Football Dispatch

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2010-09-28T20:02:00.001-05:00

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2010-04-26T15:01:00.001-05:00

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Beckham out for season, World Cup

2010-03-14T19:53:00.001-05:00

14 March 2010

by Jerrad Peters

David Beckham's season, World Cup hopes and possibly his career came to a tragic end, Sunday, when he pulled up unchallenged and was carried off the pitch in the final moments of AC Milan's 1-0 win against Chievo Verona at the San Siro.

As he approached the touchline for treatment, the 34-year-old appeared to mouth the words "It's broken; it's broken," before being taken off the field on a stretcher. He must have immediately understood the severity of the injury, and will now face at least six months on the sidelines as he rehabilitates a torn Achilles in his left foot.

"David understood immediately that he had torn his Achilles tendon," stated a sombre Leonardo in his post-match remarks. "When the tendon breaks, everything comes away and the muscle starts to rise. I felt great pity for him. This injury has been a heavy blow for him and for us. Unfortunately the party is ruined."

So, too, is Beckham's England career. Once a long-shot to get regular playing time in this summer's World Cup, the Milan winger's chances had been recently boosted by an injury to Aaron Lennon and the poor form of Theo Walcott. Those hopes have now been dashed, and both England coach Fabio Capello and assistant Franco Baldini telephoned Beckham Sunday evening to offer their regrets and best wishes.

The former England captain will fly to Finland on Monday and be operated on by Sakari Orava, a specialist in athletes' injuries who once performed similar surgery on current Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola.

Should the procedure be a success, Beckham will be targeting a September return to Los Angeles Galaxy, who will be in the latter stages of their MLS season. Milan technical director Adriano Galliani has indicated the Italian club would welcome the player back on loan in January, although anything beyond the present is speculation at the very best. In all likelihood, Beckham has played his final match for the Rossoneri.

Long admired for his fitness and commitment to training, Beckham's injury may be a consequence of the ambition to remain in his national team—a desire that had him playing football constantly, from July to November in Major League Soccer, and from January to June in Serie A. It was a rigorous schedule, and it appears to have taken its toll.

It's that same drive, however, that could see Beckham—who turns 35 in May—overcome this latest setback and return to competitive football outside MLS next winter. The prognosis may say otherwise, but if his past is any indication, it's always to soon to rule David Beckham out of anything.

jerradpeters@gmail.com

2010-03-02T09:40:00.001-06:00

I was invited down to my local radio station last November, the day after Thierry Henry’s handball eliminated the Republic of Ireland from World Cup qualification. I’m sure you can imagine how the conversation went.

What I wasn’t expecting, however, was an evaluation of my apparel. Maybe it’s the fact that people who follow soccer tend to dress a little trendier than anyone else, but the co-host of the prime-time sports talk show interrupted my rant about video replay to comment on my shoes. I wasn’t expecting that. But maybe I should have been.

I was wearing a pair of red Puma v5.10 Salas from Soccerpro.com (and a matching Puma jacket). Each has an embroidered puma on the tongue, as well as on the inside of the shoe. The souls are made of non-marking rubber, which allows them to function equally as everyday trainers or competitive indoor soccer shoes.

The conversation left me thinking one of two things: either soccer people tend to wear nicer kicks than the general population, or non-soccer people have brutal attention spans. I think it might be a bit of both.

Angola crumble to Mali's historic comeback

2010-01-11T10:22:00.001-06:00

11 January 2010
by Jerrad Peters

The carnival lasted almost 80 minutes. And what a spectacle. In the grand opening of Luanda's new, cavernous November 11 Stadium, more than 50,000 people sang, danced and smiled for nearly an hour and a half without interruption.

Angola—hosts of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations—were dominating their first match of the competition against Mali. Imperious on the pitch, they brought a 4-0 lead into the final moments of the contest and looked to have the three points in the bag. Their exuberance was mirrored by their supporters. From kickoff to the 79^th minute, the rhythm in the stands was pulsating, the colors vibrant—an atmosphere that only the Cup of Nations could provide.

Mali midfielder Seydou Keita's late goal did little to spoil the party. Freddie Kanoute's strike in the 82^nd minute came as only a slight annoyance. But the place went dead when Keita's second tally brought the guests to within a goal just two minutes later, and Mustapha Yatabare's injury time equalizer completed the conversion from ecstasy to agony.

"This draw tasted like defeat to me," said Angola coach Manuel Jose after the final whistle. "This is one of the most bitter pills I've ever had to swallow in all the matches of my long career. We were supposed to win this game, but we gave up at the end."

Did they ever. After controlling every aspect of the game for 79 minutes, Angola's capitulation was as comprehensive as their earlier play had been dominant. Explosive in attack, the Black Antelopes had looked unstoppable in front of Malian goalkeeper Mahamadou Sidibe. Al-Alhy playmaker Sebastiao Gilberto was particularly dangerous. His free kick in the 37^th minute was cleverly directed into goal by national icon Flavio, and he wrote his own name on the scoresheet when he converted a penalty in the 67^th minute to put his side 3-0 ahead.

In between, Flavio's second header had given Angola a 2-0 lead. The provision was courtesy of Alberto Jose Mabina, who ran Mali left-back Adama Tamboura into the ground over the 90 minutes. A constant threat, the 22-year-old Petro Atletico winger has already surfaced as one of the top young talents of the competition.

Ironically, Jose's use of four, pure attacking players is what victimized his team in the end. With Gilberto, Flavio, Mabinda and Manucho pressing constantly forward, the Angolan defense was always vulnerable. On the back-foot for most of the game, Mali's attackers were unable to take advantage of the situation until the 79^th minute, by which time Manucho had given Angola a 4-0 lead.

All it took was a single opportunity. With the hosts sitting back and awaiting the final whistle, Keita stroked the ball past Fernando Carlos Alberto after a scrum in front of the Angolan 'keeper. Kanoute—anonymous to this point—halved the deficit with a 15-yard header in 88^th minute, and Keita completed his brace with a clean finish from a tight angle to Fernando's right.

With five minutes of time added to the 90, Mali's fourth goal now seemed inevitable. And it arrived with 30 seconds to play, when Yatabare took advantage of more poor defending to score the equalizer.

In just 11 minutes, the storyline in Luanda had changed from one of Angolan dominance to the most unlikely comeback in the history of the Cup of Nations.

"I just couldn't imagine we could fight back like that," said Keita. "We wanted to win, but of course we are happy to get a point in the end. We were bad in the first half. Mentally, we weren't really at the races… There is a lot to correct before the next match."

Angola will be thinking the same thing. They next play Malawi on Thursday, and will need study exactly what went wrong in the final moments on Sunday. Malawi, meanwhile, shocked World Cup-bound Algeria with a 3-0 win on Monday and have the early edge on first place in Group A.

Angola right to not cancel Cup of Nations

2010-01-10T19:58:00.001-06:00

10 January 2010

by Jerrad Peters

I heard something that bothered me this weekend. As he was setting up Saturday's English Premier League match between Arsenal and Everton, a North American television commentator took the opportunity to criticize the Africa Cup of Nations, which he said should never have been awarded to a "country like Angola."

I've heard many similar comments since Friday afternoon, when Cabindan rebels opened fire on the Togolese national team in Angola's north. And I've bristled every time. Such statements are laced with ignorance and hypocrisy, and are a sad reminder that narrow, Eurocentric worldviews are as prominent as ever.

Now, I'm not trying to downplay Friday's tragic events. Quite the contrary. In the context of international soccer, they were without precedent. Never before has a competition of this magnitude been overshadowed by the type of violence and death we witnessed last week. They cast a pall over this tournament that will never go away. This Cup of Nations will always be associated with machine gun fire and the blood-soaked floor of a team bus. And that's devastating.

But to go so far as to say the competition should have been kept out of Angola is preposterous. This is a country that, since emerging from 27 years of civil war in 2002, has become one of the continent's feel-good stories. It has experienced double-digit economic growth every year since 2006, and its life expectancy—long mired below an average of 40 years—is climbing steadily upward. China has emerged as a major investor, and the rebuilding of infrastructure destroyed by war has created hundreds of thousands of jobs. Angola is a model of stability in sub-Saharan Africa, and was a worthy recipient of the Cup of Nations when it was awarded in 2007.

Unfortunately, the government of president Jose Eduardo dos Santos attempted to use the tournament as a political vehicle. This is hardly uncommon (see Argentina in 1978), but its backfire was deadly.

Angola's northern region of Cabinda is separated from the rest of the country by a thin strip of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It's a breakaway enclave, and a reminder of Angola's violent, sectarian past. As such, it should have been avoided when the Cup of Nations' organizing committee named the four host cities. Instead, the government just couldn't resist the chance to present an image of a unified Uganda to the international community. They should have left well enough alone.

The conundrum was hardly without precedent. Spain kept away from Basque capital Vitoria when they hosted the 1982 World Cup. Similarly, Sarajevo was not among the host cities when Yugoslavia staged Euro '76. Separatist factions are a reality in many countries, and Angola had dealt with Cabinda rather well since agreeing a fragile peace in 2006.

But awarding the province an entire group for the Cup of Nations was a step too far. It was a gamble that should never have been made, and it was paid for in blood. The Angolan government should bear sole responsibility for that misstep.

The country as a whole, however, should not be implicated. Canceling the Cup of Nations would have only reinforced the beliefs and assumptions of those who know nothing at all of this part of the world. They're the same people who insist the competition should be held in the summer, and not in the middle of the European domestic season.

The act of terrorism that resulted in three deaths and countless injuries was inexcusable and embarrassing to a government that approached the tournament with a shocking amount of arrogance. But that doesn't change the fact that Angola is prospering. It is a model to its sub-Saharan neighbors, and a worthy host of the Cup of Nations.

Host cities anticipate Africa Cup of Nations

2010-01-07T11:46:00.001-06:00

The Democratic Republic of Congo cuts through Angola like a dagger, separating much of the country from the northern, separatist enclave of Cabinda. It’s a region rich in oil, and the Angolan government has yet to bring the various breakaway factions under its banner. In a country often hailed as one of Africa’s feel-good stories, Cabinda remains a reminder of Angola’s violent, sectarian past.

Since the end of the 27-year civil war in 2002, Angola has experienced exponential growth. Its economy has ballooned by double digits annually, and life expectancy is beginning a steady climb upward. China has emerged as a major investor, and the Confederation of African Football’s move to award the 2010 Africa Nations Cup to Angola was hailed as a seminal moment in the country’s development—a sort of coming-out party.

When the party begins on Sunday, Cabinda will have a vital role to play. Perhaps surprisingly, Angola’s second-largest city was named as one of the tournament’s host cities. Transportation hub Huambo was passed over, as were Kuito and Malanje. The group of death (Burkina Faso, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Togo) will play their matches at Cabinda’s Chimandela Stadium, which will also host a quarterfinal contest.

The decision to include Cabinda will likely pay massive dividends for Angolan president Jose Eduardo dos Santos. By staging matches in the region, he will present an image of a unified Angola to the international community, while sharing a bit of his country’s newfound stability with a province that has so far spurned it.

Angola has already crawled off the bottom of the United Nations Human Development Index. It now sits 143^rd of 182 countries, fifth highest among the 16 participants of the Africa Cup of Nations. It might not be much, but it’s certainly reason enough for a celebration—one Cabinda will be a part of.

Other host cities

More than 6,000 supporters turned up to watch Angola’s first training session in Luanda on Tuesday. The host nation will play all three of its group stage matches in the capital, including Sunday’s tournament opener against Mali.

About one-third of the country’s population lives in and around Luanda. Migration to the Atlantic port city spiked during the civil war, producing a jump in violent crime in the outlying townships. The city centre is comparatively safe and gentrified, however, and serves as the country’s economic engine. It is also Angola’s primary recipient of foreign investment—money currently being used to rebuild an infrastructure destroyed by war.

Africa Cup of nations matches will be played at the newly built November 11 Stadium. The ground, with a capacity of more than 50,000, will host nine matches, including the final and one semifinal.

The other semifinal will take place in Benguela, where the Sr. da Graca Complex has also just been completed. Its match capacity will be approximately 25,000.

Angola’s cultural capital, the city of half-a-million people lies just down-coast from Luanda, perched 40 metres above the ocean. And like Luanda, it’s population grew significantly as civil war refugees set up shantytowns on its outskirts in the 1980s.

Benguela is probably most famous for the Benguela Current. Originating at South Africa’s Cape Point, the winds blow northward and shrouds many coastal cities in a cool fog that offsets an otherwise dry, humid climate.

Lubango isn’t at all affected by the Benguela Current. The only host city to lie inland, it receives enough rainfall to support a thriving agriculture industry. Grains, fruits and tobacco are grown nearby, and a growing banking sector has come to the fore to service the farmers and producers.

Group D (Cameroon, Gabon, Zambia and Tunisia) will play its matches in Lubango at the Alto da Chela stadium. It was also constructed for the Africa Cup of Nations and has a capacity of 25,000.

Draw will turn focus from controversy, to World Cup

2009-12-03T12:22:00.001-06:00

03 December 2009

by Jerrad Peters

FIFA officials held their year-end meeting on Robben Island, Thursday, and toured the facilities that once detained apartheid activists such as Nelson Mandela and Jacob Zuma. The return to regular business followed an emergency gathering a day earlier in Cape Town, where the governing body pledged to do absolutely nothing about video replay, additional linesmen, goal-line technology and rampant corruption.

It's been a turbulent few weeks for FIFA president Sepp Blatter & co. But in a matter of hours, he and his deputies will finally tackle the job that brought them to South Africa in the first place. Just after 7:30 pm local time, they will group the World Cup's 32 qualified teams into eight brackets. It may sound like tedious work, but it's anything but. Aside from being the most highly anticipated event of its kind in the history of the competition, Friday's World Cup draw will also provide some much-needed closure to the controversies that have engulfed FIFA for much of the season. No one—or very few people—will be interested in discussing transfer embargos, hand-balls or match-fixing anymore. No, everything from hereon in will centre on the World Cup group stage and the matches that will be scheduled by Friday midnight.

There are plenty of reasons to get excited about the draw. For one thing, it will be the first World Cup-related event to truly focus the world's attention on South Africa. Heavyweights such as France, Portugal and Ivory Coast are going into the draw as unseeded sides, setting up the potential for one or two compelling Groups of Death. Charlize Theron will be there, and David Beckham will be hobnobbing his way around the Cape Town Convention Centre, trying to charm the decision-makers into awarding the 2018 World Cup to England.

If only the show would be as stimulating as the storylines. As anyone who has watched a World Cup draw can attest, there isn't a more tiresome exhibition this side of the Academy Awards. It's two-and-a-half hours of speeches, musical performances, magic shows and more speeches—with a World Cup draw thrown in at the very end for good measure. Exciting stuff. And the process of the draw—which will be painstakingly explained by FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke shortly before 10 o'clock—will do nothing to get you out of your seat.

Here's how it works.

The 32 teams have been grouped into four pots of eight. Pot 1 features the seeded teams: South Africa (hosts), Brazil, Spain, Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Argentina and England. They will be distributed separately throughout the eight World Cup groups.

Pot 2 will include the qualified teams from Asia, CONCACAF and Oceania. They are Australia, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Honduras, Mexico, United States and New Zealand.

Pot 3 will consist of the un-seeded African and South American entrants: Algeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay.

The unseeded European teams will make up Pot 4. They are Denmark, France, Greece, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland.

Following their principle of geographic separation, FIFA will ensure that teams from the same confederation (with the exception of UEFA) will not occupy the same World Cup group. They will ensure this by placing the first two African sides drawn from Pot 3 into groups with Brazil and Argentina. The first South American side chosen from Pot 3 will be bracketed with South Africa.

Of course, the process is only the means to an end—an end that football fans across the globe will be breathlessly anticipating until the draw is complete. As a TV show, the World Cup draw scores one star, tops. But as a generator of international storylines, it takes some beating.

Twitter.com/peterssoccer

FIFA to investigate Henry, video replay

2009-12-02T13:22:00.001-06:00

02 December 2009

by Jerrad Peters

The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has pledged to investigate Thierry Henry's handball, less than one month after the France striker's illegal assist knocked the Republic of Ireland out of World Cup qualifying. The announcement was made after an emergency gathering of FIFA officials ahead of Friday's World Cup finals draw in Cape Town.

Henry, who twice handled Florent Malouda's free kick before setting up William Gallas' overtime goal, will now be interviewed by FIFA's disciplinary committee, although FIFA president Sepp Blatter would not confirm if the 32-year-old will face suspension if he is found guilty.

"It was a blatant, unfair playing and was shown all around the world," stated Blatter in his Wednesday press conference. "But I don't know what the outcome will be."

Blatter also appealed to players and coaches worldwide to observe fair play in the run-up to the 2010 World Cup, which kicks off June 11 in South Africa. "In 2010 we want to prove that football is more than just kicking a ball, but has a social and cultural value," he said.

As a result of the handball incident, FIFA has also pledged to launch a formal inquiry exploring the benefits of video replay. A parallel investigation will examine the advantages offered by additional linesmen. FIFA had been expected to introduce two additional linesmen to international matches ahead of the World Cup—a model similar to that employed by the Europa League—but opted for the inquiry process instead, likely putting off a decision until after the competition.

Blatter sees the spectre of video replay as a "crossroads" that the governing body and national associations should be prudent in traversing. He has conceded, however, that the game at its highest levels is too difficult for one referee to manage.

Wednesday's meeting also confirmed the process for Friday's group stage draw. The seeding was based on FIFA's October 2009 rankings and will see Brazil, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Argentina, England and hosts South Africa kept apart in the opening round.

The draw will take place in Cape Town's posh Convention Centre on December 4 and will be hosted by Academy Award-winning actress Charlize Theron.

twitter.com/peterssoccer

Great seasons you need to know about

2009-11-23T14:08:00.001-06:00

by Jerrad Peters

23 November 2009

Francesco Totti scored a hat-trick against Bari on Sunday, bringing his seasonal total to 19 goals. He's played just 13 games. I learned this from watching Serie A highlights over the weekend, and it got me thinking: there's probably a handful of players who are having superb seasons, despite flying under the radar.

Totti is foremost among them. Sure, he's potted 10 goals in five matches against Europa League competition, but he's better than a goal-per-game pace in Serie A as well, with nine tallies in eight matches. He already has four more goals than he scored all of last season, and one more than the season before that. His 32 goals were enough to claim the European Golden Boot in 2006/2007, and he's on pace to shatter that mark this term.

Walter Pandiani won't contend for the continental scoring crown, but he's resurrected his career in Pamplona and is playing his best football since his heyday with Deportivo La Coruna in the first half of this decade. The 33-year-old Osasuna forward has scored six goals so far this season and has his side within striking distance of the top half of La Liga. A far cry from his anonymous days with Birmingham City.

Pandiani's countryman, Luis Suarez, will give Totti a run for his money. In fact, the Uruguayan already has three more goals than the AS Roma forward, with 17 of his 22 tallies coming in just 14 Dutch league games for Ajax. Suarez has also scored three international goals since June and was a vital part of his country's progress into the 2010 World Cup.

Moussa Sissoko has been capped twice by France since making his international debut against the Faroe Islands in October. The 20-year-old central midfielder is one of the up-and-coming talents for Les Bleus, having appeared 42 times for his country in the under-age categories. Sissoko has also scored an impressive six goals for Toulouse so far this season—twice more than teammate and former Ligue-1 top scorer Andre-Pierre Gignac.

Stoke City are making a push for European football in 2010/2011, and Ryan Shawcross is a major reason why. The 22-year-old central defender has been a stalwart at the back for The Potters, and is drawing the attention of his former club, Manchester United. Shawcross spent two seasons in the United youth system before sealing a move to the Britannia Stadium last year, but the Red Devils retain a priority on him should Stoke manager Tony Pulis opt to sell the 6-foot-5 behemoth.

Bayern Munich made two colossal errors over the summer. The first was to allow Lucio to bolt Bavaria for Inter Milan. The second was to let Ze Roberto flee to Hamburg. Both players have been excellent so far this season, but Ze Roberto has looked especially good. Never a prolific goalscorer, he has five already this season, to go along with four assists. His superb play in the centre of the park has Hamburg contending for the title, and himself in the running for a spot in the Brazil squad ahead of the World Cup.

Radamel Falcao wasn't supposed to find European football this easy. Granted, he had become one of the best players in South America by the time he left River Plate for Porto this summer, but there was always that niggling suspicion that things wouldn't work out for him across the pond—that he'd flop on the big stage, just like his former River teammate Ariel Ortega. Hasn't happened. Falcao, 23, has already popped seven goals for Porto this season, including one in the Champions league. He's never scored more than 19 goals in a calendar year, but that could very easily change in the next few months.

Twitter.com/peterssoccer

Benitez is hanging on by a thread. It's time to snip it

2009-10-21T14:07:00.002-05:00

21 October 2009

by Jerrad Peters

Remember Jose Mourinho's speech about eggs, omelettes and not being able to get the best eggs from Waitrose? It was—no pun intended—his "crack" moment. He was sacked as Chelsea manager just days later.

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez had a similar moment last season. With his side poised tighten their grip on first place in the Premier League, he delivered his "Fact!" rant. The Reds went out and played to a 0-0 draw at Stoke City the next day. Manchester United capitalized on the dropped points and didn't look back.

Benitez didn't get the sack—Liverpool finished runners-up, after all—but he showed that he was quite obviously losing his touch. And if there were any questions about his ability to take the club to the next level, they were put to bed when Liverpool opened this season much like they completed the last. They have now lost four matches in a row and are in serious danger of conceding both the Premier League and Champions League before Christmas. If Benitez remains in the job much longer, they probably will.

It isn't just the string of losses that are cause for concern at Anfield; it's the manner in which they've transpired. Against Fiorentina on September 29, Liverpool simply couldn't find a cutting edge. Even with both Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres in the lineup, they never really looked like scoring. Neither Lucas nor Fabio Aurelio provided any meaningful service from the midfield, and Benitez didn't have enough quality on the bench to make an effective substitution.

The Chelsea loss was somewhat more excusable. Losses to the likes of Chelsea simply happen on occasion, but Liverpool might have escaped with a draw if Glen Johnson hadn't been absolutely run into the ground by Florent Malouda when the Frenchman replaced Deco in the 76^th minute. Benitez has always struggled to find quality full-backs, and his teams have been consistently week on the flanks—both in defense and attack—as a result.

Then there was the 1-0 loss to Sunderland and the infamous "beach ball goal." No, it shouldn't have stood, but Benitez' lack of emotion about the matter in his post-match press conference was bizarre. Thankfully for him, the controversy surrounding the goal completely overshadowed the fact that he had played three defenders at the back, pushing Johnson and Aurelio up the wings. It was an absurd tactic, but no more so than the decision to hand Jay Spearing his full debut.

More telling, however, was the notion that the match suddenly became quite winnable for Sunderland as soon as Torres and Gerrard were declared unfit. Man for man, Sunderland fielded the better side. They played like it, and they deserved the three points.

Three days later, Benitez risked the long-term health of his captain by deploying Gerrard in a starting role against Lyon in the Champions League. The move backfired big-time, and he limped off the park after just 25 minutes, leaving the likes of Lucas, Martin Kelly and David Ngog on the Park. Liverpool were never going to beat Lyon with a side that included those three. They would have struggled to beat Ipswich.

Looking ahead, it's not going to get any easier. The Reds have United at home on Sunday before traveling to Emirates Stadium for a Carling Cup tie with Arsenal on Wednesday. They play the rematch with Lyon at Stade Gerland on November 4 and also have to travel to Hungary and Everton before the end of the month. They could be well out of everything by then, whether or not Benitez remains in his job.

But that's no reason to keep him around. Neither is the notion that there's simply no one better who could step in and replace him. That logic just doesn't wash. Given the club's recent outings, Gareth Southgate could take the position and get the same results.

At this point, the game plan should be to get rid of the current manager as quickly as possible. If a permanent replacement cannot be hired immediately, Sammy Lee can take the job on an interim basis.

But that opens an entirely new category of questions. Who, exactly, is going to fire Benitez? Will it be Tom Hicks, who knows absolutely nothing about football? Will it be George Gillett, who is trying to sell his stake in the team? Will it be Saudi Prince Faisal, the prospective new owner?

The answer to all three, of course, is "no." That is unless Gillett revisits his previous plan to install Jurgen Klinsmann as manager. Klinsmann is one of Gillett's few contacts in the sport and was the only candidate when the co-owner last considered a coaching change—in the fall of 2007 when Liverpool took one point from their first three Champions League matches. Beyond him, it's hard to see who Gillett and Hicks would have discussed, if anyone.

That's a major problem. Because if they're planning to pink-slip Benitez—which they should—you'd hope they'd have a backup plan. They probably don't, and that turns their ownership into both a long and short-term problem. The long-term issues are obvious and mostly have to do with finances. But the short-term concerns include Liverpool's on-field performance against United on Sunday and the possibility that they'll miss out on European football for the first time in 11 years.

If they keep going like this for another few months, that horrifying prospect will quickly become a reality. Which is why Benitez has to walk the plank, come what may.

Twitter.com/peterssoccer

No Ronaldo? No Messi? No problem

2009-10-13T13:32:00.001-05:00

13 October 2009

by Jerrad Peters

It has become de rigueur to fret openly about a World Cup without Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. "What would a World Cup be," the thinking goes, "without the two best players in the world?"

A reasonable question, sure. Although the answer is equally sensible, if not uncomfortable for millions of football fans around the world.

A World Cup without Ronaldo and Messi would be just fine, thank-you very much. Despite their undeniable status as the top footballers on the planet, their performances in World Cup qualifying have been dismal—much like those of their national teams. In fact, there's a case to be made that both countries would be secure in their berths had their best players bothered to turn up.

But even that argument does a disservice to the sides that have challenged Portugal and Argentina in their groups. Denmark—atop European qualification Group 1—have put in a stellar campaign over the past 12 moths. So, too, have Hungary, although they will probably fall just short at the final hurdle. Portugal's failure to nail down automatic qualification for South Africa is neither about their own form nor Ronaldo's. It's about Denmark's superior play and the fantastic performances turned in by the likes of Soren Larsen and Nicklas Bendtner.

The same logic works for Argentina in South American qualifying. If Argentina lose to Uruguay on Wednesday—and Ecuador beat Chile—the Albicelestes will be out of the World Cup. Unthinkable? Hardly. It's not simply about Argentina. It's about a very responsible Paraguay side, bolstered by the goals of Club America forward Salvador Cabanes. It's about an exciting Chilean attack, spearheaded by Monterrey hitman Humberto Suazo and supported by 20-year-old Alexis Sanchez. It's about a resilient and balanced Uruguay outfit that earned a crucial 2-1 victory at the altitude of Quito in the third minute of stoppage time.

It is not the manifest destiny of any country to qualify for a World Cup finals. England and France know this better than most. Both heavyweights failed to make it to USA '94, yet the tournament was a resounding success—despite the absences of Alan Shearer and Eric Cantona.

Denmark will be in South Africa, and Uruguay will probably join them. This should be celebrated, not overlooked because they happened to displace a pair of world football powers. The best teams always qualify for the World Cup, and those that don't should neither be missed nor mourned.

Making sense of Liverpool ownership

2009-09-29T13:24:00.001-05:00

29 September 2009

by Jerrad Peters

Trying to get a sense of Liverpool's ownership situation is more difficult than stopping Fernando Torres in full flight. Nearly three weeks ago, George Gillett—one of the club's co-owners—revealed on a Toronto radio station that the club's finances had "never been better" and were in "outstanding shape." The 70-year-old American businessman had just sold his majority stake in the National Hockey League's Montreal Canadiens to the Molson family and was expected to infuse the funds into cash-strapped Liverpool.

But, he added, "If someone gets beamed in who's got bags of money, things may change."

That "someone" it seems, is Saudi Arabian Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdullah al-Saud. He watched Saturday's 6-1 win at home to Hull City in the stands with Gillett and subsequently admitted his interest in purchasing a major stake in the club, perhaps as much as Gillett's entire 50% holding.

Prince Faisal, who heads the F6 sports investment company, has said the transaction could be worth anywhere from £200 million to £350 million, depending on how much of his stake Gillett is willing to sell. The other co-owner—Tom Hicks—has the power to veto any such deal, although he would be unlikely to nix any sale of up to 25% of his partner's interest. It was initially thought that Prince Faisal was targeting Hicks' shares—a rumor that was dispelled after Saturday's match at Anfield.

In fact, Prince Faisal has already agreed a handful of minor partnerships with Gillett, including a deal to set up a pair of football academies in Saudi Arabia and North Africa and a pact to increase the presence of Gillett's NASCAR outfit—Richard Petty Motorsports—in the Middle East. Those partnerships, and the overhead agreement that set them up, provided F6 with an opportunity to purchase an interest in Liverpool.

According to F6 managing director Gassim Hamidaddin, "There was a clause in this agreement that opened the possibility of buying a stake in Liverpool."

Gillett, as it turns out, has been opening shopping either all or a portion of his Liverpool interest since March, when he hired Rothschild and Merrill Lynch to seek out potential investors. At the time, he was willing to sell "investment packages" worth approximately £50 million, although he now intends to cash in on a significantly larger portion of his stock in the Premier League club.

On Tuesday, Hamidaddin confirmed that a deal was imminent, although the exact stake had yet to be agreed.

"We have not reached a final agreement yet," he told Reuters. "We are discussing how much 25% or 50% in Liverpool will be worth."

But there's another twist. On Sunday, Gillett was spotted at the Mayfair restaurant Cipriani with representatives of an unnamed Indian energy tycoon. They expressed an interest in Liverpool on his behalf, at about the same time that Prince Faisal was crunching the numbers and delving into Liverpool's books.

On Tuesday, F6 spokesman Barry Didato stated that the company was continuing its examination of the club's finances, doing its due diligence before finalizing a deal. His remarks may indicate that the transaction has hit a snag, possibly brought on by the sudden interest from India.

Whether that's true or not it's anyone's guess. Ever since Gillett and Hicks purchased Liverpool Football Club in early 2007, truth has been harder to pin down than…Fernando Torres in full flight.

Venezuela: A feel-good story

2009-09-25T16:02:00.001-05:00

25 September 2009

by Jerrad Peters

Venezuela's 1-0 win over Nigeria in the ongoing FIFA U-20 World Cup got me thinking: there are a lot of places around the world where football is booming. Unexpected places. Places like Uzbekistan, North Korea, Burkina Faso and Venezuela. I'll be writing a column about it in next Saturday's Winnipeg Free Press. But for now—inspired by their win—I'd like to go on a bit about Venezuela.

One of the holdovers from their fourth-place entry in January's South American Youth Championship, Jonathan Del Valle scored the only goal of Venezuela's win over Nigeria on Friday. It was quite an enterprising match, with the two sides combining for 25 attempts at goal.

Del Valle, 19, scored twice in the South American Youth Championship as well and formed an effective striking tandem with Jose Salomon Rondon—one of the country's top prospects. Angelo Pena and Pablo Camacho could fit into that category as well. Pena—a versatile midfielder for Portuguese side Braga—has already made five appearances for Venezuela's senior side while Camacho—the right-back—is currently on loan at Espanyol from FC Caracas.

These four players, as well as Udinese goalkeeper Rafael Romo and captain Francisco Flores, took Venezuela to their surprising finish in January, where they beat Columbia and Uruguay and drew Argentina to book their place in the Youth World Cup. I think they'll surprise a few people in Egypt. They might even win it all.

I'm also encouraged by the form of their senior national team. With two matches remaining in World Cup qualifying—against Pararguay and Brazil—they are just one point back of Argentina and a berth in the playoff round. They're only two points back of Ecuador and a ticket to South Africa.

If they get there, it will be their first appearance in a World Cup finals. As a matter of fact, they've finished dead last in their qualifying bracket in each quadrennial, with the exception of 2002 and 2006, when they finished ninth and eighth out of ten, respetively.

Considering the implosion of Peru's national setup and the recent setbacks in Bolivia, Venezuela are currently the feel-good story of South America. And if you can't get behind the politics of president Hugo Chavez, hopefully you can at least support their football team. They might make it worth your while.

Another bone to pick with FIFA

When FIFA handed Chelsea a transfer ban for the illegal dealings regarding Gael Kakuta, I was shocked. Not only, I reasoned, was the governing body taking a stand against one of world football's biggest clubs, they were also preparing for the inundation of similar allegations that would quite obviously surface in the days following. They had taken positive steps toward fixing a serious problem. But I was only half right.

Turns out they held firm on the Chelsea embargo, throwing the Blues under the bus while taking credit for taking action, thumping their chests and acting tough. But as soon as additional claims of illegal transfers surfaced, they didn't seem to have the stomach for staying the course. General secretary Jerome Valke admitted that FIFA hadn't been prepared for the bombardment of potential cases. "Everyone is coming with lawyers," he said. "And then it takes years, at least months, to finalize cases."

You think? What did you expect? That nobody would notice? That the Chelsea case would be a one-off?

The slightest morsel of common sense would have had FIFA undergo some serious legal preparations before proceeding to tackle the illegal transfer issue. They would have had their own lawyers in a row, waiting for the onslaught of work, and an additional file of similar cases to investigate. Nothing about the fallout from the Chelsea embargo should have been surprising to FIFA. That is was is indicative of their incompetence and utter lack of sense of the sport they claim to govern.

Why City can't complain

2009-09-21T14:35:00.001-05:00

21 September 2009

By Jerrad Peters

It's called "Fergie Time." It's typically added at the end of stoppage time if Manchester United are either behind by a goal or level with their opponents. As the man himself once said, when you come to Old Trafford, you play until United have won.

Jokes aside, I do feel badly for Manchester City supporters who were already celebrating a draw after the four minutes of added time had ticked off Martin Atkinson's watch. It must have been devastating.

Having said that, they—as well as United—had been given two additional minutes to score a match-winner. They didn't play to the final whistle; United did, and that was the difference. On the night, however, I felt City were outclassed at Old Trafford and benefited from a pair of sloppy goals. (Rio Ferdinand, for one, probably won't make a similar mistake for another two or three seasons. Ben Foster, on the other hand, worries me a great deal. I can't see how Capello will put him between the sticks in South Africa if he continues to struggle on the ball.)

As for the additional two minutes, I was initially unable to decipher exactly how Atkinson had come up with them. But after watching the final moments of the game a second time, I realized he was spot on. Craig Bellamy's celebration after scoring City's late equalizer took at least 30 seconds off the clock. United's Anderson-for-Carrick substitution claimed another 30, as did Shay Given's time-wasting before taking a late goal-kick.

That accounts for a minute-and-a-half, although the referee is well within his rights to allow play to continue beyond the posted amount of added time. After all, the term is "a minimum of four minutes of added time," not "exactly" four minutes.

FIFA frustration

Let me say at the outset that I admire FIFA and UEFA and understand that theirs is a most difficult job. But that doesn't mean I don't find both governing bodies to be overwhelmingly incompetent.

Just last month, we were all excited about UEFA's new crackdown on diving. They had just suspended Arsenal striker Eduardo for tumbling to the ground against Celtic (albeit three days after the fact), and forwards throughout the continent were being warned against leaving their feet too easily. Almost three weeks later, however, UEFA reversed course and let the Croatian off scott free. The anti-diving initiative is now a thing of the past.

So, too, is the joint initiative by UEFA and FIFA to eliminate child trafficking in football. Two weeks ago, all anyone could talk about was Chelsea's transfer embargo, similar allegations against Manchester United and the spectre of a worldwide revolution in player transactions. And now? It's yesterday's news.

This is why today's news that FIFA will investigate 15 "suspicious" Premier League transfers will be sure to cause more groans than raised eyebrows. Sure, they may very well investigate those transfers, but they're only doing so because the Football Association submitted them to football's world governing body for review. They would have never gleaned the data themselves. And after these 15 have been analyzed, the whole topic will probably fizzle out, just like diving and child trafficking.

Update

I have recently finished my book (entitled We Call it Soccer: Understanding the World's Most Popular Sport) and am hoping to update this space frequently throughout the season.

However, you can always find my work in the Saturday edition of the Winnipeg Free Press, the Aston Villa blog on ESPN Soccernet, Soccer 360 magazine, MySoccerMagazine, Soccer365.com and by following me at twitter.com/peterssoccer

Does FIFA have moral responsibilities?

2009-06-30T11:21:00.001-05:00

I was going through some old postings and came across this entry from July 26, 2006. Given that it was written shortly after the last World Cup, I think it's fitting that I post it again in the run-up to the next one.

Wednesday, 26 July 2006—Twenty of the world's most influential power-brokers congregated in Rome on Tuesday with the objective of sorting out the 15-day-old conflict between Israel and the Lebanon-based militias of Hezbollah. Among the international figureheads to arrive were U.S. Secretary of State – Condoleeza Rice, Canadian Foreign Minister – Peter MacKay, and UN Secretary-General – Koffi Annan.

The result of the Rome meetings is likely to be something of a unique impasse. Traditional Middle-East mediators, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, are rather sidelined in this conflict. The Hezbollah militias are funded and supplied by governments in Damascus and Tehran, negating the accustomed influences of Cairo and Riyadh.

Furthermore, the United States has evidently lost considerable credibility in its position as a negotiator. The ongoing intrusions into Iraq and Afghanistan have found the Americans unwilling to stomach a third front in the region – the proposed buffer-zone between northern Israel and southern Lebanon. Moreover, the Bush administration's unequivocal support of Israel has damaged its aptitude in mediating a ceasefire between the two sides.

This leaves Koffi Annan. The Secretary-General has offered understated criticism of the exaggerated Israeli retaliation to the kidnapping of two of its soldiers by Hezbollah militants. Unfortunately, though the chief of the international governing body seems to present a rare voice of impartiality in Mid-East affairs, his power of enforcement in significantly limited, if not altogether non-existent. Fancy, if nothing else, begs the question: In strictly political terms, who has more power – Koffi Annan or Sep Blatter?

Mr. Blatter is the president of FIFA, the Federation of International Football Associations. Both he and Mr. Annan head international organizations which include the memberships of a comparable count of nations around the world. But in real political terms, does Mr. Annan actually possess a level of power comparable to his counterpart?

In theory, the United Nations convenes to sift through problematic international issues, to referee disputes, and reconcile sparring nations to one another. In practice, the UN is little more than a glorified lobby-group; a threshold of schmoozing and cronyism at the highest level. In reality, the UN does not possess the mandates and forces to implement its edicts and sanctions.

As a result of the ineffectiveness of the United Nations, member states often resort to unilateral action on the world stage, or simply bypass the diplomatic process altogether. We have seen it time and again – Kosovo in 1999, Afghanistan in 2001, Iraq in 2003. Countless conflicts in Africa which demand legitimate intervention are left to their own devices as bitter memories of UN forays into Somalia and Rwanda continue to linger in memory.

By contrast, Sep Blatter and FIFA seem to hold their member nations to relative accountability. As recently as June, FIFA suspended Greece indefinitely from all international competitions citing government interference in sport. Within days, the Greek government reversed its controversial policies and its football federation was reinstated.

During the recent World Cup in Germany, an international debate erupted over the participation of Iran. Many football pundits asserted that the fundamental Islamist state be banned from participation due to human rights violations, predominantly the discrimination of women. Similar arguments must have been made in previous World Cups over the inclusion of nations such as China, North Korea, and Haiti.

The brilliance of FIFA, however, is simply its inclusion of such countries. Mr. Blatter and his organization recognize that suspension and penalization only serve to further isolate the nations in question. By including them on an international stage as significant as the World Cup, FIFA affords the viewership in places such as Iran a rare opportunity to witness the various cultures of the developed world and embrace the openness and inclusiveness of the event.

Perhaps the UN is even jealous of the penetration of FIFA's influence. Would it not be remarkable if North Korea functioned as a full participant in the United Nations, as it does in FIFA? Would it not be extraordinary if the United States was but an equal, or even inconsequential, constituent of the United Nations, as it is in FIFA?

Politically speaking, FIFA may well represent more of a populace than most international governments. While many ruling parties around the world are fortunate to form an administration with a minority of 30-40% of a votership which hovers around 60% of the eligible public, football's governing organization is the embodiment of the hopes and dreams of entire households, cities, and populations.

Football and politics each possess the intangible ability to bring people together. Politics brings people out to demonstrate hatred, express frustration, and reveal aggravation. Conversely, football brings people out to articulate joy, celebrate brotherhood, and exhibit nationalism. Political gatherings are provoked by repression. Football gatherings are induced by celebration.

Citizens of any nation, the world over, will certainly prioritize joy above suffering. They will associate themselves with celebration before anger. They will be more likely to value ecstasy above distress. Their allegiances will lie with the things in their lives that embody their aspirations, not their sorrows. In a word, FIFA represents not only a broader slice of the population than the United Nations; the ingredient of football is more likely to command the public allegiance than that of politics.

Sep Blatter and FIFA insist that their influence includes only those elements which contribute to international football. They refrain from admitting any responsibility in global affairs beyond sport. But are they right in doing so? Does the potential of football's power compel its administrative body to a higher moral responsibility? Fancy, if nothing else, begs the question.

Weekend Football

2009-06-12T13:30:00.000-05:00

12 June 2009

by Jerrad Peters

An open letter to readers:

Readers of this space—and I have been heartened to learn that there are quite a few of you—are going to notice a significant reduction in the amount of postings between now and September. This is down to a very simple reason, and one I hope you can get excited about.

I am writing a book. It has yet to be officially titled, but I'm anticipating something along the lines of The Savvy Soccer Fan: 50 things you need to know. As the name suggests, I'll be tackling 50 topics that fledgling football fans should be aware of, especially with the World Cup just under a year away.

Basically, I'm making the assumption that North American sportsfans would like to follow football more than they currently do. There's simply too much information that European television commentators and media outlets take for granted as second nature.

For example, what is a transfer, and how does it differ from a trade? Aren't players drafted? Or, why do football leagues employ a system of promotion and relegation? And how can a club participate in multiple leagues and competitions at the same time?

These are questions that many of you already know the answer to. But I'm trying to infuse as many interesting anecdotes and bits of story-telling as possible in order to make the book palatable to seasoned football fanatics.

The book is scheduled for an April release, roughly two months ahead of South Africa 2010. I'll be promoting it extensively between now and then, and will do some follow-up work while at the big event from my outpost in Cape Town.

In the meantime, you'll still find my articles every Monday in the Winnipeg Sun and online at Winnipegsun.com/sports. My pieces also appear randomly throughout the week, such as today with my analysis of Cristiano Ronaldo's world record-breaking transfer to Real Madrid (http://www.winnipegsun.com/sports/othersports/2009/06/12/9773536-sun.html).

I'll also continue writing feature articles for Soccer 360 magazine, maintaining my blog at ESPN (http://blogs.soccernet.com/astonvilla/) and answering your questions—however challenging—at Soccer365.com.

I'd also encourage you to subscribe to my Twitter feeds at twitter.com/petersjerrad. In lieu of regular postings on this site, I'll be providing brief analysis and opinion on a wide range of football-related topics throughout the summer.

Finally, thanks so much for reading. All of you know that football, despite its popularity, is mostly ignored by the folks who run the daily newspapers and television networks in this country. They don't do it out of disdain. Most of them are wonderful people. But they're woefully ignorant when it comes to football, and I'm hopeful that my book can help address that.

Cheers,

Jerrad

Twitter.com/peterssoccer

jerradpeters@gmail.com

Thursday Football

2009-06-04T11:56:00.001-05:00

04 June 2009

by Jerrad Peters

Kaka will keep his word, and still move to Madrid

Never take an athlete at his word—especially in matters of contract, transfer or any other subject where money is concerned. It's a rule of thumb for sports reporters.

Of course, every rule has its exceptions. And in the case of Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite (better known to the world as Kaka), I've found mine. Kaka is adamant that he doesn't want to leave AC Milan—for Real Madrid or any other club. I believe him.

"I say for the last time, I don't want to leave Milan," the 27-year-old told Gazzetto dello Sport on Tuesday. "In this period I prefer to stay quiet because I don't want to be misinterpreted. To the millions of Rossoneri fans I say my decision has been made. I have said I want to stay."

Kaka made almost identical remarks in January when Manchester City attempted to triple the world transfer record and lure him to Eastlands. He wasn't tempted in the least, and there's nothing to suggest his mind has changed in the five months since.

The Brazilian's personal story is well known to everyone who follows the sport. (If you need a refresher: http://www.soccer365.com/features/story_21109224236.php) This is a man who never appears on the back pages for the wrong reasons, who funds a church in his hometown with portions of his earnings and who has ambitions to become a priest upon retirement from football.

In other words, Kaka is a man of character and integrity who remains true to his word. If he says he doesn't want to go to Madrid—that he's never requested a transfer from the San Siro—then you can take his declaration as gospel truth.

Having said that, I fully believe his transfer from Milan to the Spanish capital will take place before the beginning of July and that he'll agree a record wage packet ahead of his Real Madrid debut in August.

As far as this transaction is concerned, Kaka's desire to remain in Italy—however well intentioned—means absolutely nothing. Just two seasons removed from being named FIFA World Player of the Year, he remains one of the top two or three footballers in the world, and perhaps the best playmaker of the lot. With Milan keen on rebuilding their squad after the hiring of new coach Leonardo, they won't be able to resist the chance at cashing in on their franchise player. Milan are desperate to sell Kaka, and there's nothing to stop them from doing it.

Done deal

As a matter of fact, the deal is all but done. With Kaka preparing for a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay and the subsequent Confederations Cup, Milan have taken the opportunity to conduct their business in his absence.

On Tuesday, Rossoneri technical director Adriano Galliani flew to Madrid with Kaka's father—Bosco Leite—and Getmo Paolillo to finalize terms with new Meringues president Florentino Perez. They landed at the Torrejon de Ardoz military airport and were whisked away to a secret location, later found out to be a skyscraper on Avenida Pio XII from where Perez operates his ACS construction company.

After four hours of talks and having reached an agreement in principle, the traveling party returned to the airport and flew back to Milan. It was around this time that rumors of an increased bid from Chelsea first surfaced, although on Thursday the club denied having ever made an offer.

Milan are thought to have accepted a bid of 68.5m euros for Kaka. They are still trying to barter one or both of Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben into the package as make-weights, additions that would push the value of the deal to almost 100 million.

Bosco Leite, meanwhile, has negotiated a five-year contract and an annual salary of 9.5m euros for his son. Kaka's valuable image rights will be split evenly between himself and his new club.

Twitter.com/peterssoccer

jerradpeters@gmail.com

Weekend Football

2009-05-29T11:42:00.001-05:00

29 May 2009

by Jerrad Peters

Managerial merry-go-round already spinning

The coaching carousel is spinning like a top, tossing managers to new jobs throughout Europe's domestic leagues. Holland and Germany have been the most active participants on the merry-go-round this spring. At least seven of the most high-profile coaches in the two countries have switched cities in recent days and weeks, and more are likely to follow.

Steve McClaren, for one, is thought to be among the candidates to replace Martin Jol at Hamburg. McClaren, 48, guided Dutch side Twente to a second-place finish in the Eredivisie this season, ahead of both Ajax and PSV Eindhoven. The Tukkers also advanced to the final of the Dutch cup, where they lost on penalties to Heerenven.

Hamburg are searching for a successor to Jol after the Dutchman quit HSH Nordbank Arena to succeed Marco Van Basten at Ajax. Van Basten resigned the position after finishing 12 points behind AZ Almkaar in the Eredivisie, and has since been linked with the top job at AC Milan.

Alkmaar, meanwhile, lost manager Louis van Gaal to Bayern Munich shortly after winning the league in late April. Considered one of the brightest tactical minds in world football, van Gaal will be expected to deliver a league championship and extended Champions' League campaign in his first season in Bavaria.

Replacing van Gaal at Alkmaar is Ronald Koeman. After enjoying some success while in charge at Ajax, Benfica and PSV Eindhoven, the 46-year-old was a flop at Valencia and has been out of work since April, 2008. His resume is impressive, however, and includes five Eredivisie titles as a player and three more as a manager. He coached Ajax to a pair of championships in 2002 and 2004 and earned the third at PSV in 2007.

PSV, for their part, have turned to Fred Rutten after the failed Huub Stevens experiment. Stevens, who preceded Jol at Hamburg and succeeded Sef Vergoossen who succeeded Jan Wouters who succeeded Koeman at Eindhoven, has been hired to manage Red Bull Salzburg next season. Rutten, meanwhile, takes the job after getting the axe at Schalke on March 26.

To plug the hole, Schalke have hired Wolfsburg's league-winning manager Felix Magath. The 55-year-old—who was fired by Bayern Munich in January, 2007—won a pair of Bundesliga titles in Bavaria before taking Wolves to the top of the table this season.

Wolfsburg, meanwhile, will look to Armin Veh to keep them at the top of the table next term. Veh, 48, won the league at the helm of Stuttgart in 2007 before getting the sack the following season. He has also coached at Augsburg and Hansa Rostock.

Twitter.com/petersjerrad

jerradpeters@gmail.com

Tuesday Football

2009-05-26T14:21:00.001-05:00

26 May 2009

by Jerrad Peters

Media are shirking Coleraine tragedy

My gaze has been trained on a small town in Northern Ireland this week. I'm writing this ahead of the Champions' League final. A big deal, to be sure. But not nearly as big as what happened here just days ago. What happened in Coleraine. Where a man was killed by fans of a rival football club.

Coleraine, for starters, is a small town of 25,000 in the north of Northern Ireland. It's just a few miles inland from the Atlantic Ocean and is famous for the Causeway Coast, Mountsandel Forest and Golden Globe-nominated actor James Nesbitt.

On Sunday afternoon, Kevin McDaid was lending a hand as authorities removed barricades in Coleraine's Catholic neighborhood of Somerset Drive. Rangers had just won the Scottish Premier League title, and local police were concerned about possible sectarian violence.

McDaid, however, helped convince them to take down the barricades. As a volunteer youth worker, he had often encouraged young, Catholic people to co-operate with the largely Protestant police force. He saw physical barriers as extensions of social ones, and he was working to remove them when a motorcade of Rangers fans—drunk after celebrating the championship—turned onto the street and ransacked everything in sight.

The gang was probably incensed by the Irish and Celtic flags and banners of the Catholic corner of the predominantly Protestant town. That said, it would never have taken much to set them off. As many as 70 loyalists were soon on hand, many of them looking to pick a fight.

They began by destroying property. That's how McDaid got involved. As the mob closed in on his neighbor's house, the 49-year-old intervened and was soon surrounded by thugs.

"I ran across to help him," recalled his wife, Evelyn, who was injured in the melee. "They beat me while they beat him. My neighbor had to step in to save me. She was pregnant and they beat her. She shouted, 'I'm pregnant,' but they didn't care. My sons tried to work on him. The ambulance was phoned. But he was dead. I knew he was dead. It was his colour and he couldn't breathe.

McDaid was dead by the time the ambulance arrived. He had suffered numerous kicks to the head, and his wife and Damien Flemming—a neighbor—were also hospitalized. Flemming remains in critical condition.

"I was there when it happened," said McDaid's son Ryan. "We heard screaming and shouting and Damien Flemming was lying on the ground. There was a gang of about 70 people arrived. They came up in cars and taxis and jumped out. There were about 20 of them running about and about 10 doing the real damage. We were totally outnumbered. There was nothing we could do."

Nine men have been arrested and charges are pending. At least one murder charge is likely. A second may be added if Flemming does not recover.

Complicating matters is the allegation—levied by a witness who refused to be identified—that the Coleraine police had advance knowledge of the impending violence. Presbyterian minister Rev. Alan Johnston admitted, Monday, that many Rangers supporters "were drinking heavily while watching Sunday's Rangers victory at pubs in central Coleraine." The witness claimed that police were warned an hour ahead of time that loyalists were congregating at a pub. Nevertheless, he said, only one police car was on the scene during the violence. Four land rovers and a riot squad arrived when it was too late.

Billy Leonard, a former police officer and Sinn Fein politician, believes it was only ever a matter of time before sectarian violence claimed a life in Coleraine.

"This is raw sectarian hatred," he said, "and Coleraine will now have to come to terms with this reality. There is no room for denial and excuses."

Denial, unfortunately, seems to be the modus operandi in most media outlets as far as this story is concerned. No major UK newspaper ran the details of McDaid's death in its sports pages on Monday or Tuesday. In fact, only a handful even broached the subject.

Reporting sectarian deaths triggered by football matches is all well and good if it happens in Uruguay, Argentina or Italy, it seems. But when it's in our Anglo-centric world—and involves an uncomfortable religious dispute—it's easy enough to sweep under the rug.

That's a shame. Sure, the death of Kevin McDaid was as old-hat as The Troubles, but it was a football story, too. And for better or worse, it's the responsibility of football writers to report the events that have taken place in the name of the sport.

That's why my mind will be on Coleraine during the Champions' League final. The game will be a big deal, no question. But while we're celebrating the spectacle in Rome, let's not forget to think about the McDaid family. They've just experienced football in its ugliest form.

Twitter.com/petersjerrad

jerradpeters@gmail.com

Monday Football

2009-05-25T14:44:00.001-05:00

25 May 2009

by Jerrad Peters

Strachan quits Celtic

Barely 24 hours after losing the Scottish Premier League to Rangers, Celtic manager Gordon Strachan submitted his resignation to chief executive Peter Lawwell.

"I have enjoyed my time immensely at Celtic, and clearly I will be sad to leave this great club," he commented. "As I have said before, Celtic is a special club with special supporters. There is no club like it, and it has been an absolute honour and privilege to be the club's manager for the past four years."

After replacing Martin O'Neill at Parkhead in 2005, Strachan regained the title from Rangers and went on to win three consecutive championships. He also won a trio of domestic cups and guided Celtic to 122 wins in 182 matches.

"Gordon has given everything to the club and worked tirelessly to bring success to Celtic," said Lawwell.

Strachan has already been linked with the top job at Sunderland, where Ricky Spragia resigned following a 3-2 loss at home to Chelsea on Sunday. As for his replacement in Glasgow, each of Mark McGhee (Motherwell), Owen Coyle (Burnley), Tony Mowbray (West Bromwich Albion) and Craig Levin (Dundee United) will be sure to get some attention from the Parkhead brass in the coming weeks.

Newcastle nightmare will produce massive overhaul

It was not a dream. It was, and is, a nightmare.

Players, coaches and supporters of Newcastle United awoke on Monday to the reality that their club will not compete in the Premier League next season. Many of them shot out of bed, having pinched themselves that it wasn't really happening; that the 1-0 loss at Villa Park which relegated the Magpies into The Championship had been a delusion.

Oh, there will be pinching, alright. And finger-pointing and name-calling and angry riots in the streets. That will come later. For now, there is an eerie quiet on Tyneside. It's like a wake after a sudden death, where those in attendance can't believe the deceased is actually dead.

"I'm hurting," said interim manager Alan Shearer on Monday. "Angry is too strong a word. I'm raw inside." He continued, "I can see what it means to the fans, and I am hurting."

So is Damien Duff. The 30-year-old converted left-back deflected Gareth Barry's attempt past goalkeeper Steve Harper just prior to the interval, effectively sealing Newcastle's relegation.

"I'm devastated," he told reporters. "I don't know what words can describe the way I feel."

Duff, who was part of the 1999 Blackburn Rovers squad that was relegated, also stated that Newcastle are "too big" for The Championship, but that Shearer is the right man to bring them back to the top flight.

"If there's one man that can get us back up, it's Alan Shearer," he said, adding, "I'm as loyal as they come. And whether the gaffer stays or goes, I'd love to try to get Newcastle back up.

Neither scenario is likely at this point. Duff, who arrived from Chelsea in 2005, is one of 15 Newcastle players to earn in excess of 50,000 pounds per week. The club will have to shed significant salary ahead of next season, including his. Jose Enrique, Jonas Gutierrez, Alan Smith, Mark Viduka, Obafemi Martins, Nicky Butt and Michael Owen will also be expected to exit the club in the coming weeks.

As for Shearer, he has admitted to enjoying management, going so far as to call it an "addictive job." But even his position is not guaranteed. After everything sinks in and a plan for next season is formulated, owner Mike Ashley will have to decide whether Shearer fits into that plan, or whether an entirely new direction is needed.

Shearer, for his part, doesn't see many of the team's current players fitting into any long-term strategy at St. James' Park.

"Players have to go and other players have to come in," he said. "Whoever comes in, there needs to be an overhaul. The sooner it can happen, the better."

Regarding his own future, the 38-year-old would only commit to meeting with the owners and the chairman in the coming days.

"I have not had time to sit down and think whether it's right for the football club for me to stay," he said.

Rangers hold nerve to win title

The Scottish Premier League trophy was awarded at Tannardice for the second time in succession, although Dundee United were once again the lookers-on during the post-match festivities.

Rangers kept their nerve, Sunday, and demolished their hosts to the tune of 3-0 to preserve their lead atop the table. Kyle Lafferty got things rolling after just six minutes, and Pedro Mendes—SPL Player of the Month for August—doubled the spread just prior to the break. Kris Boyd notched his 31^st goal of the campaign in the 52^nd minute.

The win left Rangers at the top of the pile after 38 matches for the first time since 2005. Their 86 points were four better than arch-rivals Celtic, who drew 0-0 at home to Hearts.

"It was a terrific performance. We had to produce one, and I thought we were terrific here today," remarked Rangers manager Walter Smith after the trophy presentation. "I felt, at the stage in late December when we were well behind Celtic, that we would lose out. But we haven't, and that's fantastic."

In fact, Rangers succeeded in overturning a seven-point deficit after losing to Celtic at Ibrox on December 27. Two weeks earlier they had drawn at Tannadice and seemed destined to be runners-up for the fourth season in a row.

Dominant Wolfsburg win the plate

Wolfsburg struck five goals for the sixth time this season en route to a decisive, 5-1 win at home to Werder Bremen on Sunday. Grafite scored a brace—bringing his domestic tally to 28—while Edin Dzeko and Zujezdan Misimovic also scored for the hosts. Bremen defender Sebastian Prodl added an own-goal in the 26^th minute while Diego scored the lone goal for the guests. With the win, Wolves finished the schedule with 69 points and won their first German championship.

It was typical Wolfsburg. Never a side to squander a scoring opportunity, they managed five shots on goalkeeper Tim Wiese, four of which turned into goals. With three between them, Grafite and Dzeko became the first tandem to notch 20 goals apiece for the same side in a single season.

Both were jubilant at the final whistle, although not quite as ecstatic as the 30,300 fans inside Volkswagen Arena. As soon as referee Thorsten Kinhofer blew time, several hundred supporters burst onto the field and mobbed the players. They were quickly cordoned off by security personnel and contained within the 18-yard-box where they continued to celebrate.

Wolfsburg manager Felix Magath, who announced last month that he will coach Schalke next season, called the achievement a "dream come true."

"Before the season I never thought we had a chance to win the championship," he said. "It is hard to be leaving now, obviously."

Dzeko, who scored 30 goals in all competitions and is currently top-scorer in World Cup qualifying for Bosnia and Herzegovina, echoed his manager's remarks.

"It is just insane," he said. "It is a great feeling to be German champions. I did not think it was possible to win it in only my second year in Germany. We are going to do a lot of celebrating."

Champions' League final

Readers are invited to join me and a handful of Winnipeg soccer fans for the big game at Confusion Corner Bar and Grill from 1:30.

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jerradpeters@gmail.com

Tuesday Football

2009-05-19T14:04:00.001-05:00

19 May 2009

by Jerrad Peters

Juventus part ways with Ranieri

Weeks of speculation over Claudio Ranieri's future at Juventus were put to an end, Monday, when the Turin club relieved the manager of his duties and replaced him with Italian national team assistant coach Ciro Ferrara.

Although the shakeup was not unexpected, Ranieri's departure comes as an admission of desperation from the Bianconeri brass. After earning promotion from Serie B under Didier Deschamps, the club turned to Ranieri and qualified for this season's Champions' League, progressing into the knockout stages before losing to Chelsea over two legs.

While the 57-year-old wasn't expected to deliver a Scudetto in his second attempt, automatic qualification for next year's Champions' League was thought to be a foregone conclusion. The ongoing winless skid—currently at eight games—put that prospect into doubt, however, and Ranieri paid the price at an emergency meeting at the club's Corso Galileo Ferraris headquarters on Monday.

"We had decided to entrust the team to Ciro Ferrara in light of the outcome of the last few matches, especially after drawing against Atalanta," explained managing director Jean Claude Blanc following the crisis talks.

That draw—a 2-2 stalemate at Stadio Olimpico di Torino—came a day after AC Milan's 2-1 loss at Udinese. With a win, Juventus could have pulled to within a point of the Rossoneri and extended their lead over fourth-place Fiorentina to three points. Instead, they are just one point ahead of the red-hot Florence side with two rounds to play.

"The only things on the horizon for us are the next two matches," stated Blanc. "That's all we are thinking about." He added, "We would like to shake up the team and hold players accountable. The match against Atalanta was a decisive match for us in order to take second place. We were unable to capitalize on it, and now, with two matches left in the season, we want all six points at play.

Those two matches will come away to Siena next Sunday and at home to Lazio on May 31. With Siena destined for mid-table and Lazio having already qualified for Europe through the Copa Italia, neither side will have much to play for against a desperate Juventus squad.

Nevertheless, Ferrara won't be taking anything for granted as he assumes the top job at Italy's biggest club. He has already promised to avoid tinkering with the squad's style of play, saying it has already been established and would accomplish nothing to change it so late in the campaign.

Instead, he'll be hoping to make a difference in training and in his team selection. Ranieri didn't help his cause by omitting Alessandro Del Piero from the squad in recent matches. The mercurial striker will probably be recalled under Ferrara.

"I believe it's my duty to make a contribution to the team, and I am not afraid to step up to the plate in a difficult time," commented the 42-year-old. "What do I ask from the players? Seven points in the next two matches. If we get six, it's good, too."

Arsenal chaos has Wenger mulling options

Arsenal are veering towards disaster as the current season comes to a close. Destined for fourth place in the Premier League and 18 points behind leaders Manchester United, fans and shareholders of the London side voiced their displeasure with the club's direction at an open forum last week.

While a portion of the discontent was aimed at Mikael Silvestre and Emmanuel Adebayor, much of the ire was reserved for Arsene Wenger. The manager is about to complete a fourth consecutive campaign without a trophy, and the lack of success has the natives feeling restless.

Wenger—in charge of the Gunners since 1996—was criticized for building a squad without the grit and determination so vital in the English game. He was also lambasted for purchasing Silvestre, whom one of the participants in the discussion labeled "geriatric." Silvestre, 31, was signed from Manchester United in the summer after Red Devils manager Sir Alex Ferguson deemed him a surplus to requirements.

Of the players, however, it was Adebayor who came in for the most abuse. The 25-year-old striker has scored just 16 goals this season after recording a career-best 30 last semester. He has been heckled by Arsenal fans in recent games, and was mysteriously dropped from the side that traveled to Old Trafford on Saturday. The club maintained that he had suffered a mild hamstring injury. In reality, he may have played his final match for Arsenal.

AC Milan and Internazionale are ready to go to war over the Togo international. Inter's 30 million pound bid was rejected last summer, and Adebayor could probably move for 22-24 million pounds this closed season. Last month, the forward refereed to AC Milan's interest as "something special," adding, "It is like a boy being told Beyonce is looking for him."

The unrest at Emirates Stadium may have only hastened his desire to leave the capital. "It was not nice playing at home, getting booed by my own fans," he said on Monday. "I didn't know what to do anymore."

Neither does Wenger. Although he has two years remaining on his contract at Arsenal, he is being openly courted by the leading candidate in Real Madrid's upcoming presidential elections. Florentino Perez—the architect of the Galacticos era—has made no secret of his desire to bring the 59-year-old to the Bernabau. And when questioned about the possible move on French television, Wenger refused to dismiss the notion, asking only that the press allow him "to remain discreet on this matter." He also stated, "With Perez, the project will be greatly interesting for all the managers."

Understandably, Peter Hill-Wood has been in a sour mood the past five days. The Arsenal chairman was shocked by the manner in which Wenger was treated at the May 14 meetings, saying, "some of the questions were quite disgraceful."

He continued, "There you have the most successful manager in our history, and two or three of the shareholders made the most negative and somewhat hostile and sarcastic comments. I think they were completely out of order. I was very upset by these questions."

Whether or not Wenger honors the final two years of his contract remains to be seen. But this much is certain: the status quo of the past four years is not good enough anymore. There will be changes ahead of next season. And for he first time in 14 years, the manager might be one of them.

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Weekend Football

2009-05-16T13:48:00.001-05:00

16 May 2009

by Jerrad Peters

Cold-blooded United win 18^th title

Manchester United won a third successive Premier League title after a dour, 0-0 draw against Arsenal at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon. It wasn't thrilling—far from it, in fact. Nor was the result ever in doubt. United have rarely dazzled their supporters this season, but they've seldom scared them, either. In many ways, the match that produced an 18^th championship was the entire semester boiled down in 90 minutes.

Full credit to Arsenal; they kept the ball quite well and managed to do a few things with it, too. But their lack of a cutting edge—a weakness exposed so many times in the past nine months—cost them the three points they probably deserved. They forced the Red Devils to earn their point, and they should be applauded for that.

That said, United were never going to squander the opportunity to win an 11^th title since the inauguration of the Premier League. In his post-match comments, Sir Alex Ferguson pinpointed the Boxing Day victory away to Stoke. It was a narrow win—nervy and tight—much like Saturday's result. But it came only five days after the squad returned from winning the Club World Cup in Japan.

That was four months ago. And Ferguson's exactly right. For all intents and purposes, United put themselves in the driver's seat on that day. Both Liverpool and Chelsea had failed to win a single match while third-place United were in Japan. Their inability to capitalize on a built-in advantage over the congested holiday schedule was probably what kept them from taking the honors this weekend or next.

Even an early-spring hiccup wasn't enough to deny United. Despite winning just once in three matches at the end of March and beginning of July, the Red Devils had built enough of a lead through their games in hand to cushion the blow of back-to-back defeats against Liverpool and Fulham. And after tossing Porto out of the Champions' League with a gutsy performance in Portugal the following week, United served notice that they were back in full force.

They didn't look back. Still haven't. That's why they've got to be tipped—however slightly—to beat Barcelona in the Champions' League final next week. Of course, the Catalans could win a championship of their own at Mallorca tomorrow. They're a formidable football machine in their own right and play the sort of dazzling, spectacular stuff that United have rarely matched this campaign.

It doesn't matter. What United proved today—what they have proved all season long—is that they're more than capable of getting a result whatever the circumstances, whether hobbled by injuries or merely playing below standards. The games haven't been spectacular, but the results have been. And that, for this club, is the definition of success.

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Monday Football

2009-05-11T15:44:00.001-05:00

11 May 2009

by Jerrad Peters

Don't feel sorry for Benitez, Liverpool

Rafael Benitez believes his side are at a financial disadvantage when compared to the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United.

The Liverpool manager made the remarks in an interview with Setanta ahead of Saturday's late match against West Ham at Upton Park. The Reds, he claims, cannot afford the type of role players who typically warm the benches at Emirates Stadium, Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge.

"Look at the squad we have now compared to when I arrived here," he boasted. We have better players with a winning mentality. But," he added, "it's still very difficult when you analyze the financial power of Chelsea United and Arsenal, with the money they can spend."

Curious words from the same man who signed Robbie Keane for 19 million pounds in August, only to ship him back to Tottenham Hotspur at a 3 million pound loss in January. In fact, a closer look at the numbers exposes Benitez' entire theory as hogwash.

When Liverpool visited Old Trafford on March 14—and thumped United to the tune of 4-1—the value of their bench exceeded 26 million pounds. The most expensive player was 11.5 million pound flop Ryan Babel, while Emiliano Insua was the only free transfer of the bunch. Even he, don't forget, came to Anfield as part of the Gabriel Paletta swap that cost Liverpool a further 2 million pounds.

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, meanwhile, named 45.75 million pounds worth of talent to his bench. Dimitar Berbatov, however, accounted for 30.75 million pounds of that total. But when you substitute the Bulgarian for usual pine-rider Carlos Tevez, United's bench value quickly shrinks to just 17 million pounds. Furthermore, among Ferguson's substitutes that day were Darren Fletcher, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes—each of whom are world-class players and didn't cost the club a nickel.

But what of Arsenal and Chelsea? Appropriately, they went head to head this weekend and further debunked Benitez' presumptions.

As it turns out, both London sides began Sunday's match with just over 20 million pounds of talent among the substitutes. At 9 million pounds, Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic was the most expensive player. Manager Guus Hiddink's bench also included free transfers Michael Ballack, Michael Mancienne and Henrique Hilario, producing a final total of 21 million pounds.

Similarly, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger's Sunday substitutes included three players who signed for less than 2 million pounds, and one player who came up through the ranks. Of the seven players, Emmanuel Adebayor was the most expensive at 7 million pounds. The entire bench was valued at just under 21 million pounds.

So what, exactly, is Benitez' problem? Since arriving at Liverpool in 2004, he has thrown money every which way to arrive at his current squad. And it's arguable that the likes of Babel, Arbeloa, Lucas, Fabio Aurelio, Andrea Dossena and Albert Riera are worth far less than the fees paid for them in the first place.

Then, of course, there are the many flops who have already been through the Anfield doors during Benitez' tenure. Djibril Cisse, Antonia Nunez, Mauricio Pellegrino, Fernando Morientes, Jermaine Pennant, Craig Bellamy, Boudewijn Zenden, Mohamed Sissoko, Andriy Voronin and Robbie Fowler Part II can be included in that list. It doesn't exactly make for inspiring reading if you're a Liverpool fan.

Perhaps Benitez would be surprised to learn that he spent a total of 69.4 million pounds between both transfer windows in 2007-08. That's over 20 million more than the 47 million pounds spent by United and the 42.5 million doled out by Chelsea. And Arsenal, with less than 20 million pounds paid out in transfer fees, spent not even a third of Liverpool's budget.

Don't listen to Benitez when he whines about what he perceives to be a financial disadvantage. But make no mistake, he is at a disadvantage—only it's an intellectual one. As each of his rivals in the Premier League's big four can attest, "It's not how much you spend, Rafa; it's how you spend it."

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Weekend Football

2009-05-08T13:31:00.001-05:00

08 May 2009

by Jerrad Peters

Ovrebo disaster leaves everyone looking bad

"A football game is a cheap therapy for the audience," remarked Tom Henning Ovrebo some time ago. "They can scream and be angry. It is a group therapy in a big volume."

Ovrebo knows all about therapy. He's a psychologist, after all, and operates a practice in Oslo. He also knows about screaming players and angry fans. He came face to face with both after his shambolic refereeing performance in the second leg of the Champions' League semifinal between Chelsea and Barcelona at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.

By now, Ovrebo's controversial decisions have been examined and micro-analyzed by everyone who watched the 1-1 draw that put Barcelona into the final. That he made a handful of crucial errors is all but a universal consensus, Graham Poll notwithstanding. (Poll is never more than three yellow cards away from laughable, anyway.)

Death threats

Two hours after he blew the final whistle on Chelsea's European dream, Ovrebo was smuggled out of Stamford Bridge in a black Mercedes and taken to an unknown, secure location. Concerned over his security, UEFA had quickly arranged a safe house for the 42-year-old Norwegian, unwilling to risk the wrath of the furious mob expected to congregate at Ovrebo's posh hotel in Holland Park.

The governing body similarly changed the 42-year-old's flight out of London. He had been scheduled to return to Norway at 7:20am, but departed Heathrow later in the day.

Upon arriving in Oslo, his office was flooded with telephone calls from angry Chelsea supporters. He subsequently booked a few days vacation and is thought to be relaxing on his boat. As a result, he may or may not be aware of the death threats that have surfaced over the past few days.

A handful of Facebook campaigns are openly advocating for his demise. One site, entitled Kill Tom Henning Ovrebo, proclaims its dedication "to the hunt for (and brutal murder of) the second-leg Champions League ref of Chelsea and Barcelona." Another site states that the Norwegian "needs to be shot in the head."

This isn't the first time that Chelsea supporters have issued death threats against an official following a Champions' League encounter with Barcelona. Four years ago, Swedish referee Anders Frisk resigned after receiving similar threats on his safety.

After Didier Drogba from the first leg of a Round of 16 match at the Nou Camp, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho charged that Frisk had invited Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard into his dressing room during half time. The accusation was later proven false, but Frisk stayed in retirement.

Conspiracy theories

It's not known whether Wednesday's performance—and the resulting threats—will affect Ovrebo's officiating future. However, he may have an entirely separate category of allegations to contend with when he chooses to dock his boat and return home.

Chelsea right back Jose Bosingwa is of the belief that Ovrebo had been instructed by UEFA to deliver a favorable result. UEFA president Michel Platini has been outspoken in his disdain for English football, previously voicing his hope that the final in Rome on May 27 would not feature a pair of English sides.

"This referee was under orders," said Bosingwa. "I do not know if he is a referee or a thief."

Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink did not go as far as his player, but he did state that "Consiracy is a very tough word, and if there is, you have to prove it. I can only mention what I see."

What the Dutchman saw was the "worst" refereeing performance of his lifetime. "You have sometimes to give the benefit of the doubt to the referee," he remarked. "But if you have three or four situations in sequence…it is the worst I have seen."

Compounding the allegations of irregularities is the test-page of UEFA's website report of the match. The page was produced several hours ahead of kick-off, yet showed a 1-1 score and a late Barcelona equalizer. It also included bookings for Drogba, Michael Ballack and Alex, all of whom were shown yellow cards.

Make of it what you will, but none of this looks good on UEFA. At best, they employed an incompetent official who seriously botched a performance at the highest level. At the very worst, they arranged a preferable result ahead of time. Here's hoping it's the former explanation.

For what it's worth, many Norwegian football fans were not at all surprised by Wednesday's events. They're used to these types of performances from Ovrebo, and have even composed a song to be sung when he oversees domestic matches. "Mer hur enn hyerne—You have more hair than brains." Tom Henning Ovrebo is bald.

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Tuesday Football

2009-05-05T11:09:00.001-05:00

05 May 2009

by Jerrad Peters

Madrid elections begin in earnest

It's voting season in the capital of club football. And with election day just two months away, the candidates are in full campaign mode—vigorously strategizing ambitious platforms and promising everything from Ronaldo to the man on the moon.

When Real Madrid were effectively ousted from the title race after Sunday's humiliating 6-2 defeat at home to Barcelona, the club's membership turned their attention to the battle to succeed Ramon Calderon as president of the world's biggest sporting property. As expected, they were immediately guaranteed the signings of several European superstars.

Florentino Perez—architect of the not-so-successful Galacticos era—is considered the frontrunner to replace Calderon. Formerly a local and national politician, Perez is as experienced and polished as they come. Since resigning the presidency in February 2006, he has been biding his time with civil engineering firm Actividades de Construccion y Servicios (ACS) where he has served as president for 12 years.

Central to his comeback bid is the return of Zinedine Zidane. Not as a player, of course. Rather, Perez is keen to bring the French football icon back to the Bernabeu in the role of director of football, replacing the controversial Peja Mijatovic. Perez also fancies AC Milan forward Kaka, although he has yet to include the Brazilian in his campaign platform.

On Monday, however, Perez revealed the names of three players he will attempt to sign upon winning the presidency. They are Cristiano Ronaldo, Xabi Alonso and Cesc Fabregas. Of course, Madrid presidents can name-drop all they wish; they still have to do the business. But when the nine-time European champions express an interest in a player—any player, it's not often that he plugs his ears.

Despite the high-profile promises, Perez will face stiff competition from another former Madrid president, Lorenzo Sanz.

The 66-year-old was king of the Meringues from 1995 to 2000 after serving as the club's director for a decade. He famously ended Madrid's 32-year slump in the European Cup, delivering two continental championships between 1998 and 2000. He currently owns La Liga side Malaga and has expressed interest in purchasing Italian club Bari. It's not known how he would handle the obvious conflict of interest, should he win the presidency in July.

Juan Villar Mir is another candidate to watch. He was the first individual associated with Madrid to make an attempt to lure Cristiano Ronaldo to the Bernabeu when he ran for the presidency in 2006. His bid is backed by co-candidate Carlos Sainz, a former rally driver. The two have also pledged to bring Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger to the club.

A fourth candidate—Eduardo Garcia—insists he already has a standing agreement with Chelsea striker Didier Drogba. The Ivorian would be unveiled immediately after his election, he announced yesterday. He is also thought to have already negotiated similar deals with Racing Santander left-back Ivan Marcano and Palmeiras ace Keirrison.

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Monday Football

2009-05-04T13:42:00.001-05:00

04 May 2009

by Jerrad Peters

Corinthians win 26^th Paulista

Andre Santos erased all thought of a Santos comeback when he canceled Kleber Pereira's penalty in the 34^th minute at Estadio do Pacaembu on Sunday. His tally was the final goal of the 2009 Paulista and sealed the Sao Paulo state championship for Corinthians.

The 1-1 draw at home to Santos—a 4-2 victory on aggregate—comes just 17 months after Corinthians were relegated from the top flight of the Brasileiro. But after dominating Brazil's second division and going undefeated throughout the Paulista, the former world champions appear well on their way to re-establishing themselves as a force in Brazilian football.

Of course, it doesn't hurt when one of the most potent strikers in football history is carrying his part of the goalscoring burden. After signing for Corinthians in December—two months after his 32^nd birthday—Ronaldo proceeded to lead the team with 8 goals, two of which came in the first leg of the Paulista final at Santos. And while he'll entertain offers from European clubs throughout the summer, he's already been an integral part of the rejuvination at the Pacaembu.

Mano Menezes has been another. After guiding Gremio to the final of the Copa Libertadores in 2007, the 43-year-old took the reigns at Corinthians and promptly brought them out of Serie B. In going unbeaten in 23 Paulista matches since January, he emphasized a responsible commitment to team defense while relying on the goalscoring prowess of Ronaldo and Chicao.

Menezes will now take Corinthians into the top flight of the Brasileiro. There will be little time to rest. After a Copa do Brasil match on Wednesday, the open their league campaign at home to Internacional on Sunday.

Flamengo claim third successive Carioca

While Corinthians all but won the Paulista with a 3-1 victory at Santos in the first leg of the Sao Paulo state championship, Flamengo required penalties to dispatch Botafogo in the Campeonato Carioca.

Despite entering the interval with a two-goal advantage through first-half strikes from Ronaldo Angelim and Kleber, Flamengo's lead evaporated in a matter of minutes as Juninho and Tulio Souza equalized just after the hour-mark. The visistors were further encouraged when Fabio Luciano was ejected in the 90^th minute. Flamengo held fast to the draw, however, and emerged victorious after Bruno's penalty heroics.

The Flamengo goalkeeper stopped spot-kicks from both Juninho and Leondro Guerreiro, helping the Rio de Janeiro side to a 31^st state championship. They will open their Brasileiro campaign on Sunday at Cruzeiro.

Deschamps tipped for Marseille vacancy

Olympique Marseille president Pape Diouf has admitted that Didier Deschamps is among the two or three candidates to replace manager Eric Gerets at the end of the season. Gerets, 54, will be out of a contract when his current deal expires in June and last week expressed his intention to leave the club.

Given that Marseille are currently atop Ligue 1 with 68 points, he may well do so as the club's first title-winning manager since fellow Belgian Raymond Goethals guided the side to a fourth consecutive championship in 1992.

Deschamps, needless to say, will have big shoes to fill. But as a French football legend, he will have the benefit of an extended honeymoon period that most other coaches wouldn't be afforded. The 40-year-old won the Champions' League with Marseille in 1993 and captained France to victories at the 1998 World Cup and EURO 2000.

It is thought that he will compete for the job against Frederic Antonetti and Jean Tigana. Antonetti, 47, is currently in charge of 8^th-place Nice and previously managed Saint-Etienne for three seasons. Tigana, 53, has coached at Lyon, Monaco, Fulham and Besiktas and earned 52 caps for France over an eight-year international career.

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2009-05-04T13:38:00.001-05:00

04 May 2009

by Jerrad Peters

Corinthians win 26^th Paulista

Flamengo claim third successive Carioca

Deschamps tipped for Marseille vacancy

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Weekend Football

2009-05-01T13:52:00.001-05:00

01 May 2009

by Jerrad Peters

The similar, yet oh-so-different, lives of Gignac and Negredo

It's time to tell you about two of the best-kept secrets in world football. Both are strikers that have somehow flown under the radar this season. Both are also 23-years-old, 6-foot-1 and carrying the bulk of the goalscoring load at their clubs. And no, Edin Dzeko is not one of them. He's too tall, and I've written about him before.

Readers, meet Andre-Pierre Gignac and Alvaro Negredo. You would probably be more familiar with them if they featured regularly in their national teams. Negredo, however, is unlucky enough to be the fourth-best striker in Luis Aragones' Spain lineup. Gignac, meanwhile, should be an automatic selection for France manager Raymond Domenech. Unfortunately for him, Domenech is a dolt. And barring a coaching change—which might not be all that far off—Gignac will probably spend the remainder of World Cup qualifying on the bench.

It's a pity, especially if you happen to support Les Bleus. Gignac is currently the top scorer in Ligue 1 and has Toulouse in the reckoning for a Champions' League berth. He's come a long way in just one year.

Last season he managed just two goals in 28 appearances for Le Tef. Granted, manager Elie Baup played him out of position to accommodate Johan Elmander in a side renowned for its negative tactics. That really hasn't changed under new head coach Alain Casanova. But with Elmander having moved to Bolton Wanderers in the summer, Gignac has been given the opportunity to operate as the club's lone striker. To say he's seized it would be an understatement.

To date, he's bagged 19 goals for Toulouse and has guided the club to 57 points in 33 matches—four points shy of Lyon and Champions' League qualification. He's also reaped the rewards of an off-season training regimen that had him shed excess weight and improve his acceleration and speed. He's still a powerful presence in front of goal, but his improved fitness allows him run at defenders with confidence.

Negredo's story isn't quite as interesting. He's never scrapped with a teammate, taken weight-loss pills or been banned from the local club after his grandmother berated the coach for not making him drink enough milk.

No, Negredo is simply a late-blooming footballer who is finally starting to turn heads after paying his dues and coming through the ranks. Needless to say, his coming of age has arrived at a vital moment for Almeria.

After scoring 13 goals for the Andalusian club en route to an impressive eighth place finish in La Liga, Negredo's 19 goals so far this season are the primary reason why his side are not embroiled in a relegation scrap. Having said that, Almeria are only seven points above the drop and cannot afford a drop-off in performance from anyone down the stretch.

Given Negredo's career pattern, it's unlikely to happen. Since turning professional with Rayo Vallecano in 2004, he has quietly improved his game in each subsequent campaign. While with Castilla—Real Madrid's developmental club—he scored 18 goals in 2006-07 and earned a call-up into Fabio Capello's first team. But with the likes of Raul, Gonzalo Higuain, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Robinho ahead of him in the pecking order, he was sold to newly-promoted Almeria in the summer of 2007. His international career has followed a similar route. Buried beneath a heap of Spanish superstars, Negredo has yet to catch the eye of Aragones.

It's only a matter of time before he does, however. For while coaches can rightfully overlook pedigree and past performances, they are suckers for in-form goalscorers. And that descripes Negredo to a tee.

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Monday Football

2009-04-27T13:32:00.001-05:00

27 April 2009

by Jerrad Peters

Klinsmann fired

Bayern Munich sacked head coach Jurgen Klinsmann on Monday morning, ending the 44-year-old's nine-month tenure at the Bavarian giants. Jup Heyneckes has been installed as caretaker manager and will be assisted by Hermann Gerland in the final five rounds of the schedule.

Saturday's 1-0 loss at home to Schalke was the final straw for Bayern's board of directors. And after a four-week pursuit of Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, they cut Klinsmann loose without a permanent successor waiting in the wings. Heyneckes, 63, managed the club from 1987 to 1991 but is not expected to stay on beyond next month.

After breaking the news to Klinsmann, chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge expressed his disappointment with the season so far and admitted that recent results—including a drubbing at the hands of Barcelona in the Champions' League—had forced him to make the coaching change.

"With Jupp Heyneckes and Hermann Gerland," he added, "we have two experienced coaches to whom we have handed management of the team until the end of the season."

Klinsmann's assistant coaches—Martin Vasquez and Nick Theslof—were also released on Monday.

Although a permanent replacement won't be named until June or July, Bayern are thought to have narrowed their list down to two candidates. The first is Wenger, who was initially offered Klinsmann's job in early April. The Frenchman was keen to see out the season at Arsenal, however, and will open the seminal round of the Champions' League at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

If the Gunners are eliminated from the competition, it will mark a fourth consecutive season without a trophy at the club and likely spell the end of Wenger's 13-year tenure in North London.

Bayern's backup option is Martin Jol. The Dutchman has resurrected his career since a disappointing exit from Tottenham Hotspur last season and has guided Hamburg to the final four of the UEFA Cup. His side are also within a shout of the Bundesliga title. After 29 rounds, Hamburg are level with Bayern on 54 points, just three points back of leaders Wolfsburg.

Giggs wins PFA gong

Ryan Giggs has been named Player of the Year by members of the Professional Footballers Association. The 35-year-old Manchester United winger beat out rival candidates Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Edwin Van der Sar, Cristiano Ronaldo and Steven Gerrard for the prize. Ronaldo had claimed the award in each of the past two seasons.

Despite being named the PFA Young Player of the Year on two occasions (1992 and 1993), Giggs never won the senior gong until this season, his 19^th in professional football. Ironically, the Manchester United winger's three goals in 40 appearances this term represents his lowest tally since scoring once in two matches as a 17-year-old in 1991. As such, the prize is more a lifetime achievement award than anything else.

That said, Giggs has adjusted his game to his accommodate his declining pace. He has often played a central midfield role this season, using his vision and passing ability to pick out teammates on the fly. That versatility, as much as anything else, is why his peers tabbed him as the top player in English football for 2008-09.

Getafe sacks Munoz

Victor Munoz became the fourth manager to exit Getafe since 2005 when the Madrid club relieved him of his duties on Monday. Munoz joins Quique Sanchez Flores, Bernd Schuster and Michael Laudrup as former head coaches of the Azulones. He replaced Laudrupp after the Dane offered his resignation in 2008.

Getafe's 2-1 loss at home to Villarreal on Sunday was their third defeat on the bounce and left them in 17^th place after the weekend's matches. They are just a single point above Sporting Gijon and a point adrift of 16^th-place Espanyol.

It is believed that Schuster will return to Coliseum Alfonso Perez in the summer. He was sacked by Real Madrid in December and enjoyed two successful seasons at Getafe before quitting to join the Meringues.

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Tuesday Football

2009-04-21T15:26:00.001-05:00

21 April 2009

by Jerrad Peters

Juventus ordered play behind closed doors

Juventus have been ordered to play a match behind closed doors after fans of the Turin club directed racist songs and slogans at Inter Milan striker Mario Balotelli. Sporting judge Gianpaolo Tosel cited nine specific occasions throughout the 90 minutes where Juventus supporters racially abused Balotelli, the Palermo-born son of Ghanaian immigrants.

Tosel handed down the punishment on Monday, stating in his remarks that "during the match, on many occasions, home team supporters in various sections of the ground directed racially discriminator songs to a player of the opposing team. The willful repetition of this deliberate behavior—which has nothing to do with sport—and the failure of other supporters or the club to make any attempt to discourage the conduct further compound the seriousness of the events."

Italian Football Federation (FIGC) president Giancarlo Abete has also denounced the behavior of the Juventus fans.

"I would like to express my clear condemnation and great regret about what happened to Balotelli," he stated at a press conference in Rome on Monday. "Maybe the FIGC rulebook should be revised."

At the moment, Italian police are permitted to stop a match if they spot racist banners in the stadium, but they have no power to prevent the singing of discriminatory songs and are not mandated by the FIGC to halt a match if they hear them.

"We could consider somehow connecting these two aspects of the regulations," said Abete, adding, "At the next federal council meeting, we will look at the regulatory framework intended to deal with racism at football grounds."

Abete concluded his remarks by stating that "Italian football is not the scum of the earth."

The hasty condemnation of the incident by the Italian football authorities and the equally swift penalization of Juventus marks a definitive shift in the FIGC's approach to handling questions of racism and violence. Where before they would have been content to sweep the matter under the rug—as they have persistently done with issues of racism, violence and matchfixing—they now appear willing to tackle the trio of problems that continue to scar the reputation of Italian football.

There are two reasons for the sudden shift in philosophy. At the top of the list is next month's Champions' League final. Having the match moved to another venue at the last moment would be a major embarrassment to the Italian Football Federation.

Italy is also planning a bid to either host or co-host an upcoming European championship. If their offer is to be taken at all seriously, they will have to do a considerable amount of housecleaning first. FIFA and UEFA do not look kindly on the sort of events that took place in Turin on Saturday.

Juventus will play their closed-door match against Lecce on May 3.

Trezeguet mulling summer move

David Trezeguet is poised to walk out on Juventus after being frozen out of the side by manager Claudio Ranieri. The 31-year-old was benched for Saturday's match at home to Inter Milan and has struggled to get into the lineup since recovering from double knee surgery.

Despite his pedigree—he has scored 161 goals over nine seasons with the Bianconeri—Trezeguet has become Ranieri's fourth-choice striker after Amauri, Alessandro Del Piero and Vincenzo Iaquinta. And although he is three years younger than Del Piero and just three and two years older than Amauri and Iaquinta, respectively, his agent believes the 31-year-old has been frozen out because of his age.

Antonio Caliendo raged against Juventus after his client was held out of the Inter Milan match. "He is married to Juventus," he said. "But sometimes when marriage is not going the right way, people divorce."

Manchester City are tracking the situation closely. In January, Caliendo admitted to having received a lucrative bid from the Premier League side, believed to be worth 20 million euros. Chelsea are also thought to be keen on the World Cup and European champion.

If Trezeguet is to make a switch, however, he will have to request it. He is currently contracted to Juventus until 2011, and Ranieri has yet to indicate a desire to sell him. That said, the 6-foot-3 forward scored 20 goals last season and could net a substantial return on the open market. His sale would go a long way toward financing the swoop for Diego that has been rumored for months.

Chamakh fancies Spurs

Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh has singled-out Tottenham Hotspur as a preferred destination, should he depart the Stade Chaban Delmas in the summer as expected. The 25-year-old has enjoyed a breakout season in France and is also an integral part of Morocco's World Cup bid.

But while he would certainly be a hot commodity on the transfer market, Chamakh won't be leaving Bordeaux unless they force him out. This, after all, is his hometown club, and his allegiances run deep.

"I first want to talk with Bordeaux," he told French magazine L'Equipe over the weekend. "If I leave," he added, "it will be abroad or nothing. I am going to give my priority to England. That's the league I appreciate the most."

The forward also conceded that he would have difficulty getting first-team football at one of the top four English clubs, but admitted that White Hart Lane would make a nice fit.

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Monday Football

2009-04-20T14:03:00.001-05:00

20 April 2009

by Jerrad Peters

Juventus pursing Diego

Diego's recent incursion into Italy has reignited rumors that he will join Juventus in the summertime. The 24-year-old Werder Bremen playmaker scored twice as his side dumped Udinese out of the UEFA Cup on April 16. Renzo Castagnini, a Bianconeri scout, was on hand to watch the Brazilian work his magic at Stadio Friuli and brought a glowing report back to his employers in Turin.

With longtime Juventus icon Pavel Nedved set to retire, the club is widely thought to fancy Diego in the Czech's position on the left wing. It would be a role change for the former Santos midfielder who has operated from the middle of the park throughout his career. Nevertheless, both Juventus manager Claudio Ranieri and chairman Giovanni Cobolli Gigli are confident that Diego can thrive on the flank.

That said, it would take a special offer to lure the player from the Weserstadion. This is the club, after all, that rescued Diego from a two-year nightmare at Porto. He is furiously loyal to the club, and will not request a transfer. It will be up to Bremen to sell him if a lucrative bid proves too good to pass up.

Juventus are the only side to have publicly admitted their interest in Diego. But Bremen's asking price—believed to be in excess of 30 million euros—automatically narrows the field to a handful of clubs, of which the Turin giants are one. Real Madrid are another and might be keen to make an offer after Rafael van der Vaart's failure to impress at the Bernabeu.

If Diego is to make a move, it will probably happen this summer. His contract expires at the end of next season, and Bremen are not about to lose him for nothing.

Cannavaro could make Juve return

After three seasons at Real Madrid, Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro is set to return to Juventus. The 35-year-old defender has no intention of remaining in Spain beyond this summer when his contract expires. His agent believes a deal could be reached before the weekend.

While the move will reunite Cannavaro with a handful of former teammates including Pavel Nedved, Gianluigi Buffon and Alessandro Del Piero, many of the club's supporters are less than pleased about the return.

Unlike the aforementioned trio, Cannavaro chose to leave the Bianconeri after relegation to Serie B in the wake of the Calciapoli scandal in the summer of 2006. He remains unpopular for the decision, and brining back a player of his age would seem a step backward for a club that has finally built a side that hopes to challenge Inter Milan for the Scudetto next season.

As it happens, Juventus were actually Cannavaro's second choice. He had hoped to finish his career at Napoli—his hometown and the club where he broke through as a 19-year-old in 1992. Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis rejected the idea, however, admitting that he was turned off by the player's age.

Juventus, meanwhile, have offered Cannavaro a director's position with the club when he eventually retires.

AZ Alkmaar win Eredivisie with three rounds to spare

Read my recap in the Winnipeg Sun. http://www.winnipegsun.com/sports/soccer/2009/04/20/9170186-sun.html

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Thursday Football

2009-04-16T09:56:00.001-05:00

16 April 2009

by Jerrad Peters

Red Star fading

Many Red Star Belgrade players are struggling to buy food and pay rent as the once-venerable club teeters on the brink of bankruptcy and dissolution.

Overwhelming debts and a lack of cash has forced the Serbian side to issue small, daily pay packets to its young footballers in lieu of a regular salary. Two players have already tried to flee the country, but were apprehended at the Belgrade airport by club officials. Management is hopeful that supporters will donate the $4 million US necessary to keep the club afloat until the summer.

Given the economic turmoil currently razing Eastern Europe, that's unlikely to happen. But Red Star president Dan Tana is counting on at least 300,000 fans to purchase memberships for roughly $13 apiece. Tana met with his board of directors on Monday to sort out the crisis. He had previously been on a fundraising tour of the United States in a bid to secure financing for the club's debt, estimated to exceed $33 million.

All the while, Red Star's players have bore the brunt of the discomfort. Since arriving from Olympiacos in the January transfer window, Slovenian midfielder Mirnes Sisic has been paid only a portion of his wages and his behind on his rent.

"The landlord came over earlier this week and told me to pay three month's rent I owe him or pack my stuff and leave," he told one of Belgrade's daily newspapers on Tuesday. "If Red Star can't at least give me money for a roof over my head—never mind what the club owes me in wages—I will have no choice but to go back to Slovenia and stay with my parents."

Sisic also admits that his younger teammates face an even more discouraging future at the club.

"Young players are in an even more humiliating position, as we give them daily handouts so that they can buy themselves some lunch and coffee," he said. "I can't believe a club of Red Star's stature has allowed this to happen. It's like the Titanic."

Fed up with the situation in Belgrade, striker Bernard Parker and midfielder Mohammed Awal-Issah made a failed attempt to flee the club in early April. Upon arriving at the airport, however, they were persuaded by club officials to remain in the city.

It's unclear exactly what means of persuasion were used. The officials may have promised to pay the players, or they may have resorted to intimidation and threats. If Parker's recent comments on Kickoff.com are any indication, the latter method is the more likely.

"I was surprised when I saw the story online and some of my friends in South Africa [called] to ask whether it was true," he remarked. "I am disappointed that the story from Serbia went as far as saying I have not been paid [my] full salary for the past three months. I have been given the best treatment and have never missed securing my salary since arriving here. So I don't know where the information came from. I am not in a situation to discuss the team's affairs, but as far as I am aware, there was only one issue involving one player."

Out of touch and strangely conciliatory for a player who made a clear attempt at leaving the Serbian capital, Parkers comments reek of outside influence.

The best-case scenario would have had him make the remarks in order to restore good faith with his employers and gain as much of the money owed to him as quickly as possible. The worst-case scenario would have had him saying what he did because he was threatened or intimidated.

There's nothing comfortable about the financial problems at Red Star. The club is set to lose another title to archrivals Partizan, and frustrations are spreading from the boardroom to the dressing room to the stands.

After losing 2-0 at Partizan on April 8, more than 100 Red Star supporters were arrested after they torched the benches in the visitors' section of Stadion Partizana. Already notorious as some of the most violent fans in Europe, the actions of the Red Star contingent will likely result in a heavy fine when the Football Association of Serbia meets to assess their actions. It's a penalty the club cannot afford.

Despite the difficulties, managing director Ilija Ivic has promised to stay at the club until he either rights the ship or goes down with it. The 38-year-old Olympiacos icon brought several promising young players into the setup at the Greek side before being hired at Red Star after last season. Unfortunately, much of his time has been spent handling creditors rather than up-and-coming talent.

"It would be easy to walk away now, but I'm not a quitter, although I had no idea the situation was so bad when I took over several months ago," remarked Ivic this week. "The basic condition in professional football is to make sure that players have only their accomplishments on the pitch to focus on, but that's not the case here. These problems we are going through have affected the team, and it was unrealistic to expect the players to live up to their potential in what has been a torrid season."

That might be an understatement. Red Star Belgrade is not a fun place to play football at the moment. It's possibly not even a safe place. And until the club's directors can deliver some semblance of financial stability, things are unlikely to change. They might even get worse.

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Wednesday Football

2009-04-15T10:16:00.001-05:00

15 April 2009

by Jerrad Peters

Chelsea win was careless, not brilliant

"Was it the game of the decade?" So read a headline in one of London's venerable daily newspapers on Wednesday morning. It's a debate that was always going to be stirred after Tuesday's thrilling 4-4 draw between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge. I happen to find it a rather easy argument to clear up. Best game of the decade? No it was not.

Of course, most Chelsea supporters will immediately disagree with me in the wake of a topsy-turvy affair that saw their side advance to the Champions' League semifinals at Liverpool's expense. But they've accomplished so little of note in Europe that you can hardly blame them.

Liverpool fans, conversely, will be having none of the "best game of the decade" talk. They lost the match after all, and there's that little matter of Istanbul that still tends to pull at their heartstrings.

As a spectacle, the second leg of the Chelsea-Liverpool quarterfinal was sensational. There's no doubt about it. Multiple lead changes, shifting advantages given the away-goals rule, shrewd substitutions—the match had it all. Except one thing. The football was absolutely, unequivocally dire.

Of the eight goals scored, at least six were preventable. The thunderbolt from Alex just prior to the hour mark was the only strike that could be described as impressive. The rest were either the result of poor goaltending or sloppy defending.

It didn't take long for the observer to realize that there would be goals in this one. The match simply didn't settle. Neither side retained possession for an extended period; neither carried the tempo for more than a single, counter-attacking movement. The ball was in limbo for much of the 90 minutes—aimlessly bouncing around the park as players chased it down without either purpose or imagination.

Peter Cech was woefully out of position for Fabio Aurelio's free-kick in the 19^th minute. Had the goalkeeper remembered the Brazilian's recent effort from a similar set-piece against Manchester United, he would surely have done better. And despite the Chelsea protests when Liverpool were awarded a penalty after 28 minutes, the decision was more than justified, given a Branislav Ivanovic back-pass that was ignored just moments earlier.

On the other side of the ball, Didier Drogba's equalizer in the 51^st minute should have been an own-goal attributed to Pepe Reina. The Ivorian striker was out of position and barely touched the ball before the Liverpool 'keeper juggled it into his net.

Frank Lampard's brace—scored within 23 minutes at the end of the second half—came as Liverpool pressed desperately for a pair of away goals to see them through. They got them, although Guus Hiddink will be furious at his backline for allowing Lucas and Dirk Kuyt to score from in close when Chelsea's full concentration should have been dedicated to defense.

All that said, it was a thrilling game of football, however mediocre. And while "Best Game of the Decade" is certainly an exaggeration, "Most Careless Match of the Decade" is a rather more fitting depiction.

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Monday Football

2009-04-13T11:38:00.001-05:00

13 April 2009

by Jerrad Peters

Tourist stabbed after Rome derby

A British tourist was attacked by a gang of Rome's notorious Ultras supporters following the Derby della Capitale on Saturday. Alan Brown was enjoying a drink in the Ponte Milvio neighborhood near the Stadio Olimpico when 10 ultras surrounded him, beat him and stabbed him in the buttocks.

The stabbings have become the signature assault of the ultras, as many English supporters can attest. Similar incidents have previously marred the visits of Arsenal, Manchester United and Middlesbrough supporters to the Italian capital.

This time, however, the attack was not provoked by the arrival of a foreign team and their legions of traveling fans. It was merely the twice-annual showdown between Lazio and AS Roma, and an innocent, foreign bystander was the unfortunate victim.

As a result, UEFA will once again be put in the difficult position of evaluating Rome's ability to stage a safe and secure Champions' League final next month. Neither of the city's clubs will be represented in the match. But as Saturday's events demonstrated, that doesn't necessarily mean anything.

Mr. Brown might have been more severely injured had his assailants not been chased away by Paolo Calabresi. The celebrity host of the television satire Le Iene, Calabresi scattered the ultras and waited with the victim until an ambulance arrived.

"It all happened very quicky," said Calabresi. "I think he was on his own, but I'm not sure. I saw that he was being attacked and kicked by a group of ten people. We ran at them and they ran off—two of them I saw get into a car. We picked him up off the foor and he said he was English, and I saw that he was losing a lot of blood. It was really frightening."

A spokesman at Gemelli Hospital confirmed that Mr. Brown had been admitted and treated for stab wounds to the buttocks, adding that the injuries were not life-threatening.

Several hours before kickoff, police discovered a cache of weapons under a bridge near the Stadio Olimpico. Included was an assortment of knives, axes and flares.

This sort of behavior is the norm in many parts of Italy. And until their authorities and the Italian Football Federation admit that they have a problem and get around to dealing with it, UEFA must take matters into their own hands. Removing the Champions' League final from Rome and holding it at another venue would be a good start.

Bayern Munich make overture to Wenger

Arsene Wenger has been on the giving end of bidding wars many times before. This summer, however, he's going to find himself on the receiving end.

While several applicants for the Real Madrid presidency are openly touting Wenger as their choice to succeed interim manager Juande Ramos at the Santiago Bernabeu, Bayern Munich are thought to be readying their own offer for the Arsenal boss.

With current manager Jurgen Klinsmann's job hanging by a thread, the Bavarian giants are already preparing a list of preferred candidates to replace him. Wenger's name is at the top of the list, and Bayern would offer him 5 million pounds per year to make the switch.

The will also entice him with a blank cheque for big-name signings and an open license to go after as many African and French youngsters as he wishes. He is an expert on both regions, but has often come under criticism for relying on foreign talent while eschewing up-and-coming English players.

Wenger might also be chased out of North London if Arsenal fail to win a trophy for the fourth season in a row. Although they remain in contention for both the Champions' League and FA Cup, the Gunners have taken a back seat to Manchester United and Chelsea in recent seasons, and a legitimate title challenge remains a few years away.

Although he is contracted to Arsenal until 2011, the 59-year-old might find a new challenge to be invigorating at this stage in his career. He has managed the Gunners since 1996 and seems to have lost his touch in English football.

Santos youngster shines in semifinal

Santos have one foot in the door of the Paulista championship after beating rivals Palmeiras in the first leg of their semifinal showdown. Neymar scored the winner for The Fish just after the re-start to earn a 2-1 victory for the home side.

In so doing, the 17-year-old justified the hype that has surrounded him since he made his debut in Vagner Mancini's first team in February. Gifted with agile movement, superb vision and the ability to make timely runs into space, Neymar is already being followed by the usual cast of major European clubs.

Although his contract at Santos only expires in 2011, his agent has confirmed that an undisclosed English side already owns 40 per cent of his rights. Manchester United is thought to be the club in question.

On the other side of the ball, Palmeiras forward Keirrison opened the scoring for the Big Green after just eight minutes. He was also the top scorer in the 2008 Campeonato with 21 goals, and at 20-years of age, he is more prepared for a big-money move than the younger Neymar.

Palmeiras, however, own just 20 per cent of his registration, with Traffic Sports Marketing holding the remaining 80 per cent.

Founded in 1983, TSM holds the rights to a handful of Brazilian footballers. They typically buy the contracts of young players from clubs who need the cash, in turn lending the players back to the clubs. When the player reaches a certain age, they advertise the player in Europe and reap a large portion of the transfer fee.

Carlos Tevez has a similar deal with Media Sports International, a company similar to TSM.

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Monday Football

2009-04-06T12:59:00.001-05:00

06 April 2009

by Jerrad Peters

North Korea claims players poisoned in Seoul

The intersect of politics and sport is blurry at the best of times. But when an isolated, militant autocracy combines football with a nuclear buildup, the overlap degenerates into the absurd.

So it was when North Korea visited their southern neighbors for a World Cup qualifying match in Seoul last week. As it happened, Kim Jong Hun did not want the game to go ahead at all. Prior to kickoff, the North Korea coach complained that three of his players had suffered food poisoning. He asked that the contest be postponed and moved to a neutral venue. FIFA denied the request and South Korea ran out 1-0 winners through Kim Chi-Woo's 86^th minute goal.

Then the accusations started to fly. On Sunday, the North Korean Football Association (DPRKFA) accused South Korea of making "moves for confrontation," allegedly heightening tensions ahead of the North's scheduled rocket launch the same day. They claimed their squad had been poisoned in Seoul, although South Korean doctors had reported nothing unusual after examining the players in question.

"It was beyond all doubt that the incident was a product of a deliberate act perpetrated by adulterated foodstuff as [the players] could not get up all of a sudden after the match," stated the DPRKFA.

The South Korean Football Association has yet to comment on the matter, and may abstain from doing so in light of the North's delicate temperament.

The planned launch of North Korea's Kwangmyongsong-2 satellite went ahead as planned on Sunday. But as the North declared the launch a success, U.S. Northern Command claimed the rocket had landed in the Sea of Japan while the satellite went down in the Pacific Ocean.

Perhaps this whole business of poisoning is nothing more than a smokescreen, an attempt to mask an act of provocation gone horribly and embarrassingly wrong. Perhaps. But given the protagonist, it's impossible to know for sure.

Souness and Merrington vie for Southampton

Graeme Souness is part of a consortium that will attempt to purchase debt-ridden Southampton Football Club before the end of the season. The former Saints manager has been out of football since being shown the door at Newcastle in 2006 but is thought to be keen on making a return as a director or club official.

The 55-year-old and his business partners will offer 15 million pounds for the club, currently second from bottom in the League Championship.

They will be rivaled, however, by Souness' predecessor at St. Mary's. Dave Merrington is also considering a move that would save Southampton from folding. Merrington is currently working as a club commentator for the BBC and last worked in football when he served as first-team coach at Walsall in 2002.

The rival bids come as a much-needed bit of good news to the club. Southampton Leisure Holdings—the parent company that owns the club—was placed in administration last week after declaring debts of 30 million pounds. Chairman Rupert Lowe tendered his resignation on Thursday, as did every other member of the board of directors except David Jones.

Mark Fry—the administrator overseeing SLH's operations—admitted the club may go under if an investor isn't found before May.

"If we don't find a buyer for the club," he said, "there is a very, very high probability that it will not last until the end of the season. Realistically, it will mean the end of the football club."

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Wednesday Football

2009-04-01T15:50:00.001-05:00

01 April 2009

by Jerrad Peters

Shearer appointed Newcastle boss

Tyneside revelers will be celebrating late into the night. Alan Shearer has agreed to manage Newcastle United for the remainder of the season, uniting the club's most revered icon with his adoring fans. Iain Dowie will join him on the coaching staff, and director of football Dennis Wise has been shown the door.

It's been a frenzied few days at St. James' Park. Magpies striker Michael Owen—again omitted from Fabio Capello's England setup despite a dearth of healthy forwards—was the subject of a massive media campaign to get him into the squad. All the while, rumors that Shearer was about to take the reigns at the club loomed large, but nothing was set in stone until the 38-year-old finalized negotiations with club owner Mike Ashley this evening. There will be a formal announcement on Thursday.

Currently 18^th in the standings and two points adrift of Blackburn Rovers and Premier League safety, Newcastle face an uphill battle in their final two months of the campaign. Shearer's first match in charge of the squad will be against third-place Chelsea on Saturday, and encounters with Liverpool, Aston Villa and fellow relegation-fighters Portsmouth and Stoke City will follow thereafter.

Ashley is hedging his bets that Shearer's presence at the club will provide a shot of momentum to keep the side in the top flight. In other words, it's an inspirational appointment—nothing more. Shearer has neither coaching background nor credentials. In fact, he turned down Ashley's advances on two previous occasions. He also rejected a call to join Steve McClaren's England staff in 2006.

While Shearer provides the stimulus to what Ashley and Newcastle fans hope will be a successful, last-minute getaway, Dowie will be expected to provide much of the actual coaching.

Released by Queens Park Rangers in October, Dowie brings 11 years of managerial experience to St. James' Park. He famously took Crystal Palace from the Championship to the Premier League on two, separate occasions, and famously coined the phrase "bouncebackability" in 2005. His task, along with Shearer's, will be to ensure that he never has to use that word on Tyneside.

Since retiring as a player three years ago, Shearer has kept very much to the sidelines at St. James' Park. With the club seeming to move from one crisis to the next with disturbing frequency, he likely protected his reputation by doing so.

But this time was different. With Newcastle in serious danger of relegation, he was swayed into the position when no clear candidates emerged to replaced Joe Kinnear. Still recovering from triple-bypass surgery, Kinnear will not be involved with the club for the foreseeable future.

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Tuesday Football

2009-03-31T08:40:00.001-05:00

31 March 2009

by Jerrad Peters

Stadium disaster leaves Ivory Coast reeling

Ivory Coast raced out to the early lead in Group E of African World Cup qualifying on March 29. Of course, nobody will remember their 5-0 thrashing of Malawi given the horrific events that preceded it. A pre-match stampede in the capital, Abidjan, left at least 19 Ivorians dead and 132 injured as a mad rush at the gates of Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium quickly turned into a deadly crush. Some reports have pegged the death-toll at 22.

"I have come here with my colleague from Security to announce very sad news," stated a solemn Dagobert Banzio after the casualties had been counted. The Sports Minister then broke the news to his nation.

Despite pre-match warnings that the stadium had been sold out in advance of the Malawi contest, about 15,000 supporters—none of them with tickets—formed a crowd in front of the grounds. As they attempted to gain entry, police deployed pepper spray to maintain control of the situation. Chaos ensued, and the mob forced its way into the stadium, trampling other supporters and crushing a wall.

Many of the injured were carried onto the track encircling the pitch. As Ollo Kambire, a reporter for Super Sport newspaper, observed, "There were people falling. Then there was panic and a stampede."

"Fans started pushing to get in because the match was about to start," explained Interior Minister Desire Tagro, adding, "each and every one of them wanted to get in."

FIFA has requested an official report into the incident. Although similar stampedes are not uncommon in Africa, the magnitude of the Abidjan catastrophe is disconcerting.

In an interview with Le Patriote the morning after the match, Ivory Coast president Jacques Anouma expressed both sadness and frustration.

"We really can't understand what happened at a match where everyone was warned it was a sellout," he said. "We are really sorry. We give our condolences to the families of the victims and we wish a speedy recovery to the injured."

Anouma also called for a more elaborate security apparatus at international matches and asked that more doctors be present at the grounds. He also called on his countrymen to avoid placing blame for the incident.

"What I ask of Ivorians is not to start useless arguments, but to ensure that these kind of things don't happen again," he said. "It's sad. I'm deeply upset."

Ivory Coast and Chelsea striker echoed the president's remarks. "I am disappointed by what happened," he told reporters following the match. "It is hard to take. Football is nothing. You are talking about the deaths of 19 people. When things like this happen, it makes you realize how much people care about their country and their team. Peace to them. It is sad."

The disaster has led to questions surrounding South Africa's preparations for next summer's World Cup finals. However, chief organizer Danny Jordaan has vowed that a similar incident will not take place. South African authorities have been instructed to apprehend all fans without tickets before they even come near the stadiums. Some security checkpoints will be stationed as much as a mile away from the grounds.

"It triggers a stampede that leads to disaster," commented Jordaan, referring to the mobs of supporters without tickets that often attempt to enter football matches. "Those things won't occur in the Confederations Cup or the World Cup."

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Weekend Football

2009-03-27T15:00:00.001-05:00

27 March 2009

by Jerrad Peters

Allegations of Macedonian match-fixing

UEFA has levied a match-fixing charge against FK Pobeda. The Macedonian club, its president and one player are under investigation for allegedly corrupting the result of a 2004 Champions' League encounter with Armenian side FC Pyunik.

"FK Probeda, its president and one player have been charged for being in breach of the principles of integrity and sportsmanship by manipulating the outcome of a UEFA match to gain an undue advantage for themselves and for a third party," read a statement issued by UEFA on Thursday.

Visiting Pyunik were 3-1 winners in the first leg of the first qualifying round after opening an early 3-0 lead on the hosts. The return fixture in Yerevan ended in a 1-1 draw, dumping Pobeda out of the competition.

"The charge is based on reports received from betting patters and the declarations of several witnesses," continued the UEFA statement. "The Control and Disciplinary Body will deal with he case on 17 April."

Pobeda finished the 2008-09 Macedonian season in eigth-place, narrowly avoiding relegation to the second division. The club's president, Alexandar Zabrcanec, has rejected the match-fixing allegations as illegitimate, stating, "We have never been involved in such an affair. You can win or lose, but that's sport and there was nothing controversial in our defeat to Pyunik."

Marseille handed stadium ban

Olympique Marseille will play one of their four remaining home matches behind closed doors after being penalized by the Ligue de Football Professionnel. Currently embroiled in a six-team tussle for the title, Marseille will host Grenoble, Toulouse, Lyon and Rennes before the Ligue 1 season comes to an end on May 30.

The penalty was assigned after traveling Marseille flans lit flares during a November 15 match at Lorient. Marseille supporters are notorious for their use of flares, and the punishment is largely seen as the result of cumulative offenses.

The LFP has not determined when Marseille will serve the penalty, although the Mediterranean side will hope to welcome a capacity Stade Vellodrome for the visits of Toulouse and Lyon. Marseille are currently second in the table, a single point back of Lyon and just three points ahead of fourth-place Toulouse. Bordeaux is in third spot on 53 points.

Confirming that his side will launch an appeal, Marseille president Pape Diouf stated, "This punishment is out of proportion. It doesn't seem well-founded to us and still less applicable." He continued, "There is more a feeling of surprise than anything else. I can't believe this sanction will become effective."

Schalke sack Rutten

Scalke 04 dismissed head coach Fred Rutten on Thursday, nearly a year after sacking his predecessor, Mirko Slomka. Assistant coaches Mike Buskens andYouri Mulder will take over the club on an interim basis. The two filled a similar role at the end of last season.

Since finishing runners-up to Stuttgart in 2007, Schalke chairman Josef Schnusenberg believes the team has regressed and underachieved. They wound up in third spot last season and are currently eighth in the Bundesliga table. When Schnusenberg fired manager Andreas Mueller in early March, it was considered a mere matter of time before Rutten followed his boss out the door.

In an official statement, the club cited Rutten's failure to help Schalke attain its targets as the reason behind his departure. Schnusenberg described his final conversation with Rutten as "frank, and at times emotional."

Permanent replacements for Rutten and Mueller won't be hired until the summer, but former Bayern Munich and Germany goalkeeper Oliver Kahn has emerged as the frontrunner for the manager's job in Gelsenkirchen.

Goodwill football at El Madrigal

Villarreal will be renewing subscriptions at no charge to unemployed season ticket holders. Club president Fernando Roig is hopeful that the decision will be seen as a gesture of goodwill to the city and the team's supporters, especially given the current economic turbulence.

"The idea is to think of the club's wider social base and those who have been unlucky to lose their jobs so they can continue to watch football in the Madrigal," he told reporters on Thursday.

Villarreal are in the midst of a battle for the final Champions' League berth in La Liga. With 48 points from 28 matches, they are just five points ahead of fifth-place Atletico Madrid, sixth-seeded Valencia and seventh-place Deportivo La Coruna.

With European football all but guaranteed at El Madrigal, supporters worst hit by the effects of the economic storm will be rewarded for their loyalty to the club by being provided free admission to one of Spain's most competitive sides.

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Monday Football

2009-03-23T16:01:00.001-05:00

23 Mar 2009

by Jerrad Peters

Guevara key to Toronto success

Toronto FC outlasted a Kansas City fightback to secure their first three points of the 2009 Major League Soccer campaign on Saturday. Amado Guevara's masterful performance was the highlight of a strong showing from visiting Toronto. The Honduras captain scored twice for the guests in the second half, spinning around Wizards defender Jonathan Leathers and beating goalkeeper Kevin Hartman from 16 yards in the 53^rd minute before completing the brace just after the hour-mark.

Guevara looked a decade younger than his 32 years on this night. Given a free role between holding midfielder Carl Robinson and the two-pronged attack of Chad Barrett and Dwayne De Rosario, the 2004 MLS most valuable player made maximum use of the liberty afforded him by head coach John Carver.

Given the off-season addition of De Rosario, Guevara will be under far less pressure than last season, when he was charged with concocting each piece of creative, offensive play. It was a role that weighed heavily on him, and his performances visibly deteriorated as the schedule wore on.

De Rosario's influence is already changing all that. Despite missing a penalty in the 80^th minute, the Canadian international made a solid debut for the Reds. Running in and out of space behind Barrett, he combined well with the immaculate Guevara, producing the rebound that the latter converted into his second goal of the match.

Released from the oppressive responsibility of having to do everything by himself, the Honduran is ironically becoming the player he was intended to be when Toronto manager Mo Johnson got him on a song from Chivas USA last April.

Upon arriving in Canada, Guevara was immediately inserted into a squad completely bereft of creative talent. From June 21 to September 27—a stretch of 14 matches—the Reds managed a paltry nine goals. Only the expansion San Jose Earthquakes tallied fewer than Toronto's 34 goals on the season.

The acquisition of De Rosario should see that total increase by at least 15, given the goals he'll score and others he'll make. And if his presence continues to inspire Guevara—as it did in Kansas City—Toronto could conceivably become an offensive powerhouse in the Eastern Conference.

Of course, both playmakers would be helped immensely by a quality centre-forward. And while Barrett has entered the season in considerably better shape than last term, he's certainly not that man. Even Pablo Vitti—the highly-rated 23-year-old marksman on loan from Independiente—is unlikely to be much of an upgrade at the position.

That said, an energized, productive Guevara can take this team a long way on his own. Probably even into the playoffs. At his best, he's every bit to Toronto what Guillermo Barros Schelotto was to Columbus last season. And things turned out rather well for them.

Rijkaard tipped for Chelsea job

That Frank Rijkaard is first in line to succeed Luiz Felipe Scolari as Chelsea manager should come as no surprise. After all, the 46-year-old was shortlisted for the position after Avram Grant was ushered out of Stamford Bridge last summer. In fact, Rijkaard might have been hired instead of Scolari, had he not vocalized his intention to take some time away from football.

Just ten months ago, the Dutchman was the embattled manager of Barcelona. In addition to a third-place finish in La Liga and a Champions' League ouster at the hands of Manchester United, Rijkaard was also faced with a very public rift between striker Samuel Eto'o and two-time World Footballer of the Year, Ronaldinho.

The controversy cost Barcelona dearly, and Rijkaard did not seem entirely disappointed when he got the sack in June. With two league titles and the 2006 Champions' League crown to his name, he had already achieved much at the Nou Camp.

And so, like Jose Mourinho the year before, he took some time away from the game. Unlike the Portuguese, however, he has remained completely out of the spotlight. There was no flying in and out of European capitals while rumors swirled that he would take over a national team, no random comments about the performances of particular clubs. Rijkaard, it seems, has made the most of his break. It also appears as though he's itching to get back to work.

The connections to Chelsea are obvious. Of Europe's big clubs, job openings may only present themselves at Real Madrid, Inter Milan, AS Roma, Lyon, Ajax and Stamford Bridge. Rijkaard is unlikely to take an appointment in Spain so soon after leaving Barcelona, and Lyon doesn't seem at all a good fit. Mourinho will probably stay at Inter, and Roma—while an intriguing option—cannot compete with the finances available at Chelsea. Ajax—currently 12 points off the pace in Holland—are an interesting candidate as well, although they're probably not a big enough club.

Then there is Guus Hiddink. The current caretaker manager has vowed to step down as head coach in the summer in order to devote his full energy to Russia's World Cup qualifying campaign. That said, it's expected he'll return to Chelsea in an official role in November 2009 or August 2010.

He and Rijkaard share similar philosophies on football and would, no doubt, strive to deliver the stylish play that so intrigues club owner Roman Abramovich. Abramovich also seems comfortable with Hiddink, having hired him to coach the Russian national team before asking him to temporarily replace Scolari. The Russian tends to keep a tight inner circle of advisers, and Hiddink's influence cannot be underestimated in selecting Chelsea's next full-time boss.

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Weekend Football

2009-03-20T13:34:00.001-05:00

by Jerrad Peters

20 March 2009

Reds and Blues to tangle again

Liverpool and Chelsea will meet for the fifth time in five seasons after being paired together at Friday's Champions' League draw in Nyon, Switzerland. In the other quarterfinal ties, Barcelona drew Bayern Munich while Arsenal and Manchester United were kept apart and will face Villarreal and Porto, respectively.

The first legs will be played on 07 and 08 April with the return fixtures scheduled the following Tuesday and Wednesday. Liverpool have already been assured that they will not have to contest their second leg with Chelsea on 15 April, the anniversary of the Hillsborough Disaster.

The draw also determined the semifinal matchups. Either Liverpool or Chelsea will face the winner of Barcelona-Bayern Munich in the first leg on 28 April, while Manchester United and Arsenal are on a collision course for a final-four showdown the following day. Semifinal second-legs will be played on 05 and 06 May, and the final will be contested in Rome on 27 May.

Iraqi player murdered during match

Haider Kadhim was shot dead, Sunday, as he broke in alone on the opposing goalkeeper. Kadhim, a striker with Buhairat, was hoping to tie the match with Sinjar at one goal apiece when he was shot in the head by a Sinjar supporter in he 89^th minute.

"As soon as Haider Khadim was alone in front of the goalkeeper and close to equalizing, a fan in the crowd fired a pistol at him," an Iraqi policeman told Reuters, refusing to be identified. "We arrested this fan immediately, but unfortunately the player died."

The gradual improvement of security in Iraq has encouraged many people to return to sporting events in recent months. Unfortunately, the match in Hillah—a city about 60 miles south of Baghdad—was not as well secured as similar matches in the capital, where police personnel are concentrated.

This is not the first football-related death in Iraq. After the national team beat Vietnam in the quarterfinal round of the 2007 Asian Cup, two Iraqi fans were killed as revelers fired gunshots to celebrate the victory.

More Argentinean fan violence

Two people were shot in the run-up to a Clausura match between Boca Juniors and Argentinos Juniors on Sunday. More than 100 Boca supporters were involved the skirmish that left a 55-year-old man in critical condition after sustaining a gunshot wound to the head. An 85-year-old woman was shot in the leg.

The fighting began when enemy sections of a Boca firm known as The 12 clashed in the Parque Lezama neighborhood of Buenos Aires, near the Bonbonera stadium. Four or five gunshots were heart by witnesses and at least one man brandished a firearm. Six people were arrested.

Earlier in the day, supporters of Argentinos Juniors and Racing fought in the streets after their convoys came together near the city centre. Sets of fans from both sides immediately began throwing stones at one another.

The violence comes just one week after Buenos Aires police arrested dozens of The 12 members ahead of a match at Independiente.

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Thursday Football

2009-03-19T13:37:00.001-05:00

by Jerrad Peters

19 March 2009

MLS coming to Vancouver

The Olympic city is now a Major League Soccer town as well. On the eve of the 14^th MLS campaign, Vancouver was awarded the league's 17^th franchise, beating out rival bidders Portland, Ottawa and St. Louis.

It was a no-brainer. With a savvy, well-moneyed ownership group in place and stadium upgrades already in the works, Vancouver was an easy choice for MLS commissioner Don Garber.

"Our goal is to become one of the world's best soccer leagues," he told reporters at Wednesday's press conference at the Westin Bayshore. "The addition of Vancouver will help us get to that point."

Heading the quartet of investors is Greg Kerfoot. In addition to owning Vancouver's USL-1 franchise, he is the CEO of Crystal Decisions Software. Joining him are Jeff Mallett, Steve Luczo and Steve Nash. Mallett—co-owner of the San Francisco Giants—is the former president and COO of Yahoo! while Luczo—a co-owner of the Boston Celtics—is president, CEO and chairman of Seagate Technology. Nash is a point guard with the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association and two-time NBA most valuable player.

"This is a great win for the province of British Columbia and the city of Vancouver," remarked Mallett. "Major League Soccer is North America's premier soccer league and offers exceptional skill and entertainment. We have a world-class stadium that will be packed with cheering, singing and chanting Vancouver supporters."

The stadium—BC Place—is set to undergo a $365 million renovation. Currently home to the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League, the grounds will be fitted with a new seating configuration so viewers can be closer to the pitch. A hanging scoreboard and retractable roof are also in the works—both MLS firsts.

The Vancouver franchise—likely to be named the Whitecaps—will begin play in March 2011. Until then, they will continue to participate in USL-1, where they are defending champions.

Football has been part of the provincial capital's sporting culture for some time. Their North American Soccer League outfit won the Soccer Bowl in 1979. Bob Lanarduzzi—a defender with the '79 side—is the president of the current incarnation of the Whitecaps. He will be expected to fill a similar role with the MLS franchise.

"The successful bid for a Major League Soccer franchise offers a while new level of opportunities for our organization," he stated, adding that the city and province would reap economic benefits by extension.

British Columbia premier Gordon Campbell was also on hand for the unveiling of the franchise. A long-time supporter of Kerfoot's bid to bring MLS to Vancouver, he expressed his hope that the incoming MLS team would carry on the 30-year tradition of the Whitecaps.

The next round of MLS expansion will come in 2011. Portland is the early favorite to secure the league's 18^th franchise. Miami and Montreal were also in the running before removing their bids.

Benitez inks 5-year pact at Anfield

Rafael Benitez ended months of speculation, Wednesday, when he signed a five-year contract with Liverpool. If he sees out the duration of the deal, he will have served a full decade as manager at Anfield.

"My heart is with Liverpool Football club, so I'm delighted to sign this new deal," he said. "I love the club, the fans and the city. And with a club like this and supporters like this, I could never say 'no' to staying. I always made it clear I wanted to be here for a long time."

With his old contract set to expire in 2010, Benitez would have entered the summer as a lame-duck manager. He had intended to re-sign with the club in the autumn, but both he and the club's co-owners could not come to terms on a handful of clauses.

For one, Benitez wanted assurances that he had complete control over Liverpool's player transactions. This led to a bitter feud with chief executive Rick Parry that culminated in Robbie Keane's exit and Parry's resignation. Having outlasted Parry, the way was clear for Benitez to sign a long-term pact.

That was the second hurdle. The 48-year-old wanted a clear signal from owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett that the club would commit to him for the foreseeable future. He got his wish in the form of a five-year agreement. Money—Benitez will be paid 5 million pounds per season—was never the issue.

The pay-raise will see the Spaniard rise to second-place on the Premier League's managerial earning chart. Guus Hiddink tops the list at 5.2 million while Arsene Wenger earns 4.5 million. Sir Alex Ferguson brings in 3.6 million pounds per year and Everton's David Moyes earns 3.2 million.

Although Benitez had always hoped to stay at the club, his desire to get the deal done was heightened by an encounter with one of Liverpool's more vociferous supporters.

"Last week I met with a supporter who carries a flag to every game," he remarked. "The flag has a picture of me on it and the Spanish phrase 'siempre es possible,' and it is flown at all our home games. I saw it at the Bernabeu also when we played Real Madrid, and I met the supporter who owns the flag at Melwood last week."

He continued, "It was really funny because he was telling me 'you must sign!' and saying 'I hope it is for 10 years.' But then he was changing his mind, 'no, 20 years.' It was really funny but it also showed the incredible passion of the Liverpool fans and the support that they give to their manager."

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Tuesday Football

2009-03-17T14:20:00.001-05:00

17 March 2009

by Jerrad Peters

Pizarro facing 2-year ban

Claudio Pizarro is facing a two-year suspension for having allegedly acted as an agent in Werder Bremen's acquisition of Roberto Silva in 2001. Pizarro, who is fiercely denying the accusations, is said to have served as an intermediary between Silva and the Bundesliga side, perhaps skimming a portion of the transfer fee. Silva, now 32-years-old and playing for Universidad San Martin, moved to Bremen from Sporting Cristal eight years ago and made just six appearances in German football.

FIFA strictly prohibits players from acting as agents in club-to-club transactions and is prepared to ban Pizarro for 24-months if the 30-year-old Bremen striker is found guilty. For his part, the Peru international is dismissing the allegations as nothing more than jealousy from within the Peruvian football hierarchy.

"It is a load of rubbish," he told reporters on Monday. "The whole thing does not bother me at all." He continued, "Peru is a good, beautiful country, but unfortunately there are people there who are angry. They don't like it when somebody is successful, so they get jealous."

Pizarro has been at loggerheads with the Peruvian Football Federation since he was suspended from the national team in 2007. After having been seen entertaining women at his hotel room ahead of a World Cup qualifier against Ecuador in December 2007, he was banned from the squad for 18 months. The penalty was later reduced to three months and $10,000 in July 2008.

Juventus eye Nedved replacement

Less than two years after swapping Olympique Lyonnais for Chelsea, Florent Malouda is being tabbed as Pavel Nedved's successor at Juventus. Nedved, 36-years-old and in his eighth season in Turin, will retire at the end of the campaign, vacating his position on the left of midfield.

It might just be a good move for both sides. Malouda has failed to impress at Stamford Bridge, featuring on just two occasions since Guus Hiddink succeeded the deposed Luiz Felipe Scolari as manager of the London giants. His lack of production has been a major disappointment to the club. Upon his arrival in 2007, he was the reining Ligue 1 player of the year and had just helped Lyon to a sixth consecutive championship.

Nevertheless, Chelsea are prepared to take a 2.5 million pound hit on the 28-year-old. Having been acquired for 13.5 million pounds, the Blues will accept just 11 million for his signature.

Juventus, for their part, will get a player with a lot to prove. Malouda is a pacey winger, if not crafty, and makes timely, cutting runs into space. The Bianconeri are hopeful that a good run of matches in a new squad will reinvigorate the French international.

Keane plotting comeback

Roy Keane will begin applying for managerial vacancies in the summer. The former Sunderland boss has been out of work since quitting the Black Cats in December and is open to taking a job either in England or abroad.

Since leaving Wearside, Keane has been on a quest for coaching knowledge, observing the practices at both Benfica and the New Zealand rugby union squad. He is an outspoken admirer of Benfica manager Quique Sanchez Flores, remarking that the Portuguese boss oversees one of the top youth setups in Europe.

While in charge of Sunderland, Keane walked the touchline for 100 matches, winning 42. He also led the team to the 2007 Football League Championship title.

Miscellaneous

My evaluation of Liverpool's title chances appeared in the 17 March edition of the Winnipeg Sun.

http://www.winnipegsun.com/sports/soccer/2009/03/17/8774351-sun.html

As you may have noticed, you can now follow my Twitter updates.

http://twitter.com/petersjerrad

The updates can also be found on the left sidebar.

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Thursday Football

2009-03-12T16:16:00.001-05:00

12 March 2009

by Jerrad Peters

UEFA should pull Rome final

Arsenal did UEFA a massive favor on Wednesday night. Although Juan's ninth-minute tally put AS Roma on level terms with the English side in the Champions' League Round of 16 encounter, the hosts came up short in the penalty shootout as the Gunners progressed into the quarterfinals. In so doing, they ensured that UEFA would not be obliged to move the tournament's May 27 final from Rome to another city.

Less than an hour-and-a-half before kickoff, a group of Roma ultras attacked a bus of visiting Arsenal fans. They hurled rocks at the windows—breaking some—before forcing open the door and boarding the vehicle. One traveling supporter badly cut in the melee, although it is unclear whether he was struck by broken glass or stabbed by a hooligan.

It was typical Roman hospitality in European competition. In April 2007, 11 Manchester United supporters were hospitalized after clashing with riot police inside the Stadio Olimpico. The year before, three Middlesbrough fans were stabbed ahead of a UEFA Cup tie with Roma.

The city's well-established reputation for football violence prompted UEFA president Michel Platini to issue an ultimatum ahead of the current Champions' League campaign. Fail to control the behavior of the locals, he told Rome authorities, and the much-coveted final would be moved elsewhere.

Thankfully for UEFA, Platini will not have to act on his words. Roma's elimination at the hands of Arsenal relegated the Stadio Olimpico to a neutral venue. But had Max Tonetto converted his penalty and Roma advanced to the next round, the president would have been put in a very difficult position.

Moving the final would have presented no shortage of difficulties, confirmed UEFA spokesman William Gaillard, not the least of which would have been setting up a new security infrastructure from scratch.

"Moving to another place would probably put these [security] arrangements in danger," he said, "so it wouldn't be safer. It would be less safe."

Instead, UEFA will commit to boosting its security presence in the Italian capital during the final. They will import additional police officers and provide extra stewards for visiting fans.

Ironically, the Italian authorities have become a large part of the problem. It was their brutality that hospitalized almost a dozen English supporters when Manchester United visited the Stadio Olimpico in 2007. Riot police not only instigated that unprovoked assault on the guests, they also performed acts of cruelty that should have resulted in Roma's immediate suspension.

Various accounts reported officers beating fans who had stooped to helped injured friends. Others told of children and elderly supporters bludgeoned indiscriminately. One officer actually shielded a female visitor from the blows of his colleague.

UEFA has pledged to evaluate its relationship with the Rome police. That will matter little, however, as the home team won't even be present for the final. Platini may have missed the boat on this one. It would have been far more prudent to punish Roma for past indiscretions ahead of this season. For instance, they might have been required to play their schedule behind closed doors.

At any rate, Wednesday's flare-up provided UEFA with yet another opportunity to clamp down on Italian football violence. Few people would have batted an eyelash if the governing body had canceled the Rome final and moved it elsewhere. The Italians have had it coming for a while. The embarrassment of losing a final would have been a just penalty for past disgraces.

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Monday Football

2009-03-09T15:34:00.000-05:00

09 March 2009

by Jerrad Peters

Schalke sack general manager

A tight 1-0 win over Cologne was not enough to keep Andreas Mueller in his job. Despite Friday's victory over the 11th place side, the 46-year-old was relieved of his duties as Schalke 04 general manager, Monday, appeasing many of the Gelsenkirchen club's supporters who had been clamoring for his removal. Head coach Fred Rutten was retained, although his tenure will be closely scrutinized in the coming weeks.

Just 12 months after suffering a narrow loss to Barcelona in the quarterfinals of the Champions' League, Schalke are struggling to remain in the top half of the Bundesliga table. They have already been ousted from European competition and crashed out of the DFB-Pokal Cup to Mainz last week. Currently five points out of the third Champions' League place, they have significant ground to make up if Rutten is to keep his job.

After two successful seasons at FC Twente in The Netherlands, Rutten replaced Mirko Slomka at Veltins-Arena last summer. Upon arriving in Germany, he convinced Mueller to pay 6 million euros for Holland international Orlando Engelaar and an additional 10 million for Peruvian striker Jefferson Farfan.

Both were decent signings. But for a side with championship ambitions, they were far to little. Mueller paid the price for that. And unless Rutten can make do with what he has over the next two months, he'll follow his boss out the door.

Lecce offload coach

Languishing near the bottom of the Serie A, Lecce sacked manager Mario Beretta after a dour 0-0 draw at home to Reggina—the only team with fewer points than the Salentini. Lecce have won just twice in 2009 and are in a dogfight with Torino and Chievo Verona to avoid relegation.

Having guided diminutive Siena to a surprising 13th place finish last season, Beretta arrived at the Adriatic club with no shortage of fanfare. Chairman Giovanni Semeraro was supremely confident that the 49-year-old would consolidate Lecce's place in the top flight after winning promotion from Serie B in 2008.

It wasn't to be. Instead, Semeraro installed former Queens Park Rangers manager Luigi De Canio as Lecce manager on Monday afternoon. De Canio, who left Loftus Road in May 2008 through mutual consent, will take charge of the club ahead of Sunday's match against Palermo at the Renzo Barbera.

United pursuing Walter

Manchester United are keen to add Walter Henrique da Silva to their growing Brazilian enclave. The 19-year-old Internacioal striker scored five goals in last month's Under-20 South American Championship—finishing top scorer of the tournament and helping his country to a tenth title.

Despite entering the tournament in the shadow of highly-rated teammate Douglas Costa, Walter emerged as the competition's top talent. He earned rave reviews for his 30-yard thunderbolt against Paraguay in the opening match and outplayed Costa throughout the schedule thereafter.

Currently rated at approximately 5 million pounds, Walter is also being tracked by Barcelona and Juventus. United, however, are hoping he'll jump at the chance to join fellow Brazilians Rafael and Fabio Da Silva and Rodrigo Possebon at Old Trafford.

Liverpool sale hits skids, then picks up again

Last Thursday, the sale of Liverpool Football Club appeared to be finally dead. After countless failed negotiations with a variety of Middle East consortiums, the latest—a combination of Kuwait's Al_Kharafi and Al-Sager families—pulled out of discussions with co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr.

That was four days ago. And in the new, Americanized world of Liverpool Football Club, four days is an eternity. Never was that more apparent than Monday, when Abdulla Al-Sager kicked off the negotiations once again.

"They are willing to negotiate and we are negotiating and will continue to do so in the weeks to come," he told Bloomberg. "We want to build the new Stadium in Stanley Park and make the team do really well."

That the Kuwaitis have been interested in purchasing the club for some time is no surprise. In fact, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan's September purchase of Manchester City may have set a set a trend among wealthy, Middle Eastern families. Dubai's ruling Al-Maktoum family has also expressed an interest in Liverpool in the past.

Still, Hicks and Gillett's asking price of 500 million pounds continues to be a stumbling block. Unless they come down significantly, Al-Sager will be unlikely to purchase anything but a minority stake. Of course, that might be all the current owners want. They face a July deadline to pay off or restructure outstanding debts of 300 million pounds. The presence of a wealthy third party would greatly improve their chances of refinancing their loans.

Moving in

It's an old saying: when one door closes, another opens. My inaugural column for the Winnipeg Sun will appear Wednesday, 11 March. I'll be reviewing Tuesday's Champions' League matches and setting up some tasty Wednesday encounters, such as Manchester United v Inter Milan.

jerradpeters@gmail.com

Weekend Football

2009-03-06T12:17:00.001-06:00

06 March 2009

by Jerrad Peters

Milan and Galaxy reach unique agreement on Beckham

That David Beckham would remain at AC Milan through May was never in any real doubt. Having played well for the Rossoneri since arriving on loan from Los Angeles Galaxy in November, he had only to clarify his preference to remain at the San Siro before both sides would be forced to the negotiating table. He did that last month. And after several weeks of often bitter discussions between the two sides, a deal was finally agreed on Friday.

The arrangement, nicknamed a "timeshare agreement," will see Beckham completing the domestic schedule in Serie A before returning to California in the summer. After a short break, he will join Galaxy for either a July 4 encounter at home to New England Revolution or a July 11 match away to Chivas USA.

Particulars to be sorted by Monday

While Milan made an attempt to purchase Beckham's permanent signature in February, Galaxy and Major League Soccer—who co-own his contract—balked at the Italian side's four million pound offer. In fact, the two camps remained so far apart that Beckham was forced into paying 2 million pounds of his own money to extend the loan.

"The most important thing is that he remains in a Milan shirt," remarked Milan's technical director Adriano Galliano. "It's not important when we sign the contract. Nothing is official yet, but there is every probability that he will remain."

While the necessary paperwork was not completed when the agreement was announced on Friday, all particulars will be sorted out by Monday—the day Beckham's original loan from Galaxy to Milan was supposed to end.

After playing the five months in the United States, Beckham will take advantage of an out-clause in his contract with MLS and return to Italy. He will re-join the team in January, hoping to bolster the club's chances domestically and in the Champions' League.

Ancelotti admiration

What was originally intended as a training stint has become far more to both the player and his current manager, Carlo Ancelotti. In an interview with Foot magazine, the Milan boss stated, "At the beginning he was set to train with us for two months and I didn't think about playing him. Then I saw how he trained and I had no choice."

The 49-year-old also admitted that Milan made overtures to Beckham both in 2003 and 2006 when the midfielder signed for Real Madrid and Los Angeles Galaxy, respectively.

"I can say he is a great player," he added. "He has won me over with his performance and his character."

Eye on World Cup

Beckham's on-field performances have won him no shortage of friends in Italian football, and he'll obviously be looking forward to returning to Milan in the autumn. But what of the partial season he'll play with Galaxy? What kind of player will the American club be getting?

Considering that most Europe-based footballers rest for a month before returning to training in July, Beckham's vacation will be rather brief. He'll have approximately two weeks between concluding the Serie A season with the Rossoneri and jumping into the MLS campaign with Galaxy. And given that he already jumped straight from Los Angeles to Italy for training in November, he's bound to be fatigued.

That said, Beckham has made this series of decisions with one goal in mind: the 2010 World Cup. As long as he is in or on the periphery of England manager Fabio Capello's squad, he'll play as much top-flight football as possible. Los Angeles Galaxy have merely become Beckham's glorified summer training regimen.

Moving on

My weekly column in the Winnipeg Free Press appeared for the final time last Saturday, February 28. The newspaper industry is experiencing some economic uncertainty at the moment, and my position was one of several cuts at the Free Press.

Fortunately, readers can still find my work in Soccer 360 magazine, ESPN Soccernet and Soccer365.com. While I'm disappointed to cut ties with the Free Press, I'll continue to pursue work in other publications and will have no trouble filling my plate with my current workload.

Podcast listeners can also hear me on the upcoming edition of the Goalmouth Scramble, available on iTunes or at http://www.soccerpro.com/goalmouthscramble/.

Thanks for reading.

jerradpeters@gmail.com

Thursday Football

2009-03-05T15:22:00.001-06:00

05 March 2009

by Jerrad Peters

Boardroom shakeup at Valencia

Valencia Club de Futbol moved to halt the ongoing financial crisis at the Mestalla and reassure creditors, Wednesday, by promoting Javier Gomez to Chief Executive Officer of the Spanish league outfit. Gomez will be tasked with restructuring the club's estimated debt of 450 million euros. Primarly lender Bancaja—to whom the club owes more than 240 million euros—were involved in the decision to appoint Gomez to his new position.

At his Wednesday press conference, Gomez admitted that the club is in a very delicate situation and pledged to "control spending, grow income and sell assets."

When asked if he would consider selling star players such as David Villa and David Silva, he stated, "Obviously we will consider that type of action. We have to control costs and the biggest cost in a football club is maintaining a team."

The exits of Villa and Silva would come as a massive blow to club president Vicente Soriano. The 57-year-old came into his position in August on a platform that included a promise to keep Valencia's best footballers at the club. Soriano is also the club's major stakeholder. He purchased a 37% interest in Valencia from former president Juan Soler for 70.7 million euros in 2008—valuing the club at slightly more than 190 million euros.

Soriano's plans to build a new stadium for the team have also hit a snag. He was unable to fund the construction by selling property adjacent to the Mestalla, and work on the new grounds has been delayed indefinitely. Because of the cash shortage, he is also withholding an estimated 15 million euros of players' wages.

The new stadium has been in the works since 2004, when Valencia's total debt was 90 million euros. It has quintupled in the four years since, and Gomez concedes more must be done to get it under control.

"Before, we had a plan that was based purely on selling the land [around the Mestalla]," he said. "Now we need to seek alternatives. We need to win back credibility with the financial institutions.

Soriano could have shaved 55 million euros from the balance had he accepted Real Madrid's offer for Villa in the summer. He opted to keep the striker, however, and turned down a similar bid from Manchester City as well. Liverpool's advances for Silva were also spurned.

Instead, Soriano hired former telecommunications executive Juan Villalenga to serve as the club's financial consultant. Villalenga lasted just two weeks in the job before being sacked—having estimated Valencia's debt to exceed 800 million euros.

Where will they go?

If Javier Gomez advises the sale of Valencia players to cover the club's debts, an assortment of high-profile footballers might soon be on the market. Here's a look at who they are, and where they might go.

David Villa: Striker, 27-years-old, 21 goals so far this season. Real Madrid and Manchester City have already expressed interest. Rafael Benitez would love him at Liverpool, but the Reds won't be spending big money anytime soon. Probable transfer fee: 30 million euros.

David Silva: Left-sided midfielder, 23-years-old, 4 goals so far this season. He returned from an ankle injury by scoring a brace against Atletico Madrid in January. Again, Manchester City and Liverpool are likely destinations. But don't rule out a move to either Barcelona or Inter Milan. Probable transfer fee: 18 million euros.

Juan Mata: Left-winger, 20-years-old, 8 goals so far this season. The tricky winger is one of the hottest commodities in Spanish football. Expect both Barcelona and Chelsea to come in for him, although Real Madrid is the more likely destination. Probable transfer fee: 12 million euros.

Vicente: Winger, 27-years-old, 6 goals so far this season. The former Levante player is more within Benitez's price range. AC Milan could take a flyer on him as well. If he stays in La Liga, it will probably be with Sevilla or Atletico Madrid. Probable transfer fee: 8 million euros.

Manuel Fernandes: Midfielder, 23-years-old, 2 goals so far this season. He's got a ridiculously high buyout clause that Valencia will have to waive. Everton are an option here, as are Benfica, Porto, and Manchester City. Probable transfer fee: 7 million euros.

jerradpeters@gmail.com

Monday Football

2009-03-02T14:26:00.001-06:00

02 March 2009

by Jerrad Peters

"Tech-y" Foster wins Carling Cup for United

Manchester United defeated Tottenham Hotspur on penalties, Sunday, to win their second major piece of silverware this season. Having already won the FIFA Club World Cup in December, United lifted the Carling Cup at Wembley after goalkeeper Ben Foster made a trio of impressive saves against Jamie O'Hara, Aaron Lennon and Darren Bent. Currently seven points clear of second-place Chelsea with a game in hand, United are a lock to win a third consecutive Premier League crown and are favorites to triumph in the FA Cup as well. They will battle Italian champions Inter Milan in the second leg of their Champions' League Round of 16 tie next Wednesday at Old Trafford.

Foster has already become something of a cult hero among United fans in the hours since his shootout heroics. The 26-year-old watched footage of several Spurs penalty takers on his iPod before diving to his left to save O'Hara's effort. The FA has ruled that Foster did not break any laws of conduct by watching the video clips, and Foster himself has readily admitted that he used to device to determine the shooting patterns of the Spurs shooters.

"Just before the shootout I was looking at an iPod with goalkeeping coach Eric Steele and it contained images of Tottenham's players taking penalties," he stated after the match. "They told me for Jamie O'Hara that I should stand up and be strong and he would probably go the way he did. I had done a lot of research before, but this is an innovation we have brought in at the club."

Needless to say, goalkeeping coaches will have similar footage on hand ahead of penalty shootouts from hereon in. But it's no surprise that United were the first to use the technology. The Red Devils have been at the forefront of using and developing new techniques and expertise throughout manager Sir Alex Ferguson's reign at the club. Ferguson recognizes that each advantage must be used in order to give his squad the edge it requires to win matches.

In Sunday's final, it was probably just enough. The two sides played two hours of tedious, unimaginative football until referee Chris Foy whistled to end the second period of extra time and put the 88,000 fans in attendance out of their boredom.

Ryan Giggs was first up for United—his low effort off the post giving the 2006 league cup winners the early advantage. From there it was all Foster—first diving left to save O'Hara. Carlos Tevez calmly slotted past Heurelio Gomes moments later to put United 2-0 up. Vedran Corluka was next for Spurs. Although Foster guessed correctly, the Croatian went high on the 'keeper and notched Tottenham's only penalty. David Bentley missed the target on his next attempt, by which time Ronaldo had scored United's third. The trophy was already in the bag for the Red Devils when Anderson drove home the winner with a low drive.

Barca stumble again; Madrid narrows gap

Real Madrid cut Barcelona's lead in La Liga to four points by beating Espanyol 2-0 on Saturday. Guti scored the eventual match-winner after 67 tense minutes at Estadio Olimpico. Raul doubled the scoreline just moments later, however, when he beat Carlos Kameni for his 20^th goal this season in all competitions. Madrid have now won ten consecutive games in La Liga since losing to Barcelona in early December and have outscored their opponents a combined 24-2 in that span.

Meanwhile, Barcelona were part of a seven-goal thriller at the Vicente Calderon on Sunday evening. Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi opened up a 2-0 lead for the Catalans before Diego Forlan's thunderbolt from 30 yards gave Atletico Madrid a lifeline before the interval. Sergio Aguero leveled matters with his 16^th goal of the season ten minutes after the re-start before Henry put Barcelona 3-2 ahead with his 18^th of the campaign in the 73^rd minute. Diego Forlan notched Atletico's third goal of the affair from the penalty spot after Florent Sinama Pongolle was fouled in the box, and Aguero secured all three points for the osts when he pounced on Carlos Puyol's poor clearance to beat Victor Valdez with a low shot.

Barcelona appear to be coming undone after several months at the top of the European football mountain. They have not won a match since beating Sporting Gijon 3-1 at the Nou Camp on February 8 and are winless in their last four outings.

What was once a 12-point lead atop the standings has become a four-point gap between the Blaugrana and reigning champions Real Madrid. The Meringues have gone from strength to strength in recent weeks, relying on the goalscoring abilities of Arjen Robben, Gonzalo Higuain, Raul and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar in rotation while keeping an impressive record of clean sheets.

Having been written out of the title race in November by many pundits, Madrid have rallied around new manager Juande Ramos and are now among the hottest clubs on the continent. The December exit of controversial club president Ramon Calderon seems to have released the squad of its anxiety, and the plethora of transfer rumors that typically surround the team has gone out the door with him.

Barcelona, on the other hand, have struggled in the absence of first-choice left-back Eric Abidal. Atletico winger Maxi Rodriguez ran Abidal's stand-in, Sylvinho, into the ground on Sunday, and playmaker Xavi looked lost without the services of his right-hand man Andres Iniesta.

The Blaugrana were always going to be a better outfit than the shambles of last season. But to expect them to carry on their form of November and December throughout the winter months was unrealistic from the start. Sure, Pep Guardiola has greatly improved the squad's performance, but he's done it with a squad almost identical to last year's. Barcelona should still be favored to win the league and challenge in the Champions' League, but they've come back down to earth and will be closely challenged the rest of the way.

Same old Ronaldo

The past weekend was a microcosm of Ronaldo's career-long relationships with clubs and fans. It also showed that little has changed for the 32-year-old Brazilian since he embarked on his comeback with Corinthians.

The star of the 2002 World Cup was fined by manager Mano Menezes on Friday after arriving late at the team's hotel ahead of the weekend's Paulista encounter with Marilia. His behavior mattered little to fans, however. Hundreds of Corinthians supporters surrounded Ronaldo at the end of the match, and he required a security escort to leave the grounds.

Corinthians, currently second in the Paulista with 25 points from 11 matches, will be making a return to the top-flight of Brazilian football this season and are hoping to make Ronaldo the centerpiece of their campaign. Ronaldo, for his part, has not played a competitive match since sustaining a serious knee injury on February 13, 2008 while with AC Milan.

jerradpeters@gmail.com

Wednesday Football

2009-02-25T14:25:00.001-06:00

25 February 2009

By Jerrad Peters

Has Benitez coached his final Liverpool match?

If Liverpool needed a further distraction ahead of Wednesday's Champions' League encounter with Real Madrid, they got it late Tuesday when various reports claimed Rafael Benitez was just days away from quitting the club.

The rumors surfaced after two prominent bookmakers—Skybet and William Hill—accepted sudden and substantial bets that the Liverpool boss would be the next Premier League manager to either resign or get the sack. A statement on Skybet's official website confirmed that they had "cut Rafa Benitez's odds of vacating the Liverpool hotseat by the start of next season following a flurry of bets on the Spaniard's departure." The company proceeded to install Kenny Dalglish as the favorite to succeed Benitez on a permanent basis, followed by Jose Mourinho, Frank Rijkaard and Luiz Felipe Scolari.

Benitez has been at loggerheads with club co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr. over an extension to his contract for several months. The 48-year-old is demanding increased control of Liverpool's academy and more of a free hand in the transfer market. Hicks and Gillett, however, would prefer to retain much of that power in the hands of chief executive Rick Parry. As a result, Benitez and Parry have engaged in a tug-of-war over player transactions. When Parry spearheaded the July move for Tottenham Hotspur striker Robbie Keane, Benitez was incensed. He had hoped to make Aston Villa midfielder Gareth Barry the centerpiece of the club's summer maneuverings. He responded by benching Keane until Parry was forced to sell him back to Spurs.

Hicks and Gillett would prefer to keep both men at Anfield, with Benitez handling coaching duties and Parry overseeing player transactions and development. Similar arrangements are the norm in North American professional sports, where both owners have extensive experience.

That said, their strategy does not appear to be working in English football. They have already submitted five drafts of a contract extension to Benitez, each of which has been immediately rejected by the Spaniard. It's thought that Benitez has made at least one verbal agreement with Hicks in the past, only to be presented with a written version of the agreement that differed entirely from the verbal.

That the latest conjecture over Benitez's position at Liverpool came as his side prepared for their Champions' League match against Madrid in the Spanish capital was hardly a coincidence. Benitez has long used speculation that he might make a move to the Bernabeu as leverage for a new deal at Anfield. But with no extension forthcoming, that speculation is moving more and more into the realm of possibility.

Benitez came up through the coaching ranks at Madrid, first with the youth setup and then with the reserves. In all, he spent six years at the club and developed a reputation that launched him to management jobs at Osasuna, Extremadura, Tenerife, Valencia and eventually Liverpool.

His career could come full-circle as early as next season. With interim manager Juande Ramos unlikely to be appointed on a permanent basis, Benitez is being touted as the long-term successor to Bernd Schuster. Several of the candidates in Madrid's upcoming presidential election have already attached his name to their campaign platforms.

It's with some irony that Benitez's final match in charge of Liverpool might have come at his future home. Unless Hicks and Gillett can sign him to an extension within the next 48 hours, he will approach next season as a lame-duck coach in the final year of his contract. He won't wait that long. And given the mounting criticism of his work this season, he might well be tempted to make a quick exit—before Saturday's match at Middlesbrough—and bide his time as he waits for his next appointment.

jerradpeters@gmail.com

Monday Football

2009-02-23T15:52:00.001-06:00

23 February

by Jerrad Peters

Milan, Galaxy disagree over Beckham's contract status

AC Milan and Los Angeles Galaxy remain almost 10 million pounds apart in their valuations of David Beckham. Currently on loan at the San Siro, Beckham is due back in California on March 9 unless the two sides can agree a transfer fee.

At the crux of the quarrel between the Serie A giants and the Major League Soccer outfit are varying interpretations of Beckham's current deal with Los Angeles. According to Galaxy, the 33-year-old is under contract for another three seasons and, as such, any fee for his services must recognize that time frame.

Milan, on the other hand, view any transfer as merely an extension of the player's current loan deal. Rossoneri sporting director Adriano Galliani confirmed his club's stance, Saturday, when he stated, "Milan has made an offer that it considers fair for an eight month loan. As [Tim] Leiweke (president and chief executive of Anschutz Entertainment Group—the consortium that owns the club) confirmed, on November 30 David can become a free agent at no cost."

The offer—believed to be 3 million pounds—was immediately rejected by Leiweke, who labeled the bid "ridiculous" and maintained the two sides remained far apart in negotiations.

"With that figure," he said, "Galaxy don't even cover the damages deriving from the shortfalls of not selling his shirts."

But Milan are unlikely to significantly bolster their bid. Given Beckham's age and his ability to opt out of his contract on a free transfer in November, they are reluctant to overpay for a player that has a far different appeal in North America than in Italy.

"In the United States they look at the commercial aspect," commented Galliani. "Instead, in Europe in the transfers, the technical aspect prevails." He continued, "The budget that I have at my disposal is already at a maximum between the salaries and the transfers."

Galliani also recognizes that Beckham has left Galaxy in an almost impossible position. With the winger having clearly expressed a desire to remain in Milan, Los Angeles are being forced to choose between accepting Milan's best offer and trying to coax Beckham back to California, knowing all the while that he probably won't return under any circumstances.

"David is a friend of mine and asked me to listen to what Milan proposed," said Leiweke. "I have said yes, because of him. But I will not be taken for a ride, and hence, on March 9, Beckham will be in Los Angeles and will work with the same seriousness and dedication as before."

Milan, for their part, will simply wait out the next two weeks and wait for Galaxy to buckle under the pressure. As it becomes evident that Beckham's spell in the United States is over, Galliani is confident that Leiweke will accept his terms.

"I have the experience to know the price of a player," said the Italian. "And according to the European parameters, there is no sense in spending more."

Galatasaray make coaching change

Already eight points adrift of leaders Sivasspor in the title race, fifth-place Galatasaray sacked manager Michael Skibbe, Monday, after suffering a 5-2 loss at home to lowly Kocaelispor. Skibbe—the former Bayer Leverkusen manager who replaced Karl-Heinz Feldkamp after the German resigned his position last spring—lasted just eight months in the job and has been replaced by Bulent Korkmaz.

A former Turkey international defender, Korkmaz helped keen Genclerbirligi in the top flight of Turkish football last season and returns to the side he represented as a player from 1984 to 2005.

Galatasaray chairman Adnan Polat is believed to have originally targeted Gheorghe Hagi for the job. But when the 44-year-old Romanian and demanded an extended contract, Polat opted for Korkmaz instead.

The first game for the new boss will come on Thursday when Galatasaray host Bordeaux at Ali Sami Yen Stadium in the second leg of their Round of 32 UEFA Cup tie. They drew 0-0 in France last week.

jerradpeters@gmail.com

Weekend Football

2009-02-20T15:14:00.001-06:00

20 February 2009

by Jerrad Peters

Are Arsenal unlucky? Or is Wenger rubbish?

When Sunderland visit Emirates Stadium on Saturday, Arsenal will be 15 points adrift of Premier League leaders Manchester United. They'll also be five points back of fourth-place Chelsea and just four points clear of red-hot Everton. Nevermind Champions' League qualification, the Gunners are up against it to qualify for Europe, period.

Now, it's being said that Arsenal are simply underachieving this season. The theory goes that they've had a bevy of injuries and fitness concerns and have merely been unlucky on several occasions.

Really?

Since they last won the title in 2005, Arsenal have finished an average of 15 points behind the champions. This season is no aberration. It's the new status quo at Arsene Wenger's Arsenal.

In previous campains—such as 2005-06 when the Gunners finished a whopping 24 points behind Chelsea—the Arsenal manager was largely immune from criticism. After all, he had made the faithful forget the unfortunate tenure of Bruce Rioch and delivered a far more attractive brand of football than his ultimate predecessor, George Graham. And he kept going on about his "youth policy," a strategy that would surely see Arsenal back atop the mountain before long.

Wenger has clung to his youth policy since dismantling his group of Invincibles that won the league in 2004. It's the only thing that's kept him in his job. Ironically, Kolo Toure is the only one of his regular starters that actually came up in the Arsenal youth system. And among the current crop of youngsters—Denilson, Aaron Ramsey, Carlos Vela and Jack Wilshire—only Wilshire progressed through the ranks at the club.

Then there are the ones that got away. In the past four seasons, Wenger has off-loaded Matthew Upson, Alexandre Hleb, Mathieu Flamini, Felipe Senderos, Justin Hoyte, David Bentley, Jermaine Pennant and Jose Antonio Reyes. Meanwhile, two of his more touted prospects—Francis Jeffers and Jeremie Aliadiere—turned out to be flops.

So much for the youth policy.

What, then, has Wenger actually done in his time in North London? He's obviously won three league titles and a quartet of FA Cups. A look at the facts, however, reveals that the Frenchman might have had less to do with those accomplishments than you might think.

In the past few seasons, Arsenal have developed something of a reputation for being prone to physical intimidation. We hear it every time they venture north for matches at Blackburn, Bolton or Wigan. It's no coincidence that Wenger has never been keen on vicious, physical footballers—the type of midfield hardmen that are vital to championship teams.

It's also no coincidence that Arsenal's fortunes began to wane immediately following the exits of Ray Parlour and Martin Keown. Both were sturdy central midfielders—the type of men who wouldn't blink at going head-to-head with the likes of Roy Keane. They were crucial contributors in all three of Arsenal's Premier League titles under Wenger. Tony Adams, the rock-solid defender, was integral to two of those championships, and Lee Dixon and Nigel Winterburn worked the flanks on the double-winning 1997-98 side.

Wenger inherited all of them. And when Parlour and Keown were shown the door in the summer of 2004, he did nothing to replace them. The next season Arsenal finished 12 points back of Chelsea. A year later the gap had doubled.

When Saturday's match kicks off, Sunderland will be confident they can take a point off Arsenal. The Black Cats are a physical, hard-working outfit—the type of side that routinely walks all over the Gunners.

Arsenal are simply not a difficult team to play against. In the latter half of Wenger's reign, it's become increasingly more so. Maybe they're unlucky. Maybe they've been bitten by the injury bug year after year after year. Or maybe they're stuck with a rubbish manager who's only now being found out.

jerradpeters@gmail.com