UEFA President Michel Platini has urged Qatar to solve its "problems" ahead of the 2022 World Cup which will be played in the Gulf state. Platini: "It's a gift that was made to the Qataris. But there are problems and they have to solve them. There are more important problems than knowing whether we play (the World Cup) in the summer or in the winter" (REUTERS, 10/20). ... Brazil int'l goalkeeper Jefferson has "criticised the state of the Maracana stadium pitch, saying the venue for next year`s World Cup final is unfit for playing." Jefferson: "We can`t play on a pitch like that. It was especially bad in the six-yard box. The people who look after the pitch need to review what they are doing. The Maracana deserves better" (XINHUA, 10/20). ... Spanish Football League (LFP) President Javier Tebas "dropped a complaint against national team execs for charging the travel expenses of their wives or partners to the national federation." Auditors found that five federation officials including FIFA VP Angel Maria Villar "began to charge the expenses of their partners to the organization" at the end of '02 (BLOOMBERG, 10/21). ... Gabriel Alejandro Aguirre, a 13-year-old boy "wearing an Argentine first division side Newell's jersey," died Sunday in Rosario while returning home from "watching the Newell's-Central rivalry match on TV at a friend's house." Aguirre was "believed to be fatally shot in a drive-by shooting, and Rosario police are investigating the case" (OLE, 10/21).
