The FIFA Congress will convene June 13 to vote on the host of football’s showpiece event, with Morocco and a joint North American venture from the United States, Canada and Mexico the only bids in play. Scrutiny over the 2010 vote that awarded the staging of this year’s event in Russia and the 2022 tournament in Qatar led to the FIFA corruption scandal and, ultimately, the ousting of long-term president Sepp Blatter....
The adjudicatory chamber of FIFA’s Ethics Committee recently opened formal proceedings against the 55-year-old — who was also provisionally suspended from all soccer-related activities — over allegations of corruption, and they have now decided to cancel the Frenchman’s contract. MORE: Magical Messi moments | Blatter, Michel Platini could face lifetime bans Valcke is alleged to have been linked to a scheme that intended to sell tickets for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil at above their face value, prior to the contract being canceled before any were sold....
Pogba working through injury lay-off The Bureau, which comprises FIFA president Gianni Infantino and the presidents of the six confederations, met in Zurich and agreed on the slot allocation for the expanded event. The decision will now be submitted to the FIFA Council for ratification in May. Six direct slots each will be awarded to CONCACAF and CONMEBOL, eight to the AFC, nine to CAF and 16 to UEFA, while the OFC will receive one direct slot....
How can a player who Markieff Morris called “a 300 pound sloppy fat boy,” who has the acceleration of a Toyota Prius, who looks like if Patrick from “SpongeBob” found a pair of Jordans thrown into the sea, be a good defender? Those physical attributes did hamper Jokic considerably earlier in his career, but he’s found a way to maximize his limited tools and become a plus defensively. MORE: Why Jakob Poeltl is the best center nobody’s talking about...
“We were talking about plays like that — just small, quick plays,” the Lightning winger told Sporting News. “He’s always got an eye in the back of his head.” MORE: Game 5, 8 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC, TVA | Must-see Stanley Cup Final photos | Tall order for Lightning goalie Killorn was talking about linemate Valtteri Filppula’s against-the-grain, behind-the-net pass in Game 4. Killorn buried a shot on Corey Crawford’s short side that wasn’t enough to beat the Blackhawks, but was worth talking about two days later....
The 23-year-old midfielder had been out of contract following his departure from Scottish side Greenock Morton and Harps manager Ollie Horgan is pleased to have secured the services of the former Northern Ireland youth international. League of Ireland Premier Division transfers “Caolan plays mostly in a wide right midfield role so we’re glad to get him in as it’s a position that needed to be filled,” Horgan told the club’s official website....
The 26-year-old is currently enjoying the most productive season of his career, with a new personal best goal return of 23 set in 2017-18. He has also contributed 10 assists across Premier League and Champions League competition, helping to keep the Reds in contention for a top-four finish domestically and safely through to the quarter-final stage in Europe. Firmino has added end product to the tireless running which has made him a firm favourite of the Liverpool support and his manager Jurgen Klopp....
It’s all about offense. Those who can, win. Those who can’t, lose. It’s that simple. MORE: The 10 best Thursday night games | BCS analysis | Week 11 picks “When you’ve got guys who can run, and you can force teams to defend the entire field,” says Baylor coach Art Briles, “you have a good chance to dictate what happens in a game.” Forget the old adage that defense wins championships....
Let’s start with No. 1: McDavid was on a line with Taylor Hall and Teddy Purcell to start training camp. And Hall, who was in the same position as McDavid a few years back, liked what he saw. MORE: Super Mario | 2015 Hall of Fame class | Metal detectors mandated for all NHL venues “He’s a special player, I think you see that any time he steps on the ice,” Hall said....
Phil Mickelson famously resigned the third FedEx Cup tourney last weekend, saying he preferred to prepare for the international competition. That Mickelson might not have made the field at Atlanta drew scant mention. MORE: Track scores from Atlanta | Wozniacki-McIlroy split | American Ryder Cup picks This weekend, 29 players are in action at East Lake Golf Club, a swanky spot in Atlanta. The world’s best players are involved, notably No....
A deep dive into further research indicates that the Yankees have other players on their roster. Derek Jeter is not one of them. You may have heard that he retired at the end of last season, a gracious and selfless act of stepping out of the spotlight to allow Alex Rodriguez to finally receive the attention he deserves. So, what can be expected from the Yankees in 2015? Here are five predictions....
The 25-year-old has been spotted with the filmmaker on every press stop, interview and awards stages. Now that award season is over, though, Choi will turn her attention back to her own personal endeavors, like creating her own cinematic features. Read on for more about Bong’s interpreter Choi below. Choi began working with Bong at the Cannes Film Festival Choi made her red carpet debut alongside Bong at the lavish film festival in May....
Davis is the nation’s No. 1 inside linebacker, the top player in the state of Alabama and No. 10 player in the Class of 2016, according to 247Sports. The 6-3, 240-pound linebacker had narrowed his options to Alabama and Georgia before choosing the hometown Tide with a houndstooth fedora on National Signing Day. MORE: Tracking top-25 recruits | BRADLEY: Alabama is here to stay, accept it The Bulldogs were nearly able to flip Davis, thanks in large part to his relationship with Georgia coach and former Tide defensive coordinator Kirby Smart, who recruited him for Alabama while he still coached under Nick Saban....
Already a gold medalist and two-time All-NBA choice, it wasn’t even close to the biggest achievement of his career. And, of course, that’s not to mention his pair of championship rings as a member of the Warriors in 2015 and 2017. It’s an impressive and unlikely haul for a player whom many pegged a tweener that would have trouble finding his way onto the floor before he was taken in the second round (35th overall) in the 2012 NBA Draft....
Ramo, playing in goal for the Flames, made an incredible diving glove save against New York’s J.T. Miller, who had pounced on a rebound to Ramo’s left. Listen to the crowd’s reaction at the 25-second mark as it saw a replay on the Madison Square Garden scoreboard. MORE: Nash day-to-day with neck spasms Ramo allowed just one goal Tuesday, but he took the loss because counterpart Cam Talbot stopped all 21 Calgary shots in a 1-0 shutout....
