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Svrluga looks at the prospects for making use of the Olympic facilities costing about $47 billion in Sochi and the Krasnaya Polyana region after the 2014 games are over. This depends on Putin and future Russian governments placing priority on developing the region. A shift in priorities or lack of funding for development and attracting visitors as a tourism destination would leave many facilities empty. Prime minister Medvedev has called for a plan to make use of facilities. Some of the facilities will be used in the 2018 soccer World Cup and other sports events.

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A management shakeup takes place at Nike with the departure of several executives and the HR chief for inappropriate behaviour. Nike is described as having a boy's club culture in this report which shows some women left Nike to join rivals Puma and Adidas, and others conducted a survey about conditions for women at the company relating to pay inequity, and allegations of inappropriate workplace behaviour. Following the survey Nike CEO Parker conducted his own internal investigation leading to the management shakeup. Nike will now setup mandatory manager training so that it takes the steps to become a women friendly workplace.

Nike has developed an aggressive competitive culture in its competition with Adidas and other brands. This has added to difficulties for women at the company.

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Toutiao and the growing mobile segment for news aggregated from thousands of sources for tech, politics, and other local news. Toutiao and Tencent QQ are taking advantage of the growing need for news in China. Toutiao's algorithm targets new internet users in rural areas and small towns who are looking for news and do not need the use of global news sites as is done by Google and Apple. The deep learning of computers is used to study user habits such as learning about the main soccer teams, watching funny videos,as habits of users. Beijing Bytedance Technology has come up with the new site. The highest growth rate is now for news on mobile, growth is 73% year over year far surpassing travel and mobile video, according to QuestMobile.

China restricts use of Google and Facebook News and other sites and favors local content and news sites to give international news, and news about China.

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Spanish footballer Rodri Fernandez is one of those rare players for his humility and simple living. He studied business and economics at university while playing at Villa Real and stayed in dorm accomodation so as not to miss a class. He does not use social media as he says he does not need friends on the internet. He drove a second hand Vauxhall Corsa that he bought from an elderly lady, a car was simply a way to get from A to B. He enjoyed being with his class friends on the sofa.  It all speaks so much about Rodri and about Spanish football. 

See the Premier League's Oct 29, 2024 30 minute You Tube interview by British soccer player Frank Lampard of Rodri Fernandez, to see him up close and how he plays the game.

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A poll released by Datafolha on June 29, 2013, shows a sharp drop in popularity of Brazil's president Dilma Rousseff from 57% to 30%. In northeastern Brazil, an area where the ruling Workers Party enjoyed strong support, Rousseff's popularity fell sharply from 64% to 40%. Over 80% of respondents in the poll expressed support for the street protests in Brazilian cities over poor infrastructure, transportation and public services, and overspending on soccer stadiums at the expense of basic services. A protest over bus fare increases set off the street protests. Rousseff's response to the protests have come under criticism- the president offered to conduct a referendum for improving the political system, and channel oil royalties to education.

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A terrorist attack on july 15, 2016, by a Tunisian born delivery truck driver using a large delivery truck to crush people on a Nice promenade. The death toll is about 85 with 50 people badly injured. The delivery truck driver is Bouhlel, 31, born in Tunisia and from Msaken, Tunisia, who moved to France in 2005. President Hollande extended a nationwide state of emergency for 3 months. The Euro 2016 soccer games in France went without any incidents, only to be followed by this attack.  Georges Fenech who headed a parliamentary inquiry into intelligence and terrorism said about the attack - "it is a predictable tragedy." He said France "is clearly not equiped to fight against Islamic terrorism," in an interview with news channel iTele. This was one of the conclusions of the parliamentary inquiry which called for a new agency to be setup, and merging of existing intelligence agencies. The president of the Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur region told BFM-TV about the Hollande administration: "I don't want to hear the usual "we are going to do an investigation." He questioned the Interior Minister Cazeneuve for how a single person could have breached the security line at the Bastille Day clebrations in Nice on a prominent promenade, Promenade des Anglais. ...

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DW.com looks at a football pitch in Srinagar, Kashmir, where Kashmiri girls are learning to play soccer with training from a professional soccer coach. Nadiya Nighat trains 30 young female footballers ages 11-20 as women take up the sport after encountering many obstacles. It is part of a growing trend across India after Indian participation in the Olympic games that made women's participation in sports a national theme.

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Tennis player from Serbia is disqualified for hitting the line umpire with a tennis ball. Djokovic was behind 6-5 to Carren Busta of Spain and lost his serve when this happened. Once before in that match he hit a ball at the stands in frustration. The Organizers of the U.S. Open decided there were clear reasons for him to be disqualified and lose all points he had earned at the U.S. Open. Djokovic had earlier come under criticism for his playing in events where there was no social distancing. Tennis has lost much of the graceful behaviour from the time when players like Althea Gibson, Ken Rosewall and Rod Laver played the game in an earlier era. Too much of the money is focused on prize money, television advertising, star status and number of grand slams won, bringing the game down to a level where the fans enjoying a good game is left behind and focus is all on individual players. The same is true for soccer where so much focus was placed on Barcelona and Messi and the 700 million transfer fee. The message from reality comes from the 7-2 win by Bayern Munich over Barcelona with a traditional approach to the game based on using new players costing far less money, a good dose of common sense and hard work. Coaches at Manchester City and Liverpool, and Real Madrid all attributed their success in the game to hard work and discipline of players, with every player playing for the team and for fans, and not for star status. ...

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Democratic Party U.S. presidential candidate Bernie Sanders tells a Georgetown University audience that Muslim nations should bear the biggest share of the burden of fighting Islamic State. He cites reports Qatar was spending $200 billion to host the Soccer World Cup in 2022 but providing little to bear the cost of fighting extremism in the Muslim world. Sanders says his focus in running is not on pursuing "reckless adventures abroad, but to rebuild America's strength at home." This contrasted with remarks by Hillary Clinton in New York the same day calling for the U.S. to lead the fight to defeat the the Islamic State terror network after Paris attacks in Nov. 2015, and putting forward a position that contrasts with that of the Obama administration.

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Almuth Schult of Wolfsburg is a women's soccer player who plans to come back to soccer after having two children. After a successful case of a Wolfsburg teammate of hers against Lyon the new FIFA rules require that professional women football players get maternity leave at two thirds pay for at least 14 weeks. In addition clubs are not allowed to discriminate against players because of pregnancy and must reinstate them after giving birth.

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This wonderful report in the DW.com looks at what may be the defining game of the Nations League Soccer in 2020- the Germany loss to Spain, Spain winning with 6 goals. It shows pictures of moments for each of 6 goals by Spain and detailed descriptions of each. Coach Joachim Low's strategy for his players of sitting deep in his half so as to remove the possibility of inviting space backfired says DW.com. Toni Kroos of Real Madrid team who was one of the few seasoned players on a new team for Germany put together by Low, says that they tried both being more aggressive in the second half after sitting deep in the first half, and both approaches failed. The Spanish team was well coordinated, faster and tougher throughout the game.  At key moments the Germany defenders were nowhere near the Spanish players as they moved the ball one way and quickly the opposite way the next moment. Ferran scored a hat trick with 3 goals and some of his goal kicks were very quick and fast. As it says here Ferran reacted faster than anyone to score. In three consecutive moments Germany was slow to react to the speed of the Spanish players. For most of the game the Spanish players controlled the ball with pinpoint passing in the midst of many of the German players. It was not that Neuer the German goal keeper was not quick enough, he was beaten by the speed and angles, and the movement of the ball from different directions with Spain's rapid passing. For Spain Ramos, Morata, Ferran, Koke and Rodrigo, Olmo, played a critical role with a German team not looking like this since the 1930's, even though coach Joachim Low had put together a new German team. This could be a formative moment for Germany and coach Joachim Low as the German team looks for its form that eluded it completely this time.  ...

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With 7 caps for Germany and winning the Bundesliga title for Bayern in 2005, Tobias Rau retired in 2009 after injuries. His next career- teaching sports and biology at the peter August Gasemschule in northwest Germany.

Gheerbrant of The Times of London talks to soccer players who decide to take the road not taken and branch out into different things. 

Rau says as a child he was lucky to have good teachers, and school was a part of life he really loved. With a wife and two small children he likes living in a small town. Werther the home town he came back to to teach at a Gasemschule.( a comprehensive with real mix of abilities and qualifications). He likes that he gets to spend quality time with his children, and does not have to deal with the high of adrenaline of competitive sports which can tax the body and system. He was 27 when he retired, quite young so that helps, as he could get back to university easily at that age. 

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Marketing campaigns in 2011 for the Toyota Siena, Honda Odyssey, Chrysler Dodge Grand Caravan, Ford C-Max. Sales are up 42% for Honda Odyssey since October 2010, when 2011 models and campaign was introduced. The campaign has helped increase sales by 18.5% through November 2010, for Toyota's Siena. This is double the industry average for minivans and is a bright spot for Toyota, whose overall sales have been flat since the recalls. Toyota's Siena campaign shows rapping parents with kids in the back, making it cool to be seen in a minivan. Toyota's national marketing manager says the stories they heard were that people just did'nt want to be seen in a minivan, the soccer-mom joke or feeling playing a part in this. These ads hope to dispel that notion.

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Coach Gareth Southgate tackles complacency as England head into soccer games with Italy and Germany in the Nations League this week.

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Adidas took a one time charge of 125 million euros for irregularities in its Reebok India Company, and expects an additional charge of 70 million euros. Adidas expects net profit to increase by 12-17% in 2012. Net profit for the first quarter of 2012 increased by 38% to 289 million euros, mainly on higher sales in China and Japan and its TaylorMade-Adidas Golf sales. Revenue increased by 14% to 3.8 billion euros on a constant currency basis. Profit results reflected lower financial expenses and a lower tax rate. The 2012 Olympics and Euro 2012 soccer will offer additional marketing opportunities for Adidas. Adidas is increasing its distribution in China and plans to have 2500 stores in 1400 cities by 2015. It will use its NEO brand at lower price points for entry customers in the smaller cities of China.

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The growing middle class in Brazil, new aspirations and the demand for better public services in transportation, education and healthcare. Alexandre Peppe, a 29 year old from the outlying parts of Sao Paulo, is a new member of the middle class, being the first to go to college in his family and finding a job in the state government. He was one of the protesters on the streets of Sao Paulo. The growing middle class has new hopes and aspirations that see serious shortcomings in the corruption of political leaders, neglect of public services such as transportation and overspending on the soccer stadiums for the FIFA and World Cup championships. Economic growth is slowing to about 1% in Brazil for 2013, creating new constraints for public spending just as demand for infrastructure and services is growing for the now large middle class.

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The US women's soccer team fails to score and Portugal comes close to winning in the final minutes with a shot that come off the goal post.

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Newspapers and media from Argentina to Germany and France praise the effort of the new U.S. Attorney General in prosecuting the case against FIFA, and taking on the challenge of acting in a case that crosses international boundaries. The use by people investigated in the case of the American banking system and the new willingness of banks to cooperate with federal investigations provides Lynch with the basis of building a strong case.

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Ralf Rangnick is one of the most influential persons in German soccer, known to the public as "football professor." He coached Schalke and now takes up the job of coaching AC Milan.