World Cup 2014 General Discussion

by Onyx Sat 1 Mar - 15:20

World Cup 2014 General Discussion Ba0jkXCCEAEsY1_

Thursday 12th June:

Group A: Brazil vs Croatia

Friday 13th June:

Group A: Mexico vs Cameroon.

Group B: Spain vs Netherlands, Chile vs Australia.

Saturday 14th June:

Group C: Colombia vs Greece.

Group D: Uruguay vs Costa Rica, England vs Italy.

Saturday 15th June:

Group C: Ivory Coast vs Japan.

Group E: Switzerland vs Ecuador, France vs Honduras.

Group F: Argentina vs Bosnia

Monday 16th June:

Group F: Iran vs Nigeria.

Group G: Germany vs Portugal, Ghana vs USA.

Tuesday 17th June:

Group A: Brazil vs Mexico.

Group H: Belgium vs Algeria, Russia vs South Korea.

Wednesday 18th June:

Group A: Cameroon vs Croatia.

Group B: Australia vs Netherlands, Spain vs Chile.

Thursday 19th June:

Group C: Colombia vs Ivory Coast, Japan vs Greece.

Group D: Uruguay vs England.

Friday 20th June:

Group D: Italy vs Costa Rica.

FIFA have banned players from showing any messages under their jerseys at the 2014 World Cup.

“From now on there can be no slogan or image whatsoever on undergarments even good-natured ones. This will apply from 1 June and be in force for the World Cup,” said FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke.

The matter was decided during an IFAB meeting, the International FA Board, in Zurich.

IFAB also rejected UEFA’s suggestion they review the so-called ‘triple punishment’ of incidents where a player can give away a penalty, receive a red card and be suspended for preventing an obvious goalscoringopportunity.

Many have called for the rule to be changed, as in a match situation the penalty could be considered punishment enough.

Technology also remains limited to goal-line verdicts only.

by rwo power Sat 1 Mar - 15:49

Yohan Modric wrote:
“From now on there can be no slogan or image whatsoever on undergarments even good-natured ones. This will apply from 1 June and be in force for the World Cup,” said FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke.

Hm. I wonder if sooner or later players will have to paint over well visible tattoos, too ^^

by FalcaoPunch Sat 1 Mar - 17:46

God that's such a joke.

by Lord Spencer Sun 2 Mar - 5:18

I don't which is worse.

Keeping the terrible triple punishment rule, or preventing players from celebrating however they want unless it is offensive to other people.

All players should celebrate by taking their shirts off in rebellion.

by RealGunner Mon 3 Mar - 11:30

100 days

by rwo power Tue 4 Mar - 4:47

Swiss news outlet tageswoche.ch put together a power index ("Razinger-Index") for the NTs that take part in the World cup.

This power index is calculated via some derived formula that contains
- Punkte FIFA-Rangliste (FIFA ranking points)
- Lizenzierte Fußballer (number of licensed football players)
- Anzahl WM-Titel (number of World Cups)
- Anzahl Kontinental-Titel (number of continental championships)
- Anzahl WM-Teilnahmen (number of World Cup participations)
- Marktwert des Kaders (market value of the team)
- Razinger-Index: the power index that results from the above data

http://www.tageswoche.ch/de/2013_49/sport/613899/welche-wm-gruppe-die-haerteste-ist-und-noch-mehr-statistiken.htm

by M99 Tue 4 Mar - 6:55

by M99 Tue 4 Mar - 7:05

https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/t31/q71/s720x720/1973416_822821631067019_689561854_o.jpg

by RealGunner Tue 4 Mar - 16:46

According to the World Cup Responsibilities Matrix, only 18% of infrastructure works have been completed, the WC cost can reach €9 billion.

by M99 Fri 7 Mar - 21:03

World Cup stadium Arena Pantanal will not be ready for usage until May, according to the governor of Brazilian state Mato Grosso.

Fifa had originally set a deadline of December 21, 2013 for all of the stadia to be completed and ready for the tournament this summer, but six of those grounds were not built in time. However, they were expected to be finished before the end of April.

The Cuiaba venue's seating construction is still under way and now looks set to drag on until a month before the World Cup kicks off on June 12.

Silval Barbosa, who governs the region, blamed construction company Kango Brasil for the additional delay but says he has promised that the Pantanal will be ready by Fifa's last deadline five weeks before the tournament begins in Sao Paulo.

"The company assures me that there will be a delivery of all units by the end of the month," the Mato Grosso governor told Brazilian media.

"If they do not have time to finish in March, they will have until the deadline of May 6 to get them all installed."

The governor insists, though, that the test event on April 2 can go ahead without all of seating fitted.

Arena Pantanal - which Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke claimed would be ready by February late last year - is expected to have a maximum capacity of 42,968 and was originally due to be completed by the end of 2012.

The stadium, which lies close to the Bolivian border, will play host to four games: Chile v Australia, Russia v South Korea, Nigeria v Bosnia & Herzegovina and Japan v Colombia.

by M99 Sat 15 Mar - 6:45

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/t1/1185657_828180713865525_1587016116_n.jpg

by Onyx Thu 20 Mar - 7:52

Leaked England kits for the WC:

World Cup 2014 General Discussion 14ENGKITS2

World Cup 2014 General Discussion 14ENGKITS4

World Cup 2014 General Discussion 14ENGKITS7

by Onyx Thu 20 Mar - 8:08

Francesco Totti has admitted he would be open to a call-up to the Italy squad for the World Cup.

The 37-year-old quit the international scene in 2007, but a return to the fold has been mooted on previous occasions.

There have been calls for current Italy coach Cesare Prandelli to take Totti to Brazil this summer after his sparkling form for Roma this season.

Totti, who helped Italy win the World Cup in 2006, admits he would be proud to be part of his country's squad, but that any decision would rest on his fitness.

"If Prandelli were to call me then I would be proud," Totti told Sky Sport Italia.

"I'd be happy, because the World Cup at Brazil would not come around again for me.

"But, I've always said that I will have to see how I am physically, if I would be alright or not. That's the main thing.

"I hope that the national team can get to the final. They have the ability to do well, then Italy have increasingly come close to the semi-finals, so we hope it bodes well."

by M99 Mon 24 Mar - 9:22

Brazil might be at least one stadium short for the World Cup as the Estadio Beira-Rio in Porto Alegre is not ready yet, according to the city's mayor.

The ground is due to host five games in this summer's upcoming tournament - four group ties and one second round clash - but is one of the six venues which had to have its deadline extended from the end of 2013, with the other six having been finished in time for last year's Confederations Cup.

The problem with the Estadio Beira-Rio, the southernmost of all the 2014 World Cup's host stadia, is that necessary temporary structures have not yet been installed despite there being just 80 days until the competition gets under way.

Porto Alegre mayor Jose Fortunati revealed that if a vote to give tax exemptions to companies building the temporary structures - such as media facilities and hospitality areas - is not passed then construction will not be able to be completed.

"This is the point which is the crux in terms of holding the World Cup in Porto Alegre," he told Radio Gaucha on Monday. "If the bill is not voted, we will not have the World Cup in Porto Alegre.

"This is because we will not have the resources to do it. We have no plan B, plan C or plan Z. The only alternative is this."

The local government and Internacional - who play at the Estadio Beira-Rio - are at an impasse because the club do not want to foot the bill for the temporary structures, which the Rio Grande do Sul state has insisted must happen.

Should the vote be passed on Tuesday then private companies will be rewarded with tax incentives and advertising space during the World Cup for help financing the stadium's completion.

by M99 Wed 26 Mar - 2:48

Fifa is determined to ensure Estadio Beira-Rio will host matches at the World Cup amid concerns over the venue's readiness.

The mayor of Potro Alegre, Jose Fortunati, recently expressed his fears that stadium renovations would not be able to be completed in time for the showpiece tournament, which starts in June.

Fortunati warned that the city in southern Brazil may miss out on hosting matches if a bill to allow tax breaks for companies investing in temporary structures for the competition is not voted in.

"This is the point which matters in terms of holding the World Cup in Porto Alegre,” he told Radio Gaucha.

"If the bill is not voted, we will not have the World Cup in Porto Alegre. This is because we will not have the resources to do it. We have no plan B. The only alternative is this."

When contacted by Perform on Tuesday, Fifa stated that they will do all they can to ensure work on all of the 12 stadia is complete for the eagerly awaited finals, and that the situation should be made clearer later this week.

A Fifa spokesperson said: “As said previously, the Fifa World Cup will be played in 12 venues. Fifa, the Local Organising Committee (LOC), the federal government and the respective host cities are working together this week in Rio de Janeiro to find solutions to the remaining challenges.

"There will be a detailed update on Thursday at approximately 12:30 Brasilia time following the Local Organising Committee meeting at a media briefing in Maracana."

France and Honduras are due to meet in the first game at Estadio Beira-Rio in Group E on June 15, with a further three group matches scheduled for the stadium, as well as a last-16 encounter.

by M99 Sat 29 Mar - 10:57

A construction worker has been seriously injured in a fall at World Cup 2014 venue Arena Corinthians.

The person's identity has not yet been revealed but the Sao Paulo Fire Department has confirmed that a labourer had been rushed to hospital.

It has been reported that the worker fell eight metres and is now in a serious condition.

The Arena Corinthians is scheduled to stage six games at this summer's World Cup in Brazil, including the opening game between the tournament hosts and Croatia, as well as England's eagerly awaited meeting with Uruguay.

The venue, though, has already been touched by tragedy, with construction workers Fabio Luis Pereira, 42, and Ronaldo Oliviera dos Santos, 44, having died during an accident in November 2013.

There have also been deaths during work on the Arena da Amazonia in Manaus and the Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha in Brasilia.