May 27 Watch 3:01 FIFA faces probes for rigging the business of soccer By PBS News Hour Swiss police entered a luxury hotel in Zurich on Wednesday and arrested seven FIFA officials on charges such as racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering in a case that involves more than $150 million in bribes. The Justice Department announced… Continue watching
May 27 Top FIFA officials arrested on charges of money-laundering, wire fraud By Larisa Epatko Seven officials with the world soccer body Federation Internationale de Football Association, or FIFA, were arrested Wednesday, charged with racketeering, wire fraud and money-laundering after a sweeping probe alleging corruption spanning two decades. Continue reading
Jul 09 Germany’s blowout of Brazil at World Cup breaks Twitter records By Joshua Barajas Soccer fans and gawkers alike (including deities) collectively flocked to Twitter on Tuesday to respond to Germany’s 7-1 dismantling of Brazil in the semifinal match of the 2014 World Cup. And according to FIFA, the flurry of emotions that people… Continue reading
Jun 16 Ghana rations electricity ahead of World Cup debut By Diane Jeanty The West African nation has been forced to ration its electricity throughout the month due to shortages in natural gas and lower than average water levels needed to power the Akosombo dam along the Volta River. Currently, the dam is… Continue reading
Jun 16 Goal-line technology begins to clear controversial goals By Sarah McHaney Line technology is almost a staple now in any sport involving a ball, a line and questionable calls. FIFA, however, has long resisted using goalline technology in their World Cup matches until 2014. A goal – according to FIFA –… Continue reading
Jun 15 Watch Animals predict World Cup outcomes across the globe By PBS News Hour Animals and World Cup predictions have a storied history. In 2010, an octopus in a German aquarium named Paul became famous after correctly predicting 8 cup matches in a row, outperforming many soccer analysts. Continue watching
Jun 11 Watch Why soccer-loving Brazilians are voicing discontent over World Cup By PBS News Hour Hopes for Brazil’s burgeoning economy were high when the World Cup was awarded to the country in 2007. But now many Brazilians accuse the World Cup celebrations of draining $15 billion of Brazil’s resources into the international economy. Jeffrey Brown… Continue watching
Jun 11 Watch Big spending and construction chaos deflates Brazilian joy over World Cup By PBS News Hour For many Brazilians, the excitement of hosting the World Cup has been greatly diminished since the day that FIFA awarded the event to the soccer-loving country. As transit workers and others have protested, some argue that the $15 billion spent… Continue watching
Jun 06 Watch Reports of corruption cast shadow over World Cup By PBS News Hour Leading up to the World Cup kickoff, an investigative series in the New York Times has gathered tales of apparent bribery to exploit matches for betting purposes ahead of the previous tournament in South Africa. Moreover, the Sunday Times has… Continue watching