Normal 0 21 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Tabla normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} The latest instalment of Buenos Aires’ Superclasico did little to give fans of River Plate or Boca Juniors hope of an quick upturn in fortunes for either ofArgentina’s traditional footballing superpowers.

When Argentina’s Primera División commences next month referees will be armed with a vanishing spray to keep defensive walls ten-yards back at free-kicks. The aim is that refs will pace out the yards at dead-ball situations and spray a line on the ground to stop the defenders from encroaching on the set-piece taker. The line on the pitch will then disappear within a minute without leaving a lasting trace on the pitch. The scheme was successfully trialed in the second division last season and now the Argentina Football Association (AFA) has approved its use in the top flight. The spray is contained in a 115 gram light weight aerosol can which means referees can carry it on them at all times. It is hoped that the scheme will speed play up by preventing the common disputes which crop up at dead-ball situations. The AFA hopes the measure will put an end to the days of retaken free-kicks and needless bookings for walls creeping too close to the ball. The invention is the brainchild of sports journalists Pablo Silva who first had the idea eight years ago when playing in an amateur league. Silva’s team were 1-0 down when they got a free-kick on the edge of the box in the dying minutes of the match. When the kick was taken it crashed into the wall who had advanced to within three yards of the set-piece taker. When the referee took no action despite a wave of protest the seedling of the idea had been planted in Silva’s head. “We lost the game and, driving home later with a mixture of anger and bitterness, I thought that we must invent something to stop this.” Pablo Silva said Silva also wondered if the problem was confined to football in Argentina or if the same thing happens all over the globe. He decided to undertake a study of behaviour at free-kicks in the professional game worldwide. “We have observed more than 1,500 matches all over the world and we have studied how long it takes to take the free kick and how far the defensive wall moves forward. “We have proved this is not just an Argentine problem, it happens everywhere.” Silva conceded. He hopes that the spray he developed with chemical engineers will catch on all over the world and benefit football as a spectacle. “Hopefully this can contribute to enforcing the current rules and improve the time that the ball is in play.” Silva said wishfully. A similar spray has been used in some cup competitions in Brazil for several years now but proved unsuccessful when it was introduced to their league seven years ago. Pablo Silva claims his spray will be much more effective and has been developed separately from its Brazilian counterpart. “The Brazilian one appeared in 2002 and the substances are completely different. One has nothing to do with the other.” Silva said adamantly. Watch out for the new invention in Argentina’s Primera División A Torneo Clausura 2009 which commences on 8th February. Keep your eyes peeled though, blink and you’ll miss it. © Tim Sturtridge & Soccerphile.com Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

World Soccer News for the week of 03/15 Brazil reconciles with Pele with 2014 World Cup in view The most famous Brazilian player of all time, Pelé, will be the mascot of the 2014 World Cup to be held in his country. A great choice of the Brazilian Football Federation (CBF), although Pelé is now 67 years old and will be 73 by the time of the tournament. Hopefully his good health will serve him well. The signing of the contract between Pelé and the CBF last week means the two have burried the hatchet after a lengthy dispute between The King and the CBF chairman Ricardo Teixeira. Last year Pelé even missed out on the host announcement ceremony in FIFA's headquarters in Zurich. Everything is fine between the two now. "We are all going to work for Brazil's benefit. Ricardo Teixeira has asked me to take part in the country's international promotion. I am a Brazilian and I'll do my best to help the project succeed," said the all-time top scorer for the national team. Thierry Henry: "This is Henry you'll going to see" Numerous observers claimed last summer Barcelona was wrong to sign Thierry Henry from Arsenal for 24 million euros. In the meantime the reality has proven them right and even Henry agrees with it. The unstoppable forward who fired an amazing 226 goals for the Gunners in all competitions does not exist anymore, said the Frenchman at a recent press conference in Barcelona. He admitted he had not only failed to adapt to a new country and club, but he was also troubled by the separation from his daughter Tea and the wide left position on which Frank Rijkaard is playing him whenever Samuel Eto'o is healthy. "I am not happy because the father who has seen his daugher only five times in eight months cannot be happy. Still, the chief cause of my inferior performance is playing on the left side instead of in the centre. For eight years I played in a certain position and now I have to act in a different position within a different scheme. So, enough of comparisons between Henry in Barcelona and Henry in Arsenal." Last September Henry divorced his wife Claire Merry, with whom he has the three-year-old Tea. "She is the most important thing in the world to me. Every father knows what I'm talking about. If I could see her more often, I guess my form would improve." Disappointed Ian Wright slams son Bradley over bar incident Bradley Wright-Phillips, son of the legendary Arsenal striker Ian, was caught last week in a shameful incident along with his Southampton mate Nathan Dyer and three friends. The merry boys were filmed looting handbags at a nightclub. Bradley himself did not steal anything but his looking on and sneering at his pals was embarrassment enough for his dad. "He disgraced himself and his family. I am compelled to condemn what happened. He is guilty because he's there. Now he's going to have to take the consequences," said the ex-England international during his talk show." The boys must have done if for fun alone, because only three mobile phones, 145 GBP in cash and some cigarettes were reported missing from the barmaids' bags. Argentinian "tank" Palermo Boca's record scorer The robust centre-forward Martín Palermo has become the highest scoring player in Boca Junior's history when he scored against the Mexican side Atlas in the Libertadores Cup. The 34-year-old striker reached the quota of 181 goals in official games, overtaking Francisco Varallo who scored 180 goals in the thirties. The record applies to the games in the professional era of Argentinian soccer, initiated in 1931. Taking the amateur era into account, the best scorer is still Roberto Cherro, who netted 221 goals between 1926 and 1938. However, only 106 of Cherro's goals bear the stamp of professionalism. Palermo won two Libertadores Cups, two Sudamericana Cups, two Recopas and an Intercontinental Cup in 2000, when he downed Real Madrid with two goals. Top Boca Juniors' scorers 1. Martin Palermo - 181 2. Francisco Varallo - 180 3. Jaime Sarlanga - 128 4. Mario Boyé - 124 5. Delfín Benítez - 115 6. Roberto Cherro - 106 7. Pío Corcuera - 98 8. Sergio Martínez - 86 9. Guillermo Barros Schelotto - 86 10. Alfredo Oscar Graciani – 83 Croatian keeper calls for retaliation against Hamas Beitar Jerusalem's Croatian goalkeeper, Tvrtko Kale, has caused a major political scandal in the Middle East with inflamatory remarks regarding the Gaza conflict. In an intervew with the Israeli TV Sport5 channel, he suggested the perpetrators of the bombings should be eliminated in a decisive military action. "I get lots of SMS messages from my friends who ask, how is the constant Hamas shelling of Sderot and Ashkelon being allowed? How can the citizens stand this? And I remember how the Croats solved it when we had these problems: Shoot, kill, destroy, and then you have no more problems," said Kale, formerly a soldier in the Croatian army during the independence war between 1991 and 1995. When the reporter remarked that such a solution was considered unacceptable in Israel, Kale calmly responded that 50 or 60 years trying to find a peaceful solution was quite enough. "Something must be wrong with this. It's time to Israel to say it's enough." Later Kale tried to dilute the effects of his words claiming he did not refer to the Arab people in general but only "to the terrorists." "As a matter of fact I have many Arab friends and they understood what I meant," said Kale. Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football Betting

Italian giants AC Milan have won the 2007 FIFA Club World Cup following a comprehensive 4-2 drubbing of Boca Juniors at Yokohama International Stadium. Veteran striker Filippo Inzaghi scored twice in front of more than 68,000 fans, but Brazilian midfielder Kaka was the star of the show, setting up two goals and scoring one himself on his way to receiving the Player Of The Tournament award. It took Milan just twenty-one minutes to open the scoring when Kaka surged into the box. His first shot was blocked, but he drove the rebound across the face of goal for veteran Inzaghi to produce a typical poacher's finish. Boca Juniors were level less than sixty seconds later, when Claudio Morel Rodriguez curled over a cross from the left-wing that was expertly nodded home by Rodrigo Palacio. Despite the scores being locked at 1-1 at half-time Milan were always in control, and they retook the lead five minutes after the interval when defender Alessandro Nesta profited from a fortuitous bounce to lash home a volley from close range. Kaka then scored the goal that his stellar display deserved, before teeing up Pippo Inzaghi for his second of the match. Boca scored a late consolation through a Massimo Ambrosini own goal, but it did little to dampen the celebrations as Milan became the first European team to lift the revamped FIFA Club World Cup trophy. The victory avenged a penalty shoot-out defeat to Boca Juniors at the 2003 Toyota Cup in Tokyo, with Kaka telling reporters that winning the Club World Cup with Milan was a "dream come true." Milan will now look to defend their UEFA Champions League title when that competition resumes next February. Copyright© Michael Tuckerman & Soccerphile.com Tags Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

Argentine giants Boca Juniors booked their place in the final of the FIFA Club World Cup, but they failed to turn on the style in their 1-0 win over Tunisian side Etoile du Sahel. Midfielder Neri Cardozo scored the only goal before a crowd of 37,255 fans at the National Stadium in Tokyo, while midfielder Fabian Vargas was sent off for a second bookable offence with twenty-five minutes remaining. Etoile started the match with significantly more attacking intent than in their 1-0 win over Mexican side Pachuca , with ex-Liverpool defender Gabriel Paletta looking shaky at the back for Boca. Tunisian starlet Amine Chermiti was causing problems with his penetrating runs, but gradually Boca began to play their way into the match, and they opened the scoring after thirty-seven minutes when striker Rodrigo Palacio cut inside a defender and slid the ball to Neri Cardozo, who beat Etoile keeper Aymen Balbouli with an unstoppable left foot drive. The second half was a tense affair and Boca's cause wasn't helped when midfielder Fabian Vargas received his marching orders from Danish referee Claus Bo Larsen. Etoile saw a golden opportunity to equalise in stoppage time go to waste when substitute Gilson Silva headed wide at the far post. Boca will now meet the winner of tomorrow's semi-final between reigning European champions AC Milan and current Asian champions Urawa Reds , with a crowd of around 70,000 expected to descend upon Yokohama International Stadium to witness that clash. Copyright© Michael Tuckerman & Soccerphile Tags Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting