“ Switch and Spurs, switch and spurs; or I'll cry a match ”, Romeo & Juliet II, iv Tottenham’s travails go on after they fell 2-0 away at Udinese in the UEFA Cup. Winless so far, despite a summer spending spree which dwarfed all rivals, Spurs remain rock-bottom of the Premier League with only two points from eight games. He-he. Never have the triangle jokes (three points) lasted this long into the season. Spurs’ utter uselessness this season however is a mystery for rationalists: Their coach has a good record, they won the League Cup against Chelsea in February and grabbed some real talent over the close season in Luka Modric, Roman Pavlyuchenko, Giovanni Dos Santos and David Bentley. For mystics, psychics and assorted fruitcakes however, the explanation for the North Londoners’ malaise is simple: They have a hex on them. Tottenham would not be the first. The annals of sporting history are replete with supernatural intervention. Just think of the Curse of the Bambino in baseball and myriad others from the US' Big Four sports. In England, the home of the beautiful game, plenty of clubs have been alleged victims of gypsy curses. The most famously hexed team was Derby County, who ascribed their failure to win trophies to the fact they had expelled some Romany folk from the land where they built their old stadium, the Baseball Ground. After paying off some of the gypsies’ descendants in 1946, the Rams duly won the FA Cup for the first time. More recently, Birmingham City were widely supposed to have been victims of a hundred-year spell which expired in 2006. The Blues took it so seriously that former coach Barry Fry, an ebullient old-school manager not averse a curse or two himself, urinated in the four corners of the field after a psychic (or a charlatan having a laugh) told him it would exorcise the demons. Leeds also had a run-in with Romany folk when Elland Road was under construction. Their great coach Don Revie employed a gypsy to spiritually cleanse the place in 1971 but unfortunately, having led the First Division for most of that season, they then ended up losing it. Manchester City is another gullible sap, although on paper the most unsuccessful big club in England had to look to the stars for hope. Gypsies were rumored to have cursed the land on which stood Maine Road, City’s stadium from 1923 to 2003, a good reason for moving to the City of Manchester Stadium. While coach at Maine Road, Kevin Keegan once said, "I haven't been able to believe how bad our luck has been this season - especially at home. I don't know whether I've run over one black cat or 10 of them." If they thought they had rid themselves of evil, then what were City doing selling the club to a now-convicted Thai torturer in 2007? Middlesbrough also evicted some travelling folk in 1901 when they built Ayresome Park and as the caravans were shunted away, ancient curses filled the Boro air. Over in Wales, Swansea City took it all a bit too seriously when they employed Kenyan tribal dancers to perform a voodoo ceremony at their old Vetch Field ground, after the notorious Uri Geller had claimed there were evil spirits lurking there. Geller himself, famous psychic and former best pal of Wacko Jacko, has used his magic powers on a number of English clubs, most famously Exeter City, where he became joint chairman in 2002…a year before they dropped out of the Football League. Geller, a former Israeli paratrooper who forged an inernational career in spoon-bending, placed magic crystals behind one of Exeter’s goals before a crucial play-off game in 1997….which they lost 5-1. More recently, Oxford United were reported in classic tabloid fashion to have used an exorcist at their new Kassam Stadium. In fact it was nothing more sinister than a blessing from the local Bishop. And there’s more. When Southampton moved to St Mary’s, some pre-Christian tombs were excavated, leading to rumors the Portsmouth-supporting spirits would have their revenge. I recall seeing some Roman artefacts displayed there, an unusual sight in any football stadium, so who knows? The club took their miserable start at their new home seriously enough to employ a white witch to rid the ground of malevolence, though it didn't stop Joey popping by later. Overseas, the football fruitcakes are in full cry: Fenerbahce players in Turkey have sheep’s blood smeared on their cleats when they debut while fans of Romania's Arges Pitesti once staged a cat's funeral and roasted a chicken on the field for good fortune. Dracula’s homeland seems replete with superstition: Romanian teams wearing underwear inside-out, placing herbs in their shoes and not reversing the team bus for good luck, I could go on…Do you remember Anghel Iordanescu, their national team's coach at USA '94, brandishing his crucifix and kissing his book of Romanian saints during the game? So, if Tottenham are suffering from some ingrained evil, it could be because their training ground was once occupied by …yep, it’s as if English soccer teams only have themselves to blame for buying land on the cheap from those funny-looking folk in their trailers, who utter curses as they are shunted away. I’m not a fan of the invisible. In football it is just too convenient to blame a five-goal thrashing on some odd-looking tea-leaves or birds in the sky instead of what happens with the ball on the grass. While England is a very secular country its soccer is still full of superstition, inevitably perhaps given the millions of people expending such emotion on it each week. Former National Team coach Glenn Hoddle employed a faith healer to widespread derision during the 1998 World Cup before resigning after some ill-judged comments on reincarnation while forerunner Bobby Robson memorably once said of a forthcoming England game, “It argues well” (sic). Is it just me, or is not it obvious these highly-paid professional clubs paying assorted soothsayers and con-artists were wasting their time. Again and again, football clubs seem to prove GK Chesterton’s quip that people who deny God won’t believe in nothing – they will believe in anything. Spurs have more prosaic reasons than superstitious hearsay why they are doing so badly: It is something to do with an over-enthusiastic and ill-thought out transfer policy, a coach and Director of Football not quite in tandem and the fact they sold their best two strikers. It’s not rocket science, but it’s not tarot cards or gypsy curses either. (c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

World soccer news for the week of September 25th Guti targeted by a hard-fisted stalker Real Madrid's José María Gutiérrez, better known as Guti, must have been shocked when a former boxer came at him before his team was getting ready to head for a league game in Santander. Guti had been stalked for some time by the individual, whose name has not been revealed by the Spanish police, but no close confrontation occurred before last Saturday. The stalker noticed Guti as he arrived at the parking lot in Ciudad Deportiva, Real's training camp, and headed toward him in his vehicle. In the process, the man broke the security ramp and damaged a couple of parked cars before stopping. The guards called the police and tried to intervene themselves, but the boxer punched one of them in the face with his fist. However, other guards managed to control the individual and kept him at bay before the police arrived. Guti filed charges against the stalker for stalking and harrasment, while the guards also presented their own charges for assault and trespassing. The investigation is likely to reveal the motive the man could have for shadowing the Madrid midfielder. Palermo's boss denies ties to the mafia Italian soccer club Palermo has no links to the mafia, said their chairman Maurizio Zamparini, denying any contact with the criminal organization, hinted at by some Italian media. It has been claimed that the mobsters have some influence in the construction of Palermo's new ground and the shopping mall which is planned to be opened within the stadium. "Mafia has no ties to the club," said Zamparini. "I hope everybody sees that my associates and me are doing our jobs professionally. Although the mafia was created in this city, it does not mean they rule everything that exists here, or that they are related to me in any way." Two years ago, the former Palermo sporting director received a goat's head in the mail, which is the mafia's way of warning of an upcoming execution. "If anything similar had happened to me, I would have left. I am clean, and so is this club," concluded Zamparini. Roman still speechless in London Russian and other Slavic languages are notoriously tough for English speakers. However, the Slavs usually find it easy to learn a syntactically simpler language like English. Tottenham's new signing Roman Pavlyuchenko may be an exception to the rule, as he has not yet managed to master English well enough to maintain meaningful conversations with his teammates at White Hart Lane. According to the Russian newspaper Tvoy Dan (Your Day), the Spurs were wise to include a clause in their contract with Pavlyuchenko, stipulating a fine unless he learned English well enough within his first weeks at the club. The period has passed and the former Spartak striker still has to use an interpreter to understand Juande Ramos' instructions. Since the Spaniard himself is hardly a great connoisseur of English, the communcation of the two must look hilarious. Still, the Spurs' bosses are certainly not amused, as the team sits at the bottom of the Premiership table after five matches. Did Haim Revivo escape to the US because of a mob threat? Haim Revivo, the former Israeli international, has emigrated to the United States after receiving mafia threats, according to the Israeli media. The one-time forward for Celta Vigo, Fenerbahce and Galatasaray said he and his family moved because his rabbi had advised him to do so. It may be true, but for all we know, the advice may have been, "save your skin." The Yedioth Ahronoth daily published a different story, claiming that Revivo had to leave because the local mafia had threatened to kill him because he had an affair with a mob kingpin's wife. According to Yedioth , the mafia imposed on Revivo a two-year exile as a way of redeeming himself. One of the leading players in Israel's history, Revivo played 67 games and scored 15 goals for the national team, including the winner in his country's only win over Argentina in 1998. Welcome to the Boca Juniors Hotel The Argentinian club Boca Juniors are very special in many respects. Until recently, they were the only soccer club to have a graveyard exclusively for their fans (in the meantime Germany's Hamburger SV have joined the select group of cemetery-owning soccer clubs). Within two years, they should also have a hotel carrying their name. The construction works is due to start next month, and should be finished in mid-2010. The luxury hotel will have 17 floors with 89 rooms, some of which will bear names of Boca's celebrities like Diego Maradona, Alfredo Rojas or Ubaldo Rattin. The building, designed by the Uruguayan architect Carlos Ott, will also boast swimming pools, restaurants and other commercial and entertainment facilities. The hotel and the graveyard are not the the only two distinctions that set Boca apart; the blue and yellows have also started their own taxi service in Buenos Aires. We bet there are not many River Plate fans among their customers. In their 103 years of existence, Boca have won a record 18 international trophies, tying AC Milan, and 22 Argentinian titles. Copyright Soccerphile/Ozren Podnar Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

Lee Young-pyo is one of football’s true gentlemen. The versatile defender is leaving Tottenham Hotspur for Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund after three good years at White Hart Lane and all who knew him, as well as those who benefitted from some of his unreported good deeds he did off the pitch in London, will wish him well at the former European champions. He wasn’t bad on the pitch too, making 93 appearances for Spurs since his move to the Lane from PSV Eindhoven in August 2005. Then, Martin Jol called him ‘the best left-back in Holland, and one of the best left-backs in Europe.’ Lee didn’t quite prove to be that but his hard-working performances on an undermanned left side for Tottenham should be remembered fondly by fans at the Lane. Unlike Park Ji-sung, Lee actually started out in the K-League with the now-defunct Anyang Cheetahs. The Gyeonggi team lifted the 2000 Korean championship but Lee, who can play on either side of defence or midfield, had already made his first appearance for the national team in 1999 against Mexico in Seoul. It was at the 2002 World Cup where Lee came to prominence though he missed the first two matches of that magical run to the semi-finals. He soon made up for that and was energetic and inventive after coming into the team in the final group match against Portugal. If nothing else, he will be remembered for the cross that was headed in by Ahn Jung-hwan to eliminate Italy in the second round – a golden goal that still hurts in Italy but not so much as to prevent Roma trying their utmost to sign the player in August 2006. But we are getting ahead of ourselves... The committed Christian was confident, calm and composed in Korea and was always a likely candidate for a move west. There was little surprise then when Guus Hiddink took him to PSV Eindhoven at the end of 2002. It took Lee a little while to settle ( the words of then team-mate Marc Von Bommel have passed into Asian football folklore. The Dutchman said of the new recruits: “They are here, but that is all you can say about them. They have not made any progress. When you say something about some mistake they make, they smile and then continue making them. That is quite frustrating.”) though the addition of Park helped. Like Park, Lee soon demonstrated that he was not part of some marketing exercise and like Park, Lee shone in PSV’s run to the 2005 Champions League semi-finals,giving AC Milan’s Cafu a torrid time. As often happens in Holland, success brings the boys from the big leagues and soon Park was Manchester-bound. Lee was also eyeing a move across the North Sea and ended up in North London despite the best efforts of PSV and Hiddink to keep him. The first season was a good –though ultimately frustrating –one. Lee adapted quickly to life in Europe’s biggest city and the Premier League. Spurs spent much of the season in the top four before being squeezed out of a Champions League spot on the final day. Over that summer, Spurs were busy in the transfer market signing Benoit Assou-Ekotto. The Cameroonian started ahead of Lee and as the August transfer window started to shut, Roma came in for the player. Lee travelled to the Italian capital and looked likely to sign. He had, however, a last-minute change of heart. He has never explained the reasons for the u-turn, beyond saying that it was not about money, leading to a rash of rumours in his homeland that it was about religion. It was soon forgotten as Lee was back in the team and playing well but the arrival of Gareth Bale in the summer of 2007 was another competitor and with the departure of Martin Jol, Lee, like all players, had to wait to see how the expected Juande Ramos-revolution would play out. Lee kept his place in the team till the turn of the year but has featured little since. The expected return to PSV Eindhoven didn’t materialise and despite numerous reports in the Seoul media that the player was heading for a reunion with Jol at Hamburg, Lee surprised everyone by signing a one-year deal with Borussia Dortmund. The 1997 European champions were in the market for a left-back following the serious injury sustained by Brazilian star Dede in the recent 3-2 win over Bayer Leverkusen. Playing time shouldn’t be a problem at the club looking to return to the upper echelons of the Bundesliga after a number of, by Dortmund’s high standards, mediocre seasons Time on the pitch is paramount. Lee’s inaction put his place in the national team under threat for the first time in years. At the age of 31, the 2010 World Cup will be Lee’s last and the likes of Kim Chi-woo have already demonstrated that they have the talent and energy to take over the left side for the Taeguk Warriors. It is a little ironic then that Lee was omitted from the squad for next month’s World Cup qualifier against North Korea as the national team coach wanted to give him time to settle into his new team and new environment. It is all new and that is why the news is welcome. With Korean stars increasingly focused on England, it is refreshing to see Lee head for Germany. It is a step out of his comfort zone and into one of the best stadiums and best leagues in the world and perhaps back into the national team. Copyright: John Duerden & 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 week of 06/13 European Championships: What does a good start mean? What's a thousand lawyers chained at the bottom of the sea? A good start, says a joke. At the Euros, a good start is essential for the ultimate win, says the history. The Netherlands, Spain and Portugal shone in their initial games, beating Italy, Russia and Turkey by an aggregate 9-1. Before 1980, only four teams played in the final stage under the cup system, so the champions necessarily had to win in the semifinals to reach the finals at all. Starting with Italy 1980, we notice that five out of seven champions won their first games, whereas only the Dutch lost 20 years ago and still went on to collect the ultimate prize. Germany and France on two occasions each plus Greece at the last Championship all won on their debut and kept the good form until the final moment. The Netherlands had a hard time qualifying for the semifinals after an initial loss to the Soviet Union in 1988, but two weeks later defeated the same rival in the finals to win their only big gold medal to date. Of all the winners, only Denmark achieved a draw in their first match in 1992. That was a goalless draw against England when no-one alive dreamt that the Danes could go all the way. Well, they did and that was the year of the Danish Dinamite. How the winners started 2004. GREECE vs Portugal 2-1 2000. FRANCE vs Denmark 3-0 1996. GERMANY vs Czechia 2-0 1992. DENMARK vs England 0-0 1988. NETHERLANDS vs USSR 0-1 1984. FRANCE vs DENMARK 1-0 1980. (W) GERMANY vs Czechoslovakia 1-0 Ian Wright duly slams greedy Ronaldo Former Arsenal's superstar Ian Wright was a speedy, cool finisher. And in his column for The Sun , he clinically finished off Cristiano Ronaldo over his irreverence showed towards Manchester United fans, teammates and coaches. "As a player, there’s no doubt what you’re capable of. As a man, you’re not showing any class whatsoever," Wrightie told the spoiled Ronaldo, who is still toying with the nerves of Alex Ferguson and United's millions of fans. The ex-Gunner reminds the Portuguese that Ferguson stuck with him in the first three seasons when he did not always play so amazingly, with all the diving and selfish dribbling instead of passing to an open team-mate: "I understand if it’s your dream to play for Real but you owe it to United to be patient — and that’s why you should stay. Doesn’t the affection of United’s fans and your team-mates mean anything to you?" Wright also touches upon the role of the "advisors", the obscure selfish individuals who thrive on displacing players just so that they could collect the commission, and the FIFA's leniency towards the clubs who so blatantly disregard contracts and regulations. And Real Madrid fits the profile better than any other club in the world. "It seems Real have again shown they have a disregard for other clubs and the rules of football. But they’ll continue to act like this, as long as they’re allowed to get away with it," concluded Wright his dissection of the "cesspit" today's football has come to be. Eto'o: Tottenham not good enough for me The Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto'o, recently involved in an incident with hitting a journalist, pointed a finger at the core problem that cost Barcelona trophies over the past two years: lack of physical fitness. "Technically, we have been really strong, but physically only average. In today's football, whoever does not run is lost. We were not prepared to run and that's why we suffered so many defeats in the last two seasons," said Eto'o to the Cameroonian television station, CRTV. In the same interview, Eto'o spoke of his future and the offer received by Tottenham. "May the English forgive me, but Tottenham is a midtable team, while I need more. I have a contract with Barcelona until 2010 and I feel well at the club. I cannot rule out the option with Inter, but I insist that I'm a Barca player." Maybe Eto'o will change his mind if the Spurs, now led by Luka Modric, climb among the top four in the Premier League? River Plate champs four years later One of the most famous American clubs, River Plate of Buenos Aires, returned to the Argentinian throne by winning the Clausura 2008, one of the two six-month championships played in this country. The "Millonarios" made sure of the trophy by beating Olimpo 2-1 on the penultimate day of the competition thanks to two goals by Diego Buonanotte, one in each half. River featured the unfortunate Ariel Ortega, the Argentinian Gazza, who alternates good displays with visits to alcoholism clinics. The decisive match was played at the Monumental Stadion before 58,000 fans, who cheered their players and the coach Diego Simeone. The former 100-cap international, famous for provoking David Beckham into getting sent off at the 1998 World Cup, already has two titles at his name. Since retiring as a player 27 months ago, Simeone led Estudiantes to the Apertura 2006, before repeating the success at River. With 90 minutes to go, River are four points ahead of their perennial rivals, Boca Juniors. Pelé against playing at high altitudes During his recent visit to Chile, the legendary Pelé confirmed he was against FIFA's decision to again allow playing of soccer games above 2750 meters, which it had banned last year because of the possible threat it poses to players' health. The Brazilian hero claims that playing at such heights is a factor of inequality, because it favours only those who live high above sea level. "Considering the equality and protection of players, I believe that each country should organize the teams in places at lower altitudes. That is more favourable for players' health," said the three-time World Cup Winner. When FIFA initially introduced the high-altitude ban, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia raised their voices crying "discrimination", although all of these countries have stadia far below the danger zone. "Although I played in La Paz, I would much prefer Bolivia choosing other cities for staging games," concluded Pelé. Copyright Ozren Podnar&Soccerphile 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 week of 04/30 Eriksson to be sacked from Manchester City Manchester City plan to dismiss the Swede Sven-Göran Eriksson at the end of the season, according to the team's owner, the Thai businessman and politician Thaksin Shinawatra. According to the former Thai Prime minister, Eriksson is not the suitable individual to manage the expensive and ambitious City squad. The players are said to be disgruntled with Shinawatra's decision and some have already announced they are ready to follow the boss. The Asian tycoon is apparently unhappy with the ninth position City currently holds, and the home defeat to Fulham by 2-3 after being 2-0 up has been the last straw. "Sven reacted calmly, as is usual for him, but he was very surprised and disappointed. He does not want to leave the club and will not resign," an anonymous source close to the former England manager told the BBC. Tottenham snatches Modric from Newcastle Croatia may have defeated England twice in the recent qualifiers for Euro 2008, but four of their most distinguished internationals are now members of Premier League clubs. After Niko Kranjcar (Portsmouth), Eduardo da Silva (Arsenal) and Vedran Corluka (Manchester City), midfielder Luka Modric has become the fourth Croat in the Premiership as he signed for Tottenham Hotspurs from Dinamo Zagreb. The Spurs will reportedly pay the Croatian champions 21 million euros, and Modric will earn in the proximity of 50,000 pounds a week. Only last week the 22-year old offensive midfielder was alleged to be close to signing for Kevin Keegan's Newcastle United, but Dinamo's power broker Zdravko Mamic put the Magpies' offer on hold so that Tottenham could step in and better whatever Newcastle had offered. Modric said he was overjoyed with the transfer and admitted the Croatia manager, Slaven Bilic, had advised him to choose the Spurs over Newcastle. Liverpool and Barcelona were also rumoured to be interested in the youngster. Labelled the "Cruyff of the Balkans", Modric is a supremely dynamic player capable of covering all midfield roles and is known for setting up forwards just as easily as scoring himself. After joining Dinamo in February 2005, he led the team to three consecutive championships, an FA Cup and a Supercup win, with another FA Cup appearance against Hajduk Split just a week away. Luka may be the right man to revolutionize the Spurs' midfield, but if Juande Ramos now allows the superstar striker Dimitar Berbatov to leave, it will be just another season of mediocrity at White Hart Lane. Exemplary punishment: jail sentence for a leg fracture On the same day the Croatian player Mario Andricevic from Cibalia was banned for six months for breaking a Hajduk player's leg, the Dutch Supreme Court confirmed the six month suspended jail sentence for the former Sparta player Rachid Bouaouzan for a similar infraction. Now at Wigan, four years ago the Morroccan broke a rival's leg with a brutal tackle during a Dutch league game. The first court ruling was appealed by Bouaouzan's lawyers, but the Supreme Court reasserted the initial sentence by explaining that the injury was caused by a reckless tackle that "flagrantly violated the regulations of the sport." Birmingham's Martin Taylor should indeed consider himself lucky since he received just a three game suspension for breaking Arsenal's Eduardo da Silva's leg on February 23th. Ronaldo in a shemale's clutches Ronaldo Nazario Lima, the Brazilian "Phenomenon", stands to lose a nine figure contract with Nike plus his girlfriend as a consequence of a scandal he was involved in after watching a Flamengo vs Botafogo game in Rio. The Milan striker, receiving treatment for a recent knee surgery in his homeland, apparently came across three female-looking persons in the street and suggested they all went to a motel to have a spot of fun. Once there, it became obvious to Ronaldo that the "girls" had certain features not entirely typical of the female sex, so he called off the party and left the scene. Lest his companions should feel betrayed, he offered them 400 euros apiece, but one of them, a certain Andre/Andreia refused and asked Ronaldo for much more unless he wanted the story to leak to the press. The footballer refused and Andre(ia) went to the police claiming Ronaldo had offered him money for the purchase of drugs. The athlete then presented himself at a police precinct denying the drug accusations. Still, Andre(ia) presented evidence Ronaldo had hooked up with him and his pals for "entertainment" purposes, which alone may cost the player much of his reputation in the eyes of sponsors and media alike. For now, his girlfriend Maria Beatriz has already dumped him and moved from Rio back to her parents in Brasilia, while Nike is considering unilaterally terminating a 100 million dollar endorsement contract on account the scandal could hurt their image. The funniest penalties: Robert Pires tops the chart Cristiano Ronaldo's non-fatal miss in the first leg of the Champions League semifinals inspired The Mirror to choose the ten worst penalty scenes in soccer's history. The United player certainly did not deserve a place in the top ten, having simply shot past the Barcelona keeper's post, but the authors had to justify somehow their sudden interest in the world of penalty taking. The top spot deservedly went to Arsenal's Robert Pires and Thierry Henry, who performed a breathtaking play in 2005 against Manchester City. Apparently the duo agreed they would repeat the exhibition invented in 1982 by Johan Cruyff and Jesper Olsen in Ajax. The play started by Cruyff passing the ball from the spot for the incoming Olsen. The Dane then took a few steps forward and passed back to Cruyff, who easily scored past the goalkeeper, who had already headed towards Olsen. However, in attempting to flick the ball towards Henry, Pires missed it altogether and stopped in confusion, while the City players rushed in and carried the ball away. The not entirely serious ranking includes the singer Diana Ross (!), who missed the open goal from about eight meters during the 1994 World Cup inauguration ceremony and the even funnier scene from a 2004 Olympic tournament game between Tunisia and Serbia. The Haitian referee Edwards ordered the Tunisian penalty to be taken six times, due to the Tunisian players trespassing into the area. Finally, the sixth shot, which ended in a goal, stood. The worst penalties 1. Robert Pires (Arsenal, Premier League) 2. Peter Devine (Lancaster, England lower leagues) 3. Roberto Baggio (Italy, World Cup) 4. David Beckham (England, Euro) 5. Stuart Pearce (England, World Cup) 6. Chris Waddle (England, World Cup) 7. Diana Ross (singer, World Cup) 8. William (Botafogo, Copa Sudamericana) 9. various Tunisians (Tunisia-Serbia, Olympics) 10. Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester Utd., Champions League) Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

UEFA Cup Tottenham and Everton go out with a drama The English contingent in the UEFA Cup put up a good fight but still went out, albeit in the most dramatic fashion. Penalties, the disease that usually afflicts the national team, were fatal for Tottenham and Everton, who bravely equalized the aggregate score against PSV Eindhoven and Fiorentina in the return leg before it came to spot kicks. Bolton came tantalizingly close against the 2005 finalists Sporting Lisbon, but it will be the Portuguese who will take on Rangers, the last British representatives in the quarterfinals. Rangers, who have had a dream season so far, are chasing four trophies but the strain could prove too much in the final stage of the campaign against Sporting, who are now fully concentrated on the European stage. The last time that a Scottish club made a continental finals was in 2003 when Celtic lost to Porto by 2-3 in Seville. Elsewhere, Bayern will try and confirm their status of the team to beat when they face the Spanish surprise package in Getafe. In the previous round, the Bavarians got rid of Anderlecht in a bizarre replica of their 1987 encounter in the European Cup. On that occasion, Bayern beat the Belgians 5-0 at home and drew 2-2 in Brussels in a game which Anderlecht were winning by 2-1 until the 90th minute. This time, Bayern ran riot in the first leg in Belgium scoring an amazing 5-0 win but suffered a 1-2 defeat at home. Round of thirty two 1st 2nd Zenit vs Villarreal 1-0 1-2 Marseille vs Spartak 3-0 0-2 Galatasaray vs Bayer 0-0 1-5 AEK vs Getafe 1-1 0-3 Bordeaux vs Anderlecht 1-1 1-2 PSV vs Helsingborgs 2-0 2-1 Rangers vs Panathinaikos 0-0 1-1 Brann vs Everton 0-2 1-6 Werder vs Sporting Braga 3-0 1-0 Sporting Lisabon vs Basel 2-0 3-0 Aberdeen vs Bayern 2-2 1-5 Zürich vs Hamburger SV 1-3 0-0 Rosenborg vs Fiorentina 0-1 1-2 Bolton vs Atletico Madrid 1-0 0-0 Slavia vs Tottenham 1-2 1-1 Benfica vs Nürnberg 1-0 2-2 Round of sixteen 1st 2nd Anderlecht vs Bayern 0-5 2-1 Fiorentina vs Everton 2-0 0-2 (4-2 pen) Benfica vs Getafe 1-2 0-1 Rangers vs Werder 2-0 0-1 Bolton vs Sporting L. 1-1 0-1 Bayer vs Hamburger SV 1-0 2-3 Tottenham vs PSV 0-1 1-0 (5-6 pen) Marseille vs Zenit 3-1 0-2 Quarterfinals (3rd and 10th of April) Bayer vs Zenit Rangers vs Sporting (L) Bayern vs Getafe Fiorentina vs PSV Copyright Ozren Podnar & Soccerphile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

Andy Greeves I’ve never been the most patient of individuals and on the eve of watching Tottenham Hotspur in their first cup final in six years, frankly, I’m a mess. I’ve often heard footballers talk about how they can’t sleep the night before a big match, or how the preparation for a game is much harder than actually playing. It’s the same for us fans. Ever since the final whistle sounded at White Hart Lane on Tuesday 22 January, the night we beat Arsenal 5-1 in the League Cup semi final, second leg, my mind has been focused on nothing other than Sunday’s final. I’ll take this opportunity to apologise to my girlfriend, my family, work colleagues and friends, who have had to endure my hyperactivity and constant cup final talk ever since. While fans of Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United are all to used to playing regularly in cup finals in recent years, for Spurs supporters, it’s a far rarer experience. Especially for the younger generation of Lilywhites, who have been brought up on the tales of the double side of ‘61, the great European nights and FA Cup triumphs, yet never experienced such success for themselves. Spurs competed in just two finals in the nineties and including Sunday, have managed only a further two in the 21st century. For that reason alone, I think my hysteria ahead of the showdown with Chelsea is fully justified. Football supporters often assimilate events in their own lives with that of their team. They can remember a certain year on the basis of what kit they were wearing that season or where they finished in the league. I’m the same and in the run up to the Carling Cup Final, I can help but indulge in some shameless nostalgia. My first Spurs final was nine years ago, when we beat Leicester City 1-0 at Wembley. The game was far from a classic and my predominant memories of the match itself are of Justin Edinburgh’s sending off for striking (or should that be stroking!) Robbie Savage’s hair and Allan Nielsen diving to head a stoppage time winner. Moreover, I remember the excitement in the build up to the match, seeing Wembley for the first time and jumping up and down with my dad when we scored. Sol Campbell captained the side that day and who would have thought at the time that, just two years later, he would be turning out for Arsenal instead. I’ve avoided watching too many replays of that game as the sight of Campbell holding the League Cup aloft in a Spurs shirt angers me, in light of his subsequent defection. Back in 1999, I studying for my GCSE’s, I had massive crush on Britney Spears and thought my brick-sized Nokia 5510 mobile was the best thing since sliced bread. I was using fake ID to get into clubs, had a particularly shocking haircut, encrusted in five layers of wet look gel and unsurprisingly, I hadn’t really had a proper girlfriend. My one true love was Tottenham Hotspur and having started going to games at the beginning of the 90’s, I was already completely hooked by this date. My bedroom was covered in posters, I had a Spurs rug, lamp, bedspread, curtains… the list is endless. David Ginola was my idol and I’ll never forget watching him. One of the most natural footballers you could ever hope to see and a man who could bring life into the most ordinary of matches. To this day, the Frenchman probably rates as my favorite Spur, despite having also seen the likes of Lineker, Sheringham, Gascoigne and Berbatov ply their trade in the famous Lilywhite shirt. By our next cup final appearance in 2002, things were a little different for both myself and Spurs. I was in my first year of university, handily enough in Cardiff, where the Worthington Cup Final against Blackburn Rovers would played. Glenn Hoddle was still enjoying a honeymoon period as manager of his beloved Tottenham Hotspur and in the semi-finals, we had delightfully beaten Chelsea 6-3 on aggregate. Having a cup final involving Spurs play in Cardiff in my first year their as a student seemed like fate. I could see the Millennium Stadium from the pitches I played football on in university and I lived just a 15 minute walk from town. As soon as we beat Chelsea in the semi-finals, up went the scarves and balloons in my student halls of residence. However, my build up to the big game was far from ideal, when a friend of mine delayed in posting our application for final tickets, ultimately meaning we would miss out. To say I was annoyed with my ‘friend’ is an understatement, in fact I’ve hardly spoken to him ever since. From the feeling of total jubilation I had experienced only a few weeks earlier, when I was at the Lane to see us beat Chelsea 5-1 in the semi-final, second leg, I now had to resign myself to the fact I wasn’t going to the match. I cut a sombre figure, happy for my team, but ultimately devastated that I wouldn’t be at the Millennium Stadium. My friends, all supporters of other teams, cheered me up by offering to come and watch the game in a pub near the ground. They all promised to be Spurs fans for the day, despite their allegiances with the likes of Oldham Athletic, Bristol City and Sheffield Wednesday. So the Sunday came, I donned my Spurs shirt and bought a programme as if I were heading to the match. I also brought a sign I had written with me which pleaded for a spare ticket and I had £150 in my wallet which I was prepared to part with to get in. I spoke to various touts who wanted £500-600 for one ticket, including Spurs season ticket holders and members that had travelled all the way to Cardiff, just to make a profit rather than go the game themselves. I was sickened by these individuals and despite the fact I wanted to go to the match more than anything, refused to negotiate with these types of characters. Just as the game was about to kick off, a man approached me offering me a ticket in the Spurs end for £150. I bartered with him and got the price down to £120, at which point I swapped cash for ticket and dashed into the ground. I feel immense sympathy for the thousands of supporters that have missed out on tickets for this Sunday’s game, because nobody should have to pay over the odds to see their team, especially when it is their own so-called ‘fans’ that are ripping them off. Unfortunately, people with a similar attitude as mine will always be part of the problem, in that they will pay what it takes to see their team in a cup final, through love for their team. After all the stress of getting a ticket, the match proved to be highly disappointing for me and the 30,000 odd Spurs fans that had made the journey to Cardiff. Blackburn won, what was a highly entertaining match, by two goals to one. But having been overriding favourites going into the final, this seemed and ultimately proved to be yet another false dawn for our long suffering supporters. It was also the beginning of the end for legendary players like Teddy Sheringham and Darren Anderton. Despite playing on to this day, the 2002 Worthington Cup Final was their last chance to win something for Tottenham Hotspur, having playing nearly 600 games for the north London club between them in their career. It was also my last opportunity to see Spurs play in Cardiff while living there, as I headed off to London upon graduating three years later. So for myself, the team and all our great supporters, Sunday’s game is absolutely massive. The front of the official match day programme for the final reads, ‘For today, nothing else matters’. That just about sums it up. I’m preparing for the big day as if it were a wedding. My specially embroidered cup final shirt and scarf have been hanging outside my wardrobe for over a week now and my choice of jeans, footwear and pants has been planned with similar detail. It’s the first final I’ve experienced Spurs going into the game as underdogs., yet ironically, this is by far and away a better Tottenham team than graced the 1999 or 2002 games. It will be time for me to stop the nostalgia as I step out of my door on Sunday, for then, my focus will be entirely on the day. Such single-mindedness will be needed by all the players I’ll be cheering on, if we are to be successful. Old cliché I know, but you go to Wembley to win and this is what I want and believe Tottenham Hotspur can achieve against Chelsea. http://www.soccerphile.com/soccerphile/columnists/andy-greeves.html Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

World News for week of January 5th Tyrants not relinquishing rule in top leagues In three of the top European leagues the champions are on top, and in one they are a step behind. Inter, Lyon and Real Madrid have a solid lead at the start of the year, Manchester Utd. follow Arsenal from close-in and only Stuttgart are out of play at this stage. Spain: Real Madrid have seven points' advantage over Barcelona, whom they defeated by 1-0 at Camp Nou in the last match of the year. Real also have the best League's attack with 37 goals, 2,17 per game. France: Lyon had the worst start to the season in a decade with two defeats in the first three rounds, but at the start of the 2008 they are four points ahead of Nancy and six ahead of Bordeaux. And both closest rivals have yet to travel to Lyon. Italy: The unbeaten Inter lead Roma by seven points with two games to go until the end of the first half of the season. Since the nerazzurri have mathematically clinched the honorary winter title, the statisticians claim it is a good sign because on the previous 14 occasions they ended up champions they had also been top at the season's break (not counting the 2005/06 title stripped of Juventus and awarded to Inter by the FA). England: Manchester United briefly made it to the top on the Boxing Day, when Arsenal got stuck in Portsmouth. Still, just before the New Year, United got defeated to West Ham and allowed the Gunners to overtake them again. Germany: Stuttgart are the only champions to have abdicated at this early stage. With 11 points behind Bayern and Werder are impossible to overcome in any realistic scenario. It will take a record fee to snatch Berbatov from the Spurs Juande Ramos may have one of the least effective defenses in the Premiership, but at least he boasts one of the most coveted strikers in Dimitar Berbatov. Chelsea have been reported to have offered 26 million pounds to Tottenham and Manchester Unted are also considering a bid. According to the Spanish coach, the amount will not be enough to persuade the Spurs to sell the Bulgarian. "Some one would have to offer more than the 30 million pounds Chelsea paid to Milan for Andriy Shevchenko," said Juande Ramos. "It would be normal to require as much, since they are so few players of his class." Still, the former Sevilla coach recently threatened to replace the entire defense, after another disappointing display of the Spurs' back four. With the wealth they could obtain by selling Berbatov plus whatever they can get for the defenders they have, maybe Juande Ramos will have enough funds to build the defense of his dreams. Ronaldo voted the biggest flop in Italy Ony twelve months after returning to Italy, the unfortunate Brazilian Ronaldo collected another resounding prize: the trophy for last year's biggest flop in Italian soccer in a poll conducted by Corriere della Sera daily. The Phenomenon, as he was called by the Italians ten years ago when he joined Inter, won over the hearts and minds of the Roman paper readers by collecting 40% od the vote. The Emperor Adriano of Inter, currently on loan to Sao Paulo, had to settle for the the second spot with a decent 29% of the vote. Two other Brazilans made it to the top ten – Milan's Emerson and Roma's Cicinho. Ronaldo's return to action after recovering from a muscular injury is now set at January 20th. Ten Italian top-flops of 2007. 1. Ronaldo (Milan) - 40% 2. Adriano (Inter) - 29% 3. Tiago (Juventus) - 7,6% 4. Emerson (Milan) - 6,4% 5. Vieira (Inter) - 5,4% 6. Almiron (Juventus) - 3,2% 7. Muslera (Lazio) - 3,1% 8. Cicinho (Roma) - 2% 9. Diego Tristán (Livorno) - 2% 10. Recoba (Torino) - 1,3% O'Donnell: sixth tragedy in four months Phil O'Donnell's demise late last month raised to six the number of soccer-related deaths in a space of four months. Before Motherwell's captain, four players and one referee lost their lives after falling ill during a soccer game. Although the casualty figure amounts to a tiny fraction of the total number of athletes and officials who come on to the field each week, the new death must increase the concerns within the soccer institutions. Only a week before O'Donnell (35), the 18-year old Italian referee died after collapsing during a game of the Veneto region youth championship. The dark four months began on August 28th with the death of Sevilla's Antonio Puerta from a cardiac arrest after three days in the intensive care. Just a day after Puerta, Chashwe Nsofa (27) of Hapoel Beersheva suffered a fatal heart attack in a Israeli second division game. The terrible week ended on September 1th when Jairo Andres Nazareno (21) of the Ecuadoran third-division outfit Chimborazo felt chest pain during a match against Politécnica. As soon as he reached hospital, he was declared dead. Finally, on December 20th, 31-year old Brazilian Cleber from Bahia died after two months in coma because of a brain stroke. Di Stéfano: It used to be 40,000 harder to win the Champions Cup One of the most important soccer player of all time, Alfredo Di Stéfano, marked the early years of the European Champions Cup by leading Real Madrid to five consecutive titles, scoring at least once in each finals. Today's incarnation of the competition he did so much to popularize is not entirely to his taste. "They call it the Champions League. Champions of what? They should look it up in the dictionary. The press should know the meaning of the word," said the Hispano-argentinian to the Spanish daily El Mundo. "Maybe the current formula is more interesting because there are more teams and more possibilities, but if they had to expand the competition for financial reasons, let them change the name. Here it is: it is possible to finish fourth in the domestic League and then be crowned champions of Europe! In my time it was not possible." Asked whether it was more difficult to become European champions, the two-time Golden Ball winner replied emphatically. "You bet it was more difficult. Fourty thousand times more. It was a cup system back then and we were not eliminated in five consecutive seasons." Copyright Ozren Podnar/Soccerphile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League 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.