fifa world cup news

Cameroon match-fixing claims

Alex Song's red card was among the ignominies Wilson Raj Perumal allegedly said Cameroon would suffer against Croatia.

Fifa have asked German magazine Der Spiegel to provide details of all its conversations with convicted match-fixer Wilson Raj Perumal to prove its claim that a World Cup game could have been fixed.

The governing body’s director of security, Ralf Mutschke, said in a statement read out at a daily briefing in Rio de Janeiro that the allegations “put the integrity of Fifa World Cup matches in question, which is a serious allegation”.

Der Spiegel reported that Perumal correctly predicted before the game that Cameroon would lose 4-0 to Croatia and have a player sent off in the first half.

Mutschke says Fifa has monitored all 56 World Cup games so far and has “no indication of any match manipulation on the betting market”.

Perumal denies that he predicted details of the game.

fifa world cup Barcelona close in on Luis Suárez with £70m cash bid to Liverpool

Barcelona close in on Luis Suárez with £70m cash bid to Liverpool

Luis Suarez says farewell to the Uruguayan crowd after their World Cup win over Italy.

Luis Suárez is close to sealing his preferred move to Barcelona after the Catalan club held a “productive” first meeting with Liverpool and offered around £70m for the controversial forward.

Barcelona’s determination to clinch a deal for the Uruguayan was confirmed during talks between their director of football management, Raul Sanllehi, and Liverpool’s chief executive, Ian Ayre, in London on Wednesday. Rather than seek a drastically reduced fee for a player banned for four months for biting the Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup, Sanllehi’s opening bid was in the region of £70m.

The fee falls short of Liverpool’s initial £80m valuation, and has not been accepted, but both sides appear convinced a deal can be done after their face-to-face negotiations over the 27-year-old. Barcelona are believed to be willing to pay a straight cash sum for Suárez or to include Alexis Sánchez as a makeweight, as Liverpool had requested.

However, the Chile international has given no indication he wants to move to Anfield and Suárez’s transfer is unlikely to be concluded until the winger has decided whether to join Liverpool, another European club or to stay at Camp Nou.

A second round of talks has not been scheduled but negotiations will continue over the coming days, with Liverpool close to getting their asking price for Suárez after cordial and constructive talks with the delegation from Barcelona. A Liverpool source said: “The talks were productive. There were sensible expectations on both sides and there will be further discussions to take place. But nothing is finalised as of now.”

Suárez is banned following the bite on Chiellini, subject to an appeal from the Uruguay football association, but a transfer is allowed in that period.

Liverpool will now await an answer from Sánchez, and hold further dialogue with Sanllehi, before finalising the terms of Suárez’s long-held desire to move to a Spanish club. His wife’s family are based in Barcelona and that has influenced his preference to join a rebuilding job under Luís Enrique rather than a move to the European champions, Real Madrid.

Suárez signed a contract extension until 2018 worth £200,000 a week with Liverpool in December, albeit with a release clause designed to eradicate the problems that erupted over his thwarted attempt to sign for Arsenal 12 months ago. The latest controversy surrounding the striker and his ban, one that would suspend the striker from the first 13 matches of Liverpool’s season, has not reduced the Anfield club’s price tag on the striker and Barcelona accepted that stance during the meeting with Ayre.

fifa world cup 2014 Argentina v/s Switzerland today news

Argentina’s Ángel di María breaks Switzerland’s hearts at the death


Argentina 1 Switzerland 0

World Cup 2014Argentina
Switzerland

Argentina's Ángel di María celebrates the 118th-minute goal that beat Switzerland in the last 16 of the World Cup. 

If, after two hours of doggedly repetitive effort, you don’t succeed: try, try again. On the evidence of this gruelling and occasionally claustrophobic World Cup last-16 tie, if you’ve got a nimble-footed creative genius of a No10 in your team, the chances are it’s going to come off in the end.

With Argentina and Switzerland still goalless after 117 minutes in São Paulo, Lionel Messi picked the ball up, as he had many times already, in a central position 40 yards from the Swiss goal. This time there was a genuine pocket of space in front of him and Messi spotted the moment, as he has with uncanny timing at thisWorld Cup.

Accelerating towards goal with those familiar little bunny-hopping steps, Messi skipped past Fabian Schär, delayed enough to suck Ricardo Rodríguez infield and slipped the ball behind him into the empty space at the corner of the penalty area. Ángel di María had had a slightly wild match to that point, giving the ball away more than 50 times in all, but showing great heart and spirit in coming back for more. This time Di María shot low and hard first time into the corner.

There was time still for Blerim Dzemaili to hit the post with a header from a corner and then see the rebound deflect wide off his shin, but it just was not to be for the Swiss at the end of a match that saw Ottmar Hitzfeld, one of the modern managerial greats, confirm his retirement.

At the final whistle Argentina’s fans dissolved into a frenzy of bare-chested, flag-waving joy. This disjointed team of talents, with their flat-footed midfield, creaky defence and high-grade attacking individuals, continue to edge through the rounds at Brazil 2014. Argentina have some obvious flaws, like all the remaining teams, but they also have one thrillingly relentless point of strength and they will take some stopping.

For all the clamour of the game’s final moments, the noise inside the Arena Corinthians before kick-off was mild after the choral din of Argentina’s previous matches, a consequence perhaps of the sheer mountainous scale of this huge open-sided stadium.

With locals and blue-and-white-shirted Argentinians mixing happily enough in the stands there was a lassitude to the opening minutes as Argentina kicked off in the lunchtime sunshine, the most intriguing aspect the shift in their starting shape, another rejig of the pieces around Alejandro Sabella’s No10, captain and assistant selector.

Having already switched between 5-3-2 and 4-3-3, Sabella rummaged in his tactical suitcase and came up with something perhaps honed during his time at Sheffield United, a classic 4-4-2, with Ezequiel Lavezzi on the right wing and Messi in a familiar deep No10 role behind Gonzalo Higuaín.

Before this match Hitzfeld was asked how he hoped to stop Messi. “Wait until tomorrow, you will see,” was his answer, and here the Swiss resumed their customary high-speed pressing game, hustling nicely and launching the odd early attack, as Xherdan Shaqiri twice twisted and turned with purpose down Argentina’s right flank.

That four-man midfield did Argentina few favours going forward here with Javier Mascherano and Fernando Gago providing little drive or dynamism in those central areas, even as the game congealed in the last hour into a neck-cricking affair of slow-burn, one-way Argentinian pressure.

Two or three times Messi received the ball and was confronted by three or four defenders shoulder to shoulder like rugby forwards, required to produce yet another moment of wriggling genius from his hat. When Plan A (give it to Messi) stalls, and Plan B (also give it to Messi) is blunted, Argentina have one alternative left: keep giving it to Messi. The great shame in all this is that Messi can never give it to Messi.

In a scratchy first half it took 25 minutes for Argentina to create a chance, Higuaín heading over from Messi’s whipped free-kick, but it was the Swiss who had the better opening two minutes later, Granit Xhaka shooting low but straight at Sergio Romero from a Shaqiri cutback.

And with 33 minutes gone it was Shaqiri, resembling in his square-shouldered red shirt a kind of footballing Mr Strong, who had the locals on their feet with a lovely little display of keep-ball trickery by the touchline – a rare moment of old-school Brazilian football in these parts – for which he was duly bundled to theground.

After the break the Messi of the Alps continued to look the liveliest player on the pitch, scuttling into space down the left land cutting the ball back for Josip Drmic to shovel a shot over the bar. Shaqiri is a rare talent but at times in this Switzerland team he does resemble a visiting Bayern Munich player on a coaching course with some promising hopefuls.

As the hour mark passed Argentina were having their best spell, with Lavezzi and Di María leaving their flanks and foraging through the middle. The chances came in a steady drip-drip. With 12 minutes left Messi, again breaking from a deep central position, beat two players and shot low and hard only to see Benaglio make a scrabbling save.

And that was pretty much that as extra time arrived. For a while, with penalties looming and both teams visibly tiring, it was Switzerland who had the locals on their feet shouting “olé” in taunting fashion as Shaqiri produced some entertaining nutmegs. Until that is that clinching intervention at the last from Argentina’s relentless No10, capped by Di María’s fine finish.

Belgium 2 USA 1 Today news 2014/fifa

Belgium 2 USA 1

World Cup 2014 Belgium  
USA

Kevin De Bruyne scores Belgium's first goal early in extra time of their last-16 match against USA. 

Marc Wilmots did what everyone seemed to be asking him to do and started the teenaged Divock Origi in this game, only for the Belgian to spend 90 minutes being foiled by Tim Howard like the rest of his team-mates.

The Everton goalkeeper played one of the games of his life in taking the tie to extra time, producing a string of saves to deny Origi, Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, Dries Mertens and practically everyone else in a red shirt, yet the heroics ended as soon as the more experienced Romelu Lukaku replaced the young Lille player for the extra period.

A fresh Lukaku’s strength and pace were always likely to hurt a defence exhausted by keeping Belgium at bay for 90 minutes and it took only three minutes of extra time for the Chelsea player to make a difference. Found by Kevin Mirallas on the right, Lukaku simply shrugged off a challenge by Matt Besler and set off for the penalty area, crossing for De Bruyne to gather and finally slip a shot beyond Howard.

The deadlock broken, all Belgium then had to do to reach a quarter-final with Argentina was repulse the USA for the remaining 20-odd minutes, a task Lukaku managed to make easier with the second goal of the night, accepting De Bruyne’s invitation to run on to a diagonal pass and smashing the ball past Howard. The goalkeeper hardly deserved that, yet the USA still had enough in them to make a game of it when Julian Green pulled a goal back with a superb volley with virtually his first touch. For all Howard’s resistance, Thibaut Courtois arguably made the save of the evening in denying Clint Demspey an equaliser from point-blank range after a free-kick move six minutes from the end of extra time.

Even though De Bruyne’s and Lukaku’s goals made the crucial difference, Belgium had to defend doggedly for the last 10 minutes against a USA side who saved all their fighting spirit for extra time. The Americans gave everything, yet they will know it all might have been very different had their substitute Chris Wondolowski shown a little more composure at the end of 90 minutes. Almost unbelievably, after being under the cosh for so long, the USA had the chance to steal victory at the end of normal time, only for Wondolowski to miss from six yards when set up by Jermaine Jones.

Origi brought the first save from Howard as early as the first minute. He should perhaps have done better when released clear on goal by an astute pass from De Bruyne. Though he kept his shot on target he saw the goalkeeper save with his legs. Geoff Cameron was booked for what could only be described as a Stoke City challenge on Mertens before Jan Vertonghen rather needlessly conceded a corner and after a brief period of USA attacking Dempsey brought a save from Courtois.

Jürgen Klinsmann was forced into a change on the half-hour when Fabian Johnson pulled up with a hamstring injury and was replaced by DeAndre Yedlin. The substitute made a surging run down the right on one of his first forward forays and cut back a low cross that fell to Graham Zusi near the penalty spot, where the midfielder managed only a wild swing and an air shot. By the time Yedlin had juggled a bouncing ball on the edge of the area after a corner and sent a lob forward for Dempsey that Courtois had to leave his line quickly to punch away, it was tempting to wonder why Klinsmann had not had him on from the start.

Origi was not in the game much after a couple of early hints of promise but more worrying for Belgium was the fact that Hazard was also a peripheral figure. When the Chelsea player did receive the ball he generally looked to bring it inside and make space for a shot, a threat that the Americans seemed aware of from the number of defenders they kept putting in his way.

Howard was in action again at the start of the second half, acrobatically arching backwards to tip over Mertens’ goalbound header from De Bruyne’s cross. Fellaini shrugged off a couple of would-be tackles in muscular style before becoming over-confident and sending a shot well wide, then a great cross from the left by Vertonghen was missed in turn by De Bruyne, Besler and Origi, the last ending up in the net without the ball.

Belgium were playing a more patient passing game now and, when Origi hit the bar with a header from Mertens’ diagonal cross, it began to look unlikely that the USA would be able to hold out. Using the width of the pitch and eventually finding Hazard on the left, Origi was played into the area to cross for Mertens to poke a shot the wrong side of a post from close range.

Dempsey showed willing with a shot from the edge of the area of his own that Courtois saved before Howard came to the USA’s rescue again with a save from Origi after a typically direct Kevin Mirallas run was halted.

Again Origi could have been more clinical with a clear opportunity and the temptation to bring Lukaku on from the bench could only have grown when Mirallas failed to beat Howard in a one on one. In the end Wilmots waited until extra time and was vindicated, though only just. Of all the goals and games Salvador has seen in this tournament, this was perhaps the most exciting. Or at least the last half-hour was.

Germany World Cup win over Algeria leads Per Mertesacker to blast critics

Germany World Cup win over Algeria leads Per Mertesacker to blast critics

Germany's defender Per Mertesacker, left, battles for the ball with Algeria's Islam Slimani during the World Cup match.

Per Mertesacker has hit out at critics bemoaning Germany’s performance in their win over Algeria and believes qualifying for the World Cup quarter-finals was all that mattered.

Joachim Löw’s team were expected to see off the threat of the African side with ease but laboured to a 2-1 extra-time victory in Porto Alegre to set up an enticing last-eight clash with France.

“Would you rather we played beautiful football but got knocked out?” Mertesacker said to Germany’s ZDF television, visibly frustrated by the critical line of questioning.

“I don’t know what you want from me – do you think that just Mickey Mouse teams are involved in the last 16? All that matters is we’re in the quarter-finals.”

Had it not been for an excellent performance from Manuel Neuer, however, Germany may have been leaving Brazil earlier than they expected.

“Algeria did a really good job,” said Chelsea’s Andre Schürrle, who scored the opening goal early in extra time, with Mesut Özil’s strike just before the end ensuring that Abdelmoumene Djabou’s last-gasp strike was in vain.

“But it doesn’t matter how we’ve done it, the main thing is we’re in the quarter-finals. There was a bit of luck involved in my goal and now we’ve got to play better than this against France.”

It was not all negative, though, according to the captain, Philipp Lahm, who felt Germany should have sealed victory without the need for an additional 30 minutes.

“If you don’t take your chances, then you’ve got to go into extra time, and we had some huge chances in the second half,” he said. “But we knew beforehand that it was going to be hard, and that’s precisely how it was.”

Löw praised his players’ spirit but saw plenty of room for improvement. “We lost too many balls,” the coach said. “We made lots of passing mistakes and that invited them to hit us on the counterattack.

“We were susceptible on long balls and it was good that Manuel [Neuer] kept coming off his line. But this was a victory of our will and strength of character. I just need to take a deep breath now.”

world cup 2014 Arjen Robben ‘tries to get penalties

Arjen Robben saya that ‘tries to get penalties

Jose Mourinho said referees should have the use of video technology after Holland's controversial World Cup win over Mexico.

José Mourinho has entered the debate about Arjen Robben’s diving by suggesting the Dutch forward deliberately tries to win free-kicks and penalties.

The Chelsea manager coached Robben at Chelsea almost a decade ago and says he knows the tactics he uses to gain an advantage.

“My opinion on Robben? He was my player and I know better than many what a fantastic player he is,” Mourinho told Yahoo in his role as global football ambassador. “I also know that because of his speed and because of his creativity he is punished a lot with fouls by opponents who cannot stop him. I also know that sometimes he tries to get an advantage and he tries to get a free kick or he tries to get a penalty.”

Speaking after Robben won a controversial 93rd-minute penalty to send Mexico out of the World Cup at the last-16 stage, Mourinho said referees should have the help of video technology.

“I think it’s important for the players to help the referees and to help the referees is to be honest on the pitch and to help the referee is to be pure and try to win the right way. But the reality is that not every player behaves that way and referees have a difficult job. If you have technology you can have a chance to have a fourth official watching on the video or screen situation.

“So I think the referee should also be happy to have the chance in case of doubt, the chance to clear every doubt and the chance to make the right decision because when one country feels that one bad decision influences its future in the competition I think it’s hard and I think it’s important for coaches, for players but also referees. I think technology is something the referees would welcome.”

Mourinho also praised Algeria for their performance in their 2-1 defeat to Germany on Monday night. “The attitude was magnificent, the tactical communication was good and the spirit was once more amazing by the Algerian team,” said the Portuguese. “Algeria left the competition with fantastic pride, I believe everybody in the country must be proud of the team and the goal they score is the minimum bonus they could get from such an impressive performance.”

world cup 2014 USA in knockout clash against Belgium world cup 2014 news

world cup 2014

Jozy Altidore kicks the ball during a training session ahead of their round of 16 match against Belgium. Photograph: Marcos Brindicci/Reuters

Striker Jozy Altidore has recovered from his hamstring injury and is ready to play at least some part for the USA against Belgium in their last-16 clash on Tuesday, according to coach Jürgen Klinsmann.

The forward’s tournament was feared to be over after he went down clutching his left hamstring early in his team’s opening game against Ghana, but his manager said that he was available for selection once more after returning to training over the weekend.

“We don’t know how much he can play because we’ll have to see how he’s going,” said Klinsmann at a press conference on Monday. “But he’s available. This is what we want, this is what we hoped for. This is what the medical staff has been hoping for since the injury on him. They’ve done a tremendous job, they’ve worked day and night with Jozy. Just having him with us is huge. How many minutes can he play? We’ll see that during the game.”

Klinsmann also questioned the wisdom of Fifa’s decision to put Algerian referee Djamel Haimoudi in charge of Tuesday’s match. “We know that he took two games so far and he did them very well,” said the manager. “So we wish that he continues refereeing in the perfect way he has done so far. But is it a good feeling that we have? No. Because he’s coming from the same group with Belgium and Algeria.

“He’s able to speak French with their players out in the field, not with ours. And Algeria is a country that we beat at the last World Cup. Sometimes I understand it is difficult for Fifa to choose the right referee for the right games, it’s always tricky, but it is what it is. We give the absolute benefit of the doubt, we respect the decision. We’re going to be spot-on in the game and hope that everything does well.”

Despite any concerns he might have, Klinsmann also said that he was feeling confident about the USA’s preparations for this match. He advised players’ families over the weekend to re-book any return flights for after the World Cup final on 13 July, and reiterated here that the “sky is the limit” for his team.

But Belgium, too, arrive at this game with high expectations. After winning all three of their group games, midfielder Axel Witsel said that anything less than a quarter-final berth would be a failure.

“I think it’s very clear,” he said. “We have a wonderful team with wonderful players, so of course we will be disappointed if we don’t go through.”