GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Egyptian state television is reporting that at least 73 people have died, and numbers are being revised upwards late Wednesday 1 February, after two football teams’ fans clashed in Port Said. More than 150 people are reported to be injured. Fans of Masry and al-Ahly teams, both in the top group, poured onto the football field after a match between the two. Masry won 3-1, an upset that triggered the violence. The BBC reports that some fans appear to have carried knives into the stadium, with policy keeping a lower than usual profile after riots in 2011 that was often directed at police under former President Hosni Mubarak’s regime.
Links to other sites: BBC, Reuters
Aljazeera video
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – It was a fine weekend for sports fans, with the best and the brightest putting on good shows:
Football – Barcelona defeated Manchester United 3-1 in a master class performance, with the Man United team and coach graciously afterwards that Barcelona is simply the best team in Europe. Details, The Guardian
Tennis – Roger Federer smoothly sailed past fellow Swiss player Stanislas Wawrinka 6-3, 6-2, 7-5. He now has his 28th consecutive Grand Slam quarter-final place. Details, Roland Garros
Formula 1 – Sebastian Vettel won in Monte Carlo, with Fernando Alonso second and Jenson Button in third. Details, Formula 1 de Monaco
Mohamed bin Hammam dropped out of the presidential race early Sunday and Fifa provisionally suspended him Sunday evening
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – Fifa, the international football body, Sunday 29 May provisionally suspended four officials from any involvement in football worldwide while it continues it investigation into possible breaches of the organization’s code of ethics.
But the case against President Sepp Blatter was dismissed. Blatter appeared before the committee Sunday. He is now running for re-election, with no one else in the race.
Vice-president Jack A Warner and Fifa executive committee member Mohamed bin Hammam may not take “part in any football-related activity (administrative, sports or any other) worldwide after [the ethics committee examined] their cases in relation to alleged violations of the Fifa Code of Ethics linked to the upcoming FIFA presidential election”, the committee said in a statement issued Sunday evening in Zurich.
The election is scheduled for 3 June. “The allegation can be summed up as follows,” Petrus Damaseb, vice-president of the ethics committee said at a press conference after the all-day meeting. “The meeting was called to take place at the 10-11 of May in Port au Prince in Trinidad & Tobago, and at that meeting individuals there present were offered sums of money to vote for Mr bin Hamman, that is the essence of the allegation.” The sum in question was $40,000.
Petrus Damaseb, speaking for Fifa's ethics committee, led a press conference Sunday night
“The ethics committee considered that a provisional suspension was required while the investigation continues, taking into account the gravity of the case and the likelihood that a breach of the Fifa code of ethics and the Fifa disciplinary code has been committed. Meanwhile, regarding the ethics proceedings opened against Fifa President Joseph S Blatter at the request of Mohamed bin Hammam for a potential breach of the Fifa code of ethics, all charges were dismissed in full, as the ethics committee found that no breach of the code of ethics had been committed.”
Two Caribbean Football Union officials were also provisionally suspended: Debbie Minguell and Jason Sylvester. Their possible breaches of the code are also under investigation.
The members of the ethics committee panel reviewing the various accusations are: deputy chairman Petrus Damaseb (Namibia) and members Juan Pedro Damiani (Uruguay), Sondre Kaafjord (Norway), Les Murray (Australia) and Robert Torres (Guam).
Sepp Blatter (photo: Agencia Brasil, Roosewelt Pinheiro/Abr)
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – Down to the wire, with less than a week to go in the election for the post of president of Fifa, world football’s governing body, and the fight for the job is sullied by allegations of corruption against both candidates. The Fifa ethics committee Friday 27 May agreed to summon President Sepp Blatter, who is standing for re-election, acting on yesterday’s request by executive committee member Mohamed bin Hammam.
Blatter is to appear before the committee Sunday, three days before the election.
Bin Hammam was summoned to appear before the committee Wednesday.
The committee is investigating charges made last week of alleged cash payments to delegations attending a special meeting of the Caribbean Football Union. The latest accusations of corruption against Fifa officials continue a string of scandals, as well as questions about how the 2018 and 2022 games were awarded.
Britain’s sport minister, Hugh Robertson, said in a statement Friday that “The Fifa presidential election campaign has descended into a farce,” Robertson said in a statement.” Robertson has “hinted” that national football/soccer bodies may want to break away from Fifa, Reuters reports.
Chelsea and Man United will face off during the UEFA quater-finals
Geneva and Nyon, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - The Friday morning Uefa draw for the Champions League quarter-finals will provide real tension for the 5-6 and 12-13 April matches. Chelsea and Manchester United face off, and as the Uefa report on the draw points out:
“Sir Alex Ferguson’s team denied Chelsea a first European Champion Clubs’ Cup in a dramatic penalty shoot-out in Moscow three years ago, and the London club will have a shot at revenge next month. While Chelsea are reigning English champions, United currently lead them by nine points in the Premier League and have history on their side in the competition having been crowned Europe’s finest three times.”
FC Internazionale Milano will meet FC Schalke 04. The two clubs last met in a major tournament in 1997.
Nine-time trophy winners Real Madrid CF is up against Tottenham Hotspur FC, so Madrid escapes playing Barcelona at this stage, but the Spanish teams could face each other in the semi-finals if FC Barcelona chases out FC Shakhtar Donetsk.
Quarter-final draw (5/6 and 12/13 April)
Real Madrid CF (ESP) v Tottenham Hotspur FC (ENG)
Chelsea FC (ENG) v Manchester United FC (ENG)
FC Barcelona (ESP) v FC Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)
FC Internazionale Milano (ITA) v FC Schalke 04 (GER)
Semi-final draw (26/27 April and 3/4 May)
1: Inter/Schalke v Chelsea /Manchester United
2: Madrid/Tottenham v Barcelona/Shakhtar
Final (28 May, Wembley)
Winner semi-final 2 v Winner semi-final 1
A Portuguese fan worried about his team - Photo Euro208 by Amir Rijaveck
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The Portuguese Seleçao has confirmed that Ronaldo Cristiano will lead the squad in Geneva 9 February in the friendly match against Argentina, and football fans everywhere are preparing for the Swiss showdown between Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Portugal and the South Americans have played only six times previously, with Argentina beating the Portuguese four times and tying once. Portugal has only been able to beat the Celeste once and that was back in 1972.
The game was moved to Geneva from London where it was originally scheduled to take place.
The last time Argentina played in Geneva was in 2005 when it was defeated by England 3-2 during a friendly.
Chateau de Bethusy, Lausanne, home of the international sports arbitration court
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Oleh Oriekhov, the Ukrainian football referee accused of game fixing, has lost his appeal. He was handed a life ban “on exercising any football-related activity” by Uefa, the European football federation based in Nyon, in July 2010. Oriekhov took his case to Cas (international sports arbitration court) in Lausanne, which announced Tuesday 18 January that it has upheld the ban, citing repeated contacts between Oriekhov and “and the members of a criminal group involved in match-fixing and betting fraud”.
The referee, under Uefa regulations, should have immediately alerted the football federation when he was first contacted, and it was his failure to do so that is behind the court’s decision.
A 15 December Cas hearing showed that “it has been convincingly established” that Oriekhov had contacts before and after the specific match in question between FC Basel and CSKA Sofia, Cas notes in a statement. “The existence or not of an effective manipulation concerning the Europa League match between FC Basel and CSKA Sofia could not be established during the Cas procedure.”
“On 5 November 2009, the referee Oleg Oriekhov officiated a match between FC Basel and CSKA Sofia in group E of the 2009-2010 UEFA Europa League.
International sports, football
In 2008 Portuguese fans in Geneva saw their team kicked out of the Euro Cup, the 2010 friendly could be their chance to make it up to their fans - Photo Euro208 by Amir Rijaveck
Update 20:00 / Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – February 9 is the date for a battle of the famous when footballer Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal and his national team face the world’s most valuable player in football, Lionel Messi from Argentina, and his squad.
Ronaldo, the highest paid soccer player in the world, and the Portuguese squad facing off with Messi, widely considered the best player of his generation, are expected to draw thousands of fans to the Stade de Genève.
The Portuguese living in Geneva made up an estimated seven percent of the city’s population in 2008.
The friendly will kick off at 20:00 on 9 February.
The game was moved to Geneva from London where it was originally scheduled to take place, a change confirmed by the official site of the Argentina football team.
The last time Argentina played in Geneva was in 2005 when it was defeated by England 3-2 during a friendly.
Swiss play friendly against Australia, CFF announces additional trains for the Switzerland-England match
La Nati - The Swiss national football team
St Gallen, Switzerland (GenevaLunch.com) – Swiss coach Ottmar Hitzfeld says his team is ready to play the Australia Socceroos in a friendly tonight at 20:15, at the AFG Arena in St Gallen.
This is the first time that the Qantas Socceroos face Switzerland at senior international level, thus, the new Aussie coach Holger Osieck is ready to show his squad is ready to win.
Hitzfeld announced he will only keep Lichtsteiner, Grichting, Inler, Derdiyok and Frei for the friendly while trying seven new players. The game, says Hitzfeld, is only a rehearsal for Switzerland’s first qualifying match for the 2012 UEFA Euro Cup which the Nati will play next week against England.
The Swiss railroad system, CFF, announced that on 7 September, 13 additional trains will carry football fans directly to St Jakob Park in Basel before the game.
After the match ends, buses will transport fans back to the station where additional trains to Bern, Geneva, Lausanne, Lucerne, Neuchatel, St Gallen and Zurich will be dispatched.
All football ticket holders can ride free of charge in Basel’s municipal transport system four hours before and after the game.
The qualifying stage for the 2012 Cup begins today 3 September throughout Europe.
Swiss / international sports, football
La Nati - The Swiss national football team
Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Switzerland is ready to face England in its first qualifying game for the Euro 2012. Ottmar Hitzfeld has announced the players who will carry La Nati through a friendly against Australia 3 September, and against England 7 September.
Among Hitzfeld’s new picks is Scott Sutter, an English-Swiss defender.
The 24-year-old says he is proud to be nominated: “I have lived in Switzerland for eight-and-a-half years, it is my homeland now. This nomination is even more special since I will play the country where I spent the first years of my life,” said Sutter referring to the game against England. (Tickets are on sale now.)
Swiss captain Alexander Frei, largely absent during the World Cup, is back after recovering from injury. Veteran player Philippe Senderos, however, is out after rupturing an Achilles tendon.
The qualifying stage for the 2012 UEFA Euro Cup begins 3 September throughout Europe.
For the Swiss and English teams, which compete in group G, it begins 7 September when they face each other off in Basel at St-Jacques Park at 20:45.
Bulgaria, Montenegro and Wells round up the five teams in the group.
List of players Read more…
La Nati - The Swiss national football team
Austria (GenevaLunch.com) – Switzerland’s last warm-up for the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign, ended well after the Swiss beat Austria 1-0 in a friendly match.
Moreno Costanzo,22, scored the sole goal in a game where Switzerland clearly dominated, but was constantly unable to convert.
Several Swiss debutantes were lined up by coach Ottmar Hitzfeld.
Hitzfeld said he was “happy to have won,” and added, “in the last few years we hadn’t seen much success.”
“We played well, we were well organized,” Hitzfeld said after the match.
It was the final friendly for both teams before the start of their 2012 European championship qualifying campaigns.
Switzerland will now take on England in Group G in Basel on 7 September.
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Switzerland Lineup: Diego Benaglio, Francois Affolter, Stephan Lichtsteiner, Stephane Grichting (replaced by Mario Eggimann), Reto Ziegler, Xherdan Shaqiri (replaced by Marco Padalino), Pirmin Schwegler (replaced by Gelson Fernandes), Gokhan Inler, Valentin Stocker (replaced by Albert Bunjaku), Hakan Yakin (replaced by Moreno Costanzo), Eren Derdiyok (replaced by Nassim Ben Khalifa).
International football star David Beckham,35, has been cast-off by Italian coach Fabio Capello as “too old to play” for the English squad.
Capello who said so to the international press seemed to have forgotten to let Beckham in on his plans.
“I’m sure someone will have phoned him now. We tried to speak to him but we couldn’t. I will speak to him soon.”
Capello said Beckham could play once more for England at Wembley so fans could pay tribute to the ex-skipper.
Additional details: The Telegraph, Fifa
©2010 Chappatte, distributed by Globe Cartoon. More cartoons on Chappatte’s web site. Geneva-based Patrick Chappatte works for the International Herald Tribune, for Geneva newspaper Le Temps, and for NZZ am Sonntag. All cartoons reproduced with permission.
International sports, Euro 2012 football
Basel, Switzerland (GenevaLunch.com) - Switzerland will play its first two Euro 2012 qualifying games in Basel against England 7 September at 20:45, and against Wales 12 October at 20:30 at the Saint-Jacques park.
Tickets per package are for sale now and range between CHF120 and CHF230, but are only CHF60 for those age 16 and under.
Pre-sales will be made through Ticketcorner or by telephone at: 0900 800 800 (CHF 1.19/minute).
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - France has been chosen to host the Euro 2016, the largest football tournament in Europe. The decision was announced on 28 May in Geneva by Michel Platini, former French football player and current UEFA President.
France beat Italy and Turkey, countries that were also seeking to host the European cup. After a morning presentation, Italy was eliminated leaving Turkey and France as runners up. France won by one vote over Turkey.
The French Football Federation included 12 stadiums, in 11 cities, in their proposal. These are: Bordeaux, Lens, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nancy, Nice, Paris (Stade de France and Parc des Princes), Saint-Etienne, Strasbourg and Toulouse. Of these, seven will require major renovations and four will be built specifically for the tournament.
Related links: UEFA, it includes pictures and video of the announcement.
Basel, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Basel, easily the favourites, thoroughly thumped second-tier Lausanne 6-0 Sunday 9 May to take the Swiss Cup. Basel is considered a likely candidate for the Premier League next season, according to Swissinfo. The Swiss national team for the World Cup games in South Africa this summer will be announced Tuesday and Basel stars Valentin Stocker and Xherdan Shaqiri will be hoping to have made the list of players.
Links to other sites (Fre): Le Matin, 20 Minutes on national team candidates
Video, swissinfo
Euro 2012 football fever begins!
(GenevaLunch) – Swiss football fans are warming up for Switzerland’s first match against England on 7 September. The qualifying stage for the 2012 UEFA Euro Cup begins on 3 September around Europe. For the Swiss and English teams it begins on the 7th when they face off in Switzerland. Bulgaria, Montenegro and Wells round up the five teams in group G.
In an interview with SwissInfo, the Swiss coach said he looks forward to playing the English squad. “England is a great footballing nation. I’m already looking forward to this match,” he said.
Max Havelaar fair trade football
Zurich, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Migros supermarket chain Friday 5 March starts selling a fair trade football made in Sialkot, in northeastern Pakistan, which has Max Havelaar fair trade certification. The men and women who produce the balls will receive a fair trade premium that gives them better access to healthcare and can be used to help send their children to school, says Migros.
Luanda, Angola (GenevaLunch) – The match was off to a slow start and the score remained low, but in the end what mattered was the one goal that gave Egypt a 1-0 win over Ghana for the title of the Africa Cup of Nations.It is the seventh time Egypt has taken the title, and it is the first time in any major football tournament that a team has won three successive titles. The winning goal came only five minutes before the end of an otherwise unexciting match, with substitute Mohamed Nagui coming “almost out of nowhere”, reports allAfrica, which notes that it was his fifth goal of the tournament, making him the top scorer despite not starting in a single game.
Links to other sites: allAfrica photo essay, BBC photos, GhanaWeb
Zurich, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – International football federation Fifa has dashed Irish hopes for a 2010 World Cup qualifying re-match, saying in a brief statement that it had replied to a request for a re-match from the Football Association of Ireland: “In the reply, Fifa states that the result of the match cannot be changed and the match cannot be replayed. As is clearly mentioned in the Laws of the Game, during matches, decisions are taken by the referee and these decisions are final.”
Ireland put in the request after France won Wednesday 2-1 in extra-time when France captain Thierry Henry used his hand to stop the ball from going out of play.
[allAfrica video] Football fans working up an early fever for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa are debating whether the popular vuvuzela musical instrument can be used by the country’s fans to cheer on their team next year. The plastic horn when “blown on its own . . . sounds like a wounded elephant. En masse in a stadium, it’s like a horde of angry bees descending on the opposing side.” allAfrica
(GenevaLunch) – Liverpool maintained their one-point lead at the top of the table as the five top teams all won.
Geneva-based Inter Soccer gets boys and girls onto the playing fields, in English, with several options, from after-school to vacation camps and school holidays, for all levels including beginners.
(GenevaLunch) - Chelsea retained their place at the top of the Premiership with a comfortable 0-2 victory away to Blackburn.
Zurich, Switzerland (20 Minutes, Fre) – Switzerland lost to Luxembourg 1-2 (1-1) before a crowd of 20,000, never managing to rise to the level of Luxembourg’s strong defense.
GenevaLunch, by Nicholas Bates – Chelsea failed to take advantage of a slip-up by Manchester United. Man U drew 1-1 at home against Middlesbrough, while Chelsea drew 0-0 at Newcastle. Man U star Cristiano Ronaldo was named Player ofthe Year by the PFA (Professional Footballers’ Association). The PFA star team included eight Man U players, with only one from Chelsea. BBC
