SUNDAY, JUNE 7, 2015 SPORTS Women’s World Cup set to be hit with fans VANCOUVER: With a bribery scandal what’s happening with FIFA.” demand in Montreal, we’re opening up also a player in the US team. ers, shows most of its games on enveloping FIFA it might seem like a bad One attraction is that the Women’s the upper bowl in Montreal’s Olympic YouTube, bar a one-year deal with ESPN time for soccer’s governing body to hold World Cup is FIFA’s mom-and-pop oper- Stadium for Canada’s third group stage PLAYING FOR JOY for some matches, and annual salaries the Women’s World Cup in Canada - ation, meaning it is far less drenched in match.” That will nearly double the Blatter, who called himself a “godfa- top out at $40,000. “The Women’s World even more so given indictments last money than the men’s game and there- capacity for the game. ther” to women’s soccer, has shepherded Cup is the best thing that could ever week included top officials from the fore less likely to be tainted by illicit pay- Some sponsors who shuddered as growth in the women’s game but has happen to FIFA right now,” Canadian soc- North American and Caribbean region ments. the scandal erupted last week and wors- also been slammed for various com- cer Hall of Famer Serwetnyk said. “The on corruption charges. The opening match between Canada ened this week are now quietly giddy at ments about women over the years, players are not making a gazillion dol- But that isn’t proving to be the case. and China in Edmonton, is on track to the attention. including once suggesting female play- lars. These women are playing for the Tickets for the month-long competition record the largest attendance - 52,000 “Bad press, good press, it’s all press ers consider wearing tighter shorts to joy of the game.” In contrast, the men’s that starts on Saturday are selling quick- people - for any Canadian national team and draws attention to the event,” said help market the game. English Premier League generated ly, TV audiences around the world are match in any sport, according to the the representative of a major sponsor FIFA has been criticized for holding broadcast income of $569 million in expected to be large, and the sponsors Canadian Soccer Association. That is who spoke on condition of anonymity. the Canadian tournament on artificial 2013-14 and its most expensive player, say they expect good exposure for their quite something in a country usually Even practices and warm-ups games turf. Men play on grass, and dozens of Manchester United’s Angel Di Maria, will products. more obsessed with ice hockey. The 24- have drawn extra attention as the twists players sued FIFA and the Canadian earn $430,000 a week. Some current and former players team tournament has games spread and turns in the scandal have unfolded Soccer Association for discrimination, Total prize money for the this even say the scandal, which led to Sepp across six cities and five time zones from in the past 10 days. claiming artificial turf causes more Women’s World Cup is $15 million, com- Blatter’s resignation as FIFA president on Canada’s Atlantic to Pacific coasts. “There’s a lot of talk about soccer injuries. The lawsuit was dropped in pared to $358 million for the men’s tour- Tuesday, has triggered more interest in The final on July 5 sold out within 72 right now. Perhaps, maybe, we’ll get January. A FIFA spokeswoman declined nament in Brazil last year. The FIFA scan- the women’s competition rather than hours, all the U.S. team matches are sell- people to watch this amazing tourna- to say if Blatter, who will remain presi- dal is not distracting the world’s best casting a shadow. “We all love train ing out and more than 1.5 million fans ment,” U.S. player Heather O’Reilly told dent until a successor is elected, still female soccer players, according to wrecks,” said former Canadian national are expected in total. That compares reporters in Winnipeg. planned to attend the women’s final on Norwegian coach Even Pellerud. team player Carrie Serwetnyk. with 845,711 spectators at the last Some players said they wanted to see July 5 in Vancouver. “You should not underestimate how “I think this World Cup is going to Women’s World Cup in 2011 in Germany, reforms in FIFA and more attention on Female professional leagues scrape self-centered coaches and athletes are. benefit from the scandal. It’s going to which had fewer games. developing women’s soccer. “We’re excit- by and broadcasting rights are not hotly They’re only paying attention to the next drive more people into seats and it’s “Ticket sales are going very, very fast ed for FIFA to restructure and go forward pursued in the women’s game. The games, the group, the hotel, the food, going to create a bigger television audi- across our country,” said CSA General with more transparent people at the National Women’s Soccer League in the the good times, the hard work. Blatter is ence, because people are curious about Secretary Peter Montopoli. “Due to head of it,” said Meghan Klingenberg, U.S., the top level for professional play- just a headline for us.” —Reuters Reggae Boyz must revive spirit of Indomitable Lions SANTIAGO: Jamaica enjoyed their finest Schaefer, will have another chance to mix it footballing hour when they qualified for with the big boys. the 1998 World Cup in France to become Getting through a tough first-round the first English-speaking Caribbean coun- group including World Cup runners-up try to play in the showpiece tournament. Argentina, defending champions Uruguay They lost 3-1 to Croatia and 5-0 to and Paraguay would be a major achieve- Argentina before beating Japan 2-1, failing ment and recent results against major foot- to reach the knockout stages but earning ball countries do not bode well. plaudits for their adventurous play under Jamaica were crushed 8-0 in a friendly in Brazilian coach Rene Simoes. France last year but did win the Caribbean The Reggae Boyz have struggled on the Cup in November with a 4-3 penalty international stage since, however. They shootout triumph over Trinidad & Tobago won the Caribbean Cup in 2005, 2008, 2010 in the final following a 0-0 draw. Home and 2014 and reached the Gold Cup quar- wins over Venezuela and Cuba in friendlies ter-finals in 2003, 2005 and 2011 but failed have lifted Jamaica to 65th in the world but to qualify for the last four World Cups. if they are to perform well in Chile Schaefer Earning a place in this year’s Copa must revive the spirit of his Cameroon America as one of two invited teams, the team of 2002 when the Indomitable Lions Jamaicans, under German coach Winfried won the African Nations Cup. —Reuters Bleak outlook for ageing Peru SANTIAGO: Although Peru surpassed with a dispiriting 1-0 defeat against expectations by reaching the Copa America Venezuela on his debut. semi-finals in 2011, any thoughts of a simi- That clearly persuaded him to bring lar run this time around are likely to prove back the old faithfuls even though their wildly optimistic. record for Peru has often fallen way short of DUNEDIN: Jarlan Barrera (center) of Colombia fights for the ball with Raphael Guzzo (left) and Chico Ramos of Portugal (right) during the FIFA Coach Ricardo Gareca’s decision to their club form. Under-20 World Cup football match. —AFP include old favourites Claudio Pizarro, Pizarro, for example, has mustered a Jefferson Farfan and Juan Vargas, even meagre 19 goals in 71 appearances for his though they have featured little for their country, a sad comparison to his prolific clubs this season, is a worrying sign about record in the Bundesliga where he has the Portugal sets the pace the standard of the new generation. highest all-time total of any non-German Those weaknesses were on show last player. Thirteen members of the squad are year when a team of home-based players home-based, a worrying statistic given the slumped to a 3-0 defeat against England poor standard of the Peruvian champi- at Under-20 World Cup and a 2-0 loss to Switzerland on a miserable onship. Drawn in a group which contains European tour. World Cup quarter-finalists Brazil and Gareca, an Argentine who was leading Colombia, Peru’s most realistic goal is to WELLINGTON: Portugal strode confidently into “We knew we were going to have problems ing three points it’d very difficult to qualify, so scorer at the 1987 Copa America, replaced beat Venezuela and hope to qualify as one the knockout rounds of the FIFA Under-20 World because we were taking on a team with a lot of we handled the situation we were in very well. Pablo Bengoechea in March and began of the best third-placed teams.—Reuters Cup Saturday, beating Colombia 3-1 for its third- qualities, not just in technical terms but also in “The penalty gave us a big shock and we tried to straight win in Group C. the way they set themselves out on the pitch,” level the game too quickly, which is not the way Despite the loss, Colombia also progressed to Portugal coach Helio Sousa said. “We were aware we should have gone about it.” the round of 16 with a win, a draw and a loss that we had to be strong all the time.