When the United States dropped its bid for the 2018 World Cup, it was seen as a move to placate FIFA's desire to have the World Cup held that year in soccer's birthplace (literally, if England wins the bid). By doing so, it also allowed the U.S. to be seen as the prohibitive favorite to […]

The world football governing body seems to have removed the sleep from their eyes, poured themselves a fresh cup of coffee, and in a shocking turn of events, looks to be attempting some 'governing' as they've recently stated they'll allow national associations the use of video footage when it comes to punishing diving and simulation. In a statement […]

After Euro 2008, Vicente del Bosque took the reins of the Spanish national team from Luis Aragonés, the man that led Spain to their first international tournament conquest since 1964 when they hosted and won the second UEFA European Championships, known then as the European Nations' Cup. Aragonés' tactical style went completely away from former […]

Italy has been punished, thanks to their poor performances Italy has lost ground in the FIFA and UEFA rankings. La Gazzetta dello Sport is reporting that Italy has fallen all the way down to 11th in the FIFA rankings, behind Chile and Egypt. This is an anticipation that will most likely be confirmed the 14th […]

David Villa became the talisman for the Spanish national football team, scoring five of Spain's six goals in the tournament. Xavi Hernández and Andrés Iniesta controlled the midfield with their incisive passing and ball possession. Fernando Torres could not get into stride as he struggled for form from his April knee surgery and was eventually […]

Sorry traditionalists, but it's time for FIFA to abandon the Third Place Play-Off Game at future World Cup tournaments. The concept of pitting the two losing semi-finalists against each other to determine who gets the bronze medal is an antiquated idea. Not only is it an idea from the past that has long outlived its […]

Referee Koman Coulibay, who made the controversial decision to disallow a United States goal against Slovenia, says he does not believe he'll be refereeing any more games in the 2010 World Cup. In an exclusive interview with ESPN Radio, Coulibay says, "No, I don’t believe I’m going to be refereeing another game. We have been […]

Sunday’s refereeing blunders, following the many glaring group stage errors, have reignited a debate over changing the sport’s rules. Some favor video replay, some favor an additional referee who would only monitor each goal area, while others would prefer a sensor-system for goals similar to that used in hockey. Of all the ideas, the addition of another referee seems to […]

Soccer is by far the most popular sport in the world. But there are still two massive continents in this world (Asia and North America) as well as other regions where the sport could be much more popular and where the populations are burgeoning. However, FIFA continues to make cataclysmic mistakes that severely ruin the […]

With an unfathomable yet realistic possibility of an unceremonious exit from FIFA World Cup 2010, the Spanish national football team tussled with a Chilean side that has been one of the most impressive teams in this tournament thus far. Marcelo Bielsa, Chile's manager, insisted on a positive approach with an indirect emphasis on flair that […]

I appeared on a CBC TV news program in Canada Monday night and was asked to defend the theatrics of soccer. The diving and the cheating that are so woven into the fabric of soccer and are most evident to the public when the World Cup takes center stage every four years. To be fair, […]

Visit FIFA's official website to watch the highlights of the World Cup game between Slovenia and the United States today, and you'll see that in the two minute highlight video, FIFA shows exactly zero seconds of the controversial free kick incident when Maurice Edu scored but the goal was disallowed by referee Koman Coulibaly. FIFA's decision […]

FIFA, what are you doing? With a global population that is so used to the quality of the Premier League coverage on television, it's ridiculous that FIFA's TV replays are so poor. How many times in this tournament have we already been frustrated with the lack of TV replays after crucial incidents? Even though the […]

This writer has not fallen off the face of the earth after the season concluded in mid-May. I am writing this as I leave on a boat from Napoli en route to Palma de Mallorca. I have been traveling through Europe these past weeks, and I was in Barcelona to cover the FC Barcelona presidential […]

As the 2010 World Cup approaches like a runaway train down a slick international track, a mob of detractors and naysayers are queuing up a mile long to have their say against the legitimacy of soccer in the USA and across the world. At times, the very purpose and existence of the World Cup is […]