Uruguay players charged for confronting referee
DOHA, Dec 6: Four Uruguay players were charged with offensive behaviour by FIFA on Monday for their angry pursuit of the referee after being eliminated from the World Cup. The Uruguayan football federation also faces an extra charge of discrimination, FIFA said without giving details. The Uruguay team thought it should been awarded a penalty kick in stoppage time of its 2-0 victory over Ghana on Friday. One more goal would have sent Uruguay to the round of 16 instead of South Korea. FIFA said Edinson Cavani, José María Giménez, Diego Godín and Fernando Muslera face disciplinary cases for “offensive behaviour and violations of the principles of fair play” and misconduct. Cavani, Godín and Muslera were each playing at their fourth World Cup and Giménez was at this third. They were among a group of players who confronted German referee Daniel Siebert after the final whistle at Al Janoub Stadium. FIFA did not specify a timetable for its disciplinary committee to rule on the cases. (AP)
Serbia charged by FIFA for team, fans’ conduct at WC
DOHA, Dec 6: FIFA brought disciplinary charges against Serbia on Monday for alleged misconduct by players and fans including offensive chants at a World Cup match against Switzerland. Tensions flared in the stands and on the field in a rematch of their stormy game at the 2018 World Cup that revived ethnic Balkan rivalries. Switzerland was captained by Granit Xhaka in Friday’s match, and Xherdan Shaqiri scored the opening goal in a 3-2 win that eliminated Serbia. Both Swiss players have ethnic Albanian roots and family ties to Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Serbia doesn’t recognize Kosovo’s sovereignty. FIFA didn’t specify which incidents at Stadium 974 led to charges relating to “misconduct of players and officials,” discrimination and “misconduct of players and officials.” Anti-Kosovo chants were heard from the section of Serbia fans, who targeted Shaqiri with verbal abuse in the first half. Several Serbia players in the dugout encroached on the field in the second half when the referee didn’t use video review to study a claim for a penalty kick. FIFA, world football’s governing body, gave no timetable for the disciplinary case. Any punishments could apply when Serbia next plays competitive games in March in a European Championship qualifying group. (AP)
Bierhoff resigns as director of Germany’s teams, academy
BERLIN, Dec 6: Oliver Bierhoff is the first managerial casualty of Germany’s early World Cup exit after agreeing to resign as managing director of the country’s national football teams and academy. The German football federation said on Monday that Bierhoff agreed to prematurely end his contract. It was due to run through the 2024 European Championship. Germany is set to host that tournament but there are concerns about the team’s direction after a second successive World Cup exit at the group stage coming after its second-round exit from the European Championship last year. Bierhoff had a management role with the federation for 18 years since becoming manager of the men’s national team in 2004, two years after the former forward’s last game for Germany. He took over all of the national teams and academy in 2018 and received another promotion this year. “Bierhoff has done a great job,” federation president Bernd Neuendorf said in a statement. “Even if the last tournaments fell short of the sporting goals, he stands for great moments. His work will always be associated with the World Cup success in Brazil.” Bierhoff was credited with playing a key role in Germany’s 2014 World Cup win by setting the team up at Campo Bahia, a resort in the northeast of Brazil where coach Joachim Löw was able to foster a winning team spirit among his happy players. But subsequent attempts to provide a similar team camp failed to yield the same results. Germany crashed out of the 2018 World Cup as defending champion at the first hurdle and has underperformed since. (AP)
Saudis in off-field win before Japan, Koreans exit WC
SEOUL, Dec 6: Hours before Japan and South Korea endured painful second-round exits from the World Cup in Qatar, continental football rival Saudi Arabia had plenty to celebrate. The All India Football Federation’s decision to pull out of the race to host the 2027 Asian Cup, announced while all the football focus in East Asia was centered on Japan and South Korea’s knockout games on Monday, left Saudi Arabia as the only candidate to host the continental championship. South Korea, which lost 4-1 to Brazil, and Japan, edged by Croatia after a penalty shootout, progressed further in the World Cup than either Qatar or Saudi Arabia. Off the field, though, the power in Asian football moved toward the west side of the continent. Saudi Arabia is set to be officially confirmed as 2027 host in February when the Asian Football Confederation meets in Bahrain. It will be the first time that the country has staged the continental competition and could also lead to a future World Cup bid. “People forget that Saudi Arabia has hosted many international events including the 1989 World Youth Cup and three editions of the Confederations Cup,” Hafez Al-Medlej, a former member of the Saudi Arabia Football Federation and the AFC, told domestic media. “The 2027 Asian Cup will be one of the most successful Asian competitions given Saudi Arabia’s ability to host sporting events and this will show that the country will be able to host the World Cup in the coming years.” The United Arab Emirates hosted the 2019 Asian Cup and Bahrain’s Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa is set to be named as AFC president for a third term in February. Qatar beat off a challenge from South Korea in October to host the 2023 Asian Cup, using the facilities created for the World Cup. (AP)