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World Soccer News 13 March 2010

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 04:22:46 +0000

Ozren Podnar reports FIFA rejects use of technology again FIFA's president Joseph Blatter explained in a letter the motives why his organization opposes the use of technology to analyze uncertain plays, emphasizing the game has to be played under the same conditions whether it takes place in a village or in a modern stadium. FIFA studied two proposed systems of establishing whether the ball crossed the goal line, one including a chip inside the ball and another similar to the technology used in tennis, but neither convinced them. According to Blatter, "one of FIFA's principal objectives is protecting the universality of the game of football. It means that the game must be played in the same manner everywhere in the world," said the president. "If one coaches a group of youths in a small village of the planet, they will be playing by the same rules applied to the professional players shown on TV." FIFA's concern is that the cost of the technology would prevent its implementation in poorer regions. "The implementation of modern technologies can be very costly and due to that it could not be used everywhere in the world. Around 900 World Cup qualifying games were played and the same rules have to be applied to all the matches within the same competition," concluded a non-technologically minded Blatter. Guerrero overcomes his fear of flying The Peruvian international Jose Paulo Guerrero spent several months in his homeland, unable to return to Germany, where he plays for Hamburger SV, due to an intense flying phobia. A few weeks ago the Germans sent him a psychologist whose task it was to treate Guerrero's phobia and the move seemed to pay off. Last Thursday Guerrero took a trip to the airport in the company of his mother Petronila Gonzalez and boarded a KLM flight to Europe, where he is continuing a treatment for an injury he suffered early into the season. Previous to the psychologist's intervention, Guerrero did not manage to board a plane, alleging the phobia caused him gastric disturbances. It was even speculated he might travel back to Europe by boat, but finally he mustered courage and overcame the disorder that used to plague Arsenal's Dennis Bergkamp. Brazil's president against Ronaldinho's call-up The Brazilian president Inacio Luiz Lula da Silva is a recognized soccer fan and frequently speaks his mind on his favourite sport. His last rant was about Ronaldinho Gaucho, who in his opinion should not be included in the team for South Africa. "He is a player of great talent, but that is not sufficient. It is necessary to look at how each player fits into the national team's scheme. It's something that goes beyond a player's individual quality, it's a question of the group. Ronaldinho does not deserve to go to the World Cup. He played few good games for Brazil and he was never decisive," Lula said to Associated Press. Lula must have forgotten about the 2002 quarterfinals against England, when Ronaldinho beat David Seaman from a 35-yard free kick and gave Brazil a famous 2-1 win. Dunga apparently shares Lula's opinion since he has not picked Ronaldinho since April 2009 and does not look like he will call him again any time soon, or ever again for that matter. Chinese authorities put refs in a camp in a bid to make them confess Corruption in soccer has became such a concern in China that the sporting authorities have rounded up hundreds of referees and coaches in two camps, one near Beijing , another in Canton province, in order to "reeducate" them and make them confess their offences. According to reports in the South China Morning Post , these camps are the "last chance for them to own up to their crimes in exchange for lesser sentences." The Chinese FA chairman Wei Di warned that those who fail to confess during the "grace period" will be severely punished. Last year the country's communist president Hu Jintao expressed concern over the moral fragility in Chinese soccer, making the soccer officials fair game. Rarely does a week pass without news of new coaches, players, directors and referees being involved in illegal betting and match fixing. The observers believe that soccer has become a testing ground for the national campaign against corruption at large. If the tactics involving concentration camps prove to work, they may be applied to the accused in other industries. Raul among the unwanted for Real's fans Real Madrid's elimination by Olympique Lyon in last week's Champions League round of 16 second leg match set off rumours regarding some serious turnover in the roster and the technical staff. The Spanish leading daily Marca invited its readers to name the players who should be transferred next July and among those singled out was the skipper Raul Gonzalez. Over 100,000 votes were cast indicating the six undesirables in the following order of unpopularity: Christoph Metzelder, Fernando Gago, Mamadou Diarra, Royston Drenthe, Raul and Jerzy Dudek. Raul attracted no less than 63,000 votes from fans who do not want to see him in Real's team next season, which may mean the team followers are fed up of the player who has worn the white shirt since 1994. On the other hand, the most respected players have turned out to be the keeper Iker Casillas, the defender Raul Albiol, the midfielder Xabi Alonso and Cristiano Ronaldo. Didier Drogba voted best in Africa Chelsea's Didier Drogba was voted the African player of the year for the second time in his career and was awarded the trophy at a ceremony in Accra, Ghana. The Ivory Coast striker, who already won this distinction in 2006, on this occasion edged Samuel Eto'o of Cameroon and Michael Essien of Chelsea. The ideal African eleven, as voted for by the national team coaches, included five players from the Premiership, including Fulham's John Pantsil, Portsmouth's Nadir Belhadj and Arsenal's Alexander Song. Tags Soccer News football

World Soccer News 3 March 2010

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 06:42:47 +0000

World Soccer News for week of 3/3/2010 Ozren Podnar reports Real Madrid top the earners chart According to the new ranking by Deloitte financial agency, Real Madrid are still the highest earners in world soccer and the first club clearing the 400 million euros mark. Barcelona came second with 365.9 million, edging Manchester United, the same team they beat in the last season's Champions League finals. Five more clubs register earnings in excess of 200 million euros – Bayern, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Juventus. Curiously, the Turin club are commercially more successful than their superior rivals Inter and Milan, sharing nineth and tenth place. England has the most teams to the top 20, seven in all, two more than Germany. England's strength is proved by the presence of Newcastle, placed 20th in spite of playing in the second level this season. In another ranking, compiled by the University of Navarra, Barcelona and Real Madrid are the most mediatic teams in the world, while Manchester United fell from first to third after losing Cristiano Ronaldo to Madrid. The Spaniards rose from fifth to second thanks to the string of strong summer purchases that included Kaka and Benzema. Barcelona's Leo Messi tops the individual chart ahead of Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney. TOP-20 highest earners Amounts are in millions of euros 1. Real Madrid 401.4 2. Barcelona 365.9 3. Manchester United 327 4. Bayern Munich 289.5 5. Arsenal 263 6. Chelsea 242.3 7. Liverpool 217 8. Juventus 203.2 9. Inter 196,5 10. Milan 196.5 11. Hamburger 146.7 12. Roma 146.4 13. Olympique Lyon 139.6 14. Olympique Marseille 133.2 15. Tottenham 132.7 16. Schalke 04 124.5 17. Werder Bremen 114.7 18. Borussia Dortmund 103.5 19. Manchester City 102.2 20. Newcastle 101.0 Amazon.co.uk Widgets Bridge ignored Terry's hand Wayne Bridge, who preferred to quit the England team to sharing the dressing room with John Terry, ignored the Chelsea's defender as Manchester City players shook hands with their hosts at Stamford Bridge. The two players became the center of attention after Terry had an affair with Bridge's former fiance, French underwear model, Vanessa Perroncel. After shaking hands with the referees, Bridge came to his one-time friend, gave him a quick look and proceeded to greet other Chelsea players. The second part of Bridge's revenge came during the game, as City ran riot at Stamford Bridge and defeated the Blues 2-4, ironically allowing Manchester United to come within one point of the leaders Chelsea. Zidane: Not apologizing to Materazzi Legendary French player Zinedine Zidane reminisced about the famous head-butting episode from the last World Cup and proclaimed he would never apologize Marco Materazzi for knocking him down in Berlin. "I would prefer to die than asking forgiveness from that bad man," said Zidane to the Spanish El Pais daily. "Of course I'm sorry for what happened, but apologizing would equal admitting what he did was normal. And for me it wasn't normal." Materazzi insulted Zidane by mentioning his sister in an offensive context, which Zizou could not stand. "If that had been Kaka, a normal guy and a good person, of course I would have apologized. But not to Materazzi. If i did that, I'd show disrespect to myself and the people I carry in my heart," added the Frenchman. Curiously, the Italian provocateur later said he did not mean to offend Zidane's sister and that in fact he had no idea Zizou had one, but this admission made no difference to the best French player in the last two decades. Atletico's coach calls his assistant 86 times during a game After being sent off in the match at Almeria ten days ago, Atletico Madrid's Quique Sanchez Flores was banned from coaching his team against Valencia on Sunday. Having opted to view the game on a TV set in the dressing room, he decided to stay in touch with his assistants on Atletico's bench. Quique used his mobile phone to call the goalkeepers' coach Emilio Alvarez, whose duty was to convey the orders to the assistant coach Francisco Escriba. As Alvarez confessed to Canal+, Quique called him 86 times during the game, won by Atletico 4-1. "I counted 34 calls during the first half and 52 more in the second half for a total of 86 brief calls, each in the duration of five to ten seconds," said Alvarez. Among the concise orders given by Quique was the one to substitute the injured Sergio Aguero immediately. Still, Escriba could not arrange for a quick substitution so Aguero was given time to score a goal before he was replaced. Nakata auctions off his boots for Haiti The former Japanese skipper Hidetoshi Nakata auctioned off the boots used against Croatia during the 2006 World Cup in order to rally funds for the victims of the Haiti earthquake. The retired midfielder collected over a million euros for the boots in an online auction for the 300,000 thousand casualties of the January 12th quake that devastated the Caribbean nation. The game against Croatia ended goalless and after the next match against Brazil, who smashed Japan 4-1, a tearful Nakata announced his surprising retirement. © Soccerphile.com Previous world soccer news Tags Soccer News football

Brazil bag their 10th under-20 Sudamericano

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 21:41:58 +0000

Brazil have been crowned South American under-20 champions in Venezuela without kicking a ball. The 2-2 draw between Uruguay and Paraguay meant that Brazil could not be caught at the top of the final group stage. The result delivered Brazil their tenth under-20 Sudamericano and means the squad now travel to the World Cup in Egypt as hot favourites. Uruguay tried keeping the pressure on Brazil and they took the lead against Paraguay through Jonathan Urretaviscaya in the 13th minute in their final game. The winger who plays his club football in Portugal with Benfica slotted home a cool finish to give Uruguay a dream start. The joy was short lived for the Uruguayans as Paraguay levelled two minutes later when poor defending allowed Aldo Paniagua in to equalise. This goal saw Paraguay take hold of the game as they sought revenge for their first round 4-2 defeat to Uruguay. Paraguay took the lead on the half hour mark as Paniagua once again popped up in the right place at the right time. Uruguay came out galvanised after the break and looked to get back into the game. A bombardment of the Paraguayan goal followed with substitutes Abel Hernandez and Santiago Garcia impressing for Uruguay. An equaliser eventually came 15 minutes from time when Hernandez struck from range and Uruguay continued to press and look to breach the Paraguay defence for a third time. A winning goal did not come and Uruguay had to settle for a place at the World Cup rather than claim the South American title. Four wins on the spin had propelled Brazil to the top of the final hexagonal stage of the competition. Wins over Uruguay, Argentina, Venezuela and Colombia put the Canarinha into such an unassailable lead they were able to lose their final game against Paraguay with the trophy already in their grasp. After their point against Uruguay it was Paraguay who found themselves with something to play for against incumbent champions Brazil in the last game of the tournament. A win would guarantee Paraguay a place at the under-20 World Cup and keep football in the country riding on the crest of a wave following the recent good results of the senior team. However Brazil seemed determined to go out in style and peppered the Paraguay goal from the get go. Good efforts from Giuliano and Alan Kardec were saved in style by Joel Silva in the Paraguayan goal and star striker Walter fluffed a gilt edged chance for Brazil. Joel Silva was eventually beaten in the second half by a wicked free-kick from midfield wizard Douglas Costa, this time it was the woodwork that came to Paraguay’s rescue. Then the Brazilian goalkeeper, Rafael, was called upon to make a routine save after being a virtual spectator all game and he committed a howler. This gaff allowed Hernan Perez to fire home and put Paraguay into an expected lead very much against the run of play. Brazil continued to mount wave after wave of attacks but Joel Silva was not to be beaten and his man of the match performance brought home three points, the runners-up spot and a place at the World Cup in Egypt for Paraguay. Brazil had previously failed to convince in the first round group stage with a defeat against Uruguay and a draw against Paraguay. Question marks were appearing above much hyped players such as Douglas Costa and Walter. Their division for the first round stage certainly lived up to its billing as The Group of Death with qualifiers Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay claiming the top three places in the final hexagonal group. These three teams will now travel to the under-20 World Cup in Egypt later this year along with hosts Venezuela who finished up fourth. One team that won’t be travelling to North Africa is current under-20 word champions Argentina and participants in the World Cup for the past 16 years. Argentina’s campaign eventually came to an end with a one-nil defeat to Colombia, the other team to miss out on a World Cup berth from the final hexagonal tournament. Argentina's exemplary record at this level has seen then win five of the last seven under-20 World Cups but they will not be there to defend their title this time around. The Argentines only managed to record one victory at the tournament. This two-one win against a Peru team who lost every game was backed up with five draws and three defeats. Tim Sturtridge 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

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 23:27:50 +0000

World Soccer news for the week of June 26th The Germans defend Luca Toni: It's the Italians' fault! Luca Toni spent the whole European Championship without netting a goal, but his German fans know that it was down to the Italian's negative tactics. "What did the Italians do to Toni? He doesn't score, he suffers and complains. Luckily, he shaved that dreadful moustache," wrote Bild Zeitung in defence of the Bundesliga's top scorer. "Here at Bayern he receives accurate passes from Ribery and Klose, while for his country he has to retreat in order to receive the ball, which come to him high and wide," added the top-selling daily. Munich Abendzeitung laid the blame on coach Roberto Donadoni. "Teams like Italy that sit and wait for penalties are few and far between." Frankfurter Allgemeine revealed an exchange of text messages between Toni and Klose. The Italian complained to his pal about his "best friend" having betrayed him. Klose asked if he could be of any help. Toni replied, "I mean the ball. It's my best friend and now we are not at the best of terms." Spain and Portugal agree on joint bid for the 2018 WC It is common knowledge that the 2014 World Cup will be played in Brazil, but where will it go next? The bids for the following tournament are being prepared and an irresistible bid is being made by neighbours Spain and Portugal. "If Spain hands its bid for the 2018 World Cup, it will be in alliance with Portugal," said the Spanish FA president, Ángel María Villar. Speaking for Antena 1, the Spanish soccer leader called the idea on the joint bid "brilliant," praising Portugal as a "excellent partner, who fulfils all the conditions for a joint act." The elaboration of the "brilliant" idea is to follow, because it will have to be approved by both countries' governments. Joao Havelange clams two World Cups were fixed Former FIFA president, Brazilian Joao Havelange, sensationally told the Brazilian media that the 1966 and 1974 World Cups, won by hosts England and West Germany, were fixed. Havelange, who took up office only in 1974, said the referees directly influenced the outcomes of the two tournaments. "In three games Brazil played in 1966, seven out of nine referees and linesmen were British, and two Germans, all part of the effort to help England and Germany reach the finals, as the English Sir Stanley Rous (then FIFA's president) wanted. "The same thing happened 1974 in Germany. Our game against Holland was refereed by a German (Tschentscher) and we lost, while Germany won the Cup (against Holland). Although we had the best team in the world, the same that won the 1970 Cup in Mexico, it was planned beforehand that the home countries should win the titles. Rummenigge furious at Real Madrid: Let United tell them 'no'! Bayern's Executive Committee chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge rose against Real Madrid for their unlawful interference with Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo. Rummenigge, who is also the chairman of the European Clubs Association, an organization that replaced the infamous elitist G-14, wholeheartedly supports Manchester United in their conflict with Real, who brainwashed Ronaldo into pushing for a transfer to Santiago Bernabeu. "The regulations are clear and Manchester United have a clear contract with the player for the next four years. Apart from this, I know Alex Ferguson very well and I know that his refusal is to be taken seriously," said the German. "The player and Real Madrid can reach any sort of agreement, but it's United who have the last word and if they refuse the offer, there is nothing left to discuss." Madrid's president Ramón Calderón indicated that he would be ready to play 85-90 million euros for the Portuguese wizard, while Real's coach Bernd Schuster said that even one hundred million euros would not be too much for such a classy footballer. Marcello Lippi: I am very, very happy The new-old Italian national team coach, Marcello Lippi, has declared himself overjoyed with his return to the position he abandoned in July 2006. "I am very, very, very happy. And very motivated. See you next week," said Lippi to Gazzetta dello Sport. These were his first words after being re-named coach two years after winning the ultimate prize in soccer – the World Cup. Ever since, he has been unemployed. The Italian football federation (FIGC) announced they would make an official presentation next week. Beckenbauer slams Podolski: Why don't you play so well at Bayern? Lukas Podolski, the in-form German striker, has continued to baffle his employers at Bayern, where the international delivers only occasionally. One of those who would like to see the brighter side of Podolski a bit more often is Bayern Munich's president, Franz Beckenbauer. "Whenever I hear Podolski complaining about the lack of opportunities and trust by the coaching staff, say that nobody is stopping him from doing just as well here as he does for the national team. With such a form he would certainly be in the starting eleven," wrote Beckenbauer in his column in Bild. "When playing for Bayern, he is frequently inert, while at the Euros his body language says 'pass me the ball, here I am.' Podolski and Schweinsteiger have played so well as we have not seen them play at club level since 2006," concluded the Kaiser. "Poldi", a naturalized Pole, came to Bayern two years ago and has yet to win a starting place, unlike in the national team, where he has been a regular since 2004. 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World Soccer News 23/09/2007

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 23:28:30 +0000

Platini seeks help from politicians Michel Platini, UEFA's president, has launched a desperate plea to the leaders of all European countries asking them for help in the battle against ruthless soccer capitalists. "A serious threat hangs over the development of European football. (...) Money has never been the ultimate objective of football: the main purpose has always been to win trophies. For the first time we may be entering an era in which financial profit alone will be the measure of sporting success," wrote Platini in his letter to the only people who could stop several dozen tycoons from bringing all the best world's players to several dozen West European clubs leaving the rest with nothing.

Fifa World Rankings Sept 2007

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 04:50:17 +0000

Italy are top of the FIFA World Rankings followed by Argentina and Brazil. England are up to 9th place after two wins in Euro 2008 qualifying matches. Croatia, likely to top England's group, are 10th. Scotland rise to 14th after beating France (6th) in Paris. 1 Italy 2 Argentina 3 Brazil 4 Germany 5 Netherlands 6 France 7 Spain 8 Portugal 9 England 10 Croatia 11 Czech Republic 12 Romania 13 Mexico 14 Scotland 15 Greece 16 Poland 17 Ukraine 18 USA 19 Uruguay 20 Sweden Bet with Bet 365

World Soccer News 19/09/2007

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 02:59:11 +0000

Did Nastase take the money? Dinamo Bucharest's Valentin Nastase has been accused by a Romanian daily, Fanatic, of having been paid by Lazio Rome to cause a penalty in favour of the Italians in their recent Champions' League preliminary tie. The penalty early in the second half enabled Lazio to draw level and start a turnaround on the way to a 3-1 away win. While the Italians qualified with a 4-2 aggregate score, Nastase has to defend himself. "I am being massacred from all sides. I have sent a note of denial to all Romanian newspapers, but they don't want to print it. I have sued the paper that published the lie. I'm not interested in money, only in truth and an apology," said the former Genoa, Palermo, Bologna and Ascoli player.

The Chicken or the Meg

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 01:06:22 +0000

Life is full of little contradictions. When a professional gambler shops around for value, he’s lauded for his shrewdness. Yet when I apply a similar level of financial prudence outside of the betting arena, I’m considered meaner than a premenstrual Scot with a toothache. I’m not ashamed to say that I use the same approach with my shopping budget as I do with my betting bank. Why should I pay 60p for ‘brand name’ biscuits when I can buy an almost identical packet for 15p? Admittedly, the cheapskate biscuits crumble at the merest touch, but I can let this minor flaw pass, as it’s mostly the kids who eat them.

World Soccer News 29/09/2007

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 00:38:25 +0000

Title over sex, booze and holidays Numerous English soccer fans would be willing to renounce to sex, alcohol and holidays if that was to guarantee success of their favourite teams. The poll conducted by Virgin Money from a sample of 2500 fans showed that sex and alcohol would be the first victims the fans would be ready to sacrifice for the sake of their teams' results. Next in line people would dispense with are time with family and summer holidays. The most willing to renounce pleasure for success are Newcastle United followers provided that would give their team a Premiership title. Such an attitude is likely a result of a 38-year wait since the Magpies' last trophy, the Intercity Fairs' Cup won in 1969.