World Cup - Page 6

For decades, our global betters have been urging Americans to take more of an interest in soccer. And we have–though not the interest the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) had in mind. This week, the U.S. Department of Justice revealed that 14 FIFA officials had been indicted for corruption. In somewhat related news, FIFA is to vote this weekend on suspending Israel from international soccer because of security-related travel restrictions on some Palestinian players.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter told the world via Twitter that he just met with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He claims the tournament will “build bridges.”

Brazil spent $3.6 million on new stadiums and $3 million on infrastructure for the 2014 World Cup, which made it the most expensive World Cup in history. This is mainly due to Brazil’s choice to host matches in 12 cities instead of the usual 8. But now it appears to be a waste of money as stadiums are left in the dust.

The NFL looks south—as in the Southern Hemisphere—to move ratings north for the Pro Bowl.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko called for a boycott of the 2018 World Cup in Russia if Moscow does not remove troops from east Ukraine.

FIFA, the organization that governs the World Cup, has decided not to revisit the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup to Russia and Qatar respectively. The group also announced that the extensive report prepared by an investigator into accusations