Didier Cuche announcing his decision to retire from World Cup skiing at age 37 (image: TSR television))
BERN, SWITZERLAND – Swiss ski star Didier Cuche, who was named Swiss Person of the Year earlier this week by thousands of television viewers, announced Thursday afternoon that he will retire from the sport at the end of this season.
The 37-year-old’s decision came as no surprise.
But Cuche is not just one of the oldest skiers on the world circuit, he’s been a fixture and a winner for the past 10 years. The announcement was made at Kitzbuehl in Austria, where one of the toughest downhills of the season will take place Saturday. Cuche won it last year, making him, at age 36, the oldest winner of a World Cup event.
The Neuchatel skier was emotional during his press conference but said his weak performance in Wengen last weekend did not play a role in his decision. “You don’t make a decision based on a single race,” he said, but noted that he was distracted by the sense that he needed to make a decision. “i had this gut feeling that the time had come.”
Zurich, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Ottmar Hitzfeld, German coach who took Switzerland’s football team to the World Cup in 2010, will stay on until the summer of 2014, the Swiss Football Federation announced Thursday 10 March. Hitzfeld is widely considered one of Germany’s most successful football coaches; he joined the Swiss team in 2008 for a contract until 2012.
He will now stay on long enough to see Switzerland into the next World Cup if the team qualifies.
International sports, football
(video) Zurich, Switzerland (GenevalUnch) - Lionel Messi was awarded Fifa’s (international football federation) highest honour, the Ballon d’Or. The Argentinian told reporters afterwards that he felt his Barcelona teammates Xavi and Andres Iniesta deserved it as well. Messi received 22.65 percent of the vote, while Iniesta had 17.36 and Xavi 16.48 percent. Coaches and team captains as well as sports journalists from around the world vote for the winner.
Messi, 23, was not considered a frontrunner by some observers because of his failure to make a single goal in the 2010 World Cup, for Argentina, which was bumped in the quarter-finals. His 60 goals for the year, however, counted for something.
The Ballon d’Or award “was created following the merging of France Football magazine’s European Footballer of the Year prize with the Fifa World Player of the Year award,” notes the Guardian.
Links to other sites: Fifa, Guardian and Guardian March 2010 praise for Messi
Video, TSR (Fr)
Italian prime minister says he helped Russia win World Cup bid
Sochi, Russia and Zurich, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Russian news agency Ria Novosti reports Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi as saying that he is happy with Russia’s decision to not demand visas for European Union visitors to the 2018 World Cup football championship.
Berlusconi told Russian President Dmitry Medvedev after Russia’s win was announced, that he had helped push through the Russian bid, according to the news agency, which says the two spoke Friday.
“‘We would like to create a special atmosphere during the tournament,’ Medvedev said after talks with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in Russia’s southern Black Sea resort of Sochi.”
International sports, World Cup football
Zurich, Switzerland (Genevalunch)- Russia is to host the 2018 World Cup despite the fact that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin did not attend the final days of lobbying and decision-making. The 22 executives of Fifa, the world football federation, announced the successful candidate countries for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup following a series of secret ballots. The English presentation was given by Prince William, with support from David Beckham, but the delegation was reportedly eliminated in the first round.
The 2022 winners were Qatar, to general surprise. The mini-state of under two million have promised air conditioned stadiums.
England, Spain/Portugal, Russia and Belgium/Netherlands were competing for 2018. The 2022 candidates were Australia, the USA, Japan and Qatar.
Update 30 Novembr Zurich, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Lausanne-based IOC (International Olympic Committee) is reportedly asking the BBC to share with it proof that Issa Hayatou accepted bribes in the 1980s and 1990s. Hayatou is president of the Cameroon Football Association and a member of his country’s Olympic national committee. The bribe was mentioned on the BBC Panorama show that aired Monday evening 29 November.
The bribes scandal that Fifa (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) officials said in mid-November they hoped would not affect the selection process 1-2 December of World Cup host cities now threatens to overshadow voting, at least in world media. Swiss-German media over the weekend revealed details of what appears to be three more Fifa officials who also accepted bribes for their votes in the World Cup selection process.
Six officials were sanctioned 17 November for accepting bribes. Swiss sports officials have said they are reviewing the situation to see if laws were broken, given that Fifa is a Swiss-based non-profit organization.
Ricardo Teixeira, Brazil, Nicolas Leoz, Paraguay and Issa Hayatou, Cameroon were Monday 29 November named by Tagez-Anzeiger as the three officials mentioned by SonntagsZeitung on Sunday.
US former President Clinton to plead US case in Zurich
Zurich, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Togo goalkeeper Kodjovi Obilale, who played for French side Pontivy, before he was injured in an armed attack in January 2010, is to received $100,000 from Fifa, the international football federation. The 25-year-old football player was gravely injured when his team’s bus was attacked in Angola before the start of the CAF African Cup of Nations 8 January. The ambush took the lives of assistant coach Amelete Abalo and press officer Stanislas O’cloo, while Obilale himself is still continuing his rehabilitation, Fifa says. The federation announced earlier this year that Obilale would receive $25,000 but it has increased the sum. AP background story with photos
In other Fifa news, former US President Bill Clinton will visit Zurich 1 December as part of the group that makes a final presentation to the federation’s executive committee for the 2022 World Cup bids. Clinton is an honorary chairman for the US bid group.
Fifa will announce, 2 December, the cities that have been awarded bids for the 2018 and 2022 games.
Paul, the octopus who correctly predicted the outcome of all seven German World Cup matches this summer, as well as theeventual winner of the final game, Spain, has died. Officials at the Sea Life aquarium in Oberhausen, Germany announced 27 October he had died of natural causes earlier this week. He will be replaced by a new Paul, from France.
Links to other sites: Detroit Free Press, Time
International sports, football
Zurich, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Fifa, the international football federation, has provisionally suspended two members of its executive board and four other Fifa officials, it announced Wednesday 20 October.
Amos Adamu of Nigeria and Reynald Temarii of France, board members, have been banned from taking part in any football-related activity (administrative, sports or any other) after their cases were heard today by the Fifa ethics committee in relation to the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 Fifa World Cups.
The two allegedly told undercover journalists working for the Sunday Times, UK, that they would be prepared to sell their votes in return for money they would invest in sports projects. The bids are to be decided 2 December 2010.
The journalists posed as US agents trying to secure bids. The Times has turned over all its video and other material to Fifa for the investigations.
Also suspended were Slim Aloulou, Amadou Diakite, Ahongalu Fusimalohi and Ismael Bhamjee “in relation to an alleged breach of the Fifa statutes, the Fifa code of ethics and the Fifa disciplinary code”, the group said in a statement.
It will also investigate possible collusion between bidders for the games: the rules specifically forbid two or more bidding groups to work together unless they are proposing a joint bid.
Fifa’s investigation is expected to be presented to an ethics committee meeting in mid-November, at which point decisions will be made on further action to be taken.
Board members cannot be fired, as they are elected by their federations, but if they are found to have broken the rules they can be suspended. Adamu, of the West African Confederation of Football and Temarii, of the Oceania Football Confederation, are both due for re-election within six months.
For 2018, in Europe, the countries in the running are: England, Russia and joint bids by Belgium-Holland and Spain-Portugal.
For 2022: the USA, Australia, Japan, Qatar and South Korea.
Links to other sites: Aljazeera, background 17 October, Fifa decision
The death toll has now risen to at least 60, according to police in Uganda, from two bombs that went off Sunday 11 July in Kampala, where crowds had gathered to watch World Cup football on TV. At about the 90th minute of the game a bomb went off at an Ethiopian restaurant and at nearly the same time another was set off at a rugby sports centre near a stadium. At least 71 people have been hospitalized with injuries. The dead and injured include foreigners, but details are still sketchy. Government officials say investigations are not focused on any one group, although Islamic militants have threatened attacks in Uganda.
Links to other sites: All Africa, CNN, Reuters
Two bombs have killed more than 60 people and wounded scores of World Cup fans watching at two popular locations in the Ugandan capital Kampala late 11 July, minutes before the end of the final match between Spain and the Netherlands. At one location, the Ethiopan Garden, a bomb was left underneath a table. The second bomb went off at a rugby club on the outskirts of the city.
“We have 64 dead and 65 injured. The nationalities of all the fatalities will be released later,” Judith Nabakooba, Uganda’s national police spokesman, told Al-Jazeera.
Foreigners, including one American, are feared dead. No one has claimed responsibility for the action, but the Somali Islamist rebel group Al-Shaabab linked to al-Qaeda is suspected. Ugandan troops serve in the UN peacekeeping force in Mogadishu, Somalia.
Links to other sites: Al-Jazeera, CNN
Final score: Spain 1, The Netherlands 0
International sports, World Cup football
Johannesburg, South Africa (GenevaLunch) - The game is over, except in the hearts of fans, who will continue to turn over every move and every decision by the referee, for days to come.
The big one has been decided: Spain beat The Netherlands 1-0 with a goal in the final minute to take the 2010 World Cup football title. It was a game between two evenly matched teams, but where yellow cards and bad tempers ruled the day. The match remained scoreless until 117 minutes into the game.
Nelson Mandela was another real winner: the former South African president rode around the stadium in a small vehicle for the closing ceremony, winning the hearts of the crowd.
In Geneva, Festifoot, organizers of the city’s official World Cup festival, announced Sunday that 250,000 football fans took advantage of the outdoor screen – at the Esplanade des Vernets – during the past four weeks.
Read GenevaLunch’s recap of the 2010 World Cup.
Links to other sites: BBC, El Pais (Spa), Guardian, Le Matin (Fre), TSR (Fre), Xinhua
Spain to the finals for the very first time. There will be a new World Champion on 11 July – Photo 2010 FWCLOC
International Sports, World Cup football
Durban, South Africa (GenevaLunch.com) - The 2010 World Cup will have a European winner, from a country that has not yet won the ultimate prize in football.
Carlos Puyol scored the only goal for Spain in the semi-final with Germany with a booming header direct from a corner kick. Spain controlled the game for most of the match but their intricate passing set up few chances against the young German team.
Germany had been the in-form team of the 2010 World Cup, scoring four goals against Australia, England and Argentina, but they generated few chances against the technically superior Spanish players.
In the end the result was a repeat of the Euro 2008 final, 1-0 for Spain.
The World Cup final on Sunday will be against the Netherlands who have twice before reached the finals: losing on both occasions to Germany.
Spain have never before reached the final.
Links to other sites: Fifa, Guardian
Follow GenevaLunch’s daily recap of the 2010 World Cup.
Dutch fan ecstatic - Photo 2010 FWCLOC
Dutch fan ecstatic - Photo 2010 FWCLOC
International sports, World Cup football
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch.com) - Uruguay is out, after The Netherlands won 3-2 Tuesday night 6 July. This is the third time Holland will fight for the World Cup title.
Now all eyes are focused on the next semi-final match, Germany against Spain tonight at 20:30.
Here’s the squad list and background; Fifa wants to know who you think will win.
Follow GenevaLunch’s daily recap of the 2010 World Cup.
Links to other sites: Fifa World Cup, Guardian on the Dutch in the finals
Argentina fans cheered for Maradona to take them to semi-finals but no one was able to help them against Germany - Photo 2010 FWCLOC
Argentina fans cheered for Maradona to take them to semi-finals but no one was able to help them against Germany - Photo 2010 FWCLOC
International sports, World Cup Football
Cape Town, South Africa (GenevaLunch) - Germany’s young team smashed their way past the stars of Argentina in the first of the Saturday 3 July quarter-final matches.
The Mannschaft combined teamwork, energy, organization and clinical finishing to notch up another four-goal win. The team also scored four against Australia and England in earlier rounds. Thomas Muller scored the first goal with a deflecting header after just three minutes; two goals came from Miroslav Klose and one from Arne Friedrich.
Spain vs Paraguay
In the other game Spain just managed to edge out Paraguay1-0 with a goal by David Villa in the 83rd minute. Spain will face Germany in the semi-finals on Wednesday 7 July, while the Netherlands meet Uruguay on Tuesday 6 July.
Links to other sites: Fifa, Telegraph
Follow GenevaLunch’s daily recap of the 2010 World Cup.
International sports, World Cup football
Spanish coach says earlier defeat by Switzerland was “motivating”
World Cup hopes ran high among Geneva's large Portuguese population (photo, ©2010 Peter Brodbeck)
Update 08:30 Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch.com) – The large Spanish and Portuguese populations in the Lake Geneva area were glued to screens last night, spending most of the match hoping something would happen.
Towards the end, after 64 minutes of play, it finally did: David Villa scored a goal for Spain, his fourth of the World Cup.
Portugal’s defense was mostly steady, with the Tiago-Pepe-Meireles triangle holding up well, but the team never really rose to the occasion, perhaps still sluggish after the match with Brazil which has been widely called the most boring of the series.
Portuguese fans streamed onto Geneva's streets after the match with Brazil: it may have been dull, but it kept them in the World Cup (photo, © 2010 Peter Brodbeck)
And, while Spain’s game also seemed mostly uninspired, its team appears up to the challenge of playing Paraguay Saturday. If Spain wins that one it will be in the semi-finals for the first time, a thrilling hope for a country that has long loved football.
Spanish coach Vicente Del Bosque said before the match that the team’s defeat by Switzerland had served to motivate the Spanish. “That first stumble versus Switzerland has been highly motivating psychologically. The group knows our targets and we’re feeling fine.
”I don’t think a defeat is ever good. It was damaging to us and we were very anxious because we thought we were going to be facing many difficulties. I don’t think we had to learn any lessons, though, because this group is very humble and modest.”
Links to other sites: El Pais (Spa), Fifa, Guardian, Le Matin (Fre), Telegraph, UK
Click on images to view larger
FIFA President Joseph Blatter during the host city press conference on 6 June - Photo 2010 FWLOC
Zurich, Switzerland and Johannisburg, South Africa (GenevaLunch) – Sepp Blatter, president of World football body Fifa, has apologized to England and to Mexico for the refereeing errors in last Sunday’s knockout matches, at a press conference in Johannisburg 29 June.
“I have expressed to them apologies and I understand they are not happy and that people are criticising”, Blatter was quoted as saying.
He also said that Fifa would review its opposition to video reviews of goals at its July meeting. Fifa has consistently opposed any type of technological review methods to dispel doubts about goals, the offside rule and tackles, unlike other sports like tennis.
On Sunday, a clearly offside Carlos Tevez of Argentina scored the first goal against Mexico. The goal was allowed.
Earlier, a shot on goal by England’s Frank Lampard against Germany, which went into the goal after bouncing off the crossbeam, was not allowed.
International sports, World Cup football
Lukas Podolski of Germany challenged by Glen Johnson of England - Photo 2010 FWCLOC
Bloemfontein, South Africa (GenevaLunch) – England were thumped 4-1 by Germany and even complaints that an appalling piece of refereeing cost England an equalizer cannot disguise the fact that England were thoroughly outplayed.
The first German goal came from a boot upfield by the goalkeeper which went straight to the German striker Miroslav Klose as the England central defenders looked on.
The second goal also came from an English defensive error.
England then pulled one back with a beautiful header by Matthew Upson and a minute later Frank Lampard struck a ball from the edge of the penalty area onto the crossbar, where it bounced about one metre into the goal.
Unfortunately, the referee and his assistant did not see it and no goal was awarded.
Germany scored two more goals in the second half.
Argentina vs Mexico
Argentina celebrates yet another victory - Photo 2010 FWCLOC
Argentina celebrates yet another victory - Photo 2010 FWCLOC
The second game provided another reason to introduce goal mouth technology, as Carlos Tevez scored Argentina’s first goal against Mexico from a blatantly offside position. Argentina added two more before the Mexicans pulled one back to end the game 3-1 for Argentina.
Follow GenevaLunch’s daily recap of the 2010 World Cup.
Italy the current world champion was eliminated by Slovakia - Photo 2010 WCLOC
Italy the current world champion was eliminated by Slovakia - Photo 2010 WCLOC
International sports, World Cup football
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch.com) - Italy’s football team follows France’s in heading home with heads down after failing to make the cut in the World Cup in South Africa, and the national press is as tough on the team as the French media have been with their team.
Slovakia defeated Italy Thursday 3-2, sending the World Champion Italians packing without having won a single match.
Along with Slovakia, Paraguay qualified after tying with New Zealand 1-1. The New Zealand squad was ecstatic as they went home without losing a single game. Ricky Herbert, New Zealand coach said he was very proud of the team. “Two goals in a World Cup, not losing any games, that’s no small feat.”
In other results: Japan beat Denmark 3 to 1 and qualified to the Group of 16, along with Holland which beat Cameroon 2-1.
Links to other sites: Guardian, UK, Le Matin (Fre), La Stampa
Follow GenevaLunch’s daily recap of the 2010 World Cup.
International sports, World Cup football
Media tear team apart, players slump home in economy class
Paris, France (GenevaLunch) – It’s not a happy crowd that will be greeting Les Bleus on their return to France after they lost not only their chance at a World Cup victory, but the support of fans and media, who have deplored the team’s behaviour and performance, says France’s sports TV site, in a roundup of media stories Wednesday 23 June. The Guardian reports that French star Thierry Henry will meet with French President Nicolas Sarkozy at Henry’s request. The team was obliged to slink home in economy seats, reports the Daily Mail. The French saga at the World Cup was more about name-calling, being sent home early, strikes and lack of training, rather than football per se.
International sports, World Cup football
Bloemfontein, South Africa (GenevaLunch) – South Africa beat the hapless French team 2-1 but it was still not enough to let the Bafana Bafana go through to the next round. After the French team’s bad-tempered tantrums in recent days it is ironic that they owed at least some of their loss to a dodgy refereeing decision when Yoan Gourcuff was sent off in the first half.
Siphiwe Tshabalala of South Africa - Photo 2010 FWCLOC
South Africans celebrate their win over France - Photo 2010 FWCLOC
Uruguay beat Mexico 1-0 to top the group but Mexico did well enough to take the second place in the group on goal difference. France came bottom of the group.
In the evening games Argentina beat Greece 2-0 to top their group with three wins. South Korea went through in second place after a 2-2 draw with Nigeria.
Switzerland lost to Chile in Monday’s game but still have a good chance to go through if they beat Honduras: it could depend on goal difference.
England need to beat Slovenia in Wednesday’s game, 16:00 Swiss time, in order to stay in the tournament. Algeria and the USA also have a chance to go through in the group.
The evening games feature Australia against Serbia while Germany face Ghana in agroup where all the teams have a chance of going through.
Follow GenevaLunch’s daily recap of the 2010 World Cup.
Switzerland is celebrating its historic win over Spain - Photo 2010 FWCLOC
Switzerland is celebrating its historic win over Spain - Photo 2010 FWCLOC
International Sports, World Cup Football
Update 18:20 Durban, South Africa (GenevaLunch) - The Swiss football team got off to a flying start by beating the finest team of the last few years, 1-0.
Horns, Swiss-version vuvuzelas and more broke out in the normally more staid Geneva, Lausanne and other cities and towns.
Switzerland’s solid defense meant that even though the Spanish dominated possession there were few clear chances.
Switzerland took the lead when an old fashioned boot upfield led to a goalmouth scramble where the Swiss forwards powered past the Spanish defense.
Gelson Fernandes got the final touch on the ball after combining powerfully with fellow striker Erin Derdiyok. Switzerland then held against frantic but ill disciplined attacks.
The first major upset goes to Switzerland!!
Follow GenevaLunch’s daily recap of the 2010 World Cup.
(video) Zurich, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Fifa, the world football federation, was not amused when a group of mostly blond, willowy women dressed identically in little orange dresses from a Dutch brewery, Bavaria, caught the eye of world cameras at a World Cup match between The Netherlands and Denmark. The 36 women were ejected and questioned to see if they had a link to the brewery, which says it offered the clothes in a gift package. Fifa, which is tough on advertisers and promoters who try to circumvent the strict rules that protect official sponsors, has told several media that the group was hired as part of an advertising campaign.
Budweiser is the official beer sponsor for the World Cup, and has paid millions for the privilege.
Fifa reportedly says it is considering legal action against the brewery, according to the BBC. The Star newspaper in South Africa reports that the stunt could contradict the country’s marketing laws and that in any case ambush marketing is a criminal offense, banned at World Cup games. It quotes a Dutch embassy official, who is looking into the situation, “Foreign Ministry spokesman Aad Meijer said three of the women were Dutch. ‘We are not aware of any South African legislation that allows people to be detained for wearing an orange dress.’” But if the stunt is indeed linked to a TV campaign in The Netherlands, the company may well find itself with a lawsuit brought by Fifa.
Up to 10 million Dutch people were expected to watch the televised match, according to Dutch News.
Media reports in the UK, The Netherlands and South Africa vary wildly, with no official confirmation, on how the young women were treated and whether or not their eviction was a police “detention”.
Links to other sites: BBC, Dutch News, The Star (subscription), IOL (Star reprint)
Bol d'Or 2009, waiting in Montreux, for boats to arrive
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – There is no shortage of events for sports fans this weekend, on TV but also live and in the region. The World Cup is on, of course: be sure to read our Geneva Living blog for big screen locations throughout the Lake Geneva region.
Bol d’Or: sails go up for 10:00 race start!
The big local event is the beautiful Bol d’Or sailing competition, with hundreds of boats in different classes doing the Geneva-Lausanne-Geneva loop. The races start at 10:00 Saturday morning, so check the wind or better, yet, check the race’s virtual tracking page to see where the boats are at a given moment, if you want to find a good spot for watching them. The Bol d’Or has a new video (12 minutes) with the history of the race, which began in 1939.
The weather forecast for Geneva: cloudy changing to partly cloud, high of 25C Saturday, slightly warmer Sunday, when the race normally finishes. Reminder: GenevaLunch now has a weather page with five day forecasts.
Tour de Suisse underway in Lugano
The Tour de Suisse cyclists warm up for the mountains by doing a 7.6km loop around the Lugano area Saturday, before starting the first big run Sunday, 167.5km from Ascona in canton Ticino, over the Simplon pass to Sierre, canton Valais. The race is normally covered by TSR but this year it is on at the same time as the World Cup, so if you aren’t on the route, watching it live, you’ll have to content yourself with roundups on TV and TSR coverage online. You can pick up the live ticker on the Tour de Suisse web site.
Lausanne is teaming up with Télévision Suisse Romande to offer a giant screen on Place de la Navigation that will show almost all the matches of the World Cup. TSR will also be broadcasting live from place de la Navigation from 8pm on the evenings of matches.
Entry is free, as are seats, and there will be catering and entertainment facilities on site.
Location: Place de la Navigation, Lausanne
Link out: http://lausanne.ch/view.asp?DocId=33336
Start date: 11 Jun 2010
End date: 11 Jul 2010
Zurich cafés 11 Juin - 11 July
Zurich, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Zurich’s football fans who fancy watching the matches at their favourite cafes will now be able to do so sitting outdoors on the sidewalk or terraces, reports Le Matin.
The city doesn’t allow cafes and restaurants to broadcast with sound outside, for noise pollution reasons. An exception is being made for the World Cup after locals cried foul over the city ordinance. But – no exceptions allowed – cafes have a maximum of 15 minutes to turn off the sound after a match ends.
Philippe Senderos worried after Costa Rica scored - Photo of TSR1's broadcasting
Sion, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – La Nati added to the pain of all sports fans in Switzerland this evening. After the loss of Roger Federer at the French Open it was disheartening seeing the Swiss national football team lose. The Swiss were upstaged by Costa Rica, a team that didn’t qualify for the 2010 World Cup, during a friendly in Sion, Valais.
The sluggish Swiss team lost 0 to 1 in the second half after a Tico player avoided not one, not two, but three Swiss defenders who failed to stop him.
Winston Parks, a Romania-based striker who is not a starter, scored beautifully against a goalkeeper who just couldn’t stop the ball from scoring.
Swiss football players interviewed after the game said it is too soon to dismiss them from the World Cup.
Title: World cup viewing
Location: Dully
Link out: Click here
Description: Outdoors by the Dully community center and throughout the World Cup.
Start Date: 2010-06-11
End Date: 2010-07-07
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
Ehning new world champ - Photo Kit Houghton/FEI
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Marcus Ehning of Germany took his third Rolex FEI World Cup jumping title Sunday 18 April, a day ahead of his 36th birthday. He and his stallion Plot Blue came from behind to take the title, to his own surprise he said later. His horse earlier in the events had clipped the last vertical wall, carved with Swiss cows across the top of it, but others also made errors on the last day, in a tight finish.
The event, held at Palexpo in Geneva, was marred for many observers by the contentious news Friday that the horse of the favoured winner, American McLain Ward, had been disqualified.
Links to other sites: Rolex FEI World Cup, Horse News
