Uefa retains 2010 World Cup qualifying format for 2014

Uefa will use the same format to decide which 13 European nations qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil as it employed for the 2010 tournament.

The same 53 European countries which played in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers will compete in nine groups, with the winners of each going to South America.

The eight best runners-up will be drawn in two-legged play-offs to determine the other four qualifying nations.

The preliminary draw for the 2014 World Cup is scheduled for 30 July in Brazil.

Europe will have its lowest share of teams at the World Cup since the inaugural event in 1930 when only four travelled to a 13-nation tournament in Uruguay.

At the 1994 World Cup in the United States, the last to feature 24 countries, 13 European teams played.

That number increased to 15 out of 32 teams four years later with 14 going through the qualifying process while France qualified automatically as hosts.

In 2002, defending champions France again qualified automatically, to ensure 15 European nations were present in Japan and South Korea.

However, Europe was reduced to 13 qualifiers for the 2006 World Cup with hosts Germany taking up a 14th spot.

Defending champions are no longer guaranteed a spot, so 2010 World Cup winners Spain will join 52 other nations who will be split into eight groups of six teams and one group of five.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the executive committee of European football's governing body.

Uefa has also approved recommendations on corruption and match fixing to "establish a network of integrity officers around Europe involving all national associations and on fostering collaboration with state authorities".

Meanwhile, Uefa secretary general Gianni Infantino reiterated that the Bosnian federation would be suspended from April if it did not cut its ethnic-based three-member presidency to one.

Uefa and world governing body Fifa have given the Bosnian federation until the end of March to do so or face suspension.

Ex-Im Bank announces financing for Brazilian FIFA-related projects

By Xinhuanet

RIO DE JANEIRO, March 21 (Xinhua) -- President of the U.S. Export-Import Bank Fred Hochberg announced on Monday a financing of 1 billion U.S. dollars for Brazilian companies involved in projects for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. The money must be used to purchase products made by U.S. companies.

According to Hochberg, Brazil is one of nine countries the Bank considered priorities for investments, but also a country in which the Bank's operations evolve at a very slow pace.

Hochberg hoped the new financing serves as a beginning of a period of faster growth for Ex-Im Bank's operations in Brazil.

"This should be only the beginning, so that the financing to Brazilian companies reach a higher level," he said.

On Sunday, in a speech in Rio's Municipal theater, U.S. President Barack Obama said his country intends to help Brazil in the projects for the games.

"We need world-class infrastructures, which is why U.S. companies want to help you build and prepare this city for an Olympic success," he said.

Besides the financing for the Cup and the Summer Olympics, the Ex-Im Bank will release a 2 billion U.S. dollar credit to Brazil's state-controlled oil and gas giant Petrobras to purchase products from U.S. companies as well.

Asian Zone to play preliminary round for Brazil 2014

By FIFA

Asia will begin the race to the FIFA World Cup 2014™. Ahead of the Preliminary Draw in Brazil on 30 July 2011, teams from the Asian continent will contest a preliminary round of matches. The draw for this first round takes place on 30 March 2011 at AFC House in Kuala Lumpur.

The first round will consist of seven home-and-away series, featuring the 14 lowest ranked teams in Asia. The winners of these series will then proceed to a second round.

The draw will take into account the new rankings in the Asian Confederation. These rankings are based on the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa finals as well as the Asian qualifying rounds for the main tournament. The final number of entries was confirmed by FIFA, whereby all teams entered the qualifiers save Bhutan and Guam, who declined the invitation, and Brunei Darussalam, who are still suspended.

Newly crowned Asian champions Japan are the top-ranked team, followed in second place by Korea Republic. Both these sides reached the Round of 16 of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.Australia and DPR Korea - the two other Asian teams that played in the 2010 FIFA World Cup - and 2010 FIFA World Cup Asian play-off participants Bahrain round out the top five.

Brunei DS, who are currently suspended by FIFA, are the only team not ranked among AFC’s 46 Member Associations.

Rankings for the FIFA World Cup 2014 Asian Qualifiers Round 1

1. Japan,
2. Korea Republic,
3. Australia,
4. DPR Korea,
5. Bahrain,
6. Saudi Arabia,
7. Iran,
8, Qatar,
9. Uzbekistan,
10. UAE,
11. Syria,
12. Oman,
13. Jordan,
14. Iraq,
15. Singapore,
16, China,
17, Kuwait,
18. Thailand,
19. Turkmenistan,
20. Lebanon,
21, Yemen,
22. Tajikistan,
23. Hong Kong,
24. Indonesia,
25. Kyrgyzstan,
26. Maldives,
27. India,
28. Malaysia,
29-30, Afghanistan, Cambodia,
31. Nepal,
32. Bangladesh,
33-34. Sri Lanka, Vietnam,
35. Mongolia,
36. Pakistan,
37. Palestine,
38. Timor Leste,
39. Macau,
40-41. Chinese Taipei, Myanmar,
42-43. The Philippines, Laos

Suspended: Brunei DS
Not participating: Bhutan, Guam.

Private sector to help ensure airports are ready for 2014 World Cup, says Brazilian president

By The Canadian Press

SAO PAULO — Upgrades to Brazil's airports will be opened up to private investment to ensure they are completed in time for the 2014 World Cup, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said in an interview published Thursday.

Rousseff told the Valor Economico business newspaper that the government is getting ready to make "a strong intervention" to fix the nation's overcrowded airports.

"We will accept investments from the private sector that are adequate to the needed expansion plans," she said. "We don't have any bias on how to increase the investments in that area."

Rousseff said the government will allow the private sector to bid for contracts to try to speed up the expansion and renovation of the airports, one of the biggest challenges for the country preparing to host the World Cup for the first time since 1950.

The private sector funds would supplement the public investments already planned to get the airports ready, Rousseff said, adding that a civil aviation ministry will be created to oversee the country's civil aviation agency and the nation's airport authority.

The president acknowledged earlier this week that it won't be easy to get everything done ahead of the monthlong tournament four years from now, but said she is certain the event will be a success.

Rousseff said the infrastructure investments for the World Cup will reach nearly $20 billion, including about $3 billion in the airports that will handle the more than 600,000 visitors expected to travel to Brazil in 2014.

A recent report from a government watchdog group warned Brazil about the slow pace of improvements in the airports, and even FIFA has said airport infrastructure is a problem organizers must address.

There are concerns that problems with bidding processes and environmental licensing may cause delays in the upgrades. Most airports are already saturated thanks to a rapid increase in the number of passengers as the healthy Brazilian economy creates more travel opportunities for the nation's growing middle class.

Most of the investments are aimed at improving the airports' passenger capacity.

The World Cup will be played in 12 cities across Brazil, a large nation that has no adequate ground transportation in most parts of the country.

Brazil will also host the 2016 Rio Olympics.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has praised Rousseff's focus on aviation in a recent statement, but also called for "urgent progress" ahead of the World Cup and Olympics.

It said there is a need for "a quick follow-up with critical reforms to improve the industry's competitiveness."

Brazilian president: 2014 World Cup to generate 730,000 jobs

By xinhuanet.com

RIO DE JANEIRO, March 15 (Xinhua) -- President Dilma Rousseff said Tuesday the 2014 FIFA World Cup, to be hosted by Brazil, will generate 730,000 new jobs in the country.

"The Cup will contribute to our development project, generating jobs and increasing workers' income. We estimate that 330,000 new formal jobs and 400,000 temporary posts will be generated," Rousseff said in her weekly column, published by several dailies in Brazil.

Rousseff also said that the World Cup will bring some 600,000 tourists to the country and boost investments in infrastructure.

"In the infrastructure sector, the investments will reach 33 billion reais (19.8 billion U.S. dollars), 68 percent of which funded by the federal government," she said, adding that those resources will be used to modernize ports and airports, and improve public security and healthcare structure.

Rousseff minimized the criticisms that many of the reforms required in the stadiums which will host Cup matches have yet to begin.

"During the Confederations Cup, which occurred a year before the South Africa World Cup, it was said that the country would not be able to finish the projects in time. But the Cup was a success," she said.

UEFA to decide format for 2014 World Cup qualifiers, as 53 teams chase 13 tickets to Brazil

By The Associated Press (CP) 

NYON, Switzerland — The qualifying path for European teams to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil will be discussed by UEFA's executive committee later this month.

World Cup organizer FIFA confirmed last week that Europe retains the same 13-nation qualification quota it had for the past two tournaments.

UEFA said Thursday that its ruling panel will consider the qualifiers format at a March 20-21 meeting in Paris.

Europe is likely to enter the same 53 countries which played in the 2010 World Cup preliminaries, when nine group winners gained direct entry to the finals in South Africa. The eight best runners-up were then drawn in home-and-away playoff ties to decide four remaining slots.

The preliminary draw for the 2014 World Cup finals, which will feature 32 teams, is scheduled July 30 in a Brazilian city yet to be decided.

Europe now has its lowest share of teams at the World Cup since the inaugural 1930 event, when four travelled to a 13-nation tournament in Uruguay.

Thirteen European teams played in the 1994 World Cup hosted by the United States which was the last with 24 countries.

Europe provided 15 of the 32 teams in 1998 and 2002 — 14 of which went through qualifying while France qualified automatically as the '98 hosts. It also qualified as defending champion four years later, when Japan and South Korea co-hosted. Defending champions are no longer guaranteed a place.

In 2006, Europe was reduced to 13 qualifiers but host Germany was a 14th UEFA representative.

UEFA's executive committee meets on the eve of its annual congress, where Michel Platini will be confirmed unopposed for a second four-year term as president. The role gives Platini status as a FIFA vice-president.

A further three of UEFA's eight delegates to FIFA's 24-man ruling body will be confirmed: Angel Maria Villar of Spain, Germany's Theo Zwanziger and Jim Boyce of Northern Ireland. Boyce takes a seat that is rotated among the four British football federations.

Northern Ireland is a candidate to host the 2012 UEFA Congress, UEFA said. Macedonia and Turkey are the other candidates in a poll of executive members.

FWCQ 2014 rankings announced

By the-afc.com

Kuala Lumpur: AFC has announced the rankings for the FIFA World Cup 2014 Asian Qualifiers Round 1 draw that takes place on 30 March 2010 at AFC House.

The rankings are based on the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Finals as well as the Asian qualifying rounds for the main tournament. The final number of entries will be confirmed later by FIFA.

Newly crowned Asian champions Japan are the top-ranked team, followed in second place by fellow East Asians Korea Republic. Both the sides had reached the Round of 16 in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

Australia and DPR Korea, the two other Asian teams which had played in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and 2010 FIFA World Cup Asian play-off participants Bahrain round off the top five.

Brunei DS, who are suspended by FIFA, are the only team not ranked among AFC’s 46 Member Associations.

Rankings for the FIFA World Cup 2014 Asian Qualifiers Round 1

1. Japan, 2. Korea Republic, 3. Australia, 4. DPR Korea, 5. Bahrain, 6. Saudi Arabia, 7. Iran, 8, Qatar, 9. Uzbekistan, 10. UAE, 11. Syria, 12. Oman, 13. Jordan, 14. Iraq, 15. Singapore, 16, China, 17, Kuwait, 18. Thailand, 19. Turkmenistan, 20. Lebanon, 21, Yemen, 22. Tajikistan, 23. Hong Kong, 24. Indonesia, 25. Kyrgyzstan, 26. Maldives, 27. India, 28. Malaysia, 29-30, Afghanistan, Cambodia, 31. Nepal, 32. Bangladesh, 33-34. Sri Lanka, Vietnam, 35. Mongolia, 36. Pakistan, 37. Palestine, 38. Timor Leste, 39. Macau, 40-41. Chinese Taipei, Myanmar, 42-43. Bhutan, Guam, 44-45. The Philippines, Laos
Suspended-Brunei DS