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23-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo won the FIFA World Player of the Year award on Monday.

The Portugal and Manchester United winger received 935 votes in a worldwide poll of national team captains and coaches, with the results announced by Brazil's all-time great Pele.

Lionel Messi, the Argentina midfielder, was runner-up with 678 votes, while Spain's Fernando Torres was third with 203.

Cristiano Ronaldo became the first Premier League player to be selected world player of the year and only the second Portuguese player after Luis Figo, who finished ahead of David Beckham in 2001.

"It is an overwhelming moment, a very special moment in my life," Ronaldo said. "I would like to say to my mother and sister that the fireworks can be fired off now."

Brazil's 22-year-old Marta Vieira da Silva, won the women's award for the third year in a row. For the women's vote, 139 coaches and captains cast their vote and Marta won comfortably with 1,002 points ahead of Germany's Prinz with 328 points and Brazil's Cristiane 275 points.

Image Courtesy: Google AFP Pictures

Former FIFA President Joao Havelange has made some quite sensational, and potentially damaging, allegations by claiming that the 1966 and 1974 World Cups were fixed so that England and Germany would win respectively.

The 1966 World Cup held in England has been the centre of a number of conspiracy theories over the years. These include England’s quarter final victory over Argentina when the hosts won 1-0 after the South Americans had seen their captain Antonio Rattin controversially handed a straight red card for arguing with the referee.

It has been claimed that there was a plot for England to win the World Cup, and the referee from this game was German, while the official in Germany’s quarter final win over Uruguay was English. The controversy continued in the final with Geoff Hurst’s famous ‘was it over the line?’ goal.

Joao Havelange, who was FIFA President from 1974 until 1998 is certain to have further fuelled these conspiracy theories by openly stating that the 1966 and ’74 World Cups were fixed.

"In the three matches that the Brazilian national team played in 1966, of the three referees and six linesmen, seven were British and two were Germans," Havelange told Folha de Sao Paulo.

"Brazil went out, Pele ‘exited’ through injury [following some rough defensive play], and England and Germany entered into the final, just as the Englishman Sir Stanley Rous, who was the President of FIFA at the time, had wanted.

"In Germany in 1974 the same thing happened. During the Brazil-Holland match, the referee was German, we lost 2-0 and Germany won the title," said Havelange.

"We were the best in the world, and had the same team that had won the World Cup in 1962 in Chile and 1970 in Mexico, but it was planned for the host countries to win.”

This content has been taken from Goal.com

I have one question...Why the hell he didn't speak at that moment and why the hell he has opened his mouth now.

Charlie Dempsey - New Zealand Soccer administrator, who gained world wide notoriety when he ensured Germany won the right to host the 2006 World Cup, died in Auckland, Tuesday. He was 86.

In 2000 Dempsey, decided not to cast his vote at a FIFA congress, because he didn't want to make enemies. He had gone against Oceania Football Confederation wishes to bid for South Africa for 2006 World Cup.

Charlie Dempsey was elected president of the OFC in 1992, and onto the FIFA executive in 1996. He was head of the New Zealand Football Association (now Soccer New Zealand) when New Zealand appeared for the first time in the World Cup finals in 1982 in Spain.

Striker Yoshito Okubo of Japan has been banned for 3 games by FIFA after being sent off for violent conduct against Oman in a World cup qualifier match in Muscat. Japan drew with Oman 1-1 in that match.

Okubo received a straight red card in that match after he kicked Oman's goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi while both players were on the ground.

FIFA has also fine the Japan Football Association 5,000 Swiss francs ($4,840) for the offence.

"I'm disappointed but I am the one who is most to blame," said Okubo.

FIFA has ruled Australian goalkeeper Danny Vukovic out of the Beijing Olympics. An independent appeals panel allowed him for the Beijing Olympics, but Danny Vukovic's dreams were shattered after this FIFA's decision.

Football Federation Australia (FFA) has confirmed on Tuesday that FIFA has banned Vukovic from international matches until January 25 next year.

Central Coast Mariner's goalkeeper Vukovic was banned for 15 months - with six months suspended - after being sent off for striking referee Mark Shield at the end of this year's A-League grand final loss to Newcastle in March.

Danny Vukovic appealed to an independent panel, which reduced the ban for 4 months and split the suspension so that he could play the Beijing Olympics and serve the ban before and after the Olympics.

On Monday, FIFA opened an investigation into the deaths of eight people at a World Cup qualifying match between Liberia and Gambia. The incident occured three and half hours before the match in Samuel K.Doe Stadium in Monrovia. The victims were suffocated in the overcrowded stadium.


Samuel K.Doe Stadium is a 33,000 seat venue built in 1987. The stadium is scheduled to host another World Cup Qualifier on June 15 between Liberia and Senegal.