Everyone in the football world is cracking jokes about the Simon Mignolet error—even Mignolet’s coach, Jurgen Klopp!

The jovial German proved once again that he not only possesses fantastic football skills, but a warm sense of humour as well when he told a journalist who took long pauses between questions that: “You take almost as long as Simon Mignolet taking a kick.”

In case you missed it last night, Mignolet gave away a freekick for holding on to the ball for over 20 seconds… pic.twitter.com/n3JJcQVXeQ

— Copa90 (@Copa90) November 27, 2015

He is referring to, of course, the bizarre Simon Mignolet error that occurred during the Liverpool versus Bordeaux match. Though a football goalie is only meant to control the ball with his hands for 6 seconds prior to a kick, Mignolet held on to his for 21 seconds before an indirect free kick which led to the visitor opener.

Needless to say, it was awkward. Really awkward.

Following the incident the football and sports betting media were buzzing with news of the Simon Mignolet error, and Klopp decided to join in on the good-hearted fun.

Had the game ended badly for Liverpool, the Simon Mignolet error would’ve been handled very differently. But given that the Bordeaux match ended in a hard-fought victory for the Reds, fans of both Premier League football and sports betting in UK can laugh things off along with Klopp.

Everyone in the football world is cracking jokes about the Simon Mignolet error—even Mignolet’s coach, Jurgen Klopp!

The jovial German proved once again that he not only possesses fantastic football skills, but a warm sense of humour as well when he told a journalist who took long pauses between questions that: “You take almost as long as Simon Mignolet taking a kick.”

In case you missed it last night, Mignolet gave away a freekick for holding on to the ball for over 20 seconds… pic.twitter.com/n3JJcQVXeQ

— Copa90 (@Copa90) November 27, 2015

He is referring to, of course, the bizarre Simon Mignolet error that occurred during the Liverpool versus Bordeaux match. Though a football goalie is only meant to control the ball with his hands for 6 seconds prior to a kick, Mignolet held on to his for 21 seconds before an indirect free kick which led to the visitor opener.

Needless to say, it was awkward. Really awkward.

Following the incident the football and sports betting media were buzzing with news of the Simon Mignolet error, and Klopp decided to join in on the good-hearted fun.

Had the game ended badly for Liverpool, the Simon Mignolet error would’ve been handled very differently. But given that the Bordeaux match ended in a hard-fought victory for the Reds, fans of both Premier League football and sports betting in UK can laugh things off along with Klopp.

The FIFA presidency will soon be vacated, as many who follow sports scores count the days. After Platini revealed his desire to lead international football’s governing body, he is considered as the favorite to win the next election, gambling news report. Platini is 1.53 (8/15) top dog at Bet365, while his major challenger, Prince Ali Al-Hussein’s victory is priced at 4.00 (3/1).

Some of his opponents consider Platini as the protégé of Sepp Blatter. They argue that Platini’s presidency won’t bring any major changes into the corrupt world of FIFA. Others think that his strong criticism of Blatter was inappropriate and this might hurt his chances in Africa. However, all this might not be enough to confirm his supporters to vote against him.

UEFA.com: Michel Platini FIFA president?

 
UEFA President Michel Platini has confirmed that he will run for the FIFA presidency in the organization’s next election. He considers this decision as a major point in his life, and launching the Platini FIFA president run might affect the future of international football indeed, according to several gambling blogs.

Yes, you! Vote for me, and we turn things around! (Photo: AP)

Platini wrote a letter to all the 209 FIFA members’ representatives. He said, “There are times in life when you have to take your destiny into your own hands. I am at one of those decisive moments, at a juncture in my life and in events that are shaping the future of FIFA.”

He went on, “During this last half-century or so, FIFA has only had two presidents. This extreme stability is something of a paradox in a world that has experienced radical upheavals and in a sport that has undergone considerable economic change. However, recent events force the supreme governing body of world football to turn over a new leaf and rethink its governance.”

Platini also added that he wants to transform FIFA to an organization where everyone respects the diversity of the game around the world. He also emphasized that he cannot succeed alone. The election will be held at FIFA’s extraordinary congress in Zurich, February 2016.

Timeslive.co.za: Africa won’t have Michel Platini FIFA President

 
France might have strong connections with Africa. These relations might be even stronger regarding football than other aspects of life. However the continent’s football representatives are yet to become enthusiast about the Michel Platini FIFA president run. Leader of the Liberian Football Association, Musa Bility went as far as to say Platini’s presidency would be unacceptable.

The Liberian FA president, one of Blatter’s cronies is confident he will defeat Platini (BBC)

He said, “Platini would not represent change, he has been a FIFA vice-president for eight years. He should not replace Sepp Blatter, it would be unacceptable.” Bility revealed that he will also stand for the presidency. However, according to experts of gambling facts, it might be hard for him to be nominated by the minimum of five associations before next year’s election.

Even Platini’s friend, Jacques Anouma, the former president of the Ivory Coast football association, expressed that he won’t support Platini by default. He said, “I do not deny the excellent relationship I have with Michel Platini as I have with many other leaders of world football. However I would like to advise that I will side with the decision of CAF to safeguard the interest of African football.”

By criticizing Sepp Blatter, Platini might worsen his situation in Africa, where the Swiss sports leader remains extremely popular. Abedi Pele, former vice president of the Ghana federation and three-time African world player of the year said, “His harsh words against Blatter were not right. He could have disagreed in another way.”

The FIFA presidency will soon be vacated, as many who follow sports scores count the days. After Platini revealed his desire to lead international football’s governing body, he is considered as the favorite to win the next election, gambling news report. Platini is 1.53 (8/15) top dog at Bet365, while his major challenger, Prince Ali Al-Hussein’s victory is priced at 4.00 (3/1).

Some of his opponents consider Platini as the protégé of Sepp Blatter. They argue that Platini’s presidency won’t bring any major changes into the corrupt world of FIFA. Others think that his strong criticism of Blatter was inappropriate and this might hurt his chances in Africa. However, all this might not be enough to confirm his supporters to vote against him.

UEFA.com: Michel Platini FIFA president?

 
UEFA President Michel Platini has confirmed that he will run for the FIFA presidency in the organization’s next election. He considers this decision as a major point in his life, and launching the Platini FIFA president run might affect the future of international football indeed, according to several gambling blogs.

Yes, you! Vote for me, and we turn things around! (Photo: AP)

Platini wrote a letter to all the 209 FIFA members’ representatives. He said, “There are times in life when you have to take your destiny into your own hands. I am at one of those decisive moments, at a juncture in my life and in events that are shaping the future of FIFA.”

He went on, “During this last half-century or so, FIFA has only had two presidents. This extreme stability is something of a paradox in a world that has experienced radical upheavals and in a sport that has undergone considerable economic change. However, recent events force the supreme governing body of world football to turn over a new leaf and rethink its governance.”

Platini also added that he wants to transform FIFA to an organization where everyone respects the diversity of the game around the world. He also emphasized that he cannot succeed alone. The election will be held at FIFA’s extraordinary congress in Zurich, February 2016.

Timeslive.co.za: Africa won’t have Michel Platini FIFA President

 
France might have strong connections with Africa. These relations might be even stronger regarding football than other aspects of life. However the continent’s football representatives are yet to become enthusiast about the Michel Platini FIFA president run. Leader of the Liberian Football Association, Musa Bility went as far as to say Platini’s presidency would be unacceptable.

The Liberian FA president, one of Blatter’s cronies is confident he will defeat Platini (BBC)

He said, “Platini would not represent change, he has been a FIFA vice-president for eight years. He should not replace Sepp Blatter, it would be unacceptable.” Bility revealed that he will also stand for the presidency. However, according to experts of gambling facts, it might be hard for him to be nominated by the minimum of five associations before next year’s election.

Even Platini’s friend, Jacques Anouma, the former president of the Ivory Coast football association, expressed that he won’t support Platini by default. He said, “I do not deny the excellent relationship I have with Michel Platini as I have with many other leaders of world football. However I would like to advise that I will side with the decision of CAF to safeguard the interest of African football.”

By criticizing Sepp Blatter, Platini might worsen his situation in Africa, where the Swiss sports leader remains extremely popular. Abedi Pele, former vice president of the Ghana federation and three-time African world player of the year said, “His harsh words against Blatter were not right. He could have disagreed in another way.”

Hungarian side Debrecen completed a club record 9-2 victory over Skonto Riga in the second leg of the second round in the Europa League qualifiers.

Debrecen were considered as top dogs against Skonto after their first leg fixture in the second round of the Europa League qualifiers. However, looking at their first respective match, nobody thought that the reverse fixture will bring Debrecen’s record European success. However, the Hungarian side dominated the Latvian outfit that is not used to the hot weather, bagging a goal in every ten minutes on average, nine in total.

While Loki thrashed Riga 9-2 and advanced with a 11-4 aggregate score, the West Ham United players were fighting for their lives in the Maltese heat. After winning the first leg in the last minutes in London, they conceded early against Birkirkara. Moreover, they went down to ten before half time, and they faced a long night. Only the penalties saved them eventually, as the WHU players scored all of their spot kicks, sending themselves to the next round.

UEFA.com: West Ham survive, Debrecen record, Nordic glee

 
Debrecen played a 2-2 in the first leg in Riga against Skonto in the second round of the Europa League qualifiers. That result made the Hungarian outfit favourite to advance, but not too many of those who are involved in UEFA Europa League betting would expect what would have come in the reverse fixture.

Tibor Tisza (Photo: nb1)

Tibor Tisza opened the scoring in the seventh minute, and Debrecen finished the game off in the first half with a 5-0 havoc in the Hungarian heat. That wasn’t enough for the home side however, and Loki stopped at nine goals eventually, while the visitors also had two for consolation. The 9-2 result that marks out from this week’s sports scores is the largest European win in Debrecen club history, while also the biggest loss for Skonto.

After the 11-4 aggregate victory, Debrecen will meet Rosenborg, one of the three Norwegian sides advancing to the third round, while West Ham United will face Astra Giurgiu. To set up the trip to Romania, the Hammers needed to survive 120 minutes plus penalty shootouts in Malta. Birkirkara, the home team scored the only goal of the game in the 15th minute, and WHU went down to ten in the first half. However, they were able to secure an advance in the Russian roulette.

The Guardian: Ten-man West Ham beat Birkirkara on penalties to stay in Europa League

 
West Ham United, playing the majority of the match with ten men, relied on a penalty shootout against Birkirkara. The Maltese side achieved a 1-0 through Fabrizio Miccoli’s goal on a humid and hot evening. Matching the result from the first leg of the second round in the Europa League qualifiers, extra time and then a shootout was needed to determine who to advance.

All five selected WHU players scored from the spot. The decisive penalty was sent home by Diego Poyet, the son Gustavo, the former Uruguayan international. Gus played for Chelsea and Tottenham, as many of those, who follow live sports results might remember.

The Hammers were down to ten in the first half, when James Tomkins, who scored the winner in the first leg, was sent off. He was the second WHU player who received a red card this year’s competition, after Diafra Sakho was sent off in the previous round. This is interesting, since the Hammers were qualified to the Europa League through their Fair Play ranking. The numbers were evened out when Birkirkara’s Mauricio Mazzetti was also red carded in overtime.

BBC.com: Europa League: We were better than Astra – Inverness

 
Astra Giurgiu eliminated Scottish Cup winners Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the second round of the Europa League qualifiers. Through this, they set up a meeting with West Ham United, however Inverness midfielder Greg Tansey thinks that the weaker side advanced from their respective fixture.

He said, “We look at them and there’s better sides in the Scottish Premiership. We more than held our own and I firmly believe we were the far better side.” However, Caley Thistle weren’t able to score a single goal during the two legs, and experts of gambling facts know, that such an unprolific display rarely results advancing.

Tansey added, “We gave everything, but we’re just lacking maybe that bit of killer edge in the final third and it’s something we need to get as quickly as possible. For the possession we had, I thought we could have done better. I thought over the two legs we were by far the better side in terms of ball possession.”

Hungarian side Debrecen completed a club record 9-2 victory over Skonto Riga in the second leg of the second round in the Europa League qualifiers.

Debrecen were considered as top dogs against Skonto after their first leg fixture in the second round of the Europa League qualifiers. However, looking at their first respective match, nobody thought that the reverse fixture will bring Debrecen’s record European success. However, the Hungarian side dominated the Latvian outfit that is not used to the hot weather, bagging a goal in every ten minutes on average, nine in total.

While Loki thrashed Riga 9-2 and advanced with a 11-4 aggregate score, the West Ham United players were fighting for their lives in the Maltese heat. After winning the first leg in the last minutes in London, they conceded early against Birkirkara. Moreover, they went down to ten before half time, and they faced a long night. Only the penalties saved them eventually, as the WHU players scored all of their spot kicks, sending themselves to the next round.

UEFA.com: West Ham survive, Debrecen record, Nordic glee

 
Debrecen played a 2-2 in the first leg in Riga against Skonto in the second round of the Europa League qualifiers. That result made the Hungarian outfit favourite to advance, but not too many of those who are involved in UEFA Europa League betting would expect what would have come in the reverse fixture.

Tibor Tisza (Photo: nb1)

Tibor Tisza opened the scoring in the seventh minute, and Debrecen finished the game off in the first half with a 5-0 havoc in the Hungarian heat. That wasn’t enough for the home side however, and Loki stopped at nine goals eventually, while the visitors also had two for consolation. The 9-2 result that marks out from this week’s sports scores is the largest European win in Debrecen club history, while also the biggest loss for Skonto.

After the 11-4 aggregate victory, Debrecen will meet Rosenborg, one of the three Norwegian sides advancing to the third round, while West Ham United will face Astra Giurgiu. To set up the trip to Romania, the Hammers needed to survive 120 minutes plus penalty shootouts in Malta. Birkirkara, the home team scored the only goal of the game in the 15th minute, and WHU went down to ten in the first half. However, they were able to secure an advance in the Russian roulette.

The Guardian: Ten-man West Ham beat Birkirkara on penalties to stay in Europa League

 
West Ham United, playing the majority of the match with ten men, relied on a penalty shootout against Birkirkara. The Maltese side achieved a 1-0 through Fabrizio Miccoli’s goal on a humid and hot evening. Matching the result from the first leg of the second round in the Europa League qualifiers, extra time and then a shootout was needed to determine who to advance.

All five selected WHU players scored from the spot. The decisive penalty was sent home by Diego Poyet, the son Gustavo, the former Uruguayan international. Gus played for Chelsea and Tottenham, as many of those, who follow live sports results might remember.

The Hammers were down to ten in the first half, when James Tomkins, who scored the winner in the first leg, was sent off. He was the second WHU player who received a red card this year’s competition, after Diafra Sakho was sent off in the previous round. This is interesting, since the Hammers were qualified to the Europa League through their Fair Play ranking. The numbers were evened out when Birkirkara’s Mauricio Mazzetti was also red carded in overtime.

BBC.com: Europa League: We were better than Astra – Inverness

 
Astra Giurgiu eliminated Scottish Cup winners Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the second round of the Europa League qualifiers. Through this, they set up a meeting with West Ham United, however Inverness midfielder Greg Tansey thinks that the weaker side advanced from their respective fixture.

He said, “We look at them and there’s better sides in the Scottish Premiership. We more than held our own and I firmly believe we were the far better side.” However, Caley Thistle weren’t able to score a single goal during the two legs, and experts of gambling facts know, that such an unprolific display rarely results advancing.

Tansey added, “We gave everything, but we’re just lacking maybe that bit of killer edge in the final third and it’s something we need to get as quickly as possible. For the possession we had, I thought we could have done better. I thought over the two legs we were by far the better side in terms of ball possession.”

Teams participating in the first round of the UEFA Europa League will have to start their campaign as early as July 2 with the reverse fixture scheduled to a week later. Those sides beginning their campaign in the second round of the UEFA Champions League will play their first game in the middle of July. West Ham United, the first placed team in the English fair play ranking will return to European football after an eight-year long absence, while Celtic, the Scottish champions, who not so long ago started the European competition in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League, will enter in the second qualifying round this term.

BBC.com: Celtic face Icelandic side Stjarnan in Champions League qualifying

Celtic, the champions of the Scottish Premier League will start its 2015-2016 European campaign in the second qualifying round of the Champions League in the middle of July, online gambling news reported. As keen followers of sports scores might remember, the Hoops failed to make it into the group stages last year after being eliminated by Maribor.

FC Lusitans is to host West Ham United at Camp d’Esports d’Aixoval

Now the Bhoys will entertain Icelandic champions Stjarnan, while West Ham United, the other British side involved in the early stages of the competition, will face FC Lusitans from Andorra in the first qualifying round of the Europa League. West Ham, the side that finished twelfth in the English Premier League gained qualification through their Fair Play record.

The Hammers will start the campaign with their new boss Slaven Bilic as early as July 2. After a clash of fixtures between the two Andorran sides occurred, the initial schedule was reversed, so West Ham will play the first game home at Upton Park before travelling to Andorra a week later.

TheStar.com: West Ham kick off season against Andorran minnows

The draw of the Europa League qualifying was held on Monday in Nyon, Switzerland. West Ham United were paired with FC Lusitans from Andorra in the first round, and the Hammers will kick off their campaign at the beginning of July, five weeks before the start of the Premier League.

Those with an adept knowledge of gambling facts might recall that West Ham participated in the competition last time in the 2006-07 season. Now they will play in Andorra at Camp d’Esports d’Aixoval, a 1,000 capacity stadium. Andorra’s other team in Europe, Sant Julia will entertain Randers from Denmark in the first round.

England was ranked first by the UEFA fair play system and that provided them an extra place in the competition that went to West Ham, the team that came first in the English first-tier’s fair play ranking. 102 teams participated in the draw and the former European Cup winner Red Star from Belgrade will also enter in the first round travelling to Central Asia to visit Kairat Almaty in Kazakhstan.

UEFA.com: Qualifying round draws: best of the reaction

After the draw for the UEFA Champions League qualifiers was held in Nyon, Switzerland, the teams’ representatives spoke about their upcoming opponents. Icelandic champions Stjarnan will play against Celtic after they eliminated Motherwell in the Europa League qualifiers last year, as keen followers of live sports results might remember.

Celtic is to face Icelandic Stjarnan.

“We have mixed feelings,” said Stjarnan defender Daniel Laxdal. “It is great to meet Celtic but I think they are the most difficult team we could have met. We saw them against KR last year and know it will be hard work in defence. Last season we showed anything is possible if we are at our best so hopefully we can do something similar. Celtic will start their season against us and that might help a little but we are up against a great team.”

Celtic FC assistant manager John Kennedy commented the draw via his social media account. He expressed that all pressure is on Celtic, and this situation might suit the Icelandic underdogs. He added, “We have to make sure we go in fully prepared and we win the game. That’s the most important thing.”

Teams participating in the first round of the UEFA Europa League will have to start their campaign as early as July 2 with the reverse fixture scheduled to a week later. Those sides beginning their campaign in the second round of the UEFA Champions League will play their first game in the middle of July. West Ham United, the first placed team in the English fair play ranking will return to European football after an eight-year long absence, while Celtic, the Scottish champions, who not so long ago started the European competition in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League, will enter in the second qualifying round this term.

BBC.com: Celtic face Icelandic side Stjarnan in Champions League qualifying

Celtic, the champions of the Scottish Premier League will start its 2015-2016 European campaign in the second qualifying round of the Champions League in the middle of July, online gambling news reported. As keen followers of sports scores might remember, the Hoops failed to make it into the group stages last year after being eliminated by Maribor.

FC Lusitans is to host West Ham United at Camp d’Esports d’Aixoval

Now the Bhoys will entertain Icelandic champions Stjarnan, while West Ham United, the other British side involved in the early stages of the competition, will face FC Lusitans from Andorra in the first qualifying round of the Europa League. West Ham, the side that finished twelfth in the English Premier League gained qualification through their Fair Play record.

The Hammers will start the campaign with their new boss Slaven Bilic as early as July 2. After a clash of fixtures between the two Andorran sides occurred, the initial schedule was reversed, so West Ham will play the first game home at Upton Park before travelling to Andorra a week later.

TheStar.com: West Ham kick off season against Andorran minnows

The draw of the Europa League qualifying was held on Monday in Nyon, Switzerland. West Ham United were paired with FC Lusitans from Andorra in the first round, and the Hammers will kick off their campaign at the beginning of July, five weeks before the start of the Premier League.

Those with an adept knowledge of gambling facts might recall that West Ham participated in the competition last time in the 2006-07 season. Now they will play in Andorra at Camp d’Esports d’Aixoval, a 1,000 capacity stadium. Andorra’s other team in Europe, Sant Julia will entertain Randers from Denmark in the first round.

England was ranked first by the UEFA fair play system and that provided them an extra place in the competition that went to West Ham, the team that came first in the English first-tier’s fair play ranking. 102 teams participated in the draw and the former European Cup winner Red Star from Belgrade will also enter in the first round travelling to Central Asia to visit Kairat Almaty in Kazakhstan.

UEFA.com: Qualifying round draws: best of the reaction

After the draw for the UEFA Champions League qualifiers was held in Nyon, Switzerland, the teams’ representatives spoke about their upcoming opponents. Icelandic champions Stjarnan will play against Celtic after they eliminated Motherwell in the Europa League qualifiers last year, as keen followers of live sports results might remember.

Celtic is to face Icelandic Stjarnan.

“We have mixed feelings,” said Stjarnan defender Daniel Laxdal. “It is great to meet Celtic but I think they are the most difficult team we could have met. We saw them against KR last year and know it will be hard work in defence. Last season we showed anything is possible if we are at our best so hopefully we can do something similar. Celtic will start their season against us and that might help a little but we are up against a great team.”

Celtic FC assistant manager John Kennedy commented the draw via his social media account. He expressed that all pressure is on Celtic, and this situation might suit the Icelandic underdogs. He added, “We have to make sure we go in fully prepared and we win the game. That’s the most important thing.”

The world last week was a place of excitement and disaster so lets look back at some of the big stories that hit the headlines

Quatar was cleared of allegations of wrong doing surrounding their being awarded the 2022 World Cup by FIFA the body that oversees international soccer. Despite a huge number of allegations the report supposedly gave the rich nation in which it’s actually too hot to feasibly play football a clean bill of health although the report itself is not to be published in full and has already been criticized by one of the authors for being misrepresented. UEFA are already threatening to quit FIFA over the scandal.And a scandal is perhaps what the Rosetta project could become as the 1.4 billion Euro adventure into the depths of space managed to get 300 million miles from Earth, catch up with a speeding comet and then crash into it, bounce a few times and dive into one of the few places its solar panels couldn’t recharge its batteries. Still hailed as a huge success by the scientific community it remains to be seen just how much real information will be gleaned from the results.

Of course real information is hard to come by these days and Vladimir Putin seemed a tad disingenuous when he cited a long journey home and a need for sleep as being the reasons behind his leaving the G20 Summit in Australia quite as early as he did. Of course many observers would point to the fact just about every other leader had lambasted him for his attitude and behavior over Ukraine, and that Russia was rapidly becoming isolated on the world stage.

In sports a very disappointed Roger Federer was forced to pull out of the ATP World Tour final versus long term rival Novak Djokovic due to a back injury. Apologizing in person at the O2 Arena in London he said sorry for not being match fit in what was a massive PR disaster for the ATP, and an unfortunately tainted default win for Djokovic who admitted this wasn’t the way he wanted to win the trophy. Will Federer recover his fitness or have we seen the last of the six time ATP champion? Find out on our daily news pages but in the meantime lets have a look back at our headlines from last week.

1. One company’s trash is another company’s treasure. With Echo Group hunting VIP gamblers, the Townsville casino was becoming too insignificant in the whole picture, so the company sold it for $70 million to someone willing to fix it up and revive it.

2. After remote gambling operators have taken a major financial blow because of the new license fees and taxes imposed in the UK, the Maltese Government is offering to help heal their bleeding wounds.

3. A trained chef and poker player, Martin Jacobson has surely figured out the secret recipe for success, because he just won $10 million and his very first gold bracelet at the World Series of Poker.

4. It took a long time, but Atlantic City is finally waking up and smelling the coffee. Losing five casinos and leaving thousands of workers unemployed has finally hurt enough to convince officials that it’s time for a change.

5. One of the largest Asian gambling groups, Genting, is resilient to the general decline on the gambling market.

6. The state of Illinois allowed video gaming machines in bars and restaurants and so far the experience has been positive.

7. New information has been made available in connection to Paul Phua illegal betting ring, which might lead to case dismissal.

Meanwhile Boko Haran we accused of being behind the suicide bombing that struck a Nigerian school assembly killing 46 and injuring 79 students, an event that made a mockery of government claims to have signed a ceasefire with the Islamic terrorist group, and elsewhere the Dutch have discovered a new outbreak of an even more contagious, and thus dangerous, strain of bird flu that can be transmitted to humans. Will we all end up tarred and feathered? You’ll have to keep up to date with our daily news pages to find out.

The world last week was a place of excitement and disaster so lets look back at some of the big stories that hit the headlines

Quatar was cleared of allegations of wrong doing surrounding their being awarded the 2022 World Cup by FIFA the body that oversees international soccer. Despite a huge number of allegations the report supposedly gave the rich nation in which it’s actually too hot to feasibly play football a clean bill of health although the report itself is not to be published in full and has already been criticized by one of the authors for being misrepresented. UEFA are already threatening to quit FIFA over the scandal.And a scandal is perhaps what the Rosetta project could become as the 1.4 billion Euro adventure into the depths of space managed to get 300 million miles from Earth, catch up with a speeding comet and then crash into it, bounce a few times and dive into one of the few places its solar panels couldn’t recharge its batteries. Still hailed as a huge success by the scientific community it remains to be seen just how much real information will be gleaned from the results.

Of course real information is hard to come by these days and Vladimir Putin seemed a tad disingenuous when he cited a long journey home and a need for sleep as being the reasons behind his leaving the G20 Summit in Australia quite as early as he did. Of course many observers would point to the fact just about every other leader had lambasted him for his attitude and behavior over Ukraine, and that Russia was rapidly becoming isolated on the world stage.

In sports a very disappointed Roger Federer was forced to pull out of the ATP World Tour final versus long term rival Novak Djokovic due to a back injury. Apologizing in person at the O2 Arena in London he said sorry for not being match fit in what was a massive PR disaster for the ATP, and an unfortunately tainted default win for Djokovic who admitted this wasn’t the way he wanted to win the trophy. Will Federer recover his fitness or have we seen the last of the six time ATP champion? Find out on our daily news pages but in the meantime lets have a look back at our headlines from last week.

1. One company’s trash is another company’s treasure. With Echo Group hunting VIP gamblers, the Townsville casino was becoming too insignificant in the whole picture, so the company sold it for $70 million to someone willing to fix it up and revive it.

2. After remote gambling operators have taken a major financial blow because of the new license fees and taxes imposed in the UK, the Maltese Government is offering to help heal their bleeding wounds.

3. A trained chef and poker player, Martin Jacobson has surely figured out the secret recipe for success, because he just won $10 million and his very first gold bracelet at the World Series of Poker.

4. It took a long time, but Atlantic City is finally waking up and smelling the coffee. Losing five casinos and leaving thousands of workers unemployed has finally hurt enough to convince officials that it’s time for a change.

5. One of the largest Asian gambling groups, Genting, is resilient to the general decline on the gambling market.

6. The state of Illinois allowed video gaming machines in bars and restaurants and so far the experience has been positive.

7. New information has been made available in connection to Paul Phua illegal betting ring, which might lead to case dismissal.

Meanwhile Boko Haran we accused of being behind the suicide bombing that struck a Nigerian school assembly killing 46 and injuring 79 students, an event that made a mockery of government claims to have signed a ceasefire with the Islamic terrorist group, and elsewhere the Dutch have discovered a new outbreak of an even more contagious, and thus dangerous, strain of bird flu that can be transmitted to humans. Will we all end up tarred and feathered? You’ll have to keep up to date with our daily news pages to find out.

The bitter fruit of soccer governing body UEFA’s labor is blooming in a Europe-wide probe across 12 countries to determine to what extent matches are being fixed for gambling purposes. It appears impossible to say whether UEFA’s efforts will or even can succeed before the 2010 World Cup kicks off in South Africa on June 11.

Sydney Morning Herald: Nine Swiss footballers suspended

Switzerland’s national soccer association has suspended nine players, including five for an indefinite period, for match-fixing as part of the Europe-wide UEFA probe.

The national league board said in a statement that “The Swiss Football Association is, according to current information, the first and only federation which has treated in the consequent manner the suspects of match-fixing made public in autumn 2009.”

None of the nine players suspended were in the top division of Switzerland football. The four players given sentences were banned from Swiss soccer for between 12 and 36 months.

The suspensions were the result of 50 raids in November in Austria, Britain, Germany and Switzerland in the probe’s first big move. In these 50 actions, over €1 million was seized. UEFA official stated that “Without doubt this is the biggest scam there has ever been in European football.”

Sports Illustrated: UEFA quizzes players at Hungarian champion Debrecen over suspected match-fixing

UEFA officials recently questioned eight players of Hungarian league champion Debrecen, which lost all six of its Champions League matches to Fiorentina, Liverpool and Lyon in the 2009-10 season, for which the club earned €9.2 million.

Though UEFA offered no comment as to the extent or subject matter of the discussion, Debrecen official Csaba Bartha did not make much of it, writing on the official club website that “the degree of seriousness of the matter is reflected by the fact that they didn’t even [transcribe] the statements.”

Debrecen is the second Hungarian club to come into question in this particular investigation, after UEFA looked into a suspicious Honvéd loss in November. More than 200 games are being considered for the possibility of match fixing in the UEFA investigation.

USA Today: World Cup arrives amid global match-fixing probes

Referees in Bosnia and Ukraine have been banned for life as part of a UEFA probe in a season when fixing matches has “spread more widely through football than ever.” UEFA President Michel Platini described the situation as seriously enough to put the sport itself in “mortal danger.”

Another threat to the integrity of soccer has arisen aside from the existing match-fixing problems has appeared as well. English Football Association chairman David Triesman stated that Russian criminal elements would be attempting to bribe referees to favor Spain in exchange for Spain’s support of the Russian bid to host the 2018 World Cup.

To prevent scandal from tainting the 2010 World Cup, FIFA officials created the company Early Warning, which would monitor any suspicious activity online concerning match outcomes. The World Cup is expected to generate about $3.4 billion for FIFA.

China is also taking on corruption in soccer at home, arresting among others Chinese Football Federation head Nan York and former World Cup referee Lu Jun.

The UEFA probe first began last year, when a “nest of corruption” was revealed to have involved matches in four World Cup nations (Germany, Greece, Slovenia, Switzerland) and six others (Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Croatia, Hungary and Turkey).