World football body FIFA on Friday said it was confident that the global credit crunch would not hit the 2010 or 2014 World Cups, revealing football s world body had concluded a 650 million dollar (514.6 million euro) insurance package to cover the events.
To ensure the 2010 (South African) and 2014 (Brazilian) World Cups are a success were natural disasters or other acts to occur we have insured the events, FIFA President Sepp Blatter said at an executive committee meeting in Zurich.
Secretary General Jerome Valcke said the insurance was protection against any event which might force either a postponement or moving a tournament to another country.
But he added this was standard practice and insisted that there is nothing to indicate any lack of trust in the …
Leonardo Bonucci described Italy s Euro 2020 semi-final win against Spain as the toughest game of his career and urged his team-mates to complete the job by lifting the trophy.
The Azzurri beat Spain 4-2 on penalties in a gripping contest at Wembley on Tuesday that finished 1-1 at the end of extra time.
Alvaro Morata was introduced from the bench to cancel out Federico Chiesa s brilliant opener 10 minutes from time, but the striker s miss proved crucial in the shoot-out.
Jorginho was left to roll in the winning spot-kick as Italy booked their third final appearance in the competition since last going all the way in 1968.
That remains the four-time world champions only continental triumph and veteran defender Bonucci is eager to put an end to that 53-year …
Ukraine Euro 2012 tournament director Markiyan Lubkivskyi said he was pleased to prove doubters wrong with a huge influx of foreign visitors.
Several allegations were levelled at the country before and during the tournament including racial vilification and increased prices, all of which Lubkivskyi said had proved to be misconceptions.
Before the tournament there were rumours and scare stories about Ukraine but I always thought it was simple to combat that, Lubkivskyi said.
I always believed we should concentrate on hosting the tournament in the right way and if we were good people and very friendly then we could show the world it wasn t true.
Ukraine has enjoyed nearly one million visitors during the tournament and Lubkivskyi said the healthy figures…
The Major League Soccer is set to welcome yet another team in 2011, as the Portland Timbers have been granted a license.
The Timbers are owned by Merritt Paulson, who also owns a minor league baseball team in Portland and has a history in Basketball.
It is expected that the new team will play its home games at the PGE Park, currently used by baseball team Portland Beavers, who are to switch to a new venue.
Soccer is flourishing in the region, as the Seattle Sounders joined the MLS this year and the Vancouver Whitecaps are confirmed for 2011.
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Roberto Mancini admitted trying to win the Nations League is a daunting task despite succeeding at Euro 2020 with Italy.
Italy, who failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, underwent a transformative period under Mancini, culminating in them winning Euro 2020 – their first European Championship since 1968.
The Azzurri, led by experienced campaigners such as Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, are on a 37-game unbeaten run as they prepare for their Nations League semi-final with Spain on Wednesday.
Indeed, Mancini s side required penalties to edge past Spain in the semi-finals at Euro 2020 and the 56-year-old is expecting another tough task against Luis Enrique s men at San Siro.
Spain were the team we struggled against most during Euro 2020. They…
Everton signed Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea for a club record £28million on this day in 2014.
The move came after a successful loan spell at Goodison Park the previous season in which the forward scored 16 goals in 33 appearances and helped the club finish fifth in the Premier League.
The then 21-year-old, who had also spent an impressive year on loan at West Brom since joining Chelsea from Anderlecht for £18million in 2011, signed a five-year contract with the Toffees.
“I decided very quickly I wanted to come back here because it was a good step for me,” said Lukaku. “This is the place I belong.
“I’m 21, I need to be playing in a good team. I needed to be in a place that felt right.”
The fee paid by Everton shattered t…
There are 11 games on the NFL Week 8 betting schedule with spreads of seven points or less, including a trio of key divisional games. While there’s always value to be found in betting the spread or total, we can find worthwhile bets in player props, too.
Here’s a look at my two favorite NFL parlay picks for Week 8.
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If the oddsmakers are correct, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ reign of “terrible” in the AFC North is over.
The Steelers’ NFL odds have the team pegged to finish last in the division and the 2022 season win total of 7.5 is calling for Mike Tomlin’s first losing season during this 16-year tenure in Pittsburgh.
Pushing against that opinion is one of the best defensive units in the league and an offense working under someone other than Ben Roethlisberger for the first time since Usher and Lil Jon had us screaming “Yeah!” in the club. Yep, it’s been that long.
Here’s our Pittsburgh Steelers 2022 betting preview.