Tour operator programme of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ presented at Soccerex
One day after the preliminary draw in Durban, South Africa’s Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Marthinus van Schalkwyk, today (26 November) officially presented the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ tour operator programme to more than 200 interested travel experts from across the globe at Soccerex 2007 in Johannesburg. The tour operator programme, the first to be implemented by FIFA since 1998, will allow qualified and experienced travel companies to offer customised travel packages of their own creation in combination with 2010 FIFA World Cup™ tickets.
“Today marks a further step towards ensuring that the benefits of the FIFA World Cup are felt by all sectors from multinational to family businesses. It is an excellent example of government working hand in hand with the tourism industry and broader stakeholders towards a common goal – an African World Cup that we all can be proud of. The initiative provides tremendous global marketing potential for SMMEs (small, medium and micro-enterprises),” stated van Schalkwyk.
To make it easier for football fans to identify the tour operators who are entitled to sell travel arrangements with valid 2010 tickets, a special quality mark featuring the 2010 official emblem with the word mark “Authorised Travel Packages” has been developed. The registration period for tour operators will start on 15 February 2008. A total of 350,000 tickets have been allocated to cater for these packages.
“It is extremely important for us to ensure that the first FIFA World Cup in Africa touches as broad an audience as possible in the most meaningful way,” said FIFA General Secretary Jérôme Valcke. “FIFA’s aim is to facilitate travel to the matches for more than 400,000 international visitors by making use of a strong alliance of available local accommodation in various forms, ranging from small bed-and-breakfast establishments to top world-class hotels, ground and air transportation facilities. At the same time, we want to ensure that the spectators will be in for a real African treat, experiencing the great culture that the continent and South Africa have to offer.” Danny Jordaan, CEO of the 2010 SALOC, explained that: “The tour operator programme will help FIFA, the LOC, MATCH and all tourism stakeholders in South Africa to present the 2010 hosts in the best possible light. What is more, the tour operator programme will also enable South African SMME tourism entities to be involved in this once-in-a-lifetime event and benefit from the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It is a chance to enhance international awareness of a world-class tourism destination.”
The programme will be implemented on a non-exclusive basis, allowing for the appointment of multiple tour operators per country and/or region in order to foster competition among the participating companies, thereby resulting in competitive prices for fans and facilitating a broad distribution of tickets within all countries/regions as well as among broad economic markets for potential customers.
FIFA has appointed its servicing partner, MATCH Event Services Pty, to administer the programme on its behalf. FIFA Ticketing Sub-Committee chairman and Honorary FIFA Vice-President David Will, FIFA Ticketing Sub-Committee member and consultant for the 2010 FIFA World Cup Horst Schmidt and co-chairman of MATCH Jaime Byrom introduced the workshop participants to further aspects of the programme, ranging from the host country to ticketing.
Interested tour operators are requested to register online at http://touroperator.match-ag.com. The applications of tour operators who meet the mandatory requirements such as insurance and experience will then be rated on additional factors. FIFA requires tour operators offering international packages to confirm international transportation to ensure that ticket-holders can get to the country in time for matches.
WESLEY CHARLES RELEASED
VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced today that defender Wesley Charles has been released by the club.
During Tuesday’s training session, Charles took exception to a tackle by fellow defender Jeff Parke and attempted to strike Parke. Charles was immediately dismissed from the grounds and training resumed.
“This is the second incident between Wesley Charles and a teammate in just over a month, and as a result, we have decided to release Charles outright,” explained Whitecaps president Bob Lenarduzzi. “As a club, we do not condone any violence on or off the pitch, and take such actions very seriously.”
On June 12, during the latter stages of a Whitecaps home match versus Miami FC Blues, Charles was involved in an on-field incident with teammate Charles Gbeke. As a result of the altercation, Charles and Gbeke received monetary fines and were suspended for two matches.
Charles joined the Whitecaps on July 11, 2008, and played in 33 matches for 2,785 minutes of action over two half-seasons with the club. Prior to his move to the Whitecaps, Charles spent 11 seasons in the League of Ireland.
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This is crazy, Sandro Grande in Montreal, Wesley Charles in Vancouver. I’m just waiting for something to happen in Toronto. Both Montreal and Vancouver have struggled this year and the frustration seems to be building in those camps. Hopefully these problems have been solved with the release of the Charles and Grande.
Soccer Rules-Fouls- Handling
Most fouls on a soccer field are fouls only by degree. Actions during the run of play are, in large measure, harmless in themselves. They become fouls only if done in an unfair manner.
A few acts, however, are deemed fouls whenever they take place?regardless of how or why they occur. One kind of act is the foul of deliberately handling the ball?commonly known as a ?handball.?
Deliberately handling the ball
Among all fouls arising during the course of the game, handballs?or deliberately handling the ball, in the terminology of the Laws?may well cause the most disagreements, misunderstandings, and trouble for the referee.
Handling is the only foul not committed against an opposing player. It is, instead, committed against the opposing team. But it is also the only penal foul requiring a deliberate intent by the player committing the foul. The foul is not, after all, ?letting the ball touch the hand? but rather ?deliberately handling the ball.? Consequently, it is often said that if the ball plays the hand it is not a foul, but if the hand plays the ball, then it is.
This rule of thumb is, however, much more easily said than put into practice. In addition, it also conflicts with the far more conventional rule, which is loudly proclaimed by players, coaches, and spectators around the world: If it hits the hand of an opposing player, it is a handball. But given the fact that most players are blessed with at least two arms?which must be placed somewhere during the course of a match, if only to be available for throw-ins?it would be unfair to penalize players for accidental touches which are neither intended nor avoidable. A few moments of thought should be enough for us to understand the basic concepts:
Above all else, handling fouls require deliberate contact between the ball and a player?s hand or arm. This means that the player either chose not to avoid touching the ball or placed his arms in an unnatural playing position to make it likely that he would touch the ball. And there are many aspects of hand-to-ball contact for the referee to consider when deciding whether a handball is deliberate. An uneven playing surfaces can cause the ball to deflect at odd angles, making it hard for players to know how it will bounce. Players who are unchallenged in the open field have no incentive to handle the ball, since it will be easily detected?which often suggests an unintentional handling, especially on the fields where the playing surface itself not quite putting-green smooth. On the other hand, because players intending to commit a foul often try to hide their actions from the officials, many intentional handballs will occur just out of sight of the referee, a factor which makes cooperation between the officials all-the-more essential.
But rather than trying to devise an intricate formula, we can best understand the principles by cases of what handling is not:
What Handling is NOT:
A player who moves the arms instinctively to protect a sensitive area of the body from the sudden approach of the ball does not commit a foul.
A ball that deflects off a player?s hand or arm from a shot or pass taken a few feet away is not a foul?unless the player has deliberately placed the arm in an unnatural position, hoping to block the pass. (However, placing the arms or hands over a sensitive area of the body?particularly while standing in the wall at a free kick?is not, by any stretch of the imagination, unnatural).
A player who is looking the other way when the ball strikes his arm has not committed a foul.
A ball that has innocently struck the arm of a player does not magically turn become a foul merely by falling in a place that happens to benefit that player.
On the other hand….the player who using his arm after an initial, innocent touch to keep control over the ball is committing a handling foul.
And the referee will probably start wondering just how innocent a hand-ball contact is if the ball is constantly dropping in a convenient place for the same player in the same game.
Jeffrey Caminsky, a veteran public prosecutor in Michigan, specializes in the appellate practice of criminal law and writes on a wide range of topics. Both his science fiction adventure novel The Star Dancers, the first volume in the Guardians of Peace ™ science fiction adventure series, and The Referee?s Survival Guide, a book on soccer officiating, are published by New Alexandria Press, http://www.newalexandriapress.com.
Barcelona Soccer Team Facts
Barcelona is a city long in love with sports, especially the Barcelona Soccer Team.
In addition to hosting the 1992 Summer Olympics, Barcelona hosted parts of the 1982 Football World Cup and has hosted the X FINA World Championship and Eurobasket. The city has two UEFA 5-star rated football stadiums: FC Barcelona's Nou Camp and the Estadi Ol?mpic Llu?s Companys.
FC Barcelona's soccer team is almost a way of life in Barcelona. The rivalry with Madrid rises almost to the point where Barcelona can be considered the Catalonia national team. FC Barca was founded on 29 November 1899 by Joan Gamper, who created the team colors of blue and claret from the Swiss canton in which he lived. Barcelona lost its first ever match with some English expatriates 0-1, but within ten years began a string of Catalan and Spanish championships lasting decades. FC Barcelona went though tough times in the rise to the Spanish Civil War and its aftermath, but was able to recover and by the mid 1940s resumed its championship ways.
FC Barcelona is a sports club containing basketball, handball, hockey, ice-hockey, figure skating, indoor football, rugby, baseball, volleyball and women's football, but the jewel in the crown has always been association football, or the Barcelona Soccer Team. The Barcelona team has qualified every year for the European competition since it was founded in 1955.
The club motto is "M?s que un club" and they refer to their stadium as "Camp Nou." In English these are "More than a club" and "Our Ground." Despite a slump at the turn of the century, FC Barcelona has assembled a talented team and once again resumed winning ways. The club currently has a five-year deal with UNICEF, wearing the emblem on their jerseys and paying $1.9 million a year for the privilege.
Among the many claims to fame of the Barca team are that it has more victories than any other Association Football team in the world. They also have more wins in the Copa del Rey, the Spanish tournament, than any other team with 24 victories. There are 18 La Liga Championships, 7 Supercopa de Espana, 2 EUFA Champions League, 4 EUFA Winner's Cups, 3 Inter-Cities Fairs Cups, 1 Inter-City Fairs Cup Trophy Play-off, 2 European Super Cups, 2 Copa Latina, 4 Copa de Oro Argentina, 22 Catalan Championships, 2 Copa Martina Rossi, 4 Coupe de Pyrenees, 1 Mediteranean League, 2 Copa de Ligua, 1 Copa Barcelona, 1 Lligua Catalana, 5 Copa Catalana and one Little World Cup. It is little wonder Barcelona has embraced the Barcelona Soccer Team and reveres it as a symbol of Catalonia.
Luca Robi is the owner and co-editor of http://www.BigBarcelona.com
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Soccer Cleats – To Stud Or Not To Stud
Soccer boots, only correctly called cleats when they have the ground gripping teeth on the bottom of the shoe, have always been fodder for debate, among those who believe the screw in stud to be better than the molded teeth for traction or reliability. Many of the modern changes to soccer boots has come more from concerned parents, demanding the safest footwear for their young players, than it has from professional players, as might be believed.
There are basically three different types of soccer boots available, those being molded cleats, screw in studs, and these called 'astros' which are designed especially for use on astro turf. A good molded cleat is probably the best beginner boot, if play is to be on grass. They are easy to care for, and hitting them against each other or a wall will knock off most muddy, grassy build-up. Other than that, a rinse with warm water, and allowing them to thoroughly dry before wearing again will provide for about all the care these durable cleats will need.
If finances allow, it is wise to have two pairs of these soccer cleats for your young player, to insure one is thoroughly dry before re-wearing it. In the case of tournaments, where 3 or more games are played in a singe weekend, it is a great relief for those hard working feet to have fresh boots to put on. It is wise to note here that soccer slides, or sandals, are a very important item in the soccer bag. If the cleats are worn on hard surfaces for any length, the cleats will wear or break off much quicker than normal field use would cause.
When your player is ready to try screw in studs make certain they are fully prepared for the additional maintenance these boots will typically require. The simple cleaning of them is much the same as other molded boots, however, the screw in studs, or cleats, is where the care of these soccer boots makes a real difference in the performance they will afford the player.
The studs are available in plastic or metal, and it may be wise to determine which is allowed on your field, particularly if it is for youth play, prior to making your choice. It is possible that the sanctioning body at your playing fields may not allow screw in studs at all.
After you have made the decision to purchase soccer cleats with screw in studs, and have determined that the playing fields in your area do allow them, go to a sporting goods store that knows soccer, and has sales associates who will take the time to ensure your player gets a good, snug fit. This would be true even in the molded cleats, of course. Make certain the studs are screwed in tightly, and always carry extra studs in the soccer bag.
Inspecting the studs as the cleats are cleaned and put away after a match will prove wise, and help prevent a lost stud during a game. Never continue to play with a missing stud, it is harmful to the overall stability of the player, and can easily distort the hole so a new stud may not fit properly when replacing it is finally attempted. At first break in the game, replace the missing stud.
Astros are easy to care for, and can be used on grassy or hard surfaces. Basic cleaning is similar to the molded cleats.
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