Less than a year after gaining their national independence, South Sudan has now been admitted to FIFA as the 209th member. South Sudan gained their independence last July, joined the CAF in February and now have joined FIFA in May.

“I want to assure you that we are going to follow the statutes and regulations of Fifa and obey the law of our good game,” said South Sudan FA president Oliver Mori Benjamin in an acceptance speech.

“In particular, we are still suffering from war, so we promise that we will develop football to fight against war, hunger and poverty.

“I want to assure you that in my state in South Sudan, Abyei, we are still in a war zone but I promise in a few days, we are going to raise the flag of Fifa in Abyei for the good of our people.”

Congratulations to the nation of South Sudan.

[Image source]

via fifa [dot] com

The top 7 positions in the FIFA World Rankings remained the same with Spain still holding the top spot. The only movement in the top 10 was Argentina and Denmark switching places for spots 9 and 10. The US MNT remains outside the top 25, in 29th.

1. Spain 2. Germany 3. Uruguay 4. Netherlands 5. Portugal 6. Brazil 7. England 8. Croatia 9. Argentina 10. Denmark

** US MNT 29th

Full rankings at fifa.com

via fifa:

Between 10 May 2012 and the beginning of June, EMPA (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology) will test both systems with the following aim: to rigorously assess the reliability and accuracy of each system, as well as how robust the technology is.

The IFAB have confirmed the second test phase will be comprised of four different elements:

1. Field Tests, 2. Training Sessions, 3. Laboratory Tests, and 4. Real ‘Live’ professional matches.

Hawk-Eye’s ‘live’ matches commence with the Hampshire FA Senior Cup Final between Eastleigh FC and AFC Totton on 16 May at St Mary’s Stadium. A second fixture will be confirmed shortly.

GoalRef’s system will be tested in two separate matches. This could be either two Danish Superligaen matches, or one league fixture and a forthcoming international friendly match.

The Phase 2 test results will be provided to the IFAB in order for a definitive decision on the use of GLT technology to be made at their Special Meeting in Kiev on 2 July.

Full press release with the four different elements in detail after the jump….

Between 10 May 2012 and the beginning of June, EMPA (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology) will test both systems with the following aim: to rigorously assess the reliability and accuracy of each system, as well as how robust the technology is.

The IFAB have confirmed the second test phase will be comprised of four different elements:

1. Field Tests. These will take place in a football stadium chosen by the GLT system provider. EMPA will conduct a greater volume of shots on an empty goal, shots against an impact wall, shots on a goalkeeper, and the sled test, as per Test Phase 1. (See video here)

2. Training Sessions. A series of simulated scenarios on the field using players will assess the GLT systems with an increased number of players in and around the goalmouth.

3. Laboratory Tests. Both GLT systems will be tested against a variety of ambient and technical conditions. This will include simulating different climatic conditions (including rain, smoke/fog and heat/humidity), testing against the impact of proximity to mobile phone transmitters or other magnetic field distortions (e.g. TV cameras, LED advertising boards) and tests on the watches which would be worn by the match officials.

4. Real ‘Live’ professional matches. To ensure that every eventuality has been considered in the two testing phases, each company is also required to have their systems tested in two separate ‘live’ matches. Critically, only the EMPA observer in the stadium will have access to the GLT system readings, and the system will NOT be utilised by the match officials. Therefore the GLT system will have no influence on the outcome of the matches in which the system is being tested.

Hawk-Eye’s ‘live’ matches commence with the Hampshire FA Senior Cup Final between Eastleigh FC and AFC Totton on 16 May at St Mary’s Stadium. A second fixture will be confirmed shortly.

GoalRef’s system will be tested in two separate matches. This could be either two Danish Superligaen matches, or one league fixture and a forthcoming international friendly match.

FIFA would like to place on record its sincere thanks to the Swiss Football League, Dutch FA and German FA for expressing their great interest in supporting the live match tests. For logistical and commercial reasons, tests in these countries couldn’t be conducted within the required timeframe.

The Phase 2 test results will be provided to the IFAB in order for a definitive decision on the use of GLT technology to be made at their Special Meeting in Kiev on 2 July.

via fifa.com

1. Spain 1442 | 2. Germany 1345 | 3. Uruguay 1309 | 4. Netherlands 1207 | 5. Portugal 1190

* 29. US Men’s National Team

Check out the rest of the top 25 after the jump….

6. Brazil – 1165
7. England – 1132
8. Croatia – 1114
9. Denmark – 1069
10. Argentina – 1066
11. Russia – 1049
12. Italy – 1041
13. Chile – 967
14. Greece – 961
15. Côte d’Ivoire – 951
16. France – 938
17. Sweden – 931
18. Republic of Ireland – 891
18. Switzerland - 891
20. Mexico – 868
21. Australia – 862
22. Ghana – 816
23. Colombia – 815
24. Norway – 805
25. Paraguay – 803

via FIFAtv ON youtube:

The game grows from the grassroots, and it starts with children falling in love with the game all around the world. Share the joy and excitement of football with them. On FIFA’s website, they list their five basic tenants in “the Philosophy of Grassroots” as follows:

1. Football is for everyone…
2. … and it can be played everywhere and anywhere
3. Football is a school of life…
4. … that is also fun.
5. Let the kids be kids!

Check out more on the program and an intro video after the jump….

More on FIFA’s Football Development, go here.

via FIFA

For a man who has hardly taken a break from football since his first coaching assignment in 1995, the last 15 months could have presented a conundrum for Rafael Benitez. Without a job since leaving Inter Milan in the final days of 2010, the Spaniard has had time to focus on other interests in his life.

Those include his own personal website, which he uses to deliver his views and analysis on the latest subjects in the game. As well as continuing the charity work he and his wife, Montse, began when they arrived in Liverpool in 2004, Benitez is also helping to develop a tactics program which he believes will help coaches at every level of the sport.

In the first part of an exclusive interview with FIFA.com, Benitez explains the motivation behind beginning his website, how he stays involved with football when not employed, what he wants from his next club, and his thoughts on the dominance of Barcelona.

FIFA.com: Can you explain why you started your website and what you are hoping to achieve with it?
Rafael Benitez: Between jobs normally a lot of people would relax and that’s it, or some people watch games on the television as a pundit. But I wanted to do something more. I was interested in a website ten or 15 years ago. I was creating my own website but it was really difficult because when you have a job, you don’t have too much time. But now, because I had some time, I decided to create a website because you can explain what you want to explain with your words. Also I wanted to give an opportunity to young coaches. When I was a young coach I was trying to read everything, buy books and DVDs or watch training sessions. So you can give them the opportunity to stay in contact with you. I answer a lot of questions in the forums and analyse games and they can ask questions or they can have their own opinion and you can interact with them.

More from Rafa Benitez’s FIFA.com Interview after the Jump………..

Is this a stop-gap until you get another job or would you carry it on?
No, we can carry on. Obviously it would be a little bit different – you cannot talk about all the teams. I try to be very respectful with the teams so I try to analyse things that are obvious, that people can see, not just my opinion, so I cannot be controversial with any other manager. Sometimes you have to give your opinion so if you are working with a club, you have to be careful in the way that you analyse things. But it’s the same idea and the same philosophy, to give something, especially to young coaches.

How many games do you attend or do you prefer to watch on television?
To be fair I have my staff also helping, but normally now you have games on Monday, on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and Sunday. So you have every day during the week and at the weekend you can see the Spanish league normally has two games, and the Bundesliga one or two, and Serie A another two. So with the Premier League you can see maybe six or seven games on Saturday and on Sunday more or less the same.

Have you ever had a break for a long time from football?
No, this is the first time that I have been between jobs for a long time. You try to relax but, at the end of the day, you like to watch games. I think my wife understands but she was telling me to take my time and record the games and watch them when I can, but she understands that I have to do it.

Is that difficult, trying to explain to your wife that you need to watch a lot of games?
No, years of experience together means she realises when I have to do it and when I can be with the family. I don’t sleep too much, for example. I wake up early in the morning and watch games, then after you can stay with your children.

Do you constantly watch games and think about tactics?
I try to relax when I am watching a game but it is something you cannot change, you are analysing the game. You are watching what will happen and why it is happening. I’ll be watching with my wife and I’ll say ‘goal’ then two seconds later it’s a goal. Because you can see the positions of the defenders, the winger may be free or the full-back goes late or something like that. So without thinking too much, you are just analysing.

You have mentioned that you are looking for a project when you choose your next club. What exactly does that mean?
My idea is not just to find a job, because when I talk about a project it has to be a club that can match my desire to fight for trophies. So if you don’t have a club that can win but at the same time wants to be consistent, at least challenging for trophies, you can take the job but it will not be the same. The experience that I have now in Italy, Spain and England allows me to analyse the jobs and the projects and say ‘this is the right one’. With the UEFA Financial Fair Play rules you have to manage the budget, you have to be careful and you have to promote young players from the academy. You need to analyse your squad, you have a number of local players or players from the country that can play in the Champions League. All the experience that we have had in different countries, with different structures, we are trying to use now.

Do you think the new rules will even things up? Do you think you could ever build a smaller team up to challenge?
To be fair, I was not a top-class player because I had my injury and I couldn’t play in the first division. So I started in the academy of Real Madrid and I was progressing. Then I went to small teams and we were improving and promoting Extremadura to the first division and Tenerife was the same. I had some experience with this structure then I went to Valencia and Liverpool, big clubs, and they have a structure already there. Then you analyse and you learn different things, so that is the good thing – that you have seen different structures and ways to manage. Then you can build, from the beginning or you can start from the top.

Talking about Valencia, you were the last person to break up Barcelona and Real Madrid at the top of La Liga. Do you think that is going to happen again soon or will they continue to dominate?
I think it will be some years that they are at the top, but Valencia are finishing third and are doing well. You can see Athletic Bilbao doing well, also Sevilla and Atletico Madrid. These clubs, I think, will come back. How long it will take to stay at the same level as the others? You never know. They [Barcelona and Real Madrid] have always been clubs with massive money but now, because of the television rights and all these things, it is different and they have even more. But I think that the other teams work hard, they work well and they will improve too.

Are Barcelona the best team you have seen in your lifetime?
To be fair I was an admirer of AC Milan, when they were playing with [Marco] van Basten and [Ruud] Gullit and all these players, with [Arrigo] Sacchi as the manager. They were doing really well, they were very dominant at that time. Barcelona has been more or less the same, and you can see now Bayern Munich or sometimes [Manchester] United or Real Madrid can challenge. I remember Real Madrid was a fantastic team and they couldn’t do anything against AC Milan so it was a big difference. But Barcelona are a great team to watch.

The second part of this interview, during which Benitez discusses his time in charge of Liverpool, will be published tomorrow, Tuesday 3 April.

via CONCACAF

NEW YORK – Cayman Islands Football Association President Jeffrey Webb was the only person nominated for the presidency of CONCACAF and will stand alone for election on May 23 at the confederation’s congress in Budapest, Hungary.

Webb, who has been president of the Cayman Islands federation for the past 21 years, was nominated by 29 of the 40 member associations by the close of the nomination period on Sunday.

He will run to complete the four-year term of Jack Warner, who was elected in May 2010 but resigned all of his positions in football in June after 20 years in the office.

The 47-year-old Webb was appointed chairman of the Caribbean Football Union Normalization Committee in December, charged with rebuilding the regional football body in the wake of last year’s turmoil following Warner’s resignation as president of that organization.

More on Jeffrey Webb Running Unopposed For CONCACAF Presidency after the Jump……..

He is the deputy chairman of the FIFA internal audit committee – having been a member since 2002, a member of the FIFA transparency and compliance committee, Caribbean observer on the FIFA executive committee and a member of the CONCACAF youth committee.

“I would like to acknowledge and thank the CONCACAF member associations from across the confederation that have demonstrated their confidence in me through their support of my nomination for president,” Webb said. “I look forward to working with all of the members to strengthen our foundation and build on our unity which has always been our strength.”

CONCACAF has had only three different presidents in its 51-year history: Ramon Coll Jaumet (Costa Rica, 1961-1968), Joaquin Soria Terrazas (Mexico, 1968-1990) and Warner (Trinidad & Tobago, 1990-2011).

via Yahoo

~~ If Romario thought Brazil’s World Cup preparations were struggling before……..

Nearly 140 workers renovating Maracana Stadium for the 2014 World Cup went to hospital because of food poisoning this week.

The construction companies renovating the famed stadium said on Thursday the workers suffered diarrhea and vomiting after a meal on Tuesday. They were treated for dehydration in local hospitals and were released on the same day.

The companies said in a statement that sanitary officials were at the construction site after the incident and approved hygiene conditions for workers.

Local media said the workers got sick after eating a bad salad.

Maracana will host seven World Cup matches, including the final.