By DAN KARELL
FIFA President Sepp Blatter is under fire for comments made in an interview published on Monday.
Among his many statements, Blatter admitted that “it may well be that we made a mistake at the time,” to award Qatar a summer World Cup in 2022, with Blatter’s emphasis to InsideWorldFootball.com that the Arabian Gulf country should have bid originally for a winter World Cup.
Despite this, Blatter defended the decision to award Qatar a World Cup, making veiled criticism to the big leagues in European soccer who are against a winter World Cup due to scheduling issues. The English Premier League has already been very vocal in their opposition to a winter World Cup.
Blatter, who admitted in the past that he voted for the United States to receive the 2022 World Cup, said in the interview that he plans on recommending to the FIFA Executive Committee a move to a winter World Cup when the group convenes in Switzerland on October 3/4.
Here are some more stories to get your Tuesday started:
LAMPARD SET FOR CENTURY OF ENGLAND CAPS
Assuming all goes to plan, Frank Lampard will join a legendary list of English soccer players in making his 100th appearance for the Three Lions on Tuesday.
The Chelsea midfielder is set to become the eighth ever player to earn a century of England caps, and is set to start in midfield for England when they face Ukraine in a difficult World Cup qualifier. The 35-year-old is 13 years and 11 months removed from his debut appearance with England, in a 2-1 victory over Belgium on October 10, 1999.
With the expected 100th cap, Lampard sits 25 appearances behind former England goalkeeper Peter Shilton for the all-time most capped player in history. Two of his current teammates, Ashley Cole and Steven Gerrard, both sit on 104 caps ahead of the Ukraine match.
LEVANDOWSKI SUFFERS KNEE INJURY
Borussia Dortmund are nervous as of Tuesday morning after learning that star striker Robert Lewandowski suffered a knee injury on international duty.
The Polish international has pulled out of his nation’s match on Tuesday against San Marino and is returning to Dortmund, where he’ll be looked at by their medical staff. According to Borussia, the Polish team doctor has said that it is a ligament injury but it is not serious. However, the German club are going to test Lewandowski themselves to make sure and see if he’s available for their match against Hamburg on Saturday.
After a tremendous season with at Signal Iduna Park where he scored 36 times in all competitions, the 25-year-old has three goals in five matches in all competitions.
QUICK KICKS
Barcelona defender Carles Puyol is set to return to training this week after missing nearly six months due to arthroscopic surgery and a number of setbacks. (REPORT)
West Ham forward Andy Carroll has suffered another heel injury in training, keeping him out of the lineup for an indefinite period. (REPORT)
The Argentine Football Association is beginning negotiations for two friendly matches in the United States (Washington D.C. and New York/New Jersey) in November, with the first match against Ecuador and the second against either Portugal, the Netherlands, or Spain. (REPORT)
The agent of Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Heung-Min Son has admitted that the South Korean received interest from Manchester United this summer and nearly joined, but the player felt that staying in Germany was the best move at the time for his career. (REPORT)
After just 17 games in charge, the Sao Paulo board have sacked manager Paulo Autuori, and replaced him with former head coach Muricy Ramalho. (REPORT)
————-
What do you think of these developments? What do you think of Blatter’s comments? Where does Lampard stand for you in England’s best XI? How big of a loss to Borrusia is Lewandowski at this point in the season?
Share your thoughts below.