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BERNE — Players should be given more of a voice in how football is run to prevent "scandal after scandal", the world players' union said on Monday in the wake of accusations bribes were paid to win Qatar the right to host the 2022 World Cup.

The international game has been rocked by a British Sunday newspaper's report that around $5 million was paid to officials in return for votes for Qatar's successful bid.

The Qatari organisers have vehemently denied the accusations. Peter Goldsmith, a member of the Independent Governance Committee of world football body FIFA, said on Monday the decision to award the tournament to Qatar should be revoked if the accusations prove true.

"Presently, players and players' interests are too often neglected or ignored in the decision-making process," the world player's union FIFPro said in a statement, saying it noted the Qatar accusations with concern.

"This is a sad reflection on the game's poor governance, which is clearly behind the times. It is unacceptable that administration of the game continues to be plagued by scandal after scandal."

The scandal threatens to overshadow the build-up to this year's World Cup just days before it gets under way in Brazil.

A former US prosecutor, Michael Garcia, has been hired to conduct an internal investigation into the decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, a rich Gulf state where temperatures soar above 50° in the summer, months when the tournament is meant to be held.

The Sunday Times newspaper said it had obtained thousands of e-mails and other documents that showed that the then head of football in Asia, a Qatari, had been responsible for payments to other officials to win votes for Qatar.

Qatar says the official, Mohamad Bin Hammam, played no role in its successful bid to host the World Cup.

Bin Hammam has since been barred from football for life after being found guilty in 2011 of attempted bribery to secure votes for his own bid to lead FIFA. 

That ban was later annulled, but he was banned for life a second time in 2012 for "conflicts of interest" while head of football in Asia.

LONDON –– The World Cup, which kicks off in Brazil this month, is set for a record global television audience thanks to new technology and fan-friendly scheduling, FIFA's television director Niclas Ericson told Reuters on Monday.

The quadrennial tournament is the world's biggest sporting event and some matches, including the final in Rio de Janeiro on July 13, will be broadcast in ultra high definition for the first time.

"We have some reasons to say the audience will increase. We worked very hard on the match schedule and the times we have now, we think will be very good for the football fan," Ericson said by telephone from Rio.

"We think we have very good kick off times for Africa, the Middle East and Europe and will continue to grow the audience there. And as the World Cup is in the Americas, we'll have even better figures from there than ever before," he added.

"Asia has grown very fast in term of viewers and rights fees and I believe that even on paper before the event it looks extremely good to break the records we have."

Ericson would not speculate on numbers, saying FIFA still struggled to audit figures in certain parts of the world, but for the first time FIFA had a rights contract in place with every country or territory and the interest was enormous.

"We know that an opening match featuring Brazil is going to be record-breaking across the world because it is Brazil," he added.

FIFA research, which took a year to produce after the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, said 909.6 million television viewers tuned in to at least one minute of the 2010 final at home.

Some 619.7 million people also watched at least 20 consecutive minutes of Spain's 1-0 extra-time win over the Netherlands in Johannesburg.

More than 3.2 billion people watched live coverage of the 2010 tournament for a minimum of one minute. The average official rating was 188.4 million for each match.

The figures claimed an average increase of between 3 to 8 per cent from the 2006 finals in Germany.

By comparison, an estimated global audience of 900 million viewers watched the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics.

Enhanced picture

Broadcasts from Brazil will feature 34 cameras per match with around 3,000 staff involved in the television production. They hail from 48 different countries.

"We want to be in the forefront of how to produce and present football. We also have demands from our clients that we have to deliver a very good product," said Ericson.

"Our media rights are precious for both the client and ourselves because it is the largest revenue source for us and an important media right for broadcasters who are profiling themselves by screening the World Cup."

FIFA said in March that income from television rights and marketing deals ahead of the World Cup had helped drive up its revenues to $1.386 billion.

Protests in Brazil against the cost of hosting the tournament, and corruption allegations surrounding the awarding of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, have not deterred sponsors eager to be associated with the event.

Three matches in Brazil will be shot and broadcast in 4K and nine in 8K resolution as part of tests by broadcasters, notably Japan's NHK.

The cinema industry standard, also known as ultra high definition, offers a greatly enhanced picture and is expected to become a television standard by 2017.

"We can use the World Cup to drive advances in television technology because with a large platform of broadcasters,
anything we want to try, we immediately have reasonable economics around it," Ericson explained.

Broadcasters will be offered the chance to deliver expanded content services, seeking to satisfy a growing demand from viewers for a “second screen” experience.

Apps and web players can be customised by broadcasters and offered to their viewers, who increasingly watch live broadcasts of the games on smartphones or tablets.

BERLIN –– It’s a debate that has been raging for nearly 50 years. 

Did Geoff Hurst’s decisive goal for England in the 1966 World Cup final against West Germany really cross the line after the ball bounced down off the crossbar?

A definitive answer will never be established — and whether Germany likes it or not, England can never be denied its one and only world title. Thankfully, though, arguments over goal line incidents at World Cups should now be consigned to the past.

For the first time on football’s biggest stage, technology will be used to determine whether a ball crosses the goal line during matches at the upcoming tournament in Brazil.

A system developed by little-known German company GoalControl uses 14 cameras — seven trained on each goalmouth — that are mounted on the roof of the stadium and can capture the three-dimensional position of the ball with high precision. When the whole of the ball passes the goal line, a vibration and optical signal is sent to a watch worn by the referee in less than one second, indicating that a goal should be awarded.

With vanishing spray also being used to prevent encroachment by defenders making up a wall during free kicks, officials at the highest level of the world’s most popular sport are finally getting some assistance, just like they do in tennis, cricket, baseball, American football and many other sports.

“Our main feeling is anticipation,” Dirk Broichhausen, managing director of GoalControl, told The Associated Press. “The technology is mature and we are absolutely convinced of the system’s reliability. The World Cup is the biggest chance to showcase in football — it will put goal-line technology worldwide in the centre of interest.”

The clamor for technology reached its peak at the last World Cup in South Africa in 2010 — and again because of an incident in a match between old foes England and Germany.

England midfielder Frank Lampard had a clear goal disallowed because officials failed to see that the ball had bounced down off the bar and well over the line. The score at the time was 2-1 to Germany, which went on to win the last-16 match 4-1.

Sepp Blatter, president of world football’s governing body FIFA, said it took him a day to come to terms with the incident.

“It is obvious that after the experiences so far at this [2010] World Cup, it would be a nonsense not to reopen the file on goal-line technology,” he said.

The sport’s rule-making body, the International Football Association Board, took the historic decision in 2012 to allow computer-assisted decisions in FIFA tournaments. GoalControl was selected, somewhat surprisingly given that it was up against the more universally known Hawk-Eye, which provided goal-line technology systems for the first time in last season’s English Premier League.

GoalControl operated without a glitch at last year’s Confederations Cup — a warm-up competition for the World Cup — and at the Club World Cup.

“Goal-line technology will become a permanent part of football in all major football leagues, I’m firmly convinced of it,” Broichhausen said in an e-mail. “The camera-based system opens a lot of possibilities for analytics and entertainment solutions in football as well as supporting the rules, for example to clarify offside.”

Blatter is against extending the use of technology so that it can rule on matters such as offside and penalties. Then again, football’s supremo wasn’t in favour of vanishing spray a couple of years ago, only to change his mind in December.

ZURICH — Organisers of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar have denied “all allegations of wrongdoing” after a British newspaper report questioned the integrity of choosing the emirate as tournament host.

The Sunday Times says it obtained “hundreds of millions of e-mails, accounts and other documents” detailing payments that Qatari official Mohammad Bin Hammam allegedly gave football officials to build support for the bid.

The Qatar 2022 bid committee’s statement on Sunday stressed that Bin Hammam “played no official or unofficial role in the bid committee”.

However, most FIFA voters in December 2010 were Bin Hammam’s longtime colleagues.

The Qatari statement added that “we vehemently deny all allegations of wrongdoing. We will take whatever steps are necessary to defend the integrity of Qatar’s bid and our lawyers are looking into this matter”.

FIFA declined comment on the report that questions the integrity of choosing Qatar as 2022 World Cup host.

The Sunday Times said a “senior FIFA insider” was its source for “hundreds of millions of e-mails, accounts and other documents” detailing payments which the paper said Qatari official Mohammad Bin Hammam gave football officials — allegedly to build support for the bid.

Bin Hammam, a key FIFA power broker until being expelled from football in 2012 for financial wrongdoing as Asian Football Confederation president, reportedly paid a total of $5 million in gifts and legal fees to executive committee colleagues and dozens of African football leaders.

The claims have revived calls for the 2022 World Cup vote to be re-run. Qatar defeated the United States, Australia, Japan and South Korea.

FIFA ethics prosecutor Michael Garcia has received the fresh evidence to help his investigation of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding contests, the newspaper reported.

FIFA has not commented on details of Garcia’s work since he was appointed to the independent ethics committee two years ago.

Instead, football’s governing body suggested in a statement to “please kindly contact the office” of Garcia’s law firm in New York City.

The law firm, Kirkland and Ellis, did not respond immediately to requests for comment, or to confirm that Garcia will meet Qatar bid officials on Monday in Oman.

Garcia and his investigating team have been travelling across the world meeting officials who worked for the nine candidates ahead of the December 2010 votes by FIFA’s executive board. Several voters, including Bin Hammam, have since been suspended or resigned while implicated in financial corruption.

FIFA board member Jim Boyce, who joined in 2011 after Bin Hammam was initially suspended, said Sunday that he could support a re-vote if bribery was proved.

“If Garcia’s report comes up and his recommendations are that wrongdoing happened for that vote for the 2022 World Cup, I certainly as a member of the executive committee would have absolutely no problem whatsoever if the recommendation was for a re-vote,” Boyce told the BBC’s Sportsweek radio program.

Garcia must submit his report to FIFA ethics judge Joachim Eckert of Germany, who can recommend sanctions.

ZURICH — A British newspaper has alleged that a former FIFA executive committee member –– Mohammad Bin Hamman, who is a Qatari national ––  paid millions to gain support for Qatar's bid to host the 2022 World Cup.

The Sunday Times said a "senior FIFA insider" was its source for "hundreds of millions of emails, accounts and other documents" detailing payments Qatari official Mohamed bin Hammam gave football officials allegedly to build support for the bid.

The newspaper said it shared evidence with FIFA ethics prosecutor Michael Garcia who is investigating the 2018-2022 World Cup bidding contests.

FIFA has declined comment on the report that questions the integrity of choosing Qatar.

FIFA did not comment, instead suggesting "please kindly contact the office" of Garcia's law firm in New York City.

The law firm, Kirkland and Ellis, did not respond immediately to requests for comment, or to confirm that Garcia will meet Qatar bid officials on Monday in Oman.

AMMAN  –– Jordan's basketball team will regroup again this Wednesday after a short break after winning the West Asian Basketball Association (WABA) Championship, which concluded in Amman on the weekend.

Jordan qualified to the 5th FIBA Asia Cup after ending the event with an unbeaten run overcoming Yemen 98-38, Syria 82-71, Iraq 65-51, Iran 69-57 and Palestine 74-57. Iran came in second and Syria third.

"It was important to win the WABA title on home ground, but much more effort needs to be exerted in the next phase," Coach Murad Barakat was quoted by local media.

The team will now regroup Wednesday to prepare for the June 21-26 Alexandria Championship, which will be a crucial test in preparation for the Asia Cup.  

The 5th FIBA Asia Cup will have 10 teams playing. Hosts, China, as well as defending FIBA Asia Championship titleholders Iran automatically qualified. 

The event set for Wuhan, China from July 11-19, is held every two years and was previously known as Stankovich Cup. 

Qatar were champs in 2004, Jordan in 2008, Lebanon in 2010 and Iran in 2012.

The winner of this tournament automatically qualifies for the FIBA Asia Championship in 2015. The  FIBA Asia Basketball Championship qualifies three teams to the World Championship. 

Jordan reached the World Championship once in 2010, after they beat Lebanon in the third place match at the 25th FIBA Asia Championship.

Jordan had won the West Asia title in 2002 and qualified to the FIBA Asia Championship. 

PARIS — The only declared candidate for the FIFA presidency says he won't step aside if, as expected, Sepp Blatter confirms before the World Cup next month that he's seeking a fifth term.

In an interview with The Associated Press, former FIFA executive Jerome Champagne wouldn't accept that campaigning to unseat Blatter, his former boss, is a lost cause. Blatter is in his 39th year at football's governing body, the last 16 of them as president, and there are no indications of widespread hunger for change from FIFA's 209 member federations who have benefited from billions of World Cup dollars.

"An election is an election," said Champagne, a French former diplomat and now football consultant. "Don't ask me to tell you now what will be the end result. I leave that to the pundits and I leave that to the journalists. But it's not a problem. You know we have seen a lot of underdogs and outsiders also sometimes winning."

In 2011, Blatter was reelected as the only candidate for another four-year term. He is expected to confirm his re-election plans on June 11 at FIFA's annual assembly in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on the eve of the World Cup kick-off. Champagne said that won't cause him to bow out of the May 2015 ballot. Blatter will be aged 79; Champagne will be 56.

"I will continue defending my ideas. I'm not stopping, because we need a debate," Champagne said. "In a democratic system we need more than one candidate and I hope more than two candidates, because we need different points of views and we need two different options given to the voters."

"If in the future there is other candidate[s] than me — so far I'm the only one — I will welcome that."

UEFA President Michel Platini has also long been talked about as another potential challenger to Blatter. Platini has said he will consult UEFA's 54 members later this year before announcing his intentions. But his predecessor, UEFA honorary president Lennart Johansson, said this month he now thinks it unlikely that Platini will stand this time.

Some of Champagne's proposals for football differ notably from positions staked out by Blatter. For instance, Champagne wants referees to be able to use video replays in offside and penalty decisions. Blatter doesn't advocate video refereeing and only belatedly converted to the use of goal-line technology, to be deployed in Brazil for the first time at a World Cup.

Champagne argues that the economics of football are becoming unbalanced, with too much money going to too few elite clubs, making the sport less competitive and compelling. He also says FIFA must act and reform to restore its reputation, damaged by repeated bribery scandals and widespread doubts about the integrity of awarding the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar, respectively.

"A lot of things which have been said [are] not correct and unfair. But as we say in the English world: perception is reality. And we have to tackle this issue," Champagne said. A Presidential campaign with open debate, he said, "will be a step in reconciling FIFA with the people of football".

He said one reason he's campaigning is because "it hurt me many times when I saw FIFA painted negatively" and because he hasn't been tarnished by scandal himself. He said he is funding his own campaign and has the minimum five endorsements from FIFA member federations needed to stand.

AMMAN –– The 62nd Jordan Professional League ended on Wednesday with the final standings decided after the relegation battle. While Wihdat took the title home for the 13th time, at the other end of the standings, Arabi and Sheikh Hussein were relegated to Division 1.  Arabi lost their seat in the Pro League in a deciding match after tying  Manshieh in overall points. The teams again drew 0-0 before Manshieh came out victorious 3-2 after a penalty shootout. 

SAO PAULO — Millions of Brazilians will be cheering like crazy during the World Cup, but not all of them for Brazil.

With kickoff two weeks away and tensions simmering over the costs of hosting the month-long football event, some are showing their anger by saying they will root against the national team, perhaps Brazil’s most prominent symbol on the global stage.

“Never before has the World Cup incited these feelings of hatred among Brazilians,” said Ugo Giorgetti, a prominent filmmaker and football commentator. “There are people who love football, who love Brazil, but are cheering against the team like they’ve never cheered before.”

The “Brazil haters” stand in sharp contrast to the typical caricature of Brazilian fans decked out in green and yellow face paint, chanting and screaming for their team to the rhythm of pounding samba drums.

“I’m cheering for Holland,” said Marco Silva, a 33-year old consultant from the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. “If Brazil is champion, all the corruption around the tournament will be forgotten. The country won’t wake up.”

Most Brazilians will indeed rally behind the team as it seeks a record sixth World Cup victory, but the government is worried critics will take to the streets in the tens of thousands and hurt the country’s image.

This week, angry protesters banged on the bus as players left Rio de Janeiro for training camp.

Detractors say the World Cup — with its overpriced stadiums, delayed or undelivered infrastructure projects and potentially embarrassing organisational problems — has done more harm than good by taking funds away from social programs and more important investment projects.

For them, a swift end to Brazil’s run in the tournament would help the country refocus on more pressing needs and maybe even stoke political change.

“I and many people I know are rooting for Brazil to lose early, though not everyone is open about it,” said Edson Alves, a 52-year old chemist and lifelong football fan. “It’s sad, but right now I’m thinking more about Brazil the country and not Brazil the football team.”

Alves, like many others rooting against the team on social media, is a harsh critic of President Dilma Rousseff, who has cast the World Cup as a golden opportunity to showcase a modern Brazil. He hopes a defeat in the Cup will weaken support for Rousseff ahead of her reelection bid in October.

Football and politics 

While recent history shows little correlation between a World Cup title and an election victory, few Brazilians are convinced of that.

In 1970, during the bloodiest period of a 1964-1985 military dictatorship, General Emilio Medici rode a wave of popularity as Brazil’s team, helmed by Pele and widely considered the greatest ever, brought home a third World Cup title.

Pro-democracy activists at the time urged Brazilians to turn against the national team but most were too enthralled by the “jogo bonito,” or “beautiful game” of their homegrown heroes.

Brazil is perhaps the world’s most popular football team, associated with a roster of legends such as Pele, Ronaldo, Zico, Socrates, Romario and now Neymar.

Many Brazilians, however, tend to harbour a cooler attitude towards the yellow and green jersey.

Part of that is due to a weaker connection nowadays between fans and players, most of whom play club football in Europe or even further afield. While every player on the 1970 team played in Brazil, only four do on the current squad.

Still, the World Cup comes only once every four years, and if last year’s Confederations Cup is any indication, attitudes could change if the Brazilian side puts on a dazzling display.

The tournament, hosted in Brazil as a dry run to the World Cup, was marked by the largest street protests the country had seen in decades. Despite the tumult, most Brazilians got behind the team as it fought its way to the title.

More distant history also suggests that “Brazil hatred” may only go so far once the ball starts rolling.

“My friends were among those who urged others to root against Brazil in 1970,” Giorgetti recalled. “No one made it past the first 15 minutes.”

PARIS –– An understrength France may have eased to a 4-0 win over Norway in a friendly at the Stade de France on Tuesday, yet coach Didier Deschamps insists that Les Bleus are not ready for the World Cup finals.

With winger Franck Ribery rested and Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema yet to join up with the squad after winning the Champions League on Saturday, Mathieu Valbuena pulled the strings for France by setting up three goals — including two for Olivier Giroud.

“It was nice, the stadium was full, we had been working very well all week,” Deschamps told reporters.

“We were determined and we put intensity into the game but it was not so simple. After a good start, we had less possession after 20 minutes. After the break, we resumed our domination.”

France face Honduras, Ecuador and Switzerland in Group E at the World Cup finals.

“We are not ready yet but there is a collective desire. We cannot be at 100 per cent now. The most important thing is to give everything the day of the match,” Deschamps added.

“We still have two weeks to prepare. Let’s not forget that our goal is June 15 [against Honduras].”

France continue their preparations against Paraguay in Nice on Sunday and Jamaica in Lille a week later.