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"Give the World Cup bid a red card"
That's the title of co-blogger Dennis Coates' piece in today's LA Times. Dennis may be too proud to call attention to himself by pointing that out here, but I'm not! ... -
Brazil Bleg
Bitter football enemies Argentina and Brazil (combined 7-time World Champions) square-off yet again in a friendly next Wednesday. The match is in (of all places) Doha – since the match ... -
Qatar and/or Bust
Today FIFA announced that the 2018 World Cup will be held in Russia, while the 2022 version will be held in Qatar, a country roughly the size of Connecticutt that ... -
Not a Good Performance Evaluation
The AP headline is: "US soccer pres: We failed to meet expectations." There's not much else in the story, apart from a statement that Sunil Gulati "will likely meet with ... -
World Cup finances & knock-on effects
This BBC story has a number of figures on the costs and revenues of staging this year's World Cup in South Africa. Among them (in British pounds): FIFA's expected revenue: ... -
FIFA: Money, Control, or Both
After goals not given, diving, low scoring, reds for nothing, penalties overlooked, ... of the World Cup, arguably the strongest overall team won the event. Although not totally one-sided, Spain ... -
Superb World Cup 'Selection Bias' Example
For all those economics professors and tutors out there who struggle to explain the crucial concept of ‘selection bias’, a nice illustration can be found in FIFA World Cup finals ... -
Wake Me Up When We Play Algeria
2-2 vs. Slovenia, and whew! That was the most thrilling tie in American history. We're still alive!! As for the commentary, Ian Darke's performance in the booth validated ESPN's decision to ... -
FIFA & Stadium Finance, Russian Style
Most of the commentary following FIFA's award of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar has focused on the voting process, the objectives of FIFA, and potential ... -
Mega-Events in Developing Nations
South Africa has spent at least $6 billion in preparations for this summer's World Cup. How can a poor but developing country like South Africa afford to host such an ... -
Punish the Referee?
Another broken leg in the EPL, this time to Newcastle's Hatem Ben Arfa, and the FA is -- according to more than one press report-- likely to take action against ...
