World Cup Round Up: The Nation State Lives, Bora in Jamaica

Even though some of them generate more revenues than small countries, FIFA head honcho Sepp Blatter wants us all to know that the rise of football clubs will never, ever, not in a million years, spell the end of national teams. As long as we are still living in an era of nation states, there will be opportunities to watch Albania play against Andorra. “I cannot see that the national team will disappear in favor of club,” said Blatter. Thank God. For a second there I was concerned that I would have to get a Manchester United passport so that I could travel to Real Madridland for to watch the World Cup.

Blatter also spent the day rattling the cages about his new infatuation. No, he did not pontificate about the need for more skin in women’s football, but rather the need to limit the number of foreign players playing for club teams in Europe. Apparently this will help save the sport and save the international teams. Who knew that either needed to be saved?

Just about any issue involving relations between Northern Ireland and Ireland is dicey, but that hasn’t stopped FIFA from sticking its nose into the issue of whether players born in one area can play for the other. FIFA says yes. Some in both countries say no. Perhaps Blatter is right about nationalism never dying.

There has been a Bora Milutinovic sighting and that sighting has been in Jamaica where the man who has managed just about everyone in the World Cup is hoping to do the same for the Reggae Boyz. He has a challenge ahead of him, but realistically with the talent they have Jamaica could nab one of those CONCACAF spots.

Will Jens Lehmann be part of the fun in Austria/Switzerland in 2008? The German boss and the out of favor keeper will sit down and have a pow-wow about that very subject in the coming weeks. Either way you know that Lehmann will end up coming off like a crybaby in the papers.

The players from New Zealand can all rejoice. They will get that free trip to Port Villa, Vanuatu after all. FIFA has given the stamp of approval for the stadium there which means the All Whites will travel to the island in a couple weeks for a World Cup qualifier. Alas, World Cup Blog’s management team has decided not to send me to the game to cover it.

New blogs alert: Romania and Colombia are in da house. Check them out. If you would like to captain a national team blog, drop me a line at bob [at] worldcupblog.org. We have the capacity to start new blogs and to update existing ones. How exciting is that!

	Soccer Forums	International Results			Travel