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FIFA and CSA to make MAJOR announcement


Jarrek

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, August 9, 2004

Ottawa, Ontario – The Federation Internationale de Football Associations and the Canadian Soccer Association will hold a joint media conference on Tuesday, August 10, 2004 at 10:00 a.m. at the Hotel InterContinental in Toronto at which point they will make a major announcement.

WHEN: Tuesday, August 10, 2004

TIME: 10:00 a.m.

WHERE: Hotel InterContinental – Willard Room

220 Bloor Street

Toronto, ON

WHO:Jack Warner – FIFA Vice President/CONCACAF President

Andy Sharpe – CSA President

The Honourable Tony Ianno – MP Trinity/Gardiner

Kevan Pipe – CSA Chief Operating Officer

<mailto:natteams@soccercan.ca>

Please see the attached news release for details.

CSA Communications Department

Phone: (613) 237-7678 ext. 242

email: rivan@soccercan.ca

Website: www.canadasoccer.com

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I think I can guess what this is - for those that didn't see my post on the Lynx-Whitecaps match, I learned at the match that the 2007 U20 tournament was to be decided this weekend, rather than in October as everyone had originally thought.

This sounds like really, really, really good news!

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quote:Originally posted by Reza

Great news ! Have they decided on the host cities? Is it still Edmonton and TO?

You need more than two venues for this kind of event. yeah I would say that if Jack warner is there, its about the WYC. He is afterall in charge of this event.

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I think Joe05 has a very good point. Since MP Ianno is involved, it implies a local issue. Varsity is in his riding. That implies the official announcement of the go-ahead of the stadium, as people had mentioned they heard from Mayor Miller.

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quote:Originally posted by sstackho

I think Joe05 has a very good point. Since MP Ianno is involved, it implies a local issue. Varsity is in his riding. That implies the official announcement of the go-ahead of the stadium, as people had mentioned they heard from Mayor Miller.

Given that the stadium and the U-20 tourney were at one time linked, it may be that both are involved. Just as the presence of Ianno implies a local issue, Warner's presence implies that this is not strictly "local". Or maybe Warner is there simply to offer encouraging words and good will re: the U-20.

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This was posted on the other board by Calgarysoccernut:

BC-SOC-World-Youth 123 09-08 0900

BC-SOC-World-Youth, Bgt

Code:3

Budget

INDEX: Sports

HL:Source: Canada wins right to host 2007 world under-20 soccer

championship

By Neil Davidson

TORONTO (CP) -- Canada has won its bid to host the 2007 world

under-20 soccer championships.

The World Youth Championship is second only in size and history

to the World Cup, FIFA's marquee event. It features 24 countries and

52 games spread over three weeks.

Kevan Pipe, chief operating officer of the Canadian Soccer

Association, declined comment on the bid. But two sources confirmed

that Canada will host the event.

The CSA has scheduled a "major announcement" at a news

conference Tuesday morning in Toronto, with FIFA vice-president Jack

Warner, CSA president Andy Sharpe and local MP Tony Ianno in

attendance.

Securing the under-20 championships finalizes $35 million worth

of federal and provincial government funding for a new Varsity

Stadium, which falls in Ianno's downtown Toronto riding. The

$80-million outdoor stadium, which will be home to the CFL's Toronto

Argonauts and University of Toronto football team, is slated to hold

25,000.

The under-20 tournament will be held in six cities across Canada.

Expect Edmonton, Montreal and Ottawa and Toronto, thanks to the

planned stadium, to be automatic choices. Hamilton and Winnipeg are

possible venues, with Vancouver also in the mix with Whitecaps owner

Greg Kerfoot having talked of a new facility there.

FIFA mandates that the final be played in a stadium that seats

30,000-plus. Given that, and the success of the inaugural women's

under-19 championship in 2002, the final of the 2007 event would

seem destined for Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium.

The only other FIFA world championship hosted by Canada was the

1987 under-17 competition, which took place in Toronto, Montreal,

St. John's and Saint John, N.B.

The current Canadian stadium mix will mean a significant portion

of the competition will be played on artificial turf. FIFA has

opened the door wider to that possibility in recent months, changing

the laws of the game to permit play on sanctioned artificial

surfaces. The Canadian senior side is due to play on artificial turf

in Costa Rica in a World Cup qualifying game in October.

Ten matches, including the final, of the 2003 world under-17

championship in Finland were played on artificial turf.

Molson Stadium in Montreal and Frank Clair Stadium in Ottawa are

FieldTurf surfaces already approved for international play by FIFA.

CFL venues in Hamilton and Winnipeg sport different new-generation

artificial turf surfaces that would have to get approval.

The new stadium in Toronto is destined for an artificial surface,

Pipe has said previously, but there has been some talk of using real

grass for the FIFA tournament and then moving to an artificial

surface.

Starting in Tunisia in 1977, the world under-20 tournament has

been held every two years, with the 2005 competition slated for the

Netherlands.

A total of 73 countries have taken part.

Over its history, the tournament has averaged 15,476 fans per

game with a cumulative 8.1 million having attended the 524 matches.

The 2003 edition, in the United Arab Emirates, drew a total of

592,100 spectators.

Canada qualified in 1979 in Japan (when it finished 13th), 1985

in the Soviet Union (14th), 1987 in Chile (10th), 1997 in Malaysia

(14th), 2001 in Argentina (24th) and 2003 in the United Arab

Emirates (eight).

The 2003 Canadian team made history by reaching the

quarter-finals before losing to Spain 2-1 in extra time.

As host country, Canada has an automatic berth in the 2007 field.

For Canadian fans thinking the sky's the limit, only two host

countries have ever won the title: Portugal in 1991 (with the likes

of Luis Figo and Rui Costa in the lineup) and Argentina in 2001.

Brazil has qualified for the tournament 13 times and won the

title four times. Argentina has also won it four times. The other

six crowns have gone to European countries.

The Soviet Union (1985), Chile (1987) and Australia (1993) all

made it to the semifinals as hosts.

The tournament is a launching pad for some of soccer's best, with

the likes of Argentina's Diego Maradona and Javier Saviola, Brazil's

Dunga and Ronaldinho, England's Michael Owen, France's Thierry Henry

and David Trezeguet, Ireland's Damien Duff and the Netherlands'

Marco van Basten all having taken part.

Notes: Former Canadian coach Holger Osieck is co-head of the

FIFA technical study group that will be in Athens to follow the

Olympic soccer tournament. Osieck is currently director of FIFA's

development division and responsible for men's soccer for the world

governing body of the sport. Also on the FIFA group at the Games is

former Canadian women's coach Sylvie Beliveau ... Toronto striker

Dwayne DeRosario scored on a rocket-like volley from just inside the

penalty box Saturday night to help the San Jose Earthquakes to a 2-0

MLS win over D.C. United. DeRosario's blast is a finalist for MLS

goal of the week. Vancouver's Pat Onstad recorded the shutout for

San Jose. ... Canadian coach Frank Yallop, continuing to put his

stamp on the job, will work with players from local teams in

Edmonton on Tuesday.

CP 1436ES 09-08-04

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quote:Originally posted by Daniel

Here's to hoping we see a revamped CCR in Montréal.

Now, now Daniel don't get too hopeful. Just because CCR is in a sad state of affairs, doesn't necessarily mean CCR will get a pity vote! :D

Yet I too hope something of this sort will happen sooner than later.

Cheers

Massimo

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This is going to be huge. Im pumped and i already want to go....i wouldnt be suprised if mcgill stadium is used in montreal. This is a big event and it would be a greta venue for a semi final game. One thing tho, there are a LOT of venues in one small area. I would think Hamilton would be a nono because of this... Vancouver should get a venue b/c of the great fans out there (hey look im from out east and i think somthing good bout those westerners ;)) but really, Vancouver does have a rich soccer history (for our country and they would sell out athe games i think for sure.

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I see the semis in TO and Edmonton. Can't imagine anything else.

CCR can't continue like it is and people know it. Saputo and everyone else involved can use this event to get funding and finally a good "reason" to fix up CCR into a proper soccer stadium. Seeing as something was going to be done anyways (a move to Molson has repeatedly been shot down), this is the perfect time for it.

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Great News!!! Colour me there!

Varsity, with its faults, was a great venue. I am happy that I was able to see a game there. A re-revamped Varsity, with the Argos as main tenants will be great.

Anything for the Montreal venue would also be a bonus.

Never considered Edmonton as the finals venue (Skydome(?)). Everything I heard about this pointed to a mainly Eastern hosting. It'll be really exciting to see how this plays out.

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Neil Davidson gets all the exclusives!

He is usually very accurate as well as being a great writer, BUT (picky, picky), he was wrong to say the only previous FIFA tournament hosted by Canada was the U-17...of course, we hosted the FIFA U-19 Women's tournament in 2002.

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