Budweiser Man of the Match: Navas ties Messi at the summit in Brazil 2014

 07 Jul 2014

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Keylor Navas was expected to leak goals in Brazil – lots of them. The 27-year-old, by contrast, conceded just once every 102 minutes to help Costa Rica win a group containing three former FIFA World Cup™ winners, bely a numerical disadvantage to eliminate Greece, and give a heavily fancied Netherlands side an almighty scare in the quarter-finals.
Louis van Gaal’s men ultimately prevailed on penalties, after extra-time had finished goalless, to send Costa Rica home.
Navas nonetheless had, in his suitcase for that flight, no less than four Budwesier Man of the Match Awards. His latest one came after his saves dumbfounded Robin Van Persie, Wesley Sneijder, Memphis Depay and Arjen Robben in Salvador. It sent the Levante man joint-top of the Budwesier Man of the Match Award chart alongside Lionel Messi.
The Argentina No10 seized his fourth after magically setting up Angel Di Maria’s goal in the 1-0 win over Switzerland in the Round of 16, and though his striker partner Gonzalo Higuain emerged as the star of the show in the quarter-final elimination of Belgium, defensive players have largely been selected as the top individual performers over this past week.

Germany’s Mats Hummels and David Luiz of Brazil were named as the Budwesier Man of the Match against France and Colombia respectively, while Algeria’s Rais Mbolhi and USA’s Tim Howard were both rewarded for their Round-of-16 display despite their teams crashing out, meaning six of the last 12 prizes have gone to keepers.
James Rodriguez exited Brazil 2014 on three Budweiser Man of the Match Awards, meaning the only men in with a chance of catching Messi and Navas are Thomas Muller and Arjen Robben, who have two apiece.

Make your vote count
To help your favourite stars win the vote, all you have to do is visit the Budweiser Man of the Match section at the Global Stadium (available at FIFA.com, FIFA’s official Twitter account and the official Brazil 2014 app) from half-time onwards and select the player you think has outshone the rest. You have until the end of the match to cast your vote.

TORONTO 2015 PAN AM PARAPAN GAMES: Football 7-a-side

 

History

Football’s roots run deep, and its popularity in countries around the world continues to grow. Football 7-a-side made its debut at the Cerebral Palsy-International Sports and Recreation Association Games in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1978. The sport became part of the Paralympic Games program in 1984.

How it Works

Played by athletes with cerebral palsy, football 7-a-side is similar to football played by able-bodied athletes, with a few modifications. In this fast and physically demanding game, each team has seven players, the size of the playing field and goal area are smaller, each of the two halves lasts 30 minutes, there is no offside rule and throw-ins made be made with one hand only.
 

Photo Gallery

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Terminology

Foul
Any illegal interference with an opponent, including shoving, tripping, kicking, pushing.
Free kick
Awarded after an offence has occurred and taken from the spot where the offence occurred.
Penalty card
Used by referees to indicate when a player has committed an offence. A yellow card serves as a warning to the player when a serious offence has been committed; a second offence to the same player will result in a red card and the player is expelled from the game.
Pitch
The playing area.

Venue

Pan Am/Parapan Am Fields

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Classification

Category

Physical Impairment

Sport Classes

Sport classes in football 7-a-side are based on physical impairment, and are most commonly associated with cerebral palsy.
As it is a team sport, classification aims at ensuring fairness between both teams. The players are first allocated one of the following four sport classes:
FT 5:
Athletes have hypertonia or spasticity in both lower limbs and to some degree in both upper limbs. The players have difficulty running, turning and stopping because of a lack of lower limb control.
FT 6:
Athletes are affected by coordination and balance problems in all four limbs and trunk. Players typically have difficulties dribbling the ball when running, accelerating and stopping.
FT7:
Athletes in this sport class have only one side of their body affected which causes them  to walk and run with a limp.
FT8:
FT8 describes the minimum impairment eligible for football 7-a- side.  While the impact of impairment may not be visible when watching the athlete run or control the ball, involuntary muscle contractions and hesitation before explosive movements constitutes activity limitations in comparison to able-bodied players.
Fairness Between Two Teams
To ensure a fair game between two teams, each team of seven players must have one FT5 or FT6 player on the field at all times and is not allowed to have more than two FT8 players on the field.

Federations

Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association (CPISRA)
Canadian Soccer Association

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Medal Events

Men – team competition

 

TORONTO PAN AM PARAPAN GAMES: FOOTBAL 5-A-SIDE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Football 5-a-side

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

History

 

 

The roots of football (soccer) run deep; although the evolution of the sport for athletes with a visual impairment wasn’t part of the Games until 2004 when it made its debut at the Athens Paralympic Games.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How it Works

 

 

Similar in play to football (soccer), the football 5-a-side field is smaller, surrounded by a rebound wall and is played by athletes with a visual impairment.
The objective is to kick the ball—outfitted with a noise-making device—down the field into the opposing team’s goal. The four on-field athletes wear eyeshades to ensure fairness. The goalkeeper, however, may be fully or partially sighted.
Matches are made up of two 25-minutes halves, with a 10-minute break between halves.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo Gallery

 

 

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Terminology

 

 

Eyeshades
Worn by the on-field athletes, eyeshades allow players with varying degrees of vision to compete together on an equal level.
Guide's area
The football pitch is divided into thirds. Each team is allowed one guide in each of the thirds to call out instructions.
Pitch
The field of play, measuring 42 metres x 42 metres (50 yards x 50 yards).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Venue

 

 

Pan Am/Parapan Am Fields

 

 

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Classification

 

 

 

 

 

Category

Visual Impairment

Sport Classes

There is only one sport class for football 5-a-side. All players are visually impaired and have very low visual acuity or no light perception. All players must wear eyeshades during the game to ensure fair competition. The goalkeeper is sighted and able-bodied and does not undergo classification.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Terminology

Eyeshades
Worn by the on-field athletes, eyeshades allow players with varying degrees of vision to compete together on an equal level.
Guide's area
The football pitch is divided into thirds. Each team is allowed one guide in each of the thirds to call out instructions.
Pitch
The field of play, measuring 42 metres x 42 metres (50 yards x 50 yards).

Venue

Pan Am/Parapan Am Fields

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Classification

Category

Visual Impairment

Sport Classes

There is only one sport class for football 5-a-side. All players are visually impaired and have very low visual acuity or no light perception. All players must wear eyeshades during the game to ensure fair competition. The goalkeeper is sighted and able-bodied and does not undergo classification.

- See more at: http://www.toronto2015.org/football-5-a-side#sthash.N2x2eoGa.dpuf

Federations

International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA)
Canadian Soccer Association
Ontario Blind Sports Association

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Medal Events

Men – team competition

- See more at: http://www.toronto2015.org/football-5-a-side#sthash.N2x2eoGa.dpuf

FIFA TAKES NO ACTION AGAINST ZUNIGA OVER NEYMAR CHALLENGE

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- FIFA will not take action against the Colombia player who injured Neymar and ended the Brazil star's World Cup.
FIFA said its disciplinary panel "cannot consider this matter" under the rules because the match referee saw the challenge by Camilo Zuniga and judged it at the time.
"In this specific case, no retrospective action can be taken," FIFA said in a statement on Monday, because the incident "did not escape the match officials' attention."
In a separate decision, the panel also refused to consider a Confederation of Brazilian Football appeal against captain Thiago Silva's yellow card in the 2-1 win quarterfinals over Colombia on Friday in Fortaleza.
Thiago Silva's second caution of the tournament triggered a one-match ban which he will serve in the semifinals. Brazil will therefore be without its best player and its captain against Germany on Tuesday in Belo Horizonte.
Neymar will be sidelined for about 45 days after sustaining a fractured third vertebra.
The panel studied video of Zuniga's 86th-minute challenge, where he kneed Neymar in the back when jumping into him at speed. Zuniga apologized on Saturday.
Spanish referee Carlos Velasco Carballo did not show Zuniga a yellow card, and FIFA's disciplinary panel considered the incident judged on the spot.
The seriousness of an injury could not be weighed in a disciplinary decision, nor was mistaken identity a factor in the case, FIFA added.
"First and foremost, the chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee (Claudio Sulser) wishes to state that he deeply regrets the incident and the serious consequences on Neymar's health," the statement said.
The Luis Suarez biting case earlier in the World Cup raised expectations that Sulser's panel would also punish Zuniga.
However, Suarez's bite of Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini's shoulder was missed by match officials. That allowed Sulser to use video evidence to ban the Uruguay forward for nine international matches and four months.
The Mexican referee in that case, Marco Rodriguez, will handle the Brazil-Germany semifinal in his first match duty since Uruguay beat Italy 1-0 on June 24.
Thiago Silva was booked against Colombia for impeding goalkeeper David Ospina who tried to kick the ball downfield.
The FIFA disciplinary code states that cautions can be cancelled only in "exceptional circumstances."
The panel "cannot consider the matter given the fact that there is no legal basis entitling it to grant such request," FIFA said.

FORTALEZA, Brazil -- Neymar returned to Brazil's training camp in an ambulance after being ruled out of the World Cup because of a broken vertebra that will sideline him for four weeks.
Neymar flew back to Rio de Janeiro with the rest of his Brazil teammates following their 2-1 quarterfinal victory over Colombia in Fortaleza on Friday and rode the rest of the way to the team's camp in the mountain city of Teresopolis by ambulance.
The 22-year-old striker was kneed by Colombia defender Juan Camilo Zuniga late in the second half at the Arena Castelao, fracturing his third vertebra.
He was carried off the field in tears on a stretcher and "screamed in pain in the dressing room" before being taken to the hospital, the Brazilian confederation said in a statement early Saturday.
The injury is not expected to require surgery and the recovery time will be about four weeks, the confederation said.
It was not immediately clear if Neymar would remain with the rest of the team as it prepares for Tuesday's World Cup semifinal against Germany in Belo Horizonte. The squad isn't expected to leave the training camp until Monday.
Neymar is the biggest football star in Brazil and was one of the stand-out players of the World Cup so far, scoring four goals in the team's first three games.
He was hurt in the 86th minute, falling to the ground in pain after Zuniga jumped into him from behind.
"Everybody knew that Neymar would be hunted," Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said after the game. "It's been happening in the last three matches and we had been talking about it. But nobody listens to us."
Friday's match ended with 54 fouls in total -- 31 by Brazil and 23 by Colombia. Scolari said Spanish referee Carlos Velasco Carballo should have done more to take control of the match.
According to Hulk, another of Brazil's striker, Neymar needs more protection from the officials.
"Every time is like this. Players always come after Neymar," Hulk said. "The referees need to do more to keep this from happening."

Colombia defender Camilo Zuniga has sent a letter of apology to Neymar, saying he is "deeply sorry and sad" for causing the injury that knocked the Brazil striker out of the World Cup.
In a statement distributed Saturday by the Colombia team, Zuniga says "although I feel the situation was normal in a game, there was no bad intention, malice or negligence on my part."
Neymar, Brazil's key player at the World Cup, broke a vertebra in his back late in Friday's quarterfinal win over Colombia.

World Cup: Germany Sets Off For Semis

Germany set off from their base in Santa Cruz Cabralia and are heading to Belo Horizonte for their biggest test yet, a semifinal against Brazil on Tuesday.

World Cup: Elephant Predicts Germany Win

After correctly predicting that the Germans would beat Algeria and then France, Nelly the elephant is picking Germany to defeat Brazil in the semifinals.

World Cup: New Injury Scare For Brazil

Neymar's possible replacement Willian withdrew from Brazil's latest training session ahead of their semifinal showdown with Germany.

World Cup: Germany Prepping For Brazil

Germany took to their training pitch in Sao Paulo before they play host country Brazil in the much anticipated semifinal on Tuesday.

World Cup: FIFA To Investigate Neymar Injury

FIFA says it will investigate the circumstances of the injury that has ruled Brazil forward Neymar out for the remainder of the World Cup.

World Cup: What Changed For Brazil?

Despite scraping their way through to the quarterfinals, Brazil now heads to the semis on their home soil after defeating Columbia. Kristian Jack has more.

World Cup: A Clash In The Quarters

Kristian Jack explains why Germany had such a tough time against Algeria and why France will cause them even more problems in the quarterfinals.

World Cup: Suarez Apologizes For Bite

After a few days of reflection, Luis Suarez apologized to Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini for biting him and promised it will never happen again.

World Cup: Loew Warns His Team

Germany head coach Joachim Loew has warned his team of overconfidence as they prepare to meet surprise package Algeria in the round of 16.

World Cup: Leaving It Late

The Greeks made history but didn't take their chances to advance while the Dutch left it late in dramatic fashion to see off Mexico. Kristian Jack has more.