By AARON CRANFORD
FIFA does not like the idea of having Manaus as a host city for 2016 Olympic soccer matches.
In a Friday statement, the sport’s governing body said they would prefer to have venues that are closer to the Olympic host city, Rio de Janeiro, which eliminates Arena da Amazônia, a stadium built in Manaus for last year’s World Cup at a cost of $270 million.
“We do not consider Manaus as a suitable first option for a hosting venue,” FIFA said.
“Given the Olympic football tournament is only two weeks long,” they added, “FIFA’s preference has also always been on short distances between the other football venues and the Olympic city Rio de Janeiro to provide the participating teams with the best possible Olympic experience.”
Their statement comes just one day after the Rio de Janeiro 2016 organizing committee listed Manaus as a possible host city. A final decision will not be made until FIFA’s Olympic organizing committee meets next month in Zurich.
Here are Friday’s other worldwide news and notes:
CARROLL TO MISS REST OF SEASON FOR WEST HAM
Per a BBC Sport report, West Ham striker Andy Carroll will undergo surgery on his left knee and will miss the remainder of the 2014-2015 English Premier League season.
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce hoped Carroll would only be out for four to six weeks, but the damage will cut his season short.
“The medial ligament on the inside of his knee has a little tear from a fairly innocuous collision,” Allardyce said, before a specialist confirmed Carroll would require surgery on Tuesday.
“It’s a big blow for him and us but one we’ve got to cope with.”
This injury is just one of many Carroll has faced over the past few years, including one in West Ham’s preseason where he tore ankle ligaments in July.
BARCELONA PRESIDENT TESTIFIES IN NEYMAR TAX CASE
The president of Barcelona, Josep Maria Bartomeu, testified in a court trial of tax fraud allegations, which has surrounded the club ever since their signing of Neymar two years ago.
The allegations forced former Barcelona president, Sandro Rosell, out of his position in January of last year. Claims of Neymar’s transfer being in the ballpark of close to €95 million have made people suspicious of the transfer, especially since reports initially indicated the move from Santos to Barcelona was near 57 million euros.
In a club statement, Bartomeu defended Barcelona’s actions and claims the club never intended to defraud the treasury.
VAN PERSIE MAY MISS FA CUP MATCH MONDAY
Manchester United squares off against Preston in the fifth round of the FA Cup Monday, but Robin Van Persie suffered a minor knock and may miss out.
United manager Van Gaal will keep an eye on the injured Daley Blind and Phil Jones, who both may miss the Preston match as well, but his focus is on his starting striker.
“Robin van Persie has also something so now I have given the players a day off and only the injured players have visited our training center, but the doctor hasn’t called me yet [with updates] so I cannot say anything,” he told reporters.
Even with the injuries his side faces, Van Gaal thinks his side can rise up Monday and advance in the cup.
“We have to play now for the third time [against] a lower team. You know the world is against you. Everything, the environment, is for the underdog. You have confirmed it.
“That is more difficult to accept but the chance you can survive is higher because you are playing against a team with lower qualities. You have to be the team with big motivation and in the atmosphere that everybody is against you.”
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What do you think of Manaus not hosting any 2016 Olympic matches? How do you see the Neymar tax case panning out?
Share your thoughts below.
Do people travel to the Olympics just to see soccer? I’m sure some do but I’d think a lot of people would want to see other events as well. Manaus was a crappy idea for the World Cup. I was in Brazil and opted out of spending the extra $1000 or so I’d have had to spend to get to the Portugal game. Watched the game in Porto de Galinhas (outside Recife) with a bunch of other like-minded (or financially strapped) supporters. Further, Manaus was tournament killer for a lot of teams. Only two of eight teams even made it to the second round and that includes Italy, England, and Croatia. Not casting all blame on the travel but it certainly effected the US as well. The boys had to be exhausted by the time the Belgium game arrived.
Olympic soccer isn’t regulated/organized by FIFA anyway. They can go pack sand.
I believe the governing body of each sport is involved in putting together their sports’ program for the Olympics.
But it was good enough for the World Cup….
They have already cashed the check so NOW it’s not good enough … LOL
While I’m sensitive to the idea of not having a ton of travel for players and fans, the VERY least they could do from a financial standpoint is let this city wring a few more tourism dollars out of this white elephant.
The ‘London’ Olympics had matches in Newcastle & manchester….smaller country obviously but still…..
Do you know how far Manaus is from Rio? Try 1800miles. Manchester and Newcastle are 200 and 275 miles (respectively) from London. While I get the point your are trying to make, driving from NY to Boston makes more sense than going from NY to Houston (parallel distances).
BTW, I personally thought that it was stupid for games to be so far out during the London games. In London alone, you have 9 Premier league caliber stadia (Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, West ham, Queens Park, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Charlton, Millwall) and that does not include Wembley or Twickenham.
The 1984 Olympics had Olympic soccer at Harvard Stadium, about 3,000 miles from the Rose Bowl which hosted the final.