Fifa World Cup trophy arrives in Phuket
Phuket to stage special event today at CentralFestival to mark occasion
>> The Fifa World Cup trophy arrived in Phuket yesterday and a ceremony to celebrate the most coveted prize in football will be held today.
The trophy, accompanied by France’s 1998 World Cup winner Christian Karembeu who was accorded a warm welcome to the island province, was received by Phuket governor Norapat Plodthong at Phuket International Airport.
It is part of the World Cup Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola for the 2018 finals to be held in Russia.
Today’s event will be held at CentralFestival in Phuket where the fans will have a chance to see the trophy.
There will also be several activities for fans to take part in.
Sedef Salingan Sahin, general manager of Coca-Cola (Thailand), said: “Coca-Cola, as an official sponsor of the World Cup, intends to give Thai people a New Year’s present with this event.
“The Fifa World Cup is one of the world’s most anticipated sporting events, which rekindles hope and lifts the spirit of football fans who passionately follow the event with great interest.
“By bringing the Fifa World Cup trophy to Thailand, Coca-Cola intends Thai people to spend this special moment together as they will have the opportunity to experience the greatness and magic of the trophy.”
VAR TESTS ‘ENCOURAGING’
Video assistant referees (VAR) could be used at the World Cup in Russia later this year after the committee responsible for the laws of football pronounced itself “encouraged” by tests.
Since March 2016, VAR has been tested in more than 20 competitions and in more than 800 matches, unleashing mixed reactions and a heated debate.
On Monday, the International Football Association Board (Ifab), the rule-making arm of world governing body Fifa, heard a statistical presentation on the results and pronounced them “positive and encouraging”. The board said on its website that “the experiment has been thorough”.
The Ifab said it would vote on a proposal to ensure international consistency in the use of VAR at its general meeting in Zurich on March 3. That could pave the way to using the technology in Russia.
“The philosophy we laid out from the start is being respected. We wanted the minimum of interference in the game and the maximum of benefit,” said an Ifab spokesperson in a telephone interview.
In eight percent of matches video had a “decisive impact on the result” and in one in four a “positive impact”, according to the report.
The report countered criticism that VAR breaks the rhythm and fluidity of the game, insisting that “lost time” caused by reviews represents, on average, one percent of playing time, a lot less than free-kicks, throw-ins or goal-kicks.
Errors are also relatively rare. VAR missed a “clear and manifest” refereeing error in only five percent of the test games, a number that Ifab deemed “very encouraging”.
VAR has been tested in international competitions such as the Confederations Cup, as well as European leagues like the German Bundesliga and Italy’s Serie A.