Like grandparents bickering over the last biscuit in the barrel the two greatest footballers of all time are at it again. This week Pelé made clear his view that Diego Maradona is not the right man to be leading Argentina to the World Cup in South Africa. Speaking in Mexico, Pelé said that long serving AFA president Julio Grondona should never have given the role of head coach to Maradona. “Maradona, as everyone says has no experience but it is not his fault, blame Mr. Grondona and the others who gave him the job.” The Brazilian appeared to be shining the spotlight on an error by Grondona but he stopped short of giving Maradona’s coaching abilities any sort of endorsement. “I think the whole controversy of Argentina’s classification was not the fault of Maradona. It is the first time he has worked as coach.” Incidentally Pelé is not alone in thinking Maradona is not the man for the job as a survey last year showed 70% of the Argentine public would also rather see another coach take them to the World Cup. It seems that Pelé and Maradona never miss the chance to put the boot into the other and these comments join the long list of existing jibes in the ongoing feud between the two. Last year Pelé took another swipe as he claimed Maradona is not even the best player to come out of Argentina let alone the best player in the world. Amazon.co.uk Widgets While Pelé admitted the that Maradona was a great player it is Alfredo Di Stéfano who the Brazilian rates as the greatest Argentine footballer of all time. “Maradona could not kick with his right foot and did not score with his head. The only time he scored an important goal with his head, he used his hand.” On that occasion Pelé found few in Argentina agreeing with him, despite Di Stéfano’s record of 418 goals in 510 games for Real Madrid. Pelé’s launched this attack in response to Maradona’s claims the same week that the Brazilian was less of a player for never testing himself in Europe’s top leagues. “He won more World Cups but playing in Europe is another thing.” While in Europe the Argentine guided Napoli to two Scudetto titles, the only Serie A wins in the club’s history. Pelé meanwhile never played for a European club, he did however come to prominence with his performances in Sweden during the 1958 World Cup. When Pelé did eventually leave his homeland to play for New York Cosmos of the North American League he best days were already behind him. Maradona on the other hand still had plenty to give when he returned home from Italy to play for Boca Juniors. The recent bickering between the two has put the bed the good feeling that was fostered between the two when Pele appeared on Maradona’s chatshow, La Noche del Diez , back in 2005. On the show Pelé thanked Maradona for sympathising with his son who was in jail at the time for drug offences. “You are an example for him because you are a conqueror. Your program is going out to the world, and I think together we can do many things in the world to help a lot of people.” The love-in continued as the two greats of the game swapped national shirts, had a game of head tennis and even got the guitars out for an impromptu jam session. After the show Maradona was cagy on the subject of which one of them really was the greatest player of all time. “My mother says it was me and Pelé’s mother says it was him.” Pelé’s appearance on the show was a surprise to the football community. A few years before both men had published autobiographies which contained disparaging remarks about the other. In Maradona’s book, I Am Diego , he made the allegation that Pelé has lost his virginity during a homosexual relationship he had as a teenager. This time Pelé chose not to respond, a move made out of respect to Maradona’s poor health at the time according the Brazilian’s close friend Celso Grellet. “Maradona said that Pelé had a homosexual experience. It is not true, but Pelé is a big man and decided that he would not respond.” “Pelé is heavily involved in the anti-drugs campaign, particularly the abuse of drugs in sport, and Maradona is clearly an ill man. Pelé thought it was best not to reply because no one could possibly take Maradona seriously.” In his book Maradona put Pelé at number one in his list of his favourite footballers of all time. Although he honoured him as a great player Maradona felt Pelé let football down. “As a player he had it all but didn't make the most of it to raise the status of football.” Maradona highlighted Pelé’s lack of action on protecting the welfare of footballers. “I'd have liked to see him put himself forward as president of an association to defend players’ rights like I did. I'd like to have seen him look after Garrincha and not let him die in misery. I'd like to see him fight the rich and powerful that are damaging football.” Celso Grellet was quick to nonsense these claims as well and put the whole thing down to jealousy on Maradona’s part. “There is no doubt that Maradona has made ludicrous allegations, the one about Pelé 's sexuality being just one of many, as a result of pure envy.” One event which angered Maradona was when Argentine president Carlos Menem invited Pelé to his country. Grellet explains how Maradona’s nose was put out of joint by the Brazilian and the then serving president. “Menem invited him to the country as his special guest because Pelé was his favourite player. It angered Maradona that the Argentine people might place Pelé above him.” The decade of disagreement between the two also kicked off at the gala ceremony to award the duo the joint honour of FIFA’s Player of the Century. It was decided that both men would receive the award but Maradona had other ideas about how the night should go. After picking up his award Maradona did not hang around on stage to welcome Pelé, instead the Argentine bolted for the exit. “I didn't like the fact that I had to go on before Pelé. I just didn't like it. I grabbed my prize and left.” With FIFA keen to acknowledge Pelé they came up with the idea of splitting the award after Maradona won the online poll by a distance. Maradona was at his controversial best as he accepted his award and then snubbed Pelé by fleeing. “I dedicate this award to the Argentine people, Fidel Castro, my wife Claudia and all the players in the world that I love and respect. The people voted for me. I feel good in my head, serene. I'm happy and proud.” By the time Pelé got to the platform Maradona was on his way to the airport, clearly in no mood to share his stage with anyone. “I would have liked Maradona to be there to join me on the platform, but he had already left.” So did FIFA make the right choice to award the Player of the Century to both men or should have Di Stéfano walked away with the honour? Everybody has their own opinion on who comes out on top in the debate between Pelé and Maradona. If you happen to see either of them on the street both men will be happy to put forward their own case to anyone willing to listen. © Tim Sturtridge & Soccerphile.com Tags Pele Maradona Brazilian football

Veliki svjetski derbiji Italija - Brazil U jednoj od rijetkih prijateljskih utakmica, Brazil je prošle veljače svladao Italiju u Londonu s 2:0 Brazil i Italija, najtrofejniji nogometne nacije, osvojile su točno pola svih svjetskih prvenstava Priča o suparništvu dvije najuspješnije nacije u povijesti nogometa proteže se još od vremena koje ima mitske značajke. Nadmetanje Italije i Brazila u velikoj se mjeri podudara s povijesti Svjetskih prvenstava. Njihov prvi susret na Mundialima datira iz 1938., a ukupno su se na svjetskim smotrama susreli pet puta, uglavnom odlučujući prvaka.

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

World soccer news - for the week of February 14th Cursed Ronaldo on the sidelines again A well known scene: a tearful Ronaldo is being stretchered off with yet another injury. The partial tendon rupture of the right knee sustained in the league game against Livorno is threatening the Brazilian with another lengthy break. The Italian web site Datasport inquires openly: "Is this the end for Ronie?" Milan's ace suffered the injury just two minutes after he came on as a substitute. The unlucky 31-year-old striker was transported to an orthopaedic clinic in Milan where he was subjected to magnetic resonance and other examinations. After the surgery urgently scheduled in Paris he is in for another frustrating rehabilitation. Hopefully not as long as the one between autumn of 1999 and summer of 2001, during which time he played just one game, indeed only a few minutes of it. English soccer going non-English, fumes Platini UEFA's president Michel Platini is not amused by the Premier League's plans to play several games per season overseas to boost income from foreign fans. One of the all-time soccer giants, Platini called the idea "strange and comical." "It will never be approved by FIFA, the fans and the national FAs. It's ironic. You already have no English coaches and English players. Soon the English clubs will have no English owners and perhaps your clubs will be playing outside of England. It's a joke." It may look funny to Platini, but the increasingly non-English team owners look set to make some perfectly serious money by delving deeper into the pockets of the legions of their overseas fans as of 2011. At least a couple of Englishmen are bound to profit from the idea, notably its creator, the English Premier League (EPL) Chief Executive, Richard Scudamore. Although the home-based fans and the media have been less than friendly towards Scudamore's scheme, the man claims to have garnered support from the current 20 clubs in the Premier League. "We're confident that we had the support of the 20 clubs and we still have the support of the 20 clubs," says Scudamore. What isn't entirely clear is whether the support will be there after the clubs have listened to what the fans have to say on the matter. Explosion of attendances in Bundesliga Soccer is nowhere as popular as in Germany. The Premier League may be the strongest playerwise, but the average attendance in the Bundesliga has grown yet again from last season's 38,191 to 38,529 in the first half of the current season. The 306 games of the first part were attended by 5,894,000 spectators, which is a 3.75% increase on the previous season. The 2nd Bundesliga is growing at an even higher rate: each game is watched by 17,693 fans, 10.83% more than last season. The reasons may include new and comfortable stadia, an exciting and uncertain competition and the high population figures: Germany has over 80 million inhabitants. By the way, the average ticket price is an acceptable 21 euros, 35% of what a ticket costs in the Premier League! Italy has also registered a growth. After last season's dismal average of 19,181, the return of Juventus, Napoli and Genoa has prompted the attendance to rise to an average of 22,504. Top five leagues Country Average 1. Germany 38,529 2. England 34,400 3. Spain 28,700 4. Italy 22,504 5. France 21,800 Pelé suggests free kicks without the wall The greatest player of all time, the Brazilian Pelé, plans to revolutionize the game of soccer by suggesting to FIFA an essential rule change: no wall for the free kicks! Pelé conveyed the idea to FIFA on the occasion of the last Executive Committee meeting in Zurich. There are two versions of the modification: removal of the wall for all free kicks or only if the foul was committed by the last defender outside of the penalty area. "The new rule would enable a harsher punishment for the offender. If there is a wall in place, the attacking side practically loses the advantage. Should FIFA accept my proposal, the number of fouls will drop and the most talented players will find it easier to score," says The King. Perhaps the real thing would be to enable the shooter to choose whether the rivals should place the wall or not, since some players are specialized for hitting the ball just right so that it bypasses or crosses the wall on the way to the net. Real Madrid's lucky 13th Although Real Madrid's eight point advantage over Barcelona gained last weekend is what really matters, Real's fans celebrated the spectacular 7-0 win over Valladolid. That was the 13th 7-0 win for the Madrid team in the Spanish championship, exactly six years after a similar win over Las Palmas when Fernando Morientes scored five goals. But, that season the title went to Valencia, not Madrid. Valladolid conceded seven goals to Real Madrid in the autumn of 2003, with three goals by Raúl, who is particularly inspired against Madrid's Castillian neighbours. With his two goals last Sunday, Raúl's tally against this team has risen to 14. Incidentally, the scoreline equalled Valladolid's worst defeat ever, suffered 50 years ago against Atlético. Johan Cruyff advises Barca against Mourinho A faction within Barcelona's board advocates hiring José Mourinho as early as next July. The current coach Frank Rijkaard is not immediately threatened by dismissal since his team is still present on all three fronts, but he is aware that the vice-chairman Ferrán Soriano is lobbying in favour of Mourinho. Soriano appreciates his coaching methods, leadership and familiarity with Barcelona from the time when he worked as Bobby Robson's and Louis van Gaal's assistant. However, Barca's former player and coach Johan Cruyff is said to be putting the brakes on Mourinho's arrival. According to the Spanish press, the influential Dutchman has advised the chairman Joan Laporta not to sign Mourinho on grounds that his coaching style is not compatible with Barca's cheerful and offensive play. Another reason could be the desire to protect fellow countryman Rijkaard. Mourinho (44) has been a free agent since he parted ways with Chelsea last September. Copyright Soccerphile and Ozren Podnar Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football Barcelona Ronaldo Betting

Weekly world news for week of October 30th Thuram against DNA tests for immigrants The French international Lilian Thuram is known for his political and social commitment, notably when the interests of his race are threatened. Barcelona's defender has once again risen against a controversial move of his country's government by signing a manifest against the obligatory DNA analysis that the president Nicolas Sarkozy plans to have imposed on all foreigners wishing to move to France in order to reunite with their families. Such an obligation would according to Thuram be discriminatory and racist.

Soccer news 02/22/2007 Fans have been dealt with, now it's the players' turn The strict legal norms in force in the United Kingdom have largely restrained once frightening soccer fans. It is not entirely impossible that soccer players will one day be put under control as well. That additional legal and educational measures are indicated has been confirmed again by the bulk of the Liverpool squad that ran riot in Portugal. Several days before their triumphant display at Nou Camp, 15 players took advantage of coach Rafael Benítez's absence and left the camp in Vale do Lobo to have a little fun at a night club. The usual effects of alcohol did not take too long to set in and Craig Bellamy even beat up John Arne Riise with a golf club when the Norwegian refused his plea to sing caraoke.