FIFA "defended the fair play criteria" used to rank teams with equal records in the World Cup group stage. FIFA Dir of Competitions Colin Smith said, "We want to avoid drawing lots as we believe teams progress based on what happens on the pitch. This is the first time we've used it at a World Cup, so we will review it. But, as things stand, we do not see any need to change it" (BBC, 6/29).
Former World Cup referee Arnaldo Cezar Coelho "disapproves of fair play as a tiebreaker at the tournament" and thinks a corner count would be a "better way of separating teams" that finish level on points and goals. Senegal became the first team in World Cup history to "be eliminated on yellow cards" after finishing level with Japan on points, goal difference and goals scored in Group H on Thursday. Coelho: "The problem is that a yellow card is subjective ... and some referees tend to be stricter and give more yellow cards than others" (REUTERS, 6/30).
Denis Cheryshev denied taking banned substances after his father reportedly said that he had been injected with "growth hormone."GETTY IMAGES
Russia’s "new World Cup hero," Denis Cheryshev, was "forced to deny taking banned substances" after his father was reported as saying that he was injected with "growth hormone" before the tournament. Russian magazine "Sport Weekend" said that Dmitri Cheryshev made the "potentially-damaging remarks in an interview while his son was sidelined during the build-up to Russia 2018. Denis Cheryshev said, "I don’t know where the journalist got this from. Maybe they didn’t understand my father; maybe they didn’t understand what was going on. I have never used any prohibited substances" (London TELEGRAPH, 6/30).
FIFA fined Russia 10,000 Swiss francs ($10,065) after its fans displayed a "discriminatory banner" during the 3-0 loss to Uruguay. Serbia was fined £15,000 ($19,800) for a "political and offensive banner" during its 2-0 loss to Brazil. Mexico was fined £11,500 ($15,100) after its fans "threw objects" during El Tri's 3-0 loss to Sweden. Morocco was fined £50,000 ($65,800) after its 2-2 draw with Spain for "a series of incidents, including crowd disturbances and six members of technical staff forcing their way on to the pitch after the final whistle" (BBC, 7/1).
Stormy weather on Saturday "prompted the authorities in Moscow to close the Russian capital’s official FIFA fan zone," which regularly welcomes up to 25,000 fans watching matches on its giant outdoor screens. Bursts of rain and strong winds "replaced weeks of heat and sunshine" while the fan zone, a "magnet" for Russian and foreign fans, "stood empty, its entrances shut" (REUTERS, 6/30).
