Entertainment
EntertainmentScolari wants to banish the ghosts of the 1950 when Brazil was beaten by Uruguay
Coach Luis Filipe Scolari says he wants Brazil to banish the ghosts of 1950, when his country last hosted the World Cup and lost the final in a defeat against neighboring Uruguay that has haunted them ever since.
FIFA will conduct surprise doping tests of all World Cup players
FIFA is expected to conduct surprise doping tests of all World Cup players at least once beginning in March, setting up biological passports to determine possible irregularities in blood and urine samples. FIFA chief medical officer Jiri Dvorak said all teams and players should be tested unannounced between March 1 and the World Cup opener in June.
Russia welcomes Gibraltar to the UEFA family
Pravda, Russia’s political newspaper associated with the Communist Party, welcomed Gibraltar into UEFA’s family in an article publish online on Thursday.
English football association looking for new sponsor: Budweiser steps down
England's Football Association (FA) has confirmed it needs a new sponsor for the FA Cup after Budweiser decided not to renew its £9m-a-year deal. The current deal with the US drinks giant expires at the end of the season, and the search is on for a replacement for the 2014-15 competition.
Unfinished World Cup stadium takes another life: this time in Manaus
A worker died in an accident while working outside the World Cup stadium in the Brazilian city of Manaus, local authorities and the Sports Ministry said. The Amazonia Arena, which should have been completed in December according to FIFA's original deadline, is behind schedule and workers were rushing to get the job finished.
Boxing superstar Mayweather bets 10m dollars on Denver Broncos in Super-bowl
Reports from the US gambling haven of Las Vegas suggest that boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather has placed 10 million dollars on a Denver Broncos victory in the upcoming Super-bowl.
Falkland Islands cruise ship season looking “relatively healthy”
The Falkland Islands cruise ship season is looking “relatively healthy” to date, according to Sulivan Shipping Tourism Coordinator Samantha Marsh, with a third of the estimated 45,000 (total) passengers scheduled still to visit during February. The season got underway in October and to date 12,300 passengers have landed from 41 vessels of varying sizes.
Blatter confident it will be a great Cup, after meeting Brazil president Rousseff
FIFA president Sepp Blatter played down concern about sluggish World Cup preparations on Thursday, even when his deputy warned Curitiba must prove it can finalize work to remain a venue. Blatter met visiting Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff at FIFA headquarters in Zurich and the pair both made positive noises about Brazil's ability to deliver come the big kick-off on June 12.
Christ the Redeemer head and hands under repairs but still open to the public
Repairs have begun on Brazil's Christ the Redeemer statue after lightning damaged the 38 meters statue's head, right finger and thumb. The iconic statue of Christ overlooking Rio de Janeiro was struck again last week during a violent storm, damaging its right thumb.
“Without a stadium, we can't organize a match”, FIFA warns city of Curitiba
Curitiba risks being dropped as a venue for this year's World Cup finals if work on the Arena da Baixada stadium there fails to make significant progress, FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke said on Tuesday. Curitiba is set to host four group matches, including the meeting of holders Spain and Australia.
