World Cup bid process flawed and in need of greatest transparency

Grant Wahl
cnnsi.com

ZURICH -- The Baur au Lac hotel, a five-star palace on the banks of Lake Zurich, was the epicenter of The Game here this week: the final lobbying of the nine bids vying to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. As the official hotel of the FIFA Executive Committee, the 22 men who choose the World Cup hosts, the opulent Baur au Lac welcomed all manner of dignitaries this week, from former President Bill Clinton and David Beckham to Prince William and British Prime Minister David Cameron.

On Wednesday night, I shared a couch in the lobby bar with Mia Hamm and her husband, Nomar Garciaparra. And on Thursday night, after FIFA had chosen Russia '18 and Qatar '22 as the big winners, I came back to the Baur au Lac to try to make sense of how Qatar -- a nation the size of Connecticut, one that had been deemed a "high risk" by FIFA's own inspectors -- had swept aside the U.S. with ease to win one of the biggest prizes in sports.

It was, to put it mildly, an intriguing scene. I got propositioned by an attractive Russian hooker and politely declined -- perhaps Russia's only defeat of the day. And I discovered just how much slithering chutzpah the voters of the FIFA ExCo really have. As it turns out, several of the FIFA voters were unaware (seven hours after the fact) that the round-by-round, secret-ballot vote totals had been released to the public.

The result: By 11 p.m. on Thursday, at least three FIFA voters had told England '18 bid committee members that they had voted for them -- even though England got only two votes in a first-round elimination. And at least three voters had told the Australia '22 bid committee the same thing, even though only one had voted for the Aussies.

This was my first time covering a FIFA World Cup host selection week, and I leave here with one lasting impression: The closer you get to the voting process, the more opaque it becomes. FIFA goes to great lengths to make it seem as though the competition is based on the merits, asking for thousand-page bid books, sending inspection teams to each country and commissioning economic-benefit studies by top consultants. And by those standards, the winners of the bids Thursday would have been England for '18 and the United States for '22.

But the merits don't really matter much, not compared to whatever personal concerns motivate those 22 men of FIFA, who (like the Vatican) have no check on their power. England was humiliated in its first-round departure, and the U.S. never got close to Qatar, which came within one vote of a majority on the first ballot.
The common link between Russia and Qatar, besides being new territories for the World Cup, is that they had by far the wealthiest bid budgets. If FIFA wanted to avoid the perception that it isn't entirely clean, it probably shouldn't have chosen the two bidding countries whose economies are awash primarily in petrodollars. (If you want to see the connection between the world's petro-economies and corruption, check out one of the many studies on the subject.) This isn't a sour-grapes rant from a U.S. writer, either. Choosing Australia, another first-time host, would have left a cleaner impression than going with Qatar.

But it's all in The Game when it comes to FIFA, and the U.S. should know that by now. Is it possible to win the World Cup hosting rights playing by the rules? I doubt it. At the very least you have to venture into the gray areas to have a chance, and U.S. bid chair Sunil Gulati proudly proclaimed that the U.S. bid didn't even enter those gray areas.

With this FIFA bunch you have to if you really want to win. And that doesn't just apply to World Cups. The International Olympic Committee may have a somewhat cleaner reputation these days -- cleaner, at least, than FIFA's -- but is it any coincidence that the last successful U.S. bid for an Olympics or World Cup was the notoriously shady one from Salt Lake City?

As I sit here in the Zurich airport on Friday morning, I'm left wondering: Why don't the U.S. and England bid committees stand up to FIFA? Why can't U.S. Soccer follow the lead ofEngland bid chief Andy Anson and say it shouldn't bid again until FIFA has more transparency? FIFA is only powerful as long as its members invest it with that power. And based on what I've seen here this week, FIFA is still awaiting its Salt Lake City moment.

CIBC, BMO battle for soccer supremacy

Rita Trichur

thestar.com

A soccer rivalry is brewing between two of Canada’s biggest banks.

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce announced Tuesday that it has signed a new sponsorship agreement with Visa for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

Bank of Montreal, meanwhile, is gearing up to make a significant soccer-related announcement later this week, sources say.

Recognizing that soccer is increasingly the ballet of the masses in Canada, the two banks are poised to battle it out over corporate sponsorship of that popular sport.

CIBC’s new deal with Visa, which is in the retail banking category, comes on the heels of its FIFA World Cup broadcast sponsorship earlier this year.

“More Canadians play soccer than any other sport. In 2010 we witnessed the passion and excitement of soccer fans across Canada and worldwide for the FIFA World Cup,” said Stephen Forbes, executive vice-president of marketing, communications and public affairs, in a release.

“CIBC is proud to be able to bring the energy, passion and excitement of the World's Game to Canadians again in 2014.”

CIBC used to be known as Canada’s pre-eminent soccer bank, a designation that BMO has taken great pains to claim in recent years.

On Thursday, BMO is set to make another important announcement in that regard. Sources expect that BMO will extend its sponsorship of soccer to Vancouver Whitecaps FC, which will join major league soccer in 2011.

In addition to partnering with the Canadian Soccer Association, BMO has the naming rights to BMO Field in Toronto and is a sponsor of the Toronto FC among other initiatives.

At the height of its soccer supremacy, CIBC was a “diamond sponsor” of the Canadian Soccer Association. That multi-million dollar deal, however, has since expired.

Nonetheless, CIBC is eager to renew its ties to the sport as it works to increase its share of this country’s personal and commercial banking market.

Sports sponsorships help banks increase their visibility with consumers. Soccer is particularly popular with new immigrants — a growth market for both banks.

Said Forbes: ‘We will again launch an integrated marketing campaign that demonstrates employee pride in CIBC and resonates deeply within Canada's multicultural communities.”

Earlier this year, CIBC held a coast-to-coast tour that was linked to its CBC broadcast deal.

FIFA to consider adding officials

JOHANNESBURG — The Associated PressPublished on Monday, Nov. 30, 2009 10:28AM EST

FIFA will consider having extra match officials on the field to help referees at next year's World Cup in South Africa.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter says Thierry Henry's hand ball, which led to the goal that sent France to the World Cup at the expense of Ireland, showed that referees needed more help on the field.

The FIFA executive committee will hold an emergency meeting in Cape Town on Wednesday, two days ahead of the draw for the World Cup, to discuss whether to recommend extra match officials.

If they agree, the proposal will go before football's rule-making International Board in Zurich in March for a final decision.

Blatter was speaking Monday at the opening of the Soccerex business conference in Johannesburg.

“There is a lack of discipline and respect in the game by the players because they are cheating,” Blatter said.

“This is human beings trying to get an advantage and this is not good and we have to fight against that. We have only one man on the field of play who shall intervene in this matter. He has two assistants for the time being, perhaps more in the future. He has to make an immediate decision. He has only two eyes. So match control is now is on the agenda. How shall we avoid such situations as we have seen in this very specific match?”

Henry's clear hand ball, first with his arm and then with his left hand, stopped the ball from going out of play before he crossed to teammate William Gallas to score an equalizer for a 1-1 draw with Ireland at Stade de France. That remained the score and France, which had won 1-0 in Dublin, qualified 2-1 on aggregate.

Blatter said the Irish were unhappy to go out of the competition in that way and had written to FIFA to be allowed into the competition as a 33rd team. That will also be discussed at the executive committee meeting on Wednesday.

Because of the clamour for FIFA to take action to help the match officials, the debate is likely to be between using TV technology or extra referees.

As an experiment in the Europa League, UEFA uses five officials, one standing at each end of the field, to help the referee settle disputes in the area, including whether the ball has crossed the line.

Blatter said he was not in favour of using TV technology to settle such disputes.

“With technology, you have to stop a match. You have a look at cameras,” he said. “Now I think there should be some additional (assistants), if they can see or not see.

“We have to maintain the human face of football and not go into technology. I think that goal-line technology, when accurate, we can accept it in international football.”

Blatter said this year's World Cup playoffs led to several disputes which would be discussed at the executive committee meeting. There was concern that such playoffs, where one team gets an advantage of playing the second legs at home, are unfair.

Blowing the whistle on soccer theatrics

By James Christie
From Thursday's Globe and Mail 

The theatrics and ruses used by soccer stars "diving" to draw a penalty are being exposed by a British professor who specializes in the study of people's intentions and deceit. 

Psychologist Paul Morris, of the University of Portsmouth, and co-author David Lewis say in an article published in the Springer Journal of Nonverbal Behaviour that soccer players historically have used a number of identifiable actions when faking a fall during a match - falls that sometimes result in penalty kicks and game-deciding goals.

Frauds take unnatural swan dives and consciously do not protect their bodies in order to look like victims, he says. This behaviour has no national boundaries; everyone does it Psychologist Paul Morris
The latest case making Euro soccer tongues wag in the past three weeks has been the two-game suspension of Arsenal striker Eduardo da Silva, who plunged to the pitch with surprising ease Aug. 26 in a Champions League playoff, after light contact with Celtic keeper Artur Boruc. Arsenal went on to win 3-1.

A disciplinary commission of European governing body UEFA originally ruled he had dived in an effort to deceive the referee. But UEFA recanted in an appeal this week, saying evidence was inconclusive. Mr. da Silva was reinstated in time for last night's Arsenal match in Brussels against Belgian champion Standard Liège and scored the winner in a 3-2 Arsenal victory.
"I'm not the type of player who needs to be dishonest to score goals," Mr. da Silva said.
Dr. Morris, whose expertise is the study of people's emotions and intentions, says a face-plant to draw attention points to a faked fall.
"This occurs in many dives, but, biomechanically, it does not occur in a natural fall," Dr. Morris said in an article on the University of Portsmouth website. "Instead, instinctively, the arms either go down in an attempt to cushion the fall or out to the side for balance."
In soccer, a rule against faking - technically called simulation - is on the books, but seldom enforced. The sentence against Mr. da Silva was only the second one levelled by UEFA in two years, and backing down on the discipline of the Brazilian-born Croatia international player left some European soccer officials wondering if the body was serious about pursuing cases of deception - or bad acting.
Scottish Football Association chief executive Gordon Smith said, "I don't think that I have received enough support in my efforts to eradicate what I believe to be one of the most serious threats to the integrity of football."

Calling the theatrics in pro soccer "absurd," Dr. Morris said fraudulent soccer players are shamelessly calling for the referee's attention. "This behaviour has no national boundaries; everyone does it."
The most flamboyant of the dramatics Dr. Morris describes is called the "archer's bow," in which the aggrieved player throws both arms in the air, with open palms, chest thrust out and legs bent at the knee. He wants to look like he's been fouled. Among other giveaway gestures: clutching the body where a player has not been hit; taking an extra roll when he or she hits the ground; taking fully controlled strides after being tackled before an ostentatious fall.

"Referees have a very difficult job and given the demands of the task, they do it remarkably well," Dr. Morris said. "We think even experienced professionals could enhance their decision-making by studying the categories of deceptive behaviour we have identified."

Joe Guest, the director of referees for the Canadian Soccer Association, said embellished falls "are not as prevalent here as they are in professional soccer in Europe. I'd love to say it's because our fellows are spot-on every call ... but it's just not as prevalent." Mr. Guest did say, however, that the fact UEFA made the initial move of banning Mr. da Silva "shows that they're willing to go to their rulebook, and they recognize it's something that has to be dealt with."

Carleton suspends entire women's soccer team over 'rookie initiation'

Carleton suspends entire women's soccer team over 'rookie initiation'

Shared via AddThis

'I've decided your GDP is insufficient for my GWB - so I'm going AWOL!'

Study: U-20 World Cup contributed $114 million to GDP
Canadian Press
OTTAWA — The final bill on hosting the FIFA U-20 World Cup isn't in yet but a sports tourism group says the tournament was an economic success off the field.
The under-20 soccer tournament, held in six Canadian cities, contributed approximately $114 million to Canada's gross domestic product, according to an economic impact assessment by the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance. The event also contributed an estimated $259.02 million in economic activity in the four host provinces, according to the study.
The figures include $63 million for the construction of BMO Field in Toronto, home to Major League Soccer's Toronto FC.
The 52-game tournament was held June 30 to July 22 in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Victoria, Burnaby, and Edmonton. A tournament-record cumulative audience of 1.2 million took in the competition.
The information for the assessment was gathered by surveying more than 6,700 spectators on site. The spectators were asked about their spending on numerous expenses such as public transit, event tickets, accommodation and merchandise.
Gauging an event's impact is not easy. Some of the spending cited might have been destined to other areas of the economy anyway.
Still, the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance said the report is reliable within 1.5 per cent — 19 times out of 20.
The total bill for hosting the event has still to be determined. Peter Montopoli, the Canadian Soccer Association's national event director, said he hopes to have final calculations on the cost of the tournament completed within the next month.
The CSA originally pegged the total event budget at between $25 million and $30 million.
In its 27-page report, the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance found that the under-20 World Cup brought in between $5 million and $10 million in economic benefits in each of the host cities,
Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance was created in 2000 through a partnership with the Canadian Tourism Commission.
The organization has also done economic impact assessments on the 2006 world junior hockey championships, the 2005 Canada Summer Games, and the 2005 world aquatic championships, among other events.