Soccer By Ives

Friday Kickoff: Platini backs winter World Cup, Houston re-signs Boswell and more

It remains to be seen whether the 2022 World Cup will be played in the summer or the winter, but one high-ranking FIFA official has a solution to ensure a winter World Cup gets played without a problem: Move the two biggest competitions in European club soccer. 

Ahead of Friday's Euro 2012 draw in the Ukraine, UEFA president Michel Platini said that he is open to moving the UEFA Champions League and Europa League competitions in order to accommodate a winter World Cup in Qatar.

"If we play in winter, not a problem to organize it," said Platini, who admitted to voting for Qatar over the other candidates in an interview with Al Jazeera. "How can people go to Qatar in 50 degrees (celsius) in June? If the people can't come to enjoy it, it's not good. If we play in winter it will be not a problem. Instead (of stopping the season) in May you play until June, and then stop in December. Where is the problem?"

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Mid-Day Ticker: Semifinals set in Mexico, doubts remain over '22 WC host, & more

By JOEY SAMUEL

A wild weekend that included several major upsets concluded Sunday night in Mexico, where the four semifinal places in the Apertura playoffs were set.

Chivas de Guadalajara, despite finishing first in the regular season standings, could not overturn the deficit from their shocking 2-1 loss to Queretaro from last week. Despite playing in front of their home fans at Estadio Omnilife, Chivas were ousted in the first round and Queretaro won a playoff series for the first time in team history as the teams played to a 0-0 draw on Saturday night.

Also on Saturday, Cruz Azul once again disappointed in the playoffs after a solid regular season when they were defeated at home, 2-1, by Monarcas Morelia. After Morelia posted a 2-1 home victory last week, they duplicated the result at Estadio Azul to take down second-seeded Cruz Azul, who continue their history of let-downs in the postseason.

On Sunday, things were less shocking as Santos Laguna earned a 2-1 home win over Jaguares to advance 4-3 on aggregate. Then, Tigres de la UANL cruised to a 3-0 win over Pachuca, winning the series 4-0 overall.

With the top two teams in the league eliminated, the semifinal matchups are set. Eighth-seeded Queretaro will face third-seeded Tigres in one series, while the other will feature seventh-seeded Morelia against fourth-seeded Santos Laguna.

Here are some other stories to keep your Monday going:

FOX wins bid for 2018, 2022 World Cup TV rights

When the 2018 and 2022 World Cups kick off in Russia and Qatar, there is a very good chance that you'll be watching those tournaments on a FOX network.

FOX beat out both ESPN and NBC for the U.S. broadcast rights to the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, multiple reports revealed on Friday morning. The news came as a surprise for many who expected ESPN to win the bids.

On the Spanish-language side, NBC-owned Telemundo beat out favorites Univision for the Spanish-Language rights to the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

What do you think of this development?

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