Chinese real estate magnate Wang Jianlin said that a football youth development scheme that saw some 180 youngsters from China receive a footballing education in Spain six years ago "will soon bear fruit." Wang said that the "Rising Stars" initiative established in '11 will yield players "good enough to make the grade in the Chinese second tier by the end of the year" (SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST, 3/27).
La Liga President Javier Tebas said on Twitter that a report by Marca on La Liga attendance "was incorrect." The article he was referring to "described a significant decrease in leaguewide attendance." Marca responded by publishing a correction (SUPERDEPORTE, 3/26).
FIFA has taken down a "monolithic reminder" of former President
Sepp Blatter from its HQ. Since the building officially opened at a cost of $200M in '07, a "meter-plus high silver metal plaque listing members of that year's Blatter-chaired FIFA Executive Committee was fixed to a stone column in the reception area." Most men on the list have since been sanctioned by FIFA's ethics committee, indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice or are "under investigation by Swiss federal prosecutors" (
AP, 3/24).
FIFA said on Monday that it had heard nothing official from Diego Maradona since the Argentine World Cup winner "threatened last week to quit his ambassadorial role." FIFA said that its last official contact with Maradona had been when he took part in a draw for the U20 World Cup in South Korea on March 15. A spokesperson said, "There have been no updates from him since then" (REUTERS, 3/27).
The U17 World Cup will kick off in New Delhi in October, marking India’s first-ever FIFA tournament, FIFA said Monday despite "initial concern over air quality in the world’s most polluted capital." After a week-long inspection, authorities selected six cities across the country including Mumbai and New Delhi for the U17 matches (AFP, 3/27).
