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Iraqi PM Abadi welcomes FIFA decision to lift ban on Iraqi stadiums

March 17, 2018 By administrator

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi welcomed a decision from soccer’s world governing body FIFA to lift a ban on hosting competitive international soccer matches at stadiums in three Iraqi cities.

Abadi congratulated the Iraqi people and the sports public on the lifting of the ban, which he said in a statement was the result of the “security and stability” of the country.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced the ban’s lifting on stadiums in Basra, Karbala and Erbil at the FIFA Council Meeting in Bogota on Friday.

“In these three cities, international matches will be allowed to be played as far as FIFA is concerned,” Infantino told reporters.

The three cities had been hosting friendlies throughout the last year as a test run.

But FIFA has not yet approved an application by Iraq to host matches in the capital, Baghdad. Infantino said the request needed further study.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) also welcomed FIFA’s decision on Saturday.

“This is a significant moment in shaping the future of football in Iraq,” AFC president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said in a statement.

Earlier this month, two AFC Cup (the region’s second tier knockout competition) matches involving Iraqi clubs were postponed until next month in the hope of playing them in the country should FIFA lift the ban.

The AFC Cup matches involving Al Zawraa and Bahraini side Manama Club and Air Force Club’s home game against Malkiya of Bahrain could now be played in April, the AFC statement added.

Iraq has largely been starved of international matches on home soil since its 1990 invasion of Kuwait, when FIFA banned them citing security concerns.

The ban stayed in place after the US-led invasion of 2003, which toppled Saddam Hussein. It was intermittently lifted only to be reimposed, because of enduring security concerns, most recently the war against Daesh.

Iraq has played its home matches in Iran, Jordan or Doha. However, the country has held a handful of friendlies, including a Feb. 28 exhibition match against Saudi Arabia in Basra.

Iraq will host Qatar and Syria for a friendly tournament on March 21 in Basra.

(Source: Reuters)

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: decision, fifa, Iraq

Top FIFA Soccer Officials Indicted on Corruption Charges Report

May 26, 2015 By administrator

27soccer-web-master675The Justice Department has indicted several top FIFA officials as part of an investigation that alleges widespread corruption in soccer’s governing body over the past two decades, law enforcement officials said Tuesday.
The charges include wire fraud, racketeering and money laundering. They involve bids for World Cups as well as marketing and broadcast deals, according to three law enforcement officials with direct knowledge of the case. Prosecutors planned to unseal an indictment as early as Wednesday against more than 10 current and former soccer executives, the law enforcement officials said. Some of those being charged are living abroad and would face extradition to the United States.
The charges are a startling blow to FIFA, a multibillion-dollar organization that governs the world’s most popular sport but has been beset by accusations of corruption and bribery for decades. The inquiry is also a major threat to Sepp Blatter, FIFA’s longtime president who is generally recognized as the most powerful person in sports, though officials said he was not charged. An election, seemingly pre-ordained to give him a fifth term as president, is scheduled for Friday.
The Justice Department was working with law enforcement agencies in Switzerland, where FIFA is based, to coordinate arrests. The investigation is based in the Eastern District of New York, in Brooklyn

READ MORE »

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/27/sports/soccer/fifa-officials-face-corruption-charges-in-us.html?emc=edit_na_20150526

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: fifa, Indicted, Officials, Top

Armenian Matteo Darmian playing for Italy at World Cup 2014

June 16, 2014 By administrator

Italian defender Matteo Darmian is of Armenian descent. Of Armenian extraction but born in the northern Italian town of Legnano, he played his youth football for AC Milan Matteo-Darmian-620x300before making his first-team debut in a Coppa Italia match in November 2006, according to FIFA’s official website

A maiden Serie A appearance followed the very next season against Udinese, but like many other young Italian talents Darmian was forced to go on his travels in search of first-team football, spending time at Padova, Torino and Palermo but playing only 15 top-flight games up to 2012.

His fortunes changed when Torino decided to sign him on a permanent deal. Earning a regular starting place as the 2012/13 season got under way, he established himself as one of the best full-backs in Serie A.

A first choice also at every age level for Italy, Darmian caught the eye of Cesare Prandelli during another fine season with the Turin club and was invited to a national team training camp in March 2014, the prelude to his appearance in the coach’s 23-man list for Brazil 2014.  

 

source: public radio of Armenia

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Armenian, fifa, Italy, Matteo Darmian

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