THE BEAUTIFUL GAME

THE BEAUTIFUL GAME :

A PROPOSAL TO INTRODUCE MORE JUSTICE INTO WORLD CUP FOOTBALL

PROLOGUE

WITHIN THE ANCIENT BALLCOURTS OF COPAN AND TIKAL, OF CHICHEN ITZA AND UXMAL,

WAS PLAYED A BALLGAME OF RITUAL SIGNIFICANCE, WIDESPREAD OVER CENTRAL AMERICA, AND

INVOLVING A BALL OF SOLID RUBBER. ALTHOUGH THE GOAL OF THIS GAME WAS TO KEEP THE

BALL IN THE AIR USING THE HIPS, WITH A LARGE YOKE WORN AROUND A PLAYER'S WAIST, THE

PARALLELS OF THIS MYSTERIOUS BALLGAME ( KNOWN AS POK TA POK IN MAYAN ) WITH FOOTBALL

AS EMBRACED IN CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA IS EVIDENT UPON DEEPER REFLECTION. ALTHOUGH

POK TA POK HAS ALSO BEEN COMPARED TO VOLLEYBALL OR BASKETBALL ( IN ITS USE OF TWO

TEAMS KEEPING THE BALL IN PLAY AND TRYING TO END THE GAME BY KNOCKING THE BALL THRU

A STONE RING ), THE DEEP EMOTIONAL AND ALMOST RELIGIOUS BOND OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH

AMERICA WITH NATIONAL TEAM FOOTBALL ( AND IN PARTICULAR DURING THE WORLD CUP ) HAS

CREATED AN ATMOSPHERE WHICH MAY AT TIMES APPROACH THE GREAT IMPORTANCE GIVEN TO

POK TA POK IN ANCIENT AMERICA.

ALTHOUGH THERE ARE NO RITUAL SACRIFICES TODAY AFTER WORLD CUP MATCHES

( OTHER THAN PLAYERS AND / OR COACHES RETIRING AFTER GREAT LOSSES ), THERE IS NO OTHER

SPORT WHICH HAS FUSED ITSELF WITH THE CULTURAL AND NATIONAL IDENTITY OF COUNTRIES AS

STRONGLY, NOT JUST IN CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA BUT IN EUROPE, AFRICA, AND INCREASINGLY

ACROSS THE GLOBE. IT IS LARGELY DUE TO THIS GREAT REVERENCE FOR FOOTBALL ( AND ON HER

LARGEST STAGE - THE FIFA WORLD CUP ) THAT SOME OF THE RULES AND REGULATIONS OF BOTH

THE DRAW AND THE GAME ITSELF ARE HERE RE - IMAGINED, IN A PROPOSAL TO REDUCE THE

ELEMENTS OF ARBITRARINESS AND CHANCE IN THIS GREATEST OF TOURNAMENTS. THE FOLLOWING

PAPER IS SUBMITTED OPENLY TO THE GOVERNING ORGANIZATION OF FOOTBALL ( FIFA ) ON NINE

ELEMENTS OF WORLD CUP FOOTBALL WHICH COULD BE IMPROVED UPON AND IMPLEMENTED IN TIME

FOR THE 2018 FIFA WORLD CUP IN RUSSIA.

ACTE I - THE HAND OF GOD

REFEREES, AND IN PARTICULAR THE HEAD REFEREE, ARE ONLY HUMAN ; THEY HAVE

MISSED FOULS THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN CALLED, AWARDED PENALTIES FOR DIVES, ISSUED RED CARDS

WHEN IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A YELLOW ( AND VICE VERSA ) THAT, IN AS LOW SCORING A GAME

AS FOOTBALL, HAS SOMETIMES SEVERELY AFFECTED THE OUTCOME OF THESE MATCHES, AND THUS

THE ENTIRE WORLD CUP TOURNAMENT. THERE ARE SOME MATCHES OF COURSE WHERE THE

OFFICIATING IS SUPERB, WITH THE TWO ASSISTANT REFEREES ACCURATELY CALLING OR NOT CALLING

OFFSIDES, AND THE HEAD REFEREE NOT ONLY SPOT ON IN CALLING FOULS, BUT ABLE TO CONTROL

AND TEMPER ANIMOSITY AND BAD SPORTSMANSHIP, AS WELL AS DIVING AND DISHONEST PLAY. BUT

EVEN FOR THE BEST OF THE BEST IN FOOTBALL OFFICIATING, IT IS A CHALLENGE, AND AT TIMES

AN IMPOSSIBLE TASK, TO BE AT ALL PLACES ON THE FIELD AT ALL TIMES WATCHING TWENTY TWO

OF THE FASTEST AND MOST COMPETITIVE ATHLETES ON THE PLANET. WITH MODERN ADVANCES IN

VIDEO STREAMING TECHNOLOGY, IT IS PROPOSED THAT WORLD CUP FOOTBALL TRANSITION BEGINNING

WITH THE 2018 FIFA WORLD CUP IN RUSSIA INTO THE AGE OF INSTANT REPLAY AS AN AUXILIARY

AID TO THE FOUR OFFICIALS ON THE FIELD.

THE USE OF INSTANT REPLAY IN OTHER SPORTS HAS OFTEN BEEN A LESSON IN HOW

NOT TO USE THE TECHNOLOGY, WITH AN INSTANT REPLAY " CHALLENGE " OFTEN TYING UP

LARGE PATCHES OF TIME AND DISRUPTING THE CONTINUITY OF THE GAME. IN A SPORT AS FLUID

AS FOOTBALL, WHERE THE PACE AND MOMENTUM OF THE PLAY CAN AFFECT MATCHES, IT IS

IMPORTANT THAT DECISIONS MADE USING THIS TECHNOLOGY BE DONE IN A TIMELY YET JUST

MANNER. WITH THESE CONCERNS IN MIND, IT IS HERE PROPOSED THAT EACH WORLD CUP MATCH BE

MOVED FROM A FOUR - OFFICIAL SYSTEM ( OF THE HEAD REFEREE, THE TWO ASSISTANT REFEREES ON

EITHER SIDE OF THE FIELD TO CALL OFFSIDES, AND THE FOURTH OFFICIAL AT MIDFIELD IN CHARGE

OF PLAYER SUBSTITUTIONS ) TO A SEVEN - OFFICIAL SYSTEM, WHICH WOULD ADD THREE " INVISIBLE "

REFEREES KNOWN COLLECTIVELY AS " THE HAND OF GOD " ( IN LOVING MEMORY OF MARADONA'S

HANDBALL IN THE 1986 WORLD CUP QUARTERFINALS IN MEXICO CITY, WHICH WAS NOT CALLED, OR

SEEN, BY THE HEAD REFEREE OF THAT MATCH ). THESE THREE OFFICIALS WOULD BE INVISIBLE IN

THAT THEY WOULD BE IN A SPECIAL VIDEO ROOM OFF - FIELD, EACH MONITORING AUXILIARY CAMERA

FEEDS TO BE EXTRA EYES ON THE MATCH, AND TO CONVENE QUICKLY AND OVERRULE MISSED CALLS

BY THE HEAD REFEREE, PARTICULARLY THOSE CALLS ( PENALTIES, YELLOW, AND RED CARDS ) WHICH

COULD DECIDE MATCHES. JUDGMENTS FROM THE HAND OF GOD COULD BE COMMUNICATED VIA

HEADSET TO THE FOURTH OFFICIAL, WHO WOULD THEN RUSH ONTO THE FIELD TO EITHER MAKE THE

MISSED CALL OR TO OVERRULE. GREAT CARE WOULD BE NEEDED, PARTICULARLY IN THE CASE OF

AN OVERRULE, TO NOT UNDERMINE THE AUTHORITY OF THE REFEREES ON FIELD FOR THE MATCH,

ESPECIALLY THE HEAD REFEREE. BUT THE RIGHT CALL, AND JUSTICE, IS THE GOAL HERE, AND

PARTICULARLY AT THE WORLD CUP, WHERE THE PLAYERS HAVE PREPARED SO ARDUOUSLY TO

REPRESENT THEIR RESPECTIVE COUNTRIES IN THIS QUADRENNIAL EVENT.

TO ILLUSTRATE THE POTENTIAL RESULTS OF THE SEVEN - REFEREE SYSTEM, LET US CHOOSE

AND REVIEW FOUR MATCHES FROM THE 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP, SUBSTITUTING THE PROJECTED

OVERRULES AND CALLS FROM " THE HAND OF GOD " FOR EACH MATCH :

1 ) URUGUAY VS ITALY

IN THE 59TH MINUTE, CLAUDIO MARCHISIO ( ITALY ) IS ISSUED A RED CARD BY

THE HEAD REFEREE. THIS FOUL, HOWEVER, WAS NOT WITH MALICIOUS INTENT, AND WITHIN 30

SECONDS OF THE ORIGINAL CALL, THE FOURTH OFFICIAL RACES ONTO THE FIELD TO DECLARE THE

RED CARD NULL AND TO ISSUE MARCHISIO A YELLOW CARD INSTEAD. IN THE 80TH MINUTE, LUIS

SUAREZ ( URUGUAY ) BITES GIORGIO CHIELLINI IN THE PENALTY BOX, UNSEEN BY THE HEAD REFEREE.

WITHIN 30 SECONDS OF THE BITE AND ITS AFTERMATH, THE " HAND OF GOD " ISSUES A RED CARD

TO SUAREZ VIA THE FOURTH OFFICIAL. IN THE ACTUAL MATCH, THE ONLY GOAL WAS SCORED BY

URUGUAY IN THE 81ST MINUTE, ITALY PLAYING WITH ONLY TEN PLAYERS DUE TO MARCHISIO'S

RED CARD. IN THE PROJECTED SEVEN - REFEREE MATCH, ITALY WOULD HAVE HAD ALL ELEVEN

PLAYERS, AND WITH THE SUAREZ RED CARD, URUGUAY WOULD HAVE GONE DOWN TO TEN PLAYERS

IN THE 80TH MINUTE. INSTEAD OF AN END RESULT OF URUGUAY 1 ITALY 0, IT COULD VERY WELL

HAVE BEEN ITALY 1 URUGUAY 0. ITALY WOULD THEN HAVE PLAYED COLOMBIA IN THE ROUND OF

16 AND THE WORLD CUP CAREERS OF ANDREA PIRLO AND GIANLUIGI BUFFON, TWO GREATS OF

THE GAME, WOULD NOT HAVE ENDED SO PREMATURELY IN THE GROUP STAGE.

2) BRAZIL VS COLOMBIA

IN THE FIRST HALF OF THIS ACTUAL MATCH, NO YELLOW CARDS WERE ISSUED,

BUT WITH THE SEVEN - REFEREE SYSTEM, THREE YELLOW CARDS WOULD HAVE BEEN GIVEN,

INCLUDING TWO TO FERNANDINHO FOR HIS UNJUST CHALLENGES TO THE COLOMBIAN JAMES

RODRIGUEZ IN THE 13TH AND 45TH MINUTES. THE HAND OF GOD WOULD HAVE REVIEWED VIA

INSTANT REPLAY AND WITHIN 30 SECONDS ISSUED YELLOW CARDS; IN RETROSPECT, THIS ACTION

COULD HAVE TAMED WHAT BECAME THE HIGHEST FOULING MATCH OF THE ENTIRE TOURNAMENT

WITH 54 FOULS. IN THE SECOND HALF, A YELLOW CARD WOULD HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO JUAN

CUADRADO IN THE 62ND MINUTE FOR A ROUGH CHALLENGE TO NEYMAR, AND IN THE 66TH

MINUTE, THE YELLOW CARD SHOWN TO JAMES RODRIGUEZ WOULD HAVE BEEN RESCINDED, WHICH

WOULD HAVE BEEN SHOWN BY THE FOURTH OFFICIAL RUSHING ONTO THE FIELD 30 SECONDS

AFTER THE FOUL TO SHOW RODRIGUEZ A BLACK CARD, SIGNALING THAT THE YELLOW CARD

HAD BEEN RETRACTED BY THE HAND OF GOD. IN THE 65TH MINUTE, THE OFFSIDES FLAG WAS

RAISED IN A PLAY WHICH SAW MARIO YEPES OF COLOMBIA SCORE IN A CLOSE RANGE GOAL ;

AFTER 30 SECONDS, THE FOURTH OFFICIAL WOULD HAVE RACED ONTO THE FIELD WITH A

" GOAL FLAG " ( OF BLACK AND WHITE SQUARES ), VALIDATING THE GOAL BY YEPES. [ IN

INSTANT REPLAY, IT IS SHOWN THAT THE FIRST PLAYER TO TOUCH THE BALL FOLLOWING THE

FREE KICK FROM COLOMBIA WAS A BRAZILIAN PLAYER ( DAVID RUIZ ) IN A DEFLECTION OFF

HIS BACK ; THE GOAL BY YEPES SHOULD HAVE COUNTED DUE TO THIS DEFLECTION ] IN THE

85TH MINUTE, JUAN ZUNIGA WOULD HAVE BEEN ISSUED A SECOND YELLOW CARD BY THE HAND

OF GOD FOR THE DANGEROUS PLAY WHICH RESULTED IN THE CRACKED VERTEBRA OF NEYMAR

( NO CARD OR FOUL WAS ISSUED FOR THIS INCIDENT ). WHILE ZUNIGA'S KNEE TO THE BACK OF

NEYMAR WAS WITHOUT MALICIOUS INTENT, IT WAS DANGEROUS AND RECKLESS PLAY ( AS

EVIDENCED BY THE INJURY ) AND DESERVING THE YELLOW CARD. WITH THE SEVEN - REFEREE

SYSTEM, THIS MATCH WOULD HAVE BEEN TIED COLOMBIA 2 BRAZIL 2, WITH FERNANDINHO, SILVA,

AND ZUNIGA EJECTED FROM THE MATCH WITH TWO YELLOWS EACH. WOULD RODRIGUEZ HAVE

BEEN ABLE TO LEAD A TEN MAN COLOMBIAN SQUAD AGAINST A NINE MAN BRAZILIAN TEAM

SANS NEYMAR AND THIAGO SILVA IN THE TWO OVERTIMES ?

3) BOSNIA - HERZEGOVINA VS NIGERIA

IN THE 20TH MINUTE, THE OFFSIDES FLAG AGAINST BOSNIA - HERZEGOVINA

IS RAISED, AS EDIN DZEKO SCORES WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE FIRST GOAL OF THE GAME.

AFTER 30 SECONDS, THE HAND OF GOD ISSUES A CALL TO THE FOURTH OFFICIAL, WHO RUSHES

ONTO THE FIELD WITH THE ONSIDES FLAG OF TURQUOISE AND MAGENTA SQUARES, THUS

VALIDATING THE GOAL. WITH THIS GOAL, BOSNIA COULD VERY WELL HAVE TIED NIGERIA IN THIS

MATCH ( NIGERIA SCORING THEIR ONLY GOAL IN THE 28TH MINUTE ). WITH THIS TIE, BOSNIA -

HERZEGOVINA COULD HAVE ADVANCED TO THE ROUND OF 16 IN THIS THEIR VERY FIRST WORLD

CUP APPEARANCE ; INSTEAD, THEY WERE ELIMINATED IN THE GROUP STAGE.

4) COSTA RICA VS GREECE

IN THE 65TH MINUTE, OSCAR DUARTE IS SHOWN HIS SECOND YELLOW CARD OF THE

MATCH, FOLLOWED BY THE RED CARD. WITHIN 30 SECONDS, THE HAND OF GOD COMMUNICATES TO

THE FOURTH OFFICIAL, WHO RUSHES ONTO THE FIELD TO SHOW DUARTE A BLACK CARD, AS THIS

FOUL WAS NOT MALICIOUS AND THUS NOT DESERVING OF A RED CARD. WITH THIS OVERRULE,

COSTA RICA WOULD NOT HAVE HAD TO PLAY A MAN DOWN FOR NEARLY AN HOUR, TO BARELY

EKE OUT VICTORY IN THE PENALTY SHOOTOUTS. FURTHER, THEY WOULD HAVE HAD DUARTE FOR

WHAT WAS A VERY CLOSE QUARTERFINALS MATCH AGAINST THE NETHERLANDS ( 0 - 0 ), THE DUTCH

WINNING AFTER TWO OVERTIMES IN THE PENALTY SHOOTOUTS. COULD COSTA RICA HAVE DEFEATED

THE NETHERLANDS WITH DUARTE, ONE OF THEIR STARTING ELEVEN, IN THEIR LINEUP ? AGAIN, THE

HEAD REFEREE MUST BE VERY CAREFUL IN ISSUING A SECOND YELLOW OR RED CARD, RESERVING

THIS SEVERE PENALTY SOLELY FOR THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF MALICIOUS AND PARTICULARLY

DANGEROUS PLAY.

THERE WOULD BE THREE SEPARATE HAND OF GOD PANELS, EACH COMPOSED OF

THREE HEAD REFEREES. IN THE GROUP STAGES, WITH THREE MATCHES PLAYED EACH DAY, ONE

OF THE THREE PANELS WOULD BE ASSIGNED TO EACH MATCH, WITH THE OTHER TWO HAND OF

GOD PANELS MONITORING REMOTELY WITH THE SAME VIDEO AND SLOW MOTION CAPABILITIES AS

THE HAND OF GOD PANEL ASSIGNED TO THAT MATCH. IN THIS WAY ALL THREE OF THESE PANELS

WOULD EITHER OFFICIATE OR REMOTE OFFICIATE EACH MATCH, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE THIRD

ROUND OF GROUP PLAY ; THIS COULD OFFER AN ADDED LEVEL OF CONSISTENCY TO THE

OFFICIATING AND AN INCREASED ACCURACY TO THE CALLS. [ IN THE THIRD ROUND, WHERE TWO

MATCHES ARE PLAYED SIMULTANEOUSLY, THE HAND OF GOD PANEL NOT ASSIGNED TO EITHER OF

THOSE TWO MATCHES WOULD REMOTE OFFICIATE THE MATCH OF THE TWO DEEMED MOST

SIGNIFICANT FOR THE GROUP STANDINGS ] REMOTE OFFICIATING, WHILE HAVING NO DIRECT BEARING

ON THE MATCH ITSELF, WOULD BE IMPORTANT BOTH IN INCREASING THE SKILLS OF THE INVISIBLE

REFEREES CHOSEN TO SERVE AS THE HAND OF GOD, AND IN OFFERING PEER REVIEW AND AN ADDED

LAYER OF DEFENSE AGAINST CORRUPTION AND / OR BRIBERY. FIFA ACCESSORS WOULD EVALUATE

THE PERFORMANCES OF THE INVISIBLE REFEREES JUST AS THEY DO FOR THE HEAD REFEREE AND

ASSISTANT REFEREES OF EACH MATCH ; WITH THIS OVERSIGHT, THOSE INVISIBLE REFEREES ABLE TO

MAKE ACCURATE AND TIMELY DECISIONS USING THE VIDEO PLAYBACK AND INSTANT REPLAY

TECHNOLOGY WOULD BE CHOSEN TO OFFICIATE IN THE WEIGHTIER MATCHES OF THE TOURNAMENT

( THE QUARTERFINALS, SEMIFINALS, AND FINALS ) AND THUS GIVE A HEIGHTENED LEVEL OF JUSTICE

TO THOSE MATCHES SO OFTEN DETERMINED BY ONE CALL OR GOAL. IN THE 2014 FIFA WORLD

CUP, THE HAND OF GOD COULD HAVE ALSO MADE KEY DECISIONS DURING THE MATCHES OF

RUSSIA VS ALGERIA ( WHERE A LASER POINTER WAS AIMED INTO THE FACE OF THE RUSSIAN

GOALKEEPER SECONDS BEFORE THE ONLY GOAL OF THE MATCH ), FRANCE VS NIGERIA, GREECE VS

IVORY COAST, MEXICO VS CAMEROON, AND MEXICO VS THE NETHERLANDS ( WHICH WILL BE DEALT

WITH IN THE SECOND ACTE ). IN SOME MATCHES THE HAND OF GOD WOULD BE COMPLETELY

SILENT ( THE FINALS OF THE 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP - GERMANY VS ARGENTINA - WOULD BE AN

EXAMPLE OF THIS, WITH EXCELLENT OFFICIATING BY THE HEAD REFEREE NICOLA RIZZOLI ). INDEED,

THIS WOULD BE THE IDEAL, AND FOR THE HAND OF GOD TO STEP IN ONLY ON OCCASION, AND

ALWAYS IN A MANNER WHICH DISRUPTS THE PACE OF THE MATCH AS MINIMALLY AS POSSIBLE.

COACHES AND PLAYERS WOULD BE BARRED FROM APPEALING DIRECTLY TO THE HAND OF GOD FOR

AN OVERRULE ; IN THIS " CHALLENGE - LESS " SYSTEM, INSTANT REPLAY TECHNOLOGY WOULD BE

USED AS IT SHOULD BE -- SILENTLY IN THE BACKGROUND, WITH ONLY THE OCCASIONAL OVERRULE

IN AN EFFORT TO BOTH PRESERVE THE AUTHORITY OF THE HEAD REFEREE AND TO PREVENT

MISSED CALLS AND / OR UNSEEN OCCURRENCES FROM DETERMINING MATCHES.

ACTE II - THE THREE LEVELS OF PENALTY KICKS

IN THE 90TH MINUTE OF THE NETHERLANDS VS MEXICO MATCH, ARJEN ROBBEN

TOOK A THEATRICAL FALL OVER THE FOOT OF MEXICAN DEFENDER RAFAEL MARQUEZ IN THE

PENALTY AREA ; THE HEAD REFEREE AWARDED THE NETHERLANDS WITH A PENALTY KICK, WHICH

WAS CONVERTED BY HUNTELAAR IN THE DECISIVE GOAL OF THE MATCH. ROBBEN ADMITTED TO

MARQUEZ AFTER THE MATCH THAT " IT WASN'T A PENALTY, THOUGH ONE OF THE PREVIOUS WAS ",

WHICH HE LATER REVERSED IN A PRESS CONFERENCE, NOW SAYING THAT HE " TOOK A DIVE " IN

THE FIRST HALF, BUT THAT THE 90TH MINUTE FOUL WAS A LEGITIMATE PENALTY. DIVING IS A

SERIOUS OFFENSE ; ROBBEN ADMITTED AFTER THE MATCH THAT HE " SHOULDN'T BE DOING THAT ".

HERE, THE HAND OF GOD WOULD BE A GREAT AID TO THE HEAD REFEREE IN DISCERNING FOULS

AND LEGITIMATE PENALTIES FROM DIVES AND FALLS, BUT EVEN WITH INSTANT REPLAY, IT CAN BE

DIFFICULT AT TIMES TO DISTINGUISH THE TRUTH FROM THE THEATRE. WITH THIS ISSUE IN MIND

IS PROPOSED THE CREATION OF TWO ADDITIONAL PENALTY KICK MARKERS : AT THE 13 METER MARK

& AT THE 15 METER MARK IN FRONT OF THE GOAL [ THE CURRENT ONE AND ONLY PENALTY KICK

MARKER IS AT THE 11 METER MARK ]. THIS WOULD GIVE BOTH THE HEAD REFEREE AND THE HAND

OF GOD MORE LATITUDE TO AWARD A PENALTY WHICH SUITS THE CRIME. WHILE A TWO METER

DIFFERENCE MAY NOT SOUND LIKE A HUGE DISPARITY BETWEEN THE THREE LEVELS OF PENALTY

KICKS, IT COULD SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE THE ODDS FOR A GOALKEEPER TO BLOCK THE PENALTY.

GOING BACK TO THE 90TH MINUTE FALL OF ROBBEN, THE HAND OF GOD COULD HAVE UPHELD

THE PENALTY, BUT THEN SET THE PENALTY KICK AT THE 15 METER MARK ( AS ROBBEN WAS

DRIBBLING AWAY FROM THE GOAL AND HAD NO CLEAR SHOT ON GOAL, AS WELL AS TO REFLECT

THE THEATRICS WHICH ROBBEN BROUGHT TO THE FALL TO DRAW THE PENALTY ). WOULD

HUNTELAAR HAVE BEEN ABLE TO KICK THE PENALTY PAST THE IMPRESSIVE GUILLERMO OCHOA

FROM THE 15 METER MARK ? WOULD THIS MATCH HAVE CONTINUED TIED 1 TO 1 AND GONE INTO

OVERTIME, GIVING MEXICO A CHANCE TO REACH THE QUARTERFINALS ?

ACTE III - THE THREE LEVELS OF EXTRA TIME

CURRENTLY A WORLD CUP MATCH, IF TIED AT THE END OF 90 MINUTES, GOES

INTO TWO 15 MINUTE PERIODS OF EXTRA TIME, AND IF STILL TIED AFTER THAT, TO A PENALTY

SHOOTOUT. PENALTY SHOOTOUTS ARE A HORRIBLE WAY TO END A MATCH ; IT IS A MUCH MORE

JUST RESOLUTION FOR THE MATCH TO END IN THE FIELD OF ACTION WITH A GOAL. A BASEBALL

GAME WOULD NEVER BE DECIDED BY A HOME RUN DERBY, NOR WOULD A BASKETBALL GAME BE

DECIDED BY A FREE THROW CONTEST. OF THE FOURTEEN MATCHES INCLUDING THE ROUND OF 16,

QUARTERFINALS, AND SEMIFINALS AT THE 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP, FOUR WERE DECIDED BY PENALTY

SHOOTOUTS ( THUS 28% OF THOSE KEY MATCHES DECIDED BY A RUSSIAN ROULETTE STYLE CIRCUS

REMINISCENT OF THE CHURCH SERVICE IN THE SECOND HALF OF JODOROWSKY'S EL TOPO ). IN AN

EFFORT TO REDUCE THIS HIGH PERCENTAGE OF MATCHES DECIDED BY PENALTY SHOOTOUTS, THE

FOLLOWING SCHEDULE OF THREE OVERTIMES IS PROPOSED :

1ST OVERTIME : A 13 MINUTE PERIOD OF NORMAL REGULATION FOOTBALL, BUT

WITH THE GOLDEN GOAL ACTIVE ( SO THAT A GOAL SCORED

WOULD IMMEDIATELY END THE MATCH ) AND WITH ONE PLAYER

DROPPED FROM EACH SIDE ( SO NOW 10 ON 10 IF NO PLAYERS

HAVE BEEN EJECTED FROM THE MATCH FOR A RED CARD ).

2ND OVERTIME : A 13 MINUTE PERIOD OF NORMAL REGULATION FOOTBALL WITH

THE GOLDEN GOAL ACTIVE, BUT NOW WITH ANOTHER PLAYER

DROPPED FROM EACH SIDE ( SO NOW 9 ON 9 IF NO PLAYERS

HAVE BEEN EJECTED FROM THE MATCH FOR A RED CARD ).

3RD OVERTIME : A 13 MINUTE PERIOD EXACTLY AS THE 2ND OVERTIME ( WITH

STILL 9 PLAYERS AGAINST 9 ), BUT WITH EACH TEAM ALLOWED

ONE PLAYER SUBSTITUTION AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS THIRD

AND FINAL OVERTIME. WITH LESS PLAYERS ON THE FIELD, MORE

SPACES COULD BE OPENED UP BETWEEN PLAYERS, INCREASING

THE CHANCES FOR A GAME ENDING GOLDEN GOAL.

PENALTY SHOOTOUT : IF THE MATCH IS STILL TIED AFTER THESE THREE OVERTIMES,

THEN THE PENALTY SHOOTOUTS WOULD OCCUR AS OF OLD,

BUT WITH THE FIRST PENALTY KICK FROM EACH TEAM SET AT

THE 15 METER MARK, THE SECOND PENALTY AT THE 13 METER

MARK, AND EACH PENALTY THEREAFTER AT 11 METERS.

ACTE IV - THE DEATH OF THE GROUPS OF DEATH

HISTORICALLY WITHIN THE WORLD CUPS, THERE HAS BEEN A CERTAIN FOUR

TEAM GROUPING AT THE GROUP STAGE TERMED THE GROUP OF DEATH, WHERE AT LEAST THREE

OF THE FOUR TEAMS ARE PARTICULARLY STRONG AND WORTHY OF BEING INCLUDED IN THE ROUND

OF 16 TOURNAMENT. THE 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP HAD NOT ONE GROUP OF DEATH, BUT THREE :

GROUP B - WITH DEFENDING WORLD CUP CHAMPIONS SPAIN, AND TWO OF THE STRONGEST

TEAMS IN THE ENTIRE WORLD CUP IN THE NETHERLANDS AND CHILE ( CHILE

ALMOST BEATING HOST NATION BRAZIL ( WITH NEYMAR ) IN THE ROUND OF 16,

AND THE NETHERLANDS LOSING NARROWLY TO ARGENTINA IN THE SEMIFINALS ).

GROUP D - WITH THREE OF THE FOUR TEAMS IN THE TOP TEN FIFA RANKINGS ( URUGUAY

AT 7TH IN THE WORLD, ITALY AT 9TH AND ENGLAND AT 10TH ), AS WELL AS

AN OUTSTANDING COSTA RICAN TEAM.

GROUP G - WITH 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP CHAMPIONS GERMANY, THE 4TH HIGHEST RANKED

NATION ( PORTUGAL ), A STRONG UNITED STATES TEAM, AND ARGUABLY

AFRICA'S MOST POWERFUL 2014 TEAM IN GHANA ( BEING THE ONLY TEAM

WHICH GERMANY COULD NOT DEFEAT IN 2014 WORLD CUP PLAY ).

IF THE MAIN PURPOSE OF THE FIFA WORLD CUP DRAW IS TO BE EQUITABLE IN

DISTRIBUTING THE POWERFUL TEAMS ACROSS THE GROUPS IN AS EVENLY A MANNER AS POSSIBLE,

THE UNEVENNESS OF THE 2014 WORLD CUP DRAW HIGHLIGHTS A SEVERE PROBLEM WHICH COULD

BE REMEDIED WITH A NINE DRAW SYSTEM. IN A NINE DRAW SYSTEM, CERTAIN TEAMS INCLUDING

THE HOME TEAM ARE SEEDED INTO THEIR OWN GROUP AS IS CURRENTLY PRACTICED, BUT THEN

THE LOTTERY OR RANDOM PORTION OF THE WORLD CUP DRAW WOULD BE REPEATED NINE TIMES.

THIS WOULD IN ESSENCE GIVE NINE DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF WHAT THE WORLD CUP DRAW COULD

BE, WITH THE SEEDED TEAMS IN EACH GROUP, AND A RANDOM MIX OF THE OTHER TEAMS. THEN,

THESE NINE DRAWS WOULD BE VOTED UPON IN CLOSED SESSION BY A PANEL OF NINE REFEREES

( COMPOSED OF THE THREE HAND OF GOD PANELS ). THESE NINE REFEREES WOULD JUDGE WHICH

OUT OF THE NINE DRAWS WAS THE MOST EQUITABLE TO ALL TEAMS INVOLVED IN THE WORLD CUP,

AND WITH THE LEAST SEVERE GROUP OF DEATH. NO DRAW WILL BE PERFECT, WITH CERTAIN

GROUPS STRONGER THAN THE OTHERS, WHERE GREAT TEAMS ( LIKE SPAIN, PORTUGAL, GHANA,

ITALY, AND ENGLAND ) BECOME VICTIMS OF THEIR OWN GROUP'S STRENGTH. THE GROUP STAGE IS

OFTEN WHERE TEAMS, EVEN CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS, ARE STILL FINDING THEIR RHYTHM, AND IT IS

A SHAME FOR BOTH THE PLAYERS AND THE FANS WHEN STELLAR TEAMS ARE CUT OUT FROM THE

ROUND OF 16 TOURNAMENT DUE TO THEIR LUCK OF THE DRAW. A NINE DRAW SYSTEM WOULD

TAKE MORE OF THE UNLUCKY ELEMENT OUT OF THE EQUATION, AND OFFER ON AVERAGE A MORE

CONSISTENT DRAW FOR ALL TEAMS INVOLVED IN THE WORLD CUP. FIFA ACCESSORS AND A

SEPARATE PANEL OF THIRTEEN OFFICIALS WOULD PROVIDE OVERSIGHT OVER THESE NINE REFEREES

AS AN ADDITIONAL SAFEGUARD AGAINST CORRUPTION AND BRIBERY. THE NINE WORLD CUP DRAWS

THEMSELVES WOULD BE, ASIDE FROM THE SEEDINGS, COMPLETELY RANDOM AND GIVEN TO THE

FORCES OF CHANCE ; THE HOPE IS THAT, OF THOSE NINE RANDOM POSSIBILITIES, ONE DRAW

WOULD BE LESS DEADLY THAN THE OTHERS.

ACTE V - NO THIRD PLACE MATCH

THE MATCH BETWEEN THE LOSERS OF THE TWO SEMIFINALS IS A MEANINGLESS

MATCH ; THE TEAMS MAY BE COMPETING FOR MONEY OR TEAM PRIDE, BUT TO BE IN THE FINALS,

AND TO COMPETE FOR THE CUP WAS THE SOLE FOCUS OF EACH TEAM GOING INTO THE WORLD

CUP. IN THE WORDS OF THE NETHERLANDS MANAGER LOUIS VAN GAAL, " THIS GAME HAS NOTHING

TO DO WITH SPORTS IN MY OPINION. NO TOURNAMENT, NO FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT, ESPECIALLY

IN THE LAST STAGE, SHOULD YOU HAVE PLAYERS PLAYING FOR THIRD OR FOURTH. THERE IS ONLY

ONE PRIZE AND ONE AWARD THAT COUNTS FOR ANYTHING AND THAT IS BECOMING CHAMPION. I

THINK THAT THIS MATCH SHOULD NEVER BE PLAYED. " I AGREE COMPLETELY, BUT OFFER AS A

SUBSTITUTION ( OR IN PLACE OF THIS THIRD / FOURTH PLACE MATCH ) THAT A SPECIAL YOUTH

EVENT BE HELD IN A SELECTED STADIUM, WHERE KIDS AND YOUNG PLAYERS WOULD BE ABLE TO

MEET AND TEST THEIR FOOTBALL SKILLS AGAINST SOME OF THE TOP PLAYERS IN THE WORLD

WHOSE TEAMS HAVE ALREADY EXITED THE COMPETITION. IMAGINE A DRIBBLING CLINIC CONDUCTED

BY ALEXIS SANCHEZ OF CHILE, A LESSON ON GOALKEEPING BY MEXICO'S GUILLERMO OCHOA, OR

A PASSING AND SHOOTING DISPLAY BY COLOMBIA'S JAMES RODRIGUEZ & GHANA'S ASAMOAH GYAN ?

THIS ONCE EVERY WORLD CUP EVENT, HELD ON THE DAY THE THIRD / FOURTH PLACE MATCH

WOULD NORMALLY TAKE PLACE, WOULD END WITH AN ALL - STAR'S SHOOTOUT BETWEEN THE

PLAYERS INVOLVED IN THE EVENT, AND A SPECIAL SPOTLIGHT WOULD ALSO BE SHONE ON THE

CHOSEN THEME OF THE YEAR ( WHICH COULD HAVE BEEN " SCHOOLS FOR BRAZIL " OR " THE

FULECO NATIONAL RESERVE " FOR THE 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP, SEE ACTE VII ). THESE CHOSEN

PLAYERS WOULD BE GIVEN BONUSES BY FIFA ( FROM FUNDS NORMALLY EARMARKED FOR THE

THIRD PLACE WINNER ) FOR THEIR GENEROSITY OF TIME AND FOR BEING AS AMBASSADORS OF THE

SPORT TO THE HOST NATIONS.

ACTE VI - GOLDEN BALLS, GLOVES & PYRAMIDS

SINCE 1982, A SINGLE PLAYER FROM EACH WORLD CUP TOURNAMENT HAS

BEEN SINGLED OUT AS THE PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT AND AWARDED THE GOLDEN BALL.

BEGINNING WITH THE 2018 FIFA WORLD CUP IN RUSSIA, IT IS PROPOSED THAT NINE GOLDEN

BALLS BE AWARDED TO NINE MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS FOR THEIR DISTINCTION IN PLAY FOR

THEIR COUNTRIES, AS WELL AS THREE GOLDEN GLOVES AWARDED TO THREE EXEMPLARY

GOALKEEPERS, AND THREE GOLDEN PYRAMIDS AWARDED TO THREE OUTSTANDING DEFENDERS FROM

EACH WORLD CUP. THIS WOULD ALLOW THE HONORING OF MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF PLAYERS

WHOSE VARYING ROLES WITHIN THEIR RESPECTIVE TEAMS OFTEN BELIE THE STATISTICS. ON THE

EVE OF THE FINALS OF THE 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP, THE FOLLOWING SELECTIONS ARE MADE, AS A

PROJECTION WERE THIS YEAR'S WORLD CUP ABLE TO GIVE SUCH AWARDS :

THE NINE GOLDEN BALLS ( IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER )

NEYMAR ( BRAZIL )

JAMES RODRIGUEZ ( COLOMBIA )

LIONEL MESSI ( ARGENTINA )

THOMAS MULLER ( GERMANY )

ARJEN ROBBEN ( NETHERLANDS )

BRYAN RUIZ ( COSTA RICA )

XHERDAN SHAQIRI ( SWITZERLAND )

ASAMOAH GYAN ( GHANA )

ALEXIS SANCHEZ ( CHILE )

THE THREE GOLDEN GLOVES ( IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER )

KEYLOR NAVAS ( COSTA RICA )

GUILLERMO OCHOA ( MEXICO )

MANUEL NEUER ( GERMANY )

THE THREE GOLDEN PYRAMIDS ( IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER )

JAVIER MASCHERANO ( ARGENTINA )

PHILLIP LAHM ( GERMANY )

GIANCARLO GONZALEZ ( COSTA RICA )

ACTE VII - THE WORLD CUP THEME AND FUNDRAISER

IT IS APPLAUDED AND HIGHLY COMMENDABLE THAT ONE OF THE SPOTLIGHTS OF THE

2014 WORLD CUP WAS " A WORLD CUP WITHOUT RACISM ". INDEED, THIS IS A MESSAGE AND

SPOTLIGHT ISSUE WHICH MUST BE A PART OF EVERY WORLD CUP. ON ALL LEVELS, AMIDST THE

PLAYERS AND THE FANS FROM VARIOUS NATIONS AND CONTINENTS, THE WORLD CUP NEEDS TO

BE A TIME OF MUTUAL RESPECT AND FRATERNITY, WHERE RACIST EPITHETS ARE NOT USED OR

TOLERATED, IN THE STANDS OR ON THE FIELD, AND WHERE MOCKERY AND DISPARAGEMENT OF

THE FANS AND / OR PLAYERS FROM OPPOSING TEAMS IS NOT ALLOWED.

IT IS PROPOSED HOWEVER ( IN ADDITION TO THIS EVER PRESENT SPOTLIGHT ON A

WORLD CUP WITHOUT RACISM ) THAT A WORLD CUP THEME AND FUNDRAISING EXTRAVAGANZA BE

HELD WITHIN EACH WORLD CUP, BEGINNING WITH THE 2018 FIFA WORLD CUP IN RUSSIA. WHILE IT

WILL BE LEFT TO THE IMAGINATIVE MINDS OF THE RUSSIANS AND FIFA TO DETERMINE WHAT THIS

THEME MIGHT BE, IT WILL BE HERE IMAGINED TWO WORLD CUP THEMES WHICH COULD HAVE BEEN

PRESENTED FOR THE 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP IN BRAZIL :

* " SCHOOLS FOR BRAZIL " - THIS THEME WOULD HAVE FOCUSED ON THE NEED FOR

ADDITIONAL SCHOOLS AND EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES IN

BRAZIL. INSTEAD OF ISSUING BRAZIL A BLANK CHECK

HOWEVER, THIS FUNDRAISING EVENT ( WHICH WOULD RUN

FOR THE DURATION OF THE WORLD CUP ) WOULD HAVE

HAD AS ITS FOCUS THE BUILDING AND / OR COMPLETION

OF SPECIFIC PROJECTS, OR IN THIS CASE SCHOOLS. WITH

THE POTENTIAL PLAN OF A SCHOOL CREATED FOR EACH

OF THE HOST CITIES AND THEIR OUTLYING AREAS, GIVING

FIRST CHOICE TO THOSE REGIONS MOST IN NEED, THESE

GOALS COULD BE MET BY THE VERY GOALS WITHIN THE

WORLD CUP MATCHES THEMSELVES. WITH EVERY GOAL

SCORED IN THE WORLD CUP, FIFA AND THEIR CORPORATE

PARTNERS WOULD DONATE $22,000 TOWARDS SPECIFIC

SCHOOL PROJECTS, RAISED IN SUCCESSION THROUGHOUT

THE TOURNAMENT. AS AN EXAMPLE, THE FIRST SCHOOL

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTED AT THE OPENING OF THE WORLD

CUP COULD HAVE BEEN THE PROPOSED CREATION OF A

SCHOOL IN MANAUS. THIS PROJECT WOULD HAVE TAKEN

AN OLDER BUILDING IN THE MANAUS AREA AND DONE A

COMPLETE REMODELING AND RECYCLING OF THIS EDIFICE

INTO A SUSTAINABLY BUILT EDUCATIONAL CENTER AND

SCHOOL, AT A PROJECTED COST OF $330,000. AFTER A

CONTINUED SPOTLIGHT ON THIS PROJECT AS A PART OF

THE MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE EARLY GROUP MATCHES

( INCLUDING THE FIRST EVER WORLD CUP MATCH HELD

IN THE ARENA AMAZONAS IN MANAUS ), WITH THE 15TH

GOAL SCORED, THIS PROJECT WOULD BE 100% FUNDED,

AND THE NEXT SPOTLIGHT ( ON A SIMILAR EDUCATIONAL

PROJECT IN CUIABA ) COULD THEN TAKE CENTER STAGE

AND BE PART OF THE OPENING OF EVERY MATCH, UNTIL

THAT PROJECT TOO WAS 100% FUNDED AND SO ON. WITH

171 GOALS SCORED IN THE 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP, OVER

$ 3,762,000 COULD HAVE BEEN RAISED UNDER THE THEME

OF SCHOOLS FOR BRAZIL, AND WITH MATCHING FUNDS

DONATED FROM PLAYERS AND FANS ALIKE, THE POTENTIAL

TO REACH THE $4,000,000 GOAL ( FOR THE 100% FUNDING

OF THESE TWELVE EDUCATIONAL CENTERS IN BRAZIL )

WOULD HAVE BEEN REALIZED. THESE TWELVE CENTERS

COULD THEN HAVE BEEN CONSTRUCTED, COMPLETED, AND

SHOWCASED WITHIN THE PROXIMATE WORLD CUP MEDIA

COVERAGE TO RAISE AWARENESS AND INCENTIVE TOWARDS

THE SUCCESSIVE WORLD CUP THEME.

* " THE FULECO NATIONAL RESERVE " - THIS THEME WOULD HAVE FOCUSED ON THE CREATION

OF THE FULECO NATIONAL RESERVE IN BRAZIL, WITH

THE AIM OF PROTECTING A LARGE PORTION OF THE

HABITAT OF THE 2014 WORLD CUP MASCOT ( THE

BRAZILIAN THREE - BANDED ARMADILLO ). THIS

ENDANGERED SPECIES, FOUND ONLY IN A SMALL POCKET

OF EASTERN BRAZIL JUST SOUTH OF THE EQUATOR,

HAS LOST 30 % OF ITS POPULATION WITHIN THE LAST

TEN YEARS, LARGELY DUE TO HABITAT ENCROACHMENT.

WITH EACH GOAL SCORED IN THE 2014 FIFA WORLD

CUP, AN AREA THE SIZE OF 22 FOOTBALL FIELDS WOULD

HAVE BEEN PURCHASED AND SET ASIDE AS PARCEL TO

THE NEWLY CREATED FULECO NATIONAL RESERVE, AN

AREA PROTECTING KEY HABITAT TERRAIN OF THE

THREE - BANDED ARMADILLO. WITH 171 GOALS SCORED,

THE TOTAL AREA OF THE FULECO NATIONAL RESERVE

WOULD HAVE SURPASSED THE COMBINED AREA OF

3,762 FOOTBALL FIELDS, OR OVER 7,600 ACRES OF

CRITICAL HABITAT IN EASTERN BRAZIL PRESERVED.

THIS YEAR'S WORLD CUP MASCOT COULD HAVE TAKEN

CENTER STAGE DURING THE OPENING OF EACH MATCH,

WITH A SPECIAL PRESENTATION DURING THE ALL -

STARS YOUTH EVENT HIGHLIGHTING THE BRAZILIAN

THREE - BANDED ARMADILLO, ITS HISTORY AND HABITAT,

IN IMAGERY PROJECTED ON LARGE HIGH DEFINITION

SCREENS IN THE STADIUM, CULMINATING WITH A MAP

IMAGE OF THE CURRENT HABITAT OF THE THREE -

BANDED ARMADILLO AND TERRITORY NOW PRESERVED

WITH THE 171 WORLD CUP GOALS AND THE NEWLY

ESTABLISHED FULECO NATIONAL RESERVE.

ACTE VIII - THE 2022 FIFA WORLD CUP IN ???????

AMIDST ALLEGATIONS OF BRIBERY AND UNFAIR INFLUENCE IN QATAR'S

SUCCESSFUL BIDDING CAMPAIGN TO HOST THE 2022 FIFA WORLD CUP, AS WELL AS CHARGES OF

INHUMANE CONDITIONS AND TREATMENT OF WORKERS USED TO BUILD NEW STADIUMS ( OVER

1,000 MIGRANT WORKERS FROM NEPAL AND INDIA HAVE ALREADY DIED IN ALLEGED SLAVE - LIKE

CONDITIONS ), AS WELL AS CONCERNS OF EXTREME TEMPERATURES, FIFA IS NOW FORMALLY

INVESTIGATING THESE ALLEGATIONS, SOME OF WHICH INCLUDE CORRUPTION WITHIN THE

GOVERNING BODY OF FOOTBALL ( FIFA ) ITSELF. IN LIGHT OF THIS MOUNTING EVIDENCE, IT IS

PROPOSED THAT QATAR'S HOSTING OF THE WORLD CUP BE MOVED TO THE YEAR 2026 ; THIS ACT

WOULD BOTH SET THE NEEDED PRECEDENT THAT CORRUPTION AND BRIBERY WILL NOT BE

TOLERATED ( EITHER ON THE PART OF BIDDING NATIONS OR WITH FIFA OFFICIALS ) AND GIVE THE

NATION OF QATAR MORE TIME TO PREPARE FOR THE UNIQUE CHALLENGES THEY FACE IN THE

CONSTRUCTION OF STADIUMS, SOME OF WHICH WILL BE THE FIRST OF THEIR KIND IN EMPLOYING

AIR COOLING TECHNOLOGY TO MITIGATE THE EXTREME HEAT OF THIS NATION ( QATAR HAS AN

AVERAGE HIGH OF 40 DEGREES CELSIUS, OR 104 FAHRENHEIT, IN THE MONTHS OF JUNE & JULY ).

IT IS FURTHER PROPOSED THAT, FOR THE 2026 WORLD CUP IN QATAR, FIFA TAKE THE UNUSUAL

STEP OF HOLDING THE WORLD CUP COMPETITION IN THE MONTHS OF MARCH AND APRIL ( WHEN

QATAR HAS MILDER HEAT, WITH AN AVERAGE HIGH OF 28 DEGREES CELSIUS, OR 82 FAHRENHEIT ).

IN ADDITION, QATAR COULD SHARE HOSTING DUTIES WITH THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES AND EGYPT,

WHERE THE SELECTION OF STADIUMS IN DUBAI SPORTS CITY, CAIRO, AND ALEXANDRIA COULD HELP

QATAR REACH THE REQUIREMENTS FOR WORLD CUP STADIUMS, AND EASE THE BURDEN OF HOSTING

SUCH A LARGE EVENT FOR A NATION AS SMALL AS QATAR. THIS WOULD LEAVE THE 2022 FIFA

WORLD CUP OPEN, AND WHILE SOME MAY ARGUE THAT THE FAIREST RESOLUTION WOULD BE TO

AWARD THIS COMPETITION TO THE SECOND PLACE FINISHER IN THE BIDDING FOR THE 2022 WORLD

CUP ( UNITED STATES ), IT IS HERE PROPOSED THAT THE 2022 FIFA WORLD CUP BE AWARDED TO

ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, & IRELAND, AS THE FIRST MULTI - NATION HOSTS ( 3 OR MORE ) IN THE

HISTORY OF THE WORLD CUP.

THE GAME OF FOOTBALL ORIGINATED IN THE UNITED KINGDOM ( IN ENGLAND AND

SCOTLAND, WITH THE WORLD'S FIRST FOOTBALL CLUBS AND LEAGUES ), BUT SHOCKINGLY THIS

GREATEST OF FOOTBALL TOURNAMENTS, THE WORLD CUP, HAS BEEN HELD THERE ONLY ONCE

( IN 1966, WHICH WAS ALSO THE ONLY WORLD CUP WHICH ENGLAND HAS WON ). ENGLAND HAD

ALSO RECENTLY BID TO HOLD THE 2006 AND THE 2018 / 2022 WORLD CUPS, DEMONSTRATING THEIR

DESIRE TO BE A HOST NATION ONCE AGAIN. WITH THIRTEEN WORLD CUP STADIUMS TO REPRESENT

THESE THREE HOST NATIONS, IT IS PROPOSED THAT ENGLAND WOULD HOST EIGHT ( IN DEFERENCE

TO THEIR STORIED AND DEEP FOOTBALL TRADITION ), SCOTLAND THREE, AND IRELAND TWO OF

THESE FIFA APPROVED WORLD CUP STADIUMS. EACH OF THESE THREE NATIONS WOULD BE DRAWN

INTO THEIR OWN GROUP, WITH ALL OF THEIR GROUP PLAY HELD WITHIN THEIR OWN COUNTRY

( THUS, IRELAND WOULD PLAY ALL THREE OF THEIR GROUP MATCHES WITHIN IRELAND, SCOTLAND

WOULD ALTERNATE BETWEEN ITS THREE WORLD CUP STADIUMS, AND ENGLAND AMONGST THREE OF

ITS FIFA APPROVED STADIUMS DURING THE GROUP STAGES ). AS THREE HOST NATIONS WOULD

DISPLACE TWO FOOTBALL TEAMS WHICH NORMALLY WOULD HAVE QUALIFIED FOR THE WORLD CUP,

IT IS PROPOSED THAT 2022 WOULD ALSO BE THE FIRST YEAR FOR A PRE - GROUP STAGE ROUND OF

EIGHT WILD CARD DRAW. THESE EIGHT TEAMS WOULD BE COMPRISED OF THOSE TWO TEAMS

DISPLACED FROM THE MAIN WORLD CUP DRAW ( NOW FIGHTING FOR THEIR SPOTS IN THE DRAW ),

WITH TWO TEAMS WHICH JUST MISSED HOSTING DUTIES ( WALES AND NORTHERN IRELAND FOR 2022 )

PLUS FOUR TEAMS OF A HIGHER FIFA RANKING WHICH JUST MISSED QUALIFYING FOR THAT YEAR'S

WORLD CUP. THIS WILD CARD DRAW OF 8 COULD TAKE PLACE THE WEEK BEFORE THE OPENING

CEREMONIES AND WOULD ELEVATE THE TOTAL NUMBER OF NATIONS DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN THE

WORLD CUP FROM 32 TO 38. THE TWO FINALISTS WOULD NOT PLAY EACH OTHER, BUT WOULD

BOTH BE BIRTHED INTO THE TWO OPEN SPOTS OF THE WORLD CUP DRAW, BOTH TEAMS WITH

TWO WINS UNDER THEIR BELT AND ALREADY ACCLIMATED TO THE HOST NATION'S CLIMATE. THIS

WORLD CUP ROUND OF EIGHT WILD CARD DRAW PAIRED WITH THE SELECTION OF MULTIPLE

NATIONS AS HOSTS COULD EXPAND THE BREADTH OF COUNTRIES DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN THE FIFA

WORLD CUP, AND WOULD LITERALLY HAVE THE EFFECT OF BRINGING THE WORLD CUP TO MORE

OF THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD.

[ HAD THE ROUND OF EIGHT WILD CARD DRAW BEEN INAUGURATED FOR THE 2014

FIFA WORLD CUP, THE TEAMS DRAWN MAY HAVE INCLUDED AUSTRALIA, SOUTH KOREA, UKRAINE,

DENMARK, EGYPT, SWEDEN, SERBIA, AND PANAMA TO COMPETE FOR THE TWO OPEN WILD

CARD BERTHS IN THE MAIN DRAW. ]

ACTE IX - STADIUMS FOR THE AMERICAS AND FOR AFRICA

THE 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP IN BRAZIL WAS AN EXCEPTIONALLY EXCITING WORLD CUP,

THE MORE SO AS IT WAS HOSTED BY A PEOPLE WHO KNOW, LOVE, AND REVERENCE THE GAME.

WHILE IT IS TO BE APPLAUDED THAT THE WORLD CUP IN RECENT YEARS HAS GONE TO NATIONS

THAT HAVE NEVER HOSTED THE EVENT BEFORE ( SOUTH KOREA & JAPAN, SOUTH AFRICA, RUSSIA

AND QATAR ), IT SHOULD NEVERTHELESS BE A GOAL OF WORLD CUPS FUTURE TO BE HELD MORE

ABUNDANTLY IN THOSE NATIONS AND GROUPS OF NATIONS WITH A DEEP FOOTBALL TRADITION.

WHILE GROWING IN POPULARITY WITHIN NORTH AMERICA, ASIA, AND AUSTRALIA, FOOTBALL HAS

HISTORICALLY BEEN MOST REVERED WITHIN EUROPE, CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA, AND AFRICA. AS

THE REQUIREMENTS FOR STADIUMS, HOSPITALITY VILLAGES, AND RELATED INFRASTRUCTURE HAVE

INCREASED IN RECENT WORLD CUPS, IT IS PROPOSED THAT MORE MULTI NATION OR TANDEM HOST

PAIRINGS BE SELECTED FOR THE SITES OF FUTURE WORLD CUPS, WHICH WOULD INVOLVE MORE

NATIONS IN THE EXCITEMENT OF THE WORLD CUP. IN EUROPE, SUCH PAIRINGS COULD BEGIN WITH

SPAIN & PORTUGAL, THE NETHERLANDS, BELGIUM, AND DENMARK, OR SWITZERLAND AND AUSTRIA.

PRIORITY COULD BE GIVEN TO THOSE NATIONS WITH FOOTBALL TEAMS OF HIGHER FIFA RANKING,

AS WELL AS THOSE NATIONS WHICH HAVE PERFORMED WELL IN WORLD CUPS PAST. MULTI NATION

HOSTING IN MANY INSTANCES WOULD BE THE SPIRIT OF INCLUSION AND DEMOCRACY IN PRACTICE,

AND WOULD REDUCE THE POTENTIAL STRESSES IMPOSED UPON EACH HOST GOVERNMENT BY

SHARING THE STADIUM REQUIREMENTS WITH A NEIGHBORING COUNTRY OR COUNTRIES. MOST

SIGNIFICANTLY, TANDEM WORLD CUP HOSTING COULD POTENTIALLY, WITH AN ATMOSPHERE

SENSITIVE TO DIFFERENCES BUT CELEBRATORY AS ALL WORLD CUPS SHOULD BE, BRING ADJACENT

NATIONS CLOSER TOGETHER IN WAYS WHICH SIMPLY CANNOT BE ACCOMPLISHED THRU EVERYDAY

CHANNELS. THE NATION OF THE PAIRING TO HOST THE FINALS MATCH WOULD BE THE NATION

BETWEEN THE HOSTS WITH THE HIGHER FIFA RANKED TEAM AS OF MARCH 22ND OF THAT YEAR'S

WORLD CUP. OTHERWISE, THE VENUES, PROJECTED STADIUMS, AND SCHEDULES ACROSS THESE TWO

HOST NATIONS WOULD BE RECOMMENDED BY FIFA, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE QUALITY OF THE

VENUES, SURROUNDING INFRASTRUCTURE AND HOTELS, CLIMATE CONSIDERATIONS FOR BOTH THE

PLAYERS AND THE FANS, AND ABOVE ALL A FOOTBALL FANBASE READY TO EMBRACE THE WORLD

CUP EVEN IF THEIR HOST NATION IS ELIMINATED. THE WORLD CUP SHOULD STRIVE EVER CLOSER

TO THE IDEALS OF EXCELLENCE, FRIENDSHIP, AND RESPECT, AND LIKE THE OLYMPIC GAMES FOSTER

AN ATMOSPHERE OF FRATERNITY AND UNITY.

IT IS HOPED THAT MULTI NATION AND TANDEM NATION PAIRINGS TO HOST THE

WORLD CUP WOULD ALSO BE SELECTED FROM CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA, AND FROM AFRICA,

AND IT IS HERE THAT WE PROPOSE TO FIFA THE SINGLE GREATEST WAY TO PROMOTE FOOTBALL

AND FAIRNESS ACROSS THE GLOBE : TO AID FINANCIALLY IN THE CREATION OF WORLD CUP

STADIUMS AND RELATED INFRASTRUCTURE IN FIVE FUTURE WORLD CUP ZONES IN CENTRAL & SOUTH

AMERICA AND IN AFRICA. THESE FIVE MULTI NATION ZONES WOULD BE :

I ) COLOMBIA, ECUADOR & VENEZUELA

II ) CHILE, PERU & BOLIVIA

III ) MEXICO, GUATEMALA & HONDURAS

IV ) GHANA, NIGERIA & CAMEROON

V ) IVORY COAST, SENEGAL & GUINEA

THE FIRST TWO MULTI NATION ZONES WOULD NEED FOCUS NOT ONLY ON THE

CONSTRUCTION OF WORLD CLASS STADIUMS AND / OR THE RENOVATION OF EXISTING STADIUMS,

BUT IN THE IMPROVING OF SURROUNDING INFRASTRUCTURE CONNECTING THE VENUES CHOSEN

TO HOST THE WORLD CUP MATCHES, INCLUDING ROAD SYSTEMS AND MASS TRANSIT. FIFA COULD

OUTLINE FOR EACH NATION THE STEPS NEEDED TO BRING INFRASTRUCTURE AND TRANSPORTATION

CHANNELS ON PAR WITH WORLD CUP STANDARDS, AND AWARD THOSE ZONES WHICH ARE THE MOST

PROACTIVE IN PREPARING FOR THE WORLD CUP WITH THE FIRST MATCHING FUNDS TO BUILD OR

RENOVATE STADIUMS TO HOST THEIR WORLD CUP. THE FINAL THREE MULTI NATION ZONES ( MEXICO

& CENTRAL AMERICA / THE WEST AFRICAN COAST ) WOULD NEED FOCUS ON ALL OF THE ABOVE,

AS WELL AS ADDITIONAL CONCERNS RELATED TO INFRASTRUCTURE, SECURITY, AND MASS TRANSIT TO

BE ADDRESSED ; THESE THREE ZONES ARE MOST IN NEED OF AID ON A LARGER SCALE, WHICH

WOULD BE AIMED TO NOT JUST FACILITATE DEVELOPMENT OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND TRANSPORT

FOR THE SAKE OF THE FUTURE WORLD CUPS ALONE, BUT AS A LASTING LEGACY TO THESE

AREAS OF EXCEPTIONAL FOOTBALL TEAMS ( MEXICO, NIGERIA, HONDURAS, AND SENEGAL, TO NAME

A FEW ) AND EXCEPTIONAL POVERTY. THERE IS NO GREATER GIFT THAT FIFA CAN GIVE TO THE

WORLD THAN TO AID THESE DEVELOPING NATIONS IN BASIC INFRASTRUCTURE AND MASS TRANSIT

DESIGN, THAT THESE GREAT FOOTBALL NATIONS OF AFRICA AND LATIN AMERICA MAY HAVE THESE

WORLD CUP TEMPLES LIKE THE GREAT TEAMS OF EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA, AS EQUALS IN A

TOURNAMENT WHICH PROMOTES EQUALITY. A WORLD CUP WITHOUT RACISM AND A WORLD CUP

OF PARITY IS A WORLD CUP LIMITED NOT JUST TO THOSE NATIONS OF WEALTH AND FINANCIAL

POWER, BUT TO NATIONS ALL ACROSS THE WORLD, INCLUDING EQUATORIAL AFRICA, SOUTH

AMERICA, AND CENTRAL AMERICA ; THIS FINANCIAL AID WOULD BE TRUE EQUALITY, A LEVELING

OF THE LITERAL AND SYMBOLIC PLAYING FIELD, AND THE DELIVERANCE OF MORE JUSTICE TO

WORLD CUP FOOTBALL ON MULTIPLE LEVELS. AND TO THOSE NATIONS OF THE YUCATAN AND

CENTRAL AMERICA WHERE THE ANCIENT GAME OF POK TA POK WAS PLAYED ( WHERE IT STOOD AS

THE BEAUTIFUL GAME OF ITS OWN ERA ), MAY THE MOST AMAZING AND IMAGINATIVELY INVENTIVE

STADIUMS BE CONSTRUCTED WITHIN THESE GREAT COUNTRIES, AS REFLECTIONS OF THE DREAMSCAPE

TEMPLES AND BALLCOURTS, OBSERVATORIES AND CIVILIZATIONS WHICH ONCE INHABITED THIS CENTRAL

AMERICAN ZONE, AND AS ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS EMBLEMS OF THE REMAINING RAINFOREST

AND JUNGLE HABITATS OF THESE LANDS, WHERE MILLENNIA AGO A BEAUTIFUL GAME WAS PLAYED,

WITHIN BALLCOURTS MADE OF STONE, USING A BALL OF SOLID RUBBER.

EPILOGUE

THE CONSTRUCTION OF STADIUMS AND INFRASTRUCTURE IN THESE FIVE FUTURE WORLD

CUP ZONES OF CENTRAL / SOUTH AMERICA AND AFRICA COULD ALL BE DONE IN AN ECOLOGICALLY

SENSITIVE AND ENVIRONMENTALLY RESOURCEFUL MANNER, AS EXTENSIONS OF THE TROPICAL

ENVIRONMENT THAT THESE FIVE ZONES ARE LOCATED WITHIN. THE READYING OF THESE AREAS

TO BE FIT TO HOST A WORLD CUP WOULD TAKE MANY YEARS, EVEN DECADES ; FOR THIS REASON

IT IS PROPOSED THAT THE HOST NATION OF THE 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP, BRAZIL, BE SELECTED

AGAIN IN THE NOT TOO DISTANT FUTURE, AS THE SOLE NATION WITHIN THE TROPICS (OF

CANCER & CAPRICORN) CURRENTLY CAPABLE OF HOSTING THE WORLD CUP. 40% OF THE WORLD'S

POPULATION LIVES WITHIN THE TROPICS ( WHICH IS PROJECTED TO GROW TO 50% BY THE YEAR

2050 ) ; HOLDING FUTURE WORLD CUPS MORE OFTEN IN BRAZIL IN THIS INTERIM PERIOD COULD

OFFER A HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE FOR TEAMS SUCH AS COLOMBIA, GHANA, COSTA RICA, AND

IVORY COAST, TO PLAY IN CONDITIONS MORE LIKE THEIR HOME NATION. PERHAPS THIS SLIGHT

FIELD OR CLIMATE ADVANTAGE IS WHAT LED TO STRONGER PERFORMANCES FROM SOME OF THESE

CENTRAL / SOUTH AMERICAN AND AFRICAN TEAMS IN THE 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP, AND CLOSER

MATCHES BETWEEN THESE COUNTRIES AND THE MORE FINANCIALLY ADVANTAGED EUROPEAN AND

NORTH AMERICAN NATIONS. THE HOLDING OF THE WORLD CUP IN BRAZIL IN ANY EVENT IS A

SPECIAL OCCURRENCE, AS MAGICAL AS A WORLD SERIES GAME IN FENWAY PARK, OR BREAKFAST

AT THE FRENCH OPEN FINALS, WHERE THE GAME ITSELF IS ENVELOPED WITHIN THE ECHOES OF

GREAT FOOTBALL MATCHES AND PLAYERS OF YEARS PAST, FROM PELE TO SOCRATES, GARRINCHA

TO LEONIDAS. LET US NOT MAKE BRAZIL WAIT ANOTHER SIXTY FOUR YEARS BEFORE THEY HAVE

A CHANCE FOR REDEMPTION ON THEIR HOME SOIL, TO HEAL FROM THE WOUNDS OF NOW TWO

GREAT TRAGEDIES IN THEIR RICH FOOTBALL TRADITION. WITH THIS DEFERENCE TO BRAZIL IN MIND,

A PROJECTED LIST OF FIFA WORLD CUP HOSTS FUTURE IS PROPOSED BELOW, WITH THE OPTIMISM

THAT FIFA WOULD BE WILLING ( AND ABLE ) TO ASSIST IN CREATING THESE FIVE WORLD CUP ZONES

FOR THE BENEFIT OF AFRICA, CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA, AND THE WORLD AT LARGE.

2018 RUSSIA

2022 ENGLAND / SCOTLAND / IRELAND

2026 QATAR / UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

EGYPT

2030 ARGENTINA / URUGUAY

PARAGUAY

2034 SPAIN / PORTUGAL

2038 NETHERLANDS / BELGIUM

DENMARK

2042 COLOMBIA / ECUADOR ( I )

VENEZUELA

2046 GREECE / TURKEY / ALBANIA

2050 BRAZIL

2054 SWITZERLAND / AUSTRIA

2058 SWEDEN / NORWAY / FINLAND

2062 CHILE / PERU / BOLIVIA ( II )

2066 ITALY

2070 MEXICO / GUATEMALA ( III )

HONDURAS

2074 CZECH REPUBLIC / SLOVAKIA

POLAND

2078 THE UNITED STATES / JAMAICA *

2082 GHANA / NIGERIA ( IV )

CAMEROON

2086 AUSTRALIA / NEW ZEALAND

2090 ROMANIA / BULGARIA / HUNGARY

2094 IVORY COAST / SENEGAL ( V )

GUINEA

2098 FRANCE

2102 JAPAN / SOUTH KOREA

2106 GERMANY

2110 SOUTH AFRICA / ZIMBABWE

ZAMBIA

2114 BRAZIL **

* CANADA COULD ALSO JOIN THIS 2078 NORTH AMERICAN GROUPING ( OF THE UNITED STATES AND

JAMAICA ), BUT ONLY ON CONDITION THAT THE CANADIAN MINING COMPANY FIRST MAJESTIC

SILVER CORP BE HALTED IMMEDIATELY BY THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT IN ITS PLANS TO EXTRACT

SILVER FROM THE WIRIKUTA, A LAND HELD SACRED BY THE WIXARRICA HUICHOL, WHERE THEY

BELIEVE THE WORLD WAS CREATED & TO WHERE THEY MAKE YEARLY PILGRIMAGES. THE PROPOSED

SILVER MINING WOULD BE ENVIRONMENTALLY DAMAGING IN ITS DISPROPORTIONATE USE OF WATER,

DRYING UP LOCAL RIVERS IN ONE OF THE MOST ECOLOGICALLY SIGNIFICANT DESERT REGIONS OF

NORTHERN MEXICO ( THE SIERRA DECATORCE ) AS WELL AS RELEASING TOXINS INTO THE

ENVIRONMENT THRU THE SILVER MINING PROCESS ITSELF. UNDERGROUND MINING AND OPEN PIT

MINING WOULD BOTH HAVE AN UNPRECEDENTED NEGATIVE IMPACT UPON THE HUICHOL PEOPLES,

THEIR CULTURE AND RELIGIOUS BELIEFS. WOULD WE SILVER MINE OR EXTRACT OIL FROM THE

SACRED SITES OF CHRISTIANITY, JUDAISM, OR ISLAM ( THE VATICAN, CALVARY HILL, THE KA 'BAH

SANCTUARY AT MECCA, OR THE WAILING WALL ) ? THE PEYOTE CACTUS, AS FOUND WITHIN THE

WIRIKUTA AND PILGRIMAGES OF THE HUICHOL, IS AS THE SACRAMENT AND SPIRITUAL GUIDE OF

THESE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES ; DRY UP THEIR RIVERS AND THE WATER TABLE THRU SILVER MINING,

AND YOU DRY UP THEIR SACRED SYMBOL IN A SPIRITUALLY CATASTROPHIC HARM. PLEASE,

PRIME MINISTER STEPHEN HARPER OF CANADA, STOP THIS ILLEGAL MINING !!!!!!!!!!!!! RESOURCE

EXTRACTING COMPANIES OPERATING OUTSIDE OF CANADA MUST STILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE

AND REGULATED BY THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT ( BY BILLS SUCH AS C - 300, WHICH WAS

DEFEATED IN THE CANADIAN HOUSE OF COMMONS IN OCTOBER 2010 ) ; INACTION BY THE

CANADIAN GOVERNMENT IN REGARDS TO THIS PRESSING HUMANITARIAN ISSUE WOULD BE OF

LASTING DISGRACE TO THE MANY WONDERFUL PEOPLES OF CANADA, AND OF ETERNAL

CONSEQUENCE TO THE HUICHOL TRIBE. I FOR ONE HOPE FOR A WORLD CUP IN 2078 WITH

ONE OF THE THIRTEEN WORLD CUP STADIUMS BEING THE OLYMPIC STADIUM OF MONTREAL ~!

** SHOULD ANY OF THE ABOVE HOST NATION GROUPINGS BE FOUND NOT READY OR UNWILLING

TO HOST THE WORLD CUP FOR THAT YEAR, IT IS PROPOSED THAT A GROUPING OF THE

NATIONS OF BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA, CROATIA, & SERBIA BE SELECTED AS FIRST ALTERNATES

TO HOST THE WORLD CUP, AND WITH COSTA RICA, PANAMA & EL SALVADOR AS SECOND

ALTERNATES, AND WITH ALGERIA, TUNISIA, & MOROCCO AS THIRD ALTERNATES.

HONDURAS VS NICARAGUA / SEPTEMBER 13, 2014

MEXICO VS ECUADOR / MARCH 28, 2015