Blatter: South Africa A Good Choice As WCup Host
by Associated Press (Article | Yahoo - March 3)
FIFA president Sepp Blatter says there is no doubt that South Africa is a good choice as a World Cup host. more details | go to article

De La Hoya Adds Punch To U.S. Bid Effort
by No Author Listed (Press Release | Soccer America - March 2)
The USA Bid Committee has its share of politicians and executives, soccer and otherwise, on its board of directors, but it also has celebrities from the world of sports and entertainment. Oscar De La Hoya, who joined the board of directors, fits into both categories. more details | go to article

Valcke: African Fans Not Priced Out
by No Author Listed (Article | ESPN - March 2)
FIFA General Secretary Jerome Valcke has rejected claims that African football fans are being priced out of the World Cup in South Africa. more details | go to article

FIFA Denies African Fans Priced Out Of World Cup
by No Author Listed (Article | BBC - March 2)
"It will be a real African World Cup," Jerome Valcke told the BBC. Most stadiums would be sold out, he added. However, fans in the African countries that have qualified say tickets are being sold on the internet, to which they have limited access. more details | go to article

FIFA May Get Into Line With Dropping Offside
by Cathy Harris (Article | London Times - March 2)
Sepp Blatter, the president of Fifa, football’s governing body, may be considering scrapping the offside rule, as hockey did more than a decade ago. more details | go to article

African World Cup Ticket-Buying Experiences
by No Author Listed (Commentary | BBC - March 2)
BBC News website readers have been reacting to Fifa's denial that African football fans are being priced out of the World Cup in South Africa. more details | go to article

International Boxing Legend Oscar De La Hoya Joins Teams To Bring FIFA World Cup To United States In 2018 Or 2022
by No Author Listed (Press Release | USSF - March 1)
Boxer Oscar De La Hoya – who won 10 different world titles spanning six different weight categories, as well as a 1992 Olympic gold medal – has formally accepted an invitation to join the Board of Directors for the USA Bid Committee in its effort to bring the FIFA World Cup™ to the United States in 2018 or 2022. more details | go to article

St. Pete's Salkicic Solid Against Mexico
by Nicholas Murray (Result | Tampa Bay Tribune - February 25)
St. Petersburg's Tarik Salkicic was hoping to get to play in front of his home fans in Wednesday's curtain-raiser as the U.S. Under-17s played Mexico. more details | go to article

St. Louis To Host UN Soccer Game For Haiti
by Associated Press (Preview | Yahoo - February 25)
St. Louis will host an international soccer game to benefit sports and education programs in the city and in Haiti. more details | go to article

FIFA: Unsure Where Teams Based For WCup In Safrica
by Associated Press (Article | Yahoo - February 23)
FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke says he still doesn’t know where all 32 World Cup teams will be based during the tournament in South Africa. more details | go to article

Pele Says World Cup Games Should Have 5 Officials
by Martha Mendoza (Profile/Interview | Yahoo - February 22)
Pele says FIFA should field a match official behind each goal to assist the referee at the World Cup and avoid scandals like Diego Maradona’s infamous handball at the 1986 tournament. more details | go to article

The Asian Threat
by Paul Kennedy (Analysis | Soccer America - February 19)
By almost any standard, the United States should be a cinch to land one of the World Cups up for bid: 2018 or 2022. It has everything: stadiums, infrastructure, organization and a home market of soccer-crazy fans. more details | go to article

Sepp Blatter Braced For A World Cup That Will Define His FIFA Legacy
by Owen Gibson (Profile/Interview | Guardian - February 19)
Nestling in the snowy hills above Zurich, Fifa's opulent HQ is a long way from the promised atmosphere at a World Cup in South Africa that will go a long way to deciding the future of Sepp Blatter, the governing body's president, and therefore the shape of the global game. more details | go to article

Tickets Sales Lag With Four Months To Go
by Paul Kennedy (Article | Soccer America - February 18)
FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke confirmed what had been reported for weeks. World Cup ticket sales are suffering. Twenty percent of VIP tickets for luxury boxes have been sold. And the number of expected visitors to South Africa for the World Cup has been revised downward by as much as 100,000. more details | go to article

FIFA Admits World Cup Ticket Prices Too High
by Paul Kelso (Article | Telegraph - February 18)
Thousands of extra World Cup tickets will be offered to South African residents to ensure all matches are sold out following disappointing sales to overseas supporters, said Fifa on Thursday. more details | go to article