After months of anticipation and corruption scandals involving FIFA officials, the result of host nations for World Cup 2018 and 2022 is out.

Russia will host the 2018 FIFA World Cup while 2022 World Cup will be in Qatar. Too bad England is out of contention, no football WAGs. Instead of dismissing this as a victory for oil and gas moguls, I think rotating the World Cup to Middle East is good for football and technology.

From a sports perspective, the prestigious tournament will ignite a football fever as well as improve the infrastructure and youth development in the region. Football fans also get to experience Middle East culture for a month.

Technology wise, football is also a beneficiary as Qatar will deploy resources to make the fans feel welcome and cool during its sweltering hot summer.

Qatar will incorporate state-of-the-art air cooling technology inside stadiums to make sure the players don’t collapse from heat exhaustion. The cooling technology converts solar power into electricity and can reduce temperature on the pitch by as much as 20 degrees Celsius.

When games are not taking place, the solar installations will export energy onto the power grid which makes the stadiums almost carbon-neutral.

Besides the stadiums, the technology will be used all over the country, at Fan Zones, training areas, etc. Qatar will pay for the technology development and also transfer the technology to other hot-climate countries so they can also host international tournaments. No wonder they got the huge support to be the winning bid…

Are you guys looking forward to the World Cup already?

[BBC, Qatar 2022 bid]

The World Cup 2010 Finals is coming! And boy, is it gonna be a bushwhacker of a match with Spain and Holland aspiring to win their first ever World Cup trophy.

But these days, football fans seem a bit distracted. Instead of discussing team formations or the brilliance of Andreas Iniestia, David Villa, Xavi Hernandez, Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder, they are more concerned with Paul the Octopus.

So far, Paul the Octopus has accurately predicted Germany’s matches throughout the World Cup. The octopus foresaw Germany’s victories and also loses to Serbia and Spain for an immaculate six out of six record.

Some German fans have declared their intention of cooking and eating the octopus, after he predicted their eventual loss to Spain.

Late last night, Psychic octopus Paul predicted that Spain will beat Holland in World Cup final and Germany will squash Uruguay for the third spot. That prompted Spanish Prime Minister to joke about sending a crack team of bodyguards to protect Paul the Octopus after he made the bold prediction.

Where are you guys placing your bets? The smart money is on Paul the Octopus but don’t blame him if you lose your shirt gambling in this World Cup Finals.

You can engage experienced coaches or online pundits of FIFA Championship Manager to analyse the merits of individual football teams/players or even a supercomputer to work out the probability of match winners, but technology and cold logic is no match for Paul the Oracle.

In case you aren’t aware, Paul is not a person but rather an octopus residing at the Sea Life Aquarium in Oberhauser in Germany. It has generated worldwide interest with accurate predictions on results of German matches at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Paul the Octopus correctly foretold the Germans’ quarter final victory over Argentina, their second round win over England, as well as group round wins over Australia and Ghana and a loss to Serbia.

The octopus picks results when two boxes with flags from opposing teams are lowered into his tank. The food is placed on top of each box and the first box which the octopus moves toward is declared his choice.

To prove that Paul is not biased towards his countrymen or the colors of Germany’s flag, he has predicted a win for Spain over Germany for the semifinals. Spain and Germany are two of Europe’s finest attacking teams, thus football fans must not miss out this match, which should be full of suspense and goals.

Though it is not a nice feeling for football pundits to be outperformed by an octopus, I am sure most of them will be placing their bets according to Paul’s predictions.

It should come as no surprise that England fell to Germany but the manner of defeat was embarrassing.

Instead of blaming the Jabulani and vuvuzelas, this time the spotlight is on goal-line video technology after a goal from Frank Lampard, which could have changed England’s fortunes, was not allowed.

The Chelsea midfielder could have brought the game level at 2-2 before half time, but his goal was not spotted by the referee and linesman, despite replays showing it crossed the line about half a metre.

Going out of the World Cup before the quarter finals – and to arch rival Germany – was a shame. To be fair, England were outplayed for long stretches of the game and Germany absolutely deserve their victory. There was also a bit of poetic justice in England’s defeat. In the 1966 World Cup, England won against Germany by way of a goal which video analysis has shown did not entirely cross the line.

Nevertheless, FIFA has to ask itself whether such crucial mistakes should be prevented. FIFA has long opposed the use of goal-line technology.

In March, Fifa’s general secretary, Jérôme Valcke, ruled out the use of video replays firmly, saying: “If we start with goal-line technology then any part of the game and pitch will be a potential space where you could put in place technology to see if the ball was in or out, whether it was a penalty and then you end up with video replays. The door is closed.”

Head of referees for South African Football Association, Steve Goddard, also feels that video evidence is “time-wasting” and using two additional assistants, as in the Europa league is a better solution.

In any game, there will always be winners and losers, joy and disappointment, but most importantly, football fans want a fair result. Unfortunately, FIFA is still non-commital over implementation of goal line technology after today’s game.

Sony and FIFA are gonna revolutionize World Cup 2010 with 3D broadcast. I can’t wait, just thinking of experiencing the players’ exhilarating movement and close ball control.

A list of World Cup 2010 games that’ll be broadcast in 3D was just released, with ESPN taking care of the US audience, Sogecable for Spain, and more partners to come (including eight matches for selected 3D cinemas around the world).

Out of all ten stadiums, only five of these — Soccer City and Ellis Park in Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth — are chosen for the 3D broadcast. Each venue will have seven 3D-camera positions with three above the pitch and four on pitch level, and don’t forget the two “3D Outside Broadcast” trucks that’ll be busy shuffling between stadiums to process the footage for us all.

If you end up totally loving the 3D experience, a Blu-ray 3D compilation disc will be available within 2010. This souvenir should go nicely with the updated PS3 by then. Sony’s console may also undergo a 3D upgrade around the same time as the launch of its 3D TVs.

The World Cup 2010 is but two months away. I bet it will be a blast for all soccer fans…

[Engadget]