Real Madrid has released a statement "denying President Florentino Pérez had any involvement in Qatar's bid to host the World Cup" in '22. French magazine France Football alleged that Pérez and Real "were involved in secret meetings that would see Qatar get the World Cup." Real Madrid's statement said, "1. It is absolutely false that there was a meeting in October 2009, or on any other date. ... 2. Real Madrid and their president, Florentino Pérez, will take the legal action they consider appropriate against France Football and against the authors of the report" (FOOTBALL ESPANA, 6/18). ... A Great White Canadian Owl "will serve as the mascot for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup." Shuéme was introduced at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa Tuesday at a presentation "attended by fans and special guests of the organizing committee." Shuéme’s name "was inspired by the French word for Owl, chouette, represents the bilingual nature of the host country" (WORLD FOOTBALL INSIDER, 6/17). ... At least 13 people including young children "were killed when a bomb tore through a venue in northeast Nigeria" where fans had gathered to watch a World Cup football match. No one claimed responsibility for the blast, "but Damaturu and the surrounding Yobe state are at the heart of a five-year-old insurgency by Islamist group Boko Haram" (REUTERS, 6/18).
DENIED ENTRY: Former Argentine football player Diego Maradona expressed anger after he "was not allowed to attend his country's match against Bosnia and Herzegovina Sunday at the Maracana Stadium." Maradona said he had been "deliberately" prevented from attending the match despite having a valid media accreditation card which allows him to attend all World Cup matches (IANS, 6/18). FIFA's Head of Media Delia Fischer said they had "no record" of Maradona being denied entry. Fischer: "As long as he is going to the correct media area there should not be an issue. Maybe he tried to go somewhere where he didn't have the necessary access, but we have no record of that happening" (London DAILY MAIL, 6/18). ... Russian President Vladimir Putin "will jet to Brazil next month to take part in a handover ceremony at the end of the World Cup finals, with Russia gearing up to host the next championship." Putin will attend an event following the July 13 final in Rio de Janeiro where Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff "will pass on responsibility for the tournament" (AFP, 6/18). ... Tens of millions of flags "pour out from a simple, shaky, four-floored cement house in Yongkang city in eastern China's Zhejiang province, in which dozens of women work away at piles of fabrics." They "have limited understanding of football and no idea of why a group of people chase around a ball while crowds cheer." Manager Li Meihua said that "she has to watch the 2014 FIFA World Cup every midnight so as to predict what country is going to be calling in orders next" (WANT CHINA TIMES, 6/18).
