News » The distances? What are distance

GENEVA - Five officials, including three long-serving FIFA executive committee members, are being investigated in the corruption probe into the bidding contests for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.A person familiar with the cases confirmed the names Thursday to The Associated Press after the five were identified in European media reports. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the FIFA probe is confidential.The current FIFA board members under investigation are FIFA vice-president Angel Maria Villar of Spain, Michel DHooghe of Belgium and Worawi Makudi of Thailand.Villar and Makudi risk losing their FIFA seats within months as even provisional suspensions from all football duty can block them standing in scheduled confederation elections.The others under suspicion are German great Franz Beckenbauer and Harold Mayne-Nicholls of Chile.Beckenbauer was a FIFA voter when the board chose Russia to host the 2018 World Cup and Qatar secured the 2022 tournament. He was provisionally suspended during the World Cup in June for initially refusing to help Garcias probe.Mayne-Nicholls inspected the bids for FIFA ahead of the December 2010 polls, and reportedly sought placements for family members at Qatars influential Aspire youth academy.Last week, FIFA ethics committee chairmen Michael Garcia and Joachim Eckert said a number of formal cases had been opened against unidentified individuals.FIFA also filed a criminal complaint to Swiss federal prosecutors against unnamed individuals cited in Garcias investigation report, adding to a sense of disarray about the wider World Cup investigation.The probe was revived after Eckert tried to close the cases against Russia and Qatar — a decision Garcia quickly appealed to FIFA.On Thursday, FIFA said it cannot confirm or deny any such information about the five named, and referred questions to the ethics panel. The Kirkland & Ellis legal firm in Manhattan where Garcia is a partner was closed Thursday for the Thanksgiving holiday.Individuals were identified Thursday despite strict confidentiality rules in FIFAs code of ethics sealing details of who is under investigation, and for which alleged offences.FIFA President Sepp Blatter has backed Eckerts view that evidence in a 430-page report submitted by Garcias investigations team cannot be disclosed. They cited privacy rights to protect suspects and witnesses.Some members of FIFAs board who joined since the World Cup votes are calling for full disclosure. Garcia and UEFA President Michel Platini want appropriate publication with some redactions.Villar, who was elected to FIFAs ruling board 16 years ago, was a leader of the Spain-Portugal bid that was among four candidates in the 2018 contest. It lost despite a widely reported voting pact with Qatar, in breach of FIFA rules to prevent collusion.A former Spain player and chairman of FIFAs legal committee, Villar was previously identified in March as trying to remove Garcia from the investigation.One bidder was particularly unco-operative with Garcias requests, Eckert noted in his investigation summary. Only Spain-Portugal among nine bidders was not examined in Eckerts 42-page document.DHooghe, the longest tenured board member with 26 years service, previously acknowledged accepting a painting from a Russian former FIFA colleague during the campaign. He has said he voted only for his native Netherlands-Belgium bid in the 2018 contest.DHooghe, whose FIFA mandate expires in 2017, did not respond to messages requesting comment Thursday.Makudi joined FIFAs board in 1997 and was a longtime ally of Mohamed bin Hammam, the now-disgraced Qatari who was a key FIFA power broker.Makudi was alleged in Britains Parliament to have sought favours from Englands failed 2018 bid. He denied the claims, which a FIFA ethics panel dismissed in 2011 before Garcia and Eckert were appointed.Even if the FIFA prosecutions fail against Villar and Makudi, the cases could potentially remove them from high office.Garcia and Eckert typically impose provisional suspensions on football officials when cases are pending, and both board members are due for re-election.Villar has a late-January deadline to declare in UEFA elections for four of its eight delegates on the FIFA board. The vote of European football federations is March 24 in Vienna.Makudis latest four-year mandate from the Asian Football Confederation also expires soon. Those elections are expected in May.The FIFA board, likely including the implicated trio, meets Dec. 18-19 in Marrakech, Morocco, and could get the Garcia dossier to review.Amid the turmoil last week, Garcia and Eckert agreed that FIFAs independent audit and compliance official, Domenico Scala, should decide what evidence to give the board to help decide next steps in a saga that has dogged footballs governing body for more than four years. Tomas Hyka Jersey Alex Tuch Jersey . -- Kevin Harvick pulled away on a restart with 47 laps to go and ended Chase Elliotts two-race winning streak in NASCARs Nationwide Series with a dominating victory early Saturday at Richmond International Raceway. http://www.goldenknightssale.com/authent...knights-jersey/. And thats good news for Canada. Kelly, who plays No. 8 at the back of the scrum, is captain of the Canadian womens team. Stefan Matteau Jersey . Parmelee hit a game-ending shot in the ninth inning and the Minnesota Twins overcame David Ortizs big night to beat the Boston Red Sox 8-6 on Tuesday. Oscar Lindberg Jersey . "I never commented to anyone that I wanted out," he explained. "My heart is with this group and making the playoffs." Kesler added that the rumours are "completely false" that he asked to be traded - recently or ever.TORONTO -- Sepp Blatter appeared at peace. Perhaps it was lingering memories of a chaotic Brazilian World Cup that have FIFAs president so happy to be in Canada. Maybe it was a modestly attended press conference where he faced no questions about bidding corruption, 2018 World Cup host Russias alleged military involvement in Ukraine or labour rights in 2022 host Qatar. Whatever the reason, Canada suits Blatter just fine. So fine in fact that Blatter didnt have to be asked about a possible World Cup in Canada -- he brought it up on his own. "Lets go to see if you can bring the famous FIFAs World Cup we just played in Brazil to your country," he said Monday. "Im sure that this country will be as calm as it is now, and tell me one country in the world actually that is very calm. And here, I feel home." Thats good news for Canadian soccer ahead of the Under-20 Womens World Cup, which begins Tuesday and runs through Aug. 24 in Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton and Moncton, N.B. Canada opens play Tuesday against Ghana in Toronto. The 16-team event is a precursor to next years Womens World Cup, which will move from 16 teams to 24. Blatter called the tournaments a necessary step to a successful bid by the Canadian Soccer Association for the mens tournament. "Its time. Its a project and if youre going to have a project like the FIFA World Cup, it takes some time," he said. "You have had the courage and it was necessary to (CSA president Victor Montagliani) to have the courage to ask, to organize FIFAs Womens World Cup with 24 teams. It will be the first time." The CSA has said it plans to enter a formal bid for the 2026 World Cup. "Were the only G8 country that hasnt hosted a World Cup ...," said Montagliani. "I think weve sort of started to shed our humbleness a little bit ... I think thats our next step of evolution in terms oof the growth of the game, and I think something that not only bodes well for our country but also the continent and will help our neighbours as well.dddddddddddd" None of which actually guarantees Canada will host a World Cup. Canada won the bidding to both womens tournaments in 2011 after its lone opposition, Zimbabwe, pulled out of consideration. Canada previously hosted the mens Under-17 World Cup in 1987 and the mens Under-20 World Cup in 2007, as well as the first womens under-20 tournament in 2002. Theres also the matter of a significant disparity between the womens and mens teams. The womens side, led by star Christine Sinclair of London, Ont., is ranked seventh in the world and recently won bronze at the 2012 London Games. The men are 118th in the world, have only a 1986 World Cup appearance to their credit and are early in a rebuilding process. But Blatter was quick to reminisce about Canadas soccer history. He recalled the decision made in Montreal by the FIFA Congress in 1976 to expel South Africa for its then pro-apartheid stance. He also downplayed Canadas geographic disadvantage as a possible World Cup host. "The distances? What are distances?" he said. "We have just been in Brazil. And you know Brazil is a country with 200 million people, and we have been in three difference zones of climate. If you play in Canada, we will be in the same zone of climate. ... In Brazil we were at the equator. It was hot, humid, sometimes raining." Brazil is already in the past for FIFA. Canada, if Blatter is to be believed, could be in its future if the womens tournaments are a success. "Next year there is no Brazil. Because Brazil is still in the air somewhere," he said. "But next year its not Brazil. Its the under-20 and then (the Womens World Cup). Theres no (other) big competition next year. So lets go." ' ' '