2012 Olympic Football Qualifiers Carry On
The Confederation of African Football's inaugural U-23 championship is underway in Morocco with eight teams competing for three guaranteed spots at the London 2012 Olympics.
After one match a piece, Morocco and Algeria are atop Group A thanks to wins over Nigeria and Senegal. In Group B, Egypt leads the way after topping Gabon. Cote D’Ivoire and South Africa are tied for second following a draw.
The winners and runners-up in both groups qualify for the semi-finals. The top three teams will then move on to the Olympics with the fourth-place finisher entering a playoff against its counterpart from the Asian Football Confederation.
Teams in the third round of the AFC men’s qualifiers, meanwhile, played two matches last week to continue their quest for one of the three guaranteed spots in London.
South Korea, Oman, Qatar,Saudi Arabia,Uzbekistan, Iraq, Australia, United Arab Emirates, Japan, Syria, Bahrain and Malaysia are the 12 teams in the running.
The final three match days for the AFC are Feb. 5, Feb. 22 and March 14.
Finally, the top two teams from the Caribbean will join Canada, Mexico, USA, Panama, El Salvador and Honduras as their CONCACAF qualifying tournament wraps up Monday night in St. Kitts and Nevis.
Cuba leads the group of four teams one match to play. St. Kitts and Nevis and Suriname are tied for second with Trinidad and Tobago sitting in fourth.
World Cup Openers Ahead for Sliding, Biathlon
The sliding center for the inaugural Winter Youth Olympic Games gets an early test this week.
The track in Igls, Austria is the opening stop for the International Bobsleigh and Toboggan Federation’s annual World Cup series.
Practice runs started Monday at the two-time Olympic venue with competition to follow Friday after a press conference with FIBT president Ivo Ferriani.
Also this week, biathlon begins its World Cup season in Oestersund, Sweden.
Training is already underway with men’s 20km scheduled for Wednesday, women’s 15km on Thursday, men’s 10km on Friday, women’s 7.5km on Saturday and the pursuit events on Sunday.
Brazil Targets 2014 World Cup Hooligans
Security preparations are underway for Brazil to deal with potential hooligans entering the country for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Press reports indicate that federal authorities have already contacted police in Argentina, Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, South Africa and Poland requesting the names of known hooligans.
"Any supporter identified as being problematic by police in their home country will not be granted a visa to enter Brazil," the Folha de Sao Paulo daily claimed.
Security personnel will also orchestrate border controls in an effort to stop hooligans coming from countries where no visa is required to enter the 2014 host.
Written byMatthew Grayson and Aaron Bauer.
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