Saturday, August 12, 2006
Friday, August 11, 2006
World Cup Conclusion 2006
United Kingdom: Fixed-term Employees
10 August 2006
Article by Kerry Scott-Patel and Lara Crane
Originally published 11 July 2006
As another World Cup tournament comes to an end who can believe that it was four years ago since we had the last one? Time certainly flies in the sporting arena, particularly, it seems, if you do not care much for the nation’s favourite sport.
If you can recall that Ronaldo scored twice for Brazil to beat Germany in the World Cup 2002, you may also have etched in your memory that it was also four years ago that the Fixed-Term Employees (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2002 came into force. No? Well here is a reminder of why they have some particular significance four years on.
The regulations state that where an employee has been continuously employed on two or more fixed-term contracts for a period of four years or more, s/he shall be able to acquire permanent status. Therefore, employees who have been employed on fixed-term contracts for four years on 10 July 2006 will be entitled to be considered a permanent employee.
Such an employee may write to his/her employer requesting confirmation that s/he has become a permanent employee. The employer must reply in writing within 21 days confirming the permanent status unless the employer can objectively justify that the fixed-term status should remain at the date of the last renewal. For example, if the FA employed someone on fixedterm contracts for the specific task of overseeing the arrangements for football fans travelling from the UK to the Germany World Cup, the FA may be objectively justified in maintaining that this employee should remain on a fixed-term contract due to their task coming to an end imminently.
If the employee disputes the justification then s/he can apply to the Employment Tribunal for a declaration that his/her contract is permanent.
If the employee is confirmed as being permanent then the employer should give the employee, within one month of the anniversary, a statement of the changes to his/her terms and conditions, for example, as regards notice periods.
In practical terms this four year anniversary makes little difference to employers. The FA for example, would still have to tread carefully as the expiry of a fixed-term contract is still a dismissal. So before showing the employee a red card it will need to comply with the statutory dismissal procedure and make available to the employee any other vacancies within the FA. Presumably there will be one to deal with the arrangements for fans travelling to South Africa for the World Cup in four years time (it will come around quicker than you think) or even for those going to Austria and Switzerland for Euro 2008 - just two short years away. The England team had better start practising taking penalties sooner rather than later.
© RadcliffesLeBrasseur
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
Specific Questions relating to this article should be addressed directly to the author.
10 August 2006
Article by Kerry Scott-Patel and Lara Crane
Originally published 11 July 2006
As another World Cup tournament comes to an end who can believe that it was four years ago since we had the last one? Time certainly flies in the sporting arena, particularly, it seems, if you do not care much for the nation’s favourite sport.
If you can recall that Ronaldo scored twice for Brazil to beat Germany in the World Cup 2002, you may also have etched in your memory that it was also four years ago that the Fixed-Term Employees (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2002 came into force. No? Well here is a reminder of why they have some particular significance four years on.
The regulations state that where an employee has been continuously employed on two or more fixed-term contracts for a period of four years or more, s/he shall be able to acquire permanent status. Therefore, employees who have been employed on fixed-term contracts for four years on 10 July 2006 will be entitled to be considered a permanent employee.
Such an employee may write to his/her employer requesting confirmation that s/he has become a permanent employee. The employer must reply in writing within 21 days confirming the permanent status unless the employer can objectively justify that the fixed-term status should remain at the date of the last renewal. For example, if the FA employed someone on fixedterm contracts for the specific task of overseeing the arrangements for football fans travelling from the UK to the Germany World Cup, the FA may be objectively justified in maintaining that this employee should remain on a fixed-term contract due to their task coming to an end imminently.
If the employee disputes the justification then s/he can apply to the Employment Tribunal for a declaration that his/her contract is permanent.
If the employee is confirmed as being permanent then the employer should give the employee, within one month of the anniversary, a statement of the changes to his/her terms and conditions, for example, as regards notice periods.
In practical terms this four year anniversary makes little difference to employers. The FA for example, would still have to tread carefully as the expiry of a fixed-term contract is still a dismissal. So before showing the employee a red card it will need to comply with the statutory dismissal procedure and make available to the employee any other vacancies within the FA. Presumably there will be one to deal with the arrangements for fans travelling to South Africa for the World Cup in four years time (it will come around quicker than you think) or even for those going to Austria and Switzerland for Euro 2008 - just two short years away. The England team had better start practising taking penalties sooner rather than later.
© RadcliffesLeBrasseur
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
Specific Questions relating to this article should be addressed directly to the author.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Sunday, June 11, 2006
World Cup News
June 11, 2006, 5:50AM
Schaefer in Running to Take Over Togo Team
By CLARE NULLIS Associated Press Writer
© 2006 The Associated Press
WANGEN, Germany — Togo's national soccer team showed up for practice Sunday, easing fears of a player boycott to protest the resignation of coach Otto Pfister.
With the other 31 World Cup teams in the tournament concentrating on soccer, Togo is embroiled in off-field drama.
A furious Pfister quit late Friday at the federation's failure to settle long-standing demands by the players for bonuses. Team officials hoped the 68-year-old Pfister would change his mind and rejoin the team Sunday, but he was absent at the morning training session.
The 23 players were there, ending rumors that Togo forward Emmanuel Adebayor, who plays for Arsenal, would refuse to play following the departure of Pfister.
Even before the turmoil, Togo was regarded as the outsider in Group G, which includes France, Switzerland and South Korea. The African team faces South Korea in its first match Tuesday.
Another German coach, Winfried Schaefer, was in the running to take over for Pfister.
Team manager Gerson Kwadjo Dobou on Saturday dismissed reports Schaefer might join the team as a "rumor," although he said the team was ready to consider all possibilities.
Schaefer, who coached Cameroon in the 2002 World Cup and was fired in 2004, let it be known he was available.
"If I were to do it, then it would be to help the players, to help Africa. But only if everything disturbing were gone. And there has to be discipline, discipline and more discipline," the 56-year-old German told the Sunday Cologne Express.
He said the Togolese had contacted him in February before they signed Pfister to replace Nigeria's Stephen Keshi, who was fired after the team's poor performance at the African Cup of Nations.
"We'll see what comes now," Schaefer said. "I am prepared to help for the duration of the World Cup."
[World Cup News]
[World Cup]
[World Cup Soccer Jerseys]
Schaefer in Running to Take Over Togo Team
By CLARE NULLIS Associated Press Writer
© 2006 The Associated Press
WANGEN, Germany — Togo's national soccer team showed up for practice Sunday, easing fears of a player boycott to protest the resignation of coach Otto Pfister.
With the other 31 World Cup teams in the tournament concentrating on soccer, Togo is embroiled in off-field drama.
A furious Pfister quit late Friday at the federation's failure to settle long-standing demands by the players for bonuses. Team officials hoped the 68-year-old Pfister would change his mind and rejoin the team Sunday, but he was absent at the morning training session.
The 23 players were there, ending rumors that Togo forward Emmanuel Adebayor, who plays for Arsenal, would refuse to play following the departure of Pfister.
Even before the turmoil, Togo was regarded as the outsider in Group G, which includes France, Switzerland and South Korea. The African team faces South Korea in its first match Tuesday.
Another German coach, Winfried Schaefer, was in the running to take over for Pfister.
Team manager Gerson Kwadjo Dobou on Saturday dismissed reports Schaefer might join the team as a "rumor," although he said the team was ready to consider all possibilities.
Schaefer, who coached Cameroon in the 2002 World Cup and was fired in 2004, let it be known he was available.
"If I were to do it, then it would be to help the players, to help Africa. But only if everything disturbing were gone. And there has to be discipline, discipline and more discipline," the 56-year-old German told the Sunday Cologne Express.
He said the Togolese had contacted him in February before they signed Pfister to replace Nigeria's Stephen Keshi, who was fired after the team's poor performance at the African Cup of Nations.
"We'll see what comes now," Schaefer said. "I am prepared to help for the duration of the World Cup."
[World Cup News]
[World Cup]
[World Cup Soccer Jerseys]
Monday, May 29, 2006
World Cup News - Dutch women's group rebel against World Cup
You'd never believe what I found in the news this week about the World Cup -
Dutch women's group rebel against World Cup
AMSTERDAM, May 28 (Reuters) - A group of Dutch women, fed up with their partners' obsession with soccer, have joined forces to revolt against the World Cup.
Ronaldo Im Not Too Fat For World Cup
Brazilian soccer superstar RONALDO has hit out claims he is too fat to play in the upcoming World Cup. The Real Madrid striker was recently told by h
Soccer: Japan midfielder Ono sitting tight as World Cup looms
_ Shinji Ono has not given up hope of playing in his third World Cup finals despite being relegated to the bench as Japan's crunch Group F opener against Australia looms.
Dutch women's group rebel against World Cup
AMSTERDAM, May 28 (Reuters) - A group of Dutch women, fed up with their partners' obsession with soccer, have joined forces to revolt against the World Cup.
Ronaldo Im Not Too Fat For World Cup
Brazilian soccer superstar RONALDO has hit out claims he is too fat to play in the upcoming World Cup. The Real Madrid striker was recently told by h
Soccer: Japan midfielder Ono sitting tight as World Cup looms
_ Shinji Ono has not given up hope of playing in his third World Cup finals despite being relegated to the bench as Japan's crunch Group F opener against Australia looms.
World Cup 2006 News
In struggle for Cup seats, fans and sponsors face off
By Doreen Carvajal International Herald Tribune
SUNDAY, MAY 28, 2006
PARIS When armed robbers attacked a French city hall this month, they were desperately looking for valuable treasure - tickets to the UEFA Champions League final, pitting the triumphant Spanish team, FC Barcelona, against Arsenal of England.
Prime sports tickets are scarce, and even more precious for corporate sponsors that are exploiting stadium seats at the World Cup and the Olympic Games as currency to promote products like MasterCard credit cards, McDonald's burgers, Fuji film and Toshiba computers.
"The key trend is to limit the number of tickets to the general public, therefore making the sponsorship worth more," said Matt McDowell, marketing manager in Britain for Toshiba, which is sponsoring the World Cup in Germany.
"It's very effective because it's a supply-and-demand situation," he said. "If the only way people in the U.K. can see the World Cup in person is by taking part in Toshiba promotions, it adds a lot more to the event for us."
This is a competitive game, though, that is raising thorny issues - from a spreading backlash among fans who feel shoved aside by business interests to an emerging ethical and legal debate about whether journalists or government officials should accept business junkets and desirable tickets.
On the night of Barcelona's victory just outside Paris, top executives at Heineken, the brewer that sponsors the Champions League and European club rugby, gave business clients and journalists free lodging at a luxurious château and tickets for which fans were paying scalpers as much as €4,000, or $5,100.
On the bus ride over to the game, Theo van Vugt, a Dutch reporter for the trade magazine Marketing, said he had calculated the value of Heineken's public relations event: "It was all paid. My ticket was €180, and the hotel was €375 a night."
Toshiba is also dangling invitations to business clients, contest winners and journalists, who are offered free tickets along with a tour of the company's technology command center for the 12 stadiums of World Cup competition.
This year, 15 multinational companies have paid more than €700 million in total to sponsor the World Cup, which begins June 9. Benefits to the companies include exclusive rights to use the World Cup name and to buy an allotment of tickets that they can distribute or promote as contest prizes.
About 490,000 World Cup tickets were set aside for sponsors - about 16 percent of the total 3.07 million game tickets - but companies purchased 380,000, according to FIFA, the governing body of world soccer. In addition, about 347,000 tickets, or about 11 percent of the total, are reserved for high- end packages for sky box deals through iSe-Hospitality in Switzerland, which offers ticket, catering, parking and hospitality services.
The total number of tickets issued has been edging upward since 1998, when 2.7 million tickets were sold for the World Cup in France, rising to three million in 2002 for the games in South Korea and Japan.
Most of the tickets purchased by company sponsors are used for promotions and contests, according to a FIFA statement, "enabling football fans all over the world the opportunity to experience the 2006 FIFA World Cup."
That is cold comfort for groups like the Football Supporters Federation in England. The group is organizing an electronic petition drive to gather one million names worldwide, to put pressure on FIFA to reduce the corporate hold on stadium seating.
"Our ambition is to have an impact on future tournaments as much as this one," said Kevin Miles, the group's international coordinator. "We want to reflect the anger about the way that tickets have been distributed and then the vastly inflated prices on the black market."
He said the group was concerned not about how sponsors used their tickets but about their generous share. His group argues in its petition that FIFA could "dramatically reduce the number of tickets being traded on the black market, improve the atmosphere in their stadiums and return the 'people's game' to its genuine supporters by ensuring a far greater proportion of tickets for fans, not sponsors."
In Germany, home of the World Cup this year, the relative scarcity and value of game tickets have raised legal concerns about government officials who accept them from companies.
Some public officials in Berlin were already ordering their staff to return tickets supplied by FIFA to top layers of German government. "This was not a reaction to any type of conflict of interest," said one official who declined to be identified. "We believe that given the number of fans scrambling for tickets, we should apply and pay like anyone else."
But the district attorney's office in Karlsruhe, Germany, said this month that it was investigating politicians who had accepted tickets from companies.
In the Karlsruhe case, the authorities are investigating Utz Claassen, chairman of the German energy company EnBW, which is one of six national sponsors of the games. According to Rainer Bogs, a spokesman for the district attorney's office, the investigation reviewed 15 cases of politicians who were offered tickets with eight accepting, including a finance minister from the region of Baden-Württemberg.
"Sponsors are not allowed to grant advantages to public representatives with whom they have possible official ties," Bogs said, noting that violators could be penalized by a fine or as long as three years in prison.
EnBW, which had purchased about 12,000 tickets as part of its World Cup sponsorship, maintained that there was nothing wrong with the corporate practice of distributing tickets.
"Our procedure was legal, is legal and remains legal," Hermann Schierwater, a company spokesman, said. "We will not change anything on our practice."
For journalists who accept scarce and valuable sports tickets along with a company pitch, ethical considerations come into play. Can a journalist write a skeptical, independent story about a company from which he or she has accepted lodging and tickets?
Aidan White, general secretary of the International Federation of Journalists, based in Brussels, says that accepting the gift violates the group's basic code of conduct, barring "acceptance of a bribe in any form in consideration of either publication or suppression."
"I think it's inappropriate to hold media events and then give what is a tremendous gift to journalists lucky enough to be talking to MasterCard or Coca-Cola," he said. "Suddenly they get access to tickets while ordinary punters can't get inside and they're willing to pay good, hard-earned money."
Most sponsoring companies view the practice of arranging press junkets to a game quite differently, because they say journalists are not obligated to write about their companies, although the companies hope they will.
Public relations is just part of a broader strategy to exploit sports sponsorships to "raise brand awareness and brand equity," according to Peter van Campen, group commerce director for Heineken. "We don't do this just to have our brand across a board. When you sponsor, you have to activate it across all medias, via advertising, the Internet, promotions and public relations."
Van Vugt, who accepted Heineken's soccer tickets, said the game was incidental to the beer company's media event. He got to meet top executives, who ordinarily are difficult to reach.
"They try to convince me that there is a story in it and I'm free to accept it or not," he said. "They have a risk that they get nothing."
McDowell, Toshiba's marketing manager, said his company realized that it could not force journalists to write anything.
"If the event showed them what we're capable of and they don't write about it immediately, fair enough," he said. "We just hope when an article comes up associated with our industry, that they give us a call and ask for comment."
With 25,000 World Cup tickets to distribute, Toshiba generally reaps positive reactions from distributors, clients and contest winners, McDowell said.
About the only people who turn the company down, he added, are people who are offered tickets without a full package of hospitality.
PARIS When armed robbers attacked a French city hall this month, they were desperately looking for valuable treasure - tickets to the UEFA Champions League final, pitting the triumphant Spanish team, FC Barcelona, against Arsenal of England.
Prime sports tickets are scarce, and even more precious for corporate sponsors that are exploiting stadium seats at the World Cup and the Olympic Games as currency to promote products like MasterCard credit cards, McDonald's burgers, Fuji film and Toshiba computers.
"The key trend is to limit the number of tickets to the general public, therefore making the sponsorship worth more," said Matt McDowell, marketing manager in Britain for Toshiba, which is sponsoring the World Cup in Germany.
"It's very effective because it's a supply-and-demand situation," he said. "If the only way people in the U.K. can see the World Cup in person is by taking part in Toshiba promotions, it adds a lot more to the event for us."
This is a competitive game, though, that is raising thorny issues - from a spreading backlash among fans who feel shoved aside by business interests to an emerging ethical and legal debate about whether journalists or government officials should accept business junkets and desirable tickets.
On the night of Barcelona's victory just outside Paris, top executives at Heineken, the brewer that sponsors the Champions League and European club rugby, gave business clients and journalists free lodging at a luxurious château and tickets for which fans were paying scalpers as much as €4,000, or $5,100.
On the bus ride over to the game, Theo van Vugt, a Dutch reporter for the trade magazine Marketing, said he had calculated the value of Heineken's public relations event: "It was all paid. My ticket was €180, and the hotel was €375 a night."
Toshiba is also dangling invitations to business clients, contest winners and journalists, who are offered free tickets along with a tour of the company's technology command center for the 12 stadiums of World Cup competition.
This year, 15 multinational companies have paid more than €700 million in total to sponsor the World Cup, which begins June 9. Benefits to the companies include exclusive rights to use the World Cup name and to buy an allotment of tickets that they can distribute or promote as contest prizes.
About 490,000 World Cup tickets were set aside for sponsors - about 16 percent of the total 3.07 million game tickets - but companies purchased 380,000, according to FIFA, the governing body of world soccer. In addition, about 347,000 tickets, or about 11 percent of the total, are reserved for high- end packages for sky box deals through iSe-Hospitality in Switzerland, which offers ticket, catering, parking and hospitality services.
The total number of tickets issued has been edging upward since 1998, when 2.7 million tickets were sold for the World Cup in France, rising to three million in 2002 for the games in South Korea and Japan.
Most of the tickets purchased by company sponsors are used for promotions and contests, according to a FIFA statement, "enabling football fans all over the world the opportunity to experience the 2006 FIFA World Cup."
That is cold comfort for groups like the Football Supporters Federation in England. The group is organizing an electronic petition drive to gather one million names worldwide, to put pressure on FIFA to reduce the corporate hold on stadium seating.
"Our ambition is to have an impact on future tournaments as much as this one," said Kevin Miles, the group's international coordinator. "We want to reflect the anger about the way that tickets have been distributed and then the vastly inflated prices on the black market."
He said the group was concerned not about how sponsors used their tickets but about their generous share. His group argues in its petition that FIFA could "dramatically reduce the number of tickets being traded on the black market, improve the atmosphere in their stadiums and return the 'people's game' to its genuine supporters by ensuring a far greater proportion of tickets for fans, not sponsors."
In Germany, home of the World Cup this year, the relative scarcity and value of game tickets have raised legal concerns about government officials who accept them from companies.
Some public officials in Berlin were already ordering their staff to return tickets supplied by FIFA to top layers of German government. "This was not a reaction to any type of conflict of interest," said one official who declined to be identified. "We believe that given the number of fans scrambling for tickets, we should apply and pay like anyone else."
But the district attorney's office in Karlsruhe, Germany, said this month that it was investigating politicians who had accepted tickets from companies.
In the Karlsruhe case, the authorities are investigating Utz Claassen, chairman of the German energy company EnBW, which is one of six national sponsors of the games. According to Rainer Bogs, a spokesman for the district attorney's office, the investigation reviewed 15 cases of politicians who were offered tickets with eight accepting, including a finance minister from the region of Baden-Württemberg.
"Sponsors are not allowed to grant advantages to public representatives with whom they have possible official ties," Bogs said, noting that violators could be penalized by a fine or as long as three years in prison.
EnBW, which had purchased about 12,000 tickets as part of its World Cup sponsorship, maintained that there was nothing wrong with the corporate practice of distributing tickets.
"Our procedure was legal, is legal and remains legal," Hermann Schierwater, a company spokesman, said. "We will not change anything on our practice."
For journalists who accept scarce and valuable sports tickets along with a company pitch, ethical considerations come into play. Can a journalist write a skeptical, independent story about a company from which he or she has accepted lodging and tickets?
Aidan White, general secretary of the International Federation of Journalists, based in Brussels, says that accepting the gift violates the group's basic code of conduct, barring "acceptance of a bribe in any form in consideration of either publication or suppression."
"I think it's inappropriate to hold media events and then give what is a tremendous gift to journalists lucky enough to be talking to MasterCard or Coca-Cola," he said. "Suddenly they get access to tickets while ordinary punters can't get inside and they're willing to pay good, hard-earned money."
Most sponsoring companies view the practice of arranging press junkets to a game quite differently, because they say journalists are not obligated to write about their companies, although the companies hope they will.
Public relations is just part of a broader strategy to exploit sports sponsorships to "raise brand awareness and brand equity," according to Peter van Campen, group commerce director for Heineken. "We don't do this just to have our brand across a board. When you sponsor, you have to activate it across all medias, via advertising, the Internet, promotions and public relations."
Van Vugt, who accepted Heineken's soccer tickets, said the game was incidental to the beer company's media event. He got to meet top executives, who ordinarily are difficult to reach.
"They try to convince me that there is a story in it and I'm free to accept it or not," he said. "They have a risk that they get nothing."
McDowell, Toshiba's marketing manager, said his company realized that it could not force journalists to write anything.
"If the event showed them what we're capable of and they don't write about it immediately, fair enough," he said. "We just hope when an article comes up associated with our industry, that they give us a call and ask for comment."
With 25,000 World Cup tickets to distribute, Toshiba generally reaps positive reactions from distributors, clients and contest winners, McDowell said.
About the only people who turn the company down, he added, are people who are offered tickets without a full package of hospitality.
[World Cup 2006]
[World Cup Jerseys]
By Doreen Carvajal International Herald Tribune
SUNDAY, MAY 28, 2006
PARIS When armed robbers attacked a French city hall this month, they were desperately looking for valuable treasure - tickets to the UEFA Champions League final, pitting the triumphant Spanish team, FC Barcelona, against Arsenal of England.
Prime sports tickets are scarce, and even more precious for corporate sponsors that are exploiting stadium seats at the World Cup and the Olympic Games as currency to promote products like MasterCard credit cards, McDonald's burgers, Fuji film and Toshiba computers.
"The key trend is to limit the number of tickets to the general public, therefore making the sponsorship worth more," said Matt McDowell, marketing manager in Britain for Toshiba, which is sponsoring the World Cup in Germany.
"It's very effective because it's a supply-and-demand situation," he said. "If the only way people in the U.K. can see the World Cup in person is by taking part in Toshiba promotions, it adds a lot more to the event for us."
This is a competitive game, though, that is raising thorny issues - from a spreading backlash among fans who feel shoved aside by business interests to an emerging ethical and legal debate about whether journalists or government officials should accept business junkets and desirable tickets.
On the night of Barcelona's victory just outside Paris, top executives at Heineken, the brewer that sponsors the Champions League and European club rugby, gave business clients and journalists free lodging at a luxurious château and tickets for which fans were paying scalpers as much as €4,000, or $5,100.
On the bus ride over to the game, Theo van Vugt, a Dutch reporter for the trade magazine Marketing, said he had calculated the value of Heineken's public relations event: "It was all paid. My ticket was €180, and the hotel was €375 a night."
Toshiba is also dangling invitations to business clients, contest winners and journalists, who are offered free tickets along with a tour of the company's technology command center for the 12 stadiums of World Cup competition.
This year, 15 multinational companies have paid more than €700 million in total to sponsor the World Cup, which begins June 9. Benefits to the companies include exclusive rights to use the World Cup name and to buy an allotment of tickets that they can distribute or promote as contest prizes.
About 490,000 World Cup tickets were set aside for sponsors - about 16 percent of the total 3.07 million game tickets - but companies purchased 380,000, according to FIFA, the governing body of world soccer. In addition, about 347,000 tickets, or about 11 percent of the total, are reserved for high- end packages for sky box deals through iSe-Hospitality in Switzerland, which offers ticket, catering, parking and hospitality services.
The total number of tickets issued has been edging upward since 1998, when 2.7 million tickets were sold for the World Cup in France, rising to three million in 2002 for the games in South Korea and Japan.
Most of the tickets purchased by company sponsors are used for promotions and contests, according to a FIFA statement, "enabling football fans all over the world the opportunity to experience the 2006 FIFA World Cup."
That is cold comfort for groups like the Football Supporters Federation in England. The group is organizing an electronic petition drive to gather one million names worldwide, to put pressure on FIFA to reduce the corporate hold on stadium seating.
"Our ambition is to have an impact on future tournaments as much as this one," said Kevin Miles, the group's international coordinator. "We want to reflect the anger about the way that tickets have been distributed and then the vastly inflated prices on the black market."
He said the group was concerned not about how sponsors used their tickets but about their generous share. His group argues in its petition that FIFA could "dramatically reduce the number of tickets being traded on the black market, improve the atmosphere in their stadiums and return the 'people's game' to its genuine supporters by ensuring a far greater proportion of tickets for fans, not sponsors."
In Germany, home of the World Cup this year, the relative scarcity and value of game tickets have raised legal concerns about government officials who accept them from companies.
Some public officials in Berlin were already ordering their staff to return tickets supplied by FIFA to top layers of German government. "This was not a reaction to any type of conflict of interest," said one official who declined to be identified. "We believe that given the number of fans scrambling for tickets, we should apply and pay like anyone else."
But the district attorney's office in Karlsruhe, Germany, said this month that it was investigating politicians who had accepted tickets from companies.
In the Karlsruhe case, the authorities are investigating Utz Claassen, chairman of the German energy company EnBW, which is one of six national sponsors of the games. According to Rainer Bogs, a spokesman for the district attorney's office, the investigation reviewed 15 cases of politicians who were offered tickets with eight accepting, including a finance minister from the region of Baden-Württemberg.
"Sponsors are not allowed to grant advantages to public representatives with whom they have possible official ties," Bogs said, noting that violators could be penalized by a fine or as long as three years in prison.
EnBW, which had purchased about 12,000 tickets as part of its World Cup sponsorship, maintained that there was nothing wrong with the corporate practice of distributing tickets.
"Our procedure was legal, is legal and remains legal," Hermann Schierwater, a company spokesman, said. "We will not change anything on our practice."
For journalists who accept scarce and valuable sports tickets along with a company pitch, ethical considerations come into play. Can a journalist write a skeptical, independent story about a company from which he or she has accepted lodging and tickets?
Aidan White, general secretary of the International Federation of Journalists, based in Brussels, says that accepting the gift violates the group's basic code of conduct, barring "acceptance of a bribe in any form in consideration of either publication or suppression."
"I think it's inappropriate to hold media events and then give what is a tremendous gift to journalists lucky enough to be talking to MasterCard or Coca-Cola," he said. "Suddenly they get access to tickets while ordinary punters can't get inside and they're willing to pay good, hard-earned money."
Most sponsoring companies view the practice of arranging press junkets to a game quite differently, because they say journalists are not obligated to write about their companies, although the companies hope they will.
Public relations is just part of a broader strategy to exploit sports sponsorships to "raise brand awareness and brand equity," according to Peter van Campen, group commerce director for Heineken. "We don't do this just to have our brand across a board. When you sponsor, you have to activate it across all medias, via advertising, the Internet, promotions and public relations."
Van Vugt, who accepted Heineken's soccer tickets, said the game was incidental to the beer company's media event. He got to meet top executives, who ordinarily are difficult to reach.
"They try to convince me that there is a story in it and I'm free to accept it or not," he said. "They have a risk that they get nothing."
McDowell, Toshiba's marketing manager, said his company realized that it could not force journalists to write anything.
"If the event showed them what we're capable of and they don't write about it immediately, fair enough," he said. "We just hope when an article comes up associated with our industry, that they give us a call and ask for comment."
With 25,000 World Cup tickets to distribute, Toshiba generally reaps positive reactions from distributors, clients and contest winners, McDowell said.
About the only people who turn the company down, he added, are people who are offered tickets without a full package of hospitality.
PARIS When armed robbers attacked a French city hall this month, they were desperately looking for valuable treasure - tickets to the UEFA Champions League final, pitting the triumphant Spanish team, FC Barcelona, against Arsenal of England.
Prime sports tickets are scarce, and even more precious for corporate sponsors that are exploiting stadium seats at the World Cup and the Olympic Games as currency to promote products like MasterCard credit cards, McDonald's burgers, Fuji film and Toshiba computers.
"The key trend is to limit the number of tickets to the general public, therefore making the sponsorship worth more," said Matt McDowell, marketing manager in Britain for Toshiba, which is sponsoring the World Cup in Germany.
"It's very effective because it's a supply-and-demand situation," he said. "If the only way people in the U.K. can see the World Cup in person is by taking part in Toshiba promotions, it adds a lot more to the event for us."
This is a competitive game, though, that is raising thorny issues - from a spreading backlash among fans who feel shoved aside by business interests to an emerging ethical and legal debate about whether journalists or government officials should accept business junkets and desirable tickets.
On the night of Barcelona's victory just outside Paris, top executives at Heineken, the brewer that sponsors the Champions League and European club rugby, gave business clients and journalists free lodging at a luxurious château and tickets for which fans were paying scalpers as much as €4,000, or $5,100.
On the bus ride over to the game, Theo van Vugt, a Dutch reporter for the trade magazine Marketing, said he had calculated the value of Heineken's public relations event: "It was all paid. My ticket was €180, and the hotel was €375 a night."
Toshiba is also dangling invitations to business clients, contest winners and journalists, who are offered free tickets along with a tour of the company's technology command center for the 12 stadiums of World Cup competition.
This year, 15 multinational companies have paid more than €700 million in total to sponsor the World Cup, which begins June 9. Benefits to the companies include exclusive rights to use the World Cup name and to buy an allotment of tickets that they can distribute or promote as contest prizes.
About 490,000 World Cup tickets were set aside for sponsors - about 16 percent of the total 3.07 million game tickets - but companies purchased 380,000, according to FIFA, the governing body of world soccer. In addition, about 347,000 tickets, or about 11 percent of the total, are reserved for high- end packages for sky box deals through iSe-Hospitality in Switzerland, which offers ticket, catering, parking and hospitality services.
The total number of tickets issued has been edging upward since 1998, when 2.7 million tickets were sold for the World Cup in France, rising to three million in 2002 for the games in South Korea and Japan.
Most of the tickets purchased by company sponsors are used for promotions and contests, according to a FIFA statement, "enabling football fans all over the world the opportunity to experience the 2006 FIFA World Cup."
That is cold comfort for groups like the Football Supporters Federation in England. The group is organizing an electronic petition drive to gather one million names worldwide, to put pressure on FIFA to reduce the corporate hold on stadium seating.
"Our ambition is to have an impact on future tournaments as much as this one," said Kevin Miles, the group's international coordinator. "We want to reflect the anger about the way that tickets have been distributed and then the vastly inflated prices on the black market."
He said the group was concerned not about how sponsors used their tickets but about their generous share. His group argues in its petition that FIFA could "dramatically reduce the number of tickets being traded on the black market, improve the atmosphere in their stadiums and return the 'people's game' to its genuine supporters by ensuring a far greater proportion of tickets for fans, not sponsors."
In Germany, home of the World Cup this year, the relative scarcity and value of game tickets have raised legal concerns about government officials who accept them from companies.
Some public officials in Berlin were already ordering their staff to return tickets supplied by FIFA to top layers of German government. "This was not a reaction to any type of conflict of interest," said one official who declined to be identified. "We believe that given the number of fans scrambling for tickets, we should apply and pay like anyone else."
But the district attorney's office in Karlsruhe, Germany, said this month that it was investigating politicians who had accepted tickets from companies.
In the Karlsruhe case, the authorities are investigating Utz Claassen, chairman of the German energy company EnBW, which is one of six national sponsors of the games. According to Rainer Bogs, a spokesman for the district attorney's office, the investigation reviewed 15 cases of politicians who were offered tickets with eight accepting, including a finance minister from the region of Baden-Württemberg.
"Sponsors are not allowed to grant advantages to public representatives with whom they have possible official ties," Bogs said, noting that violators could be penalized by a fine or as long as three years in prison.
EnBW, which had purchased about 12,000 tickets as part of its World Cup sponsorship, maintained that there was nothing wrong with the corporate practice of distributing tickets.
"Our procedure was legal, is legal and remains legal," Hermann Schierwater, a company spokesman, said. "We will not change anything on our practice."
For journalists who accept scarce and valuable sports tickets along with a company pitch, ethical considerations come into play. Can a journalist write a skeptical, independent story about a company from which he or she has accepted lodging and tickets?
Aidan White, general secretary of the International Federation of Journalists, based in Brussels, says that accepting the gift violates the group's basic code of conduct, barring "acceptance of a bribe in any form in consideration of either publication or suppression."
"I think it's inappropriate to hold media events and then give what is a tremendous gift to journalists lucky enough to be talking to MasterCard or Coca-Cola," he said. "Suddenly they get access to tickets while ordinary punters can't get inside and they're willing to pay good, hard-earned money."
Most sponsoring companies view the practice of arranging press junkets to a game quite differently, because they say journalists are not obligated to write about their companies, although the companies hope they will.
Public relations is just part of a broader strategy to exploit sports sponsorships to "raise brand awareness and brand equity," according to Peter van Campen, group commerce director for Heineken. "We don't do this just to have our brand across a board. When you sponsor, you have to activate it across all medias, via advertising, the Internet, promotions and public relations."
Van Vugt, who accepted Heineken's soccer tickets, said the game was incidental to the beer company's media event. He got to meet top executives, who ordinarily are difficult to reach.
"They try to convince me that there is a story in it and I'm free to accept it or not," he said. "They have a risk that they get nothing."
McDowell, Toshiba's marketing manager, said his company realized that it could not force journalists to write anything.
"If the event showed them what we're capable of and they don't write about it immediately, fair enough," he said. "We just hope when an article comes up associated with our industry, that they give us a call and ask for comment."
With 25,000 World Cup tickets to distribute, Toshiba generally reaps positive reactions from distributors, clients and contest winners, McDowell said.
About the only people who turn the company down, he added, are people who are offered tickets without a full package of hospitality.
[World Cup 2006]
[World Cup Jerseys]
Thursday, May 25, 2006
World Cup News - Captains can't rally back after big BlueClaws third
I tracked down this super story about the world cup. -
Captains can't rally back after big BlueClaws third
OurSports Central - (Eastlake, OH)--The Lakewood BlueClaws scored eight runs in the third inning Thursday afternoon and made the early lead stand up, as they defeated the Lake County Captains 10-8 at Classic Park. It was the second straight win for the BlueClaws (24-22
Ruiz, FC Dallas leave Bulls seeing red
Houston Chronicle - EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Carlos Ruiz scored with four minutes remaining in regulation to give FC Dallas a 2-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer on Wednesday night. Ruiz, who also had an assist on his team's first goal, got off
Captains can't rally back after big BlueClaws third
OurSports Central - (Eastlake, OH)--The Lakewood BlueClaws scored eight runs in the third inning Thursday afternoon and made the early lead stand up, as they defeated the Lake County Captains 10-8 at Classic Park. It was the second straight win for the BlueClaws (24-22
Ruiz, FC Dallas leave Bulls seeing red
Houston Chronicle - EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Carlos Ruiz scored with four minutes remaining in regulation to give FC Dallas a 2-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer on Wednesday night. Ruiz, who also had an assist on his team's first goal, got off
Thursday, April 27, 2006
World Cup Soccer Safety
The Nitty Gritty to Soccer Safety
by: Rebecca Blain
As soccer is one of the most well loved sports on Earth, many children and adults are lured into participating in playing on a daily basis. Due to this wide spread popularity, soccer injuries are very common.
With over 80,000 adults and children going to emergency rooms every year as a result of soccer, knowing the safety rules is vital. When playing and watching, there are certain things that you should always be aware of so that you and your teammates or family members are not among those hurt through either playing or watching. There are several categories of safety rules that you should be aware of. These consist of the following:
* On Field Safety
* Goal Safety
* Stadium Safety
* Equipment
* Weather Safety
* Miscellaneous Accessories
On Field Safety
Of all of the categories, on field safety is the one that players are constantly aware of. This is where most children and adults are injured. Whether it is a sprained ankle from tripping over the ball, collisions, and other accidents, there are several things that you can do to prevent injury. Sprained ankles are one of the most common soccer injuries, as there is a great deal of foot work involved.
These injuries can be avoided by using a slight amount of caution when passing or receiving the ball, as well as taking care when running down the field. Proper foot position when handling the ball is one of the most effective ways at preventing this type of injury. Unfortunately, accidents will happen, regardless of how careful you are. By being diligent, you can make certain whatever injuries you sustain are minor and should not interfere with future game play. The key rule to preventing injuries on the field is to always be observant. Know where the ball is and know who is around you.
Goal Safety
Whether you are the goalie, or a player on defense, the goal can occasionally become a safety hazard. In most instances, collisions with goal or goalie are caused by lack of observation. Whether you trip and fall into the goal posts, or hit the goalie by accident, you need to make certain that you are always watching where you going when moving in to score. Not only can this action cause injury, it can also get you carded which could potentially have you removed from the game.
Another point to consider when shopping for 8 x 24 soccer goals, is to consider goals with rounded posts instead of square posts. When colliding with a post, you're more likely to skip off a rounded one and avoid serious injury.
Stadium Safety
For parents, guardians and friends, there are a few stadium safety tips that tend to be neglected when the subject of soccer safety comes up. Occasionally a player can lose control of the soccer ball, and it enter the stands where you are observing the game. Injuries due to being hit with the ball, or any other piece of equipment that flies your way, can be easily prevented by making certain you pay attention at all times.
Running through the stands, or through the player's area can be dangerous to you and others. As a rule, common sense is the best safety precaution you have. If it involves doing something that could harm yourself or others, such as walking over the back of the bleachers, climbing over people and tall benches, it should be avoided for your sake and others.
Equipment
Without soccer safety equipment, all of the in game rules would be ineffective. Shin guards, cleats, jerseys and proper fitting shorts and socks all work together to ensure that every player can enjoy the game without being at high risk of injury. Shin guards are used to prevent bruising or breaking of the lower portion of the leg, where cleats and soccer balls are highly likely to hit you. Without these, such as lotto shin guards, you put yourself at high risk.
Wearing a proper pair of cleats, such as the ones designed by Nike, gives you more grip into the turf. This grip helps to prevent sprains and breaks in the ankles. These shoes also give your feet adequate protection from other pairs of cleats and impact with the soccer ball.
Proper fitting clothing, ranging from the jersey, shorts and socks, contribute to player comfort. This is important, as distractions from the game can lead to injuries to yourself and others. It is always advisable to wear your proper jerseys to practice or to games. Specially designed jerseys and shorts are designed to handle the rigors of soccer. The fabric in particular is designed to stand up against grass stains as well as be comfortable.
Weather
One aspect of soccer safety that is forgotten by many players and parents is weather conditions. Playing in the rain can be a fun, invigorating experience, treasured by players for years to come. Despite this, playing in muddy conditions is dangerous. The slipping and sliding that creates a great deal of the enjoyment taken from playing soccer in the rain leaves room for a wide variety of different injuries. If you choose to play soccer in the rain, make certain you take every precaution possible, from wearing cleats, guards and your protective gear.
When a full fledged storm comes up, complete with thunder and lightning, game play should be ended immediately. A soccer field is the worst place to be in the middle of a lightning storm, and parents as well as players have been killed or maimed by lightning. If lightning is spotted and your referee does not end the game, you should still leave the field as soon as possible.
Miscellaneous Accessories
Before you play soccer, you need to make certain that you are not wearing miscellaneous accessories such as earrings, anklets and other pieces of jewelry that could be broken or cause harm. Earrings in particular are prone to being torn from earlobes when contact is made with a soccer ball. By removing these pieces of jewelry and other items of this nature, you can help prevent injuries to yourself that could be disfiguring. If you are considering getting piercings and you play soccer, you may want to consider planning to have your piercings done when the soccer season is over.
If you keep all of these things in mind while playing or observing soccer games, you should be able to enjoy the sport while being at low risk of injury.
About The Author
Rebecca Blain is a professional and hobbyist writer who enjoys taking care of her Siamese Fighting Fish and educating people about soccer equipment such as Lotto shinguards here: http://www.everything-soccer.com/lotto-shin-guards.html
World Cup Soccer Safety
by: Rebecca Blain
As soccer is one of the most well loved sports on Earth, many children and adults are lured into participating in playing on a daily basis. Due to this wide spread popularity, soccer injuries are very common.
With over 80,000 adults and children going to emergency rooms every year as a result of soccer, knowing the safety rules is vital. When playing and watching, there are certain things that you should always be aware of so that you and your teammates or family members are not among those hurt through either playing or watching. There are several categories of safety rules that you should be aware of. These consist of the following:
* On Field Safety
* Goal Safety
* Stadium Safety
* Equipment
* Weather Safety
* Miscellaneous Accessories
On Field Safety
Of all of the categories, on field safety is the one that players are constantly aware of. This is where most children and adults are injured. Whether it is a sprained ankle from tripping over the ball, collisions, and other accidents, there are several things that you can do to prevent injury. Sprained ankles are one of the most common soccer injuries, as there is a great deal of foot work involved.
These injuries can be avoided by using a slight amount of caution when passing or receiving the ball, as well as taking care when running down the field. Proper foot position when handling the ball is one of the most effective ways at preventing this type of injury. Unfortunately, accidents will happen, regardless of how careful you are. By being diligent, you can make certain whatever injuries you sustain are minor and should not interfere with future game play. The key rule to preventing injuries on the field is to always be observant. Know where the ball is and know who is around you.
Goal Safety
Whether you are the goalie, or a player on defense, the goal can occasionally become a safety hazard. In most instances, collisions with goal or goalie are caused by lack of observation. Whether you trip and fall into the goal posts, or hit the goalie by accident, you need to make certain that you are always watching where you going when moving in to score. Not only can this action cause injury, it can also get you carded which could potentially have you removed from the game.
Another point to consider when shopping for 8 x 24 soccer goals, is to consider goals with rounded posts instead of square posts. When colliding with a post, you're more likely to skip off a rounded one and avoid serious injury.
Stadium Safety
For parents, guardians and friends, there are a few stadium safety tips that tend to be neglected when the subject of soccer safety comes up. Occasionally a player can lose control of the soccer ball, and it enter the stands where you are observing the game. Injuries due to being hit with the ball, or any other piece of equipment that flies your way, can be easily prevented by making certain you pay attention at all times.
Running through the stands, or through the player's area can be dangerous to you and others. As a rule, common sense is the best safety precaution you have. If it involves doing something that could harm yourself or others, such as walking over the back of the bleachers, climbing over people and tall benches, it should be avoided for your sake and others.
Equipment
Without soccer safety equipment, all of the in game rules would be ineffective. Shin guards, cleats, jerseys and proper fitting shorts and socks all work together to ensure that every player can enjoy the game without being at high risk of injury. Shin guards are used to prevent bruising or breaking of the lower portion of the leg, where cleats and soccer balls are highly likely to hit you. Without these, such as lotto shin guards, you put yourself at high risk.
Wearing a proper pair of cleats, such as the ones designed by Nike, gives you more grip into the turf. This grip helps to prevent sprains and breaks in the ankles. These shoes also give your feet adequate protection from other pairs of cleats and impact with the soccer ball.
Proper fitting clothing, ranging from the jersey, shorts and socks, contribute to player comfort. This is important, as distractions from the game can lead to injuries to yourself and others. It is always advisable to wear your proper jerseys to practice or to games. Specially designed jerseys and shorts are designed to handle the rigors of soccer. The fabric in particular is designed to stand up against grass stains as well as be comfortable.
Weather
One aspect of soccer safety that is forgotten by many players and parents is weather conditions. Playing in the rain can be a fun, invigorating experience, treasured by players for years to come. Despite this, playing in muddy conditions is dangerous. The slipping and sliding that creates a great deal of the enjoyment taken from playing soccer in the rain leaves room for a wide variety of different injuries. If you choose to play soccer in the rain, make certain you take every precaution possible, from wearing cleats, guards and your protective gear.
When a full fledged storm comes up, complete with thunder and lightning, game play should be ended immediately. A soccer field is the worst place to be in the middle of a lightning storm, and parents as well as players have been killed or maimed by lightning. If lightning is spotted and your referee does not end the game, you should still leave the field as soon as possible.
Miscellaneous Accessories
Before you play soccer, you need to make certain that you are not wearing miscellaneous accessories such as earrings, anklets and other pieces of jewelry that could be broken or cause harm. Earrings in particular are prone to being torn from earlobes when contact is made with a soccer ball. By removing these pieces of jewelry and other items of this nature, you can help prevent injuries to yourself that could be disfiguring. If you are considering getting piercings and you play soccer, you may want to consider planning to have your piercings done when the soccer season is over.
If you keep all of these things in mind while playing or observing soccer games, you should be able to enjoy the sport while being at low risk of injury.
About The Author
Rebecca Blain is a professional and hobbyist writer who enjoys taking care of her Siamese Fighting Fish and educating people about soccer equipment such as Lotto shinguards here: http://www.everything-soccer.com/lotto-shin-guards.html
World Cup Soccer Safety
World Cup Soccer Jersey
English Soccer - The New England football shirt.
by: Norbert Wartle
The new England football shirt has been launched to an eager public by UK soccer clothing manufacturers Umbro. This has been a long awaited release and some UK stores had upset both Umbro and the English Football Association by selling them days before the official launch at the England v Uruguay match on Wednesday. Both Umbro and the F.A had also been publicly annoyed at the English newspaper, The Sun, for releasing photographs of the new kit in the newspaper some weeks ago.
Although the launch has been a media nightmare, these new shirts are bound to fly out of the stores as one of the must have fashion garments of this summer. The style of the shirt is very close to that of the jersy worn by the victorious England team of 1966, which is still the only side to win the World Cup for the nation, and as retro fashions are most definitely "in" at the moment, sales should be very strong.
The shirt itself is a very simple design, almost totally red except for the manufacturers logo and a small shoulder flash. On closer inspection there is an intricate woven pattern on the back of the shirt that displays Englands famous three lions crest. The front of the shirt also features a single golden star, which is in honour of that famous victory in 1966.
It is not likely that many of these shirts will be used for the purpose it was intended. Far more will be propping up bars around England, rather than being worn out on a field kicking a ball around.
Replica football shirts always become prized fashion accessories in a World Cup year and I expect the sales to continue until the tournament kicks off in June, when sales will obviously increase. Englands fanatical football fans will see to it that this shirt is a big success, and expect Umbro to be rushing back to the sewing machines if England perform well at the tournament.
About The Author
Norbert Wartle writes about football at: http://www.football-england.com.
See the new shirt here: http://www.football-england.com/england-away-shirts.html.
World Cup Soccer Jerseys
by: Norbert Wartle
The new England football shirt has been launched to an eager public by UK soccer clothing manufacturers Umbro. This has been a long awaited release and some UK stores had upset both Umbro and the English Football Association by selling them days before the official launch at the England v Uruguay match on Wednesday. Both Umbro and the F.A had also been publicly annoyed at the English newspaper, The Sun, for releasing photographs of the new kit in the newspaper some weeks ago.
Although the launch has been a media nightmare, these new shirts are bound to fly out of the stores as one of the must have fashion garments of this summer. The style of the shirt is very close to that of the jersy worn by the victorious England team of 1966, which is still the only side to win the World Cup for the nation, and as retro fashions are most definitely "in" at the moment, sales should be very strong.
The shirt itself is a very simple design, almost totally red except for the manufacturers logo and a small shoulder flash. On closer inspection there is an intricate woven pattern on the back of the shirt that displays Englands famous three lions crest. The front of the shirt also features a single golden star, which is in honour of that famous victory in 1966.
It is not likely that many of these shirts will be used for the purpose it was intended. Far more will be propping up bars around England, rather than being worn out on a field kicking a ball around.
Replica football shirts always become prized fashion accessories in a World Cup year and I expect the sales to continue until the tournament kicks off in June, when sales will obviously increase. Englands fanatical football fans will see to it that this shirt is a big success, and expect Umbro to be rushing back to the sewing machines if England perform well at the tournament.
About The Author
Norbert Wartle writes about football at: http://www.football-england.com.
See the new shirt here: http://www.football-england.com/england-away-shirts.html.
World Cup Soccer Jerseys
World Cup News - Soccer: Kahn still Germany keeper, according to sticker album
Who will you be routing for in the 2006 world cup? -
Soccer: Kahn still Germany keeper, according to sticker album
BERLIN : Oliver Kahn may have lost the Germany goalkeeping position to rival Jens Lehmann, but according to the Panini World Cup sticker album he is still the No. 1.
Soccer's Foudy speaks at Peddie tomorrow night
Julie Foudy, former captain of the Women's World Cup Soccer team and a women's rights advocate, will speak at the Peddie School 7:30-8:30 p.m. tomorrow in the William Mount-Burke Theatre. Sponsored by the school's "Friday Features" series, the event is open to the public.
Soccer: Zidane's retirement a great loss for soccer: Zico
_ Japan coach and Brazilian legend Zico on Thursday described Zinedine Zidane's decision to retire after the World Cup finals as "a great loss for soccer."
Soccer: Kahn still Germany keeper, according to sticker album
BERLIN : Oliver Kahn may have lost the Germany goalkeeping position to rival Jens Lehmann, but according to the Panini World Cup sticker album he is still the No. 1.
Soccer's Foudy speaks at Peddie tomorrow night
Julie Foudy, former captain of the Women's World Cup Soccer team and a women's rights advocate, will speak at the Peddie School 7:30-8:30 p.m. tomorrow in the William Mount-Burke Theatre. Sponsored by the school's "Friday Features" series, the event is open to the public.
Soccer: Zidane's retirement a great loss for soccer: Zico
_ Japan coach and Brazilian legend Zico on Thursday described Zinedine Zidane's decision to retire after the World Cup finals as "a great loss for soccer."
World Cup News - MLS All-Stars To Face Chelsea 21/04/06
More news about the World Cup -
MLS All-Stars To Face Chelsea 21/04/06
soccer365.com - Major League Soccer and Chelsea FC today announced that the star-studded English Premier League champions will face the MLS All-Stars in the 2006 Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game to be played at the new home of the Chicago Fire in Bridgeview, IL on
Rampage re-signs Salisbury through 2008 season
OurSports Central - The Grand Rapids Rampage announced today that starting quarterback Chad Salisbury has been re-signed through the 2008 season. Per team policy, no other terms of the deal were disclosed. "I'm really excited about staying here in Grand Rapids," said
Big Phil Scolari offered England post
ESPN Soccernet - FA chief executive Brian Barwick and lawyer Simon Johnson flew to Lisbon on Wednesday after being given permission by the Portuguese FA to talk to Scolari, who will remain coach of Portugal until after the World Cup. The FA first received permission
Pleat: FA should follow Irish example 21/04/06
soccer365.com - The Football Association should follow the Ireland example and opt for a young coach with an experienced mentor, according to former Tottenham manager David Pleat. The Football Association of Ireland appointed Steve Staunton as their coach with
MLS All-Stars To Face Chelsea 21/04/06
soccer365.com - Major League Soccer and Chelsea FC today announced that the star-studded English Premier League champions will face the MLS All-Stars in the 2006 Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game to be played at the new home of the Chicago Fire in Bridgeview, IL on
Rampage re-signs Salisbury through 2008 season
OurSports Central - The Grand Rapids Rampage announced today that starting quarterback Chad Salisbury has been re-signed through the 2008 season. Per team policy, no other terms of the deal were disclosed. "I'm really excited about staying here in Grand Rapids," said
Big Phil Scolari offered England post
ESPN Soccernet - FA chief executive Brian Barwick and lawyer Simon Johnson flew to Lisbon on Wednesday after being given permission by the Portuguese FA to talk to Scolari, who will remain coach of Portugal until after the World Cup. The FA first received permission
Pleat: FA should follow Irish example 21/04/06
soccer365.com - The Football Association should follow the Ireland example and opt for a young coach with an experienced mentor, according to former Tottenham manager David Pleat. The Football Association of Ireland appointed Steve Staunton as their coach with
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