseeded South American teams.
“Brasil 2014 Fraude” also correctly predicted that Argentina would be in a group that would have Nigeria, Iran and Bosnia- Herzegovina.
According to the blog, the twitter, using the hash tag “#FifaFraude,” the string of messages in Spanish started with a bold declaration against FIFA and asserting that the tournament winner had already been chosen.
The EuroSport blog translated the Spanish message thus: ““We profoundly lament that a sport that is so pure is manipulated by an international organisation that acts on its economic interests.
“We are not trying to rid the World Cup of its excitement and euphoria. However, if this corrupt manipulation goes on, we will consider ourselves obliged to publish the name of the winner of the competition, which has already been dictated by Blatter and his company from Switzerland.
“On the other hand, neither is it our intention to ruin all the drama of the World Cup draw. With that in mind, we will only publish the group in which Argentina will play. Let’s begin.”
According to Eurosport, there had been conspiracy theories running for years about possible ways of fixing the draw, with the favourite being that the balls are heated up somehow, or perhaps even vibrate via remote control, to let those doing the drawing know who to pick out next.
Eurosport explained that the idea sounds ridiculous as the very best teams were already kept apart in the group stages by the seeding system. It was, however, intriguing that the predictions came the night before the draw took place.

FIFA World Cup 2014 Predictions Part 2: Predicting the Round of 16 Winners

Yesterday, this publication started a prediction for the opening round of the World Cup. With the teams already selected from the group stage here is a look at how the first round of knockouts would unfold in this scenario.

To recap, Brazil and Mexico come out of the group one in that order. Spain and Netherlands progress from Group B while Colombia and Greece get out of their group. In Group D, Italy and Uruguay move on while France and Ecuador are the teams to get through Group E. Group F sees Argentina and Nigeria as the winners while Group G has Germany and Portugal as round of 16 participants. Meanwhile Russia and Belgium move on from Group H. So here are the matchups and predictions.

Brazil vs. Netherlands (Group A winner vs. Group B runner-up)

Brazil would have a tough challenge in the first knockout round. In 2010 the Dutch defeated Brazil in the quarterfinals by the score of 2-1. The two sides are vastly different now. Brazil is no longer a defense-first side as it was under Dunga. Felipe Scolari is aggressive and quickly adaptable to any opponent. The Dutch are no longer as complete a side as they were in 2010. The offense is as potent as ever with Arjen Robben and Robin Van Persie leading the way, but the defense is young and inexperienced. This is a tough game but it is impossible to conceive of Brazil leaving the tournament so early in the knockout rounds. Look for a 2-1 or even 3-1 win for the host nation.

Spain vs. Mexico (Group B winner vs. Group A runner-up)

The two sides met in 2010 in what wound up being a 1-1 friendly draw. However, Mexico is still a team without a resolute identity. The wins over New Zealand may look great, but this team still does not have the talent pool that the Spaniards do. It is really hard to give Mexico a fighting chance in this one, especially with the solid overall team Spain possesses. Expect the defending champs to come away with a 1-0 win in this game and progress to the next round.

Colombia vs. Uruguay (Group C winner vs. Group D runner-up)

Colombia won 4-0 at home against Uruguay in late 2012 while the Uruguayans responded with a 2-0 win at home a few months ago. This will be a tough draw for either side, but one has to believe that the form of Luis Suarez will be the big different. The Liverpool superstar has been on fire all year long and should be primed for a big tournament. Uruguay wins 1-0.

Italy vs. Greece (Group D winner vs. Group C runner-up)

Italy had a few poor performances at the end of the qualifiers, but they had little interest in those matches after qualifying. Expect Italy's talent to overwhelm Greece if this were the matchup. Italy wins 3-0.

France vs. Nigeria (Group E winner vs. Group F runner-up)

France should be the favorite in this game, especially with such talent as Franck Ribery and Samir Nasri leading the charge. Nigeria is a good side, but has not been particularly steady on the big stage. In this scenario, France is easily the winner with a 3-0 victory.

Argentina vs. Ecuador (Group F winner vs. Group E runner-up)

One thing that is essential to note in this matchup is that both teams tied in both qualifying matches between them. Argentina however is the favorite on the big stage and should ultimately manage to find a way through this matchup. Ecuador has been suspect in recent months while the Lionel Messi-led squad has been playing relatively well overall. Argentina wins 2-1.

Germany vs. Belgium (Group G winner vs. Group H runner-up)

Both teams are filled with superstars but Germany is one of the favorites to go the distance in this tournament. Germany's experience should be the difference here ultimately; Belgium's lack of experience will likely betray the team and lead to its downfall in this matchup. Germany wins 2-0.

Russia vs. Portugal (Group H winner vs. Group G runner-up)

This would pit familiar foes against one another as both sides faced off in the World Cup qualifiers Group F. Russia won at home while Portugal returned the favor in Lisbon. This game will likely be decided by the play of Cristiano Ronaldo. The superstar was shutout in both games but was not play his best in either match. Look for the teams to go the distance in this one and probably decide the outcome on penalties. Fabio Capello's Russia manages the win.

FIFA World Cup 2014: Super Eagles To Open Camp In South America

For the very first time in the history of Nigeria’s participation in the FIFA World Cup finals, the Nigeria Football Federation has given Head Coach, Stephen Keshi, the free hand to determine where his wards will make home at next year’s finals.

Keshi, who captained Nigeria in her very first appearance at the FIFA World Cup finals, in USA in 1994, said he cherished the opportunity by the Aminu Maigari administration and would always strive for the best for Nigeria.

“I am happy to have been given the free hand to select the Team Base Camp. You may think it is a small gesture but not every Head Coach has that privilege. I am certainly going to use the opportunity to select the best for our team.”

Keshi’s African champions will contend with two-time world champions Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Iran in Group F.

Keshi is presently inspecting a number of possible camps in the South American nation, and specifically around Sao Paulo.

Most of the 32 participating member associations are also looking around Sao Paulo for their team base camp. A total of 83 TBCs were offered in the final TBC Brochure.

A Team Base Camp consists of a Team Base Camp Hotel and a Team Camp Base Training Site. All participating member associations must confirm their Team Base Camp before the end of next month.

All teams must report at their Team Base Camp no later that five days before their first match of the tournament. In the case of Nigeria, that means no later than 11th June, five days before the Super Eagles clash with Iran at the 41,000 –capacity Arena da Baixada in Curitiba –a city of 1.7million people in the south of Brazil.

The Eagles will then tackle Bosnia-Herzegovina at the 42,000 –capacity Arena Pantanal in Cuiaba, a city of approximately 550,000 people in the centre west, on Saturday, 21st June, before flying to the south again to play Argentina in what is Group F’s most anticipated game. That match comes up at the 48,000 –capacity Estadio Beira-Rio in Porto Alegre, a city of more than 1.4million people, on Wednesday, 25th June.

India to host Under-17 FIFA World Cup in 2017

India have won the right to host the 2017 Under-17 FIFA World Cup. This will be the biggest football tournament ever on Indian soil. The All India Football Federation submitted India's bid to host the under-17 event only in November after obtaining necessary guarantees on tax exemption and security from the Union government. The Under-17 World Cup happens every two years. UAE hosted this year while Chile will stage the 2015 event.

The FIFA executive committee awarded the tournament to India after a meeting in the eastern Brazilian city of Salvador da Bahia on Thursday. The bidding countries are required to submit written guarantees on tax exemption for broadcasters and sponsors, foreign exchange remittances, security, transport and accommodation of players, and visa, among others.

India's first bid in January was rejected due to insufficient assurances from the government. But in June this year, the sports ministry backed AIFF's ambitious plans. While the expenses of hosting the event will be borne by FIFA and AIFF, the government assured additional financial assistance. "While the expenditure for upgradation of stadia (Rs 95 crore) will be provided as additional central assistance to the state governments, a sum of Rs 25 crore is kept as a contingency to ensure smooth conduct of the tournament," said a sports ministry statement. The AIFF has proposed holding of matches in five states -- Delhi, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Karnataka and one among Assam, Goa and Kerala.

The Under-17 FIFA World Cup will be the biggest international soccer event ever on Indian soil. Although the AIFF has hosted several international tournaments both at national and club levels, it has never hosted a FIFA event. FIFA president Sepp Blatter had urged AIFF to bid for the Under-17 championship when he visited India last year. The Asian Football Confederation had also backed India's application.

India, FIFA ranking 148, have hardly been a force in world football. In November, the national team beat Nepal 2-0 in a friendly and drew 1-1 with the Philippines in another friendly assignment. The only time India broke into the top 100, was a 94th place in February 1996. India's lowest has been 169 in September 2012. The Under-17 World Cup is expected to bring football back into focus in a cricket-mad nation.

In a recent visit, FIFA President Sepp Blatter and then his secretary Jerome Valcke, had supported India hosting the event, provided it builds the required infrastructure and facilities