History was made in the France vs. Australia game on Saturday when an intervention by the video assistant referee led to Les Bleus being awarded a penalty. It was the first time video technology had been used in the World Cup to "directly influence a referee to change his decision." It led to the opening goal of the game as Antoine Griezmann scored from the spot (ESPN.com, 6/16).
Morocco winger Nordin Amrabat was discharged from the hospital but "will not play" in the country's next match, against Portugal on Wednesday, after suffering a concussion in the 1-0 loss to Iran. Morocco's medical team has been criticized for "slapping the player around the cheeks as they treated him when it seemed obvious he had suffered a serious blow to the head and his legs were wobbly" (RTÉ, 6/17).
Security "is tight" in Volgograd as England prepares for its opening World Cup game in the southwest Russian city on Monday. There is a "heightened police presence and military officers were seen scouring the area" around the team hotel for improvised explosive devices. A security expert said that Volgograd's proximity to the "bitterly disputed" North Caucasus region made the city a "more accessible target" than Moscow or St. Petersburg (London GUARDIAN, 6/17).
England players will wear battery-powered heated trousers throughout the tournament to "combat injury-threatening changes in temperature." The team's training base in Repino reached as low as 12 degrees Celsius (54 degrees Fahrenheit) this week. By comparison, Volgograd, where the team will face Tunisia on Monday, is "tipped" to hit 33C (91F) in the coming days. The players will use Lizard Heat trousers, which are based on research by Loughborough University in '12 (London DAILY MAIL, 6/16).
A Peruvian man gained 25 kgs in order to qualify for a special "obese seat" at the World Cup. This is Peru’s first World Cup in 36 years, and according to FIFA statistics, Peruvians "acquired the eighth most tickets of any country in the world with 43,582 tickets bought." A man who was identified as Miguel F., a 24-year-old from Lima, did not manage to get a ticket before they sold out. Miguel said, "The only tickets that were left on the FIFA website were tickets for disabled people. I looked at the requirements; be in a wheelchair, something specific for women and suffering from morbid obesity, over 35 BMI, body mass index. I was at 30, and I did the match. I needed to put on 25kg" (PERU REPORTS, 6/15).
Mexico’s 1-0 win over Germany on Sunday "apparently caused waves all over the world." Although "a large contingent of El Tri fans were present in Moscow" for the team's win over the defending World Cup champion, it was not "comparable to the scenes back home." Supporters were "reportedly so enthused by the match" that it is "quite possible they started a minor earthquake in Mexico City." An earthquake reading came "right around the time when Hirving Lozano gave El Tri the lead" (NBC SPORTS, 6/17).
During Peru's match against Denmark on Saturday, seismic activity was detected in Lima when a penalty was called against Denmark's Yussuf Poulsen in the first half. Geologist Patricio Valderrama tweeted, "At the moment of the penalty, all Peruvians jumped and we generated a small earthquake" (SPORT, 6/17).
Diego Maradona gave his version of an exchange with a fan at Moscow's Spartak Stadium that "witnesses perceived as racist." British presenter Jacqui Oatley tweeted on Saturday that after the fans called Maradona's name, the 57-year-old "obliged with a smile, kiss and wave. Then pulled his eyes to the side in a clearly racist gesture." In a Facebook message, Maradona said, "I saw an Asian boy wearing an Argentina T-shirt. I, from afar, tried to tell them how nice it seemed to me that even the Asians cheer for us. And that's all, guys, come on" (AP, 6/17).
The Moscow taxi driver who "ploughed into pedestrians" said that he "fled because he feared the crowd would kill him." Footage showed people "chasing and then kicking him after Saturday's crash in which at least seven people -- including Mexican World Cup fans -- were injured." The man said that he had been "at the wheel for 20 hours, and mistakenly pressed the accelerator instead of the brake." He was detained at the scene and a criminal investigation is underway (BBC, 6/17).
Sweden apologized for spying on South Korea at a pre-World Cup training camp. South Korea, which plays Sweden on Monday, said that it responded by "swapping players' numbers to confuse the Swedish snooper" because -- in the words of Korean Manager Shin Tae-yong -- "It's very difficult for westerners to distinguish between Asians." Sweden Manager Janne Andersson "offered his apology for the incident at the training camp in Austria," where a member of the Sweden coaching staff got into a closed training session and was told to leave (GUARDIAN, 6/17).
Facebook-owned Oculus will stream a selection of World Cup matches in virtual reality for free. The coverage, which is available to U.S. viewers, started on Sunday with the Group F game between Germany and Mexico, which Mexico won 1-0. Other featured fixtures include Portugal’s showdown with Morocco on Wednesday, Brazil’s match against Croatia on Friday and England’s group game versus Panama on June 24 (SOCCEREX, 6/15).
