Andere Stadtstaaten » City.DOHA, Qatar - Cooled, modern stadiums.

On this weeks TSNFC podcast we spent a long time discussing the handball decision that effectively ended Vancouver Whitecaps season. Much has been said and written about whether or not World Cup referee Mark Geiger made the right call to penalize Kendall Waston in last weeks playoff match at Dallas, with many differing opinions on the matter. There doesnt seem to be a consensus, although Geigers boss - referees chief Peter Walton - said it was the correct decision and a standard call. As a veteran Premier League referee who now runs the Professional Referees Organization in North America, Waltons opinion should be respected, but the controversy surrounding the decision - and many other handball decisions we see all over the world each week - could easily be avoided if there were a change to the law. In my view, there are two things wrong with the current law. Firstly, the punishment doesnt fairly reflect the size of the crime. Secondly, there is too much room for interpretation of the referee which makes consistency of decisions almost impossible. Here are the main points of the current FIFA Law: Handling the ball involves a deliberate act of a player making contact with the ball with his hand or arm. The referee must take the following into consideration: ? the movement of the hand towards the ball (not the ball towards the hand) ? the distance between the opponent and the ball (unexpected ball) ? the position of the hand does not necessarily mean that there is an infringement Deliberate - done consciously and intentionally I dont think Kendall Waston made a conscious and intentional decision to handle the ball inside the penalty area in the last 10 minutes of a playoff match. In my mind it was a momentary lapse in concentration from the towering defender rather than a deliberate act. In relation to this law, it seems deliberate can also mean a player didnt react quickly enough to move his hand/arm out of the way of the ball. But the fact the law allows such ambiguity means officials are in the spotlight more than necessary whether or not they get the decision right. There must be a better way. Although video replays will certainly assist officials decision making in other areas, in the instance of Waston it wouldnt have made much difference because even with review, the decision would have been made depending on the officials interpretation of the law. One suggestion I have seen is to award a penalty anytime the ball hits a hand or arm inside the area whether it is intentional or not. A clear rule - it doesnt matter how it happens, if the ball strikes the hand, it is a penalty. Theres very little room for argument and interpretation there, but I think it would lead to far too many penalties and also an excessive number of game changing moments. Again, the punishment wouldnt match the offence. New Law So how about this. In order to provide clarity, I would be in favour of a rule change along the following lines: Anytime a player makes contact with the ball inside the penalty area with his hand or arm, an indirect free kick will be given. There is no room for interpretation - if it hits the arm or hand whether deliberate or not, it is an indirect free kick. There is one exception. If a player handles the ball to prevent a goal or an obvious goal scoring opportunity, a penalty is given. With this rule applied, Kendall Wastons handball would have been penalized with an indirect free kick, still giving the opposing team the benefit of a set piece close to goal but eliminating the need for a referee to award a penalty for an incident that was not going to end in a goal. For me, that far better reflects the size of the infringement and also would remove much of the debate surrounding penalty kicks awarded for handball. Im not na?ve enough to expect that changing the law would eliminate all problems. Im sure in some instances there would still be controversy and debate surrounding what is or isnt an obvious goal scoring opportunity. But I believe it would drastically decrease the amount of times a game is decided by a referees decision and therefore lead to more post-game talk about players instead of officiating – and that can only be a good thing. Nick Chubb Jersey . -- The Los Angeles Clippers chose not to speak publicly about owner Donald Sterling before they faced the Golden State Warriors for Game 4 of their first-round series Sunday. Baker Mayfield Jersey . The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the league hasnt announced the award. Crawford was the Clippers third-leading scorer and the NBAs top-scoring reserve with 18. http://www.officialclevelandbrownspro.com/Customized/ . 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Fans travelling from the Middle East and beyond, to a region anxious to prove it can put on a show and have its own brand of fun.All against doubts about whether women, gays, and beer-drinkers will feel comfortable.The 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the wealthy oil- and gas-producing Gulf nation with giant ambitions that belie its size, is shaping up as a unique experience.As plans jump from architects tables to bricks and mortar on what used to be desert, Qatar officials putting together the first World Cup in the Middle East detailed — in exclusive interviews with The Associated Press — what the fan experience may look like in eight years.THE SCENEWith the worlds third-largest proven reserves of natural gas, Qatar has vast riches to deliver its World Cup bid slogan: Expect Amazing.Visitors to Qatars showcase capital, Doha, will see the toothy skyline rising from what was sand 35 years ago, and eye-catching wealth.At night, the souped-up roars of luxury supercars and racers chasing each other on superbikes reverberate off the futuristic steel-and-glass towers.Perhaps only in Doha can one see advertisements such as this in a local newspaper: Urgently wanted: Palace.STADIUMSThere will be eight to 12 venues, the exact number hasnt been disclosed yet. Architectural drawings offer a preview of some.The planned Lusail Stadium in northern Doha, where city ends and desert begins, is earmarked for the opening match and final.Without being frivolous with our money, without being extravagant, we are aiming for an architecturally iconic vision, and a finish and a design that is somewhat groundbreaking, project manager Tamim el-Abed said.He dropped a hint to expect high-tech, saying fans will soon be able to watch live-action replays on tablets from their stadium seats.Future-proofing is very important for us because you see the speed at which technology is developing, he said. You dont want to design something now that is redundant by time the tournament comes around.HEATConcerns that visitors will wilt in desert heat have been one of Qatars biggest headaches.But fans should pack sweaters if, as expected, FIFA moves the tournament to November-December or January-February.Evenings this November were cool, even chilly. Sea breezes made daytime heat feel less fierce. But dust from the desert and construction tickled throats.If FIFA moves the tournament from June-July, Qatar still plans to air-condition World Cup sites, as promised in its bid.Stations will be cooled, fan zones will be cooled, queuing lines and the last mile (kilometre and a half) before a venue will be cooled, el-Abed said.Power will come from solar energy, with a 100-megawatt solar-plant by 2017, said Dario Cadavid, the point-man on cooling technology.On-pitch temperatures should hover around 26 degrees Celsius (79 F) and never exceed 28 (83), unlike the sometimes suffocating humidity and heat at this years World Cup in Brazil, he said.ddddddddddddMIDEAST MOJOQatar officials say two billion people live within a four-hour flight radius of Doha.This could give a very Middle Eastern feel to the tournament held 10 times out of 20 in Europe.Cairo, Tehran, Baghdad and Beirut are no more than three hours flight-time away; Istanbul is four hours; Gulf neighbours just a hop away; the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh, is a six-hour drive.You will be greeted by Qataris, along with Lebanese, Tunisians, Moroccans, Jordanians, Iraqis, Saudis, Kuwaitis, said Mushtaq al-Waeli, executive director of a Qatari institute, Josoor, giving sports-event training to people from the Middle East and North Africa.Middle Easterners look to 2022 to show that their region isnt solely defined by Israeli-Palestinian conflict, frequent violence and oil and gas.We need to break down those perceptions about what we are, said Hassan al-Thawadi, Qatars chief World Cup organizer. Even if it means chipping down just one layer of prejudice and youve got a thousand layers behind it, thats one layer less.FUNDoha is no Rio de Janeiro, the Brazilian party city that swayed to samba, football and booze at the 2014 World Cup.Alcohol is sold to Doha visitors only in posh hotels and they must show passports.Qatari ladies are not allowed to enter the bar at any time, says the sign in one Doha hotel.Alcohol will be available in certain areas and other areas it wont be available. Alcohol is not part of our religion, its not part of our tradition, said al-Thawadi.Fans wont be able to walk around the streets or walk around the corner and buy, you know, a pint. Thats not how we are. But theyll find places.Doha resident Regard Aboo Yakou, manager of Qatar operations for construction management firm Hill International, doesnt expect much of a party.There is nothing to do, he said. Football fans like to drink, raise hell, party in the streets and take their clothes off and whatever. They wont be able to do that here.WOMEN, GAYSVisiting women need not cover up almost completely like Qataris, and theres no formal dress code for them.You just need to dress appropriately, said Deepa Puvanik, an Indian woman who wore jeans and a shawl to a football match in November, when Qatar beat North Korea.Of course, to come here in a bikini is not acceptable, she said.How welcomed gay visitors will be isnt clear.The Qatari sports minister, Salah bin Ghanem bin Nasser al-Ali, said in an AP interview this question is still being looked at.Bin Ghanem didnt provide specifics but saidWe are studying all these issues. We can adapt, we can be creative to have people coming and enjoying the games without losing the essence of our culture and respecting the preference of the people coming here. 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