Beleaguered FIFA President Sepp Blatter knows he has an image problem. So who better to call on to help him out than Placido Domingo and Henry Kissinger?

The details of Sepp Blatter’s announcement, from The Guardian:

“These gentlemen are more or less advisers, they are not the experts but advisers and what they should be also is the kind of council of wisdom which my executive committee would not like because they think they are the council of wisdom, but I have also contacted the Spanish singer,” he told CNN, before appealing to his interviewer to recall the name.

Prompted, Blatter continued: “Plácido Domingo will be part … he is happy, he is proud that he is part … as [Dr Henry] Kissinger also! People say he is an old man but he is a wise man.”

Perhaps Blatter thinks that if he can’t remember a person’s name, then that person can’t be bribed. As for Kissinger, he does have past experience with bloated, pompous soccer organizations, as he once served on the Board of Directors for the North American Soccer League.

While Domingo and Kissinger have not yet officially signed on to be part of the Council of the Wise, let’s look into the crystal ball to see some of their suggestions to improve FIFA:

• Future World Cup host countries will be determined through an opera singing competition called “Aria Idol”. Luciano Pavarotti mysteriously becomes a citizen of Qatar.
• All national representatives who speak out against FIFA will “disappear”, especially if they are from South America.
• The offside rule will be relaxed during an upcoming friendly. During the match, all shots sent into Cambodian territory by the United States will be deemed onside.
• Goal line technology will still not be installed.

Sepp Blatter wants singer Plácido Domingo to join Fifa’s wise men [The Guardian]

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Enjoy!

The USA missed chance after chance, plus had yet another goal waved off, but Landon Donovan finally put the ball in the net in the 91st minute against Algeria to send the USA on to the next round.

Great work by Tim Howard to start the break, and by Jozy Altidore for continuing it.

My heart should start beating again any time now, hopefully in time for the U.S. to play again on Saturday.

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Following coach Raymond Domenech’s dismissal of Nicolas Anelka from France’s squad, things have only gotten worse. His French teammates have shown an unsurprising lack of respect for Domenech, refusing to practice as they head toward their final group match against the host nation.

ESPN just aired an interview with Erik Bielderman of L’Equipe. Bielderman might not quite have a grasp on what one is allowed to say on live television in the United States, as he provided a direct, uncensored quote of what Anelka had said to Domenech to earn his dismissal from the team.

Bielderman said live on air, “Go to f— yourself, you son of a bitch.”

Bob Ley covered well for the swearing, apologizing for the frankness, while thanking him for being direct in the quotation.

Meanwhile, all of Ireland must be uttering those same words thanks to the French squandering this World Cup opportunity that they were lucky to even have in the first place.

Video HT: The Big Lead

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France just beat Ireland in extra time thanks to a blatant Thierry Henry handball pass to William Gallas in the 104th minute. Henry touched the ball not once, but twice with his hand, directing the ball right to the waiting Gallas. Their gift: A trip to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, while the Irish will undoubtedly be livid with how the winning goal was scored.

Robbie Keane had scored in the 33rd minute, giving Ireland the result through 90 minutes that they needed for the game to continue on, but in the end it was not to be.

FIFA made it clear through their seeding that they wanted teams like France to win, so it’s not surprising that their referees would turn a blind eye to cheating when the match was reaching the final minutes.

Here is another video of the handball with more replays and bad music:

What a terrible display of sportsmanship from Henry, and a terrible non-handball call by referee Martin Hansson, who apparently went to the Hugh Dallas School of Officiating. Yes, I’m still bitter about the 2002 World Cup.

Photo: BryanAGraham

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Algeria has traveled to Egypt for a match on Saturday with a spot in the 2010 World Cup on the line. Tensions were expected to run high during the game, but what happened to the Algerian team on the way to their hotel shows that this will be no normal match.

Egyptian fans armed with bricks bombarded the Algerian bus, shattering windows and injuring several players. Among those hurt were Rafik Saifi, Rafik Halliche, and Khaled Lemmouchia.

With 2 days still left before the match, Egypt is going to have to provide better security to their foes as they travel to training and the stadium. If fans are already willing to injure players as they arrive at their hotel, at what point would they stop themselves?

The two countries don’t get along, but one would be optimistic that soccer would be able to overcome differences, rather than inflaming them. Not that this has ever occurred at any time in soccer history.

One thing is certain though, if Algeria wins the World Cup spot, they are going to have to deal with some very pissed off Egyptians as they make their way home.

Video: Algeria national team bus attacked with rocks by Egypt fans [Off The Post]

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Iran took on South Korea in a World Cup 2010 Qualifier today, and several players were spotted wearing green wristbands during the match. Green is the color used by supporters of Mir-Hossein Mousavi, the opposition candidate most people believe was robbed in the recent election in Iran.

Since the match was watched by millions of people in Iran, their statement of solidarity was effective and courageous. Among these millions was most likely Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is a known soccer fanatic.

The players were not the only ones who protested. From Time:

Outside the stadium in Seoul, before the game kicked off, dozens of Iranian fans staged a mini-protest of their own, unfurling a banner that read “Go to Hell, Dictator” and chanting, “Compatriots, we will be with you to the end with the same heart.” The banner was spotted again during the game, along with signs reading “Where Is My Vote?” (a slogan widely displayed on June 16 during street demonstrations in Tehran) and Iranian national flags with “Free Iran” written across them.

Some people will say that political statements have no place in sports, but given how difficult it is right now to get a message in or out of Iran, there’s nothing wrong with players showing some subtle support for democracy and freedom of speech. If they encounter any trouble when they get home, they can just say they were wearing one of the Iranian national colors.

In news that seems secondary at this point, Iran ended up giving up a late goal to draw 1-1, ending the country’s World Cup dream.

Soccer Protest: Iran’s Players Show Support for Mousavi [Time]

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Following Peru’s 1-0 loss in Colombia, the team left Rengifo behind, only realizing that he was still in Medellin when they had arrived back in Lima.

Of all of the places in the world that you’d not want to be left behind, Colombia would be right near the top of the list, somewhere between Iraq and North Korea.

It seems that the team left their hotel early and neglected to mention this to Rengifo. Given how chaotic the travel schedules of sports teams can be, it’s a wonder that this doesn’t happen more often.

After the incident, Rengifo said, “”What happened with the team and the journey will remain on the consciences of the directors. They know their responsibilities.”

“The directors know what they did, they’re responsible for everyone in the team,” he continued. “Many things have happened in Peruvian football that it’s not surprising that unusual situations keep happening.”

Peru sits dead last in the South American World Cup qualifying group. If they keep ditching their players in other countries, they’re not going to climb out of the basement any time soon.

Peru forgets footballer in Columbia [Reuters]

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In most places, if you run across the field, your reward might be a quick but gentle escorting from the field by security, plus a light charge and a small fine. In Kazakhstan, they do things a bit differently.

Kazakhstan faced England in a World Cup qualifier this weekend, and as the score became worse and worse for the home side, the fans grew restless. One fan decided to go for a run down on the pitch.

This decision may have cost him his life, as we don’t know what happens to him. The quick video shows men in army fatigues descending upon the guy, then dragging him away.

When you’ve got the military providing security at a soccer match, there are bound to be a few casualties here and there. If this guy managed to survive this experience, he’ll certainly think twice before running on to the field again.

Kazakhstan isn’t laughing [Dirty Tackle]