FIFA get it absolutely right with Suarez ban — Mike Collett |
- FIFA get it absolutely right with Suarez ban — Mike Collett
- Bloomberg Video: The McLaren 650S, a U$265K sport luxury do-over
- Air bag accident, lawsuit led to GM Cruze recall
- Capello blames laser beam as Russia crash out of World Cup
- Getting to know Hollywood’s Zoe Saldana (VIDEO)
- Cover Media Video: Getting to know Hollywood’s Zoe Saldana
| FIFA get it absolutely right with Suarez ban — Mike Collett Posted: 26 Jun 2014 05:58 PM PDT JUNE 27 — FIFA has been vilified for making so many bad decisions for so long that if football's world governing body had got it wrong over Uruguay striker Luis Suarez its tarnished image could have been damaged beyond repair. It is no exaggeration to suggest FIFA would have become a global laughing stock if it had allowed Suarez to escape with a minor punishment — or one perceived to be too lenient — after he bit Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini on the shoulder at the World Cup on Tuesday. FIFA and its ageing president Sepp Blatter have made serious errors in the past, with a succession of corrupt men having sat on its governing Executive Committee for years. It has admitted making mistakes in the voting process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, and will no doubt make more blunders in the future. Those errors have been making headlines around the world for years, but they did not make a mistake on Suarez. The striker's bite on Chiellini during Uruguay's 1-0 group stage win in Natal caused global revulsion reflected by coverage in traditional media like newspapers, television and radio. The shock was fuelled by billions of posts on social media. So this was not something FIFA could furtively hide behind a stack of brown envelopes or move quietly into a Swiss bank account or create a Task Force to discuss for months then quietly shelve. The world was waiting for an answer and, despite cries of anguish from Uruguayans who feel slighted, FIFA gave the right one. By kicking Suarez out of the World Cup, out of football altogether for four months, banning him from Uruguay's next nine competitive matches and imposing a substantial 100,000 Swiss francs (RM360,178) fine on him they have moved to protect the integrity of the game. FIFA vice-president Jim Boyce of Northern Ireland, a member of FIFA's executive committee, was pleased with the decision taken by the disciplinary committee. "I think the punishment handed out by FIFA to Luis Suarez is fully justified. Hopefully, he will realise now that behaviour of this type will not be tolerated under any circumstances."
Go further What FIFA needs to do now is go further. Its Disciplinary Code spells out punishments for all sorts of misdemeanours, including an automatic six-match ban for spitting at an opponent which was introduced after the unsavoury incident in the 1990 World Cup when Dutchman Frank Rijkaard spat at Rudi Voeller of West Germany. There are currently no sanctions for biting in the rule book but, seeing as Suarez has now bitten three opponents in his career, perhaps the time has come to include one. The one slightly controversial aspect of FIFA's tough stance is the four-month ban which cuts into the start of the next domestic and European season and hugely affects his English club side Liverpool. Unless any appeal reduces that punishment, Suarez will miss Liverpool's first nine Premier League matches and their first three Champions League group stage matches — half of the opening stage. Liverpool might feel they have been hard done by to lose their most important player for all those games, but FIFA, as the guardians of the game, has a duty of care for every player under its jurisdiction. There have been suggestions that Suarez is a danger to other players and should not be allowed to return to action until he has undergone some kind of psychological treatment because the threat he poses now to his opponents is more than just one of sporting rivalry played out within the laws of the game. Former Brazil great Ronaldo showed little sympathy for Suarez yesterday and told reporters in Rio that the 27-year-old Uruguay striker deserved his punishment. "Football must set an example, he said. "People who are out of line must be punished. If my little children bite me, they are sent to the dark room with the big bad wolf. This is football's equivalent." FIFA has sent Suarez to the dark room for a long time — and for that everyone should applaud them. — Reuters * This is the personal opinion of the columnist.  |
| Bloomberg Video: The McLaren 650S, a U$265K sport luxury do-over Posted: 26 Jun 2014 05:54 PM PDT Duration: 01:44, Published 27 Jun 2014 Bloomberg's Jason Harper profiles the new 650S from McLaren as the automaker hopes to give a second chance to an updated version of their 12C vehicle. He speaks on "Taking Stock." ― Bloomberg |
| Air bag accident, lawsuit led to GM Cruze recall Posted: 26 Jun 2014 05:50 PM PDT
The lawsuit by Brandi Owens, filed in late April in federal court in Atlanta against GM and Takata, claims her car and driver-side air bag were "defective and unreasonably dangerous", citing a problem that has dogged Takata for several years — air bag inflators that explode with too much force. More than 10.5 million vehicles with Takata air bags have been recalled globally. Owens, 25 at the time of the October 2013 accident, is seeking unspecified damages. Owens' lawyer declined to comment on the lawsuit. Takata's US spokesman did not return calls and emails seeking comment. In documents filed yesterday with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, GM said it had learned of a lawsuit on May 1 regarding a Chevrolet Cruze with an improperly deployed air bag. GM inspected the vehicle four days later and briefed officials at the US safety agency in late May and twice in early June. GM did not identify the lawsuit in its filing, but a source familiar with the matter said it was the Owens case. NHTSA said it was aware of GM's recall to replace driver-side air bags in order to correct Takata inflators made with an incorrect part, "which can result in the inflator rupturing during deployment and can lead to metal fragments striking occupants and no inflation of the air bag". Takata faces a growing number of recalls to fix air bags deemed at risk of exploding and shooting shrapnel at drivers and passengers. This week, Honda Motor Co and other Japanese automakers recalled almost 3 million cars globally for potentially defective air bags, and seven automakers recalled a smaller number in the United States to replace air bag inflators possibly damaged by humid conditions. The US recalls were the result of a probe NHTSA opened earlier this month into more than 1 million vehicles made by several automakers, after the safety agency received six reports of air bags not deploying properly in the humid climates of Florida and Puerto Rico. Owens' accident was not cited in the agency's investigation documents. NHTSA said the Cruze inflators were newer and of a different design than those used in the cars already being probed by the agency. NHTSA also said the Cruze recall was not related to the other US recalls. In Owens' accident, which occurred in stop-and-go traffic in Forsyth County, Georgia, her red 2013 Cruze bumped the car in front of her and the air bag deployed "with such force that it detached from the steering wheel and struck (her) in the face, causing her left eye to rupture", according to the lawsuit. "She is now permanently and completely blind in her left eye." Owens, in her lawsuit, said her car's driver-side air bag should not have deployed and the inflators were "over-powered and exploded". The accident report filed by police cited Owens for following the vehicle in front of her too closely, but described her as being "in shock" after the accident. The police report also noted the air bag in Owens' car was in the back seat when the officer arrived. GM, which also has been dealing with fallout from a defective ignition switch linked to at least 13 deaths, said in the NHTSA filing that it was recalling certain Cruze cars, most in the United States, from model years 2013 and 2014 because the air bags could fail to inflate or the inflators could rupture during deployment. GM said Takata from June 11-19 analysed inflators built around the same time as the ones in Owens' accident and on June 20 Takata told GM it had found the cause. GM has said the issue was not directly related to other problems with Takata air bags that have led to the wide global recall of vehicles, many made by Honda and Toyota Motor Corp. However, Takata inflators exploding with too much force have been blamed over the past several years in numerous consumer complaints filed with NHTSA and in lawsuits against the supplier. The case is Owens v. General Motors, US District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, No. 14-1259. — Reuters |
| Capello blames laser beam as Russia crash out of World Cup Posted: 26 Jun 2014 05:44 PM PDT
Television images showed the laser pen had been shone in Akinfeev's face seconds before Islam Slimani's second-half equaliser which sent Algeria into the last 16 for the first time. "He was blinded by the laser beam. There are pictures and you can see that in the footage," said the Italian "About the lasers it is not an excuse. The goalkeeper was unable to do his job. The laser beam was in his face." Capello was also not happy with the free-kick that led up to Algeria's goal on a night which had started so promisingly for Russia when Alexander Kokorin had headed them into a sixth minute lead. "If there is something I have to complain about in this World Cup it is the treatment of the referees. "I have always kept my mouth shut, but now it is over I can speak. The referee should have blown for a foul on our player before he gave a free-kick to Algeria. "We didn't make any mistakes today. We played an excellent game, we scored a goal and their goalkeeper made a couple of excellent saves up until this moment of the free-kick." Russia's failure to qualify for the last 16 continues Capello's poor record of just one win in seven games as a coach at the World Cup having overseen England's 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Germany in the last 16 four years ago. However, he defended his record in charge of both countries and said he plans to continue in his current role until Russia host the tournament in 2018. "As long as they still want me I will stay," he added. "We will have to ask the management that question. With England we went to the round of 16. I qualified England to play in the European Championships and the World Cup and the figures I got with their national team were respectable. "With this team we got to a World Cup for first time 12 years. I think I have done a pretty good job so far and it is unfortunate we didn't go through." There were very different emotions for Algeria boss Vahid Halilhodzic who is relishing the chance to take on Germany in the last 16 in Porto Alegre on Monday. Thirty-two years ago Algeria were controversially eliminated from the World Cup on goal difference when West Germany and Austria played out a mutual beneficial 1-0 win for the Germans. "We have not forgotten about it. Everyone talks about Algeria and Germany from 1982," said Halilhodzic. "Thirty-two years ia a long time, but I am very proud of what we have achieved tonight and we deserve to be here. "Algeria played a heroic match and our qualification for the second round is perfectly deserved." "This is the result of what we have done for the past three years, we have progressed a lot. This is the reward. "I love it as a coach when I see my team fighting like this." Halilhodzic admitted his side will be more inexperienced and physically inferior to the Germans, but insisted anything was possible for a young side that has already made history. "In the first-half Russia used their experience and my players were a bit naive, but once again this Algerian team showed what it is capable of and still has a lot of margin to progress. "Why can't we do it in the next round against Germany? "We know it will be very tough. I saw Germany against the United States and they are all huge and run a lot, so it will be very complicated in what will be our fourth game." — AFP |
| Getting to know Hollywood’s Zoe Saldana (VIDEO) Posted: 26 Jun 2014 05:44 PM PDT LOS ANGELES, June 27 ― She's got the looks, she's got the brains and she loves a bit of action! Yes, it's Hollywood tomboy Zoe Saldana. Zoe was born on June 19, 1978 in New Jersey and raised in New York, but at the age of 10 the actress and her family moved to the Dominican Republic. It was around this time Saldana discovered a keen interest in performing dance. She began her training at a prestigious dance academy where she studied several dance forms. The training was a perfect outlet for the energetic teenager and also helped her land her first big screen role in the ballet movie 'Center Stage' Zoe has always been a very active girl and through the years she's earned her Hollywood tomboy status fair and square. The star is known for her physical roles and prefers playing fierce, tough women. And besides that, she just loves action. Even though Zoe does lots of training and has a perfectly healthy and toned body, she previously said she wouldn't hesitate to have cosmetic surgery if she felt her confidence was being affected by her external appearance. For now, though, she warns haters that: ''you can reject me all you want, I'm OK with it. You can judge me all you want, I'm OK with myself." It's known that celebrities like to keep themselves looking young and fresh, which most of the time results in bad botox faces, obvious nose jobs or other types of cosmetic surgery. Let's hope Zoe won't go that far! Luckily she also supports people who like to keep it natural. Beauty and fashion is important to stars because showing off their good looks at premieres and other red carpet events are a big part of the celebrity lifestyle. Zoe is a famous beauty who knows how to rock the red carpet. Makes us wonder what dress Zoe wore on her wedding day! The actress surprised many by marrying artist, and long-time friend, Marco Perego during a secret ceremony back in June 2013. They had only been dating a few months, but Zoe apparently realised the relationship was right because it felt so different from anything she'd experienced before. Zoe felt other guys she dated treated her like a trophy and underestimated her. She says this relationship is different though, because Marco treats her as an equal. The brunette beauty was previously engaged to Keith Britton, who she was with for 11 years. She also enjoyed an on-off relationship with Bradley Cooper, who she met while they were shooting 'The Words' in 2011. Zoe prefers to keep her relationship with Marco out of the limelight and has rarely discussed him in public, except to confirm that they tied the knot. Well, she might want to keep her private life private but she can't hide from the spotlight when it comes to her professional career. Zoe's talent and dedication has allowed her to work with some of the biggest names in Hollywood and we're sure there are many more great things in the pipe line, right Zoe? ― Cover Media
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| Cover Media Video: Getting to know Hollywood’s Zoe Saldana Posted: 26 Jun 2014 05:42 PM PDT Duration: 04:16, Published 27 Jun 2014 She's got the looks, she's got the brains and she loves a bit of action! Yes, it's Hollywood tomboy Zoe Saldana. ― Cover Media |
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