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World Cup: FIFA to Probe Flying Drone Above France Camp
Porto Alegre:France coach Didier Deschamps has said FIFA will look into claims one of his side's training sessions was disrupted by a drone flying overhead earlier this week.
The incident is believed to have taken place on Tuesday at France's World Cup training camp in Ribeirao Preto, north of Sao Paulo, as they prepared for their opening match against Honduras in Porto Alegre on Sunday.
"Apparently drones are used more and more," said Deschamps, who captained the side to their only World Cup triumph in 1998.
"We don't want intrusion into our privacy. It's hard to fight.
"It's not up to me -- FIFA handles this and has been carrying out an inquiry."
FIFA is yet to comment on the matter.
Drones are more commonly used to spy on military targets.
Deschamps did though accept that concerns over the small unmanned aircraft are more trivial than those that faced Les Bleus four years ago in South Africa when they crashed out at the group stages amongst a player revolt that sparked a national scandal.
After facing Honduras, Deschamps' men will also take on Switzerland and Ecuador in Group E.
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Today's Fixtures
- Germany vs Portugal Live from Brasil on Sony Six from 09:30 PM
- Iran vs Nigeria live from Brasil on Sony Six from 12:30 AM (Tuesday)
- Ghana vs United States Live From Brasil on Sony Six from 03:30 AM (Tuesday)
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Floods Hit Brazil World Cup City Natal before US Game
Rio de Janeiro: Two days of near non-stop rain have dumped a month's worth of precipitation on the World Cup city of Natal, leading to a flood alert and raising worries that the deluge could affect the U.S. team's debut match against Ghana.
No deaths or injuries have been reported in the rains, which began early Friday and abated only on Sunday, dumping in 50 hours as much rain as is usually seen in the northeastern Brazilian city during the entire month of June. With more rains forecast for the next five days, some people worried that the weather could affect the U.S.-Ghana match on Monday afternoon.
Natal's City Hall declared a flood alert on Saturday and evacuated dozens of residents as a precaution in the Mae Luiza neighborhood in the city's west. News reports showed images of residents wading through knee-deep waters as others pushed cars submerged up to the door handles. Additional reports showed a huge crater cutting across a street in a residential neighborhood.
Floods can often be deadly in Brazil, where intense rains, chaotic urban planning and garbage-filled drainage pipes sometimes result in landslides that bury entire neighborhoods. Poor neighborhoods, often built up steep hillsides, tend to be hit worst by such flooding.
The southern Brazilian regions of Parana and Mato Grosso do Sul have also been hit by recent floods.
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First True Test, And a Noticeable Gaffe, for Goal-Line Technology
Porto Alegre: Goal-line technology was put to its first serious use at the World Cup on Sunday in the 48th minute of France's match with Honduras.
The result was a second goal for France in what would turn into a 3-0 victory.
After years of complaints and controversy, FIFA, soccer's world governing body, hired the German company GoalControl to provide the first goal-line system in World Cup history this year. Fourteen cameras have been deployed on each field, and Sunday's goal was the first instance when the new system was decisive.
French striker Karim Benzema's half-volleyed, left-footed shot struck the far post, then rebounded toward Honduras goalkeeper Noel Valladares along the goal line. It struck him on the left hand and bounced toward the goal, and he then pulled it back.
But the device on the Brazilian referee Sandro Ricci's wrist - connected with the system - already was buzzing and showing "Goal" on its small screen to indicate that the ball had fully crossed the line. Ricci ruled it a goal, and a replay soon confirmed it, but not before the system generated confusion and anger inside the stadium by first showing a replay of the ball just after it struck the post and indicating "no goal."
"The concern is that they also showed on the screen the image that does not correspond to the goal," said Didier Deschamps, the French coach, who said he believed the system should have displayed only the sequence that directly related to the goal.
