Also, French Open action continues in Paris.
However, the biggest sports news this week by far, so big that it transcends sports, would be the arrest on corruption charges of numerous officials associated with FIFA. It is a still developing story, yet the implications and debate are already huge.
So, let's take a look at the world in sports right now:
Photo courtesy of Keith Allison's Flickr page - Stephen Curry: https://www.flickr.com/photos/keithallison/5493668904
Creative Commons License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/
NBA Finals
We know now who will meet in this year's NBA Finals!
The Golden State Warriors managed to eliminate the Houston Rockets a couple of nights ago, to secure their first Finals appearance in four decades.
They did so after eliminating the Rockets in five games.
Now, normally, a five game series suggests a decisive, clear, even easy victory of one team over another. But that was not the case this time around. Even though Houston only managed to win one game in the series, they gave the Warriors a tough time in all but one game in the series.
Still, ultimately, Golden State was simply too much for the Rockets in the end, and they move on to the NBA Finals. They were the best team in the NBA all season long, so it makes a lot of sense, frankly.
That means that the Golden State Warriors will face the Cleveland Cavaliers in this year's NBA Finals, and we will have a brand new champion, a team that at the very least, has not won the title in many decades. That alone makes this particular series intriguing.
I will likely give a preview and make a prediction of the series in the near future. But for now, congratulations are in order for both teams, as well as their long-suffering fans.
Should be a great series!
FIFA
Photo courtesy of warrenki's Flickr page - FIFA World Cup Trophy:
Photo courtesy of Coca Cola South Africa's Flickr page - Thierry Weil Head of Marketing for FIFA
and Bill Egbe CEO for Coca-Cola SA:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/coca-colasouthafrica/4574625804
and Bill Egbe CEO for Coca-Cola SA:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/coca-colasouthafrica/4574625804
The biggest sports news around the world this week was the arrest of numerous FIFA officials in Switzerland on May 27th, working in cooperation with American authorities.
Now, 18 officials with ties to FIFA face very serious charges. There are all sorts of stories now coming to light, such as one volunteer for FIFA having been bribed to the tune of $10 million, and another former coach of children rising through the ranks to become a prominent FIFA official and acquiring over $100 million, while managing to avoid paying taxes on that money.
These charges are coming from the upper echelons of the United States government. Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch, only one month into her job, essentially is taking a huge gamble in a case that will very likely either make or break her career. But she apparently feels that there is a solid case here, feeling that these charges carried weight and proof could be furbished. Numerous counts of corruption involved American banks, which is against American law even when this takes place overseas. That is why the United States, specifically, is taking this action, although some have suggested that it was a blatant attempt by the nation to try and gain greater influence within FIFA.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter issued a statement in which he expressed shock that officials under him had apparently been guilty of corruption. Blatter is trying to win re-election later today in Zurich for what would be another five-year term, although Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan is contesting him, trying to unseed him and gain the top spot himself.
Blatter remains the heavy favorite to win the election. But some have suggested that Blatter was the main target, but officials just had not been able to acquire enough dirt to charge Blatter personally - yet.
Still, Blatter may not remain unaffected by this huge bombshell for too long. IOC President Thomas Bach publicly said that it is time for FIFA to clean up its act, and called for more transparency. Blatter responded that FIFA felt ashamed with these recent revelations.
Also, a number of prominent people have asked Blatter to step down, although he has refused to do so to this point. Most prominent among these officials was Uefa chief Michel Platini, the former French star.
It seemed that suggestions that FIFA was now tainted were coming from everywhere, and that severe action was required to restore trust in the organization.
One former presidential candidate for FIFA, Luis Figo, who resigned from the race last week, suggested that May 27th will go down as one of the worst days in the sport's history.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is incensed, and has suggested that it is a barely concealed attempt by America to take away the 2018 World Cup from Russia, which is slated to host the tournament. He is in support of Blatter, and wants him to stay on.
The 2018 World Cup in Russia is not the only one being called into question, with strong suggestions that the bidding was dirty. Qatar was awarded the World Cup for 2022, and there are a lot of questions about those games.
Officially World Cup officials suggested that they were branching out to new regions, trying to end the monopoly of World Cup tournaments hosted by Western nations. However, skeptics are suggesting that these considerations took a back seat to corruption, with big money and kickbacks truly being the determining factor.
These allegations were long suspected, and an investigation had been ongoing for almost a quarter of a century. However, this is the first time that official action is being pursued.
The big question now, of course, is how solid this case is, and if these charges will continue to plague and stain FIFA on a long-term basis.
After Indicting 14 Soccer Officials, U.S. Vows to End Graft in FIFA By STEPHANIE CLIFFORD and MATT APUZZO, MAY 27, 2015:
Soccer-IOC president tells FIFA it's time to clean up its act Reuters By Mike Collett, May 28, 2015:
Fifa: Blatter refuses to quit as president & vows 'to restore trust' published by BBC Sport Football, May 28, 2015:
One of worst days in FIFA history, says Figo Reuters By Mike Collett, May 28, 2015:
Stanley Cup Playoffs
Photo courtesy of Nicole Yeary's Flickr page - Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup Banner Ceremony: https://www.flickr.com/photos/chicagozen/5071476054
So, the Blackhawks did it, winning Game 6 and avoiding elimination, thus forcing a decisive Game 7, which will be hosted by Anaheim.
Both Conference Finals series are going the distance, and we will have to wait until later this weekend to know which two teams will face one another in the Stanley Cup Finals.
That means that it should be an interesting weekend in the NHL, with two original six teams fighting two southern expansion teams for the right to reach the Stanley Cup Finals.
For me personally, I am pulling for a championship series between the two old franchises, the Chicago Blackhawks and the New York Rangers.
Let's see what happens!
Rolland Garros/ The French Open
Photo courtesy of Yann Caradec's Flickr Page - Rafael Nadal: https://www.flickr.com/photos/la_bretagne_a_paris/5756335239
Photo courtesy of Yann Caradec's Flickr Page - Gael Monfils: https://www.flickr.com/photos/la_bretagne_a_paris/5762681145
No major upsets at the French Open yesterday.
Nadal easily dispatched Nicolas Almagro to move onto the third round.
However, Djokovic had a scare yesterday. It might not have showed on the scoreboard, since he won fairly easily at 6-1, 6-4, 6-4, scoring the decisive victory over Gilles Muller of Luxemburg. But he required a medical timeout in the second set for a groin pull. Let's see how this affects him in the next days and weeks, as he pursues a French Open title that would establish him as one of the truly greatest tennis players of all time, should he win.
Djokovic made news in another way, however. He praised one young player with perhaps the ultimate compliment, suggesting that this young man reminded him of himself.
He was referring to Boran Coric, an 18-year old Croatian who is rising fast in the tennis world, who became the youngest man to reach the third round in Paris since Marat Safin did it in 1998. Coric got past Spanish veteran Tommy Robredo in a tough, five-set match, winning 7-5, 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.
Serena Williams won in the second round, although she struggled against German Anna-Lena Friedsam. Eventually, Williams won 5-7 6-3 6-3, managing to avoid the second round upset in the process.
Perhaps more notable than the outcome, however, Williams blasted her own conduct during the match as unprofessional.
Finally, John McEnroe made some news himself, saying that the French Open was too long, specifically referring to the three days of first round play. You can read further on any of these topics mentioned here in the following links:
Tennis - Djokovic survives injury scare at French Open AFP, May 28, 2015:
Tennis - Coric reminds me of me, says Djokovic AFP, May 28, 2015:
Tennis-Serena scolds herself for unprofessional display by Julien Pretot of Reuters, May 28, 2015:
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/tennis-serena-scolds-herself-unprofessional-display-170703585--ten.html
Tennis' French Open ‘Too Long’: John McEnroe By Justin Gloria on May 27 2015:
Photo courtesy of Yann Caradec's Flickr Page - Novak Djokovic: https://www.flickr.com/photos/la_bretagne_a_paris/5763317762
No comments:
Post a Comment