Spain World Cup squad: Fernando Torres makes the cut in final 23 for Brazi.
Fernando Torres has been included in Spain's final World Cup squad.
The Chelsea striker
has endured another difficult campaign for the Blues but did net from
the spot in La Roja's 2-0 friendly win over Bolivia on Friday night.
Torres
is one six Premier League based players selected with teammate Cesar
Azpilicueta, Manchester United's David De Gea and Juan Mata, Manchester
City's David Silva and Santi Cazorla of Arsenal also making the cut.
City
teammates Alvaro Negredo and Jesus Navas were left disappointed while
boss Vicente Del Bosque has made something of a gamble with the
inclusion of striker Diego Costa.
The Atletico Madrid forward limped out of the Champions League final after just nine minutes and faces a race against time to be fit for the finals.
Goalkeepers : Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Pepe Reina (Liverpool), David De Gea (Manchester United)
Defenders
: Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Raul Albiol
(Napoli), Javi Martinez (Bayern Munich), Juanfran (Atletico Madrid),
Jordi Alba (Barcelona), Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea)
Midfielders
: Xavi (Barcelona), Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), Andres Iniesta
(Barcelona), Koke (Atletico Madrid), Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Santi
Cazorla (Arsenal), Cesc Fabregas (Barcelona), Juan Mata (Manchester
United), David Silva (Manchester City)
Forwards : Pedro (Barcelona), Diego Costa (Atletico Madrid), David Villa (Atletico Madrid), Fernando Torres (Chelsea).
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Fernando Torres has been included in Spain's final World Cup squad. |
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Qatari paid millions for World Cup bid support.
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Mohamed bin Hammam |
LONDON: A British newspaper alleged on Sunday that a former
top Qatari football official paid $US5 million ($5.3 million) to get
support for the emirate's campaign to host the 2022 World Cup.
The Sunday Times said it had obtained millions of
emails and other documents relating to alleged payments made by Mohamed
Bin Hammam, the then FIFA executive member for Qatar.
It alleged that Bin Hammam, who is also the ex-Asian Football
Confederation (AFC) president, used slush funds to pay out the cash to
top football officials to win a "groundswell" of support for Qatar's
World Cup bid.
Bin Hammam, who launched an abortive challenge against
incumbent FIFA president Sepp Blatter, resigned from his FIFA and AFC
posts in 2012, shortly before he was banned for life from football
administration by the global governing body's ethics committee.
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The newspaper said Bin Hammam had made payments of up to
$US200,000 into accounts controlled by the presidents of 30 African
football associations, and hosted hospitality events in Africa at which
he handed out further funds, to get backing for Qatar's bid.
Bin Hammam also paid $US1.6 million into bank accounts
controlled by Jack Warner, the former vice-president of FIFA, $US450,000
of which was before the vote for the World Cup, the
Sunday Times said.
Warner was one of the 22 people who in 2010 decided to award
Russia the 2018 World Cup and Qatar the 2022 tournament. He stood down
in 2011.
The Sunday Times also alleged that Bin Hamman paid out
at least €305,000 ($447,000) in legal and private detective fees for
Reynald Temarii, the disgraced Oceania Exco member, after he was
suspended for telling undercover reporters that he had been offered $12m
for his vote.
Temarii refused to resign as an Exco [FIFA executive] member,
thus preventing his planned replacement from voting for Qatar’s rival
Australia for 2022.
The latest allegations come two months after Britain's
Daily Telegraph newspaper alleged that a company owned by Hammam had paid money to Warner.
Bin Hammam did not respond to questions from the
Sunday Times and his son declined to comment on his behalf, the newspaper said.
It quoted the Qatari committee behind the World Cup bid as
denying that Bin Hammam played any secret role in their campaign, or had
any knowledge of the alleged payments.
The decision to give the World Cup to Qatar, a country with
little football history, provoked widespread condemnation particularly
over health concerns for leading players forced to play in the desert
nation's stifling summer heat.
Blatter said in May that it was a mistake to choose Qatar to
host the 2022 World Cup because of the country's sweltering summertime
climate.