Long-standing accusations of corruption in the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), the world soccer governing body, have picked up traction lately, forcing two top officials in the organization to step aside in light of accusations that they offered $40,000 bribes to two dozen officials in an attempt to buy their votes for the presidency. [More]
soccer
2 Pounds Away From Weight Loss Goal
By 5.6.11
I’m 2 lbs away from my weight loss goal. What’s my secret you ask? An ancient technique passed down to me by visions of an Aztec god: diet and exercise. Specifically soccer. Oodles of soccer. [More]
Fox Soccer Channel Delivers Lousy Streaming Video, Indifferent Customer Service
By 4.12.11
The great thing about the revolution in streaming video is that we can subscribe to niche services that supplement or replace cable TV. The problem with such services is that when they fail, you only have one option for that content. John, a fan of England’s Premier League, subscribes to a service through Fox that streams games not broadcast on the Fox Soccer Channel. The streaming service is on its second year, and the quality is noticeably worse than last year. He could cancel his subscription, but that would leave him with no soccer at all. [More]
UEFA Issues Red Card To Vuvuzelas
By 9.2.10
Nothing makes a monotonous soccer game more difficult to watch than several hours of the monotone bleating of vuvuzelas, the plastic horns that drove many World Cup viewers to hit the mute button. Thankfully, the Union of European Football (don’t call it soccer) Associations has decided to ban the noisemakers. [More]
Nothing Will Silence Those Damn Vuvuzelas
By 6.16.10
If the sound of vuvuzelas — those ubiquitous plastic horns used by thousands of soccer fans — has made your World Cup viewing experience seem more like a visit by a horde of 17-year cicadas, Consumer Reports has a message for you: tough luck. Nothing short of muting your TV’s sound will silence the noisemakers, though there are a few ways to make them less annoying. [More]
Watch The World Cup Online Live (Sometimes Free!)
By 6.11.10
The World Cup has started and there’s several places you can watch the beautiful game, aka soccer, aka association football, streaming live online and free. There’s restriction depending on your geographical location and internet service provider, but with a little effort and know-how you should be catching all the excitement of the awesomest sport in the world in no time. [Lifehacker] [More]
Soccer Team Gives "Refund" After Epic 4-0 Beatdown
By 5.11.10
The Seattle Sounders got beat 4-0 by the LA Galaxy, prompting one of the players to suggest that fans deserve a refund and apology from the team. It seem the ownership agrees. Sort of. They’re offering a one game credit to season ticket holders as compensation for the crappy play. It’s not a refund exactly, but its almost one. [More]
Prove You're Financially Literate And Win At Online Soccer!
By 10.12.09
We’re not sure what “soccer” is—it looks like it might be some sort of real-world Quidditch without the brooms—but Visa and a bunch of soccer players have released a fancy-schmancy (for a website, at least) online version that tests your financial literacy. You can try it out at financialsoccer.com instead of working this morning.
Coca-Cola's Probably Regretting Sponsoring Argentina's Women's Soccer Team
By 8.21.08
Pictured above are members of Argentina’s olympic soccer team, celebrating their trip to the Olympics in Beijing. Although they’re not the first Olympic team to strike this tasteless pose, they are the first to do so while wearing their corporate sponsor’s name on their jerseys.
Red Card! MLSGear.com Shoppers Exposed To Identity Theft
By 2.12.08
Computerworld is reporting that “a series of SQL injection attacks” on a third-party e-commerce company’s servers has compromised the personal data of customers who shopped at Major League Soccer’s MLSgear.com website. One affected customer told us he received a letter from MLSgear.com letting him know what had happened and offering him free credit monitoring services for a year, which is apparently the standing corporate response to personal data theft.
Nike and Eric Cantona Bonito Help Us Love Ads and Soccer Again
By 2.17.06
We hate ads but we dare you to hate this Nike soccer campaign.
FIFA Backs Down on World Ticket Prices (A Bit)
By 12.23.05
For you in this time of joy, a happyish ending to Grant Williams’s FIFA World Cup Ticket Saga:
Edit: I get results, baby! According to the Babelfish translation of this page, the TST-Series non-refundable fees have been negotiated down to only 10, 20, and 30 euros per ticket instead of the 20, 30, and 50 euros they were originally. Not perfectly to my satisfaction, but better than nothing, I suppose.
FIFA’s World Cup Balls: ‘Worse Than Ticketmaster’
By 12.9.05
More evil than Ticketmaster? That’s the accusation fielded by Grant WIlliams against FIFA, World Cup soccer’s governing body. Even better, he’s got the numbers to back it up. It seems FIFA requires you to put down money on tickets before the championships have shaken out. If the team whom you’ve pre-paid to watch doesn’t qualify, FIFA refunds your money—minus a per-ticket “modality” fee.
