Qatar's 2022 organising committee: "We have fully co-operated" with ethics committee investigation

"We have fully co-operated in a completely open and transparent manner with FIFA’s [Fédération Internationale de Football Association] independent ethics committee investigation into the bidding process [the procedure for the awarding of the 2022 World Cup]," said the Supreme Committee for…

Brazil 2014: Iran instruct players not to wear new shirts for each match

To save money, the players on Iran's national team are not to wear new shirts for each match of the 2014 World Cup (12/06 to 13/07/2014), said Ali Kafashian, president of the IFF (Iranian Football Federation), on 16/06/2014. "We have not given players a shirt for each game. Players must be frugal…

Brazil 2014: France-Honduras offers first goal verification through goal-line technology

The first goal in history to be verified through goal-line technology occurred during the World Cup France-Honduras match (3-0, 15/06/2014, Group E, Beira-Rio Stadium in Porto Alegre). This was the French team's second goal, and was an own goal by Honduran goalkeeper Noel Valladares. The German…

Winning World Cup country gets stock market bump, says Goldman Sachs

Stocks in the country that wins the World Cup outperform those of other countries by 3.5% in the month following the victory, according to Peter Oppenheimer, the head of global stock strategy at the American investment firm Goldman Sachs, speaking to French newspaper Le Monde on 12/06/2014. The…

FIFA ethics committee suspends Franz Beckenbauer for 90 days from any activity in footbal

Franz Beckenbauer (Germany), special advisor to the FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) football committee, has been suspended, effective immediately, from any football-related activity for 90 days, stated Alan Sullivan, the vice-president of the FIFA ethics committee's…

Brazil 2014: Spray for drawing line of wall for free kick has been authorised since 2012

The use of a vanishing spray, which allows referees to draw a white line on the ground to enforce a 9.15 metre distance between the wall and the kicker during a free kick, was authorised by the IFAB (International Football Association Board, the guardian of the laws of the game) at its 126^th…

Video referee technology: Blatter proposes two challenge reviews per manager per match

"Why don't we give team managers the possibility of two challenge reviews for referring decisions during the match?" said Joseph Blatter, president of FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association), at the 64^th annual FIFA congress in Sao Paulo (BRA) on 11/06/2014. Blatter said he would…

Top Federation kit and equipment supplier contracts

Brazil 2014: Winner to get €25.8m; those eliminated in first round to get €5.9m

The total winnings distributed by FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) will be $358m (€264.5m), to be shared by the 32 teams participating in the 20^th World Cup (Brazil, 12/06 to 13/07/2014), which begins with the Brazil-Croatia match in Sao Paulo. The winner will get $35m…

FIFA foresees revenues of €3.7bn for 2015-2018 -- 20 times more than for 1995-1998

FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) announced projected revenues of $5bn (€3.7bn) over the four year period from 2015 to 2018 in its 2013 financial report, which was approved by 209 affiliated national federations present at the 64^th FIFA congress in Sao Paulo (BRA) on…