2014 Fifa World Cup song contest: 300 now online

 

Following Sony's December 2 launch of international music contest SuperSong, contestants have already uploaded over 300 videos as of December 26. The winning song will be included on the official album of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, taking place in Brazil next summer

Ricky Martin will head up the jury tasked with selecting the winning song. The Puerto Rican star is no stranger to World Cup music, as he sang "La Copa de la Vida" on the album of the 1998 edition of the tournament, which took place in France.

Aspiring musicians from 30 eligible countries -- including France, the US, Japan and Russia -- can still head to SuperSong.com to upload a video showing their original musical tribute to the World Cup, as entries will be accepted through January 6, 2014. The videos already entered can be seen by visitors to the site in the Gallery section.

After several elimination rounds, including one in which the general public can select their favorite by voting online, the winning song -- written in English, Portuguese or Spanish -- will be announced in February.
The winner will then fly to Puerto Rico to meet Ricky Martin and a music producer in order to record the final version of the song for the album, performed by Ricky Martin. And as an added bonus, the winner will receive two tickets to the final match at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

 

New FIFA app to live stream World Cup 2014 draw

FIFA, international football’s governing body, will live stream the World Cup 2014 draw next Friday on its new app for Android, iPad and iPhone.

On December 6 the 32 teams that have qualified for the World Cup in Brazil next summer, including African nations Nigeria, Ghana, Algeria, the Ivory Coast and Cameroon, will discover their group fate.

The free app has already been released and will also feature content in the build up to the World Cup and information from 197 leagues around the world.

There will be match schedules, destination guides and team profiles for Brazil 2014 as well.

A World Match Centre has also been included which allows fans to customise which results from which leagues and competitions they are kept updated on.

It is expected to compete against the already established The Football App, which in October claimed it had 4.5 million active users.

Electronic Arts confirm Fifa World Cup 2014

During the most recent conference call with investors, Electronic Arts revealed that it will launch at some point games: The Sims 4, UFC, EA Sports FIFA World Cup 2014 and Dragon Age: Inquisition.

Not yet known whether FIFA World Cup 2014 will be available only in digital format, as was the case with   UEFA Euro 2012 which was released as a DLC for FIFA 12.

World Cup Tickets Will Go On Sale In August, FIFA Says

Tickets for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil will go on sale on August 20.

FIFA confirmed fans will have the chance to buy tickets from the organisation's website during the first phase of sales.

Ticket prices are scheduled to be confirmed on July 1, the day after the Confederations Cup final in Rio de Janeiro. 

FIFA has previously said it expects around 3.3 million tickets to be available for the 64-match flagship tournament which runs from June 12 to July.

The first round of ticket sales will be allocated in a worldwide lottery with further briefs available after the 32-team lineup is confirmed in November.

The World Cup draw will be conducted on December 6 in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil.

Partner Program for 2014 World Cup in Brazil Sold Out

Bloomberg : The partner program for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil has sold out, Jerome Valcke, general secretary of soccer governing body FIFA, said. Latin American sports retailer Centauro was the final company to join FIFA's commercial program, Valcke said.

Clive Richardson Ltd won contract for six football pitches

A company from County Armagh has won a contract to work on six football pitches, which are to be used during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

The contract, which is worth more than £1m, was awarded to Clive Richardson Ltd (CRL) from Craigavon.

Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster made the announcement as she arrived in Brazil for a trade mission. CRL recently took part in an Invest NI trade mission to Brazil.

The contract will involve preparing football pitches at the Gremio in Porto Alegre, Forteliza in Forteliza, Barradao in Salvador, Belo Horizonte, International, Porto Alegre and Corinthian's, Sao Paulo.

Speaking about the deal, Ms Foster said: "This very substantial announcement today follows CRL's success in preparing pitches for other global competitions including those used during recent UEFA European Championships.

"As a result of these successes, CRL is now firmly established as a world leader in the construction, preparation and maintenance of sports grounds.

"By enhancing their reputation through a commitment to innovation, the company has pioneered the development of unique technology that enables them to offer high profile clients expertise in the management of grass in extreme climates such as the Ukraine and now Brazil."

Clive Richardson Ltd specialise in Sportsground Construction and Civil Engineering Works. Its previous projects include building the pitches at Dublin's Aviva Stadium.

Bomb-detecting robots at WC 2014

To increase the security at the upcoming Football World Cup in Brazil in 2014, the Brazil government will reportedly use a fleet of robots that are usually used to neutralize roadside bombs and inspect areas for traces of explosives.

The battle-tested remote controlled iRobot 510 Packbots are able to climb stairs, submerge in a metre of water and have multiple high-resolution cameras and are the same robots which examined the car allegedly hijacked by the Boston Marathon bombing suspects, Sky News reports.

According to the report, the Brazilian authorities are spending 7.2 million dollars to deal with any security threat from a distance at the World Cup show and also will be setting a precedent for the Olympics to follow two years later.

The government will also be spending additionally millions of dollars on face-scanning glasses which can scan 400 faces a second at a distance of 45 metre to spot potential hooligans based on a criminal database, the report added.

Rousseff unveils Brazil's vuvuzela for 2014 World Cup

BRASILIA, April 23 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff on Tuesday unveiled the country's answer to South Africa's vuvuzela - the plastic horn that provided an omnipresent din at the 2010 World Cup.
The caxirola, pronounced ka-shee-raw-la, has the backing of the Rousseff government to be the official instrument of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
The instrument is an adaption of an African caxixi, a type of shaker comprising a small basket of woven straw filled with dried seeds.
Created by musician Carlinhos Brown, the caxirola is made from recycled plastic.
"I believe that the caxirola is not only a part of football but of our country's immense capacity to make an instrument that is much more beautiful than the vuvuzela," Rousseff said during an event in Brasilia.
"I am sure that children in particular are going to have a fantastic experience with the caxirola. Carlinhos told me that it has a transcendental sense of healing, peace with the world and to be spiritually in tune with nature."
Brown said the caxirola had already been approved of FIFA and will join the governing body's line of official World Cup products.
"It amplifies the shout of a goal and unifies the fans. It's an instrument of peace," Brown said.
More than 50,000 caxirolas will be distributed free to fans before the Bahia-Vitoria match on April 28 at the newly opened Fonte Nova World Cup stadium in Salvador.

4k resolution for WC 2014

 www.engadget.com 

Sony’s new 4K resolution TVs made quite a stir at the Consumer Electronics Show this year. Now it seems that Sony is in talks to broadcast one of the largest sporting events in the world in stunning 4K resolution.

K refers to the horizontal resolution, which clocks in at over 4,000 pixels and is 4x the resolution of standard HD that you may have in your home. Sony has spent the last few years broadcasting its sporting events in 3D (including last year’s FIFA World Cup) but as the 3D hype fades, it looks like Sony has put more backing behind 4K TVs going forward.




  The World Cup won’t begin until Jun 12, 2014 but Sony may begin testing out 4K broadcasting long before that, starting with the ’2013 All England Lawn Tennis Club’ which plays host to Wimbledon. We already know that some of the Wimbledon broadcast will be in 3D, Sony has already confirmed this, but adding 4K resolution hasn’t been confirmed yet. You can do both, 4K 3D is possible and would actually improve the visuals at a consumer level.

The 2014 FIFA World Cup could also be Sony’s last chance at to capture fans at event, since 2014 marks the end of the eight-year contract that Sony arranged with the sports league. State-side 4K cameras are already in action, though as a testing ground, by Fox Sports and ESPN.

TVA Sports to televise 2014 World Cup games

TVA Sports will partner with CBC/Radio-Canada to televise games from the 2014 World Cup in Brazil

The French-language sports channel will broadcast 18 matches live and 46 others on tape delay during the month-long tournament next summer. CBC will air games in English while Radio-Canada will carry games in French.

"The TVA Sports network is extremely proud to be associated with one of the world's premier sporting events," TVA Group president and CEO Pierre Dion said. "Becoming a FIFA World Cup licensed broadcaster reflects our intention to keep soccer front and centre on TVA Sports, where we already air Montreal Impact and Champions League matches. Our agreement with Radio-Canada also confirms the major presence we've already achieved in the hearts and minds of Quebec soccer fans,

 Under the partnership, TVA Sports will also carry all 16 matches from the 2013 Confederations Cup tournament. Host Brazil will be joined by Italy, Nigeria, Japan, Mexico, Spain, Uruguay and Tahiti in the Confederations Cup June 15-30.

World Cup debutant in 2014?

There are some countries that have a chance to debut in the World Cup 2014.

EUROPE

Albania- Placed in Group B, Albania has a great chance to qualify for the play-offs after victory away against  Norway. 

Iceland- With Gylfi Thor Sigurdsson in form, Iceland has a chence to qualify for the firs time on WC.

Bosnia & Herzegovina- B&H has a great chance to finish first group after victory against Greece.

   Current position is determined by the evolution of twoo good forwards , Džeko and Ibišević.

 

 

Montenegro- After draw out against England, Montenegro hopes to qualify for the first position and avoid the play-off.

  Muntenegro more know players are Vučinić,Jovetić and Savić.

 

 

 

CENTRAL AMERICA

 

Panama-  After three matches in group Panama ranked one in qualification.

 

 

SOUTH AMERICA

 

Venezuela-  Venezuela is the only South American team has not qualified for the world cup in history.

 

 

ASIA

Uzbekistan- Former URSS member hope to qualification without play-off.

 

Jordan- Placed in group B, Jordan fight with Australia, Oman and Iraq for a place in WC 2014.

 

 

Oman- Oman has a difficult mission to qualify,but not impossible.

 

 

AFRICA

 

Ethiopia, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi and Lybia are likely to qualify in the last round.

Lidio Carraro, official wine of WC 2014

www.gobrazilwines.com

Lidio Carraro, a south Brazilian company that has been making wine for five generations has been chosen as the official wine of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

According to Decanter.com, it will be served at all the events organised by FIFA in the run-up to the competition, with the first bottle (of red) making its debut at the Confederations Cup.

The winery is located in the Serra Gaúcha region in south-east Brazil, which produces 85 per cent of the nation's domestic wine.

Monica Rosseti ( chef winemaker ) : “We look for a wine with identity that expresses the authenticity of the grape and the origin.”

CBC Announces TVA Sports as Licensed Broadcaster of 2014 FIFA World Cup

CBC Announces TVA Sports as Licensed Broadcaster of 2014 FIFA World Cup

Oceania quals. situation

http://www.soccerlimeyinamerica.com

New Zealand is the first qualified team for intrcontinental play-off.

www.soccerway.com

  


 
Topscorers-  1. Georges Gope-Fenepej ( New Caledonia) 5 goals
                   2. César Lolohéa ( New Caledonia) 5 goals
                   3. Chris Killen ( New Zaeland) 3 goals

Top average attendance - Solomon Island 15000

My Top 5 Lateral Defenders for WC 2014

1. Philipp Lahm

                                                                                               2. Stephan Lichtsteiner

                                                                                                               3.  Jordi Alba 

                                                                                                              4 .Dani Alves













                                                               5.Pablo Armero

World Cup 2014 will use Goal-line Technology

FIFA, football global governing body, confirmed this week that goal-line technology will be used at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil
.
That will mark the first time the planet's biggest single-sport event uses the high-tech method of determining whether or not the ball crosses the plane of the goal.

Goal-line technology was used at the Club World Cup in December and will be used again at this summer's Confederations Cup — a World Cup preview of sorts held in the big event's host nation one year before the World Cup.

High profile football matches have been beset by a number of did-he-or-didn't-he scoring controversies over the years. Judging controversial goals in football is especially difficult, because scoring requires the entire ball to completely cross the goal line. That can make it quite tough for referees to judge an iffy shot unless they have an optimal angle and line of sight.

My Top 5 Central Defenders for WC 2014

 1. Andrea Barzagli

                                                      2. Thiago Silva

                                                      3. Gerald Piqué

  4.Giorgio Chiellini 

  5.Mats Hummels

Biological passports for World Cup 2014

Every player at the tournament will be required to have a biological passport, the sport’s world governing body announced today.

FIFA intend to introduce the system of biological profiling at this year’s Confederations Cup in Brazil, as part of the worldwide crackdown on doping in sport and it should be fully operational by the next World Cup.

A delegation from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) met FIFA officials at their Zurich headquarters on Thursday, and WADA president John Fahey said his agency was “very satisfied with the commitment of FIFA on the biological profiles”.

FIFA medical officer Michel D’Hooghe said: “FIFA was the first international organisation for team sport to start with longitudinal profiles.”

He explained that FIFA is developing plans to introduce profiling, including a steroid profile through urine and a blood profile, for the Confederations Cup, where in- and out-of-competition tests would be conducted on all participating players, as well as unannounced blood testing at training camps and games.

“And it’s our commitment to have all players participating at the 2014 FIFA World Cup having biological profiles,” he added

Biological profiling is considered one of the most effective methods of detecting the use of performance-enhancing drugs and blood boosters like EPO.

EPO was first tested for by FIFA at the 2002 World Cup where all players had to underego urine and blood testing and whenever the results were abnormal, an EPO test was performed. All results were negative. FIFA is also developing the hormonal profiling project, a new initiative in collaboration with the WADA-accredited laboratory in Switzerland.

“There is always more which can be done in the fight against doping, but we know FIFA has always been serious in this domain,” Fahey said.

US in danger after loss to Honduras

The United States slumped to a 2-1 defeat to Honduras in their CONCACAF World Cup qualifying clash at Estadio Olimpico on Wednesday.

Clint Dempsey put the Americans on the board in the 36th minute before Honduras responded with goals from Juan Garcia and Jerry Bengtson on either side of half-time to begin the final round of qualifying in perfect fashion.

It was the first time the USA had lost the opening game of 'the Hexagonal' round of qualifying in the Americas, and only the fourth time they had been defeated by Honduras in 19 games dating back to 1965.

Playing in one of the most hostile atmospheres in CONCACAF to open the final stage of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the Americans could not have gotten off to a more promising start.

Jermaine Jones delivered a beautiful chip over the top of the Honduras defensive line and found Dempsey who finished with a classy volley. It was Dempsey's 31st career goal with the national team, moving him up to third on the all-time scoring list.

It took just four minutes for Honduras to respond in remarkable fashion, with Garcia stunning goalkeeper Tim Howard with a bicycle kick from about 10 yards out. Following a misplaced corner kick, Honduras sent the ball back across the net twice before the defender elevated for the strike to see his side level at the interval.

The teams began the second half trading opportunities, with Michael Bradley and Garcia watching their respective shots go just wide. Bengston had a golden chance to put Honduras ahead in the 55th minute after overpowering defender Geoff Cameron but his shot flew over the crossbar.

With the US defenders on their heels, Honduras appeared to have taken the lead when Carlos Costly beat the defence before finishing past Howard. However, the goal would be waved off by the referee as Costly was ruled offside.

The more the second half went on, the more the Americans looked like they were content with picking up a point on the road. That mindset, however, would get them into trouble.

In the 79th minute, Honduras broke the defensive wall for the match-winning goal. Some terrible defending by the USA's centre-backs Cameron and Omar Gonzalez left Bengtson with a simple tap home for the winner.

Brazil prostitutes learn English

 Prostitutes in one of Brazil's biggest cities are beginning to sign up for free English classes ahead of this year's Confederations Cup and the 2014 World Cup.

Cida Vieira, president of the Association of Prostitutes in the city of Belo Horizonte, said Tuesday that 20 have already signed up for the courses and she expects at least 300 of the group's 4,000 members to follow suit. The association is organizing the classes and seeking volunteer teachers.

''I don't think we will have problems persuading English teachers to provide services for free,'' she said. ''We already have several volunteer psychologists and doctors helping us.''

She said classes are expected to begin in March and last up to eight months.

''It will be important for the girls who will be able to use English to let their clients know what they are charging and learn about what turns them on,'' Vieira said by telephone

'And for the same reasons we are also thinking of offering free French and Italian classes,'' she added.

Prostitution is legal in Brazil.

Belo Horizonte's 62,000-seat Mineirao Stadium will host three matches of the Confederations Cup and six games of the World Cup.

Jurgen Klinsmann make US selection

Jurgen Klinsmann issued his first call for the U.S. men's national soccer team on Sunday, starting the process that will create a roster whose aim will be qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

The roster, as reported by USSoccer.com:

GOALKEEPERS (3): Tally Hall (Houston Dynamo), Bill Hamid (D.C. United), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire)

DEFENDERS (9): Steven Beitashour (San Jose Earthquakes), Tony Beltran (Real Salt Lake), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), A.J. DeLaGarza (LA Galaxy), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Connor Lade (New York Red Bulls), Alfredo Morales (Hertha Berlin), Justin Morrow (San Jose Earthquakes), Jeff Parke (Philadelphia Union)

MIDFIELDERS (8): Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Alejandro Bedoya (out of contract), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Mix Diskerud (Rosenborg), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders), Benny Feilhaber (Sporting Kansas City), Joshua Gatt (Molde), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)

FORWARDS (5): Juan Agudelo (Chivas USA), Will Bruin (Houston Dynamo), Edson Buddle (Colorado Rapids), Eddie Johnson (Seattle Sounders), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)

Katanec is new Slovenia coach

 Former Yugoslavian international Srecko Katanec has been named coach of the Slovenian national team for the second time, the country's football association says.

The former VfB Stuttgart and Sampdoria defender, 49, will be officially appointed on Friday.

 Slovenia parted company with previous coach Slavisa Stojanovic in December amid a disappointing qualifying campaign for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, which left them one place from bottom in Group E.

Katanec previously coached Slovenia between 1998 and 2002, taking the former Yugoslav republic to the final stages of the 2000 European Championship and the 2002 World Cup.

Katanec, who played 31 times for Yugoslavia and five times for Slovenia after independence, has also coached Olympiakos and the Macedonian and the United Arab Emirates national sides.