Qatar’s 2022 World Cup just can’t seem to stay away from controversy. First it was the allegations of bribery, then it was the deaths of workers building the stadiums (still an ongoing issue), and more recently it was the decision to host the 2022 World Cup during November and December.
What's clear in Ken Bensinger's "Red Card" book is that corruption was ubiquitous in soccer long before news of the FIFA scandal made headlines. That won't surprise many fans, but the details of how U.S. law enforcement broke open its case against FIFA and the extent of the organization's corruption are incredibly revealing.
For too many years already, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have absolutely dominated the discussion surrounding who is the best soccer player in the world. The Argentinean and the Portuguese have formed a hegemonic dynasty that's lasted since at least 2008. To find a Ballon d'Or winner other than Messi and Ronaldo, one has to travel all the way to 2007 when Brazilian star Kaká won the prize, and he's now retired.
If you want to watch something truly pathetic today, here’s Jose Mourinho, the manager of 20-time English champion Manchester United (squad value of just over $1 billion), acting scared shitless at the prospect of playing Brighton & Hove Albion (squad value of $183 million) in the second week of Premier League action because of the World Cup impact on club season preparations.
Last World Cup gifted fans 169 goals in 64 matches. Over three million users voted on FIFA.com and the fans named Benjamin Pavard’s volley the World Cup Best Goal. Relive it here.
The Benjamin Pavard goal vs. Argentina was voted the World Cup best goal.
The splendid strike took place during the France-Argentina match in the Round of 16.
The FIFA Best Player Award nominees list is out and hopefully Neymar snubbed off the list will mark a new era in football. An era where flopping is only done in a breakdance battle, not on the pitch.
The 10 nominees were selected for their achievements throughout July 3, 2017, to July 15, 2018. You can also cast your vote on your favorite nominee here.
The FIFA Best Player Award nominees are:
We all love new technology and want to know when flying cars and robot servants will arrive like in the Jetsons. But it’s easy to overlook the incremental changes in technology happening right in front of us, right now. The recent Budweiser World Cup campaign gave soccer fans a glimpse into a future where the packaging of everyday objects — beer in this case — could revolutionize how we interact with brands, the world around us and each other.
The World Cup TV ratings are in for the entire tournament, including the incredible World Cup final on Sunday — and they don’t look good for Fox.
The World Cup final in which France beat Croatia 4-2 averaged 17.2 million viewers across FOX and Telemundo, including streaming numbers — a massive drop from the 26.5 million (TV alone) who watched Germany beat Argentina four years prior.
Heimir Hallgrímsson has announced he will be leaving his position as Iceland manager after seven historic years. Hallgrímsson, a trained dentist, helped the national team achieve goals that were perhaps at one point just fantasies for such a tiny nation.
Anytime there’s a new champion on the block, people like to spout off about how the team won and who could follow in its footsteps. After France’s 2018 World Cup championship, it’s nearly impossible to predict who could replicate France’s success as the 2022 World Cup champion, but we'll try anyway.