Inside the World Cup

Check out my New Blog...

2008-04-25T10:38:00.002+02:00

After a time away from blogging, I have begun again. Check it out at chuckblazer.blogspot.com

Auf Wiedersehen Berlin...

2006-07-10T06:31:00.000+02:00

It is 0600 hours on Monday, July 10th. We are doing our final packing and will be heading to the airport in a few minutes to make a connection through Frankfurt to take us home. I have more stories to bring you about this great adventure and will fill you in about the LOC party, a visit the Chancellory of the German Republic, the last days for us in Berlin and naturally the Final match.

The recording of all of that and some other earlier entries will have to wait until I am across the Atlantic and comfortably at home. I will then bring you those pictures and anecdotes as I have throughout this great World Cup. Auf Wiedersehen Berlin. Auf Wiedersehen Germany.

Dinner with Donna...

2006-07-09T10:01:00.000+02:00

One of my all time favorite people is Donna de Varona. For soccer people, I will describe Donna as the Chairperson of the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup USA. For everyone else, I will describe her as the lovely two time Olympic Gold Medalist who won the 400m Individual Medley and the 400m Freestyle Relay in 1964 at the Tokyo Olympics. For people interested in justice, I will tell you that Donna was at the front of the pack pushing the U.S. government to adopt Title IX, a law giving equal benefits to women athletes. She was also a founder of the Women's Sports Foundation. For those interested in broadcasting, I am proud to describe Donna as a lifelong TV personality who created a place for women in sports broadcasting and demostrated that she could do it all when it came to creating programming, interviews and hosting shows. For those of you interested in the future, Donna continues to be someone to watch since she is always in touch with what is happening and has the stature to lead those looking to do good.

Donna arrived on Friday morning, July 7th, with her husband of 20 years, John Pinto (who is a lot of fun). The good restaurants around the city had been booked for weeks but we were lucky that they made a place for us in the Lorenz Adlon, an incredible French restaurant on the the second floor of the Premier Kempinski standard bearer hotel. The view from the window was a panoramic view of the Brandenberg Gate.

I must admit that the food offerings exceeded the view. First were two tasting menus. The seasonal of five courses; the other with seven. If that didn't ring your bell there were two full pages of a la carte dishes. We didn't opt for the tasting menus but decided to do a traditional appetizer dishes and a main entree. The wine choice was tough, since there were so many to choose from, but I managed to find one that everyone liked and we polished off three bottles while digesting a really great meal.

During the day I got a message from the producers of Lynne White's WOR "drive time" Radio Show, to see if I could do a 4:10pm New York time live interview about the World Cup. That meant it would be around 10:00pm locally here in Berlin, right in the middle of this great dinner. So, with some good planning, I was able to leave the dinner table for the 15 minutes needed to do the radio show and returned just before the main course arrived.

Mary Lynn and I devoured chocolate souffles, while John, Jason and Donna did their own thing finding delicious choices on the menu. As soon as we finished, I headed back up to the room and a good night's sleep while the quartet headed out to the street to catch some of the flavor of the Fan Mile. More fun tomorrow.

Torn between two wines...

2006-07-08T00:41:00.000+02:00

Michel Platini knows that one of my favorite wines is Chateau Figeac, a rich St. Emilion from the Bordeaux region of France. He and I once sat in a lovely New York French bistro, Le Charlot (69th Street between Madison and Park Avenues), and uncorked a vintage bottle which I saved for special times. I can be almost as enthusiastic about this wine as he was while watching Zidane put away the penalty that gave France the victory over Portugal in the Semi Finals in Munich on July 5th (pictured on the left).

On the other hand, there is my long time relationship with Tuscan wines from Italy and in particular Masseto Ornellaia. Between the Figeac and the Masseto I am truly torn to pick a favorite. I am sure this may be a dilemma faced by others as we go into Sunday's final.

The answer is simple as it relates to French and Italian Reds; we will need to let them fight that out on the field. When I wrote the story about Campagnola and overlaid the flags of the two contestants, it made me wonder if the only thing that separates them was Blue and Green, the sky and the earth, since the other two colors in each of their flags must clearly stand for Red and White wines.

The Home Stretch...

2006-07-07T16:56:00.000+02:00

Thursday was the sixth anniversary of the announcement in Zurich of the decision to award the FIFA World Cup 2006 to Germany. As dawn approached, it was time to leave Munich where we witnessed the last of the semi-finals and return to Berlin for the wrap up meetings of the FIFA Referees' Committee and the Organizing Committee for the FIFA World Cup. (Pictured here are Lennart Johansson and Julio Grondona, Chairman & Vice Chairman of the Organizing Committee for the FIFA World Cup.)

Due to the noon start for the Referees meeting, the rest of us were obligated to make the same early morning charter departing the Franz Josef Strauss Airport. Early mornings after late nights are never easy, but the flight had us back in plenty of time to check my son Jason into the hotel upon our arrival. He had joined us in Munich 24 hours earlier only 9 days after my newest grandson Logan's debut.

Mary Lynn, Jason and I had a quick lunch and then I set off for the Organizing Committee meeting while they were energized to see what could be found in these final days in the streets of the German capital.

The meeting, starting promptly at 1400 hours at the Adlon Hotel's 2nd level meeting salon opened with a few remarks from Chairman Johansson on how well things have gone. Urs Linsi then called the role of the Committee noting only two absences from Berlin that day. We moved right into the Agenda with reports by Jim Brown, Director of Competitions on Match Results; Ticketing & Hospitality by FIFA Vice President David Will; Refereeing by FIFA VP Angel Maria Villar Llona; Appointments of Match Commissioners for the two remaining matches; a report by the Technical Study Group, offered by Holger Osiek; a report on Marketing & TV matters by FIFA Director of Marketing and TV, Jerome Valcke; Markus Ziegler reported on Media Matters; followed by Drs. Michel D'Hooghe and Jiri Dvorak on Medical matters; and finally a report by Disciplinary Committee Chairman Marcel Mathier.

The LOC (Local Organizing Committee) then had its chance to report with Franz Beckenbauer leading off, followed by Horst R. Schmidt. After some comments regarding our next meeting, the President wrapped up the session offering the concensus of the members in complimenting the work of the LOC and FIFA's bodies. Blatter then made special presentations to Beckenbauer, Schmidt, Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder, President of the German Football Federation and to Lennart Johansson and Julio Grondona.

As we left the room, the LOC presented each member of the meeting a personalized commemorative glass sculpture with their thanks. The night would bring us together at the Gala Dinner of the Local Organizing Committee being held at the Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin. No more meetings here. That aspect is concluded.

Campagnola's...

2006-07-06T00:42:00.000+02:00

Most every football official from Dr. Havelange to George Weah has been with me to dinner at Campagnola's Restaurant on First Avenue between 73rd and 74th Street on New York's Upper East Side. It isn't open for lunch, just dinner. It normally attracts a business clientele to its first sitting of Wall Street types and a later sitting with just about anybody that loves good Italian food.

Tuesday, on the street in front of the Adlon Hotel in Berlin, the President of the Northern Ireland Football Association, Jim Boyce came up to me and said, "Chuck, I was just at your favorite restaurant in New York. Our team had a game and we went there for dinner." So, this is more than just another one of New York's 28,000 restaurants; this is one that I have been eating at for over 15 years. Curiously enough, it has an Italian Manager, Salvatore Lombardi and a French Chef, Etienne Lizzi.

In 1998, we waited through the Quarter-Finals on July 3rd to see which of them I would be inviting to join me in Paris. It turned out to be the Chef, with the Italians being eliminated 4-3 on Penalties. Etienne hopped a jet for Paris following France's discharge of Croatia on July 8th, giving them the ticket for the July 12th showdown with Brazil at the Stade de France.

I told Chef Etienne to join us in the police escorted convoy to the stadium. Even now, you can hear him tell the story of his ride with sirens wailing through the city streets of Paris to Saint Denis. But, best of all, he remembers France winning the day and making his trans-Atlantic trip very special.

Last night I made a critical decision. It was no longer a question of inviting one or the other. So, as we left the stadium, at a time equating to 6pm in New York, I called the fashionable restaurant and asked to speak with both of them. Yes, they are both invited! So, on July 9th the bragging rights of this New York landmark restaurant will be decided for the next four years.

The Three Bears...

2006-07-05T15:53:00.000+02:00

Riding around Berlin, prior to taking off for a quick re-visit to Munich and the France vs Portugal Semi-Final, we took the opportunity to visit some of the exhibits set up in the German capital. On the Bebelplatz, Berlin had artists from countries around the world decorate Fiberglas bears with national flavor. This square, opposite Humbolt University, houses the memorial to the acts of May 10, 1933, where the Nazis, upon coming into power, burned thousands of books.

Ironically, a square originally dedicated to religious expression and the arts, it became the scene for intellectual intolerance and the destruction of the vehicles of ideas.

Indeed, books were born in Germany. During the World Cup, Germany decided to celebrate its contribution to the world with examples of ideas, invention and innovation. The Gutenberg printing press gave the technology to mass produce them. How poignant that this historic book burning was reminiscent of the Spanish Inquisition. There is a plaque, as a memorial in the center of the square, now surrounded by a world of painted bears, which reads... "They that start by burning books will end by burning men," words by Heinrich Heine written in 1821. How well those words foretold the future of book burners of the 1930s.

From Russia with Love...

2006-07-04T12:20:00.000+02:00

By contrast to the peaceful calm of Cologne, the streets of Moscow on June 28th were a flood of cars straining to move ahead with heavy feet on the brakes making sure they didn't lurch out of control. The ride from Sheremetyevo Airport left doubt whether we would make our first appointment on time at Dynamo Stadium in downtown Moscow.

There were great sights on the way, and the time seemed to melt with endless visions of the new Moscow - exciting and vibrant. A city that was once gray was now lit in neon... advertising movies, theater, museums, culture and cellular phones... yes, plenty of cell phones.

The Moscow Marriott Royal Aurora is located right in the middle of the downtown area of Moscow. It is a lovely hotel with great European service. Unlike my previous visit, in -32C temperature, today it was +32C and Moscow had a totally different feel and look than the last time in early February.

The purpose of the Moscow interlude from the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany was to inspect the stadiums that will be used in the upcoming FIFA Women's U20 Championship being held in Russia (August 17th through September 3rd) in St. Petersburg and Moscow (with 4 different stadiums in the Moscow region). While earlier visits had been made and work orders prepared by the LOC to the specifications of FIFA's requirements, the orderly process of making sure that all would be ready for the opening had to go on, even if that meant interrupting the personal schedules of officials at the World Cup in Germany.

At each site, we had a complement of people from the stadium facility, venue committee, local organizing committee, Russian Football Federation and Sports Authority, together with members under my Chairmanship from the Organising Committee for the FIFA U-20 and U-17 Women's World Cups.

After checking into the Marriott Hotel and a short ride later, I arrived at the Dynamo Stadium on time, much to my surprise. This downtown location is full of history, but is among the oldest facilities. Nonetheless, the stadium manager had performed magic in converting the resources available for the renovation into good clean functional facilities which would be ready for use in August.

Torpedo Stadium was next. Here too we found that many of the items on the list could be checked off, while little things left themselves to be sorted out and improved. This indeed was why we were there. What was unquestionable was the totally willingness of the Federation and the local stadiums to comply with our wishes. Although, sometimes difficult for them to understand, since there are many differences between running local club matches and international championship double-headers.

Then it was back in the van and off to the hotel to conclude a day which began at 0400 hours in Cologne. Nonetheless, the work continued as Iñaki Alvarez, FIFA Staff Member coordinating the Championship was on the phone back to the office in Zurich. He update them of our findings and listed the topics needing follow up during his next July visit. Looking on was Alexey Spirin of our Committee and a historic name in Russian football and administration.

The morning found us traveling an hour and a half into suburban Moscow and the Podmoskovie Stadium. This is a delightful, small complex with an extensive indoor arena and good club facilities. The decision to use this venue enabled them to make a real investment to upgrade their stadium, VIP and Press facilities. It was very satisfying to see the benefits of the work underway.

Even the administration buildings were being renovated and outfitted to accommodate the additional needs of 4 dressing rooms required by double headers. Each venue also had to provide office space for the LOC and the FIFA staff, Referees, Youth Program, Marketing, Assessors and Commissioners. The expanded press facilities in most cases were also a major hurdle to pass. Camera positions were less of a problem, since televising from these facilities was a fairly normal activity for the host broadcaster.

Back in from the countryside and a visit to the big bear of a stadium, Lokomotiv. This modern facility will be used only for the Semi-Final and Final. Even here, a full inspection from the field to the dressing rooms was made and with Iñaki's insight and Spirin's local pressure, we are confident that this train will be turned in the right direction for the finals in Moscow.

We are all looking forward to our final visit in August to these Moscow venues and the Petrovsky Stadium in St. Petersburg, when we arrive with the teams of Brazil, New Zealand and Australia in Group A with Russia; and China, Finland, Nigeria and Canada comprising Group B; while Switzerland, Mexico, Korea DPR and Germany make up Group C; and finally Congo DR, France, USA and Argentina will be the final quartet Group D.

Another 0400 hours wake up call and it was on the way to airport. A travelers note: At 0530 hours, it takes only a small fraction of the time to get there, as compared with frenetic daytime traffic schedule. Berlin was a short 3 hours away, and as I landed the familiar anticipation of game day was here. Germany would face Argentina later that afternoon and Germany would once again be smiling.

Logan has time to decide...

2006-07-03T13:43:00.000+02:00

But, the agents are circling as Logan puts on his Mom's colors. With Beckham announcing his retirement as captain of the England team, Logan Chase Blazer is considering his options. In any case, he likely won't be ready until the World Cup of 2026. I will be a proud grandpa for whichever team he plays.

France's Secret Weapon...

2006-07-02T06:18:00.000+02:00

I knew it had to be some magical potion or incantation that caused France to succeed once again over the odds-on favorite Brazil with all it big stars and talent. In the second half, I saw the reason. The camera flashed to the stands and there with Caroline Duret, the protocol manager for Platini during the FIFA World Cup France 1998, was Youri Djorkaeff, the 38 year old veteran French Midfielder who was a big part of the successful World Cup winning team 8 years ago over the same Brazilian finalist in the Stade de France, St. Denis.

Youri now plays for the Red Bulls in New York, and he left the team prior to its road trip to New England where the Red Bulls lost Saturday to the Revolution 2-3 citing personal family reasons. Djorkaeff is the one legitimate talent on an otherwise very ordinary MLS team in the League's highest profile market. They just fired their coach Mo Johnston and gave the interim position to Richie Williams. They might well have considered a better choice. The mature Djorkaeff, with enormous international experience could well have been considered the logical first choice.

I don't know what provoked Youri's trip. Maybe it was just his loyalty to his old teammates? Maybe a message for the Red Bulls that their view of the future is not the same as his? What I do know is that during a very dismal period of this team's history, the one producer the Bulls had was Youri Djorkaeff. I am glad that he was able to be in Frankfurt with his football family. I consider him my friend and am happy that he could be united in Frankfurt on this occasion.

My message to the Red Bulls: Get over it. Find the best way to use the asset you have been blessed with and turn your attention back to how to build a viable winning team in America's most important market.

To Youri, and your support of your friends, colleagues and nation... Vive le France!!!

It's good we practiced those PKs...

2006-07-01T19:35:00.000+02:00

England couldn't make it happen today and Scolari was glad that he drilled his players on hitting those corners, although after the first 3 PK for the Iberians with one rebounding off the post and the other gliding just wide, it really didn't look like it was going to happen for them today.

This young man, decked out in his Portugeuse best, had his tickets for the semi-finals and was hoping that his team would be the one to make it to Munich on the 5th of July against the winner of tonight's nightcap between Brazil and France.

Fate has its way of making itself known and then just outside our hotel, long before the result was certain, two revelers knew they had it in the bag and had been celebrating for some time before Cristiano Ronaldo closed it out making the 3rd on the 5th try.

Time to go and catch a quick dinner in front of a TV set and watch Brazil v France.

Quite a day. It is never dull at the World Cup.

Click here to get the game details

Jesse Owens would have been surprised...

2006-07-01T18:15:00.000+02:00

Jesse Owens would probably have been surprised to learn that 70 years after his famous Berlin Olympic appearance, that on June 30, 2006, the only player of color on the pitch in the match Argentina vs Germany would be from the host country - Deutschland.

It is notable that in the preliminary round game between France vs Togo, in Cologne on 23 June, the match ended with 20 players of color present on the field at the final whistle.

It is very good that FIFA has made the effort in these games in the Quarter Finals to emphasize through the declarations of the Team Captains the unified position of Football against racism and discrimination.

Bravo.

The Berlin Renaissance...

2006-07-01T14:05:00.000+02:00

Sitting here in the room, it is so very hard to imagine what Berlin was like at the time of the visit of John F. Kennedy. From my window, just above the Brandenburg Gate, I find myself inside a modern European phenomenon. One driven no less by football than the incredible desire of the people to bring themselves the benefit consistent with the goals and aspirations of all people.

After decades of surpressed nationalism, kept in check by Americans, English, Russians and French, the positive spirit of German nationalism is now for this first time flourishing symbolically in the form of its flag adorning rooftops, cartops, clothing, faces and roadways. Everywhere, as not seen by a generation of soccer, Germany is standing proud in asserting itself as a winner and a gracious host. Pride and humility. What wonderful characteristics, probably best seen in the everpresent face of Franz Beckenbauer, who for those of us who know him for most of his six decades, find him as the symbol and personality which Germany has decided to adopt for this competition and for its evolution.

Franz is the embodiment of the principles of good governance, competitive spirit, realistic assessments and understatement, while seeming to be overdelivering on a steady basis. As the game with Argentina concluded on Penalty Kicks, Beckenbauer rose knowing that the pieces of the puzzle were falling in place and that the continued success of the FIFA World Cup 2006 Germany was assured since his team and their leader, California based Jürgen Klinsmann, had used Germany's advantages wisely and exploited the errors of their opponent Argentina.

At some point in the future, I hope to understand what turns otherwise great coaches into men who fail to rise to the occasion. I recalled, all too well, the moment in 1998 when Mexico took the lead over Germany in Montpelier, France, in the round of 16. Manuel Lapuente's Mexicans had dominated the play with attack, possession and the score of 1-0 on a goal from blonde-headed Luis Hernandez. Suddenly he would change their tactic and defend against the onslaught of the German ranks hitting their defense over and over until Mexico coughed up goals to Klinsmann and Bierhoff and Germany advanced to the quarter-finals. I flew that afternoon to London with Henry Kissinger lamenting the unnecessary loss to Germany and watched the match between England and Argentina the following night only to learn how deep English depression can be.

While the Presidents of the two combatant federations, Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder of Germany and FIFA Senior Vice President Julio Grondona, who is also AFA's President focused on the field. The question I have is why did Jose Peckerman make decisions which, while I am sure intended to hold on to his one goal lead, caused the demise of the aspirations of millions of blue and white striped fans so many miles away. Are we so afraid to be wrong? Do we have the fortitude of spirit? Can we be bold enough to be right and sometimes wrong? At least, let us do it with style and class. I heard that Mr. Peckerman fell on his virtual sword and has closed a page on an otherwise brilliant development program for what appeared to be the most talented team in the 32 playing in Germany. By contrast, Klinsmann has stuck to plan and his script is clear. Prepare them well. Do what you do best. Be there at the end.

Berlin, Berlin... so much of what is good about Germany is now coming to life in Berlin. The people are celebrating. Enjoy these days. There is still much hard work ahead.

The following pictures are a sampling of some of the fun being celebrated in the Renaissance of Berlin on the last day of June 2006.

Ghana Goner...

2006-06-27T21:41:00.000+02:00

The ride to Dortmund seemed to take forever as our three car caravan was parked in traffic that made me feel like I was home on the Long Island Expressway in New York. Today's game was a bonus for me. I didn't expect to get to see Brazil tonight. I was supposed to have been on a plane this afternoon to St. Petersburg, Russia for a stadium inspection visit for the FIFA Women's U20 Championship. I managed to adjust the schedule giving me one more night prior to taking leave of lovely Cologne on Wednesday morning at 0600 hours connecting through Frankfurt to be in Moscow an hour in advance of the inspection team who will arrive from their task in St. Petersburg and meet me on the ground running.

The TomTom that I pressure sealed on the window periodically confirmed that we had taken the right route, but clearly weren't alone in our midday trip to the house of Borussia Dortmund, now configured for the World Cup to seat 65,000. Upon arrival, my grandson Dylan, accompanied by his parents Marci and Stuart, helped by Alex and Dwayne, made their way through security, while Sunil Gulati and his son Emilio queued in behind while Mary Lynn stopped the screening process as they tried to figure out what to do with the big gift wrapped box containing the Wedding present she had brought for Franz Beckenbauer from New York after hearing of his Friday wedding to Heidi Burmester.

Having turned over the goodies to Franz, we next ran into Anna Teixeira, who admitted to being nervous as her familiar yellow jersied band of single named stars took the field against Africa's remaining challenger. Sepp Blatter too, having recovered from the drab night of watching Switzerland with the Ukraine, was ready for a real challenge here in Dortmund. Within five minutes, Ronaldo alerted the world that Brazil could do what they wanted and scoring was the least of their problems. The Ghanaians kept attacking but finished with either spraying their shots wide or with precision accuracy to the hands of Dida, the Brazilian Goalkeeper. With the game ending at 3-0, the attention of the survivors were to see who would win the nightcap between France and Spain, providing Brazil with their next obstacle to repeating their feat of 2002. As time would tell, it was an inspired French team who would tame the Spaniards 3-1.

The Answer is...

2006-06-26T23:50:00.000+02:00

Logan Chase Blazer arrived in Stamford, Connecticut, to his parents Samantha and Jason Blazer, 4 minutes before Benito Archundia's whistle to open the game between Switzerland and the Ukraine, played in Cologne in front of a proud Grandfather. He entered the world at 8 lbs 2.7 oz. and was 20" long.

The game went to two long scoreless overtime periods capped off with no scoring by the Swiss in the Penalty Kicks as well, giving the victory to the Ukranians with excellent refereeing by Archundia, in contrast to some other games in the previous 24 hours.

Logan's Run...

2006-06-26T23:49:00.000+02:00

Who finishes first today? Logan's entry into the world or Benito Archundia's whistle starting tonight's game. My son Jason is expecting his first child to be named Logan this afternoon. His wife Samantha has already begun her first contractions and we are certain that the world's newest Blazer will arrive sometime on the 26th, making him like his grandfather and Jack Warner, a birthday mate having the number 26 as part of a shared destiny.

Bend it like Beckham...

2006-06-25T21:48:00.000+02:00

I was looking for a different twist on this story, but on some things you just can't improve on reality. What we saw at 60' into the game with Ecuador was England's dream come true from their young folk hero. The goal will go into the FIFA archives as one of those classics that we will see hundreds of times in years to come without tiring of the repetition.

And guess what? Scolari had a surprise or two for us also. When Maniche nailed his tally at 23' against the Dutch, I for one didn't think it would be the end of the scoring. But, it was.

Actually our day started out with scheduling issues regarding a game of our own. Yes, our local FIFA team versus the LOC. It hasn't been easy to find a window with all the wetness on the field and trying to keep it in good shape with the tight schedule of matches here in Cologne. It looks like the match will be after my departure to Russia for an inspection trip, and while I hate for my team to take the field without me, they will uphold our honor in my absence. When I told the Sunday morning meeting that they would have to find another No. 9 in my absence the response was a small murmor or chuckle... I guess some of them saw me as a No. 7 like Beckham. (They were actually rolling with laughter).

The sense this morning was of conclusion. One more meeting tomorrow for the final preparations of Switzerland vs the Ukraine. What was clear, following the more than two weeks of collaboration with an excellent team of professionals in our venue, was that we would miss the morning meetings, the times we spent with each other each day and mostly the fact that jointly we did a great job in delivering the environment in which the wonderful entertainment product, which is the World Cup was realized.

In New York City today, Mary Lynn was putting Nicky on a bus to take him to eight weeks of summer camp. For us in Cologne, the feeling was that our camp season was at an end and we wanted to find some way to keep it going. Instead we will celebrate the time we have had together tomorrow night, following the match held in the presence of Football's high authorities, with a toast one last time, commemorating our wonderful venue and the friends we had made this summer.

A Man Without a Country...

2006-06-25T03:23:00.000+02:00

As Saturday came to a close, I had to lament the fact that going forward in this World Cup I stand as a man without a country. I had just watched my last hope fizzle as Mexico played its best game. Nonetheless, the tri-color came up short against this year's scoring machine in blue & white vertical stripes. Argentina won 2-1 using 2 extra time periods of 15 minutes to close the books on their opponents.

Earlier this week, the USA failed to break out of the round-robin phase and ended their hopes in a futile effort against Ghana 2-1, who took the opportunity provided by the Italian's defeat of the Czech Republic in a 2-0 simultaneous third group match to advance in our place.

Costa Rica was somehow missing. I know they were here. We saw them score a couple of goals against Germany in the opening match in Munich on June 9th... the most prolific opening match in WC history, as they went down 4-2 on a leaky defense. After that, it was down hill from there. I saw them play their farewell match in Hamburg where Ecuador had their way with them and after three games here in Germany, no one recalls that they were here.

The one pleasant surprise was the Trinis who came ready to take names and be counted. For 174 minutes of the 2006 World Cup, the team from the smallest country in WC recorded history, showed themselves the equal to two european giants and perenial qualifiers. Sweden and England both knew they had been in a battle with Trinidad & Tobago. The point Trinidad won from Sweden will long be remembered as a sweet victory.

So, at the end of the first day of the Round of 16, my mind turns to what we have to do to get better results in the future. Others will analyze what went wrong. Others will decide on their next steps to reset their ships to navigate these international waters without ending up on the rocks. I hope to be a lighthouse and help them find their way to stay off the rocks. We need to solve the common problems we face to achieve the excellence we know can be ours.

Amazingly, the answers for each of our disappointed members are different. There is no one size fits all answer. At a time when we are forced into cookie cutter solutions because of international calendars and other confining plans, we have significant challenges in seeing to it that each of our future qualifiers can reach their potential and enjoy greater success.

The work is ahead of us. Good luck to those who remain.

Allons enfants de la Patrie...

2006-06-24T13:21:00.000+02:00

The day started out with our typical morning meeting for the France vs Togo match. I had not expected to be here since my original plan was to sleep over in Nuremberg and take the train back arriving long after the meeting would have concluded. I had found a way, with the help of our drivers in Nuremberg, to rush me to the Munich Airport following the match where I could catch the 1 hour shuttle bringing me back to my colleagues in Cologne and on time to open the morning meeting.

Our group is getting good at being very much at home with the immense responsibility of putting on matches, with all the attendant risks, that go along with an elaborate process requiring many instant decisions. Following the England vs Sweden match, the featured match of our series, we were concerned that a little let down might occur. But, with the challenges of France and Togo, that wasn't going to happen. Not only did we have France, who were fighting for their World Cup life, but we were also planning for our first visit of our FIFA President, Joseph S. Blatter to our venue.

At 1915 hours, Romer Asuna and I left the Hyatt Hotel with a caravan of vehicles to head to the Cologne/Bonn Airport to await the arrival of President Blatter. He traveled with four staff members and arrived about 15 minutes later than scheduled. I rode with him to the stadium in his Hyundai Centennial Black formal sedan. We chatted about the overall event; the excellent press coverage and the near perfect quality of the World Cup. Overall, the President was more relaxed than I have seen him lately and bouyed by the positive reception he would find in Cologne we arrived at the stadium at 2045 hours.

As we arrived on the elevator rising from the parking garage, the Lord Mayor of the City of Cologne, Fritz Schramma greeted the FIFA President with the City's good wishes and presented him with a momento of his visit. With only 15 minutes before the match, we decided to go directly to the seats. The President made himself comfortable accompanied by FIFA Vice President Issa Hayatou in the center of the Tribune. The President, while maintaining his neutrality, is Swiss and therefore had a more than passing interest in the results of match in Cologne (with Switzerland sharing the group with France and South Korea, still alive as the day began).

For France, tonight was do or die. The performances that carried them this far would no longer be good enough if there was to be a tomorrow for this valuable collection of players, yet to show themselves as a team.

In the stands, the French brain-trust of the Minister of Youth Affairs, Sports and Associative Life Jean-François Lamour, the President of the French Football Federation Jean-Pierre Escalettes, and FIFA Executive Committee Member Michel Platini, contemplated the frustration of the first half of play as the remainder of the game began. It wasn't long before Patrick Vieira, celebrating his birthday, became the man of the match and the owner of the match's winning goal.

We retired to the VVIP lounge to unwind after the game. I convinced the President to use the big tables we had set up in the area reserved for the organizers and to abandon the private hospitality box which had been set aside for him which made a cocoon seem large. Blatter and Platini chatted as friends and well wishers stopped by to congratulate them on the success of their countrymen.

The President and his entourage sped off to the airport for their private jet destined for Templehof Airport and a good night's sleep in Berlin in the knowledge that Switzerland had finished first in their group and would be in Cologne to face the Ukraine on Monday.

FFF General Secretary Jacques Lambert, who as the Executive Director of the 1998 FIFA World Cup France, knew exactly what we were all facing as we concluded the last matches of the first round of games, joined us in the lounge. We spent the next half hour tasting the desserts and watching Platini graciously autographing tickets and programs, while posing for dozens of photos with fans who came by.

Finally, it was time to leave and as we exited the elevator at the parking garage level, one last photo opportunity of the night presented itself. A relieved Platini and Zidane, who would yet have another opportunity to play against Spain in Hanover on Tuesday, 27 June, were kind enough to pose for this picture. Thanks to you both and bonne chance avec l'Espagne.

We surprised ourselves...

2006-06-24T08:55:00.000+02:00

The strength of the organizational success of this 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany has been the ability of the LOC (Local Organizing Committee) and the FIFA Venue Delegations to work together in what appears a seamlees effort of common purpose and achievement. In recognition of those efforts, it was my pleasure to invite department heads of each discipline in both groups to a festive dinner at one of Cologne's fine eating and wine establishments. This wine cellar was two floor below street level and was nicely decorated and ready for the four tables of very properly dressed officials.

As the guests, Karl-Josef Tanas, LOC Venue Chairman, spoke first. His speech touched on all the right topics acknowledging their counterparts on our side who worked with them in achieving our local success. Then he said something quite extraordinary. He admitted that when the LOC adopted the slogan "A time to make friends", he was quite nervous about it. He didn't feel that what they were being called to do was instinctly in their nature. He said that the greatest accomplishment of the World Cup was how the German people adopted this slogan and actually have lived it throughout the event. For him, he was proudest of the profound impact that the World Cup has made on Germany in being a host and for people, throughout the society, not just the ones involved in the production of the event, but everyone in the shops, the streets, the trains, the airports... whereever you came into contact with people they had adopted the slogan as their own.

He was so correct. Every visitor I spoke to over these weeks couldn't stop praising the extraordinary warmth and welcome they had experienced at all levels throughout their time here. It seems too, that the epidemic of welcome wasn't just in this normally friendly city of Cologne, but had been the atmosphere all over the country.

The dinner was extrordinary with a choice of fish in a delicate cream sauce or a veal on a ragout with a dark wine sauce. The room that night was quite warm. As you will see from the pictures, for comfort we got rid of the formal jackets, but maintained our ties and our smiles. The rest of the evening was spent by exchanging presentations of commemorative gifts, asking the counterparts of the working departments to come up jointly and receive their momentos.

Yesterday, I was told by a staff member how much her Mom loved seeing her picture in this Blog. So, thanks to Mary Lynn, who took pictures of the tables and the presentations, and who has returned to New York for a few days to send her son off to summer camp, I will present to the extent that the software allows me, a montage of pictures from the dinner without editorial.

These are all great people and a wonderful team. It has really been a true pleasure on behalf of FIFA to have led this group in our venue. The decentralized operation of the World Cup in 12 venues in one country performs as well as it does because the staff and volunteers know their job and perform them admirably. This World Cup will be remembered as a standard to measure future ones due to the excellence of the performance of the people. People just like these.

The goals are big, but the ball doesn't go in...

2006-06-23T02:33:00.000+02:00

The Nuremberg Mayor introduced me to U.S. Ambassador William R. Timken, Jr. and his wife Sue in the pre-game VVIP lounge. They were nice enough people, originally from Ohio and with a much better understanding of American Football than Soccer. We exchanged some pleasantries about the connections of American Football and Soccer, specifically our common friendship with Lamar Hunt. Beyond that the Ambassador did concede a general absence of familiarity with the game but that over the last eight months he came to understand the impact of FIFA and the World Cup.

I asked, as much to offer comfort as anything else, if they had any questions about the game. Sue came right out with it, and for the Americans, may go down as the quote of the day... "Since the Goals are sooooo big, how come the ball just doesn't seem to go in?" Well, other than a well hit ball by Clint Dempsey, the only goal scored by the U.S. team in World Cup 2006, they might be asking themselves that same question all the way back to the United States. Today's game ended a short run at trying to recapture the glory of 2002.

I responded to Mrs. Timken that there is more than shooting at an open goal from a static position. The game is about movement, about the other players who are working against your sending the ball home. It is all about pressure too. The pressure of carrying a label in a ranking system which unfairly sets intercontinental comparisons; pressure of needing to live up to a set of expectations based on previous performance and also the pressure of holding on to favorites in places where they no longer produce the results needed. There are many things which stop you from scoring goals.

On this day, Ghana, as it had in its upset match with the Czech Republic, proved that it was a team worthy to advance to the round of sixteen. Congratulations to them. To Mrs. Timken, it simply goes to prove that the game is not as easy as it seems. It isn't just about a big goal and a small ball. It is about the 22 men on the field and how they use that 90 minutes of the world's attention to become part of history.

Before the kick off in Nuremberg...

2006-06-22T23:33:00.000+02:00

Upon arriving at the VVIP area in the Franken-Stadion Nuremberg, Bürgermeister Horst Förther greeted me. He made reference to my four previous visits to this lovely Olympic style stadium under his charge, set near the historic Centre Party Rally Grounds conceived by Albert Speer, where he commissioned films in the 30s that terrorized the world and forever sealed this lovely countryside on the psychies of generations.

By contrast to those films, Mayor Förther, born five years after the end of the war, is about the most gentle and refined person you could wish to meet. I remember him sitting with me on my first inspection visit. I told the mayor of the town which my Mother in Law, Gerda Hermanns had fled for her life as a young woman while so many family members had been left behind and did not survive. I told him of my family story and that it was my first visit to his city. He calmly refered to the criminals of that era in the third person. Expressed empathy with my feelings and sympathy for our loss.

I remember that made me think, that so often I was expected to share the guilt for those who enslaved an African continent and brought them to America in the early days of my country. I too could only relate to those people in the third person... they did terrible things; those men were demons; we aren't like them. So, I quickly understood the distancing from guilt for those men who were my age or younger; all born after the end of World War II.

I've had so many German friends before, but never personalized the Nazi or Holocaust experience. It only came home to me when walking the Parade Grounds and visiting the city where real members of the family I was married to for 29 years had suffered and shattered. Yet through the gentleness and kindness of a very fine man and mayor of this historic city, I came to appreciate the new Germany and I commend them for their vision of today and the future.

Tomorrow he is extending the courtesy of his office to a visit by my daughter and grandson, who have Nuremberg blood running in their veins and who will come to grips with their own roots. Thank you Horst. It is an honor to have met you.

The kids are back in town...

2006-06-20T08:31:00.000+02:00

Continental's non-stop from Newark to Cologne landed and a quartet of special World Cup revelers arrived in Germany ready to take it all in. Two were new to the competition, Dylan (who will be 2 in August) and Nicholas, who is enjoying his first football classic since joining the family. Marci, my eldest has been coming since 1986. Stuart, Marci's husband made it to Korea/Japan and now had a better idea on how to get around.

Their first game was the very exciting match between the Czech Republic and an insired Ghana team. It was end to end action.

My deputy Jason Hughes was there seated with Roger Milla. Like those two, the game had plenty to applaude. Other kids were there too. Accompanying Dr. and Mrs. Havelange was their granddaughter Joanna and her husband. My grandson, at the final whistle yelled out his dissatisfaction in these words... "More Soccer, More Soccer".

So, after a small break, we shifted from the Stadium in Cologne to a Fan Fest located at the base of Dom. The hotel had offered us their terrace that had a great view of the stage and screen specially constructed for the event. My group of mostly Americans wanted to see their home team in action against Italy.

The big screen at halftime was pushed back to make room for Carnival style costumes and dancers. I did a short interview as part of a promotion for the local government's wrap up of the World Cup and the City of Cologne. Most importantly, the game finished with the USA in a tie with Italy. One more day and the second flight of games would be finished and then it would be 2 pairs of games a day, with each group finishing simultaneously.

As we left, the only words came from my grandson... "More Soccer, More Soccer".

The British are coming.. the British are coming

2006-06-20T08:30:00.000+02:00

If Paul Revere had lived in Cologne in 2006, his cry today would have been just the same as it was 231 years ago. For indeed, it was the beginning of a British invasion as their standard bearers came to defend the honor of England against Sweden.

Their advance party had been to our offices a couple of days ago and went through the special needs that their delegation thought we should be aware of prior to their arrival. I was pleasantly surprised to find that their needs were both sensible and reasonable.

The game is about as high profile as we could possibly expect. Lennart Johannson, UEFA President, FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee Chairman and FIFA Vice President arrived yesterday joining the multitude of Yellow and Blue clad fans already in town being hosted by major tour companies, including one with a big marquee in front of our hotel pumping rock music throughout the night for their good spirited fans.

The full acknowledgement of the hoards of englishmen expected in Cologne came with the announcement that an additional Fan Fest area, holding 35,000 with giant screens and audio in English was being constructed on the banks of the Rhine. For sure, we will have a party tonight in Cologne.

Volunteers Recognition Day...

2006-06-18T19:41:00.000+02:00

What a delightful group of people. Volunteers really are special. They not only do the jobs that need to be done, but add flavor and personality, giving an event life.

On Sunday afternoon, just following the conclusion of the afternoon match, we gathered the Volunteers together at their center, which is a building just adjacent to the Stadium.

We were introduced in our respective roles to the volunteers. Next to me is Hugo Salcedo, the Venue Coordinator; then Ricardo Abumohor, Member of FIFA's World Cup Organizing Committee; Dennis Mumble, Deputy Venue Coordinator; and Romer Osuna, Treasurer of CONMEBOL and assigned to the venue for Special Tasks.

It was then my turn to let them know how much we appreciated the work they were doing and from my own personal perspcective, that they were the best bunch of volunteers I had worked with at any event. I also told them that we had put together some gifts for them to express our appreciation for what they have given us in these recent days. Ultimately, I would ask them to follow me outdoors where we can stage a group picture which would be emailed back to them as a fitting salute to their joint collaboration.

Ricardo and Romer get to spend a few minutes with a volunteer. In the meantime, the group assembled outside and began lining up for the big photo. In today's world a nice high resolution photo commemorating the day would be enough to put smiles on everyone's face.

The side of the compound had a small hill nearby which we hoped would give us the needed elevation levels to be able to see all the faces in the posed shot. We had slightly more people than we expected to show up, but the hill, while spilling over was able to accomodate everyone comfortably.
We tried the first photo from a second story window looking down at the crowd. Our Media Officer, Mark Gleeson, took my Canon EOS and carefully focused and took the picture to the right. The only thing he couldn't control was the shadow being cast by the building, erasing into darkness those too close to the front.

Mark headed downstairs, and finally turned over the camera to a colleague who shot us from ground level resulting in the picture at the top of the page. Finally, the "goody bags". Each bag had a combination of small items. All of them commemorative. Some had hats, some shirts, all were packed with gratitude also by wonderful volunteers.

There was time for some games too, and a contest was being held for those who knew the names of a dozen different players from their pictures; guessing the number of dried peas in a large bottle (I guessed 3,000); and some athletic games too.

I hope they know how much they are appreciated. I stayed for about an hour and was available for whomever wanted a one on one posed picture. This was a day for catching our breath in Cologne. England will arrive tomorrow. They will match up with Sweden on Tuesday. That will be a long day.

The Blues Brothers...

2006-06-18T09:32:00.000+02:00

Normally I would begin a story in the beginning. The best way to describe the USA vs Czech Republic match in Gelsenkirchen is with a picture that captured the moment after it ended. Sunil Gulati, US Soccer Federation President and I started out a quarter century ago running the youth selections of Connecticut and New York. As the day began we realized that we each had become the leading Americans at FIFA and in the United States. There is a lot of joy in that. After the game, we silently shared a melancholy case of the blues as a result of the performance of our team. The feeling will be with us for a long time and can only be erased by new efforts to achieve the positive results I believe can be ours.

In route to the game, we stopped at the Maritim Hotel in this lovely Westphalian city to drop off some tickets ordered by Former Federal Reserve Governor Alan Blinder, who today is the leading Princeton economics guru and a colleague of my dear friend, Dr. Ruth Westheimer. Alan was ready for the day wearing his Air Force One hat and dressed much more comfortably than me, perfectly attired for the weather and the game. As I arrived on the hotel's front veranda, he introduced me to former U.S. Treasury Secretary Michael Blumenthal, whose signature I recongized from all of those dollars that had gone through my hands during his tenure.

Mary Lynn, while I was chatting with Dr. Blinder, spotted two ceramic Soccer angels in a shop window in the hotel lobby. Having a reasonable collection of similar art from various countries, we waited for the storekeeper to get the packaging materials before moving on to the stadium. One was dressed in white, the other in blue. The trick is always how to get them home unbroken. With the way things went today, I am not too certain of their fate. It will probably mean that these two little guys will be hand carried from Berlin back to New York.

Prior to the match, I was introduced to the Czech Republic President Vaclav Klaus. He followed the popular leader Vaclav Havel who served at their first President for 10 years until 2003, when Klaus took over. Coming to this group opener was also the Charge d' Affairs of the US Embassy in Berlin and his family and another large delegation of the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Jiri Paroubek.

A pleasant surprise was a visit by the former Lord Mayor of Leipzig, who is now the Federal Minister for Transport, Building and Urban Development of Germany. Wolfgang Tiefensee was the extraordinarily popular of Leipzig Mayor and a key figure in the 1989 protests which led to the reunification of Germany. It was very nice to see him again. As the game began, we could see the three governments seated in a row; all very absorbed by the intensity of the match.

CONCACAF Vice President Alan Rothenberg and Shun-ichiro Okano with their experiences now in the hands of Franz Beckenbauer, each had headed a FIFA World Cup. Alan did his in the USA in 1994 and Shun-ichiro in Japan 4 years ago. They continue to help FIFA in the organization.

Franz is always agreeable as a fan asks to have her jersey signed by her hero. Whereever you go in Germany, Franz' true popularity is a real commodity and greatly deserved based on his enormous ability complimented by his humility. The FIFA 2006 World Cup Germany has kicked off to a great start. There is a no nonsense attitude by all the teams. They know why they are here.

Platini reminds me that he had suffered the humility of unsuccessful matches and that there are better days ahead. I will just have to wait and hope that the game with Italy produces a better result on Saturday. It is time to leave the stadium and head back to Cologne with my friend George Tarantini, Bobby Abramowitz and his wife together Mary Lynn and our driver Holger Thiessen. If you read spanish, you can get some insight into the World Cup with stories Abramowitz is posting at Futbol Mundial. Nonetheless, I know the 1 1/2 hour ride back to Cologne will be an unusually long and quiet one. I am sure the radio will be playing the Blues.

Schlaf gut, mein Freund...

2006-06-18T08:39:00.000+02:00

It was likely that over a six week period not all of the experinces would be good. Prior to my departure from New York on May 30th, I went to visit my friend Mark Monsky for the last time. He had just been moved from the New York Medical Center of Cornell University, where he had been receiving chemo-therapy and platelet transfusions, to the Calvary Hospital, a hospice in the Bronx where you check-in but don't check-out.

I must admit that I was very anxious about visiting Mark in a hospice. However, I did find a true care facility where their special staff and equipment were adept at dealing with their patients whose power to do for themselves was long since sapped by the combination of disease and treatment. I was joined on the trip by Mark's long time friend Michael Hershman and when we got to the room, Mark's sons, who had flown in from California, and his wife Beverly were there with him. Mark was still able tell jokes and wanted to confide secrets that no one else should know. The build up of toxins in his blood was clear and the deterioration over the prior week since I had seen him at NY Hospital was a sure sign that we would not find him alive when the World Cup was over.

It doesn't matter how well you prepare for the loss of a loved one. The finality of the notion that there would be no more dinners with him at Elaine's, where you quickly came to the realization how much of the current news departments of major U.S. broadcasters were hired by Mark or who owed their careers to his guidance and sage advice. Mark, the godson of William Randolph Hearst, whose father was the managing editor for Hearst newspapers in the formative days of Mark's youth, was a natural to end up in the news business. He loved adventure just as much, so it is not strange that he blended both of these in his illustrious career of broadcast news. He created the video magazine Hard Copy and even here in Germany did his turn at creating investigative programming as well.

For me, Mark provided the right balance of foil and friend. He had the intellect to challenge and test and at the same time was generous in teaching you the things he knew. Much of the input for the creation of the new TV studios in the CONCACAF offices came from Mark de-mystifying what we could accomplish in limited space.

The news came in the middle of a night with a call from Beverly to my New York cell. We will miss you. Sleep well, my friend.

The Tower of Personality...

2006-06-16T11:32:00.000+02:00

The Cathedral of Cologne is noted for its twin spire towers. It took more than 600 years to build, what was for many years, the world's tallest building. However, Cologne has a third tower. It is its Lord Mayor.

So much of life is about attitude. I considered myself very fortunate to be assigned to Cologne as Head of FIFA's Delegation. I visited it during the Confederations' Cup and prior during the inspection. One city stood out above the others. That city was Cologne and it was due to the dynamic personality of its Lord Mayor Fritz Schramma, a "Thumbs Up" guy.

Our first meeting was during the inspection, and unlike many of the other sites we visited, Schramma took the leadership role in opening the meeting, clearly defining that he was a major part of bringing the World Cup to Cologne.

Right through to opening day, the Lord Mayor kept his upfront role and showed himself to be the perfect host as well. On our opening day in Cologne, we received invitations to City Hall on behalf of the City and the Regional government. It was scheduled at 1600 hours, with the invitation indicating a 2 hour window, which fit perfectly into our plans given that I needed to be in the stadium by 1900 hours. I elected to invite some of the FIFA delegation and added Cameroon World Cup Star Roger Milla to the group.

Well, from my earlier visit, I knew that Fritz Schramma was not only an smart politician, but a great football fan too. So, bringing Roger with me offered the proper perspective of football first and a homage to the Mayor for all the hard work he and the community put into being our host. The Mayor was clearly pleased as he introduced Roger to the couple of hundred local officials and guests gathered in the formal reception chamber of City Hall.

When we entered the hall, we were impressed by the formal staircase and stone walls, this day covered by flags and a stage set with a large Football backdrop and lecturn with a statute of a young footballer. Joining me for the visit was fellow FIFA Organizing Committee Member Ricardo Abuhomor, Conmebol Treasurer Romer Asuna, my friend George Tarantini and Mary Lynn helping to bring you this experience.

The Lord Mayor had earlier appeared from the staircase now lined with 32 young people each carrying a flag of the participating finalists. On stage was a corale group of talented singers who got right into the beat singing Oh Happy Day.

I was quickly alerted that in 1999 USA President Bill Clinton, in his visit to this same chamber in Cologne got up and sang with the chorus to this song and then took the saxophone from the 3-piece accompaniment and played with the group. I went into a quick panic, worried that somehow they had learned that I, like Clinton, had been a saxophonist as a young man. My rush of fear quickly dissipated when I realized they had no such expectations of Clinton's fellow New Yorker and just wanted to note a prior highlight.

The Lord Mayor's attention turned to having our delegation and those of the day's combatants, Portugal and Angola, sign the City's Golden Book. With pleasure I was first to take the pen and make my mark on the upper left portion of the page. Following me, each one had their turn. There was now an official record of our visit to City Hall, but the festivities were far from over.

The chorus broke into their rendition of Queen's "We are the Champions" and everyone in the room truly felt the possibility of walking away from the month to come with the sacred World Cup trophy.

During our original inspection tour in 2005, Lord Mayor Schramma presented me with the commemorative medal for the 2005 Cologne Carnival. Cologne, until now, has been better known for it Carnival than its football. Schramma proudly told me that I would once again be presented with the medallion, but this year's design featured the new stadium and the World Cup as an integral element. I humbly accepted the honor and as two bears hugged on staged, the clear friendship that has evolved was evident.

It was then my turn to thank the Regional and City governments for their hospitality and the work they had done on getting the Cologne venue ready for the World Cup. I was clear to express my gratitude and to let them all know that I considered myself the luckiest of my colleagues by having been assigned to this wonderful city.

It was very warm and there were others to be recognized, so I kept my comments short and moved off the podium.

A royal delegation from Ghana was brought to the stage and expressed their pleasure in being in Cologne for their upcoming match with the Czech Republic. The Lord Mayor kept the program flowing alternating between musical selections and spoken presentations. By the way, his entire presentation was done in perfect English.

You see, Cologne is part of a very modern commercial marketplace. It is a city that is a leader in conventions and business events. It is a city that understands the hospitality business and stay open at night with good food, good local beer and wonderful places to be able to get both.

Carnival, the single best know event happening in Cologne on an annual basis is full of fun and frivolity. Mayor Schramma wanted to make sure that I would be properly prepared for the festivities and presented me with a pair of red carnival sunglasses. I am not totally sure whether they are intended to cut down on the glare or protect others from seeing bloodshot eyes hidden beneath them. Schramma assured me that I looked like a very "cool cat" and once again, gave one of his famous "thumbs up".

The next hours would be spent at the stadium where Portugal and Angola would fight it out on the pitch and get their boots soiled on the battlefield of Cologne. In the VVIP are of the hospitality zone, the Mayor had played host to European Community President José Manuel Barroso who had come to see his native Portugal play.

As the Commissioner of that match, I had to finish my paperwork and was still around late enough to find Fritz Schramma unwinding with a friend in the lounge. The two of them had lit up some fine Cigars, and indeed deserved to relax with a nice drink as they reflected on arriving at the successful conclusion of their first match in their wonderful stadium.

Today was a dream come true. Congratulations Cologne. Congratulations Fritz. You both deserve a round of applause.

Not as contemporaneous as I would like...

2006-06-15T08:54:00.000+02:00

As I started out on this "little" project, the intent was to simply share with you some of the unique experiences that I encounter at the World Cup in my role as a member of FIFA's Executive Committee. I intend to achieve that goal. But, bringing you these reports may not always be the same day, or even at times within a few days of the event happening.

First of all, this isn't news. Second, I am trying to support this by visual images as much as possible. Lastly, I will not include other people's offerings here, since it is my intention to share only my experiences with you and not those of others hundreds of kilometers away.

So, my friends, please be patient and don't throw things at me. I can then take off this silly helmet and try to give you some worthy insight into the workings of this event and the many people who are involved in seeing to it that it all happens.

Stories that are in the works and will be to you shortly are: The Tower of Personality (a story about the Lord Mayor of Cologne); Our Opening Game (a Story about the Cologne opener - Portugal vs Angola); The Blues Brothers (a story about the USA team's loss to the Czech Republic); The "Sold Out" Alternative (a story about the Fan Fest way to see the games in Germany); and On the Road Again (my current road trip to the games in Hamburg and Hanover).

Keep checking in. I hope you will find it as interesting as it is to be here.

Chuck

A Game that Princes play...

2006-06-11T00:43:00.000+02:00

Once upon a time in the Kingdom of FIFA there were two Princes: Prince Lennart and Prince Jack. Prince Lennart was stately and had been to the lists many times, while Prince Jack, finally of age, was now permitted through a series of preliminary jousts with lesser opponents, able to arrive this day on the pitch in Dortmund where their metal would be tested.

Prince Jack saw his quest as bringing dignity to his people and ultimately the recognition of his island nation as a real competitor in world sport. Don Quixote might well have launched a similar trek. The City of Dortmund hosted the armies of the Yellow from the north and those clad in Red from the sea. The expectations of most was that the armies of Prince Jack would be decimated when facing the formidable hosts of the older and confident Lennart.

The allies of Prince Jack from across the sea all hoped for a credible performance since the common reputations of all his neighbors were dependent on how well young Jack could defend the northern German outpost. Prince Jack is the leader of the smallest country ever to make it to the finals. The idea that it could fight with parity and come away, not only unbloody, but unbowed was beyond expectations.

Sir Leo of the Low-Land provided the army of Prince Jack with a new philosophy and tactic. He saw to it that they were physically prepared and ghosts of their past were nowhere to be found that day on the fields of Dortmund. Prince Lennart's warriors fought valiantly. Their side actually enjoyed a physical majority for half the battle. Nonetheless, a young knight, Shaka Hislop, experienced in the ways of King Arthur's court, stayed off the yellow dragon, beating it back throughout the almost 2 hour battle, while the Red Army's older Field General Yorke showed that he could live up to his potential.

Prince Lennart (pictured on the left) and Prince Jack (on the right) both sat intensely focused and prepared for any eventuality, each hoping for a goal while both dreading the same if piercing their own armor. For Prince Lennart, who almost became King in 1998 and is the Royal responsible for the organizing of the games in Germany this summer, would love to deliver a championship while under his watch.
Experiencing your army on the battlefield has a special rush which is only associated with total commiment and dedication; both Princes share that in common.

Today's victory would not come by defeating the opponent, but rather by surviving the great challenge from Prince Lennart's domain. The moment of success was realized by Princess Maureen, who exudes the total joy and happiness that pent up frustration turning to relief can uniquely create. She, along with her island nation would celebrate this day as a moment in history. The smallest country's first point in a World Cup Competition.

The two princes gallantly offer each other congratulations for surviving the day and know that both have the chance to move ahead, but it will not be without its challenges. For Prince Lennart, a bittersweet pill, never really expecting to be humiliated by the small island nation; while Prince Jack mentally scanned decades of sacrifice and losses to finally arrive at today's joyful celebration. The lingering question one has to ask... Was it worth it?

As I walked up the stairs with Prince Jack, the one thing I was certain this day was that he felt like a King.

Congratulations Jack, Maureen, all of my Trinidadian family that I love for these many years. It was a true joy to see so much pleasure come to you. I hope you can repeat this again and have even greater successes in the days to come.

We are all very proud of you.

By the dawn's early light...

2006-06-10T10:01:00.000+02:00

The call from the desk came at 0400 hours. Blearly eyed and tired, we awoke to do the few remaining tasks at hand prior to taking our leave of Munich and beginning our journey to Cologne.

With 14 pieces of luggage, cameras and computers shipped ahead by van, we packed our one remaining suitcase and wrapped up the laptops prior to being wisked off to the airport and our departure from Munich on Lufthansa.

At 0600 hours, we were already at the airport and greeted by VIP services, who make traveling a joy rather than the horrible task it has become. They greet you with a smile and then direct you to a special door where the security check is almost pleasant. Yes, the two laptops had to go through the xray machine separately, but in all other respects it resembled a very civilized and courteous process making it all the more tolerable.

We still had an hour to departure, so we walked the few meters to the VIP lounge, which offered a combination of real bread pretzels, freshly brewed coffees and cheeses wrapped as little soccer balls. The big flat screen TV's were showing footage of the fans in the streets of Munich getting ready for the kick off of the Opening Match which was only 12 hours away.

Boarding time was approaching and shortly after returning with the boarding passes and luggage claim check, the agent took us to a waiting Mercedes which drove under the extended airbridge fingers and finally stopped beneath the nose of our jet bound for Cologne. We walked up the metal stairs and quietly made our way to our seats and tucked the laptops under chair in front of us.

It seemed like only a moment and we were coming in for a landing in Cologne. Mary Lynn had for the first time in a week gotten ahold of the Financial Times, USA Today and the Wall Street Journal and found a world of perspectives somehow lost while we sojourned in Munich for a week. She read to me the highlights of the perceptions of our deliberations and meetings but more importantly took note of the crescendo of commentary on the events ahead, the real football and the battles to be won and lost, putting into focus the real meaning of our tasks and responsibilities.

Immediately upon arrival in Cologne, we were met with a placarded escort who welcomed and then ushered us to our car where we met Holger, an intelligent good looking young man whose English was quite good and would be our driver during our time in this assignment.

Once at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, we were advised that the morning briefing meeting was already in session and that if I could deposit my belongings in my room quickly, Hugo Salcedo, the Venue Coordinator, would like to introduce me to the FIFA staff on site. Dropping off the few of my personal things, I rushed down to the first floor offices and joined the meeting in progress. Pictured here are Hugo together with two of the ten people who were introduced to me each with their respective disciplines and responsibilities. I am a lucky man. I have a great team to work with.

By the time I got back to the room, my friend of more than a quarter century, George Tarantini, arrived at the hotel. He had just landed originating in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he coaches the soccer team at North Carolina State University. In reality George does much more than coach soccer. He is truly a key element of the University process. I know George is an important part of the development of the men in his charge both as better students and better people. I am proud of George and it was a great pleasure for me to have him join us here in Cologne expose him to some of the flavor of this World Cup first hand.

Following a brief nap, interrupted by the stacatto of calls by people whose tickets for games in nearby venues I had brought with me from Munich, we got ready to head over to the Volunteers' Lounge, located just outsider of the gates to the stadium. They invited us to join them watching the opening game where they would as a group enjoy the first rush of this World Cup. I was very happy to be invited by them to share in the common experience and was advised by my colleague Hugo, that in appreciation we were providing the beer and pizza.

The pleasure of offering a few words to the volunteers was mine as I had the opportunity of encouraging them to enjoy and cherish the great experience they were about to have. These kids are true champions of events such as the World Cup, the Olympics and every major endeavor that breathes life through the dedication of volunteers. I couldn't have thought of a better way to begin the World Cup than by thanking this representative group of young people who will do so much to make the event a great success.

Although we were hundreds of miles west of Munich, this great group of young people came to their feet at the playing of the national anthems and the anticipation of the referees opening whistle rapidly turned to the real thing as the game began.

The kids were ready for this. Not only were they among their friends, but helpful hands painted war paint on their smiling cheeks in anticipation of a big day for the home team.

They were soon rewarded as Germany tallied the first strike and went onto the scoreboard. Germany's first goal was a great opener. Football historians, looking back at this World Cup will remember the opening goal as one of the prettiest hits one could hope to see. While surpressing the quiet hope that one of my regional teams would succeed I knew that Germany's Philipp Lahm had gained my respect and fans around the world.

We sat back and watched two more goal tip the seesaw before 17 minutes were concluded and then sat back to watch the confrontation continue. Happily, I was just one of a group of kids again watching match that meant a lot to all of those around me.

With a final expression of joy, the Volunteers exclaimed their pleasure with the opening match just one more time as they could sense that this was about to become the experience of their life. I wish them well in the knowledge that this is a very special opportunity and they will make the most of it.

The day was far from over, but like many of you, I returned to the hotel and watched the match of Poland vs Ecuador from the bar in our hotel. Ecuador showed us plenty and after the 2-0 win, we made it back to our suite to check emails and to see the sun set behind the magnificent cathedral of Cologne.

Cologne is a wonderful city with a great stadium. Tomorrow we will meet with the delegations of Portugal and Angola for our first pre-game meeting in this venue. There are many more great games coming. I hope you have fun too.

A Tribute to Charlie Dempsey on Opening Day...

2006-06-09T11:13:00.000+02:00

On the opening day of the World Cup, the Germans should dedicate the games to Charlie Dempsey of New Zealand. More than any other man, Charlie assured the hosts that this day would finally come.

Interestingly enough, Charlie didn't do it by casting his vote for Germany six years ago; rather he succeeded by not voting at all. Following his support of the English bid, Charlie couldn't bring himself to vote outside of Europe. Even though the Oceania Confederation, in its Congress just months before the vote in Zurich, had directed their delegate to the FIFA Executive Committee to vote for South Africa following his support for England, he just couldn't do it.

For Charlie that would be like breaking marriage vows. After all, Europe did support Oceania becoming a Confederation and Charlie wasn't one who forgot his friends. Charlie told his associates that he had been getting calls through the night from Nelson Mandela and Gerhard Schröder and he was a nervous wreck. For him, the only answer was not voting for anyone after England's elimination.

The net effect of this was to break the impending tie which would have given Sepp Blatter the casting vote; likely to have been polled in favor of South Africa. The casting vote was not required since Charlie's withdrawal from the process left Germany with a clear majority.

So, Charlie, on this day of great celebration in Germany; a day in which everyone can be proud... take a bow and let everyone shake your hand for a job well done. We wouldn't be here today without you.

From where I sit...

2006-06-09T04:43:00.000+02:00

A view from where I sit during the FIFA Congress in Munich.
On the left is Lennart Johannson, Sweden; next to him is M.J. Chung, Korea; and Angel Maria Villar Llona of Spain, all FIFA Vice Presidents; the President Joseph Blatter is just to the right of Villar's head.

“A time to make friends”...

2006-06-07T00:50:00.000+02:00

The Local Organizing Committee in Germany came up with the slogan, "A time to make friends..." to demonstrate that Germany is a warm and friendly place where people indeed can and will make friends. I want to bring your attention to a man who actually personifies this concept.

Norbert Wolf is Senior Vice President of Siemens AG. They are headquartered here in Munich. Norbert's responsibility is for the corporate security of the giant multinational corporation. You might think that Norbert, sporting a pretty impressive title like that, might be a stick in the mud or someone without a sense of humor. Well, a quick look a the sequence of pictures to the left will tell you something about his personality.

While he is a serious businessman, he is charming, he is funny, he is entertaining, he enjoys his life and relates to his friends. He is the type of person I hope each you get to meet if you are going to visit Germany during this World Cup... and if you don't, then just take it from me that there really are the kind of people here in Germany that Franz Beckenbauer has been talking about in their promotions of this World Cup.

Norbert made us play hooky tonight. We had been invited by the Organizing Committee to a wonderful concert a the Munich Olymiastadium. However, it was going to be the only night we would be able to see Norbert before taking up my role as Head of FIFA Delegation in Cologne. While we are hoping to see him again when we come back for the semi-final, we really wanted to make sure it would happen before our departure.

He wanted Mary Lynn and me to get a look at the mountains; or at least a village south of the city. Munich is a great place, and Norbert hit the right chord by finding a lovely country inn overlooking the village Starnberg located at the side of a lake of the same name. The food was great. Bavarian, full of taste and calories. Really delicious. It should tell you something when appetizers we ordered are called "forespeis", which literally translates as foreplay.

Even the groans of satisfaction following the four dishes including Nürnberger Sausages and sauerkraut; a noodle dish I can describe as a cross between Fettucine Alfredo and Kraft macaroni & cheese; also a regional dish of the most delicious and enormous "ravioli" type pocket pasta; and finally some local fish served with potatoe pancakes (not that I wasn't paying attention), didn't stop Norbert from returning to the menu to order main courses. I wasn't sure where it would fit... but as you can see, with the consultation of our waitress Norbert found a few more dishes to let us know that you can't eat Bavarian food every day.... well, at least I can't. But, it was great.

Mary Lynn was too polite to refuse, so Norbert ordered her a delicious freshly cooked fish with almonds liberally sprinkled on top which came served with 3 large boiled potatoes garnished with cut chives and a side of steamed vegetables. Naturally, Mary Lynn who can still wear dresses that would fit a teenager, eats healthy food. Norbert following my protests said he would only order some little "sides", Brotzeit. I should have been suspicious of the sparkle of glee in Norbert's eyes as a platter of cold cuts, cheeses and spreads landed on the table accompanied by slices dark german bread.

Finally, Norbert announces, "No German meal is complete without the desserts!!!" Mary Lynn raises her arm in protest, but to no avail as Norbert orders her a Bavarian Cream. Blazer knows that Norbert is right, so quickly says, "I will have the plum strudle with vanilla sauce." I know Norbert ordered something for himself, but once my dessert came I was into some state of sugar shock and have no memory of what he ordered. The coffee, I thought would keep me awake on the way back to Munich, but alas, gluttony and satisfaction overtook my body as I slipped into a blissful rest until we pulled up at the Bayerischer Hof.
Thanks Norbert. It was a great night and the LOC now knows from this Blog that they have the perfect ambassador in you. Thanks for a great night.

Munich und Beer...

2006-06-06T17:43:00.000+02:00

While I admit to beer not being my favorite beverage, being in the Hofbrauhaus in Munich and not having a big stein of beer... well, just didn't seem right. So, here together with Jason
Hughes, my Deputy General Secrtary, we down a couple of big ones and maintain our image as good visitors to this lovely city.
The Hofbrauhaus, built in 1896, many cold pints have found their way down the throats of thirsty customers. 2,600 gallons of beer a day are pumped into the restaurant that seats 1,700 happy customers.

We did our part, and I was in good company with Guillermo Canedo, the member of the CONCACAF Executive Committee from Mexico, Sunil Gulati, President of the United States Soccer Federation together with his General Secretary Dan Flynn and his deputy Jay Berhalter.

If you haven't met Mary Lynn yet, she came back into my life almost 4 years ago and has radically changed my life. While she does encourage me to have the occasional beer, she is responsible for me stopping smoking the day she moved in after 45 years of my puffing away. She has gotten pretty good with her Sony Camera, so much of what you will see here can be attributed to her... it is also the reason she isn't in that many pictures.

Well, don't get the wrong impression from these pictures. I rarely if ever have a beer. Doesn't mean I am a stick in the mud, just that I never gained a taste for it. Clearly, the same can't be said for food.

We left the quiet reserve of the FIFA Lounge to venture out and catch a taste of Munich. Actually, it was fun. We had to squeeze in with some others at a big table first, and then as time went on, we managed to get a place or two more as our driver, Mr. Florin Wald joined us (no beer for him, the designated drive) and Canedo's two sons gradually fit in as we expanded our territory and made friends with those around us.

Munich, beer, beer gardens, beer halls, beer house. There is something about drinking beer in Munich that makes it magical even for a non-beer drinker like me. Oh, the sausages were pretty good too... and soft pretzels... even a spiral cut white radish that you put a dash of salt on... hmmmmm... salty pretzels, salty radishes, salty sausages... I guess these people know how to sell beer, and boy is it good!!!

Our next adventure is into a small village outside of Munich overlooking a lovely lake. I will see you tomorrow.

Good night from Munich.

More about our Friends and the CONCACAF Congress

2006-06-06T09:38:00.000+02:00

Following President's Blatter's address, Warner called a 15 minute break in the meeting allowing the guests to greet the members individually and for the staff to reset the dais following the departure of Messrs. Blatter and Linsi.

Upon returning, Warner got directly into the Agenda of the day and called for the approval of the minutes of the XXIV Congress which was held in Grenada on May 2, 2004. There being no corrections or comments, the motion was approved.

Next, the 21 page Executive Committee Report was reviewed. The document chronicled the last two years of activities of the Confederation. The President took great pride in letting the members know that the materials comprising the meeting book and the Executive Committee report specifically, resplendent with pictures and text covering the accomplishments of the recent past were all produced in-house which was a result of our modernization of technical infrastructure at the CONCACAF New York offices. With applause, the Report was accepted.

The President then turned the meeting over to me, where I presented the Audited Financial Statements for the 2 years ended December 31, 2005 to the Congress. The document included the Auditor's Report; Financial Statements - Balance Sheet at 31/12/05, Statement of Income and Expenditure for the 2 years ending 31/12/05, Cash Flow Statement covering the same 2 year period, Notes to the Financial Statments and finally a detailed categorical Schedule of Expenses for the 2 year period.

Following the submission of the Audit, the Congress reviewed the Budget. All the financial documents had been distributed to the membership one month prior to the meeting. The positive results and the plans for the two years 2006 and 2007 met with the Congress' unanimous approval. Blazer advised the members that while the financial cycle of the Confederation continues to be a two year period, beginning with the Congress of 2007 the Confederation would submit an annual Certified Audit in step with the new Congress calendar. The budgets would continue to be prepared on a two year basis since the income is linked to the Gold Cup while the expenditures are scattered over a two year grid. The news was well received. The positive financial results demonstrated stability while clearly demonstrating that the major investment being made was in competitions. That concluded the financial portion of the Congress.

The next item on the Agenda was a housekeeping issue. The amendments of the Statutes of CONCACAF. Blazer explained to the members that the revisions were limited to the items mandated by FIFA and those other cleanup which brought the Statutes into conformity with the real world. John Collins, CONCACAF Legal Counsel and Member of FIFA's Legal Affairs Committee, took the members through the document change by change and explained each of the items and the reason for the revision. John did an excellent job and accepted one additional clarification on the wording of one of our voting provisions offered by St. Vincent and the Grenadines resulting in updated Statutes now totally in conformity with FIFA's requirements.

Mary Harvey, FIFA's Director of Development, then took the podium to provide a summary of the work FIFA has been doing in our region. She proudly presented that with the exception of only one member, all have submitted their documentation for the audit requirements of FAP (FIFA's Financial Assistance Program) and the vast majority of those have already been confirmed by the auditors of being in conformity. This demonstrated the commitment by Warner to establish CONCACAF's members as the standard of transparency and compliance in responsibly handling the funds granted to it by FIFA.

Mary's department is not only responsible for the FAP program, but also for the very success GOAL program aimed at building physical infrastructure in Members Associations. Its most effective application is where the $400,000 grants are used as seed money to attract investment by private enterprise and governmental grants of land or facilities. Since 1999, 44 Goal projects have been awarded within the CONCACAF territory and have made a significant impact on the facilities of the members and the overall house of FIFA. Jack expressed our gratitude for Mary's support of our region.

The remaining business item of the day was to walk members through the Agenda of the FIFA Congress and to discuss any common positions that the Confederation was inclined to take. Point by point, I went through the Congress agenda and then went into detail on the amendments to the FIFA Statutes. The one real issue for us had been corrected in the FIFA Executive Committee the day before where a proposal made by the Swiss Football Federation at the request of FIFA President Blatter had been revised so as to assure us that deliberate care would be taken and the proper analysis made by the relevant FIFA committees in establishing a new judicial body to deal with gambling, corruption and other ethical transgressions.

We also discussed the proposal to withdraw the overage (over 23 years old) players from the Olympic Finals. This position was well supported by the Congress and is the position of the Confederation going into the FIFA Congress where a decision will be taken regarding the 2008 Beijing Olmypics.

Jack recognized Alan Rothenberg, who will also receive the FIFA Order of Merit for his contribution to football for organizing the 1994 FIFA World Cup USA. Warner concluded the meeting by telling members not to bother send him frivilous emails about news stories and tell all yellow journalists, but rather to email him with their accomplishments in building new fields, in organizing new leagues, in teaching their members more about the organization of the game and by demonstrating what a good job they are doing in their own associations.

It was a great Congress and a really lovely afternoon spent in the company of friends.

A Day Full of Friends...

2006-06-06T01:19:00.000+02:00

The day was going to start early with staff coming to my suite to review final preparations for the CONCACAF Extraordinary Congress scheduled for 1500 hours at the Hilton Park Hotel in Munich.

Deputy General Secretary Jason Hughes was the first to arrive at 1000 hours. Having made some late changes in the Congress program, the Powerpoint for the projection screens needed to be updated and then a final review and scripting to make sure everyone had their assignment so the meeting would go smoothly.

The population in the small junior suite stretched the walls as another Deputy General Secretary, Rafael Tinoco, tucked his head out the window to use his cell phone and leave CONCACAF Executive Committee Member Guillermo Canedo White on his laptop with Jason to his back and me at the desk. Minutes later we would be joined by Sunil Gulati, newly elected President of the United States Soccer Federation and Jack Austin Warner, the President of CONCACAF and Vice President of FIFA.

When Jack arrived, we reviewed the schedule and adjusted the timings to his likings. Jack is famous for running professional meetings which are well organized and documented. Although much of it is prepared well in advance, the pre-meeting lets the President personalize the program on the day of the game. Gulati gave him a preview of the remarks he wanted to make at the Congress, being a new Association President, he had substantial offerings of technical and developmental assistance in hand that we knew the members would be happy to hear about and from our part represented a major shift towards internationalism of a previously insular body.

The rest of the details were agreed and Jason finalized the Powerpoint that would be seen just a couple of hours away in the Hilton. Ted Howard, another Deputy, was at the Hilton where he and Competitions and Events Director Jill Fracisco were finalizing the seating and technical setup of the meeting hall. At 1430, we boarded the Hyundai Van provided me during my stay at the World Cup and a local Munich driver, Mr. Wald eased the vehicle from the Bayerbischer Hof through the streets of Munich for the 10 minute ride to the Hilton.

Following the roll call and establishment of a quorum with 39 present and only Panama stuck in air traffic and unable to make the meeting, Sunil addressed the delegations and they were very pleasantly surprised to hear the new approach to international relations offered by the USA. Warner then asked Mary Harvey, the FIFA Director of Development to come up to the podium, where he presented her with a boquet of flower and then a special birthday cake all with the love and appreciation of the members where with her patience and good management skills, our Confederation now boast an almost perfect record in completing its audit requirements to FIFA
.
Jack then introdced Dr. Urs Linsi, FIFA General Secretary and then it was the turn of the FIFA President, Joseph "Sepp" Blatter to take the floor to speak. Sepp skillfully complemented the team of Warner, Sasso and Blazer, who have been collectively serving on the FIFA Executive Committee for 50 years. He noted that between Warner and Blazer they chair a total of 5 FIFA Competitions, including all four youth events and the FIFA Confederations Cup. Unquestionably, CONCACAF has provided an unbroken string of support for the FIFA President, and it appeared clear that he was making it known that he would seek a third term next year.

Warner took the opportunity to introduced Oscar Thamar Torres, who served as the Deputy General Secretary and marked over 32 years of continuous employment by CONCACAF. Oscar who was previously inducted into the CONCACAF Hall of Fame 6 years ago in Paradise Island, Bahamas, would in two days be honored with the FIFA Order of Merit. On the left Oscar appears over my shoulder. He has been a great friend and my colleague since 1990 when we took over the administrative role in CONCACAF. Oscar was accompanied to Munich by his wife, Magaly and his son Oscar. It is hard to think of anyone else who has personified the rich history of the Confederation and it is a great personal pleasure to see Oscar recognized for his many years contributing his skills and energy to the sport.

[I will finish this up in the morning with more on the CONCACAF Congress and a night of fun at the Hofbrauhaus... lift your glasses high]

Dinners are really about people, not food...

2006-06-05T01:20:00.000+02:00

Each time the FIFA Executive Committee meets, it organizes a dinner to give the members the opportunity to interact at a social level. Things weren't always as civil as they are today and it was an excellent tool at the time to remind people that no matter what their differences may be, sitting down to dinner and talking can keep us together.

I have noticed, during recent dinners, that we may have forgotten why we began those dinners and that the interchange between groups gave us the opportunity to gain a better understanding of each others issues in a less formal setting than the board room. The key principle that is missing today was the advantage that was created by putting people together from different geographies with other languages.

Now, I find that I am seated regularly with people who speak English and most often, those who I end up with at meals on a normal basis. Opportunity lost. Whoever is afraid of mixing us up should stop worrying. We manage to speak with each other without the aid of interpreters in at least 3 languages. For the few who are limited, there is always someone at the table able to make the connection. So, shake up the scrabble tiles and let the alphabet fall as it may and give us someone new to sit with and get to know better. There are 24 of us, now joined by the Confederation General Secretaries and the FIFA General Secretary. The group is quite diverse and needs to learn from each other. The quiet comfort of a dinner table offers that perfect environment. I hope this will change in the future.

That having been said, there was a very nice sense of comradery as we were served a very nice dinner following the cocktails in the FIFA , still in the Bayerischer Hof in Munich. That's right, we haven't left the hotel yet. But, tomorrow, we will have the opportunity to venture out and see some of Munich. At least the hotels where are National delegations are staying.

The dinner was in a lovely private dining room on the second floor with a very talented Harpist playing soothing dinner music. Having rung the bell for cocktails at 1900 hours, and with the honor of having Dr. Joao Havelange, the Honorary FIFA President and his wife Anna Maria for dinner, we recognized his 90th birthday by all singing the traditional Happy Birthday song. By 2200 hours, the President announced that people were free to go, but this is normally when the fun begins. The room cleared out of about half the celebrants. The remainder table hopped and had time to have some of the conversations they had been inhibited from engaging in by the protocol of the evening.

Taking the opportunity to sample some excellent St. Emillion grapes, Michel Platini, FIFA Exco Member and Chuck Blazer, CONCACAF General Secretary and also a FIFA Exco Member, got a chance to talk about the significance of Olympic Football issues coming up for a decision in the Congress in a couple of days. Platini and Blazer would each be the head of FIFA's delegations in neighboring Frankfurt and Cologne respectively.

Issa Hayatou and his wife gave the camera a big smile as he just completed a transatlantic trip to New York where he represented FIFA at the United Nations. Following their heading in for the night, a group of hearty souls found their way back down to the FIFA Lounge and happily encountered the sounds of Franz Lambert, FIFA's perennial musical entertainment.

It didn't take long for the music to take hold and while some started off with a traditional slow dance. While others, got with the beat and decided to let it rip.

Well, for me, it was starting to be the time to pack it in while others stayed and danced. We have a big day tomorrow. The free time gained with be used to prepare for our Extraordinary Congress with our which will be at the Hilton Park at 1500 hours . So, the morning will be spent making sure that everything is picture perfect and that we have time to also meet with some of the Associations before who have requested time. So, goodnight from Munich. Tomorrow is another day.

Lunchtime with the Exco...

2006-06-04T13:27:00.000+02:00

The army of FIFA works best on a full stomach. The Executive Committee, likewise, paused during its busy day to join their spouces and significant others for a quick buffet lunch in the FIFA Lounge at the Bayerishcer Hof in Munich.

The break is actually a good thing to get time to discuss some of the issues raised in them morning while dealing with the matter to be discussed in the afternoon.

Pictured above are Isaac Sasso and his grand-niece, and in the table behind him the President and a delegation including two FIFA Vice Presidents, Julio Grondona of Argentina and Angel Maria Villar Llona of Spain.

Pictured together at one of the round lunch tables on the left is Ricardo Teixeira, President of the CBF and Dr. Nicolas Leoz, President of CONMEBOL, both of whom are Members of the FIFA Executive Committee.

Following the break, the Executive Committee returned to the meeting room where it stood for its group photo.

FIFA Executives meet in Munich...

2006-06-04T13:08:00.000+02:00

FIFA always kicks off on time. At 1000 hours at the Bayerricher Hof, Munich, the FIFA Executive Committee met, just days in advance of the opening of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany, as FIFA President Joseph "Sepp" Blatter called the meeting to order of the 24 men who control the worldwide sports organization responsible for the sport of football/soccer.

The President offered the incentive to the Committee of completing the work on the Agenda in a single day. With that motivatioin, the Committee attacked its day's work with energy and dedication in order to have time to spend on Monday with their respective delegations arriving in Munich for the FIFA Congress.

The Agenda for the meeting is normally broken up into sections. The first section is comprised of reports while later there are items which require action or decisions by the Executive Committee. Today was no different. The program began with opening remarks of President Blatter. This was followed by the Roll Call with everyone present, including former great player Michel Platini, pictured above. The minutes of 18 meetings of Committees held since February were approved and the Agenda, likewise, was accepted.

The President reported on his activites since the last meeting and brought to the attention of the Exco a meeting of the Emergency Committee dealing with the composition of the World Club Championship. Reports by the Confederations were next and then Angel Maria Villar Llonar, FIFA VP and Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee reported on the status of the Referees for the World Cup.

Chuck Blazer, Chairman of the FIFA U-20 Women's World Championship Russia 2006 (17 August - 3 September) reported on preparations for the event while Jim Brown, Director of Competitions reported on the Draw held in Moscow in April.

Ah, I guess this would be a good time to tell you that these are not minutes of the meetings nor do I plan to give you the content of the presentations, since that is for the official spokesmen of FIFA to do in news conferences and through the official FIFA website. All I hope to chronicle for you during these coming weeks are the sensations and experiences of this World Cup month. I hope you enjoy reading about them.

Brazilian Confederation President Ricardo Teixeira, Chairman of FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Rio de Janeiro 2006 (2-11 November) gave the update on preparations for that event and a listing of teams already qualified and the remaining Confederaton qualifying tournaments scheduled for this summer.

FIFA Vice President Lennart Johannson reported on the prior day's meeting of the Organizing Committee for the FIFA World Cup Germany and made everyone aware of the progress and status of the great endeavor.

The General Secretary, Urs Linsi, reported on the developments in organizing the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa. The introduction of the Logo and the official launch will take place while we are here in Germany.

Dr. Vlacheslav Koloskov, Chairman of the FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2006 (10-17 December) reported on the teams qualified and the calendar to determine the remainder. Also, a decision was taken regarding the composition of the teams.

President Blatter then reported on the Task Force for the Good of the Game, a group he launched at last year's Congress to deal with the serious issues of today's football. A full report will be made to the Congress.

The General Secretary reported on the meeting of the Strategic Studies Working Group, held two days earlier in Munich, with the Secreataries of the Confederations and the GS of FIFA. He focused on a report made by UEFA's CEO Lars-Christer Olsson on referee development.

The Exco was given the dates of the International Match Calendar for 2007 & 2008, showing the dates fixed for each Confederation's National Team Championship. A discussion also took place about the venues for the 2009 U17 and U20 World Cups.

The President gave an extensive report on the "Win in Africa - with Africa" concept and how they are making progress towards achieving its objectives.

Dates for all Confederation congresses were submitted for 2007.

The Executive Committee received the report of the Internal Audit Committee and were ready for the Congress.

Jerome Valcke, Director of the FIFA Marketing & TV AG reported on the meeting of the Board of Directors which took place on Thursday in Munich. He submitted the recommendations made by the Board which had also been approved by FIFA's Finance Committee.

Senior Vice President Julio Grondona and Chairman of FIFA's Finance Committee reported together with Markus Kattner, reported on the state of the finances fo FIFA.

Dr. Koloskov once more took the floor, this time in his capacity of Chairman of the National Associations Committee. There he reported on seven members that had particular problems.

Vice President David Will, and Chairman of the Legal Affairs Committee, was responsible for the presentation of the Legal Matters. The report was comprehensive and coverage current litigation and pending matters. He then addressed the proposals to the Congress and reviewed with the membership the items which would be presented to the Congress for decision.

Also on the Congress (7 and 8 or June), responsibilities were assigned to members for special tasks and presentations and other technical issues were covered along with listing those to receive the FIFA Order of Merit during the Congress.

An update was given regarding the new home of FIFA and the successful move of personnel into the new facilities. The Executive Committee will meet there for the first time on 15 September, while the members of the Congress will get to experience it first hand at the 2007 FIFA Congress at the end of May.

Each member was given the opportunity to raise any other issue on their mind and follwing that the meeting was adjourned and the group picture was taken.

Time to get ready for the Executive Committee Dinner at 1900 hours.

See you later.

The meetings begin...

2006-06-04T10:05:00.000+02:00

FIFA started the week off with meetings of key committees including Marketing & TV, Internal Audit, Referees, Strategic Planning and today, the FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee. This Organizing Committee is chaired by Lennart Johansson. It is comprised of a mix of members from FIFA's Executive Committee, other experienced members of National Associations and Confederations along with key officials of the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan, Mr. Beckenbauer and officials of the Local Organizing Committee for Germany and looking to the future, two leaders of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa. Joined by senior members of the FIFA staff, it is a large, but diverse, cross section of FIFA officials who will serve in various capacities throughout the World Cup.

The meeting, held at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof, Munich, ran for two hours, beginning with a welcome address by FIFA's President Joseph S. Blatter. A detailed Agenda, covering all aspects of the Final Competition included discussions on FIFA's organization in the final competition; the general program; refereeing; official lists of players; media; marketing & TV; ticketing; security; medical matters and doping control; the technical study group; disciplinary matters and finance.

The LOC reported on its activities leading up to the final preparations of the Cup following six years of preparation. Overall, there was great satisfaction with the work of the committee and the preparation for the game. Referee assignments and administrative responsibilities were assigned and confirmed during the session and everyone eagerly awaited the open in Munich on June 9th.

Tomorrow, Sunday, begins the two day session of the FIFA Executive Committee. I will be back with an update following that meeting.

[Picture: Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder, Pres. DFB & Member FIFA Exco; Slim Chiboub, Tunisia, Member FIFA Exco]