Germany's Melanie Leupolz, right,
and Thailand's Silawan Intamee
(7) vie for the ball during the first half of a FIFA Women's World Cup soccer game in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Monday, June 15, 2015.
(7) vie for the ball during the first half of a FIFA Women's World Cup soccer game in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Monday, June 15, 2015.
Top-ranked Germany beat Thailand 4-0
at the Women's World Cup on Monday to claim top spot in GroupB.
The Germans finished top on goal
difference ahead of Norway, which beat Ivory Coast 3-1. In Group A, host Canada
conceded a late equalizer to draw 1-1 against the Netherlands but still claimed
top spot ahead of second-placed China, which advanced after a 2-2 draw against
New Zealand, eliminating the Kiwis.
The Netherlands and Thailand
finished third in Groups A and B and will be sweating on Tuesday and
Wednesday's results which will determine which four of the six third-placed
sides will progress. Germany's Melanie Leupolz scored the opening goal in the
24th minute but the tournament favorite was repeatedly thwarted by Thai
goalkeeper Waraporn Boonsing.
The Germans finally made it 2-0 on
Lena Petermann's header in the 56th minute, and she scored again two minutes
later to effectively end the contest. Sara Daebritz later closed the scoring by
tapping the ball into an open net.
Norway's Ada Hegerberg scored twice
to lead her team to a 3-1 win over Ivory Coast and passage to the knockout
stages. Hegerberg scored the opening goal for Norway in the 6th minute, beating
Ivory Coast goalkeeper Cynthia Djohore at the near post. Hegerberg added her
second in the 62nd minute, and Solveig Gulbrandsen put Norway up 3-0 in the
67th minute.
This March 26, 2014 artist rendering provided by Italian Serie A soccer club Roma, shows the new stadium to be build on the outskirts of Rome. Three-time Serie A champion Roma is moving ahead with an ambitious 1.5 billion euro ($1.7 billion) plan for a new privately financed stadium and surrounding business and entertainment center on the city's outskirts. The club's American president James Pallotta says that pending government approval, construction will begin by December and last up to two years. Roma handed over a detailed dossier on the project to city authorities Monday, June 15, 2015.
"If we are going to consistently compete as a top club in the world we need a new stadium, a stadium that is privately owned by AS Roma," Pallotta said, adding that the entire project will amount to "one of the most important projects in Italy in many, many decades.
With a design inspired by the Colosseum, the stadium will seat 52,500 spectators and be able to expand to 60,000 for major matches. The site in Tor di Valle is about halfway between downtown and the Leonardo Da Vinci airport. The 125-hectare (300 acre) area will also include a training ground for Roma, three high-rise office towers, plus parks and commercial and entertainment areas.
Costs for the stadium itself are estimated at 300 million euros ($335 million) but the overall price includes surrounding infrastructure and transport. While some of the financing is expected to come from Roma's sponsors like Nike, it remains unclear where the other money will come from.
"In terms of who wants to invest, we have a substantial list and I'm positive that they wouldn't like us to name them today," Pallotta said. "But we don't feel like we're going to have an issue at all with the financing of the stadium."
FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter, left, UEFA President
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| FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter, left, UEFA President Michel Platini, center, and FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke, right, are engaged in conversation during the 65th FIFA Congress held at the Hallenstadion in Zurich, Switzerland, Friday, May 29, 2015 |
FIFA spokeswoman Delia Fischer said Monday that "due to the current situation," Valcke will not attend this weekend's opening game "as previously scheduled." Fischer said "it is important that he attend to matters at FIFA's headquarters in Zurich."
She added that FIFA President Sepp Blatter still intends to travel to the CONCACAF Gold Cup, which is hosted by the United States and Canada in July. Several high-ranking FIFA officials were arrested in Zurich last week in a U.S.-led probe into corruption
Meeting in Belfast: FIFA president Sepp Blatter
FIFA president Sepp Blatter leaves after the International Football Association Board (IFAB) meeting in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2015. Sepp Blatter wants the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar to take
The Dutch candidate for the FIFA presidency said Monday he wants to boost the number of teams at the World Cup to 40 and give guaranteed berths to host nations and defending champions.
Royal Netherlands Football Association Chairman Michael van Praag also said FIFA should send more money to national federations, pledging an annual handout of $1 million to each football federation, four times the current $250,000.;;
Van Praag made the pledges as he asked the Dutch FA to foot the 394,538-euro ($440,977) bill for his campaign to oust FIFA President Sepp Blatter following May's election. Van Praag briefly outlined his bid to "normalize" FIFA before rushing to catch a plane to Paraguay, where he will lobby members of the South American football federation for their support.
He said future 40-team World Cups should also include an extra team from each confederation. He said prize money for participants at the World Cup and Confederations Cup also should be increased and a separate budget should be established to improve infrastructure at national associations that need financial support.
Not surprisingly given the Dutch FA's support for goal-line technology, Van Praag said he wants to give referees more technological help where possible. He said that when something controversial happens on the pitch, "we cannot expect our referees to be the only people in the stadium who can't replay that moment."
He also said that as FIFA president he would set up an international academy to train referees and another for youth trainers. The 78-year-old Blatter is seeking a fifth term running global football's governing body. FIFA Vice President Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan and Portugal great Luis Figo also looking to end Blatter's reign, which began in 1998.
Van Praag, a veteran football administrator and wealthy businessman, was prepared to fund his own campaign, but that wasn't necessary — in a show of hands vote, members of the Dutch FA overwhelmingly agreed to meet the cost.
Van Praag also said he would publish "as soon as possible" the confidential report of American lawyer Michael Garcia who led an investigation into the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bid process that led to Russia and Qatar winning the hosting rights.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter attends a press
The three challengers bidding to oust Sepp Blatter as president of FIFA have discussed joining forces against the 79-year-old Swiss incumbent.
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FIFA President Sepp Blatter attends a press conference in Jerusalem, Tuesday, May 19, 2015. Blatter said Tuesday he is on a “mission of peace” to resolve tensions between the Israeli and Palestinian soccer |
A spokesman for Dutch soccer federation president Michael van Praag, one of Blatter's opponents in the May 29 election, says "it is too early to talk about which candidate might have the best chance."
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| FIFA President Sepp Blatter attends a press conference in Jerusalem, Tuesday, May 19, 2015. Blatter said Tuesday he is on a “mission of peace” to resolve tensions between the Israeli and Palestinian soccer |
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