Football Notes: Gulf Cup Of Nations Postponed For A Year Due To Continued Bombing

The Gulf Cup of Nations "has been postponed for a year, officially due" to host Kuwait needing time to complete its infrastructural preparations, but "perhaps also due to the fact that five of the usual participants have been bombing one of the others since March of this year." Eight nations --Iraq, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and Yemen -- had been due to contest the tournament. Kuwaiti Football Federation President Shaikh Talal Al Fahd said, "The problem is stadiums need maintenance and the lighting in stadiums is weak. It will need four months to maintain" (INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL, 8/5). ... The Dutch FA (KNVB) is "still hoping to lead the way in the use of video technology by training referees for its use from next month." The KNVB's "Refereeing 2.0" blueprint provides a "timely look at how television replays could be used to eradicate poor decisions in the future" (ESPN, 8/5).