FIFA Faces Heavy Scrutinity

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FIFA (Federation International de Fútbol Association) has been in the headlines worldwide recently and it's not just about soccer. First, several high ranking officials are accused or suspected of corruption, bribery and misappropriation of funds. Of these include FIFA's President Sepp Blatter, who was reelected despite the many pressures against him. However, it didn't take long for him to step down.

Blatter, a native Swiss, has been with FIFA for decades1. He reportedly bought votes and has been involved in numerous suspicious activities over the years, including embezzlement. He won reelection against Jordanian candidate Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein. Тhe date for the new election to replace Blatter will be decided in July.2

The Women's World Cup is currently being played in Canada, and the next Men's World Cup will be in Russia in 2018, followed by Qatar in 2022.

Sources:
1 http://www.espnfc.com/fifa-world-cup/4/blog/post/2471942/sepp-blatter-wins-fifa-electionbut-football-is-real-loser
2 http://www.firstpost.com/sports/fifa-decide-presidential-election-date-july-20-2292070.html

The World Cup: Eight Teams Remain

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Brazil's soccer team has had some close calls this World Cup, most notably in their most recent game against Chile. They were just able to win after penalty kicks. Mexico not only lost their lead in the last minutes against Netherlands, but the entire game 2-1. The USA dropped their match 2-1 against Belgium, despite the magnificent play from goalie Tim Howard. Most are proud of the accomplishments of the US this World Cup, but Landon Donovan expressed some criticism after the loss.

The other matches of the first elimination round included Costa Rica's win over Greece in penalty kicks, even though they played with ten on the field, France's 2-0 win over Nigeria, Argentina's 1-0 win over Switzerland, Colombia's 2-0 win against Uruguay, and Germany's victory over Algeria 2-1.

Headlines for the World Cup

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Spain eliminated already?

The biggest shock this World Cup is the early exit of the Defending FIFA Champions. Spain was beaten 5-1 against the Netherlands and then 2-0 against Chile. They still have a match against Australia, but the Netherlands and Chile have qualified as the top two in the group and will move on.

US Wins its first game

The US got off to a quick lead, but Ghana built lots of momentum despite trailing almost the entire game. Shortly after Ghana tied the game, the US finished with a header to win.

Mexico ties vs Brazil

Mexico pulled away with a win over Cameroon and then found itself in an intense defensive match vs a favored Brazilian team. Mexico's goalie Ochoa had an incredible performance and kept the score 0-0 against the World Cup's host country.

1 http://www.wallpafer.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/football-soccer-with-world-teams-flags-brazil-world-cup-2014-1d86216.jpg

The World Cup: What you probably didn't know

If you haven't already heard, the FIFA World Cup starts on June 12 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Last week I came across some interesting facts about FIFA that should surprise both soccer and non-soccer fans alike: