Italian Football With the threat of industrial action on the part of the playing staff in Italy now averted, Serie A returns with AC Milan v Lazio at Molino Dorino. What's the betting Milan can repeat? Let's look at the teams one by one. Atalanta look like they will come out in a 4-4-2 with a strengthened defence. Andrea Masiello has exchanged the sunny climes of Bari for the chilly foothills of the Alps. Bologna are likely to utilize the Christmas tree with Di Vaio the angel at its peak. But will the formation lead to the lack of width that Milan discovered that they had two seasons ago? While Milan brought in Beckham to solve the problem, in my view it's rather unlikely he will be rushing over from LA to help the Bolognesi. Cagliari, under Donadoni's watchful eye, may use Nene and newly-acquired El Kabir as two wide front men with Cossu breaking through the centre. With the dangerous David Suazo brought in from Inter they should be able to avoid relegation. Catania have Montella as coach now, but have strangely unloaded Schelotto to Atalanta. The formation seems unclear – a lop-sided 4-4-2, perhaps. They might be heading even farther south - to the reaches of Serie B. Cesena will place new boy Mutu in front of goal hoping € 5m Eder can help him in the scoring department. Chievo have bought Perparim Hetemaj from Brescia hoping the Finn can finish like he did with his controlled volley against Roma. Does Jokic have what it takes on the left of midfield to help Pellissier? Fiorentina's 12-goal hero Gilardino will be fed by Kharja, 26 year-old Andrea Lazzari (from Cagliari) and Montolivo, who stays in Florence (it's amazing that, despite years of his being often the best player on the park, it's only recently that bigger clubs have been taking serious interest in him). Genoa have made an effort to improve their "goals against" column by bringing in the experienced Sebastian Frey, 31, from Fiorentina. The addition of Birsa (Auxerre), Pratto and Seymour (U. Catolica) provides evidence that Genoa plan to do more than merely survive this time. Internazionale di Milano have managed to retain Wesley Schneijder (to Manchester United's detriment). So allenatore Gasperini has kept his defence and midfield intact. Up front, the decision to unload Samuel Eto'o seems odd indeed: the mobility of the attack may well be impaired. How long will it take Ricky Alvarez to adapt to the tiny spaces afforded by Italian defences, compared with the wide grasslands found in Argentina? Juventus, the creaky Old Lady, is going to be the most interesting team to watch this season, I predict. The fans (perhaps forgetting that he can land a ball on a one euro coin from fifty metres) are already moaning about the acquisition of the elderly Pirlo from Milan. But the dangerous Vucinic will probably play in the middle of a front four (yes, you read that right: I understand it's a return to the 1960s with a 4-2-4!!). So expect goals, goals, goals ... at both ends of the field. Lazio now have great experience in attack with Miroslav Klose (from Bayern Munchen) and Cisse (Panathinaikos) brought in as front men in a probable 4-3-1-2 with Hernanes and Ledesma behind as the spine of the team. Lecce have brought in on loan Roma's goalkeeper Julio Sergio. Nearly all of their summer transfers are loan deals or frees, and the fact that they have spent only € 1.6m must reflect the state of their finances. One fears for their safety this season. Milan (and/or the Italian press) have been keeping everyone on tenterhooks this summer by talking about a mysterious possible signing called "Mister X" (commonly presumed to be either Montolivo or Hamsik). In the end, former Liverpool player Acquilani has been brought in to cover for the loss of Pirlo to Juve. How long can Milan continue with the ageing Gattuso and Ambrosini in midfield? Perhaps it doesn't matter when you have such a stellar forward line. Napoli, drawn in the same fascinating "group of death" (Group A – betting) as Manchester City, with Villareal and Bayern, will provide serious opposition to any opponent this season. Confidence is high. Gokhan Inler and power-shooter Marco Donadel have been brought into midfield, and the team will continue with Cavani, Lavezzi, and Hamsik up front. Novara might be favourites for the drop, but they have an all-new front three "attacco M": Morimoto, Mazzarani, and Meggiorini. Palermo now have Eran Zahavi from Hapoel, who will possibly appear on the right of midfield in front of Cassani to support forwards Hernandez and the excellent Fabrizio Miccoli (what is it about the Italian national team selectors that they don't pick Miccoli automatically?) Parma will hope Graziano Pelle (bought from AZ Alkmaar for a million) will help Crespo and Giovinco score more goals than the team lets in at the other end. Roma have spent big this summer, and new coach Luis Enrique has managed to lure the sought after Dutch keeper Maarten Stekelenburg to the Italian capital. Bojan Krkic (Barca) and Lamela (River) could be the wide men at the front of a 4-3-3. As yet we don't know whether this will be a true 4-3-3 or a 4-5-1 (or even a 4-6). Where will Argentinian Pablo Osvaldo (Espanol) fit in? Roma will be interesting to watch. Siena are expected to employ a traditional 4-4-2 with Zeljko Brkic in goal, D'Agostino in midfield, and Destro brought in from Genoa. Siena have been (on occasion) exciting to watch when at home. Can they survive this time? Udinese's strengths and weaknesses were plain for all to see in their recent matches against Arsenal. Prior to the match in London the team looked relaxed as they were spotted strolling the gardens of Regents Park and were unlucky to lose to Walcott's solitary goal. In Udine, though, their over-reliance on the brilliant Di Natale was evidenced, despite Pinzi's great range of passing. Coach Francesco Guidolin is going to have to quickly stifle the psychological blow of losing Sanchez to Barcelona if Udinese are to emulate last term's excellent showing. © Peter Rodd & Soccerphile.com

Wayne Rooney is threatening to leave Manchester United after another row with nice Mr Ferguson...Didn’t Beckham, Stam, Van Nistelrooy and Ronaldo fall out with Sir Alex too before heading for the exit at Old Trafford? I still seem to be the only person who does not think Fergie is a football genius. Former Manchester City coach Malcolm Allison , who died this week aged 83, was best-known for his 1970s image – the fedora, cigars, nightclubs and glamour girls, as well as his rebranding of Crystal Palace as ‘the Eagles’, but he also had a sh rewd soccer brain. He had realised by the early 1950s that English football was tactically obsolete, but unlike most, fought hard to do something about it through innovative coaching. He won the league and European Cup Winners’ Cup with City (the last all-English champions of England), turned down Juventus and won a Portuguese championship with Sporting Lisbon. Charismatic and flamboyant in public to the point of ridicule he was, yet he remained a sound judge of the game, and like many a English manager with continental leanings, was consistently overlooked by the myopic Football Association.

A parting salute to Paolo Maldini, who finally hung up his AC Milan boots today aged almost 41 after a quarter century at the top. The legendary left-back left the field to a standing ovation as his beloved Rossoneri topped Fiorentina 2-0 in Florence. A cornerstone of world football disappears after an astonishing story: He first played for Milan aged 16 in 1985 and went on to win five European Cups and seven Serie A titles as well as the appearance records for Serie A and Italy, for whom he made 126 appearances. Maldini wore the azzurro in four World Cup finals though was unlucky not to be picked for Italy's victorious campaign in 2006 -the following year he was voted the best defender in the UEFA Champions League.

What were UEFA hoping for when they awarded tomorrow's Champions League final to Rome? Alfresco pasta and vino in the Italian sun, no doubt, as Puccini wafts through the ancient walls of the Centro Storico and evening strollers pause beside the Trevi Fountain to contemplate 'La Dolce Vita' over a gelato and espresso. UEFA cannot have forgotten the recent history of soccer violence in the Eternal City, so what excuse is there for brushing it under the carpet? Italy has the worst hooligan problem of any European country but domestic squabbles apart, Rome has been a danger zone in recent years for travelling fans, particularly English ones.

Barnet, of England’s League Two, have a playing field which is notoriously not level. Games at Underhill, where Arsenal’s reserves also play, can make for entertaining goal-fests but the slope means it sometimes ‘just isn’t cricket’, let alone football. There is also something clearly surreal about the Kaka saga, whose intricacies have dominated soccer talk this week like a high-profile trial. Because money talks, the deal is more likely to happen than not as long as Sheikh Mansour plonks his loose change on the table, drunk on the dream. The latest news appears to imply Kaka will be staying at the San Siro, after unsuccessful negotiations in Milan, but City will not give up until their self-imposed deadline of the 28th of January passes. They have too much money not to throw around. It may be hard for us recessive Europeans to grasp, but Arabs really do have money to burn. In my other job, I meet many a sheikh and an oligarch so Roman Abramovich and Sheikh Mansour’s playboy approaches to football do not shock me. As sweet as it is to see Silvio Berlusconi and Roman Abramovich eating humble pie, this transfer is still the wrong move. In favour of the move are feelings that AC Milan deserve some of their own medicine after plundering other clubs for years and that Manchester City’s defeat-hardened fans deserve a chance of success for once. But another crazy-money capture only adds to the too-easily dismissed arguments for a salary cap across UEFA. Kaka himself may have been in tears this weekend, but his paymasters, AC Milan chief Adriano Galliani and de facto boss Silvio Berlusconi, appear to be ushering him out the door with Euro signs in their eyes. There is nothing illegal about Milan selling their ace, but it breaks unwritten laws of football. The fact City are four points from the drop zone of challenging for Europe makes this Abu Dhabian folly impossible for the true fan to accept. More than Alf Common’s record-smashing four-figure move in 1905, more even than the Russian revolution at Chelsea - “Terremoto (Earthquake) Abramovich” , as La Gazzetta dello Sport called it, Kaka’s move to Manchester has upset the natural order of the Beautiful Game. Leave aside the fact that the Brazilian’s salary and transfer fee are obscene at a time of depression in England, and televised suffering elsewhere in the world: In purely footballing terms, this is a bad deal. Unlike Chelsea, Champions League qualifiers and one of England’s top teams when Roman Abramovich’s yacht dropped anchor in 2003, Manchester City remain real underachievers. This is the straw which should break the back of the camel, before it can enter the eye of a needle: Kaka’s move makes no sense for him in football terms. The boy from Brasilia is 26 and at the height of his powers. One of the world’s best players at one of the world’s best teams, he should not be departing the game’s premier club competition (the UEFA Champions League) and lowering his sights to join a team doddering four points above their drop zone, whatever his super-remuneration will be. Man City need steel in defence and grit in midfield before they need a Kaka. In fact a major reinforcement in all areas is required to challenge for the Champions League and overtake established rivals with a team built from scratch, a target which seems surely out of reach for next season. And there is no guarantee the Arab arrival will bear sudden fruit. A quick transformation from PL strugglers to CL contenders? I doubt it. In England alone there are five other clubs who will have a lot to say about any new kids on the block. Kaka at City just does not bode well. The Blues from the Eastlands already have three Brazilians who have fallen out at various times with their coach, and the rainy North-West of England is still no cultural breeze for South Americans, however open-minded and adventurous the well-bred Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite is. The expectation level will be enormous on one man and unless there five or six other big-money buys, it could all end in more tears. For the man at the epicenter of this whole shebang, the risk of failure is just too high. The sporting world is full of examples of the best players leaving the big stage for a fatter pay cheque, particularly in the days when amateur competition existed alongside professional sports. Pancho Gonzales was the best men’s tennis player for much of the ‘50s and ‘60s but was excluded from the big tournaments because he played for money. Amateur Rugby Union was resigned to losing its best players to professional Rugby League until it turned pro in 1995, while boxing is a clear case of a pure sport tainted, if not ruined, by the green. Fans and football’s natural order are upset. I should perhaps be glad one of the world’s best players could be on his way to one of the Premier League’s weaker teams instead of to one of the Big Four, but Kaka’s move to Man City almost makes me want to give up following the game I grew up loving. Rival clubs do not need wage inflation in a time of recession, and supporters do not want to be told the game is only about money, even if it actually is. We would like to think skill, tactics, desire and coaching still have some bearing on soccer success. But the Kaka deal will definitely happen if the money is right. Milan will take the bait, but what about the player? Saying your favorite book is the Bible and wearing Christian t-shirts for the cameras leaves one inevitably open to scrutiny. So has Kaka read Jesus’ words in Matthew 19:23-24 (or indeed in Mark 10:24-25 or Luke 18:24-25) – "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven…it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Money can only be your prime motivation in moving down a peg on the career ladder, so don’t be a hypocrite now, Kaka. You don’t have to move to Manchester City. Don’t be bullied by Berlusconi. Respect the wishes of the fans who made all those banners in your honor at the San Siro this weekend and who have marched in protest because they love you so much. Stay where you are happy, where your family is settled, where you will have the best chance of trophies and where the sun does not shine only on TV. Think of the respect you will earn in Milan instead of the money you could earn in Manchester. Read Jesus’ words again and don’t fix what ain’t broke. Consider it God’s will and he will look after you. You could regret risking it all at Eastlands but you won’t regret staying at Milan. Go on, prove to us there is more to soccer, and life in 2009, than just money. (c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

Back in England a week on from the end of Euro 2008, the tournament still looks as impressive as it did in the Alps. I am not relishing another stolid European club season, dominated by the tawdry money of the big teams, so for the last time, I am looking back on what was a refreshing festival of football, the sort of which comes around only every few years: How was the play? Very good, on the whole, refreshingly adventurous and attacking. Only France v Romania seemed to have come from planet boredom. The French appeared to have a cloud over them all tournament, while Romania strangely failed to turn the screw when they needed to in their final group game, so deserved to leave early, too. Croatia v Turkey was not easy to sit through for two hours, but that was rather down to one team buttoning down the hatches and trying to frustrate another which was playing with winning ambition. The Dutch were irresistible for two games, while Spain danced their way to the trophy delightfully throughout. Portugal were also great to watch and Croatia were not bad, while even minnows like Austria and Switzerland showed enough fighting spirit to commend their efforts. Turkey’s late-late comebacks were thrilling, making up for a lack of the beautiful game with exciting attacking. That leaves Poland and the Czechs as fairly forgettable, although they did at least play to win. Germany, as always, never dazzled but dazed as they ground out more impressive results to add to their endless roll of honour, while Greece could not make lightning strike twice with their safety-first and negative game plans. In their defense, one might argue that Greece were only making the most of their limited options, as were Italy when they kept it tight against Spain after losing playmaker Andrea Pirlo through suspension. The host nations, meanwhile, felt an obligation to their populations to go for broke, given they might not have made it to the finals had they been forced to qualify like the rest of the teams. In terms of entertainment overall, Euro 2008 unanimously thrilled viewers more than the most recent comparisons, World Cp 2006 and Euro 2004. It was also more open than the average Champions League encounter, which tends to resemble the sort of high-quality but low-scoring encounter that Italy and Spain served up in the quarter-final in Vienna. Why was this? The cool air and lush grass of the Alpine settings might have helped, but then again the sweltering conditions of USA ’94 produced plenty of goals, while Korea did not seem short of breath in 2002. Some games at Euro 2008 were chilly e.g. it was overcoat time when Spain played Sweden in Innsbruck, but other days were up to 35C. You can’t read too much into climactic conditions. Euro 2008 was great to watch because the zeitgeist had changed, as it does every few years in football for reasons we find hard to pin down. After a negative Italia '90 came a positive USA '94. Likewise, come 2008, most of the coaches had decided to win games by attacking first and defending second. Otto Rehhagel’s triumph with Greece in 2004 thankfully failed to inspire others to follow his defensive example. Ambition, the successful coaches correctly concluded, was the way to advance. If the next World Cup has teams as exciting to watch as the Spanish, Turkish, Dutch, Portuguese and Russians were in the Alps, then we are in for a treat. The play was clean too, with hardly any diving or play-acting, which has blighted previous tournaments. Only when bad-losers Poland tried to make an issue of Howard Webb’s correct application of the laws on shirt-pulling was there any angry argument over refereeing. The debate surrounding ‘was-it wasn’t-it’ Ruud Van Nistelrooy strike against Italy was more interesting. Given the absurdity of deeming a player lying in a heap off the field as an active participant, the rule surely needs changing to avoid any interminable debate over interpretation, but it looks like FIFA are trying to brush this one under the carpet. Was there any tactical revolution? Spain’s victory would have brought a smile to the former FIFA President Stanley Rous, who insisted that at the end of the day, nothing compares to skill. Let us hope Spain's technical prowess and desire to play to feet catches on. 4-2-3-1, a refinement of 4-5-1, seemed to be the preferred system for most teams, with 4-4-2 second, while even the Dutch ditched their old 4-3-3 formation to win games. Spain’s actual shape was more 4-1-1-2-1-1. The anchor midfielder sat in front of the back four (an advanced sweeper if you will) is certainly in vogue, typified by Spain’s exemplary Marcos Senna, who set up as many attacks as he intercepted. Wingers too, were to the fore, with Roman Pavlyuchenko, Arjen Robben and Cristiano Ronaldo reminding us how exciting wide men can be, as indeed did the previously unheralded Colin Kazim-Richards with a stunning one-off appearance for Turkey against Germany in the semi-final. The overlapping full back is still a potent weapon, as Germany’s Philipp Lahm, Portugal’s flying Jose Bosingwa, Russia’s multi-talented Yuri Zhirkov and an unsung hero, Sweden’s Fredrik Stoor, reminded us. Spain’s miasmic midfield brought back memories of some of its finest club sides, who proved how switching positions increases the attacking potential. Wide men Andres Iniesta and David Silva requently swapped flanks, while Xavi reveled in his free role, popping up all over the last third of the opposition half. While we in England make a sport of criticising Latin teams’ lack of recognisable strikers, the mobile centre-forward in the Thierry Henry or Fernando Torres mould continues to impress. Germany reached the final with their real firepower coming from out wide in Lukas Podolski and Bastian Schweinsteiger. The top scorer of the tournament was a penalty-box predator (David Villa) but Spain won the final without him. Daniel Guiza, Jan Koller and Luca Toni stood out as old style ‘raging bull’ No.9s, but watching the stylistic triumph of the Spanish, you could not help thinking they represented the past in football. If there is still room for tall men up front, then they will have to be skilful on the deck too, like Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Van Nistelrooy, as the physical centre-forward role looks dated. In terms of height anyway, the short men (Spain) beat the tall guys (Germany) in the final. Did the finals miss England? As if. No, the tournament managed quite well without them, danke. When Euro 2008 was about to begin, most Anglos and the land’s breweries no doubt, felt the absence of the three lions quite painfully, but now it has ended, the inital proposition appears absurd. A happy, party atmosphere engulfed the hundreds of thousands of fans who travelled to Austria and Switzerland, the sort of feeling England’s travelling hordes have yet to master en masse. The boorish and un-sporting attitude of too many England fans was certainly not missed, nor was the jingoistic nationalism of its tabloids. Only the Turkish fans (and at times a few Germans and Poles), failed to tap in to the party spirit, preferring to taunt opposition fans when winning or failing to look on the bright side of life when losing. Women were more evident than ever at the FanZones, as were ‘adopted fans’, cheering for different countries every night with the appropriate shirts, flags and face paints. This idea of supporting countries other than your own and enjoying the losing as well as the winning is still sadly anathema to most Englanders. Without England there, real English fans of football could appreciate the games without the nagging influence of the national team’s presence. Those English who travelled to Euro 2008 were true fans of the game. As well as some English supporters, I saw small groups of Irish, Lithuanians and some Colombians, identifiable by their national team shirts, who had travelled to the finals for the love of the game and the pleasant experience it can offer at big tournaments. After a fun-filled month of mutual camaraderie in the Alps, I came home to watch the final in a London pub amid shouts of ‘f*** off Ballack’, and ‘Torres you c***’ etc, completely the opposite in ambience to the rest of Europe. England’s boorishness to the spirit of the game was exposed when the UK tabloids ran several racist articles during the country’s hosting of Euro ’96. Forget the nice stadia; if England wants to host the World Cup again it needs to understand how fandom has moved on. We did not miss the ridiculously overladen English media expectation, nor the trashy WAGs behaving like it's hen night every night, without a nod of respect to the culture they have landed in. If we are talking in terms of football, the question looks even stupider. England finished third in their qualification group and not since their 4-1 demolition of Holland at Euro ’96 have ever looked like contributing aesthetically to the world game. Is Russia about to join the elite in European football? Following Zenit St Petersburg’s UEFA Cup triumph, Moscow’s hosting of the Champions League final, Roman Abramovich’s overflowing bank accounts and the national team’s ride to the semi-final of Euro 2008, one could be forgiven for thinking Russia are about to realise their long-held potential as a major football nation. Steady on. The UEFA Cup is hardly the competition it used to be if Rangers can make the final. Rather, it resembles the old Cup Winners’ Cup in the quality of teams involved. At Euro 2008, Russia flattered to deceive - starting badly before improving enormously, only to bow out in the semi-final the way they began the tournament. Their classy 3-1 dismissal of the previously untouchable Dutch will was unforgettable, but one swallow does not make a summer. The Dutch and Russians had met before of course, in the Euro ‘88 final when Marco Van Basten, the coach 20 years later, scored one of the greatest goals of all time. Like the USSR of 1988, Russia of 2008 at their best were a well-drilled machine, exploiting all areas of the field and compensating for a wealth of individual genius. Andrei Arshavin of course was one such talent, as was Igor Belanov in 1988, along with Lev Yashin one of only two Russians to win the Ballon d’Or European Footballer of the Year award (Oleg Blokhin was strictly speaking a Ukrainian). Whether Arshavin or attacking colleague Roman Pavlyuchenko, is truly great I doubt. Arshavin’s age (27) is not important; players flower at different times in their careers. It is rather that he flourished under the shrewd coaching of Guss Hiddink, without whom Russia would not have even made it to the finals. In the event, they scraped in after losing away to England and Israel thanks to England’s inept 2-3 defeat at home to Croatia in their final game. Russia turned on the gas against Sweden before they neutralized the Dutch courage but their semi-final surrender to the Spanish was such a let-down after those wins that their fans probably deserved a refund from Abramovich. That night, the Russians looked more like a moderately good eleven who had scraped into the finals via some good fortune, but in the end did not really deserve to be eating at the high table. And Arsahvin, the prematurely-crowned king of Euro 2008, was nowhere to be seen. How was the tournament organisation and fan culture? Pretty faultless. Two countries with a high standard of living and renowned for punctuality and cleanliness were never going to mess it up. The trains were plentiful, the signposting ubiquitous, the fan zones superb and the accommodation in the cities I visited available, except for around Basel, where not enough had been provided. With a train pass however, it was not hard to hop an hour to another city where there were beds. That organizers tried to thrust a map and fan guide to the city into the hands of every passenger arriving at Vienna’s Westbahnhof or on nearby tram platforms was proof enough for me of their willingness to help visitors. Poland and Ukraine, if UEFA does not get cold feet and withdraw their hosting, have got a tough act to follow. The large fan zones which dominated the city centres of the two countries (I spared a thought for the middle-aged coachloads come to Salzburg to see the Mozart heritage on the day of Spain v Sweden!) should be the model for all future tournaments. Given there are far more travelling fans than match tickets, it makes sense from a security or atmosphere perspective to encourage them to enjoy themselves together in one area. As long as that area is securely monitored with bag checks, stewarding, plentiful big screens, toilets and food and drink outlets, there should be little risk of misbehaviour. In Austria and Switzerland, there was negligible trouble. I read about a few arrests at Germany v Poland but didn’t see a single incident myself across the tournament and never felt any of the simmering tension present at England games overseas. I felt totally safe and relaxed throughout, whatever fans were in town. When I was not inside the stadia, I found the fan zones almost as enjoyable. In many ways, it was a more relaxed way to watch a game because you could stand, wander around, sit down on the ground and drink beer or wine without restrictions on warm summer evenings. What an amazing contrast the public viewing areas in Manchester were on the day of the UEFA Cup final in May. The big screens were the only similarity to the Euro 2008 fan zones. Without any restrictions on alcohol, inadequate facilities and stewarding, plus thousands of Rangers fans stopping the trams from running, the place soon descended into mayhem. Austria and Switzerland got a lot of flack in the media for having only two stadia with capacities over the UEFA minumum of 30,000 seats, as well as some snide Anglocentric criticisms for having overly-cultural cities lacking the requisite grittiness for football. It would be a shame if only England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain could host Europe's showpiece football event, while one can hardly complain if a host venue is clean and orderly. Let's see what happens in South Africa in two years' time before we moan about civilised countries. Was Michel Platini the real winner? Behind the football, UEFA and FIFA have been rattling sabres over Sepp Blatter’s ‘6+5’ law, which will force clubs to field a minimum four players at the start of a game from 2010/11, rising to six two years later. Despite Platini’s pleas for the specificity of football to be recognized, he is against Blatter on this issue and in agreement with the European Union, whose laws permit the free movement of EU workers among member states irrespective of nationality. UEFA believes FIFA’s law would harm the UEFA Champions League, lair of wealthy clubs with multi-national cadres. Unlike the world’s governing body, Europe’s also oversees the world’s biggest club tournament so has to please both the club and country game. As a concession, Platini instead has advocated quotas based on home-grown players irrespective of nationality, which FIFA opposes because it would encourage a scramble for children by foreign clubs. FIFA’s whole beef is based on the fact international football is suffering from the power of the club game. The jaded European players in the 2002 World Cup helped push their arm, as did the fact England failed to qualify for Euro 2008, despite having two clubs in the final of this year’s Champions League. FIFA weasels therefore, probably wanted Euro 2008 to be a damp squib, while UEFA hoped for a successful tournament to show national teams could withstand whatever the club game had extracted from their players over a long season. Battling it out on their home patch – both organizations have their bases in Switzerland, UEFA came out on top. The free-flowing soccer and memorable goals seem to have won the battle, if not the war for now, and Platini, whether harbouring desires for Blatter’s throne in the future or not, has the upper hand. Are Poland and Ukraine in danger of losing the hosting rights for 2012? Apparently so. Maybe it was the shining efficiency of the Austrian and Swiss settings, but the rumours swelled up in the press rooms in the Alps that Euro 2012 could be headed west after all. There have been reports of UEFA’s worry at the Kiev stadium’s refurbishment as well as the country's political situation, and Platini has just completed a short trip to assess both host nations. A curious story going around is that Scotland and Wales have already been in talks to step in should the visit draw negative conclusions. Poland and the Ukraine were always facing an uphill task to live up to UEFA standards. Their entire hospitality, transport and stadia infrastructure are some way behind those of Western Europe, and the distances between the venues are far greater than ever seen before at a European Championship. UEFA have announced a final announcement will be made in September. If they are politely ushered out following this inspection, it will be regrettable, but will come as little surprise. (c) Sean O'Conor & Soccephile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

EURO 2008 Quarter-final lineup: Germany v Portugal Croatia v Turkey Netherlands v Russia Italy v Spain Germany v Portugal tonight looks an intriguing contrast of styles. The Lusitanians will be hoping Cristiano Ronaldo can catch fire in the right way tonight and burn the German defence that was breached twice by Croatia in the group stage. While Germany will not be short of fans pouring across the Swiss border to Basel, Portugal can count on the largest expat support of any competing nation in Switze rland. Their victory over the Czechs in Geneva almost felt like a home game, given the numbers of red and green flags flying from windows across the city. * * * "We are more technical, while the German game is more physical," Ronaldo succinctly put it. "The physical game does not win tournaments," assured German coach Joachim Löw, "but it helps you not to lose them." Ronaldo is a daily fixture in the Spanish sporting press, who leap at any rumour of a rumour of a rumour regarding his interest in playing for Real Madrid next season. While the Manchester United winger has erected a wall in front of questions on his future, journalists have had to use a Trojan horse: "Do you prefer paella or fish and chips?" one cheeky hack asked him. "Bacalhau" (Portuguese fish dish) was Ronaldo's smart reply. * * * The uncrowned King of Germany, 'Kaiser' Franz Beckenbauer, who put the boot in relentlessly on Löw's predecessor Jurgen Klinsmann, has said Germany must improve in order to beat Portugal tonight. "The midfield has suffered from a lack of ideas," he told Bild. "They will have to play like they did in the 3rd place play-off in 2006." Should the Teutonic muscle triumph, the praise should go to the American and Japanese fitness coaches employed by the Klinsmann/Löw regime. Mark Verstegen and Massaya Sakihan are gearing up the Mannschaft with tests employed on NASA astronauts. * * * Spain v Italy looks the pick of the quarter-finals to me. The Spanish have played the most attractive soccer of EURO 2008 thus far and do not have any major injury worries. "I thought they (Italy) were dead but they made it through in the end," Spanish coach Luis Aragones told journalists. "They are not the team I wanted to play but today anyone can beat anyone. They will be a very tough opponent but I have a lot of faith in my team." Memories of the USA 1994 quarter-final in Boston chime. Jose Luis Caminero had equalised Dino Baggio's opener for Italy, before Spain missed a hatful of chance s in the second half, allowing Roberto Baggio to pop up and score the winner with three minutes remaining. Spain and Italy are superficially similar Latin European nations, with shared Roman roots and mutually intelligible languages. Spain is the home of two giants of the club game. Barcelona and Real Madrid are colossi of economic and political power, their influence stretching far beyond the football pitch. Spain have also joined Italy at Euro 2008 in complaining about the changeable weather in the Alps, a shock to the weeks of endless sunshine in their own lands. But when it comes to the national teams, however, Italy has long been streets ahead. The Azzurri have bagged three World Cups to Spain's none. This time more than ever, though, the tables look set to turn. The world champions are up to their old tricks, flattering to deceive with a sluggish start before turning their engines on full blast when they're up against the wall. Roberto Donadoni's revival however, will be badly hit by the absence of Gennaro Gattuso and Andrea Pirlo, suspended after picking up two yellow cards. What a loss to the tournament, let alone Italy. Why must UEFA and FIFA persist with this cruel rule? At least UEFA have prevented another 'Gazza's tears' incident by erasing bookings after the quarter-final. But that is too late for Gattuso and Pirlo, and possibly Italy. In domestic play you need to accrue five yellow cards to miss a match, so why is it two in international tournaments, when the absence of key players ruins the spectacle. * * * Rumours of discontent within the French squad are growing. That would come as no surprise given Les Bleus' disenchanted body language throughout their three games. What are the players traipsing home across the Alps to make of their coach Raymond Domenech proposing live on air just after France had been eliminated by Italy? The game had gone from bad to worse for France, who first lost their most useful attacker Franck Ribery through injury before Eric Abidal was dismissed for a clumsy tackle. "The only thing I am thinking of right now is to marry Estelle," exclaimed Domenech post-match, to stupefied millions. Conspiracy theorists are pointing to Ludovic Giuly's omission from the French squad as down to the Roma winger's 'friendship' with Domenech's girlfriend. Estelle Denis presents '100% FOOT' on France's M6 channel and she and Giuly exchanged a number of texts after he appeared on her show in 2004. Giuly grovellingly apologised to Domenech, claiming he had no idea they were a couple, but that didn't stop Domenech leaving Giuly out of the 2006 World Cup squad, as well as Euro 2008. Domenech and Denis already have two children, Merlin and Victoire. If only their father could have been a magician and pulled a victory out of the hat. Domenech has since apologised for the rush of blood to his head and has also excused France's poor form by saying his real objective was to prepare for the 2010 World Cup. * * * Spain had an unfair advantage beating Greece in Salzburg. The Wals-Siezenheim stadium is nicknamed 'the Bullring', or in Spanish, 'Arena de los Toros', thanks to its occupancy by Red Bull Salzburg. Those purists who fear an American franchising of football in England should wake up to what happened here three years ago. The old Austria Salzburg, dating back to 1933, became Casino Salzburg in 1978, Wustenrot Salzburg in 1993 and finally Red Bull Salzburg in 2005. The last of these changes was the most controversial as it ditched the tradional purple strip in favour of the corporate red and white colours. Salzburg's kit is identical to that of its sister club, the New York Red Bulls (formerly the Metrostars) and forms part of a global corporate identity which includes the Formula One Red Bull team. Die-hard supporters, in a move to mirror those of AFC Wimbledon and FC United of Manchester, formed a new club in 2006, successfully registering the traditional name and logo and entering the team in the seventh tier of Austrian football (no jokes, please). SV Austria Salzburg have enjoyed two promotions in as many seasons and deserve our best wishes. * * * Croatia coach Slaven Bilic has been one of the stars of Euro 2008. The former Hajduk Split, Karlsruhe, West Ham and Everton defender has been the most effusive of the coaches on the touchline, celebrating Croatian goals as if he were still playing. Not your average footballer, the quadrilingual law graduate and smoker plays guitar in a rock band and hails from a radical family. His father was one of the students who organised a protest against 'President for Life' Tito at Split University in 1971. Although Bilic senior was not jailed, the family were placed under surveillance. When Bilic junior was selected to play for Yugoslavia at the 1987 World Youth Cup in Chile, his selection was overruled from above, making Slaven even more pro-Croat than ever. Twenty-one years down the line, he has surely got his revenge. * * * (c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

EURO 2008: France v Italy, Berne Netherlands v Romania, Zurich The calculators are out for tonight's Group of Death finale, but suffice to say winner takes all. A win would send France or Italy through; a victory for Romania against the already-qualified Dutch will send them into the Vienna quarter-final against Spain instead, eliminating both the 2006 World Cup finalists. It all gets complicated if France and Italy draw and Romania lose, leaving three teams on two points. Here's hoping somebody wins. My hunch is that Italy will defeat France, but Romania could yet shock a Dutch team with nothing to play for and render the other game meaningless. Both World Cup finalists look ragged, but the French seem more transitional than the Italians and looked more demoralised than the shocked Italians by their own Dutch treat. Italy tend to come up with the goods when against the wall and should have the quality to edge France. But eyes should rather be focused on Zurich to see how many stars Marco Van Basten is resting. Romania, let us not forget, lead France and Italy by a point and beat the Dutch at home in qualifying. * * * SNOWDROPS from the ALPS: *UEFA will bag a profit of 700 million Euros from the tournament, which makes me wonder why they need 5,000 volunteers. The governing body's largesse extends to serving 250,000 strawberries to their valuable hospitality guests. *The Austrian press revealed their team ate a breakfast of muesli (well it is the Alps), fruit and vegetables, wholemeal bread and carrot and orange juice. Later they dined on turkey or zander (fish) fillets followed by a vanilla and strawberry dessert. *The grass in the eight stadia is cut to a length of 23mm, just under an inch. * French 'first lady' Carla Bruni is headed for the guillotine after revealing she will be cheering her nation of birth, Italy, and not that of her husband, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, tonight. (c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile EURO 2008 Quarter-Finals Croatia v Turkey Portugal v Germany Spain v France/Italy/Romania Netherlands v Sweden/Russia Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

Italy v Romania 1700GMT, Zurich France v Netherlands 1945 GMT, Bern BERN- Italy go into tonight's game with Romania desperate for a win after getting thumped 3-0 by the Dutch in their opening game. Coach Roberto Donadoni looks certain to bow to public demand by ditching his unsuccessful 4-3-3 formation and bringing in old favourite Alessandro Del Piero to support Luca Toni in attack. ZURICH - Romania and France will be on the attack too after their dismal 0-0 encounter in Zurich, which leaves the Dutch perhaps in danger of complacency after their shotgun start to EURO 2008. The Group of Death is alive and kicking. Some snowdrops from the Alps: FROMAGE Ā TOI - A slice of Gruyère is on its way to Italian strik er Luca Toni, for a cliché and metaphor-ridden reaction to his country’s 0-3 humiliation at the hands of the Netherlands: “We lost a battle, not the war”, he protested, adding “Winning is a good medicine.” HONEST GUV – Toni’s teammate Gianluigi Buffon is in hot water with coach Roberto Donadoni after calling Italy’s collapse in Bern “the worst Italian performance in the last 12 years”. OFF LIMITS – French coach Raymond Domenech has added his name to the list of football folk who were not aware of the specificities of Law 11 of the rules, the one which adjudged the wounded and immobile Christian Panucci to be actively involved, lying on the ground behind the goal as Ruud Van Nistelrooy netted. "If I have got his right," said Domenech, "the offside rule has changed. You remain in play even when you are off the field. That is good to know. But now I hope this doesn’t apply to spectators too because it gets a bit complicated if you’re including a fan behind the goal." I COULDN’T POSSIBLY COMMENT - Arsene Wenger has shown he is full of the joys of an Alpine Spring by calling EURO 2008 a disappointment so far, perhaps concentrating too much on France’s abject 0-0 with Romania. "The quality of play shown is not what we were expecting," he told G azzetta dello Sport. Too many teams have played with timidity and a fear of losing for his liking and few have wanted to express themselves creatively instead. Holland v Italy Wenger thought was only such a firework display, because Les Bleus’ bore-draw had handed top spot in Group C to the victor in Bern that night. That makes a change. Normally when Arsene doesn’t like something he pretends not to have seen it in the first place. FLIRTING WITH STEALTH - When he drops anchor at Stamford Bridge after Euro 2008, expect Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari to be less blunt in his criticisms than predecessor Jose Mourinho. When asked about Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s ‘was-it-wasn’t-it’ goal against Italy, Big Phil said of the Dutch master of the dark arts, "He is without doubt the best player in the world who flirts with the limit of positions." DON’T BOTTLE IT UP As if Italy didn’t have enough armchair managers (57 million at the last count), leading brewer Peroni, who make Nastro Azzurro, are advertising their wares to the Italian nation with a picture of 11 bottles lined up on the football field and the responsible slogan – "Free the football coach that is inside you", i.e. get sloshed and spout lazy abuse at your team. There certainly was no shortage of opinion on the 3-0 calamity. RAI registered over 70% of the nation’s viewers, while more than 80% of Dutch TV s enjoyed a famous victory. A SWIFT HALF GALLON Switzerland is definitely a country of moderation. Newspapers here were at pains to report that Dutch fans camped in Avranches downed 3,500 litres of beer in three days and managed to cause no trouble to the local police force. If they had committed a ny crimes, good luck to the cops searching for a drunken fan decked out in all-orange party clothes. There are only 50,000 of them expected for their next game against France on Friday in Bern. NAKED AMBITION Romanian ace Adrian Mutu defended his reportedly inflated wage demands to his club Fiorentina thus: "My agent thinks with his brain and he is always looking to get as much as he can in my interest." Coincidentally, a Romanian tabloid has just published a picture of said footballer starkers, tackle and all, except for a pair of sunglasses and a mobile phone, on the balcony of his team hotel. Can’t think why Chelsea wanted to get rid of him… YOU’RE NOT WRONG, AMICO Italian journalist Carlo Nesti described the meteorological conditions at Euro 2008 thus, "Here in Switzerland it seems like you are in England. Now it’s sunny, now it’s raining. You don’t understand anything about the weather anymore." (c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

Results 10th June: Spain 4:1 Russia (Villa 20' 45' 75', Pavluchenko 86', Fabregas 90'), Innsbruck Sweden 2:0 Greece (Ibrahimovic 67', Hansson 73'), Salzburg Now we have seen all the teams, what have we learnt so far? Ibrahimovic's golazo against Greece was the most spectacular goal, Spain's 4-1 torching of Russia the most alluring and the Dutch's 3-0 thumping of Italy the stand-out result of the first slew of games. Fears that the Oranje would miss Arjen Robben proved groundless as they trounced the World Champions, defeating the Azzurri for the first time since Nottingham Forest were last crowned English champions. Italy has been awash with soul-searching today after such a clamorous capitulation. Italian back fours are supposed to be as compact as ranks of Roman legionary, not crumble like old Garibaldi biscuits left in the tin for too long. In midfield and attack too, the azure blues were decidedly off-colour as the Dutch sailed past them time and again, bagging three goals when it could have been more. All of a sudden, the in-vogue formation of 4-1-4-1 looked rather ropey. How fortunes change. Marco Van Basten is once again the Netherlands' poster boy after serious doubts were raised following his team's heavy weather in qualifying, while the blissful memory of the World Cup triumph in Germany has begun to fade. My suspicion is the Dutch are yet to prove they can be consistent so let us not get carried away. Remember how the Dutch steamrollered Yugoslavia 6-1 in the Euro 2000 quarter-final before grinding to a 0-0 draw and defeat on penalties against Italy in the semi-final. More recently, they began the 2006 World Cup at a canter, dispatching Serbia 6-0 in the first round before succumbing dismally 1-0 to Portugal in an ill-tempered game that produced four red cards and eight yellow cards. It was a Dutchman who coined the phrase 'sexy football' but it wasn't his countrymen playing the hottest soccer so far in the Alps. That award goes to Spain, who followed a stop-start 1-0 win over the USA in their final preparation match with a 4-1 mutilation of Russia and Guus Hiddink. How much should we read into Spain's deliciously simple pass and move soccer I am not sure. Russia were rubber in defence and, here comes my two cents, I could not imagine England being so outplayed had they qualified in place of them. Russia, let us not forget, were woeful 3-0 losers at Wembley in qualifying and also lost away to Israel, only scraping into the finals courtesy of England's self-destruction at home to Croatia in their final game. Guus Hiddink may be one of the world's top coaches, but his CV looked creased after Spain had finished with his latest team. Other sidesvmaking up the numbers are Poland and Turkey, who were utterly insipid losing to Portugal. And Greece, you might say, but I shall defend Otto Rehagel's team for providing some welcome entertainment. The sight of the Salzburg arena booing and whistling the Greeks for their negative play was wonderful theatre. Yes, we all want to be entertained and God forbid every team played like Greece, but I have a sneaking admiration for a team who managed to win Euro 2004 without any flair and who have the gall to turn up four years later with the same coach and same tactics! Plus we like to boo the baddie. The Czechs and French have yet to convince me while Sweden and Croatia's victories confirmed they will be tough nuts for any team to crack. Romania have yet to show what they are about, if anything while of the twin hosts, Switzerland could yet make it to the second round if results go their way. After, Holland, Portugal and Spain, the fourth and last team in the A-League thus far is of course Germany, who looked a much improved and more confident team than two years ago. That the Germans could be on the road to another final is demoralising on the one hand, but only to be expected on the other. There will be tougher tests than Poland ahead for Joachim Low's side, but there was an inescapable feeling during that game that we have been down this familiar road many times before. (c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting