Adidas asserts grip on Battle of Brands

adidas

By David Owen
June 27 – Adidas teams enjoyed a storming final round of group-stage matches at the World Cup in Brazil, as those supplied by rival Puma wilted. With 75% of Brazil 2014 games now completed (even if the most important are still to come), the company, which expects to sell more than 8 million World Cup team replica shirts and 14 million ‘Brazuca’ footballs, has taken a grip on the World Cup Battle of the Brands.

Read more …

Day 17 match previews and stats: BRA vs CHI, COL vs URU

Brazil 2014 logo

June 27 – The peculiar feeling of a rest day has settled around the world before the World Cup gets down to last 16 business, the calm before the storm begins again. The opening two knockout matches are all Latin American affairs featuring two of the most exciting teams in the World Cup so far, Colombia and Chile. Brazil are playing as well. As are a toothless-looking Uruguay.

Read more …

Lee Wellings: CONCACAF shines brightly in Brazil

It was a simple message from the President of their Confederation, Jeffrey Webb, but it said it all:

Very proud of @CONCACAF teams and their quality of play at #WorldCup. Let’s keep going #WeAreCONCACAF

This incredible World Cup of action is likely to end with a South American narrative. It is their tournament, it is their backyard. It is Brazil and Argentina I expect to be there at the end.

Read more …

Time to clock the divers and writhers of Brazil 2014

Diving in style

June 27 – The Wall Street Journal has published its own findings on divers and writhers at the world cup. In an article that laments the nuisance of ‘injuries’, they have tallied up all the incidents in which a team’s player has seemingly feigned hurt, accumulating the total time spent portraying the absent agony, which they have dubbed ‘writhing time’.

Read more …

Chinese betting war escalates as insurers get in on the World Cup act

China sports lottery

June 27 – The Chinese are finding ways to use the 2014 FIFA World cup to circumvent local gambling laws. In general gambling is illegal in China, but in instances where the proceeds are donated to charity, exceptions are allowed. Alibaba and Tencent Holdings, two of China’s dominant Internet companies, have linked up with provincial lottery centres so as to allow betting on world cup matches.

Read more …

Team doctors rule as FIFA medics knockout FIFpro temporary sub idea

Alvaro Pereira concussion

By Andrew Warshaw in Belo Horizonte
June 26 – FIFA medical experts have admitted they are powerless to intervene in cases of concussion if national team doctors decide players are fit enough to continue after taking knocks to the head. The controversial issue has re-emerged at the World Cup after Uruguay’s Alvaro Pereira (pictured) was allowed to continue playing against England after being briefly knocked unconscious in the game between the two sides last week.

Read more …