June 2009 Archives

Even as Blatter praised all and sundry and said that SA were 75% ready for World Cup 2010 a roadblock has reared it's ugly head....
South Africa's biggest union said on Tuesday 50,000 construction workers would launch a strike over pay from next Wednesday, halting work across the economy including on stadiums for the 2010 soccer World Cup. That doesn't sound like good news for the remaining 25%

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An international conspiracy:

John Harkes in the Brazil vs USA final said at one point that US defenders will have to be careful with their tackles given how the referees have been carding them. The Italy match got the ball rolling on that controversy. Thereafter, it was a cumulative process as the US picked up their share of yellows and reds generating a buzz that FIFA did not want to see the US succeed against the bigger teams. The Brazil match should bury that. The Seleccao were carded more often.

Here is a stat that the US should be most concerned about: It is a team with questionable ball control. Of the semi-finalists, the USA passed the ball the least and were least successful in holding onto it. The South Africans made 2389 passes completing them 76% of the times. Spain was even better with 3229 passes and an 81% success rate. Winners Brazil passed 2077 times with a 79% completion rate. The US was way below on the possession index with fewer passes, 1824 passes for a poor 60% completion rate.

In short, the passing was infrequent AND even more tellingly, ineffective. When you take a lead, you also have to hold onto the ball to make it possible to win. The US failed to do that even as they led the four teams in shot accuracy.

So before assigning any international conspiracy which has a nice emotive feel consider these stats. Bob Bradley and his training staff would be better off concentrating on this aspect of the game rather than getting distracted by some unproven plot.

The "we let one get away" theme:

This has been peddled not just by pundits but also by Bradley and Dempsey. Again it has a nice emotive tug. It gives the impression that the US team let the Brazilians back into the game when they had them on the ropes. If you take away the two scoring opportunities which the US did very well to capitalize on, Julio Cesar was otherwise work free. On the other hand Tim Howard had to deal with 31 goal attempts, 13 of them on target. Under such a torrid barrage, it was a matter of when the citadel would finally fall, not if. As mentioned above with the possession stats, the Brazilians swamped the US with superior ball control and the US coughed it up more quickly making it harder for them to maintain the lead.

The two themes muddy what clearly should be obvious. The passing game needs lots of work. You might be able to bury some teams with effective strikes but sooner or later this fundamental flaw will be exposed by superior and more resilient teams.

Fat Ronaldo has a secret identity.Usually the superpowered version has an inconspicous human identity - like Superman is Clark Kent .In this case it's the other way around.The inconspicous Godzilla is actually the super powered Ronaldo...!
Incontestable proof attached......

and see what happens when he jumps after scoring a goal.We all know he has to lose weight- but this is taking things a bit too far...!

And while we are on the subject here's Xavi bashing the other Ronaldo - saying things like "I wouldn't want him here.At Barça, we do not have room for players who fill gossip magazines. We are hard workers and sportsmen but he, on the other hand, is uncontrollable. We have a lot of desire to continue winning."
Hmmm ..maybe if he knew that the thin Ronaldo was actually - but wait - that secret is not out yet.

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2011 could be an important year for the MLS. Thierry Henry says he sees spending two more years at Barca and then he would like to move to the USA to join the Red Bulls.

"Could I play for New York at some point? It could be possible in 2011."

"You never know but the truth is it is an option that could be likely."

Yes, those Red Bulls who are plumb in last position. Surely this is the best news they have received all season. C'mon, win some matches now for the next two years. Don't leave everything for Titi.

Gilberto showed he still had some legs in the Brazil final against the US. The ex-Arsenal player is valued by Dunga for his defensive mettle and still gets regular call ups.

Now, he is attracting some attention with his plug for Felipe Melo, his Brazil team mate and Fiorentina's highly rated holding midfielder.

"We heard rumours and he asked me," Gilberto said. "I said it's a fantastic club and if he's interested, he should go without thinking."

"He is exactly what they need - a powerful player with quality. If they got him it would be great because he is a player they need at the moment."

A quality holding midfielder is amongst Wenger's priorities. Yaya Toure can be taken of the list as he has reportedly signed a contract with Barca keeping him in the club till 2012. Wenger has had a long standing interest in Melo ever since his exploits at Almeria made him a Fiorentina target which he joined in 2008.

At 6'0" and 172 lbs, Melo is a physically strong player. In Dunga's scheme he is the second function midfielder, in between the more defensive Gilberto and the attack minded Ramires. In the Confederation Cup, we saw a player adept at tackling and tracking back. A Maicon free kick which set up Melo's header against the USA in their group encounter showcased his set piece abilities. His long powerful strides eat up ground as he shows an appetite for end to end action. In his first season at Fiorentina he also collected 17 yellow cards and three reds showing that he is no soft touch.

There is evidence too of a player able to maneuver the ball in tight spaces and starting counterattacks with quick crisp passing. Plus, he brings a feature, the cracking long shot that regularly unsettled a goalie which disappeared with Patrick Vieira. I can't remember too many in recent seasons till Arshavin's explosion against Liverpool.

At 25 year of age Melo is older than the Arsenal newbie and brings in a fair bit of experience and maturity. In addition, his international career has taken off under Dunga who loves worker bee like players that seamlessly shuttle between defense and attack.

A sticking point is his price. He has a £17.9 million buy out clause, so Melo will not come cheap. With Dzeko's transfer hopes fading, Milan might target Adebayor. Budget conscious Wenger hopes that the £25 million expected from his sale to pay for Melo should he come to Arsenal.

Stuart Pearce and England enter the Euro 21 final for the first time but it was an entirely forgettable day. For goalie Scott Loach, it was a nightmare without end.

Gonzalo Castro, Mesut Ozil, and two goals by Sandro Wagner shut out England completely.

Joe Hart's presence might have limited the damage and given England a fighting chance. But he was out with suspension as were strikers Frazier Campbell and Gabby Agbanlahor which depleted their striker corps drastically. Stuart Pearce employed Walcott as the lone striker.

But the way the Germans played especially Ozil with his penetrating passes,any result other than a loss would have been highly unlikely. In contrast, James Milner was nowhere as efficient with his passes and Walcott was omnipresent without being effective. He continued his wayward shooting when he fired wide of an early chance. Whatever cohesion England possessed fell apart after Ozil's 35 yard free kick caught Loach out of position. Germany took advantage of the wide open spaces as England committed more players up front to get on the scoreboard. This set up Ozil and Wagner's subsequent brace.

In Brazil's 3-2 victory over USA at the Confederations Cup, Brazil made a spirited come-back after being 2-0 down at half time to the USA, this piece of tactical analysis aims to inform you at how the USA almost beat the brilliant Brazil.

It is granted, that in the first half, Brazil had most of the possession but failed to make any clear-cut-chances, while USA scored 2 goals out of their 2 main chances, but how did it to come to this? There were 3 main ways the USA were better than Brazil in the first 45 minutes.

1. Europe
Stat attack: 9 out of the 11 USA players that played in the Confederations Cup final against Brazil, all play in Europe. You look at USA - and you see Andre Santos, Ramires and Gilberto Silva, 2 players that have never played in Europe and one player evidently past his prime.

There is no single argument for the case against that European football is by a few levels ahead of American football (soccer), the fitness required in the Premier League or Serie A is far superior to where the league that Andre Santos plays in (Brazil), in the modern game, the physical side of the game is becoming more and more important, the USA had defenders, midfielders and strikers who all play in Europe, Carlos Bocanegra played for Fulham, Donovan played for Bayern Leverkusen and Jozy Altidore (a player that I mentioned in my previous article Top 5 Youngsters To Watch Out For In The Confederations Cup) plays for Villareal - they understand the pace of the game at the highest level. With their levels of fitness they can go deeper into a game.

2. Deadly Counter-Attack

If USA's tactics could make a claim; it would be that pragmatic, defensive football combined with deadly counter-attacks can beat any team, for 45 minutes at least, this was the case. With a 4-4-2, with 2 quick strikers (Davis and Altidore) and 2 intelligent, yet pacey wingers (Donovan, Dempsey), the USA could defend in the middle with the likes of Clarke clogging the space, and loft the ball to the left wing, where Donovan could combine with Davis for quick movements, as the Donovan goal occurred, from a Brazil free-kick, with the manager Dunga, so noted for his pragmatic style, he chose to foolishly leave 2 defenders at the back - USA ruthlessly attacked this amateurish defensive choice, this was an example of counter-attacking football at its best.

3. Terrific Tim

Brazil have always had players full of flair and even when they are misfiring as a team, they still carve out a few good chances against any opposition. Players like Robinho, Kaka and Maicon have the ability to create something out of nothing. In the first half Tim Howard had to make a few world-class saves - one of the reasons USA were 2-0 up at half time was because of having a fantastic goalkeeper.

As we wait for the curtain to close and the dust to settle and get used to the fact that we won't be hearing that 'v' word or the din it creates anymore here's a moment of comic relief.Goalkeeping madness from the Japanese J league.

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Any chance that this Confederations Cup victory was anything but business as usual for the Seleccao should be dispelled. The USA pushed them very hard. The win is being compared to some of the great all time comebacks in Brazil's storied footballing history.

1958 World Cup: Sweden lead 1-0 through Liedholm just 3 minutes into the game. The Brazilians had to wait till after halftime to score which they did through Vava. The dam burst and they ran out 5-2 champions, the largest scoreline in World Cup finals.

1962 World Cup: The last match of the first stage. Brazil faced elimination against Spain as they trailed by a goal with 26 minutes left to play. Two goals by Amarildo ensured safe passage. In the finals against Czechoslovakia, Josef Masoupust scored in the 15 minute. Brazil responded through Amarildo to tie the match before half time. In the second half goals through Vava and Zito put the result beyond doubt.

1970 World Cup: Arguably the best team in the game's history. The Seleccao did have their unnerving moments. First against Czechoslovakia in the opening match and then against old nemesis Uruguay in the semi-finals. Both times Brazil trailed before rallying and then running out eventual winners, 4-1 and 3-1 respectively.

1982 World Cup: Tele Santana's team led by Socrates, Zico, Falcao, and Aldair. The most talented Brazilian team to have not won the World Cup. They won against the USSR, 2-1 after trailing in their opening match. In the finals, they faced Italy but after overcoming a two goal deficit were unable to put away the match losing 3-2 in the quarterfinals.

2002 World Cup: The fifth title for the Seleccao. However, they faced some anxious moments in the quarterfinals against England and Michael Owen. The Newcastle striker put England up 1-0 in the 22' minute before Rivaldo equalized in the 45' minute and then Ronaldinho scored the match winner in the last five minutes of regulation time.

Barack Obama's motivational influence now extends to soccer matches.

Kaka, the player of the Confederations Cup reveals that the Seleccao took the two goal deficit to the locker room and rallied using Obama's now famous campaign slogan. "Yes, we can!" It worked as they fought back and won scoring two goals by Luis Fabiano and the match winner by Lucio in the second half.

I wonder if Obama feels so happy with the USA at the receiving end of his slogan!

Julio Cesar also praised Dunga saying that he had been critical of him in the past but this was "Dunga's moment." He also mentioned that Brazil cannot afford to write of their opponents as the US showed in the finals.

The report also mentions that Kaka did not fly back to Brazil but left for Madrid where he will be presented on Tuesday.

USA win the moral victory but Donovan naturally says it isn't nearly enough.

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I can only shake my head at what we can expect from Brazil in the 2010 World Cup. That really should be what we take back home. We know their talent but today showed a team that would not go away. Hats off to the USA for pushing them to the limits but if the meme pushed by Alexi Lalas and John Harkes is "we let one get away" then I am sorry, that really is the wrong message. It gives the impression that the US had the Brazilians by the scruff of the neck and it was an awful display in the second half that let the US down.

Nothing could be farther from the truth as Kaka, Robinho, Luis Fabiano, Maicon, Lucio, and Dani Alves took control of the second half. In the first half, Jonathan Spector limited the damage that Robinho could do. Dempsey with a delicate touch flicked home a Spector cross and Donovan took a cross from Charlie Davis to slice a goal past Julio Cesar. The goals put the USA two up at half time. But indications that the Brazilians were moving into overdrive were already present as Bocanegra fortuitously deflected Maicon's cross past Luis Fabiano's otherwise assured goal before the half closed.

As soon as the second half began Brazil lost no time with Fabiano collecting a pass swinging around and volleying a goal home as the defense stood blindsided. The goal led to the Brazilians exerting even more pressure as they sought the equalizer pushing the US deeper into their corner. Even catching a fortuitous break when replays clearly showed Tim Howard's save off Kaka clearly came when the ball had already crossed the goal line only delayed the inevitable. The Brazilians scored again in the 74th minute with Fabiano at the right place and time to head the ball back into goal as Robinho's shot clanged of the crossbar (it looked like it had broken the line) and into his path . Brazil buried the stake 10 minutes later when Elano's corner was headed emphatically by Lucio straight past Tim Howard for the match winning goal.

What the "we let one get away" message does is that it demeans an overachieving US effort. The US lost ball possession, was overwhelmed by the huge discrepancy in shots on goals, and conceded far too many set pieces. It still served them well against Spain who ran out of ideas when they needed to score. Believe me as a long suffering Gunners fan we carry every possession stat possible when we lose to teams like Hull City. It still does not mean that those teams are better than Arsenal. However, in the final the US came across a resilient Brazilian team that had answers to the adverse half time score. Let me tell you as much as the US learned about itself, the Brazilians learned more through this match. That is why Dunga looked exultant and Lucio looked like he was about to weep. They know now what it takes to win the World Cup. True grit, baby! True grit.

The reason why I wanted the US to win has less to do with international success. It has more to do with forcing the game onto the national mainstream which only becomes animated every four years the World Cup is played. The game is given conditional love. It still lives on headlines like "USA beats world number one in soccer." Another one would have been extremely nice. But please dispense with the "we let one get away" claptrap. All it does is reinforce the same mindset that doomed us in the 2006 World Cup when FIFA gave us a ranking of number four. I mean come on.

Did you rub your eyes your eyes in disbelief?? It is true. Dempsey's flick into the net in the 10' from a swerving right on the money cross by Jonathan Spector.

And then a breakout started by Ricardo Clark feeding the ball to a speeding Landon Donovan who dishes off left to Charlie Davis as they eat up the turf past the threadbare Brazilian defense. Davis slings the ball across on the 20 yard line and Donovan traps, creates space and cracks the ball past Cesar with his left foot with great balance and composure. It must have taken all of 15 seconds for this end to end action.

The US is up 2 goals! Now comes the second half and Dunga must have chewed up the entire team. I have to say Jonathan Spector up to now has improved his game a 100% and has made Robinho work hard. Most of the attacks have emanated from the left flank.

Can the USA pull it off? Two wins against the top two teams in the world.

Kaka vs Landon Donovan

On the face of it. No comparison. Real's $90 million for the Brazilian to $1 million for Donovan's DP status at the Galaxy. However, when it comes to influencing their national squads, Donovan's role is far more important. In this match itself, Donovan has to do what he did against Spain, not just prove to be the creative spark on attack but help the defense neutralize Kaka. With Brazil having the luxury of the experienced Gilberto and the talented Melo covering the back, Kaka can concentrate on creating scoring opportunities. Donovan on the other hand will be under pressure to provide quick recovery as Brazil goes on the attack.

Jonathan Spector vs Robinho

The quick flying Robinho loves to attack down the left, cutting in quickly and opening up space with the left back Andre Santos. Spector will have to move back inside to neutralize that threat. Dempsey can track downfield to help cut off the passing lanes with Spector left free to tackle. On the attacking end, Spector can alternate with Dempsey to force the game wide and cross or pass. This might force Robinho into defensive duties.

De Merit vs Maicon

Maicon is a more complete player than Dani Alves. A speedier and better ball handler with competent defensive qualities. There were plenty of overlapping runs with Ramires down the right and Maicon was able to harass the Italians with his solo runs. De Merit's solid performance against Sergio Ramos blunted the Spanish full back's attacking instincts. He will have to reproduce that form to achieve similar results.

USA's defensive trap vs Gilberto and Melo

The US was very successful in keeping the ball pinned in Spain's half as Casillas struggled to lay the ball at the feet of his players. When he did Xavi was unable to break free as the USA stifled his supply of through balls with good tackles and running onto open players forcing him into errors. Gilberto and Melo are the relays which connect the Brazilian backfield with the midfield attack. With Davis, Donovan, Altidore, and Dempsey pressing up, they could disrupt a Brazil build up early enough without it becoming dangerous.

Altidore and US set pieces vs Brazil defence

This should be a key to the US attack. Corners and free kicks to Altidore, Bocanegra, Spector, and Onyewu provide opportunities to use their strength and aerial ability to give Brazilians some disquieting moments. Bocanegra has acquired quite a reputation with his big time headers and will be watched carefully. The Brazilian center back are quite tall with Luisao and Lucio both well over 6' so Altidore can use his physical prowess to challenge them.

The starting line ups:

USA
Tim HOWARD (GK), Carlos BOCANEGRA (C), Oguchi ONYEWU, Clint DEMPSEY, Charlie DAVIES, Landon DONOVAN, Ricardo CLARK, Jay DeMERIT, Jozy ALTIDORE, Jonathan SPECTOR, Benny FEILHABER

BRAZIL
(GK) JULIO CESAR, MAICON, LUCIO(C), FELIPE MELO, GILBERTO SILVA, LUIS FABIANO, KAKA, ROBINHO, LUISAO, ANDRE SANTOS, RAMIRES

Bafana Bafana scored first but only after 73 minutes of goalless play. Katlego Mphela (video) scored off a cross from very close to the goal .Dani Guiza's equaliser for Spain took only three minutes more.Spain's second goal came off what was meant to be a cross by Dani Guiza.Add another best moment to this version of the Confederations Cup - Katlego Mphela scored a 92nd minute equaliser for South Africa via an incredible free kick that would have made Cristiano Ronaldo want to sit up and clap. Xabi Alonso broke every heart in South Africa when he scored the winner through a free kick in extra time.He had his revenge on the vuvuzelas at last.

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Try your hand at it while you are waiting for the game to start.Go here and blow the vuvuzela.It's fun.No wonder so many people at the games can't stop themselves from giving it one more blast.It's a bit like getting to blow your own trumpet.

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Did you hear about Chelsea's "monster" bid for Pato a few days ago? Well, Milan said, no can do.

Now, it is a "stratospheric" amount for Samuel Eto'o to spirit him away to City. But Barca's president, Joan La Porta knows that "stratospheric" may not be familiar to everyone. So he combines it with "monster". As in:

'Eto'o has a stratospheric offer from City, which would convert him into the best paid player in the world,'' he told Catalan radio station iCat FM. ''It's starting to become clear that he has this monster offer.

I would taken any Man City whiff of a transfer seriously. If there is anyone that can eclipse Real's cash flow it is City's owner Sheikh Mansour Al Nahyan.

And it gets better. Real cloak and dagger stuff. Arsenal are "hijacking" Man Utd's efforts to sign Benzema. Imagine Benzema on the way to Sir Alex's office. As he is about to open the door, Wenger wearing dark shades steps out of the shadows and with delectable economy of movement brings a chloroform soaked cloth to his face. Benzema wakes up togged in a Gunners kit and it is the start of the season against Everton. A copy of his signed contract lies in the locker room.

Cristiano Ronaldo has upped the ante so much that clubs have to resort to hyperbole to get attention. Any amount less is considered homely. Personally I love "eclipse." I am hoping Milan makes an offer to "eclipse" all offers for Adebayor so that we can "hijack" players bound for Old Trafford or Stamford Bridge.

Jonathan Wilson's excellent article talks about the intricate system of midfielders that the Brazilians have recently used with their 4-2-3-1 formation. The Brazilians call it a diamond with Gilberto at the base, Ramires to the right, Melo to the left and Kaka as the play maker at the apex. With this inner core, we add a Robinho to the diamond as a second striker jutting to the left. It introduces a great deal of fluidity and overlap.

On the right we have Ramires cutting infield and overlapping with Maicon, the right back with his great attacking instincts running out wide. On the left, we have Robinho who accomplishes both functions, a striker with a wing back like quality. In doing so he seems to have resurrected the role of Gianni Rivera, Milan's 1970s playmaker. Melo holds the left flank as one of the two holding midfielders while Gilberto occupies a more central space.

Soccer with this system is viewed as a set of spatial relationships rather than a more formulaic use of players to complete a deterministic formation which is more of a European legacy. Wilson does mention his surprise that Dunga who has come for some heat in the past for eschewing creativity is using this system. But Dunga with his defensive mindset, might have recognized it as a more attacking version of catenaccio called il giocco all'Italiana which the Italians used in the 1970s.

The quandary facing Bob Bradley is how much should he invest in stopping Robinho. Ricardo Clark, the only US player with any holding capabilities does duty tracking Kaka, which leaves Robinho unfettered.

Or does Bradley try what Liverpool did two years ago in the 2007 CL final, shutting down Kaka effectively by committee rather than assign him a player which would mean Donovan and Dempsey track back and help Clark, Bocanegra and Onyewu to shut down central space which Kaka operates from. That would leave Spector man to man with Robinho who likes to cut in from wide left. The disadvantage is that Andre Santos could run into the space vacated by Spector and leave the wings exposed for a set piece.

The other option is to keep Robinho preoccupied with defensive duties. Spector can push hard up field and overlap with Dempsey, dragging Robinho deeper to help Santos. The danger is obviously counterattacks which proved costly to the Italians.

.....and as we wait for the big game to kick off here's a collection of the best of the best so far - the Best goal, the Best player, the Best scene,the Best surprise,the Best save and a few more best this and thats. The Confederations Cup Trophy that they are playing for looks really neat .The blue band running across the body is just a reflection.Only the base is blue - the rest of it is golden.

More things to do while you wait for the kickoff: Read the story of the evolution of the tournament from what was initially called the Artemio Franchi Trophy to it's present form here.
If that's too many words to go through there's lots of pictures here at the Official Confederations Cup site.
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Arseblog calls it: Much ado about nothing. But it says much how every word uttered by Arsenal's talisman comes under the scope. Here are Fabregas words >>

NOTW brings to us news that Man City has all but signed Carlos Tevez and Samuel Eto'o to the Eastlands. The total sum, a whopping £55 million. All great and wonderful. City should have enough firepower to sink Kim Jong Il all by themselves. But here is the headscratcher. Who is ready to sit on the bench?

You have Robinho and Roque already. The two of them cost the same amount of money as will Eto'o and Tevez, if NOTW is to be believed. The price tag for all four players is £106 million. They will be absolutely forgiven if they believe that all of them should start. But that is unlikely.

Thin skinned Tevez has made sure that regular appearances is the key to his staying on a club. This was made amply clear when he emphatically rejected Sir Alex's entreaties to remain in Man Utd. Eto'o's move is for the same reason as Barca seek to upgrade by linking themselves with David Villa. Lest we forget, Eto'o was in running for the Pichichi before being pipped by Diego Forlan this season. All those goal were instrumental in Barca winning the title. The evergreen Cameroonian would be forgiven in believing that he might be responsible for leading City to unprecedented heights. Robinho has worked himself back in Hughes favour. His creativity was never in doubt, only his application. Both are meshing well for City at the moment. Hughes was a big fan of Roque Santa Cruz from his Blackburn days. The big Paraguayan striker was targeted the day Hughes was made coach of City. His dogged persistence finally landed Santa Cruz on the fifth attempt. Roque's aerial ability is just what City need to compensate for their hitherto undersized attack.

If that is not complicated enough, the role players also add upto a pretty packet in transfer fees for City.

You have Jo out on loan to Everton with his fate unclear. David Moyes does not seem in any hurry to pick up his £18 million transfer fee. Craig Bellamy, a highly rated Hughes favourite was a January transfer target who cost any where between £10 million and £14 million. Felipe Caciedo brought from Basel for £5.2 million has impressed fans with his late form this season. Then there is out of favour Valeri Bojinov and Benjani who total £10 million in fees. Ched Evans the highly rated Welsh youngster will see even rarer appearances with so much experience bought in one season. His compatriot Daniel Sturridge is on his way to Chelsea with a tribunal settling on the fee. And then there is Darius Vessell. Yes, Man City fans, he is still around.

Then there are others. SWP who has found his goal scoring touch at City benefiting from regular appearances under Mark Hughes in contrast to the frustratingly abbreviated cameos he had under Jose Mourinho and Avram Grant. He returned from Chelsea with a £8.5 million price tag last season. On the opposite flank, Martin Petrov's spot is in danger. How are both to fare in this revamped line up?

All told, Mark Hughes has a bench full of forwards and wingers worth about £60 million.

Who starts and who sits could very well be amongst the controversies that Mark Hughes might be confronted with next season. Hughes used to much simpler times at Blackburn might need to pull off a tightrope act to ensure that disillusionment does not set in those high priced transfers with their big egos. He could do without those distractions.

How to really make a hash of missing a penalty in a few steps...James Milner does a David Beckham ( that video here ) at the U 21 game against Sweden.Both were wearing number 7 and both sent the ball skywards towards the right.Beckham's effort however will always remain the more spectacular one because he managed to do it without falling down...!

Michael Jackson 1958-2009 R.I.P.

Nike 2008/2009 United States Home Jersey, embroidered United States federation badge, applied USA transfer on the back of the neck. Mesh paneling, Nike Fit material. Jersey worn for 2010 World Cup qualifying and FIFA Confederations Cup. Made by Nike.
Here..

Similar to the The Republican War on Science the GOP's war on soccer is not based on facts, figures, or reality.

Alex Massie calls out Gary Schmitt at the American Enterprise Institute for his skewed perspective of the world - and the never-ending neo-conservative war on soccer.

Joe Hart dived three times to his left in succession. They were the wrong choices. He then dived to the right. That too was wrong. It did not matter as he saved the first PK from Marcus Berg and then Guillermo Molins tried to squeeze the ball to the left hand corner of goal but it ended up hitting the upright and bouncing away. Arsenal lads Theo Walcott and Kieran Gibbs converted their PKs to win it for England 5-4.

England now face Germany in the finals. For U-21 manager, Stuart Pierce this was his first final after failing to progress beyond the semi-final stage on three other occasions. Hart also earned a yellow card for straying of the line and will miss the finals.

The Swedes inability to deal with England's corner kicks proved their undoing. Martin Crainie, Nedum Onuoha, and a Mattias Bjarsmyr own goal came from corners taken by James Milner. England led 3-0 at halftime. It looked like they were coasting to the finals. Till the Swedes unleashed the second half. Two goals by Marcus Berg and a Ola Toivonen free kick restored parity. Extra time came and went but did not yield a result with the two teams still deadlocked.

FIFA writes to the Iranian football association seeking answers following a Guardian report that four Iranian players were banned from playing for their country for their gesture of wearing green armbands.

In their match against South Korea, Iranian players Ali Karimi, 31, Mehdi Mahdavikia, 32, Hosein Ka'abi, 24 and Vahid Hashemian, 32 wore green arm bands in support of the presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, who was defeated in the June 12 presidential elections which hundreds of thousands of pro-reform Iranians believe was rigged in favour of the establishment candidate and present incumbent, Mahmoud Ahmedinejad.

A spokesman for FIFA said:

" We wrote a letter to the Iranian Federation to ask for some answers and clarification regarding the press reports over what happened to some of the Iranian players following the qualifier with South Korea on June 17."

Green was used by Mousavi as a campaign colour that is now adopted by his supporters as a symbol of their protest against the hardline regime of Ayatollah Ali Khameini.

The US team is being petitioned to wear green arm bands in their match against Brazil to show solidarity with the pro-reform movement sweeping Iran.

The movement has gathered momentum after Neda Soltan was gunned down by the Basij on June 20th. Her death was captured on video which went viral and she is now the public face of the opposition.

Nico Pitney's Huffpost liveblog contains the following petition:

To the U.S. soccer team players:

Please consider wearing green wristbands in your upcoming match in the Confederations Cup finale. It would be a sign of solidarity and compassion for your fellow soccer brethren who were banned from the game they love and face unthinkable repercussions for simply adorning a green wristband symbolizing peace and freedom. This is not politics, it is human rights. Any slap on the wrist you may face from FIFA pales in comparison to what the Iranian soccer team faced, and what the Iranian people face.

Make us proud. Make the world proud.

Send the team a message here >>

This is my favorite Michael Jackson song. All that talent...

In case you missed the soccer connection, read Shourin's post >>

SA went down heroically to Brazil and the vuvuzelas have taken a break for a while.
While the silence lasts here's a place where you can see ESPN declaring USA's win over Spain the best upset of the year or of all time - I'm not sure which.
Vote here for the same.

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One of the saddest days for generations brought up on the Jackson 5 and his solo albums. I grew up on his music. It was at every dance party, every radio station. Billie Jean, Thriller, Wanna Be Startin' Somethin', Beat It. MTV's airplay of Billie Jean was a key to their 80's success. The last four decades were a living testimony to the King of Pop's genius.

Michael Jackson was a unique voice, a brilliant musician, a mesmerizing dancer, and a consummate showman. His music touched us all.

He was also a soccer fan. One of his associations with soccer came from his friendship with Mohammed Al Fayed, the owner of Fulham and of Harrods. In an interview with the Daily Mirror in April 1999, Jackson talks about his discovery.

Speaking of their recent trip to a European Football game Michael spoke of his newly discovered love for the sport, "I knew nothing about soccer and I've never been to any sporting event, so it was a great experience for me. I'm a soccer fan now, definitely. I'm addicted. It was so exciting and passionate - the fans were like the people who come to my concerts. They were screaming and shouting and cheering their players on. I loved it. I wanted to jump up and start dancing because I'm used to performing on stage when I hear all that noise. The fans were great, although they seemed pretty surprised to see me. I have no doubt that Fulham will be promoted, they seemed a really good team with a great spirit. I met all the players and they were so kind to me."

When the interviewer, Piers Morgan, informed Michael about a team that was up for sale, the gears in the head of Michael Jackson - business man, began to turn, "I don't know them, but I'd love to get involved with one of the big teams if it was right to do so. How much are they?" He was told the asking price was 6 hundred million. "Dollars or pounds?" He was told it was pounds, and after a long pause he answered, "That's interesting, very interesting. I'll have a think about that. It sounds intriguing. I'm astounded by how much I enjoyed the soccer, that's for sure."

The other connection was his friendship with Uri Geller, the eccentric telekinesis guru. Jackson served on the board of Exeter City in 2002 as a honorary director on a recommendation made by Geller. Jackson as a member could take part in boardroom proceedings, make transfer decisions, see games for free, and travel on the teams bus for away games.

"When I asked him what does he know about football he said 'absolutely nothing but I love Exeter City,'" said Geller.

"We did this out of respect. He put Exeter City on the international map."

The following year third division Exeter City, was relegated to the Conference. Since then they have improved their fortunes and this season were promoted to League One.

Michael Jackson was planning a comeback with a series of 50 London concerts planned starting July 13 and running until March 2010. Tickets for the concerts had sold out within minutes of going on sale in March.

Hats off to SA. They fought hard through Steven Pienaar and Tiko Modise controlling the midfield for large parts of the game and creating a number of chances. They came closest to scoring in the 21st minute through Aaron Mokoena who was unable to keep his header down after Tiko Modise floated a cross allowing enough time for the South African captain to sneak up behind Luisao. Then Siphiwe Tshabalala's well struck free kick from 25 yards out was just parried out by Julio Cesar.

Just before the half, Steven Pienaar cracking shot from 30 yards had Cesar beaten but the ball drifted away from the goalpost. In the second half, Teko Modise's close range shot deflected off Luisao before hitting the beaten Cesar's right post in a period of domination from Joel Santana's side.

It was heading for extra time when Dunga in an inspired move brought in Dani Alves for Andre Santos in the 81st minute. His move was explained later on:

"We knew it was going to be difficult, we knew South Africa were going to attack, to defend and counter attack."

"We had to make use of any opportunity that came our way so a foul in fornt of goal was perfect for us."

The Barca wing back took a beautifully curling kick in the 88th minute when Mokoena brought down Ramires on the 18 yard line. The ball curled over the hand of the Itumeleng Khune. Brazil were through to the Confederations Cup final where they meet the USA.

After the match Joel Santana said he was pleased with Bafana Bafana's performance.

"I think we played very well against a team recognised as one of the best in world and even surprised Brazil. I'm very proud."

Personally, SA's player has always been Steven Pienaar. He's made Everton a creative force in the absence of Mikel Arteta and he does the same for the national team. As for Santana himself, he just earned a reprieve. The team looked sharp in this match. As the statistics show, ball possession was fairly even and SA even matched Brazil in the set pieces.

More than his head actually.He's got a bust of himself made out of pastry.Baxenden-based Holland Pies pulled out of its partnership with Burnley when the team had a run of bad luck, early in the season.But just to show that there's no hard feelings they have commissioned a pastry bust of Burnley manager Owen Coyle - to congratulate them on their promotion to the premier league.
Brendan Flood, director at Burnley FC, had this guarded comment to make about losing the pie sponsorship : "It's probably a face-saving thing for Burnley though, that when we're in the Premier League we don't have a pie-producer on the front of our shirts.".Burnley have made it back to the big league after a gap of 33 years.Their new sponsors are a fuel company called Samuel Cooke and fuel is a less funny thing to have on your shirt [or your face] than a pie.

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The faultlines between Julio Grondona and Diego Maradona could deepen if these two cult of personalities square off on the potential inclusion of Juan Roman Riquelme to the national team.

Like Steve McLaren call up of David Beckham in England's faltering Euro 2008 campaign, Riquelme is on Grondona's lips because the Albiceleste are approaching a crisis point under Maradona in their World Cup quest. Juan Sebastian Veron has failed to provide the necessary cohesion to a group of talented individuals still searching for a clue on the pitch.

The match against Brazil looms large in the horizon and has already sparked a bitter exchange of words between River Plate and Maradona over the readiness of the Monumental Stadium. A loss would bring Argentina to the edge of the precipice.

The debate over Riquelme is not new. His performance at the 2006 World Cup was widely panned. The criticism forced Riquelme to announce his international retirement as his mother took ill with the stress of the non-stop media tantrum. At the 2007 Copa America finals, his scintillating form deserted him. His limitations were fatally exposed. Riquelme got swallowed by a physical and bustling Brazilian side. The Argentinian was unable to control the tempo of the game which he had so successfully done prior to the final. He became a defensive liability as he failed to track back to help the besieged Argentinian defense.

Maradona criticized his lack of speed as a reason for dropping him as he sought to introduce a blunter and faster element to the game. Overwhelm the opposition with pace. Riquelme's more sedate approach would be at odds with his change in tactics.

But speed without cohesion is chaotic.

Grondona has not sought privately to influence Maradona putting out feelers through more public channels hoping to drum up support from Riquelme's legions of supporters. He could seek Carlos Bilardo's intervention, the influential general manager of the national squad is a godfather figure to both Maradona and Riquelme. It was through Bilardo that Riquelme learned of Maradona's decision to drop him from the national squad.

We've all heard about the effect the 12th man has on the field, but this is ridiculous:

Xabi Alonso on the vuvuzela- shortly before Spain crashed out "I think they should be banned," he said. "We're used to when people shout but not to this trumpet noise which doesn't allow you to concentrate and is unbearable."
Bob Bradley must have given his team some tips on how to block out the noise.

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El Pais adopts a philosophical tone.

"Nothing is eternal, so the United States defeat, even if unexpected, should not discount the excellent record of a team begun by Luis Aragonés and continued under Vicente del Bosque's guardianship. "

The Spanish newspaper of record also praised the USA. It was an ordeal for Casillas to put the ball on the feet of his players as the hustling US defense closed ranks. The pressure forced the usually impeccable and stately Spanish midfield into making errors. The US has grown from a squad of college players playing clandestine football into a group of professional players who are part of the bigger European leagues. They are no longer naive.

Spain were predicted to beat the USA comfortably, but if you took a look at the whole match, anything but occurred

Usually in soccer, USA have nothing to show, but if the Americans showed one thing tonight, however cliché it may be; it's that having a coach who knows his tactics and who knows how his players fit the tactics can prove to be very effective, effective enough to beat the European champions.

You will see that this article explains how USA stunned Spain in THREE key ways.

If there is a simple lesson to be taught in football, it is if you have possession of the ball, you must be effective with it.

Landon Donovan and co helped the defense

USA's stern defence with the energetic Landon Donovan (who was criticised for his fitness by the Bayern assistant coach a few months ago) and other midfielders coming back to help USA, whenever Spain had ball possession with the 3 key passers of the ball - Xavi, Fabregas and Alonso, USA closed them down very quickly, rendering Spain's short, passing moving system ineffective.

Dempsey and Donovan Changing Positions

During the match, USA forwards Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan both exchanged roles many times during the match, marking the quick and agile Donovan while trying to erase the effect of the sturdy, disciplined Dempsey while they changed positions all the time proved to be too difficult for Spain's defenders - Altidore's goal came from a neat passing move featuring Dempsey and Bocanegra, Spain should have sent Xabi Alonso (their Defensive Midfielder) to mark Dempsey.

Spain's Chances

Villa missed a great chance, Torres had a disappointing game and his first-touch was off - he needed it today as Spain resorted to long-balls in the final couple of minutes and it wasn't working, Fabregas and Ramos forced great saves from Howard too, who had a great match, in the end, despite USA's surprising great use of tactics, Spain just weren't clinical enough.

Play it loud, South Africa! SoccerBlog.com goes on record in favor of the Vuvuzela.

Brazil has the support of its Samba drums, the Bafana Bafana has vuvuzela support.

Don’t let a few journalists and European players throw a wet blanket on the celebration.

Blow that vuvuzela:

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Looks like Arsene Wenger's summer transfer wish list have a theme: Strong aerial ability and excellent work rate. Also a bit more senior with international experience.

Arsenal's next big target appears to be Maroaune Chamakh, the Bordeaux striker who formed a potent tandem with Youann Gourcoff to lead the club to last season's Championnat.

The French-Moroccan Chamakh possesses very good ball control, uses his 6'2" frame to full advantage to overpower defenders aerially, and is very hard working. Think of Nicklas Bendtner with more skill and steel. The rap is he is not the best finisher and his performances show great inconsistency. One reading could be that Chamakh did not enjoy the services of a quality midfielder like Gourcuff all this while. In Arsenal, ball supply has never been a problem.

As this video shows with a sort of before and after quality, Chamakh always had blistering pace and undoubted aerial ability but his earlier finishing left a lot and I mean a lot to be desired. They seem to have improved markedly. The goal at 3:20 shows his capability.

Season Apps Goals
2002/03 8 0
2003/04 25 6
2004/05 31 13
2005/06 28 7
2006/07 31 6
2007/08 33 4
2008/09 33 13
Total 189 49

His transfer negotiations predicate on Adebayor's fate. Wenger is avidly seeking a club outside England to sell off the Togolese striker who is now being linked with Chelsea because of Ancelotti's prior interest. Other clubs who have shown interest are Fulham and Spurs.

With Milan going through a financially lean period Adebayor's £25million price tag is a dampener. They have shown more interest in Edin Dzeko. Inter, the other club who could possibly be interested in Ade now appear confident that Zlatan Ibrahamovic is spending at least one more season with them.

Adebayor's £25million deal would bring Chamakh and Fiorentina midfielder Felipe Melo to the Emirates.

Chamakh has refused to extend his contract which has one year left with a £7 buyout clause. His desire to move to the EPL has fueled transfer speculation:

"I want to play in the Premier League and a club like Arsenal would be a dream. If they were to come calling, I would certainly give them a positive answer."

Four players - Ali Karimi,Mehdi Mahdavikia,Hosein Ka'abi and Vahid Hashemian - have been "retired" from the sport after they wore green wristbands last Wednesday in the match against South Korea in Seoul.At least seven Iranian players wore the bands in the first half against South Korea, although most were forced to take them off before the second. Mahdavikia wore his green captain's armband for the entire match.Those retired face a lifetime ban from soccer.

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The battle for the survival of the (fiscally) fittest claimed its latest victim.Setanta Sports lost the grim struggle,picked up the pieces and staggered off into the sunset leaving many in the dark.

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Spain meets the US in the first semi-final and Altidore as the first American transplant in the Liga is in the media spotlight. He also became the most expensive MLS signing in history as Villareal paid 8 million euros. But these aspects pale in comparison to the fascination with his physicality.

El Pais comments on the contour of his neck as being more reminiscent of a NFL player. His Villareal team mate Santi Cazorla says that "He is a beast. He has quality, but physically, he is unbelievable, strong as a bull."

Altidore was loaned out to Xerez for the 2009 season where he did not see much action but his physical presence attracted comments. His team mate, striker Antoñito believes he is very American, a good guy and very interesting because of his power and punch.

Even Vicente Del Bosque, the Spanish coach is impressed by what he has seen.

"He has good movement. He is very powerful. And, very young, with much room for improvement."

Joan Capdevila, Villareal's left back who will be called onto marshal the US attack, says that Altidore is very strong, physically imposing and more clever than he seems. He can make a big difference.

If Altidore is the bull, then which cape waving defender will go up against him?

Tiko Modise believes that Bafana Bafana will go to the World Cup semi-finals.

Ronaldo is worth more than the salaries of 5,291,370 Eritreans

If Eritrea is brazen enough to bid for Ronaldo, they will have to virtually cede the total market value of all consumer goods and services produced annually to be able to afford his buyout clause of 1,000,000,000 euros. There are 30 countries with annual GDP's less than CR's value which include Bhutan, Guyana, Liberia, Burundi, BVI, and all of the Pacific atoll.

Man Utd might have cunning plans to annex booming Gibraltar to get back Ronaldo in the next six years but it still would not do. Which makes it, ahem, less rock like.

A year ago, Mark Zuckerburg of Facebook could have sold off all his shares to get Ronaldo. This year, FB's CEO would have to raise his personal wealth three fold. How about those football moghuls? Roman Abramovich would probably end his pursuit of Pirlo or Ribery with another 15% drop in his net worth. Alisher Usmanov with his designs on Arsenal would be rendered penniless.

Ronaldo's price would cut off the Taliban insurgency and bankrupt Afghanistan's most potent export. Only for a year. But it might be enough for the US forces to gain the upper hand.

How would Ronaldo's buyout impact Real and Spain?

Real would have had to let go their last 66 signings to be able to afford their own buy out clause.

Spain's air travelers could face problems. Air Comet would have to sell of its entire Airbus fleet of 12 planes, ground its flight operations to Europe, Latin, and South America, and would still be unable to land Ronaldo.

Ronaldo's 1 billion euros would provide approximately 40,000 Spanish jobs resulting in a 1% drop in the 17.4% unemployment rate.

Confederations Cup organizers will stage a pre-match ceremony before the final to commemorate the death of Cameroon midfielder Marc-Vivien Foe who collapsed and died in the 2003 semifinals against Colombia.

He was later found to have suffered from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a heart-related disease. He was just 28. He played at club level for Manchester City and Racing Lens, among other sides. City retired the number 23 shirt he wore, while at their new Eastlands stadium there is a small memorial garden for him.Racing Lens renamed an avenue near their Felix Bollaert Stadium after him and he was given a state funeral in Cameroon. Sepp Blatter said that the tragic event had since led to safety measures concerning international matches which now either have doctors on the bench or staff capable of using defibrillators.

A 32 page dossier on Michael Owen the 'ahem' 'athlete;ambassador and icon' here.. gives you all the possible information you could ever want to know and possibly some stuff you didn't want to know also.

ESPN buys out the block of 46 EPL games for £90m. Setanta's UK operations are over and now the focus is on how much of the US and Ireland business can be salvaged.

Sky is also working out a package worth £90m to broadcast SPL top flight games which would ensure the league's financial viability.

The firesale continues at AC. And Silvio Berlusconi has effectively taken over the coaching reins. There is no sign of Leonardo or Adriano Galliani.

Andrea Pirlo is on the transfer block. Massimo Ambrosini might be gone if his year extension is not approved. It gives the impression of a club in serious financial distress as Berlusconi repeatedly stressed the state of club accounts as responsible for the present predicament.

Berlusconi seems to have a preternatural belief in Ronaldinho even as the Brazilian has fallen out of favour with Dunga and the Seleccao seems to be doing well without him. The Milan owner also believes that Pato will eclipse Kaka. He resorts to a prickly defense when asked about his most controversial decision.

"Kaka did not invent the game of football."

It also says much when Berlusconi simple mindedly blames Milan's losses to the inability to hold the ball in the last minutes. Undoubtedly, late goals did not help Milan but there is a growing gap between the club and Inter which cannot just be attributed to a failure of tactics. The club is losing out on valuable talent.

Recent statements by Berlusconi also give the impression of an owner with very little grasp on the club's happenings. He said that Gattuso would be the team's captain apparently forgetting that Ambrosini is next in line. Thiago Silva's signing was news to the owner after the center back arrived from Fluminese.

There is talk about bringing Bundesliga sensation Edin Dzeko and reviving Aly Cissokho's canceled bid. But this maybe more wishful thinking than anything really concrete. With all the news coming out from the San Siro, very little of it positive; Milan's fans are feeling decidedly blue these days.

As per the Spanish media, the Valencia striker is to meet with club president to seek an explanation why his transfer to Real Madrid was derailed at the last minute.

They state that Villa believes that at 27 years of age this is the right time to join Real. He wants to play with Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo and is increasingly concerned that his career is slipping by.

We built this city on roque and roll.

A sample of some of the dreadful headlines we could be subjected to.

So what can City expect?.

They can take advantage of the Roque Santa Cruz cult status as an instant impact provider. And his evolution as an assist leader adept at creating goal scoring opportunities for others even while his own goal scoring stalls.

With Olimpia he scored 13 goals in 23 appearances leading them to a Paraguayan championship in 1999. He was named the player of the year. That year also saw scintillating performances at the U-20 FIFA World Cup and then later in the Copa America for the senior squad.

He joined Bayern in 1999 and in his first 11 appearances scored 5 goals helping them to a Bundesliga title. However, subsequent seasons saw a sharp drop in productivity and appearances curtailed through injuries. Roque finished his Bayern career with a decidedly average total of 38 goals in 189 appearances.

Blackburn became the next beneficiary of the Roque instant impact parade. He scored in the opening day match against Middlesbrough after just three touches. More was to follow and he ended the 2008 season with 19 goals AND a gaudy 7 assists. His aerial ability not only helped him to score but created scoring opportunities for others. His production dropped in the 2009 season due to injuries. He scored 4 goals AND assisted in two others in 9 appearances.

So Man City can expect an instant spike in goal scoring. With Roque patrolling the front and heading down those long balls and crosses into the path of Robinho and Steven Ireland and scoring some of his own.

As for cheesy headlines I like this one best:

Man Utd we are robinho blind

John Terry added another trophy to his collection by winning the Dad of the Year award.Some father's day quotes from Terry....
"It's a great honour to be voted Dad of the Year. I have won many trophies in my career but I'm proud to say that this is up there with all of them.Georgie and Summer are great kids and I love them both dearly.My family mean the world to me and receiving this award has made me feel extremely proud.Being with the kids and watching them grow up and learning new things every day is a privilege and I'm honoured to receive this award."
Apart from that it was found that Indiana Jones was the most popular fictional character that people would like to have had as their father, topping a poll with 42 per cent.Homer Simpson finished second in the vote with 19 per cent and mobster Tony Soprano came in third. Alfred E Neuman, who normally wins these things hands,down didn't make the grade.Here's what he's saying...

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The Confederations Cup should put to rest doubts that SA can host the World Cup. The atmosphere has been electric with the vuvuzelas sounding like a giant swarm of cicadas on a hot summer night.

Except for the small fact that teams have been subjected to a spate of robberies.

The Seleccao became the second team after the Egyptians to complain about stolen cash and personal belongings from their hotel rooms.

Write your own comments about Egypt's obituary.

Italy was administered an enema without being asked. Luis Fabiano's brace gave him his 11th goal in nine appearances as he continues to prosper in his second revival. It should increase his transfer chatter. As for Marcelo Lippi, the questions mount as his defense was unable to cope with the pace and effortless passing of Kaka and Robinho.

"Storms" is a nice word. Nay, its a great word.

It however describes the US win against a wan Egyptian effort that looked not just nonchalant but spent.

The picture entering the match was that the US needed not only a win but a win big enough to erase a negative goal differential of -5 which needed massive help from the Brazilians. With a superior goal differential of +1 and 0 for the Italians and the Egyptians, respectively it was very likely that one of these two teams were going to join the Brazilians.

Everything clicked for the US.

• The Egyptians were minus Mohamed Zidan, out with a hamstring injury. The in form striker has been a huge factor in Egypt's international success. He was sorely missed.

• Andrea Dossena's own goal helped add to Brazil's 3-0 decimation of Italy.

• The US did their part as they scored through Charlie Davis, Michael Bradley, and Clint Dempsey. The third goal was big for Dempsey as he was being lampooned for his somnambulism during this competition.

• Landon Donovan's PK against the Italians proved to be decisive.

I hate to say this but I do expect a few cars to be burned tonight in Cairo. The Egyptians even without the services of Zidan should have gotten though. From a historic win to an epic failure only adds to the image of Egypt as a country that has loads of talent but fails to put it together consistently for the big competitions. Hassan Shehata's immediate concern is now to revive his country's World Cup hopes.

The US meanwhile get to test themselves one more time against big names, the biggest one yet, Spain.

"Suck on this"

Why is Carlos Tevez so fascinating?

Carlos Tevez has always struck me as the Geico caveman with a huge chip on the shoulder. A player in his element when he scored the goal that kept the Hammers promoted. It was the last day of the Premiership and the Hammers faced Man Utd to beat to ensure their survival in the Premiership. It also sank the Blades.

Tevez fought off four defenders and as the ball ballooned up, the little Argentinian's scampering feet caught up with it and from an impossibly acute angle, half volleyed it home. With that goal, he cemented his place in the heart of Hammer fans. It was also the last time that he played for them as his form made him the target of much bigger clubs. He was gone by the time the dust settled over the mess which ensued after it was discovered that the circumstances which brought him to West Ham violated EPL regulations. The embittered Blades first sought promotion and then settled on an out of court settlement with the Hammers.

He has always starred in clubs that have lost their way and then moved on in the heels of controversy. Man Utd represents the first club that has rejected his track record, marginalizing him to a bench warmer even as he continued to score important goals.

It has galled Tevez, and in pyschobabble terms, reinforced his long held fears of rejection.

At Boca, his best year was 2003, when he helped the Genoese win the Copa Libertadores, scoring 5 goals in 7 appearances. Boca also ended up winning the Club World Cup beating Milan in 2003, and the Apertura title. Tevez's brilliant form won him the South American player award. The success restored Boca's standing as it ceded ground in the preceding years to River Plate, San Lorenzo, and Independiente leading to fears of a return to the dry period of the 90's.

Unfortunately, he became tabloid fodder after leading Argentina to a gold medal in the 2004 Olympics over his cavorting with pin up girl Natalia Fassi while at the same time revealing that he was expecting a child with his ex-girlfriend, now wife Vanessa. The media frenzy saw a defensive Tevez fist fighting with photographers, charging at reporters, and demanding that fans respect his privacy.

The fallout was immense as Atletico Madrid dropped their transfer negotiations decided that he was too risky. Worse followed as Jose Pekerman dropped Tevez from the national squad for his unprofessional behaviour and deeming as a condition, cleaning up his act for a possible return to the team. The rejection left Tevez with feelings of betrayal.

Tevez felt his country was disowning him. And his reaction was a like-minded betrayal of sorts: He left Argentina for Brazil. His move from his beloved Boca to Sao Paulo-based side Corinthians last December, was the largest transfer in South American history: "El Apache" was now valued at $22.5 million.

The move to Corinthians was met with hostility from his Brazilian team mates as his transfer fee and wages became the subject of locker room talk. There was also a much publicized dust up with Tevez and defender Marquinos and it did not help matters that he got into some hot water with his sexist comments over the competency of females refereeing matches.

Meanwhile, his feet did the talking as his 20 goals lifted Corinthians to a Campeanato in 2005 becoming the first non- Brazilian to win the best footballer title in the championships history. The club won its first title after an absence of six years as it flirted with relegation on a regular basis. The 2006 season started disastrously as Corinthians were unable to sustain their form and Tevez being the big marquee name became a targeted for irate fans for the losses. His gesture telling fans to be quiet after scoring a goal led to a campaign to demand an apology.

'If he thinks he's above us, let's see how Tevez faces an organised campaign on our part,' Gavioes vice-president Wildner Rocha told the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper.

The fallout became ugly as Tevez and his family were subjected to death threats. Things came to a head as a group of 30 angry supporters surrounded Tevez's car after a match. Rumours that Chelsea and Man Utd were in pursuit of the Argentinian striker became couched as life and death situations.

"My daughter Florencia is very scared and my wife is too. They are very sad. Things which the Corinthians supporters did, are not easy to forget.

His West Ham arrival was looked on as an escape from an ugly situation even as the bigger clubs in the Premiership were the eventual target. It did not pan out as planned.

Once bitten, twice shy. Even as Chelsea pursues him, Man City might be the beneficiary given Tevez's Napoleonic past behaviour.

Nigeria's Bayelsa United lost their 24 year old captain Abiel Tabor just hours after they had won the Globacom Premier League title for the first time ever.The player was shot dead by suspected armed robbers on the Warri- Sapele road. The report reads...
'Football reporter Norbert Okolie, who followed Bayelsa's victory parade, disclosed that after Tador, a defensive midfielder, had lifted high the league trophy, he travelled with the victorious team to Oghara.
He then left the team in his car for Warri, where his family lives. It was on his way there that he ran into an ambush set by armed robbers. The robbers shot him in the head, causing his car to somersault. The two other persons in the car, the player's younger brother and a friend, came out of the wreckage unhurt only to be accosted by the robbers while Tador was left to bleed to his death.'
Nigeria has become an unholy mess of oil and blood.
Violent crime has surged in the Niger Delta since militants, who say they are fighting for a fairer share of the region's natural resources, launched a campaign of sabotage against the oil industry three years ago.

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2008

June 26: Euro 2008 semi-final

Spain 3 Russia 0

June 29: Euro 2008 final

Spain 1 Germany 0

Aug 20: Friendly

Denmark 0 Spain 3

Sept 6: World Cup qualifier

Spain 1 Bosnia 0

Sept 10: World Cup qualifier

Spain 4 Armenia 0

Oct 11: World Cup qualifier

Estonia 0 Spain 3

Oct 15: World Cup qualifier

Belgium 1 Spain 2

Nov 19: Friendly

Spain 3 Chile 0

2009

Feb 11:Friendly

Spain 2 England 0

March 28: World Cup qualifier

Spain 1 Turkey 0

April 1: World Cup qualifier

Turkey 1 Spain 2

June 9: Friendly

Azerbaijan 0 Spain 6

June 14: Confederations Cup

Spain 5 New Zealand 0

June 17: Confederations Cup

Spain 1 Iraq 0

June 20: Confederations Cup

South Africa 0 Spain 2

Note: Spain surpassed the record held by Australia (1996-1997), Brazil (1997) and France (2003-2004)

SA lost the game but still go through to the semis so they are happy anyway.Villa missed a penalty but made up by scoring a field goal a little later....

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Man Utd announces Carlos Tevez is leaving Old Trafford.

"Disappointingly, his advisors informed the club that he does not wish to continue playing for Manchester United," read a United statement.

"The club thanks Carlos for his services over the last two seasons and wishes him good luck for the future."

A quick note on the two transfers out of Man Utd. They represent the worst in football practices. In the first, a divisive and outlandish transfer fee hard to fathom in this reeling economy. And in the other, shadowy third party economic interests which the EPL have found hard to untangle from.

For Sir Alex, his depth chart got a lot shallower. Antonio Valencia remains their best bet to join the club.

If the sky is falling on US soccer then Blatter says he knows the reason why - and for a change he seems to be making sense.
The US soccer season takes place at the wrong time and soccer does not have enough of their own stadia for the games..."Therefore, they have to play their season from March to October this is not good timing - if you compare with Europe and some other countries.American soccer will have to turn its season around if it ever wants to compete with the giants of world football."

'That cautionary challenge was delivered by FIFA president Sepp Blatter before the United States were outclassed by Brazil in Group B of the Confederations Cup. But his words may have even more resonance after the manner in which the Americans were virtually dismissed from the tournament'

Blatter was commenting on the progress of soccer in the US since the country had hosted the World Cup back in 1994.

He added: "On the other hand, what happens is that all your best American players play in Europe; the squad here at the Confederations Cup mostly all play in Europe. So the present situation is not the right solution for MLS. They have to adapt themselves to the main international calendar and then they can find success - but not as long as they have the present procedure."
The rest of that story here...

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...pretending to be mortally wounded by Sergio Ramos.He clutches his head and rolls around in agony for awhile before getting up and carrying on when he realises that the ref isn't interested.The video shows that Ramos made no contact with Mohammed Kassid's head.A career in the movies perhaps...

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Almost, according to this poll by Steven Goff >>

As this Times article points out with Setanta's bankruptcy all but inevitable, it is the SPL's smaller clubs that will have to absorb the financial blow.

The EPL's decision to terminate Setanta's £392million contract to broadcast 46 live matches came after the company failed to meet its £10million installment obligation. The EPL also declined a 72 hour extension as Setanta deadlocked in negotiations with a tie up with Top TV's Len Blavatnik tried to find a way out which would have infused the troubled broadcaster with £20 million.

Payments currently due to the individual SPL clubs range in size from £70,000 to nearly £750,000, with the Old Firm obviously taking the greatest hits. Yet Rangers and Celtic can probably withstand such setbacks -- it is the smaller clubs who will feel the losses more deeply.

The problem is that there is no one in the horizon who will want to take up broadcasting SPL matches at that current £125 million fee spread over four years. Apart from the Old Firm rivalry, there is no real payoff in telecasting St Mirren playing Hibernian. The Beeb and ESPN have already expressed their unwillingness to show these matches.

It is no wonder that SPL administrators are in panic holding up a banner that read:
"For Sale, Scottish Football. All Bids Welcome."

The SFA has had to dip into their cash reserves to reimburse individual clubs when Setanta failed to make a £3million installment. Gordon Smith, the SFA chief also made clear that it will be in no condition to fund a SPL bailout. Setanta's withdrawal would mean the end of a £13.5million contract for next season.

"We do give money to the clubs at the end of the year but we are not in the position to fund that level of shortfall."

He spelled out the situation for the clubs.

"We have six teams in Europe this year, so you can imagine that these clubs will all be competing in Europe without any budget and a lot of them can't make any spending at the moment until they know the situation."

Setanta's terminated contract means Sky Sports will benefit from an additional business of 23 matches to an already existing package of 92 games with ESPN picking up the license to show the remaining 23 games.

The EPL decision will affect not just the SPL, even the FA also needs to find another TV partner to take over the £150million contract to show England's matches.

Vermaelen is a Gunner after clearing his medical examination. He joins on a multi year contract for an undisclosed fee. It is reportedly in the region of £10 million.

Manager Arsène Wenger said:

"Thomas is a great signing for Arsenal Football Club, and we are all delighted that he is joining us. Thomas is a solid performer with good experience of Champions League and UEFA Cup football and is also a regular with the Belgium national team."

He also singled out Vermaelen for his versatility which should bode well for a defense that has seen a number of injuries which have forced Wenger to rejigger the back four. He also pointed to Vermaelen's no holds barred attitude which should bring some much needed steel to a defense perceived by many as soft.

"Thomas is primarily a left-footed centre back, but he's multi-functional and can also play at left back. He is strong technically with a positive winner's attitude and I have no doubt his arrival will strengthen our team. Thomas Vermaelen will be a huge asset to Arsenal."

As for Vermaelen, he relishes the prospect of playing in the "best league in the world".

"I'm just so happy to be joining Arsenal. This is a great Club with a world class manager, high quality players and a fantastic stadium. Everything is set up for Arsenal to be very successful for years to come and I joined this Club because I know Arsenal will be challenging for trophies."

Arsenal also lists him at 6' 0" and not 5'11". That extra inch is significant in the debate which ensued about Vermaelen being undersized for a central defender.

He will give his first interview this Sunday.

Alberto Colaco, the AIFF secretary-general is stepping down after eight and a half years. He is being asked by Praful Patel, the acting AIFF president to continue on as they search for a suitable replacement.

Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, the AIFF president has been out of the loop for many months since a heart attack eight months ago.

He is presently medically stable but his recovery has been very slow and complicated by neurological damag which has led to an inability to recognize people. Yet, even as Dasmunsi fought for his life, he was re-elected AIFF president. He was also India's propaganda minister but even with that portfolio as a platform, there has been very little to boast about Indian soccer. It has been dreadful.

In his 20 years at the helm, India went from 99 to 147 in FIFA rankings. They finally qualified for the 2011 Asia Cup after an absence of 27 years, spending that time as toothless lions patrolling South Asian backyard playing Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, and Sri Lanka.

More importantly, with Dasmunsi's ill health, the first priority should have been to break the bureaucratic chokehold on the AIFF by installing a person knowledgeable about Indian football. Instead, one again, they have taken off in the wrong direction by appointing Praful Patel, the civil aviation minister. The last thing India needs are more political flunkies who see this as a junket.

No wonder Bob Houghton, the Indian coach is disgusted with the state of affairs.

A seething Houghton blamed the federation, clubs and the government for doing almost nothing to develop football or help build a side that could take on leading Asian rivals.
"After three years of being here, I don't think the game has moved forward very quickly," he said yesterday. "We don't see the whole picture, not just the AIFF [All India Football Federation] but the general footballing body, about the standard we need to achieve."

Houghton, 61, was angered by the absence of facilities that forced a 10-day training camp starting next week to be moved to Dubai, ahead of a training camp to Spain.

He also got into a verbal tiff with MS Gill, India's sports minister who ran off his mouth about the Indian team not being good enough to beat an Australian school team.

"Why doesn't he produce some facilities?" Houghton said.

Shock and Awe.Italy are almost out.Despite their best efforts they had no comeback to a first half goal from Mohamed Homos...

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Outclassed,outplayed and out everything elsed...


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David Villa has made up his mind.

The Real talks have stalled. The price is a sticking point. The EPL is less challenging than the Liga in its current shape and form, so Man Utd and Chelsea will have to opt for a lesser name.

Time for Barca to unveil their transfer kitty and spirit Villa away. He is much better matched with Messi, Xavi and Iniesta. I see the ultra competitive Villa flourishing in a system with so many goal supplying avenues. Plus, who would pass up the opportunity to play under Pep Guardiola, a player's manager.

The Barca deal would involve €50m including the loan services of Martin Caceres and Bojan Krkic. That is a lot of talent and money which gives Valencia a much needed lifeline without a drastic drop off in performance.

This needs a comment.

Afterward, Donovan was dismissive of Rossi, saying, "If the guy doesn't want to play for us, then I don't really care about him."

Really. Are we going to get our knickers in a bunch if Vedad Ibisevic scores against the team? Because Bosnia might be in the same group in the World Cup. And Ibisevic very well might score the winning goal.

It cuts both ways. Some players spurn their heritage and play for the country they grew up in. Think Adu. And some are like Rossi. Soccer is full of these examples. Algeria could have really done with Zidane and Samir Nasri's help.

France, the same country that benefited from their participation chased Gonzalo Higuain, who chose to play for Argentina after David Trezeguet found no place under Raymond Domenech's team. Trezeguet himself had the option of playing for Argentina. Maybe he should have. France could have won the 2006 World Cup. Germany's scintillating attack which lifted a country's morose expectations was built around Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski, two strikers of Polish extraction. At the same time, Poland went down ignominiously.

We can express feelings of deep disappointment without getting provincial. Sometimes soccer in the US is played in a deep vacuum.

Bob Bradley is faced with a dilemma.

Should he play nine men behind the ball and leave Altidore on top? It almost worked for Iraq against Spain. Or is the game itself more important than the result? The Kiwis outmatched in every game should get some points here for opting to play the latter.

We have to go back 11 years for the last US victory against the Seleccao.

The USA's only victory against Brazil came in memorable circumstances during the 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Goalkeeper Kasey Keller turned in one of the great goalkeeping performances of his illustrious career, and a second half goal from Preki gave the U.S. an unlikely victory against the reigning world champions.

The defense looks particularly problematic. Carlos Bocanegra remains doubtful for the match and Jonathan Bornstein stuggled against the Italians.

Heath Pearce will likely get a start. So should Freddy Adu who is being wasted sitting on the bench and is much more creative than Sacha Kjlestan. DaMarcus Beasley should get a look ahead of Benny Feilhaber to give more of a threat down the left.

Adu and Jozy Altidore have combined well in the past.

Adu assisted on both Altidore goals against Brazil in the 2007 U-20 World Cup which led to a memorable, 2-1 win.

The US will have their hands full against Kaka and Robinho. But they will have to be on guard against Dani Alves who as a foraging right wing back supplies a lot of balls into the box. The Brazilians have gotten more physical under Dunga and a number of goals come from set pieces rather than open play. I expect that Adu, Donovan, and Dempsey will track back quickly to help and solve Bradley's defensive conundrum.

The best bet is a strong defensive show capitalizing on the occasional counter attack to keep the Brazilians from getting too comfortable. A draw would be brilliant. A win would be celestial.

Not really big news, but we like to track our old friend, the original Ronaldo.He scored his first goal for nearly two months on Wednesday to help Corinthians beat Internacional 2-0 in the first leg of the Brazil Cup final. He still needs to lose twenty pounds, but as this goal proves - the scoring instinct is still there:

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For Sabre rattling and for qualifying for the World Cup for the first time since 1966.

Given the fact that Drogba went absolutely berserk, he got off easy.

He has been banned for six UEFA matches.

He has subsequently been charged with breaching the principles of sportsmanship by insulting the referee and making offensive comments.

The last two of these matches will be deferred over a probationary period of two years. Jose Bosingwa was also banned for 4 matches, the last one deferred over a period of two years also.

River Plate's El Monumental has been Argentina's World Cup venue

Diego Maradona continues his divisive ways.

He was said to have complained about the state of the Mounmental stadium describing it as "a pasture" before the Colombia match. The topic cropped up again after the loss to Ecuador, when Maradona expressed his unhappiness about the stadium being the venue for the match against Brazil.

Maradona's strong criticism has sparked a war of words. River wrote a letter to Julio Grondona asking details of Maradona's contract seeking to find out if the coach had undergone a psychological examination. (In Spanish). These are loaded words given Maradona's history of drug and alcohol abuse.

Grondona seems to be treading lightly on this controversy saying the AFA is partly to blame as they did not prepare an alternate venue. Rosario Central maybe a possible choice. He also called these polemics a flare up of a Boca -River rivalry. It is significant that he also made a plug for the return of Juan Roman Riquelme, who has sworn never to play under Maradona.

As this comment points out, the stadium nitpicking is seen as a distraction from Maradona's poor tactics:

"When Argentina lose to Brazil, I hope MARADONA does not blame the altitude or the pitch. The truth is that the coach of the team does not know how to play the players."

Don Alfio Basile will be Boca's new manager

Boca fell to Racing on Sunday, 0-3 and on Tuesday, Carlos Ischia was terminated according to the club. But the coach said he had resigned (In Spanish) since he was to leave anyway at the end of the Clausura.

"It made no sense to continue for two more matches."

" We would have liked to leave in the best way possible. But sometimes you cannot. I do not know if you could give more to Boca, it is more difficult when these things happen. "

"I feel I gave everything."

Boca is now in contract negotiations with Alfio Basile who has had outstanding success with Boca in his rolling stone career. It seems wages is a sticking point.

Benard Parker uses his anatomy for the good and the bad. What is it with him?

Against Iraq, Bernard Parker was pilloried by fans and the media for unwittingly getting his foot in the way of Kadisho Dikgacoi's header which prevented a Bafana Bafana win.

In today's match against New Zealand he scored both goals, the second due to a huge slice of luck as Tsipo Masilela's cross shot hit his right knee and deflected into goal. The first one came off as a zig zagging Masilela crossed the ball and Parker emerged out of nowhere slicing the ball which an unprepared Glen Moss diverted the into goal.

We wait with bated breath as to which anatomical part Parker will employ to influence the next match.

Steven Pienaar, Teko Modise, and Tsipo Masilele were the pick of Bafana Bafana. Pienaar in particular carried the creative burden like he has with Everton taking over Mikel Arteta's role. This was a much better display against a NZ team that was outclassed but thankfully did not resort to the stonewalling tactics employed by the Iraqis. But there were worrying signs. SA was undisciplined getting caught offside 8 times. They were prodigal shooting ten times on goal for a very poor conversion rate. Katlego Mashego had three opportunities to score with just the goalie to beat but wasted them all.

The team is not out of the woods as yet. Iraq can get through to the semi-finals on goal differential if it beats NZ and SA lose to Spain.

Bora Milutinovic on Iraq's defeat against Spain.

"I am very, very happy with the defeat, I am not only happy I am delighted. I was very happy with the way my team played and I am very pleased we did not lose by four goals."

With six defenders in the Iraq's starting line up and nine players behind the ball, Spain had to break through a wall. David Villa did just that as he headed down a Joan Capdevila cross. Its Spain's 14th successive victory and is one match short of the existing record of 35 unbeaten matches held by Brazil.

Yet, as Bora put it Iraq actually has a good chance of qualifying for the semi-finals:

"In the first game it is important not to lose, in the second game it is important to get the best possible result and we did that today. Maybe we can go through to the semi-finals with only two points. It is possible."

With North Korea drawing Saudi Arabia, 0-0, Iran's slim chances of qualifying for the World Cup ended. Earlier, they drew with South Korea, 1-1.

Iran went ahead in the 51st minute after Lee Woon Jae's parry of Javed Nekounam's dipping cross ricocheted off the body of the onrushing Masoud Shojaei straight into goal. Just when Iran looked like it would pull of an upset and keep their chances of qualifying alive, Man Utd's Park Ji Sung bulled his way through the heart of the Iranian defense in the 80th minute to score the equalizer.

Both countries have witnessed tumultuous events recently.

Iran has been engulfed in a massive sea of green, with hundreds of thousands rallying this week against presidential elections widely perceived as rigged to help re-elect Mahmoud Ahmedinejad over the pro-reform candidate Mirhossein Mousavi. Six Iranian players donned green arm bands in solidarity with the protests including captain Mahdi Madhavikia.

Hundreds of thousands of grieving South Koreans donned yellow hats as they lined the streets to pay their last respects to ex-president Roh Moo-hyun who took his life. It is widely perceived that the Lee Myung-Bak government hounded Roh to his death with politically motivated bribery charges which were finally unproven. Thousands of Roh supporters have taken to the streets to protest the government and to demand Myung- Bak's resignation.

The EPL has been slow getting into India. Cricket and now 20/20, its version on crack have upstaged the world's game.

However, when talking about India, even a minuscule 5% represents a market of 50 million. Football is currently the lingua franca of sports of the upper middle class. You have to go to Goal.com to gauge the intense reactions of Indians to transfers news in the EPL. A casual walk on Marine Drive and an evening out at the Bombay Gymkhana reveal a proud display of Man Utd jerseys. My friend in Delhi regularly DVRs the Arsenal matches which come on late evening. His son follows the EPL avidly.

The news that Liverpool despite its cash crunch is behind the opening of a football academy in Pune is welcome news. There have been rumours that Tom Hicks was trying to get into the lucrative Indian market which was largely built around 20/20 cricket. It was at the height of the "Hicks get out of Liverpool" paranoia that engulfed the club's supporters.

Tough opening day fixture against Mikael Arteta, Marouane Fellaini, and company. Two weeks later, Arsenal meet Man Utd. Then comes new look Man City.

January and the first part of February is hair raising. We have Everton, Bolton, and Aston Villa (which always seems to do well against the Gunners). Then comes Man Utd, Chelsea, and Liverpool in breathless fashion. Boom. Boom. Boom. Arsene Wenger's January wish list better have players experienced enough to make an instant impact. Otherwise it could be an early season.

Saturday, 9 January 2010
Arsenal v Everton, 15:00

Saturday, 16 January 2010
Bolton v Arsenal, 15:00

Wednesday, 27 January 2010
Aston Villa v Arsenal, 19:45

Saturday, 30 January 2010
Arsenal v Man Utd, 15:00

Saturday, 6 February 2010
Chelsea v Arsenal, 15:00

Tuesday, 9 February 2010
Arsenal v Liverpool, 19:45

The horns are causing the dilemma actually.If you are watching the games on ESPN you will hear the overenthusiastic horn players in the crowds producing an irritating incessant humming noise that just goes on and on without a break.My long suffering elocution teacher would have said that it reminded her of the "hum of innumerable bees"
It's a ghastly sound effect.Whatever happened to the anthems?

Christian tells us that the correct name for the instrument of torture is not horn but vuvuzela.... and also that it takes some skill to play it properly.That's for sure anyway....!

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Xabi Alonso must be a big fan of Le Couperet.

Costa -Gavras's dark comedy is the story of a laid off executive driven to desperation to find a job, who is finally forced to take matters into his hands by literally killing off the competition. The movie was released as Arcadia in Spain.

Well, he has done it again hacking down Cesc Fabregas at a training session and injuring his left knee. This means that Cesc will not start in the Spain vs Iraq encounter. Nothing so serious as when Alonso crocked Fabregas at Anfield last December with a sliding tackle that ruptured his knee ligaments. It sidelined Fabregas for four months.

Alonso has lived in the shadow of Xavi, Iniesta, and Fabregas for a while. He picks up sporadic national duty because of injuries to the Spanish midfield. With Cesc's injury he will start the match against Iraq in the Confederations Cup.

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I have just discovered that it was his fastest hat trick ever.It only took him all of 17 minutes to score the three goals.They have been dedicated to his African fan club...It was also a perfect golden hat trick as he scored the goals with his right foot,left foot and head.However the world record for the fastest hat trick ever according to wikipedia belongs to former Ross County player Tommy Ross, who scored three goals in 90 seconds, versus Nairn County F.C. in Victoria Park in 1964...


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Setanta maybe bailed out of financial trouble by accepting a £20million cash infusion by US businessman Len Blavatnik for a 51% controlling stake.

About £40million could be raised by a consortium of investors to keep the troubled sportscaster afloat.

"The discussions with investors are continuing, and by Friday we expect the business will be in a position to meet its obligations," the Setanta source said.

The encouraging news reversed the decision to suspend new subscriptions.

"We are taking subscriptions from new customers for our great sports content both online and at our call centres. Setanta Sports and all of its channels are still broadcasting and we intend to continue bringing our subscribers the great sporting action that they are used to from Setanta."

The immediate priority is to pay off the EPL a second £10 million installment by Friday or face the possible auction of their rights to broadcast a block of 46 live football matches.

The SPL meanwhile has not yet been paid their £3 million installment even as a fortnight has gone by since the June 1st deadline. Setanta's survival ensures a source of valuable cash infusion to the SPL clubs so these negotiations will be followed with great interest.

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Edu has begun rehabilitation that will keep him out for the next three months and the start of the SPL season. He was operated by Andy Williams, a renowned London based surgeon, who carried out a successful surgery to heal damaged ligament in Edu's knee.

He is keeping upbeat and looking forward to the new season and CL participation. More on mauriceedu.com

Mo: Hey surgery went well and all parties involved were happy with the result. Now is the annoying part as I'm on crutches for 4-6 weeks and out for possibly 3 months but I'll get some time to go home and see my family for a little bit so that's good. I'm just staying positive and keeping my head and am anxious to start my rehab.

His immediate priority:

Mo: Well first I need to get fit and get my knee back healthy and strong. From there, fight and earn a spot back in the lineup.

The cultural experience and the storied Old Firm rivalry:

Mo: The accent is pretty strong lol so that's taking some getting used to. I'd say biggest difference is this culture is dominated by football whereas that's not the case in the States. The rivalry between Rangers and Celtic is massive and if you play for either there's a lot of responsibility on your shoulders and a lot more attention on you so you need to always be aware of your behavior. Also, its funny basically its like half of the city absolutely loves you and the other half hates you with a passion.

He also thinks Leo Messi is better than Cristiano Ronaldo. Good man.

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Looks like one of Rafa's targets has finally worked out. Its going to cost £17m for the highly rated Portsmouth defender. The cash will be raised through the sale of Andrea Dossena and Alvaro Arbaloa.

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Joel Santana needs to win against the Kiwis otherwise its over for South Africa and the end of the road for him.

The media was none too impressed with his Iraq efforts.

He was widely perceived as failing to adapt to Bora Milutinovic's ultra defensive approach.

The Daily Times:

But glaringly, Santana did not see reason to alter his tactics and introduce more attack-minded players, keeping men such as Steven Pienaar (although still not fully fit) and Katlego Mashego on the bench until it was too late, while Siphiwe Tshabalala and Elrio van Heerden were not even used as Santana packed his under-worked defence.

Cape Argus:

Three defensive midfielders - one, Benson Mhlongo, lying deep in defence - didn't help matters. No width, no wingers and nothing in the way of attacking creativity, this was the story of a rather listless afternoon for Bafana.

Mail and Guardian Online:

Even an amateur coach could see that it was obvious Iraq had come for a point and to frustrate the host nation. The initiative lay with Santana as the home coach to take risks and, he failed by opting for a measly point that in the end might not be enough to help Bafana into the semifinals.

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Fabregas urges Wenger to sign Yaya Toure. There are strong indications that Kolo's brother is in contract difficulties at the Nou Camp.

'We are used to having someone like Patrick Vieira, Gilberto Silva or Flamini in the middle of the pitch.

'It is true that without someone like that we have been slightly unbalanced and weakened in such an important position. It is a position that is undervalued but it is so important, especially for teams like ours that attack so much. When you have the ball it is so important to have a guarantee that there is someone behind you covering.'

Having Yaya Toure will be a boon in providing much needed security in the backfield and avoiding long fatiguing track backs for Cesc and Arshavin. Arsenal was very soft in the lower third of the pitch. Lots of open spaces to run to and cheap giveaways. Song was frequently a guilty party. Toure is a known quantity at Barca. He is physical, has good tackling skills, and bursts of speed and ball control that yield some spectacular goals.

As for Cesc, he may express his admiration for Pep Guardiola which is smart if ever Barca come knocking but with Xavi and Iniesta controlling the midfield, it is hard to see him get too many starting opportunities.

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Looks like Real defender Christoph Metzelder is less than enchanted with Ronaldo's price tag.

This is significant because it is the first sign of player dissent. Public opinion against the deal is something that Florentino Perez can handle. Having Joan Laporta speak out against this transfer is entirely understandable. But this is entirely different. Ronaldo's future team mate vocalizing what is on his mind and probably a few others! All it takes is one or two players to express the same unease and we might see the first casualties of the Ronaldo effect.

Team mates always deal with players who are more valued but even a team like Real with its fair share of high priced transfers is feeling pressured. They have to whittle their egos down, deal with feelings of depersonalization. These anxieties probably filter down to the medical staff needing to be hyper vigilant with Ronaldo's health. A giant price tag needs round the clock protection.

This is not altogether unlike the Beckham hype at the Galaxy, where concerns were raised over his household name and record compensation negatively impacting his relationship with relatively unknown team mates. Frank Yallop's resignation was partly the result of his inability to deal with these skewed team dynamics.

Manuel Pellegrini has his first challenge on hand with Ronaldo yet to arrive.

Bob Bradley, its been great coasting along in the CONCACAF on decaf but for the big leagues you need something stronger.

Unfortunately, this is what happens when you play in a region that creates a set of inflated expectations akin to playing the grandiosely named World Series. The US baseball team always gets found out in the World Baseball Classic just like the US team today against Italy.

One thing must be clear if we are to make meaningful progress.

There is no place for the Greg Lalas woe is us attitude. Those are just a grab bag of ill advised victimizations.

If only, but only if Ricardo Clark was on the pitch. See it happened last time too with Pablo Mastroeni and Eddie Pope, otherwise we would have won. We never catch a break. The big teams always get away with it. If it was Gattuso who had fouled, he would have been let off with a warning.

At the same time, we also proudly say, we were the only team to go undefeated against Italy. Which is it? And if we are saying that everything goes swimmingly for teams like Italy, spare a thought for Cristian Zaccardo who gave us the gift of an own goal that allows us that pride. The game is full of ups and downs.The Italians also had Calciopoli and Gianluca Pessotto's attempted suicide to deal with. They managed to pull through to win the World Cup.

We can say that it took an American of Italian heritage to sink us. But Giuseppe Rossi is part of the game's delicious ironies. Argentina's 6-1 historic lambasting to a Bolivian team was sparked by Marcelo Martins and Alex Da Rosa, two players with Argentinian roots.

It is noteworthy that Ricardo Clark, Pablo Mastroeni, and Eddie Pope who received red cards have spent their careers in the MLS. This might be a coincidence but it could suggest the league is on the average less disciplined or that players are ill prepared to deal with the pace of these international matches. These are structural issues Bob Bradley needs to deal with and come up with solutions.

Lets put it this way. We rarely get to play quality opposition and when we get beaten, it leads to the same sort of hand wringing. The Confederation Cup is a good way to find out where we actually are. 2002 was an aberration and from some of the reactions, still induces a hangover.

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Dunga's boy's were sitting pretty with the score reading 3 -1 at half time.But Egypt came back with a Nicholas Cage type gone in 60 seconds two goals shortly into the second half. (video of those two goals only here). A handball on the line with 5 minutes left to go gave Brazil a penalty and Al Mohamady of Egypt a red card.Kaka scored what proved to be the winner.

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Carlos Tevez is reportedly so determined to leave Man Utd that there is no club that he has not been linked to. However, if you look carefully, it is not really a structural issue that is the problem.

The sticking point happens to be the lack of starting appearances where I agree he was shortchanged by Sir Alex. It is an easily remediable situation, because now he is needed more than ever. Man Utd's depth chart is Wayne Rooney. After Berbs, who is a name in paper; there is Danny Welbeck and Kiki Macheda, who together count for 7 appearances.

They now have enough money to pay off the £25m to the third party consortium that owns his economic rights. Sir Alex's targets are not in the bag yet, from Benzema to Antonio Valencia. Each one has their requirements, each one their pluses and minuses. It is safe to say that players from the Liga if they can be induced to come, will do so because of personal reasons, not to improve their quality of play. David Villa may join the EPL but at a huge price.

Tevez's skills may not be world class. A large part of his allure is his inextricable connection with Man Utd's fighting abilities. With him around there is always a chance right till the very end.

Incredible artwork.The king of football emerges out of an elephant.

What next you say ?
The elephant that inspired the artist of course......trunk,tusks and all.

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The two players with Arsenal connections, Freddie Ljungberg and Steve Zakuani came back with solid performances in Seattle's win over San Jose. Zakuani in particular is a real threat on the left with his speed, anticipation, and whipped crosses. The team came close with some near misses with an alert Joe Cannon making a great save of Fredy Montero after Zakuani had carved up the defense. Ljungberg's goal came after he cleverly held back a fraction, releasing his chip when Cannon had made his move. His corner kick led to the Fredy Montero goal in the second goal.

The win was the first after 5 draws and a loss and moves Seattle into third position in the Western division.

About 30,000 fans pack Qwest field for the Sounders home matches. Having one of the most enthusiastic fan base has its payoffs and this tremendously influences the MLS All Star selection.

It is not surprising that except for Landon Donovan of the Galaxy, the rest of the top ten are all Seattle Sounders.

Goalkeeper: Kasey Keller
Defenders: Tyrone Marshall, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, James Riley
Midfielders: Freddie Ljungberg, Osvaldo Alonso, Brad Evans, Steve Zakuani
Sebastian Le Toux
Strikers: Fredy Montero

Columbus Crew defender Frankie Hejduk is also running close as are Crew playmaker Guillermo Barros Schelotto Crew and Toronto's Dwayne De Rosario. Amongst the strikers Seattle's Nate Jaqua, Chicago's Brian McBride and Juan Pablo Angel of the New York Red Bulls are leading contenders.

The online fan balloting program, which concludes on July 6, will comprise 25 percent of the total vote for the All-Star First XI, with coaches and general managers, players, and media each holding 25 percent of the vote.

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There we have crossed the line into rubbish tabloid gossip. It had to happen. Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates his Real deal by snogging Paris Hilton which is an event that occurs considerably more frequently than Halley's comet. No information as to whether it was Ronaldo's nutmeg or crossovers that impressed the lady.

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The final score was a mere 5 - 0. Spain v/s New Zealand turned out to be one big mismatch.


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The last time the USA met Italy was during the 2006 World Cup. Jorge Larrionda was one busy man. Before the match was over, the Uruguayan referee had issued three red card and four yellows, unleashing a storm of criticism as well as support over his controversial decisions. Larrionda officiated in the opening match between South Africa vs Iraq where he again faced some criticism.

The Italy match is remembered for its wild first half with passions running high. Brian McBride's profusely bleeding face, gashed by Daniele De Rossi's vicious elbow. The Roma playmaker was ejected with Pablo Mastroeni following suit for a two footed tackle. Eddie Pope was sent off in stoppage time of the first half after earning a second yellow for a late tackle. The half ended, 1-1 with Christian Zaccardo's 27' own goal erasing Alberto Gilardino's 22' header. The second half was tame in comparison.

The Kaiserslautern encounter forms the back drop to tomorrow's match between these two teams. There are six players leftover from the 2006 USA team while ten men were part of the Azzurri squad. The match is still remembered vividly by Oguchi Onyewu and Landon Donovan.

"I remember that game," Standard Liege man Onyewu, 'Gooch' to his team-mates, said with a smile as the sun faded away behind the training stadium in Central Pretoria. "If this game turns out to be a physical battle like that one, that's not a worry for us. We can handle it. But these are two different teams and no two games are ever alike."

"That was one of the most memorable games in my career," said Donovan. "It gives me goose bumps just talking about it."

Both teams will be missing their stalwarts. Italy's Fabio Cannavarro, the 2006 Golden ball is out with a calf strain. Talisman Francesco Totti and Zidane's bogeyman Marco Materazzi did not make it to SA. For team USA, the defense looks very different with Frankie Hejduk, Pablo Mastroeni, and Steve Cherundolo not in the line up.

This will be Bob Bradley's first encounter as head coach against the wiles of Marcelo Lippi, whose 31 unbeaten streak came to an end after a deflating Brazil loss in February.

Lippi has been experimenting with the squad rotating a number of young players like defender Davide Santon of Inter, midfielders Simone Pepe of Udinese, Riccardo Montolivo of Fiorentina, and strikers Giuseppe Rossi of Villareal and Fabio Quagliarella of Sampadoria around the tried and trusted cohort of Andrea Pirlo, Gennaro Gattuso, Mauro Camoranesi, Daniele De Rossi, Gianluca Zambrotta, Fabio Grosso, Fabio Cannavaro, Luca Toni and Alberto Gilardino.

I think Lippi will start Giuseppe Rossi today for two reasons: The Villareal second striker has been in great form, scoring a number of valuable goals for his club. He is very effective in getting behind the defense with his speed and footwork and can set up the taller Luca Toni with opportunities to score. The other reason is Rossi's US ties. He was born in Clifton, NJ to Italian immigrants and was given an opportunity for a national tryout under Bruce Arena but declined stating his desire to play for the Azzurri. It might make his appearance more compelling.

Bob Bradley will most likely start with the same set of players who won against a good Honduran team. Jonathan Spector with his Premiership experience is a better choice than Marvel Wynne. Jonathan Bornstein looked solid in comparison. Both will be responsible for thwarting attacks down the flanks through De Rossi and Camoranesi while Onyewu and Bocanegra plug the middle to isolate Luca Toni. Benny Feilhaber provided a spark off the bench for Pablo Mastroeni against Honduras and should anchor central midfield with Michael Bradley. They will have to track back to help their defense and also provide enough ball possession to be able to dish off to Landon Donovan.

The brunt of the attack comes from the trio of Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley, and Clint Dempsey. Jozy Altidore as the lone striker will have to use his physicality to overcome Giorgio Chiellini, fast filling Alessandro Nesta's shoes.

The USA looked very sharp against a lethargic Italy team in the first 20 minutes of their World Cup match till Gilardino beat the offside trap to set up the goal against the run of play. They will have to contend with Pirlo's set pieces again with Luca Toni, Zambrotta, Grosso, and Chellieni as proven threats.

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Vincent Del Bosque looks very bovine.

Its unbearable. Torres has a hat trick and Fabregas adds one more. And its only halftime. Spain has about 90% of the ball.

San Jose's Simon Eliott wages a lone battle for New Zealand.

Any guesses as to the final scoreline? How about 9-0?

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The party did not go as planned after Sepp Blatter kicked off the Confederations Cup, the curtain raiser to the 2010 World Cup.

"Dear friends, FIFA is committed to Africa. Brothers and sisters, I would like to say a lot of thanks to the people of South Africa, to the African continent, who have organized this competition," Blatter told the cheering crowds.

The opening match between Iraq and South Africa ended in a 0-0 stalemate. The hosts have relatively weak competition in Iraq and New Zealand, with only Spain providing a tough test. This draw raises real doubts of progress under Joel Santana who has had a better run in recent matches against African competition.

Bafana Bafana was guilty of not putting away their chances even though they controlled the ball for most of the match. Their Premiership stars were non-entities.

Steven Pienaar was introduced very late in the second half and Benni McCarthy, the all time leading scorer was not even in the line up.

Iraq threw back players and their stonewalling defense infuriated Joel Santana. Mohammad Kassid, Iraq's goalie also came up with some huge saves. The Iraqis enjoyed a big slice of luck when Kagisho Dikgacoi's header was inadvertently cleared off the line by team mate Bernard Parker.

"Our opponent never tried to play football," Santana said. "They tried to paralyze the game."

At the other end, Iraq's coach Bora Milutinovic was very pleased with the result.

"I'm very happy because we got one point. Now we are alive and we have more than two days to prepare for the game against Spain."

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Mansour Al Nahyan; Suleiman Al Fahim; Tahnoon Al Nahyan: The connection?

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Three of the four pitches which will be used for the Confederations Cup-- Ellis Park in Johannesburg, Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria and the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein -- are usually used for the SA rugby union.
It left football officials with little time for "transformation" as sponsors' logos and pitch markings had to disappear.The grass had to be cut so that it changed from rugby length regulation grass ( grass long enough to soften the impact of several heavy bodies falling to earth one on top of the other) to soccer length regulation grass (grass short enough not to get in the way of those zippy passes) etc,etc,etc.....
Stadium sharing has been a feature of South African sport for many years as a legacy of apartheid left few top-class football venues for international competition while there was an abundance of excellent rugby venues.
FIFA appears to be winning the race against time.
That football still looks a bit out of shape though.It needs more work ..!

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Apparently it takes some skill:

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Blatter defends the insane amount of money spent on Ronaldo's transfer saying...
"We are in a very sensitive market nowadays, because there is an economic crisis.But in football, if we are in a good market, it means that football is a good product, not just to buy or sell but a product that gives people what they want, which is emotions.This is the game of the people and they need stars. Okay, it is a lot of money, but he is performing."
A convoluted Blatterism which really doesn't make much sense - but that is generally the way with most things he says almost all of the time.
Here's a better way to spend money.
Football for Good is a non-profit social business being developed by the founders of the Steve Nash Foundation and Athletes for Africa, with the aim to bring community-centered academy football to regions that have been ravaged by war.Check it out here..
Steve Nash says."My dream is Football for Good, an initiative to bring community-centered academy football to children in war affected regions.With just a $5 donation, you can make my dream a reality and earn a chance to join me at the Showdown in Chinatown, June 24 in New York City."
Somehow that makes a lot more sense than Blatter's blather.
A video of Steve Nash with Kaka,Thierry Henry etc here..

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As C. Ronaldo prepares to depart for dreamy Madrid, Manchester United will have around £80 million from the transfer - some of this money may be used to pay off debts, or for wages, but most of it, should be used on finding a player to replace Ronaldo.

Strong candidates are Antonio Valencia, Frank Ribery, David Silva, Sergio "Kun" Aguero but the one that sticks out with optimism is the prospect of Man Utd purchasing Lyon's forward Karim Benzema..

Benzema has a rare style to him - comparable, if only very slightly, to the extremely talented Eric Cantona. Benzema, is a complete forward - his game shines in every aspect, he is tall and has a decent technique at jumping/heading, his finishing is clinical, he can dribble - he shows the odd spot of flair that make us gasp, but he has discipline, he doesn't take 25 pot-shots in a match - he knows how to use the ball intelligently, these are all admirable traits in a striker and in general, a player.

However what makes Benzema comparable to Cantona is that stunning, confident eye-for goal, to explain it: Benzema will play a goal before it happens, he will know what to do about 3 seconds before it happens and this is why he shows the most promise - this is a natural instinct, something Cantona had very much. He would get the ball, already knowing what he had to do before he did it - watch the following 2 videos to see this natural instinct at it's best.

Are you telling me Cantona received the pass and just went for a random chip on the goalkeeper? - No, he knew what he was doing the whole time, like watching an artist paint a masterpiece, Cantona had everything planned out - you should notice his celebration is special, as the execution is deadly.

Now, you have to watch this video of Benzema scoring against Manchester United last year in the Champions League - you should notice that not only the strike is stunning, but notice that it's very surprising, with 4 Man Utd players around him, Benzema spots the gap in defence, shifts the ball to his left foot and slams the ball in the corner, this of course, is all planed out before it occurs, as the natural instinct some super strikers like Henry, Cantona, Van Nistelrooy, etc. have give them around 2 or 3 more seconds to score compared to great strikers.

This is the main reason why the brilliant Benzema is built for Manchester United, with around £80 million to spend, Benzema, who has played in Lyon's 4-3-3 formation this season, would fit very well into Man Utd's formation - 4-3-3, 4-5-1 (as seen this year, stick Ronaldo on his own up front with 5 midfielders behind, as seen against Arsenal in the Champion League semi-finals), Benzema is a rare player and Man Utd have a history of producing and purchashing players of rare, rare style.

Italy had to come from behind three times to beat New Zealand 4-3 in a breathless warm-up for the Confederations Cup on Wednesday.Vincente Iaquinta turned the game for Italy by scoring a brace at the end that took the game away from what would have been a fairytale ending or a disastrous ending - your perspective depending on which team you were supporting.Lessons learned by the NZ team here..

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El Pais writes " Florentino Perez lives in another galaxy."

The worst economic times in 70 years, with Spain's unemployment rate projected to reach almost 19%, and no real recovery till 2011. Real's purchase of Ronaldo exceeds the total budget of 16 teams in the Liga. When the summer is done, Real is expected to have paid 300 million euros in transfers.

How would this 300 million euros be raised:

1) A 100 million in cash.
2) The sale of Van Nistelrooy, Van der Vaart, Saviola, Sneijder, Huntelaar, Heinze, Mahmadou Diarra.
3) Securing bank loans of 100 million at the most favourable rates.

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President Zuma kicked a ball into cheering crowds during a ceremony yesterday at the 68,000-seat Green Point Stadium in Cape Town starting the final countdown for the World Cup next year.The very picturesquely located Green Point Stadium with the imposing bulk of South Africa's Table mountain lurking discreetly in the background is not entirely shipshape yet as you can see below.But it's getting there.

Only 364 days left to go now before the opening game of the first World Cup to be hosted by an African nation kicks off on the 11th of June 2010 - please God.
Mr Zuma, who used to play football as a prisoner under apartheid, declared as he set the countdown clock ticking... "We have made it.There is no longer any doubt that we will meet all the deadlines.Many said we would not succeed but South Africans have proved they can rise to the challenge."
Soccer fan(atic)s share their views and reviews here..

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So will the Daily Mail. The Mirror. The Sun. You think Man Utd has it bad. This is an absolute crapper for these guys, giving him up to Marca and AS. Who now plan the exposé of Ronaldo and his trysts with hookers through grainy pictures.

Unless they follow him to Spain. He is a cottage industry.

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Whereas Kaka leaves fans with genuine heartbreak and angst, a foreboding of an uncertain and tumultuous future for Milan; the mood at Old Trafford has been pragmatic, roll up the sleeves sort of stuff at Ronaldo's impending exit.

The consensus is that of a prodigal talent who led Man Utd to blazing success but with his Real overtures, increasingly wore out his capital. Securing a phenomenal amount of money at an eye popping 655% rate of return (£12.2m to Sporting Lisbon to Real for £80m) will leaven even the most lingering doubts that this was in Man Utd's best interests. In fact, I would say the mood is bullish because £80m can buy a hell of a lot of talent. Yes, Ronaldo as a player will be missed. There was an expectation every time he took a free kick. Feet wide apart, hands on hips, eyes lasered onto goal. It was theater. It was intimidating. It was effective.

The split has been made easier because Ronaldo as a personality shows little compunction. The World Cup match against England when he winked walking back to the bench after riling Rooney into ejection stands out as an example. It was street smart stuff, the sort that Mourinho alludes to when talking about Ronaldo. What made it particularly sleazy was that it became his biggest moment while virtually accomplishing nothing with his feet. There seemingly was no calculation to the potential damage done. The chatter thereafter was whether the Man Utd team mates would be able to work together the following season.

But Ronaldo, effective at compartmentalizing emotion, left it to his performances on the pitch. His devastating tandems with Rooney, gave Man Utd three Premiership titles on the trot, effectively erasing that hiccough. More recently, his mutinous complaints about Sir Alex's tactics against Barca, had a self serving quality. In retrospect it was his sendoff match but he was shown up by Leo Messi comprehensively, as he faded away after a bright start. Again, perhaps illustrating when it comes to being self centered, he has few equals.

Kaka of course, comes from an entirely different mould of clay. He is from a wealthy family, who never saw football as an escape from the grinding poverty of the favelas. Unlike Ronaldo's frenetic and shortlived trysts that have been prurient tabloid fodder, he has shunned the spotlight, being singularly and boringly faithful to his wife. As a player, he brings those nuanced qualities to the pitch. He has a much more graceful flow and subtle changes of pace compared to the forceful, choppy, and muscular strides and crossovers of Ronaldo who loves taking defenders head on. Kaka fit in perfectly with Andrea Pirlo, another scion of a wealthy family, and their effortless and laconic fluidity defined Milan's regal midfield.

The Milan shadows and fog stands in contrast to the attacking bludgeon that Ronaldo formed with Giggs and Rooney, and then later Tevez and Rooney, famously demonstrative scrappers with a phenomenal work rate. We saw it being dismantled three years ago in the CL semi-finals against Milan when Kaka had his brightest moments.

While Ronaldo's petulance although annoying is perfectly predictable, Kaka's seemingly high minded nature can fool the most cynical of fans. Which means that one is constantly shocked when we learn that Kaka is a diver, can stamp his foot, and is also driven by pecuniary concerns. He was the most highly paid footballer in the world while at Milan and at Real his wages go up even more, to £12m. His statement of love for Milan and its fans although genuine, gave false hope to his supporters that he would stay on. In fact it created the grand illusion of Kaka as an ingenue, unaware of his club's machinations. In the end, without his tacit approval this move would not have happened. He too can be an exhibitionist, tearing of his jersey to reveal "I belong to Jesus" emblazoned on an undershirt. The two men have different ways of achieving similar results.

It will be interesting to look at the relationship between these two players, who have defined their clubs and been keys to their success, on the pitch together in Florentino Perez's second overture. The difference of £24m is a significant one, a straight forward assumption that one is valued over the other.

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I was wondering when Michel Platini would weigh in on what is happening in the world of transfers. He had been silent on the Kaka transfer. But Ronaldo's £80m move to Real proved a bit too much. Platini got it off his chest.

He said: "It is very puzzling at a time when football faces some of its worst ever financial challenges. These excessive transfers are happening almost every day.

"These transfers are a serious challenge to the idea of fairplay and the concept of financial balance in our competitions."

Well, to tell you the truth, this is not the first time it has happened and it won't be the last time either. At every stage, a record falls. It is true for paintings, it is true for executive compensation, and it is very true for the sports world. We might have record unemployment in Spain but who are we to come between an out of work Real fan and his joy at seeing Ronaldo as a Merengues? Fair play is vastly over rated. Or it maybe for English clubs as Platini would like to suggest.

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The long awaited saga of will he, won't he is over. The regular encounters with Leo Messi to bury the best footballer title proved too irresistible.

A record £80m has been tabled for Ronaldo's transfer to Real. Carlos Tevez is needed back. Stat.

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Robinho and Nilmar helped Brazil to a 2-1 win over Paraguay.All the latest stats etc here..

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So spake Paolo Maldini in his last press conference. El Gran Capitano said that this move to sell the Brazilian was unprecedented and forecast a gloomy future for Milan.

"This is a historic change for Milan and it will be unrealistic to expect us to win the Champions League without Kaka."

When Franco Baresi retired the club was able to bounce back from that dark period. But he sees less chances of that happening.

"Kaka is one of the best five players in the world and the other four are not moving. They are not coming to Milan."

It was a sombre Maldini speaking. The comments that follow the article show a majority of fans share his pessimistic assessment of the club's future.

There is a dawning feeling that Milan was woefully under prepared for these monumental changes. In every sphere, in every aspect of the game, Milan has been found reactive or shortsighted.

Take a look at defense, Maldini's forte. Nesta and Gattuso's injuries, forced a makeshift back line that gave up late goals in crucial matches. The club did not search out suitable replacements, even as they knew Maldini was set to retire sooner than later.

Kaka's transfer to bail out a club from financial distress has disturbed many. With Berlusconi's status as one of the richest Italians (he is currently ranked third behind the owners of Nutella and Ray Ban), he was looked on Abramovich like to provide funds for high priced transfers. The new reality is that the recession has considerably diminished his spending powers.

Ancelotti's replacement, his long time assistant Leonardo is looked on as a cut price gamble. Not going outside to attract a big name coach has led to further questions about the leadership's future vision. There are disturbing signs that Pirlo and Pato might be tempted away by higher spending clubs. There are open questions whether Ronaldinho can effectively take over the role of the chief playmaker.

In his press conference, Maldini gave a less than hearty endorsement to Ronaldinho filling Kaka's shoes. He suggests that the Brazilian is unprepared.

"Ronaldinho could become a leader if he accepts that responsibility."

Which is at odds with Berlusconi's statement that Ronaldinho is ready to fill that void.

There are some who look for the sun under the dark clouds. But this comment sums up the majority's feeling:

" Thank you, Maldini for being a sincere friend who says what he thinks. Even a scudetto seems unrealistic (probably even more now). Be prepared for another disappointing season. Without Kaka and Maldini, the two reasons for going to the stadium."

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A great strike by Walter Ayovi gives Ecuador a 71st minute lead which is then doubled in the 84th minute by a Pablo Palacios goal. Ayovi supplied the ball. The Argentinians paid dearly for two defensive lapses. First Battaglia and then Demichelis failed to protect the ball.

The Albiceleste maintain their fourth place in the CONMEBOL region but the Ecuadorians have closed the gap to within two points and lie in fifth place. Brazil, Chile, and Paraguay are on top. Uruguay and Colombia still have a realistic shot at qualification.

Argentina meets Brazil next who under Dunga, look very organized at the back with just 6 goals given up. It might will be a test for their vaunted attack who have sputtered scoring 19 goals while their defense has given up 15. Maradona needs to figure out how to stop the bleed and to score goals.

The video (In Spanish) highlights Kapuściński's reportage of the Soccer Wars and its actual genesis. It has a clip of Pipo Rodriguez scoring the all important winning goal in the final playoff match against Honduras that secured El Salvador's passage to the second round of qualifiers to the 1970 World Cup.

Today, after 40 years the rivals met in a World Cup qualifier and it was Honduras that beat El Salvador through a goal by Carlos Pavon.

Carlos Tevez needs to be patient.

It was Man Utd who fought to get him to Old Trafford. They are now putting up the money to unshackle him from the consortium. Yes, it is a tidy sum of money but after a dithering a bit David Gill has come around.

Frankly, if Man Utd had lost the Premiership with Tevez sitting on the bench, I would have expected him to leave, vindicated. With Ronaldo being entertained by Real and question marks about Berbatov's work ethic, Tevez will be even more essential. The fans want it and Sir Alex seems to have acknowledged his vulnerability, a bit belatedly in a "Baby come back" sort of call. The benefits of playing in a club with established CL credentials will prove irresistible.

Rooney,Lampard,Defoe,Rooney,Defore and Crouch scored the 6 goals and England made it 7 wins out of 7 games.This is the Fabio Capello effect.So far so good.

England 6-0 Andorra - For more funny movies, click here

The knives are out for Maradona. What was a whisper campaign is now leading to high anxiety and open calls. Where is Bilardo? Where is Pekerman? Where is Bianchi? There is serious doubt building up in Albiceleste fans whether Argentina can qualify for the World Cup with Maradona at the helm.

The inspirational quality of Maradona as player is crumbling before Maradona, the clueless manager. To be fair this defeat was not due to Maradona's faulty tactics as much as it was the team's inability to put away its chances. Ecuador was always going to be tough at 2,800 meters above sea level. Ironically, it may also mean that Maradona does not realize when inspiration is required.

An enervated Argentinian team that just about won against Colombia at Buenos Aires, stumbled against Ecuador at Quito, 0-2. The Argentinians were greeted before the match with an Ecuadorian daily running the headline saying "Maradona, if Bolivia was torture Quito, will be your grave."

Maradona made a couple of changes from the Colombia match starting Nicolas Otamendi of Velez over Daniel Diaz and bringing in Boca's Sebastian Battaglia for Veron. Unlike against Colombia where he raised eyebrows with his formation, the squad maintained a conventional 4-4-2.

The first 20-25 minutes of the first half was all Argentina's as Messi put on a dizzying display of skills, as he jinked his way though the Ecuadorian defense. He missed out on an opportunity when he failed to put away Heinze's perfect cross.

A golden chance to go up came to nought when Calos Tevez was brought down by Marcelo Elizaga but the weakly struck penalty kick was gratefully saved by the Ecuadorian goalie.

By the second half the Ecuadorians had taken charge as the Argentinians tired but not before Gago's shot was saved brilliantly by Elizaga. Two defensive lapses cost the Argentinians dearly as Battaglia failed to deal with a loose ball which led to Walter Ayovi's brilliantly struck shot from 30 yards left Andujar stranded. It was Ayovi again putting through Palacios as Dimechelis failed to deal with the pass for the second goal. Battaglia was replaced by Veron who could not inspire his team.

If the match against Colombia was a rorschach of Maradona's muddled thinking, the Ecuador was a corrective but it was the execution that failed.

After the match Maradona was defensive:

" The players did everything that was asked of them and we have now committed ourselves to beating Brazil."

"They were unable to find anything in the first half and in the second they found two, for which we are sorry but this team is on the rise."

The question for Maradona was not whether Argentina could qualify, but whether it could do so with conviction. The damage has been done.

This is incredible.Belgian soccer player Anthony Van Loo, in the 44th minute of a recent game, has a heart attack and collapses on to the field. Watch the video carefully at about the 15-second mark.His legs jolt around suddenly (the internal defibrillator kicked in and got his heart beating normally again).He then he sits up at the 21-second mark and lives to play another day.Talk about an electrifying performance....!

Guus Hiddink returns to Russia with strong indications of a full future Chelsea role. Abramovich could not be in a better position with such options. If Ancelotti fails, it sets up Hiddink's return after World Cup duty is over.

Big Phil in contrast takes up the Bunyodkor job. He could have gone to Angola. The country's association had wooed him for their squad's coaching job. Having a high profile name would have been a big boost for the hosts of the 2010 ACN championships. Just as he did with Portugal in Euro 2004.

From Cruzeiro's coach to managing the national teams of Brazil and Portugal, then onto Chelsea and now, Bunyodkor. With his latest move, Big Phil yet again turns away from the spotlight. His last foray into it was not a happy one. This is his 21st job in 18 years.

He replaces fellow Brazilian, Zico, another big name who has made coaching smaller clubs a career move. Bunyodkor boasts Rivaldo, who shows no signs of slowing down. The club looks on his hiring as an important part of the country's push to the international arena:

"His challenge will be to raise the standard of the club along with other Uzbekistan national teams in order to excel at the international level."

Dear Mr Ashley

I represent certain interests deep within the Indian private sector which is located in the same country that manages your porn account, um in the back office way. Hope that is going satisfactorily for you sir, and you are getting it up with a tug job and jiggle. Mmmmmmhhhhhhh.

It has come to our notice that you are selling your club in a public bid. We believe that St James Park maybe sitting on the last undiscovered reservoir of coal and natural gas in that area. Some of your players are so combustible, they might be the finest pieces of anthracite. There is also something in the air. It could be escaping gas that turns fans giddy every season. What ever it is, it promises much.

Mr Keegan said something about sticking his foot deep into someone's arse. Is it yours, sir? The line was bad. We hasten to add, that we previously did not have such an excavation in mind. But if his theory is correct, it would of course be cheaper if you indeed, were the repository of such valuable resources. Of course, we assure you that it will be private and relatively painless. Don't panic, we have experts in man management skills. It won't be Velveeta but think of it as a tug job in reverse. A bottle of Cuervo helps with the oil rig. We only think of you as a small part, a very small part of the North Sea.

But first, your price is still too steep. We can't afford not to play IPL 20/20 or not get our daughters married off. A plate of chicken tikka masala in a hotel costs a paycheck ! And contrary to what you might have heard we have no millionaires, only slumdogs. Of course, you could hand yourself and the club for free. In exchange, you and your future generations live off the royalties for the gas and coal excavated.

Carrying coals to Newcastle. You sir, gave it back meaning.

Yours sincerely,

Mangaldas Bijnoria
CEO
Blokebusters Ltd Privates

Seems to have a strong vertical leap. Will be very much called upon to
combat the likes of not just Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres but
Cousin and Kompany.

It is noteworthy that Robin Van Persie is the one welcoming him to the club. The two players have a picture together and they do not seem like they were swapping plans for an evening out. RVP may remember this from the Amsterdam Cup which Arsenal won beating Ajax, 1-0 through his 87th minute goal.

So RVP should be the first one to appreciate the simple minded steel that Vermaelen brings to the squad. As Ajax captain he is comfortable in a leadership role. A feature which Arsenal lacks in the back and Gallas was unable to provide consistently. A take charge personality would be much appreciated when the going gets tough.

He is known for speedy and tough tackling, at times living on the edge with his two footed stuff. Not surprisingly, he is consistently one of the most carded Ajax defenders. He finished with 9 yellow cards and a red. How this plays out in the more physical Premier League will be interesting.

He also gets high marks as a decent set piece threat scoring 5 goals this season.

As a centre back, he is ranked behind Groningen's Andreas Granqvist, FC Twente's Peter Wisgerhof, and PSV's Dirk Marcellis, putting him in the top five in the Dutch League.

There are question marks as to durability. This was his first complete season. The last two seasons he completed about half his appearances due to injuries sustained to his right knee. A gimpy defender would be the last thing Arsenal needs, a familiar story replayed many times over.

Two situations: Two different outcomes for Vermaelen

Dutch newspapers are confirming the sale of Thomas Vermaelen to Arsenal on a four year contract worth 11.5 million euros.

No official word out from Wenger or at the club website. RVP seems to be happy.

That dust up last season on the "lack of inches" plaguing the defense does not seem to have prevented Wenger from pursuing the 5'11" Ajax defender. Vermaelen is supposed to play bigger than his height suggests which obviously means, he possesses a strong vertical leap.

The pictures seem to indicate that potential but obviously, the keys are timing and positioning.

Micah Richards is reportedly out of favour at Man City and is mentioned as an Arsenal possibility for a straight swap with Kolo Toure. Another possibility is Brede Hangeland who has not yet renewed his Fulham contract.

Edin Dzeko will not be joining the Gunners. Reports are that he prefers to stay on at Wolfsburg if the contract negotiations proceed successfully. If there is any club that can lay a claim on him it will be Milan. Dzeko is a long standing Rossoneri fan.

Not the kind of goal that is normally associated with him but goal as in aim in life.
His first goal was apparently to become a tennis player....strange but true - unless the compilers of this collection of Kaka trivia are fibbing.