Bleacher Report - Articles by Yoosof Farah

Gillingham vs. Leyton Orient: Nine Men, Wrong Kit, and a Right Wing Goalkeeper

Yoosof Farah — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:03:47 -0500

Simply put, the story of the match was that Gillingham lost yet another away game in the league, this time going down 3-1 at Brisbane Road against League One rivals Leyton Orient.

However, read on and you'll realize it wasn't at all that simple, and that Gillingham had many reasons to feel slightly aggreived at the result.

It could be argued that the bizarre series of off-pitch events all stemmed from manager Mark Stimson's decision to save costs.

Instead of shelling out on a VIP coach for the all the players and coaching staff to travel (as they usually do on away trips) to the ground, Stimson decided to let the players make their own way to the stadium, considering a lot of them live closer to Leyton Orient's stadium, which is in London, than they do to the krbs Priestfield (Gillingham's stadium) in Gillingham.

So cue the traffic chaos and several professional footballers, some of whom have played near the highest level in the sport, floating around Central London amongst fans, just minutes before they're due on the pitch.

It proved to be a costly decision for Mark Stimson, who by 7pm had only seven players in his starting eleven guaranteed to actually be there in time to start the match.

Due to the, perhaps unavoidable, lack of punctuality from his players, Stimson also faced the prospect of realistically starting the match with only nine men.

And one of those nine men was the Gills' out of favor, transfer-listed, reserve goalkeeper Alan Julian. But he wasn't going to be in between the sticks; first choice keeper Simon Royce arrived on time for that.

Instead, Julian was all set to play on the right wing for Gillingham, such was the severity of the situation.

Going back to first choice goalkeeper Simon Royce, to add to the bizarre events of the night, he reportedly arrived at the stadium on a mountain bike.

Come kick-off however, at least eleven players had made it onto the pitch to start for the Gills, as centre-back duo Matt Fry and Josh Gowling arrived just in time.

The defenders had travelled by train, navigating their way along the complex framework of the London Underground service to get to the match on time.

It was a bizarre situation for Gillingham supporters travelling to the match. As one fan, who wishes to stay anonymous, said: "It was quite surreal."

"I was on train thinking I was gonna be late for kick-off, and all of sudden I see two of our players boarding the same train as me! No wonder they seemed in such a rush to get to their destination!"

Referee for the match, Andy D'Urso, refused to delay kick-off as there were no apparent safety issues, meaning a weakened Gillingham side started the match.

Regular bench warmers Mark McCammon, Stuart Lewis and John Nutter got rare starts, with second choice keeper Alan Julian also getting a rare start, albeit on the right side of midfield.

Key players Febian Brandy (on-loan from Manchester United), Chris Palmer and Barry Fuller were the three notable victims of the heavy traffic around Central London, as they arrived too late to be put in the starting line-up and had to settle for a place on the substitutes' bench.

To make matters worse for the Gills, the players' kit never arrived at the stadium.

This meant the visitors were forced to take advantage of the home team's hospitality, and borrow their away kit.

So as the game started, it was a full-strength Leyton Orient side playing at home in their home kit, and Gillingham playing away with their reserve keeper on the wing and in Leyton's Orient's away kit.

To make matters worse for the away team, they went 1-0 down in just the fourth minute of the match, and started with a lack of support, as many fans were crippled by severe traffic issues.

In the end, 711 Gills fans were in attendance, with many arriving at various points throughout the game. The overall attendance was just 3,183, emphasizing how bad the traffic was.

In fact, it was so bad that Gillingham's media manager Martin Weller didn't even make it in time to watch any of the match, meaning the visitors couldn't even update their fans on events at Brisbane Road.

If you want to know how this incredible story was seen from another Gillingham fan's perspective, a blogger on the BBC 606 Forum said: "I spent £60 on tickets, sat two hours in traffic and missed the game."

"[Gillingham] are supposed to be a professional football team, not a pub team, and should therefore supply their players with a coach to get them to the games!"

All in all, it was another disappointing away defeat for the Gills, made worse when coupled with the embarassment of having to wear the home team's away kit, and the fact that they had to start with their reserve keeper playing on the right wing.

Super Sunday With Barcelona, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool & Everton

Yoosof Farah — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 12:26:35 -0500

For any football fan, Sunday 29th November will be one of the highlights of the season, as six of the world's biggest clubs do battle.

El Clásico

Over in Spain, there is the Battle of La Liga, as FC Barcelona host Real Madrid at the Nou Camp in yet another highly anticipated El Clásico match.

On the team news front, it doesn't look great for Barcelona. They could be without key players Lionel Messi (favourite for the 2009 FIFA World Player of the Year award) and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the £42m striker who has seven league goals and three assists to his name so far this season.

They will probably have to call on their Spanish stars, Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta, to do the business. This point was not lost on Real Madrid's Xabi Alonso, who said of his Spanish teammates: "Their performance level is truly impressive. I believe they are the best midfielders in the world."

As for Real Madrid, a massive boost for them comes in the form of £80million worth of Portuguese talent with current World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo returning from injury.

The world's most expensive player returned as a substitute during Madrid's Champions League success over FC Zurich, and will be hoping (or perhaps expecting) for a place in the starting line-up tomorrow evening.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid manager Manuel Pellegrini faces a dilemma on who to partner Raul up front. Gonzalo Higuain has staked his claim after scoring his seventh goal of the season midweek, while Karim Benzema will be hoping to feature in his first taste of El Clásico.

Battle of London

Having gained increased significance amongst both sets of supporters in recent years, capital rivalries will resume on Sunday as Arsenal take on league leaders Chelsea.

Chelsea may lead the way in the Premier League at present, but Arsenal have proven enough this season to show that they could well be there at the top, or near the top, come May.

History dictates that positive results against potential title challengers are the making of a successful side, meaning both teams will no doubt be desperate to come out on top on Sunday.

In terms of team news, Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka's chances of finding the target against his former club will be greatly helped by the defensive crisis currently giving Arsene Wenger a serious headache.

Arsenal are already set to be without Gael Clichy (back) and Kieran Gibbs (ankle) this weekend, while Swiss centre-half Johan Djourou (knee) is also sidelined.

The biggest worry for the Gunners though, concerns William Gallas. The Frenchman suffering eye and ankle knocks during their European encounter with Standard Liege in midweek.

Jack Wilshere (ankle) and Abou Diaby (calf) will be missing in midfield, while Robin van Persie (ankle) and Nicklas Bendtner (hernia) are notable absentees in the attacking department.

Luckily for Chelsea, they have no such concerns ahead of the game, having welcomed back their key men in midweek.

Didier Drogba and Michael Ballack both came through the Champions League trip to Porto unscathed, while Deco is also back to full fitness following a recent groin complaint.

Frank Lampard failed to make the game in Portugal with a thigh problem, but Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti is confident the midfield ace will be ready to face the Gunners.

That means Jose Bosingwa (knee) remains the only long-term absentee for the Blues, with the full-back not expected to be back in action until after the New Year.

The Merseyside Derby

Goodison Park is the venue for the first Merseyside derby of the season, as Everton take on Liverpool FC in the city of Liverpool.

This season's encounter will make for an interesting match, as both teams are struggling for form and only five points separate the two sides.

Everton will be hoping to improve their recent home record against Liverpool, having lost seven of the last nine league meetings at Goodison Park.

Under-pressure Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez is also in desperate need of a win, having not won in the league since last month's Anfield triumph over Manchester United.His side now faces a genuine struggle to finish in the top four and claim that lucrative fourth Champions League spot this season.

As for the team news, Everton remain without injured captain Phil Neville, whose knee injury sustained against Fulham may require surgery and will continue to keep him sidelined until at least next month.

Long-term absentee Mikel Arteta (knee) furthers his spell on the sidelines and an ankle injury keeps Leon Osman out, leaving manager David Moyes light in midfield.

A trio of knee injuries also keeps out Phil Jagielka, James Vaughan and Victor Anichebe, which could force Moyes to stick with a similar side which went down 3-2 to Hull City on Wednesday night.

On the bright side for the Toffees, Marouane Fellaini and Diniyar Bilyaletdinov return from suspension and could immediately return to the first team.

As for Liverpool, manager Rafa Benitez awaits news on the availability of star striker Fernando Torres, with Frenchman David Ngog on hand to deputise once more should the Spaniard fail to recover in time.

Out-of-favour full-back Andrea Dossena is struggling to make the bench with a groin injury while Philipp Degen serves the last of his three-match suspension.

It's a Super Sunday that doesn't come round very often, with three massive derbies in the world of football all taking place on the same day.

All matches are vitally important in terms of their respective leagues, and there is only one question on the lips of all football fans: who will win?

Barca? Real Madrid? Arsenal? Chelsea? Liverpool? Everton? By the end of Sunday, we will know all three parts of the answer to that much asked question.

Aston Villa vs. Tottenham Hotspur: The UEFA Champions League Battle

Yoosof Farah — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:13:12 -0500

On Saturday, Nov. 28, two of the biggest Premier League clubs outside the top four will do battle, as the mighty Aston Villa host Tottenham Hotspur in one of the key encounters in the race for fourth place.

After 13 games so far in the league, Tottenham has the advantage in the race for that fourth UEFA Champions League position with 25 points, putting them in fourth, three points ahead of fifth placed Aston Villa.

And, it won't be easy for Villa to overturn that deficit, considering they entertain a Tottenham side bang on form and brimming with confidence following their 9-1 annihilation of Wigan Athletic last Sunday at White Hart Lane.

However, come kick-off at Villa Park at 5:30pm, the Villans will hope to slash Tottenham's confidence and top four chances with a win, as they themselves have been in good form recently, having lost only once in eight matches.

Vital Villans

For Aston Villa, the key players will be the likes of Stewart Downing and Emile Heskey.

Downing came back from a seven month lay-off with a broken foot in the last match away at Burnley, and looks set to make his home debut for Villa against Tottenham.

Having cost £10million in the summer, the 25-year old will be eager to impress both the Villa fans (the majority of whom will see him for the first time in a Villa shirt against Tottenham), as well as England manager Fabio Capello, who will need some convincing before recalling him to the national team, especially in the World Cup year.

Big striker Emile Heskey will also be another key man for the Villans, as he'll be high on confidence following his first goal of the season last weekend.

And ahead of World Cup in 2010, he will be another man looking to impress the England manager, who no doubt will be keeping a close eye on this match.

Super Spurs

If there is one man who will make a difference in this match for Tottenham Hotspur, it's striker Jermain Defoe, who's five-star performance against Wigan Athletic pushed him to the top in the Premier League top scorers' chart.

With attacking talent like Defoe and Robbie Keane, Villa's backline could well have their work cut out, and especially with another Tottenham striker, Peter Crouch, who will, no doubt, like to get one back against his former club.

Interesting Facts (courtesy of avfc.co.uk )

Aston Villa has scored in all of their Premier League fixtures since failing to hit the target against Wigan Athletic on the opening day of the season.
No team has won more penalties than Villa this season, who have won four.
The Villans have picked up 13 points from their last five home league matches.
Tottenham Hotpsur has kept only one clean sheet in their last 17 Premier League away games.
Tottenham has hit the woodwork eight times this season; that's more than any other Premier League team.
A 2-1 scoreline is the most common in this fixture. Four of the last five encounters have finished this way.

Referee: Phil Dowd

Venue: Villa Park

Kick-off: 5.30pm

Live coverage is available on ESPN.

Forget Liverpool & Manchester City, Tottenham Are Aston Villa's Main Threat

Yoosof Farah — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:00:26 -0500

After the bitter disappointment of drawing 1-1 against Burnley at Turf Moor, Aston Villa's Champions League hopes received a bigger dent as Tottenham Hotspur proved their top four credentials.

Liverpool and Manchester City might've been too rubbish for each other and neutralised each other's top four threat with a 2-2 draw, but lady luck wasn't on Villa's side in the results department, as Spurs trounced a very poor Wigan Athletic side by a considerable number of goals.

The match was so bad, Jermain Defoe actually got five. You'd hope that would be it, but no, Chris Kirkland wanted an own goal, and Peter Crouch, Aaron Lennon, and Niko Kranjcar all wanted in as the White Hart Lane outfit smashed Wigan Athletic 9-1.

As a fan of Aston Villa, it makes you cringe even more when you think this was the same Wigan team that came up to Villa Park and won 2-0 on the opening day of the season.

And now they're getting beat 9 bloody 1 by Tottenham.

With that lucrative fourth place in the Premier League more up for grabs than it has probably ever been, it's clear that Aston Villa have their work cut out if they are to go one better than last season (when they were serious top four contenders up until March).

In theory there are five teams that can contend for a top four place.

Starting with the most unlikely one, Sunderland are level with last season's Premier League runners-up on 20 points with the same number of games played.

Darren Bent is banging in the goals on Wearside and at the moment they're doing just as good in the league as Liverpool, so despite being long shots, there's a slight top four threat from the Black Cats.

Then there is Liverpool. So following on from the previous paragraph, they're doing so bad in the league that they've lost five already and even Sunderland are level on points with them. Yes, that's right, Sunderland.

If Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres are not present in every league game for the rest of the season, you just cannot see Liverpool retaining their Champions League spot.

Moving on to the team Liverpool drawed with, Manchester City; unless they ditch their newly acquired tag of "draw specialists", all that money will be wasted on a Europa League team next season.

So forget those three teams above, the two main contenders for fourth place are the mighty Aston Villa, and Tottenham Hotspur, who could only put a mere nine past Wigan Athletic.

As painful as it is to admit it, Tottenham do look the strongest in claiming that fourth Champions League position come the end of the season.

On top of great strikers in Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch, Robbie Keane and Roman Pavlyuchenko (well, he was good once upon a time), they also have considerable threat on the wings in Aaron Lennon and Niko Kranjcar.

Spurs manager Harry Redknapp has developed a disciplined side who use the right tactics in the right situations, and with astute purchases has the quality and strength in-depth to easily achieve a top four finish.

But the main threat for Tottenham comes from Aston Villa.

Despite their recent stalemate at Burnley, Villa also have that quality in their side to get a top four finish.

Villa manager Martin O'Neill has a solid backline in Luke Young, Stephen Warnock, Carlos Cuellar, and Richard Dunne (who, it has to be said, was outstanding for Ireland against France), as well as a very reliable goalkeeper in Brad Friedel, something Tottenham clearly do not with Heurelho Gomes.

Aston Villa may not have the quality of strikers Tottenham have, but in Gabriel Agbonlahor they do have a striker who is a handful for defenders with his good pace and great strength, as well as his top class finishing.

And on the wings, an abundance of goalscoring opportunities are created with the likes of England internationals Ashley Young, Stewart Downing, and James Milner, who has been the most impressive English winger this season.

So as that all-important fourth Premier League position is there for the taking more than it's ever been before, it's clear that despite all the quality Aston Villa have, there are some other serious contenders for that Champions League spot.

And with Tottenham Hotspur smashing nine goals past teams that beat Aston Villa at home, if the Villans are to go one step better than last season, they might well have to hope for a repeat of the 2005/06 food poisoning saga.

James Milner: A Rising Star For Aston Villa and England

Yoosof Farah — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 11:01:30 -0500

He is Aston Villa's record signing at £12 million and he is also the England U-21's most capped player, having earned 46 caps for his country.

But if you look at the performance of 23-year-old winger James Milner, it's hard to think that those are his only major achievements to date.

Aston Villa and England may already have quality wingers in the shape of Ashley Young and Stewart Downing, but so far this season there has been only one standout performer down the flanks for England and the Villans.

It appears that at the start of the 2009-2010 season, James Milner has really come of age.

He has been crucial in Aston Villa's flying start to the season, with the young but seasoned professional scoring the occasional goal and, more importantly, getting a number of vital assists.

While Young has found varying levels of success on one side of the pitch for Aston Villa this season, on the other Milner's fantastic ability to create goalscoring opportunities has been vital to the goal tallies of strikers Gabriel Agbonlahor, John Carew and Emile Heskey.

And this ability to create such good scoring chances for the strikers stems largely from Milner's improved crosses this season.

Much was made in the past about Milner's ability to put in a decent cross, with many journalists and commentators putting that down as the reason why Milner had been unable to break into the England senior team and was stuck in the U-21s.

But as was proved only yesterday with Heskey's equalising header at 86 minutes in Villa's 1-1 draw at Burnley, Milner's crossing ability has improved greatly, with the winger consistently providing dangerous, swerving and incredibly accurate balls into the penalty area.

Milner has not only established himself as a definite first-team regular at Aston Villa (an achievement in itself), but has also finally forced his way into the England senior team, having impressed the notoriously hard-to-please Fabio Capello (with Michael Owen providing evidence of that).

Having made an incredible 46 caps for the England U-21s, history was not on Milner's side to make a smooth transition onto the senior team. Historically, players with several U-21 appearances usually don't progress into full internationals.

However, the ability to effortlessly take the ball past defenders and make very accurate passes and crosses has made Milner something of a regular now on the England senior squad.

The ex-Newcastle United winger has made six appearances on Capello's team and already has assists to his name despite only receiving limited playing time in all six matches.

If James Milner can keep his form going for Aston Villa and England, then not only will he continue to force out either Stewart Downing or Ashley Young from the Villa starting 11, he will be a no-brainer when it comes to squad selection time for the 2010 World Cup.

France 1-1 Ireland AET: The Game That Got the Whole World Talking

Yoosof Farah — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:17:10 -0500

It was expected by many that France would win fairly convincingly at the Stade de France in Paris in their World Cup play-off second-leg match against Ireland, and smoothly qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

This assumption was fairly logical after all, considering the French had a star-studded cast of players who play for the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Lyon, etc.

On top of that, Nicolas Anelka scored the only goal of the game at Croke Park in Dublin to give France a 1-0 away win and that very important away goal.

Therefore, the result in Dublin meant that Ireland needed to make history and win at the Stade de France, something no team (even Brazil) has done in many, many years; thus it was high unlikely Ireland would be going through to the 2010 World Cup.

However, as we all know, France were very poor on that Wednesday night and ashamed their 62 million population.

Ireland on the other hand, were brilliant, executing Giovanni Trapattoni's tactics to perfection, as well as carving out the majority of decent goalscoring opportunities and making the most of their possession.

It was an all-round brilliant performance from the Irish, who were also incredibly good defensively, a performance that should make proud the 4.2 million inhabitants on the Emerald Isle, as well as the millions of Irish citizens around the world.

So instead of being a boring and convincing win for the French, the match turned out to be one of the most entertaining, gripping and heart-stopping encounters in recent years.

From Robbie Keane's goal to level the aggregate score at 1-1, to Damien Duff's glorious winning opportunity, and Nicolas Anelka's penalty appeal at the start of extra-time, this match had it all.

"Had it all" meaning that it had a vital ingredient to make it the most memorable World Cup play-off match in history.

This football encounter was extremely controversial; so controversial it made the definition of controversy, Formula One (the pinnacle of motorsport), pale in comparison.

The picture above shows the very moment at which the international uproar commenced.

Ex-Arsenal striker Thierry Henry handles the ball twice before laying the ball off to William Gallas to put into the net, and give France an all important match equaliser and aggregate lead minutes from the end of extra-time.

That moment was so controversial, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) have written to the France Football Federation (FFF) requesting a replay, and launching an official complaint to the sport's world governing body, FIFA.

But why has Thierry Henry's handball incident caused so much international controversy?

Firstly, it was a blatant violation of football's universal and standardised rules that went completely unnoticed by the officials, whose primary concern is to ensure that the laws of the game are enforced.

Whilst on the topic of officials, referee Martin Hansson proved in that match why, contrary to current media talk, he is one of, if not the best referee in world football.

France's goal was not his problem. Why? Because when there are human bodies that obviously are not transparent in the way of the referee's line of vision for the ball, how on earth is he meant to see what is happening?

So whose problem was it? The assistant referee's problem, because that man has a duty to assist the referee and make decisions when the referee is unable to.

The referee was unable to make that call as he could not see the ball. The assistant referee could see it very clearly, and has disgraced himself by not flagging up to indicate to the referee that a law of the game had been violated, and the player deliberately handled the ball, which by law of the game is a cautionable offence.

Martin Hansson had a brilliant game and got every other decision correct; it's such a shame that his reputation has been tarnished by an incompent member of his officiating team.

Anyway, a second reason why Henry's handball was so controversial was that it re-opened that age-old debate of whether video technology should be introduced to further enhance the sport of football.

The handball incident was perfect evidence as to why the technology should be introduced, as it would stamp out incorrect indecisions and enable officials to penalise those who violate the rules of the game.

Had video technology been used in this match, the goal would not have stood, Henry would have been shown a yellow card, and Shay Given would have kicked the ball forward from the resulting free-kick as opposed to ruefully picking the ball out of his own net (after the inevitable, desperate appeals to the referee of course).

And lastly, a third reason is that it highlighted how cruel of a sport football can be.

For all the effort, determination and dominance Ireland showed in their performance, they were ultimately undone by an incorrect decision from the referee.

They undoubtedly deserved to win, and yet they lost, not through a legitimate goal from France by brilliantly carving open the defence, but through an illegal handling of the ball, all created by another opponent player who touched the ball onto Henry when being in an offside position (further incompetence by the assistant referee).

The whole world was watching as France took on Ireland at the Stade de France in Paris.

The whole world saw the moment at which Thierry Henry disgraced not only the entire French population, but also the sport of football.

It shows what this sport has succumbed to; players deliberately cheating in order to reach the pinnacle of football.

There was a time in football's past where moral integrity rose high above success.

Now in the modern era, this sport has adopted the Lombardian ethic: winning isn't everything, it's the only thing.

Aston Villa's Carlos Cuellar Is Fan of England's Sensational Six Villans

Yoosof Farah — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:09:38 -0500

It's a well known fact that Aston Villa has a strong contingent of good England international players in their team, with the club having dubbed the best of them as the "Sensational Six."

The "Sensational Six" refers to strikers Gabriel Agbonlahor and Emile Heskey, wingers Ashley Young, James Milner, summer signing Stewart Downing, as well as full-back Stephen Warnock.

On top of this there are also big talents and stars of the future in midfielders Nigel Reo-Coker, Fabian Delph, and Craig Gardner, and also young striker Nathan Delfouneso.

And on top of that, experienced heads Luke Young, Curtis Davies (at only 24 years old), and Nicky Shorey also have the ability to be England material.

But, mainly it is the "Sensational Six" that have the greatest impact at Villa Park, something that key players recognise.

Speaking to the Aston Villa official club website, Spanish defender Carlos Cuellar admitted he is a massive fan of these six Villans, and sees no reason why they shouldn't be at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

He said, "[The Sensational Six] have a great chance in my opinion. They are playing very well and have plenty of confidence in themselves."

Cuellar went on to talk about the gruelling training, considering he has to deal with Heskey and Agbonlahor in practice matches.

"I have to mark Emile [Heskey] and Gabby [Agbonlahor] quite a lot in training—let me tell you, it's not easy. It's tough."

"They are both very strong, very quick and very clever. It's difficult but it's great for me because I am training against some of the best players in England—it's brilliant and my game improves as a result.

He reserved special praise for Villa's star striker, Agbonlahor, saying, "Gabby has really bulked up—he's not big height-wise but he's a strong lad now. He is really difficult to knock off the ball or to win the ball off. He is massive.

"He is strong, he is very quick and this work he has done over the summer has definitely helped him.

"He is hard to play against. I think he's a better player now than he was last season, without question.

"He has masses of confidence after his start to the season and he is gaining in experience.

"He tries all the time too. He works so, so hard. I also think he is a very clever footballer—he is learning quickly."

Of course, all praise couldn't be reserved for the strikers, and there's a certain winger that Cuellar likes in particular.

The Spaniard said, "James [Milner] is a great guy to have in front of you when you're playing right back. He is not always concentrating on going forward. He wants to help his right back as much as possible.

"He's running forward, he's running back, he's running forward, he's running back. It's so impressive and it's great news for the defender behind him.

"He's the ideal man to have in front of you. He's got a great chance of getting into that squad. He can play left, right, and in the middle and that versatility is vital."

As for the others in the Sensational Six, don't worry, Cuellar didn't forget them, and reckons they will all be there in South Africa for the World Cup next summer.

He continued, "Ashley [Young] is just brilliant and can change a game in a moment, while Emile [Heskey] is just a really, really class striker—and we have Stewart Downing coming back too. He will feel he has a good chance as well.

"Stephen Warnock was in the squad for the last game too, so he will be very hopeful he made a good impression when he trained with the rest of the squad. All of them have a terrific opportunity [of being in the England squad for the 2010 World Cup]."

Source: avfc.co.uk

The Classic Story: Former Porto Star Argelico Fucks Off to Benfica

Yoosof Farah — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:57:53 -0500

"Benfica have snapped up Argélico 'Argel' Fucks from Brazilian side Palmeiras, just over a year after he quit Porto," read the first line of the article that made the former Brazil U-20 star famous.

Possibly the player with the greatest name in football, Fucks was thrust into fame when Eurosport.com ran the headline "Fucks off to Benfica" after his move to the Portuguese giants back in September 2001.

The headline was controversial, as you may have guessed, for many reasons.

Most notably it was controversial for the fact that Fucks had made the switch to Benfica after quitting bitter rivals Porto just a year ago (of course).

Eurosport.com's article continued, "The centre-back has joined for the next three years and is determined to wreak revenge for the way he was treated by Porto coach Fernando Santos."

Surprisingly, it was not because of his name, and there were no headlines saying something like, "Revenge for Argélico Fucks on Porto coach Fernando Santos".

It was actually because Fucks was "consistently played out of position at right-back", when he was actually a centre-back.

On his move to Benfica, Fucks commented, "From the moment I arrived in Lisbon, FC Porto became my enemy."

"Now, all the teams are my enemies, especially FC Porto."

So, how about "Argélico Fucks' new enemy FC Porto"? Anyway, headline fun aside, it's evident that Fucks was a player that many sports journalists in Portugal loved to write about.

Despite his name, he is a player that many football fans don't actually know about.

It is of course a shame, as he is considered by many as one of the greats in World Football.

"One of the greats" not for his talent of course, as his only international appearance was a single cap for the Brazil U-20 side, but for his brilliant name.

There are many names in football with great profiles attached to them, like Pele, Diego Maradona, Alfredo Di Stefano, Johan Cruyff, etc.

But there aren't many great names in football. There's German legend Stefan Kuntz, but nobody at all has a name as incredible read as it is said.

Argélico 'Argel' Fucks was truly one of a kind.

To read more about Fucks, click here .

Forget Brazil or Italy, Spain Is the Team to Beat at the 2010 World Cup

Yoosof Farah — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 09:13:16 -0500

Italy is current the FIFA World Cup champion, and Brazil is officially the No. 1 ranked team in the world. But who is the form team going into the pinnacle of World Football next year?

Spain, mis amigos, is the team to beat; a point further highlighted by their impressive 2-1 win over Argentina at the Vicente Calderon, home to Primera Liga giants Atlético Madrid.

It's a result that means La Selección Española have won an incredible 38 out of 43 matches since the start of 2007. By anyone's standards, that is the type of form that wins you trophies.

In front of a 54,000 strong crowd, it was clear to see in the first half who the better team was.

With favorite for the FIFA World Player of the Year award, FC Barcelona wizard Lionel Messi kept quiet by the rock solid defensive line, Spain were a cut above their opponents.

As the back four kept Messi and Real Madrid star Gonzalo Higuaín quiet, the likes of David Silva, Andrés Iniesta, Xavi, and David Villa wreaked havoc in the Argentina half.

However, for all their dominant and intricate interplay, Spain only had one Xabi Alonso goal to show for it 18 minutes into the match.

David Silva skipped past Martin Demichelis inside the area, and when his low shot was well saved by Argentina keeper Sergio Romero, Alonso pounced on the rebound to slide the ball in.

The Spanish continued to create chances in the remainder of the first half, and they almost doubled their lead on the half-hour mark when Andrés Iniesta was denied by Romero, with David Villa's follow-up shot blocked on the line by Newcastle United defender Fabricio Coloccini.

In the second half the table had turned, and it was Argentina who surprisingly began after the re-start as the stronger team.

They closed Spain down quickly whenever the European champions had possession, and created two very good chances to equalise.

Higuain fired a low shot just wide of the far post, after Benfica wonderkid Angel Di Maria failed to cap off a fine move as his volley was saved by Real Madrid keeper Iker Casillas.

It was Casillas' 100th appearance for La Selección Española , an achievement matched only by Andoni Zubizarreta (126 caps), and Raúl González (102 caps).

After two good opportunities, it didn't come as a big surprise when Messi equalised from the spot.

Maxi Rodriguez robbed Raul Albiol of possession near the touchline, and as the Real Madrid defender tried to win the ball back inside the area, he hauled Atlético Madrid winger Rodriguez down. Messi made no mistake from the spot, sending Casillas the wrong way to draw the scores level at 1-1 with 62 minutes of the match played.

At this point, Spain was feeling the heat, but Vicente Del Bosque's side rose to the challenge, and should've retaken the lead in the 70th minute, when the unmarked Ramos headed Cesc Fabregas' free-kick wide at the far post.

Joan Capdevila was then denied by a superb save from Romero, but just moments later Spain was handed an opportunity to win the game when Demichelis was adjudged to have blocked Alonso's shot with his hand.

With David Villa off the pitch, Alonso stepped up for the penalty, and buried his kick in the top corner to seal victory in front of a home crowd.

One period at the start of the second half aside, it was a very impressive, and dominant performance by Spain.

It was a performance that emphasised Spain's World Cup winning credentials, and highlighted the work that needs to be done in the Argentina national team if they are to have any hope of success in South Africa next year.

So, can Spain win the 2010 FIFA World Cup? Well, judging by their recent performances, they certainly have a greater chance than current champions Italy, and the world's No. 1 ranked team, Brazil.

Aston Villa: A Brief History

Yoosof Farah — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:45:46 -0500

Aston Villa FC were formed in March 1874, by members of the Villa Cross Wesleyan Chapel in Aston (in Birmingham). The four founders were Jack Hughes, Frederick Matthews, Walter Price, and William Scattergood.

The first ever official match the mighty Villa played was against Aston Brook St Mary's Rugby team. As a condition of the game, Villa agreed to play the first half under rugby rules and the second under football rules.

Aston Villa's first ever honour came in 1880, where they won the Senior Cup under the captaincy of Scotsman George Ramsay. Seven years later, the club won it's first ever FA Cup, this time under the captaincy of Archie Hunter, one of the game's first real household names.

Villa were one of the 12 clubs that founded the inaugural Football League back in 1888. One of the club's directors at the time, William McGregor, is credited as being the founder of the league.

In 1897, Villa won their first Football League trophy, as well as a second FA Cup. In this same successful year for the Birmingham club, they also moved to the ground where they currently are, at Villa Park, which when it was first built was known as Ashton Lower Grounds.

For the next two decades Aston Villa had a largely successful period, winning six FA Cup trophies and several Football League titles. However, after their sixth FA Cup win in 1920, things started to go downhill for the Villa, and by 1936, after 16 years without a trophy, Aston Villa were relegated out of the top division in the Football League, that point being the first time in their history.

And it would be another 37 years before they would next win a trophy, which happened to be a seventh FA Cup success. This seventh FA Cup victory is their last FA Cup to date.

Much of the reason for such a long period of time without a trophy was due to the fact that World War II had cost Villa several players, and the fact that football was suspended for seven years during because of the war.

In 1967, Aston Villa were relegated from the top flight of English football for only the third time in their history, under the guidance of manager Dick Taylor. And things then got even worse for Villa after they got relegated from the Second Division in 1970.

However, two years later they bounced back as champions of the Third Division, and signs of change were present at Villa Park.

In 1973, Ron Saunders was appointed as manager, and by 1977, he had led Aston Villa back into the top flight of English football, the First Division. And in the same season he led them to the dizzy heights of European competition.

A meteoric rise to success once again, which was all made complete, when still under the guidance of Ron Saunders, Aston Villa won the First Division in 1981, a title victory that confirmed to the nation that Villa were back amongst the elite.

To the surprise of many fans, Ron Saunders quit halfway through the 1981-82 season. His replacement though, the softly-spoken assistant manager Tony Barton, also went on to achieve great things for the Villa.

He guided them to a 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich in Rotterdam in the final of the European Cup, making Villa only one of four English teams to have ever won this prestigious trophy, behind Manchester United, Liverpool, and Nottingham Forest.

In 1992, Aston Villa became one of the founding members of the greatest football league in the world, the English Premier League (FA Premier League as it was known at the time). In their first EPL season, Aston Villa did what would be unthinkable nowadays, and finished the season as runners-up, behind winners Manchester United.

At the turn of the millennium, Aston Villa reached their first FA Cup final since they won it in 1957. It was the last ever game at Wembley before it would be knocked and rebuilt into the marvellous sporting arena it is today. However, it would be Chelsea who would win the 1999-00 FA Cup, and have the honour of being the last ever FA Cup winner in the old Wembley Stadium.

As you can see, Aston Villa Football Club has had an illustrious history, overall winning seven First Division titles, four Second Division titles, one Third Division title, seven FA Cups, five League Cups, one Charity Shield trophy, one European Cup, one European Cup Supercup, and one Intertoto Cup.

Let's hope that one day (hopefully in the not too distant future) Aston Villa Football Club can emulate the magnificent achievements of its past, and show that they are capable of being back amongst the elite in English football.

Aston Villa Top Four Hopes Stronger After Liverpool Draw with Birmingham

Yoosof Farah — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:10:57 -0500

Aston Villa's hopes of achieving a UEFA Champions League spot came from the most unlikeliest of sources on Monday, as fierce rivals Birmingham City drew 2-2 with Liverpool at Anfield.

It's a welcome surprise for the Villans, as not only were Birmingham playing a top-four team in the shape of Liverpool, but it was at the daunting arena of Anfield, and it's even more surprising considering it was Birmingham City helping the Villa cause!

In a very strange way, it was actually good watching the game at Liverpool. Cameron Jerome struck the goal of his life, and it was an entertaining match for the neutral, and, of course, it was a result that left the Reds deep down in seventh, two points from fifth placed Villa, three points from fourth, and a whopping 11 points from leaders Chelsea!

And looking at the Premier League table, that lucrative and elusive fourth Champions League spot has never been closer for Aston Villa.

Liverpool look like a team who could seriously be departing from the giants of the "top-four," with a rejuvenated Tottenham Hotspur, cash-rich Manchester City, and, of course, the mighty Aston Villa all in serious contention to take Liverpool's place.

This season it has never been more achievable for Villa to break into the top four, with several more key players in top form than last season, which culminated in a unspectacular anti-climax and an eventual sixth-place finish after looking odds-on for a top-four finish.

Looking at key performers for Villa's top-four hopes this season, you'd start with the wings. Ashley Young has been in his usual spectacular form, with scintillating performances for both club and country.

And the club's other wizard winger, James Milner, has finally come of age. In just the start of this season alone, Milner's brilliant crosses, superb vision, and sublime skill have already repaid the club record £12 million fee used to lure him to Villa Park from Newcastle United 15 months ago.

When it comes to the goal threat up-front, it's important to have top-quality strikers, and that's what Villa undoubtedly have in Gabriel Agbonlahor, whose fantastic finishing, intelligent forward runs, and great pace have caused nightmares for opposing defenders this season.

But there's another frontman who deserves recognition in John Carew, the former Lyon star who has used his brutal strength, decent striking, and expert finishing to deliver the goods when it matters most.

And lastly, new man Richard Dunne has been a reliable rock in the heart of defence alongside Carlos Cuéllar, providing the stability that was lacking at times last season, especially toward the business end when it really counted.

So with more key men performing brilliantly (Stephen Warnock deserves a mention, as does the ever-reliable Brad Friedel) and proving there is life after Gareth Barry, never has it been a better time for Aston Villa to break into the top four.

With Liverpool falling, Tottenham not looking most convincing despite their positioning, and Manchester City becoming the new Premier League draw specialists, could this be Aston Villa's time to shine?

David Haye, Andy Murray, and Jenson Button Fly the Flag for British Sport

Yoosof Farah — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:37:41 -0500

Following the remarkable achievement by David Haye on Saturday, coupled with Andy Murray's impressive victory in the Valencia Open on Sunday and Jenson Button's World Championship title last month, it appears that British sportsmen are at the forefront of world sport.

Let's start with the one the whole world is talking about. David Haye, otherwise known as "The Hayemaker," produced on Saturday night one of the most incredible performances seen in British boxing since the years of Lennox Lewis.

Ahead of the fight, and especially after the weigh-in the day before, nobody backed Haye to beat his opponent. And looking at Russia's finest boxer, Nikolai Valuev (a.k.a "The Beast From the East"), it's clear as to why that was.

The seven-foot tall heavyweight was found to be seven stone heavier (at 22st 8lbs) than his opponent from Britain (15st 8lbs) at the weigh-in, and in terms of boxing that's seven stone worth of more power packed into brutal punches.

But even that couldn't stop Haye, the former undisputed cruiserweight champion, who achieved the impossible and beat Valuev on points to be crowned the WBA heavyweight champion of the world.

So how did he do it?

He followed his game plan meticulously; hit and don't be hit. He was quick, agile, and executed brilliant technique, which is something that, as you can imagine, is quite hard for a giant like Valuev to replicate.

After this fantastic encounter, what's next for Haye? In the words of the Hayemaker himself, "bring on the Klitschkos!"

Continuing the trend of British sporting achievement was our finest tennis player in many years, Andy Murray, who followed on from Haye's achievement the next day by beating Mikhail Youzhny to win the Valencia Open.

It was a convincing 6-3 6-2 victory for the Scot, who, after having a six-week injury lay-off for a wrist problem, has timed his return to form and fitness nicely with the ATP World Tour Finals in London fast approaching.

The win in Spain has added to what has been a terrific year for Murray.

He started by beating Andy Roddick to win the Qatar Open, and went on to win a few more titles before achieving his best ever result in the second Grand Slam of the year, the French Open, where he made it to the quarter-finals before losing to Chilean player Fernando Gonzalez.

Then came the grass court season as summer approached, and Murray wowed British crowds by winning the AEGON Championships at Queen's Club in London, before going on to reach the semi-finals of Wimbledon, his best ever in what many consider to be the most prestigious Grand Slam in tennis.

A brilliant season all round by Murray; yet another sportsman doing his best to put Great Britain on the sporting map.

Finally, the last of the remarkable trio of British sportsmen this year is F1 driver Jenson Button, who's remarkable driving won him the World Drivers' Championship title, and helped give his team, Brawn GP, a well-deserved Constructors' Championship title.

At the very start of the season, before the incredible six wins out of seven races, it was increasingly unlikely Jenson Button wouldn't even be racing in Formula One, after his Honda team pulled out of the sport and were struggling to find a buyer.

But then stepped in Ross Brawn, and Brawn GP were formed, allowing Jenson Button, with the aid of having probably the best car on the grid, to show the world his true driving potential.

A combination of skillful driving, calm composure, and many years experience in the sport all culminated in Button taking the world title in a way extremely reminiscent to fellow Brit and McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton last year.

Both drivers won the title at the Interlagos circuit in Brazil, both with the same No. 22 car, both British, and both finishing fifth.

A brilliant year for Button, who not only is helping fly the flag for British sport and motorsport, but is also consolidating Britain's dominance in Formula One.

It has been a great year for sport in Britain, with these sporting role models providing inspiration to the next generation; the talent of the future who look at the likes of Haye and Murray and are inspired to achieve their goals, just like those men did.

Lastly, other British sportsmen and women who deserve a mention include:

Jessica Ennis, the rising star of athletics who shone in the Heptathlon at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin earlier this year, and is expected to be one of Great Britain's stars at the London 2012 Olympics.

Ryan Giggs, the Manchester United football legend who has been majestic down the wing this season and has rolled back the years with several scintillating performances.

Mark Cavendish, the cyclist who delivered a superb sprinting performance in the Tour de France this year.

And finally, Andrew Strauss, the cricketer who captained England to a brilliant and well-deserved Ashes win over the Aussies this summer.

Overall, there have been many British sportsmen and women who have reached the pinnacle of world sport and done their very best to put Britain on the sporting map, providing the country with great sporting recognition and much needed inspiration to the next generation of top sporting talent.

Aston Villa Look To Bounce Back Against Bolton Wanderers

Yoosof Farah — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:20:55 -0500

Following the crushing disappointment of a 2-1 defeat away to West Ham at Upton Park, Aston Villa will look to set things right on Saturday when they host Bolton Wanderers.

The Villans will be out to prove their credentials as a top four team after their blip against the London side, a game in which young talent Zavon Hines was the hero for the Hammers.

However, it won't be easy for Aston Villa, as captain Stiliyan Petrov is ruled out of the Bolton match after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season in that defeat to West Ham.

It's worth pointing out that last season, players who picked up a fifth yellow card had seven days before a suspension came into effect. Nowadays, however, the ban is immediate, leaving Petrov to rue his poor discipline so far this season.

And the Villa skipper isn't the only one missing. To add to the woes of manager Martin O'Neill, fullback Habib Beye will accompany Petrov on the sidelines after his sending off at Upton Park on Wednesday.

Also, there are doubts over the fitness of target man Emile Heskey (back), speedy winger James Milner (calf), and young midfielder Craig Gardener (groin).

Although, it's not all doom and gloom for O'Neill. Yes, the Villans are still without key players Curtis Davies and Stewart Downing, but at least they can recall Spanish rock Carlos Cuéllar into the heart of defence after he served his suspension on Wednesday in that game against West Ham.

As for the side making the trip to Villa Park, Bolton Wanderers are without suspended duo Fabrice Muamba (once of Villa's arch-rivals Birmingham City) and Jlloyd Samuel (himself once an Aston Villa man). On top of that, midfielders Sean Davis and Joey O'Brien are still unavailable for the Trotters.

Following two consecutive 4-0 drubbings at the mercy of league leaders Chelsea, Bolton will want to set things right when they take on Aston Villa, as they currently languish 15th in the table.

But, if you are one of those that believe statistics guide the way in determining the results of football encounters, then here's a good one for you:

Bolton Wanderers have failed to beat Aston Villa in their last five meetings home and away.

Manchester United and CSKA Moscow Poor in Old Trafford Thriller

Yoosof Farah — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:16:06 -0500

For everyone connected with Manchester United FC, their forthcoming Champions League match against CSKA Moscow was meant to simply be a formality.

However, as newspaper headlines read the following morning after the match, United really did stumble into the last 16 of the competition.

Only a fortuitous own goal spared Manchester United the embarassment of losing at home to what some Western European fans perceive to be an "easy team".

There is no doubt about it; United were poor at Old Trafford last night. Lacklustre in possession, inaccurate with crucial passes, too heavily reliant on use of the wings, and a lack of concentration in defence—go along to the DVD analysis session and the list will probably be endless.

Of course, they were not the only ones that were poor, however.

If you thought Manchester United were bad, then just watch the CSKA Moscow players in the latter stages of the second half.

Up until that point, though, the Russian giants were in cruise control of proceedings at the "Threatre of Dreams".

From the moment teenage sensation Alan Dzagoev brilliantly blasted his side into a surprise lead, till the point Vasili Berezutsky again stunned the worldwide audience to give the visitors a 1-3 lead, CSKA Moscow looked like they were the ones with the perfect record in the Champions League this season.

Even Michael Owen's instinctive goal to draw the scores level at 1-1 couldn't stop the CSKA juggernaut, as the team from the east completely outplayed their opponents.

But after being brilliant for so long, CSKA decided to relinquish such power in the match and collapsed into desperate defending and an inability to work the ball forward.

And thus, cue the usual Manchester United onslaught when the team are losing and the whole of the Stretford End issue their rallying cries, desperately praying a Paul Scholes or a Michael Carrick will produce some wonder shot from a millions miles away, to give their team some hope when they squander numerous chances the frustrated wingers provide.

This was the point at which certain individuals in the Manchester United team upped their game, and the point at which CSKA Moscow dissolved, which of course all culminated in a stunning climax and an incredible 3-3 draw.

Although, it was a 3-3 draw that might not have been, had Manchester United (and CSKA Moscow at times) not been unjustly denied by the referee.

For the majority of the game, the ref had a shocker, and as video replays suggest, at one point he wrongly booked Darren Fletcher (the unsung hero in the United ranks) for diving when, in fact, a smack-addlingly obvious penalty should've been given, this being written by a qualified referee himself!

It was an overall poor performance from all three parties involved in the encounter. However, it must be said, certain individuals did catch the eye.

The stand-out candidate was of course Igor Akinfeev, a superb shot-stopper whose saves were abolsutely crucial in CSKA even managing to achieve a draw.

Michael Owen also gave further reason as to why Fabio Capello should recall him to the England squad with a well-taken, instinctive goal.

However, the ex-Liverpool and Real Madrid striker was guilty of missing a glut of chances prior to his goal, and Capello will no doubt want the frontman to be a bit more clinical with his finishing if he is to become a regular again in the national team.

And lastly, Gabriel Obertan again impressed on his third debut, this time a Champions League debut for Manchester United.

He previously played in the competition with French powerhouse Bordeaux, and such experience showed as the winger looked classy yet still reliable on the ball, playing good pass-and-go football at a high tempo.

The winger already appears to be a bargain at £3m, much better value than his teammate on the opposite wing, Antonio Valencia.

This doesn't escape the fact however that Manchester United were indeed poor as a team, and will need to up their game if they are to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, something that not many of the top teams manage to achieve.

And CSKA Moscow will have to eradicate that poor stage of the second half, as a crunch match against current league champions Rubin Kazan awaits them this weekend.

Massive games for both teams this coming weekend; can they win? Maybe...if they play better than they did at Old Trafford on Tuesday night.

Adrian Sutil vs. Jarno Trulli: Fight Night Round Two

Yoosof Farah — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:52:00 -0400

After the handbags of Sao Paulo and the Brazilian GP between Force India driver Adrian Sutil and Toyota's Jarno Trulli, the two decided to go at it again in the press conference ahead of the last grand prix of the season in Abu Dhabi.

Rewinding back to the events of Brazil eleven days ago, other than Jenson Button's championship winning drive, Trulli and Sutil almost came to full-bloodied blows after a collision on the first lap which forced them both out of the race at the Interlagos circuit.

Attempting to pass Sutil around the outside, Trulli put a wheel on the grass, sending the Italian spinning into the back of the German's car and then into the wall.

The impact resulted in Sutil careening across the infield grass and his momentum taking him back onto the track, where he was struck yet again, this time by Renault's Spanish driver, Fernando Alonso.

Trulli jumped out of his car and raced over to Sutil to confront him, and a bitter argument ensued with a lot of angry gesturing and threatening behaviour, a.k.a handbags.

And it seems evident that even all these days later, emotions are still running very high, as the two were at it again in front of the world's media.

Here is a transcript of Fight Night Round Two: Trulli vs. Sutil .

Trulli started things off by saying: "Obviously, it was very disappointing to end the race like that, especially on the first lap."

"I had every reason to be extremely furious. I've got all the evidence to show I was there and was next to him, and tomorrow we are going to discuss it."

Sutil then responded: "There's nothing to discuss, it was quite an obvious incident. In the end it was very disappointing for me, even more because I was the one who was driving, and he lost control of his car and crashed into my back."

"It's not my problem. It's his problem. I don't know why he's freaking out like that to be honest."

Trulli: "I don't know if you're blind, but I can clearly show you my front wing is next to your front wing" (Trulli then produced photographs to support his argument).

Sutil: "But you're trying to overtake me around the outside on the kerb. There was not a problem. You were off the power. The same happened in Barcelona where you lost control again and crashed again into a Force India car."

"You have to sometimes respect the limits of the car. If you've nowhere to go, you have to back off. That's how racing is. I don't know how long you need to learn this."

Trulli: "In Barcelona I spun and he hit me because he cut the kerb, cut the circuit completely, and he didn't slow down."

Sutil: "I didn't hit you. You hit me. I don't know what is your problem. I really don't understand."

Asked what was said during their spat immediately after the accident, Trulli replied, "I was furious because he didn't see me."

"I was next to him and he kept on pushing me on the outside until I was obviously on the kerb."

Then the row continued:

Sutil: "It's not a problem to be on the kerb. Where's the problem?"

Trulli (sarcastically): "Yeah, no problem! As long as we know the rules."

Sutil: "I know the rules."

Fernando Alonso then ended proceedings by saying, "Go on Jarno, smack him!"

Only kidding. When asked of his opinion on the whole saga, with a smile Alonso said: "I saw everything more or less, but as Jarno said we will discuss it in the drivers' briefing—deeply!"

Source: Sky Sports

England v Belarus at Wembley: Much Better than on the TV

Yoosof Farah — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:01:08 -0400

With England having already secured qualification for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, much was made of going to Wembley to watch the last World Cup qualifier against Belarus.

The result would have no significant impact, several top England players would be missing (including Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney), Belarus with all due respect don't have the great players England have, and in any case the game would be televised live on terrestrial TV with highlights of course available as well.

These are just some of the reasons why only 76,897 attended the match out of a possible 90,000 crowd, and why some fans have been on the receiving end of friendly banter questioning their paying £30, £40, £50, £60 for a ticket.

But for the 76,897 who did decide to make the pilgrimage to the home of football, contrary to popular belief, it was time and money well-spent.

For a start, the atmosphere at Wembley Stadium is unparalleled.

Getting off at Wembley Park tube station, standing outside looking at the thousands of fans along Wembley Way, looking up a hundred metres away at the spectacular South Stand of the stadium and the famous arch; it gives you a buzz like no other.

Inside the stadium, moments before kick-off when the England fans sing their heart out for the national anthem, as well as for almost the entirety of the match; the cacophonous support really does seem like nothing else in international football (Croke Park and the Republic of Ireland aside).

Besides the amazing atmosphere, the football on display alone can almost justify the ticket price.

These England players are playing at the highest level in football, and it shows. Only when you go to the stadium to watch the game can you fully appreciate players like David Beckham, Frank Lampard, Gareth Barry, John Terry and Rio Ferdinand (despite his recent dip in form).

David Beckham is an incredible player, and seeing a superb through-ball that dips beautifully over the defender and curves its way with pin-point precision to the attacker expertly exploiting the gap in defence and making that darting run into the box, is something that really would make you go 'Wow!'.

Frank Lampard with his brilliant footwork and technique to skip past players like they weren't even there, Gareth Barry with his great all-round play (crunching tackles, accurate passing, tactical awareness, etc, etc).

Rio Ferdinand with the defending that made him the most expensive defender in the world; all of this is only ever fully appreciated when you see it with your very own eyes.

And as for John Terry, well, only when you actually see him there right in front of your eyes do you realise just how much of a nutcase he really is.

Everytime the ball came JT's way, he'd never shy out of a challenge (both aerially and on the ground), and when the ball was in the air, he'd always make sure it was he who got his head on it. Heck, he even resorted to tackling with his head! Only seeing this live can make you fully appreciate the true madness of the man.

These sensations alone are reason enough to watch England play at Wembley in a game where the result is not necessarily significant.

But if you wanted more convincing, for every England game (competitive or friendly) you can expect the players to give it their all, because with Fabio Capello at the helm, any slackers will be sent into international football exile (Michael Owen).

And finally, let's be honest, who wouldn't want to have some happy memories from the home of football?

Manchester United-Manchester City: Owen Says 'Welcome to the Red Side of Town'

Yoosof Farah — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 12:17:41 -0400

It would not be a stretch of the imagination to say Old Trafford is currently a footballing utopia for the millions of Manchester United fans across the world.

In one of the most highly anticipated, hotly disputed, evenly matched, incredibly dramatic Manchester derbies in decades, none other than Michael Owen stepped up in the 96th minute to hit the most dramatic of late winners to give United the bragging rights in a 4-3 victory Saturday.

Before the big game, the blue poster with the famous words of "Welcome to Manchester" accompanied by that picture of the ex-Old Trafford hero Carlos Tevez sparked Sparky (Mark Hughes) and Sir Alex Ferguson into their usual war of words.

It was the perfect setup to what pundits said was poised to be one of the most evenly contested derbies in recent decades.

And in the highly anticipated game itself, Manchester United were set up for the perfect game when Wayne Rooney danced through Kolo Toure and Joleon Lescott to slot past Shay Given and give the home side a brilliant 1-0 lead with just two minutes on the clock.

It was a goal that emphasised the defensive frailties of Manchester City, as the Blues' defence just looked like money splashed all over the place.

A lack of communication and understanding between right-back Micah Richards and his £16m and £24m teammates in the centre of defence highlighted the need for these Manchester City players to "gel as a team" quickly if they are to achieve success.

All was looking good for United; they seemed slightly the better team, were looking comfortable in possession, and were causing City quite a few more problems.

But then in the 16th minute came the moment in which Ben Foster showed his true colours.

The ball came to Foster just outside of his area, and he attempted to turn inside and pick the ball up. Unfortunately, this allowed Tevez to nick the ball away from him on the left-hand side of the area and pass to the unmarked Gareth Barry, who had the simple task of slotting the ball into an empty net to level the scores at 1-1.

It was a mistake of indecisiveness that showed exactly why he is not yet ready for an England call-up. Imagine Foster being that indecisive in a World Cup quarterfinal against Brazil? England would stand no chance.

And in the build up to the goal, Anderson showed why he has not yet stepped up to the plate at Manchester United.

The young Brazilian was standing right next to Barry in the build up, and his late reactions and lack of effort allowed the England star to slot home completely unmarked.

Throughout the game, there was one word which completely epitomised Anderson: slack. Slack defending, slack passing, slack shooting, slack heading, and slack in his efforts to win the ball as he needlessly gave away free kicks and unnecessarily got booked.

After the break, United set the tone for what would become one of the greatest second-half periods in the history of Mancunian derbies.

The sometimes underrated Darren Fletcher proved why he is a vital asset to the Red Devils, this time not by making superb tackles and brilliant passes, but by heading home a looping Ryan Giggs cross three minutes after the interval, giving United a precious 2-1 lead.

But this lead would be short-lived. Craig Bellamy scored the goal of the game, a stunning curling effort into the top left corner from 25 yards, to show there's more attackers in this Manchester City team than just the big money summer signings of Emmanuel Adebayor, Carlos Tevez and Roque Santa Cruz.

This goal was against the run of play, and this run of play stayed with United despite conceding.

The Red Devils were urged to attack and attack by all in red inside Old Trafford, and with just ten minutes remaining the 70,000 home fans got what they so desperately wanted, when Fletcher cemented his already confirmed place as a United hero, heading home a free kick from Ryan Giggs, who was majestic down the left wing as he teased and toiled with Micah Richards.

The hosts were 3-2 up and the prayers of all the players, coaches and fans of Manchester United Football Club were that the Reds could just hold on until the end of the game, and claim a fantastic yet dramatic victory.

Little did all those players, coaches and fans know that their centre-back Rio Ferdinand had other ideas with minutes until the final whistle, as the England international lazily gave the ball away to City, with Craig Bellamy saying thank you very much before slotting past Foster and equalising for the visitors.

Drama galore at Old Trafford, with this incredible derby being a footballing utopia for the neutral spectator.

But the drama didn't stop there.

Two whole minutes were gone past the allocated four minutes of injury time. Seventy thousand United fans had given up hope of three points and seemed condemned to just the one.

The last rallying cries for a desperate attempt on goal were fading, they all thought their time would be up.

That was until, in the very, very last dying moments, the legendary Giggs found the new summer signing who had one last chance to give Manchester United an unbelievable, virtually impossible late, late winner.

The lad, formerly of Liverpool, rose high to the occasion, making time stand still for a moment, before slotting the ball...past Shay Given and into the back of the net! The last meaningful kick of the game saw Manchester United beat Manchester City 4-3 at the "Threatre of Dreams," otherwise now known to die-hard Reds as their utopia.

St. Sir Michael Owen, now of Manchester, had done what he came on to do, what he was signed to do, and what United fans only ever prayed he could do.

He sent out a statement to Manchester City: Welcome to the red side of town.

Burnley 3-1 Sunderland: David Nugent Brace Blasts Brilliant Black Cats

Yoosof Farah — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 12:27:04 -0400

David Nugent was the man of the moment for Burnley, as the on-loan striker scored two great goals on his home debut to give his side a surprising 3-1 victory against Sunderland at Turf Moor.

Nugent, who has a 100% record in the England national team (with one goal in one game), scored twice to give Burnley the win after coming off the bench, with the score delicately poised at 1-1 at the time.

Sunderland, who have had their best ever start in the Premier League with nine points in their first five games, dominated play in the opening exchanges and completely played their opponents off the park.

However, it was Burnley who took a suprise lead, very much against the run of play.

Graham Alexander scored his first ever Premier League goal with a well-taken penalty on 13 minutes, after Wade Elloitt (who scored the Wembley winner to take Burnley into the top-flight) was brought down rather clumsily and unnecessarily by Anton Ferdinand.

Despite conceeding against the run of play, Sunderland did not stagnate and continued to control the proceedings.

And their dominance turned into a goal in the 39th minute, when defender Clarke Carlisle was caught daydreaming and enabled Darren Bent to beat the offside trap and coolly slot past Brian Jensen to equalise for the Black Cats.

The second half started in similar vein to the first, with the visitors really pressing forward in search of a winner and again having the better possession.

However, on 67 minutes came the turning point of the match. David Nugent marked his home debut for Burnley with a goal after only being introduced to the game 10 minutes previously.

Ex-Manchester United winger Chris Eagles began the move, finding Tyrone Mears down the right flank, with Mears playing the ball to Elliott, whose first time cross found Nugent, who headed home to give the Clarets a 2-1 lead against the run of play.

And for all the dominant possession Sunderland continued to have, they just could not find an equaliser.

It got even worse on 86 minutes, as Nugent had a home debut to remember following a superb goal to kill the game off completely.

After receiving the ball from Elliott, Nugent turned inside the box and unleashed a superb curling shot into the top corner, giving his side a 3-1 lead and wrapping up another valuable three points for Burnley.

The result leaves the Clarets on level points with Sunderland, having won all three of their home games this season, including that famous 1-0 victory over Manchester United last month.

As for Sunderland, the game at Turf Moor was a stark reminder of how harsh football can be in the Premier League; it's converting those chances that's important, not just creating them.

Attendance: 20,196

Arsenal Fans vs. Manchester City's Emmanuel Adebayor: Hypocrisy at Its Finest

Yoosof Farah — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:47:10 -0400

Taunts about paedophilia, death in the family, sexuality, Munich...and then the fans go boo-hoo if someone gives it back. This was the subheading of a brilliant column by Martin Samuel in the Daily Mail.

It refers to Emmanuel Adebayor, infamously running 90 yards across the pitch to celebrate in front the Arsenal fans that last season gave him so much stick, after he scored the third goal for Manchester City in their 4-2 home win over Arsenal.

Much has been made of Adebayor's actions, but not much at all about the Arsenal fans.

We all saw their reaction to Adebayor's celebration, and yet nobody has kicked up a fuss about them, even though in the matchday programme for that game, it clearly states:

"PLEASE note that foul, abusive or racist language will not be tolerated. We take such cases very seriously and use CCTV cameras to investigate, as well as employing undercover staff to identify culprits."

"Anyone found guilty of such behaviour will be ejected from the stadium. If you are offended by bad language, please inform a steward."

Foul language. Abusive language. Racist language. All seemed to be used towards Adebayor from the Arsenal fans throughout the entire match, yet we haven't heard anything about any fans being punished, have we?

The headline for Martin Samuel's superb column in the Daily Mail reads: "You Hypocrites in the Stands".

It's a brilliant article in which argues quite rightly why it's not just Adebayor at fault. Here is the first part of it:

"According to a significant percentage of the Arsenal supporters who travelled north to Manchester on Saturday, the mother of Emmanuel Adebayor, the Manchester City striker, is a prostitute, while his father is employed as a menial labourer washing elephants.

"Were we to assert this as fact in a national newspaper we would, rightly, be sued."

"Were a person to repeat it, one on one, in a threatening and aggressive manner to the young, fit and muscular 6'3'' west African, who is currently English football's Public Enemy No. 1, the result may well be a good thump, which some courts would accept was provoked. So you cannot have it all ways."

"The Arsenal fans who sang the Adebayor song at Eastlands on Saturday, the one that insulted his father and called his mother a whore—and there seems to be disagreement over where it came from, but check calls were made to some Gunners fans in the top tier and they certainly heard it—have already been allowed to go far beyond what would be considered reasonable behaviour in any other domain."

"And so they had to put up with getting just the tiniest bit back when the player they had taunted for the best part of two hours, including pre-match and the warm-up, achieved the point of the game and scored the goal that made Arsenal's defeat a certainty. He ran the length of the field and slid on his knees in front of them, arms spread wide in triumph. Oh dear. Boo hoo! How terrible that must have been."

"Adebayor did not curse, he did not spit, he certainly did not launch the missile that split open the head of a steward."

"He did not wade into the crowd and start throwing right-handers. Just came to rest with a smug look on his face that milked every last moment of his part in Manchester City's victory, and revelled in Arsenal's miserable journey home."

"In the circumstances, it was hardly the greatest outrage."

Of course, there are no excuses for Adebayor's behaviour, and Martin Samuel continues: "This does not excuse Adebayor because what he did was unprofessional. Football is a team sport and players are handsomely rewarded to think, always, of the team first. Adebayor must have known there would be repercussions if he was seen to respond to the provocation of Arsenal's fans, and these would be harmful to his team."

There have a lot of articles here on Bleacher Report recently talking about hypocrisy and how Barcelona and Real Madrid are hypocrites, e.g. "FC Barcelona: Hypocrisy at it's Finest."

But if you want a true definition of hypocrisy, just watch those TV pictures showing Arsenal fans at the City of Manchester Stadium when Adebayor celebrated his goal in front of them.

Now that really is hypocrisy at it's finest.

Arsenal Striker Eduardo Sees Ban Overturned as UEFA Lose All Credibility

Yoosof Farah — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:12:19 -0400

Arsenal striker Eduardo da Silva has seen his ban for 'deceiving the referee' in a Champions League play-off match overturned by UEFA.

In the home tie of a Champions League play-off against Celtic, where the Gunners won 3-1, TV replays seemed to clearly indicate Eduardo diving to win a penalty, after falling to the ground inside the penalty area following no contact at all with the onrushing Celtic goalkeeper Artur Boruc.

This prompted European football's governing body, UEFA, to subsequently charge Eduardo for 'deceiving the referee' and issuing him a two-match Champions League ban.

This in turn prompted the club from North London to appeal against the decision on their Croatian striker, stating their "deep frustration" with the ban imposed on the player.

Fast forward a few weeks, and days before Eduardo is meant to start his ban as Arsenal play Standard Liege in the Champions League on Wednesday, UEFA accept Arsenal's appeal and overturn the ban.

For seemingly everyone except Arsenal fans, UEFA's first decision was considered to be correct, and many praised the governing body for getting tough on cheats, sending out a message to players who dive to gain an advantage.

And now for seemingly all, except Arsenal fans, UEFA's decision to overturn their first decision is considered incorrect, with many questioning the credibility of UEFA.

It seems that UEFA have shown their true colours; they are not really as powerful as they've made out to be.

A statement of intent was made by them in banning Eduardo in the first place, but it appears they have succumbed to the pressure and overturned the ban.

This most certainly is not a good image for UEFA, with elite European clubs seemingly being in a higher position of power over the governing body.

FIFA have cracked down on cheats by banning Chelsea from making any transfers for the next two transfer windows, after their illegal signing of young talent Gael Kakuta from RC Lens in 2007.

UEFA tried to follow in their footsteps by also getting tough on cheats and banning Eduardo for deceiving the referee, but it appears they don't have as much bottle as FIFA.

The decisions of FIFA certainly don't have much credibility in football, but at the moment they are way ahead of UEFA.

With backtracking on decisions like that, you just have to wonder how long it will take for UEFA to lose any respect they have left.

Pundits say Football should take lessons from Rugby, but with farcical decisions like this one with Eduardo, it would appear the world's most popular sport is learn it's trade from the soap-opera that is Formula One.

Manchester City 4-2 Arsenal: Most Stunning in an Amazing Premier League Weekend

Yoosof Farah — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:40:37 -0400

From Ryan Giggs scoring a magnificent free-kick to further his record as the only player to score in every Premier League season, to Yossi Benayoun grabbing a hat-trick in a superb display for Liverpool, this weekend in the Premier League has been brilliant, with a whopping 32 goals scored in total.

But as the scoreline suggests, the best game of all has to be Manchester City's home encounter with Arsenal.

This game had everything.

There was the pre-match hype, with Kolo Toure, and most notably Emmanuel Adebayor, facing their old teammates.

There was of course the goals, ranging from a Micah Richards header which fortuitously cannoned in off Manuel Almunia, to a scintillating counter-attacking display which culminated in Shaun Wright-Phillips scoring a fine finish to kill off any hopes Arsenal had for snatching a draw.

There was the delightful comeback, with Czech international Tomas Rosicky playing his first league match after 20 months on the sidelines with a major knee injury, and scoring on his 'second debut.'

And of course, there was the controversy, all caused by that one man from Togo who Arsenal fans love to hate.

Throughout the course of the match at the City of Manchester Stadium, we all saw the good, the bad, and the ugly from Emmanuel Adebayor.

There was the good, with Adebayor dancing around the Arsenal defence, having skipped past three defenders before setting-up Wright-Phillips to drive the ball wide, and all this before the striker thought he'd have a go himself this time, heading home on 80 minutes to put his side 3-1 up.

There was the bad, as after scoring that goal Adebayor ran the length of the pitch to celebrate in front of the Arsenal fans.

And if for some strange reason you haven't yet seen the TV pictures, they show several Arsenal fans clearly enraged by the striker's actions, throwing missiles on the pitch and shouting numerous insults towards him as stewards desperately attempt to control the situation.

Then, of course, there was the ugly, when the Togolese frontman decided to lash out on former teammate Robin Van Persie.

Following a rash challenge from the Dutchman, Adebayor appeared to deliberately stamp on Van Persie's face, in an apparent attack the victim described as a "mindless and malicious" assault.

Brilliant Benayoun blasted Burnley with a hat-trick as Liverpool were victorious 4-0 at Anfield, and Ryan Giggs proves there's still life in those free-kicks after Cristiano Ronaldo, as Manchester United beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 at White Hart Lane.

Bolton Wanderers emerged victorious 3-2 in a five-goal thriller against Portsmouth down at Fratton Park, meanwhile another five-goal thriller occurred as Sunderland showed they mean business with a 4-1 trouncing of Hull City at the Stadium of Light.

Late drama happened at Craven Cottage as Damien Duff hit a late winner to give Fulham a 2-1 win over Everton, whereas a fierce derby at St. Andrews saw Gabriel Agbonlahor prove the difference as Aston Villa took the bragging rights with a 1-0 win over rivals Birmingham City.

Blackburn Rovers finally won at home, with an entertaining 3-1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Chelsea again got lucky this season as Florent Malouda secured an injury-time winner at the Britannia Stadium, as the Blues beat Stoke City 2-1.

All in all there were some magnificent games in the Premier League this weekend, but it goes without saying almost, the best of all has to be Manchester City winning 4-2 over Arsenal.

Brilliant football, fantastic goals, and the idiosyncratic behaviour of Emmanuel Adebayor; all that was needed to make this match without doubt one of the best and most controversial there will be in the 2009/10 Premier League season.

Why England Should Host the 2018 FIFA World Cup

Yoosof Farah — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 14:05:34 -0400

Having seen England win 2-1 in a recent friendly against Slovenia, there was an advertisement at Wembley Stadium that day encouraging supporters to back England's World Cup bid.

As we all know, England is bidding to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup, so I'll get straight to the point.

England is a country that knows all about hosting major worldwide sporting events, and it's a country that deserves its chance at once again hosting arguably the greatest sporting event in the world.

Why is that? Well, there are several reasons, which are listed below:

Superb Stadiums

One of the most obvious assets English football has is the stadiums. England has many great stadiums, most notably the legendary 90,000 capacity Wembley Stadium, dubbed "the home of football."

Other famous arenas include the 76,000 capacity Old Trafford (which could well be extended if the club is able to implement their plans of increasing the size of the South Stand), the newly-built Emirates Stadium with its 60,000 capacity, as well as many more that are famous worldwide.

Unlike stadiums in many other countries, the relentless demand by English football followers for high-quality facilities means each host stadium is definitely set to be up to World Cup hosting standards.

Excellent National Infrastructure

For such a small country like England having a population of over 51,000,000, there are without a doubt going to be great pressures for improvements to be made on the national infrastructure of road, rail, and air travel.

It's these pressures which have seen England constantly striving to improve roads, rail networks, and airports around the country.

With England accustomed to hosting major sporting events annually—and especially with the Olympics approaching in a few years time—the World Cup should pose no threat, infrastructure-wise.

Also, air services directly connect England to 185 airports in World Cup-qualifying countries. Now that really is impressive.

A Warm Welcome for Everyone!

England is a very diverse place, with people from all different countries and cultures living there.

In terms of hosting the World Cup, England's cosmopolitan culture could work wonders, as each of the 31 visiting teams will most likely be assured of cacophonous support from fellow countrymen who have settled in England.

Stunning Show for FIFA and the Money Men

Both at domestic and international levels, it is very clear that football in England is very popular with spectators all over the globe.

This means the English FA already understand the requirements of the many companies and businesses looking for some sort of involvement in the World Cup to boost their profile.

So, in the words of The FA, this means "FIFA would be plugging into football infrastructure which is among the best in the world—meaning we can confidently focus on taking the World Cup experience to a new level."

If you needed any convincing that English football is popular worldwide, they go on to mention that the FA Cup Final is broadcast in over 250 countries and the Premier League in over 200 countries. So it's popular enough then, eh?

To support England's bid to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup, visit www.england2018bid.com or simply text ENGLAND to 62018.

Source: www.england2018bid.com

Manchester United Next in Firing Line After FIFA Get Tough on Chelsea

Yoosof Farah — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 19:17:09 -0400

After Chelsea were punished for their dealings with Gael Kakuta from Ligue 1 outfit RC Lens, it seems like their fellow Premier League rivals Manchester United could be next in the FIFA firing line.

French club Le Havre, who play in Ligue 2, are threatening to report United to FIFA over the Old Trafford club's pursuit of teenage star Paul Pogba.

Like Chelsea "inducing" Kakuta to join them, Le Havre are unhappy at how Manchester United have gone about their dealings to try and lure Pogba to Old Trafford.

Managing Director at Le Havre, Alain Belsoeur, claims to have documents which apparently prove that United offered Pogba incentives to join the club.

Speaking to English newspaper The Times, Belsoeur said: "We are still pursuing our case.

"It is a very serious case. We are confident that we'll win because it is in the best interests not just of our club, but of sport."

However, a spokesman for Manchester United dismissed the claims and insist they have done nothing wrong, even though the youngster hasn't even officially been registered at Old Trafford.

He said: "It is complete nonsense, everything has been done within UEFA guidelines."

Earlier on Thursday, world football received a shock as FIFA attempted to toughen up on cheats in the sport, giving United's Premier League title rivals Chelsea a transfer ban for the next two transfer windows, as well as ordering them to pay RC Lens £113,000 in compensation.

And now with news that Le Havre could make a complaint to FIFA, just like RC Lens did, it might just be possible we could see an unprecedented list of outspoken, victimised clubs speak up about having their top academy talents moving elsewhere for minimal fees.

As for Manchester United, one has to wonder if Le Havre make an official complaint, are they going to be next in the FIFA firing line?

Chelsea FC Given Transfer Ban by FIFA, with Gael Kakuta Suspended

Yoosof Farah — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 09:45:41 -0400

Chelsea Football Club have been banned from registering any new players for both national and international competitions in the next two transfer windows.

FIFA have punished Chelsea due to a complaint made by Ligue 1 club RC Lens over the Blues' signing of young talent Gael Kakuta.

As well as the ban, the Stamford Bridge club also have to pay RC Lens £113,000 in training compensation and have been fined £680,000.

The player involved in the transfer, Gael Kakuta, has also been punished, having been given a four month ban from playing in official football matches.

This decision was made by the world football governing body's Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC), who have ruled in RC Lens favour and have labelled Chelsea, as well as Kakuta, "jointly and severely liable."

The whole statement from FIFA says: "On the occasion of its last meeting held on 27 August 2009, the Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC) was called to pass a decision in a contractual dispute opposing the French club Lens to the French player Gael Kakuta and the English club Chelsea.

"The French club had lodged a claim with Fifa seeking compensation for breach of contract from the player and requesting also sporting sanctions to be imposed on the player and the English club for breach of contract and inducement to breach of contract respectively.

"The DRC found that the player had indeed breached a contract signed with the French club. Equally, the DRC deemed it to be established that the English club induced the player to such a breach.

"As a result the player was condemned to pay compensation in the amount of €780,000, for which the club, Chelsea, are jointly and severally liable, and sporting sanctions were imposed on both the player and Chelsea in accordance with art. 17 par. 3 and 4 of the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players.

"A restriction of four months on his eligibility to play in official matches has been imposed on Kakuta. Chelsea are banned from registering any new players, either nationally or internationally, for the two next entire and consecutive registration periods following the notification of the present decision.

"Furthermore, the club, Chelsea, have to pay Lens training compensation in the amount of €130,000."

This incredible decision by FIFA has proved to the world that football is finally attempting to seriously eradicate foul play in the game, both on and off the pitch.

It comes a week after Arsenal and Croatia striker Eduardo da Silva was banned for two Champions League matches by UEFA after diving to win a penalty in the Gunners' 3-1 home win over Celtic in the Champions League play-off.

So with such action taken on Arsenal, and now on Chelsea, is football finally getting tough on cheats?

Croatia Accuse England of Injuring Eduardo and Luka Modric

Yoosof Farah — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 06:12:50 -0400

Croatia have implied that their star players have been intentionally injured ahead of their crucial World Cup encounter with England at Wembley next week.

The Croatians will look to halt England's hopes of World Cup qualification with another famous victory against their rivals, but according to Croatian FA president Vlatko Markovic, that task will be made all the harder due to the absence of Tottenham Hotspur ace Luka Modric.

Markovic has suggested Modric could have been deliberately injured by English players, whilst also pointing to the case of Arsenal striker Eduardo Da Silva.

He said: "First Eduardo, now Luka Modric. This is horrible. I can only ask myself if it was really an accident.

"I'm close to thinking it was done to us deliberately before the England match. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw what happened to Luka. He is irreplaceable."

The Croatian FA president went on to praise Modric even further, comparing him to current great players in the game, as well as highlighting his importance in the national team.

He added: "Modric is the most important player of our national team. With him, everything starts and ends.

"Luka is for us as important as Andres Iniesta for Barcelona or Michael Ballack used to be for Bayern Munich. Without him we will be much weaker.

"There's nothing else we can do but keep our heads up and go on."

These comments are not likely to be well received in England, with many saying Croatia are trying to play mind games with the English, or simply looking for excuses if they fail to qualify for the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa.

Birmingham City were playing against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane when Modric got injured, and it was a challenge from Birmingham's Lee Bowyer that has been accredited with causing the injury (a fractured fibula) to the Croatian star.

And Birmingham City chairman David Gold is not too pleased with these recent accusations from the Croatia FA president, calling his comments a "joke."

Gold said: "It's quite unbelievable. I had to check it wasn't 1st April, I thought it was a joke.

"To suggest a conspiracy is nonsense. To suggest it was a deliberate act by English players to weaken the Croatia squad is absolutely ridiculous.

Like many however, Gold has suggested that it's translation problems which could have resulted in these comments appearing very controversial.

He continued: "Maybe the problem is the statement by the Croatian official has completely been lost in translation?"

If it has indeed been lost in translation, then we will most likely be hearing new comments released in the next few days giving an explanation to what Markovic said.

However, if these comments are meant in the way they have currently been perceived, then it will only add fuel to the fire of England's rivalry with Croatia, and make it even sweeter should they beat Croatia at Wembley and qualify as group winners for the finals of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Manchester City's Emmanuel Adebayor: All He Needs Is a Bit of Love

Yoosof Farah — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 20:22:57 -0400

At the moment, it seems like Emmanuel Adebayor is well on his way to becoming value for money, having cost Manchester City £25million when he signed from Arsenal this summer.

The Togo international has scored three goals in as many league games for his new club, and has looked very promising indeed.

This season has been a complete change of fortune for Adebayor, after having been "abused" by the Arsenal fans last season for apparently using rumours of a £30 million move to AC Milan to get an improved contract (i.e. more money) at the Emirates Stadium.

Many fans that season also branded the striker as being lazy, and not fully committed to the Gunners' cause. He also only managed 16 goals in all competitions, not what most at Arsenal expected from their highest paid frontman.

However, here at the start of 2009/10 Premier League season, Adebayor looks a changed player (and a changed man) after moving up north.

Not only has he found his shooting boots, many pundits are now saying he has a renewed vigour for the game, as he works harder for the team, creating more chances for his new teammates than he did last season at Arsenal.

And a general little observation from Yoosof Farah, it appears Adebayor seems to be running around the pitch a bit more for his new team, helping out with the defence and then making an effort to support the attack when he is caught in a deep position.

So what has caused this transformation in the Togolese striker?

It seems to be the Manchester City fans, according to the striker himself. Well, the love they give him apparently, compared to the lack of it he received in his last days at Arsenal.

Speaking to SkySports he said: "I found my treatment [at Arsenal] in the last year unacceptable.

"[Manchester] City's fans were there to welcome me. That is the sort of love I want."

And it's all about the belief as well.

After the game against Portsmouth, Adebayor said: "[Manchester City] believed in my strength, they believed in my ability."

And for the striker it means, "at the moment I'm just working hard for the team and for the club," as well scoring three goals in three games.

So, what's the key to unlocking the goal machine that is Emmanuel Adebayor?

Well, according to the player it's belief, and that bit of love from the fans.

All in all for Manchester City, give Adebayor love, and he'll give you goals. Give him a lot of love, and maybe he'll push you into the top four, who knows?

Only time will tell, but Yoosof Farah certainly hopes Adebayor can do it, because he desperately wants those Fantasy Premier League points for his own league campaign.

Nikola Kalinic: Is He Really the Future of Croatian Football?

Yoosof Farah — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 07:10:04 -0400

At Priestfield on Tuesday 25 August, League One side Gillingham FC played host to Premiership side Blackburn Rovers and their star-studded team of international players.

Whilst Gillingham may have lost 1-3, there was plenty to be excited about that evening, with all the top quality players Blackburn have, the return of ex-Gillingham keeper Jason Brown to Priestfield and of course, the return of Danny Jackman in a Gills shirt.

But another thing keen football followers might have been excited about was the fact that Blackburn's new signing Nikola Kalinic was making his first ever start for the club in the game against Gillingham.

To most, Kalinic is another one of those fancy foreign players that no one in England has ever heard of, but to the fans who also take an interest in the Premiership, this Croatian striker seems different from other foreigners to have played in the top flight.

For a start, he's only 21 years old and cost the Ewood Park club £6.4 million, which is quite a lot of money when you think that Simeon Jackson was a big money signing for the Gills with his whopping £150,000 price tag.

Although more importantly, Kalinic has won several caps through the ranks for Croatia, including two caps in the senior side, leading current Croatia manager Slaven Bilic to hail him as "the future of Croatian football." And this is exactly the point of my article: Is Nikola Kalinic really the future of Croatian football? Us Gills fans could well be qualified to answer that question, having seen the young striker first hand.

And in this case, the answer could actually be no. After missing a hat-trick of very decent goalscoring opportunities away at Sunderland two days before, Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce had high hopes for Kalinic, maybe even expecting him to get on the scoresheet.

However, once the game down in Kent had commenced, it was a different story altogether. Instead of tirelessly teasing and toying with the Gillingham defence, Kalinic found himself unable to break through the wall of Mark Bentley and Josh Gowling. Whenever the Croatian had the ball, no matter how deep into the Gills half he was, never could he get a shot on; he could only pass it out to the wings, or back to the midfield.

And when not in possession, the young Croatian again failed to sparkle. He was hardly ever picked out by his teammates, who always seemed to have better options on offer than him, and as for being an aerial threat, well, let's just say his fairly imposing figure never really caused much damage to the Gills.

The highly-rated striker's unspectacular first-half performance unsurprisingly culminated in him being taken off at half-time.

For a player who is meant to have a big impact in the Premiership, it does seem rather unconvincing that he is even struggling to threat League One defenders. But then again, when you have Mark Bentley and Josh Gowling at the heart of defence, it's not surprising that attackers struggle against them!

However, there is not just one side to every story, and this is the same.

In defence of Kalinic, his trip down to Gillingham was only his second football match in the English game, and lower league sides can always prove to be tricky for the top flight teams, so obviously he will need time to adjust, and getting goals out of him so early on in his Blackburn career can well be considered a bit too much to ask.

Also, let's be honest, Kalinic didn't have his hefty price tag for nothing, and nor has he played at all levels of the Croatian national team for nothing. Nikola Kalinic is highly-rated for a reason, having made his league debut aged only 17, and having won the Golden Boot in the Croatian top-flight with 26 goals for Hadjuk Split in the 2007-'08 season.

So there is definitely some justification in Slaven Bilic's words, but after seeing his poor showing down at the Gills, not many have reason yet to be convinced. As the cliché saying goes, time will tell as to whether he can live up to the expectation or not.

But for the 6,769 Gills fans inside the stadium, let's just hope he can live up to the hype. At least then we can say, “I saw the future of Croatian football with my very own eyes.”

Caster Semenya: The Female Version of Usain Bolt?

Yoosof Farah — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 12:12:46 -0400

Only an athlete like Usain Bolt can attract such media attention as South African 800m runner Caster Semenya.

However, whereas Bolt receives attention because of his sheer dominance in the 100m and 200m sprints, Semenya gets her attention because of her gender.

Semenya, who took gold in the women's 800m final at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Berlin, has caused quite a stir in the world of athletics, as the sport's top governing body—the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF)—has raised doubts over the South African's gender following her dominant performances in the heats and semi-final of the 800m event.

Many of her competitors have also raised doubts, with rival 800m runner Elisa Cusma Piccione, who finished sixth in that final, saying: "Just look at her. For me she is just not a woman."

In any case, gender controversy aside, Caster Semenya's performance was absolutely stunning as she made her World Championship debut.

In the final of the 800m, she left all her rivals trailing in her wake as she coasted to victory, a whopping 2.45 seconds ahead of her nearast competitor.

And it's two things that make this win incredibly remarkable.

Firstly, these gender doubts cast by the IAAF were made public just a day before Semenya was due to run in the 800m final.

And yet with all that inevitable worldwide media pressure on her, she didn't at all let it affect her race, and after crossing the line to take the gold medal she brushed her shoulders as if to be brushing off all these doubts everyone has about her gender.

Secondly, Caster Semenya is just 18-years old, starting her senior athletics career only eight months ago, after joining the University of Pretoria athletics club (where she is also a first year Sports Science student).

When she first joined, manager of the club Hennie Kriel said she was not a world class athlete, but she worked hard and developed quickly to become a World Champion.

To have all that media pressure and still produce an amazing, world class performance to become the 800m World Champion at 18-years old, after only getting into senior athletics just eight months previously, is a colossal achievement.

Whilst there maybe doubts over Caster Semenya's gender, the simple fact is, what she has achieved at such a young age is incredible.

If the gender verification tests Semenya has undergone in a Berlin hospital prove that she is female, who knows what this South African athlete can achieve?

She is already a World Champion, something many athletes have trained for over decade trying to achieve, and yet she has done it in a matter of months.

Usain Bolt has generated a massive amount of worldwide media attention after breaking the World Records in both the 100m Sprint (9.58secs) and 200m Sprint (19.19secs) and securing his third gold medal at the 12th IAAF World Athletics Championships.

Unfortunately, Caster Semenya has generated the same amount of attention for off-track events.

But don't you think it's about time we forgot about the gender controversy, and simply looked at this athlete's true potential on the track?

Just like Usain Bolt, provisional results have told us that Caster Semenya is one of the fastest runners in the world right now.

And if Bolt has already achieved greatness, then surely Semenya can't be that far off? After all, she's only 18-years old and already is an 800m World Champion.

Even Usain Bolt wasn't that young when he started winning senior world titles.

Usain Bolt Excites Millions as He Breaks 100m World Record...Again

Yoosof Farah — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:15:51 -0400

"I think it will stop at 9.4 [seconds] but you never know..."

That's the thing about Usain Bolt; he always knows how to tantalise the whole world of athletics.

It's one thing for a human to sprint 100m in 9.4 seconds, but to get even quicker than that...it's impossible, right?

Well, who knows? Because at the moment, in the words of Bolt himself, "anything is possible."

On Sunday 16th August 2009 at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, millions around the globe witnessed this Jamaican sprinter beat his own world record by a whopping 0.11 seconds in the final of the mens' 100m Sprint at the IAAF World Athletics Championships.

He clocked in a time of 9.58 secs, much quicker than a year earlier, when he showboated his way to a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics with a time of 9.69 secs.

To take 0.11 secs off a record that pre-Beijing 2008 had fallen by only 0.21 secs in the last 39 years is something very special indeed.

The Berlin race is even more incredible when you think that he had again beaten the likes of Asafa Powell and Tyson Gay, with the latter running an incredible time of 9.71 secs (well, by normal athletics standards), and still only ending up with a silver medal!

When you think of all that, coupled with what seems like an achievement done without the use of anything illegal (and we all know athletics have been plagued by drug scandals, Mr. Dwain Chambers), one cannot help but get excited by the pure talent and living legend that is Usain Bolt.

Bolt is definitely a breath of fresh air to athletics.

Just when drug cheats were plunging this sport into its darkest days, out comes a Jamaican even better than Asafa Powell; a man who can single-handedly transform sprinting and slash all world records within a matter of months to be proclaimed the greatest sprinter the world has ever seen.

Of course, not everyone is completely taken away by Bolt. A US columnist voiced the opinion of the several skeptics hardened by years of doping allegations, saying, "I hope [Usain] Bolt is clean, but after a while, we only hope, we don't believe."

But for the many millions that believe Bolt can, and has, changed the face of athletics, the excitement levels just grow even higher when one thinks of the mind-blowing potential this man has.

Nobody thought 9.69 secs could be topped, and it was—convincingly. But that does not stop many thinking coach Glen Mills' prediction of Bolt ultimately reaching sub-9.5 secs is too much to ask.

Then again, when the man himself says, "I don't think limits," is it not clear that there are simply no limits to what he can achieve?

As was written by Ian Chadband of The Daily Telegraph, Usain Bolt simply sees no limits.

Chadband writes, "Think of this: on a rain-soaked day in Manchester earlier this year, he clocked 8.72 sec for the last rolling 100m on a 150m straight; he lost key weeks of training after his car accident and minor foot surgery in April; and he may well have only been only 85 percent fit on Sunday. What is possible once he is really back to his Beijing sleekest?"

With that in mind, any one of us mere mortals simply cannot help but get excited by what Bolt has already achieved, and what, mind-blowingly, he is still able to achieve.

To finish off with another quote from Usain Bolt, he says, "The competition between me, Tyson [Gay], and Asafa [Powell] is making the sport big again."

Oh no my friend, you are completely wrong. There is no competition; it's just you and the millions of excited people around the world, waiting to see how much you break your world record by next time.

Crystal Palace, Rob Shoebridge, Neil Warnock and the Goal That Never Was

Yoosof Farah — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 07:16:23 -0400

In a Coca-Cola League Championship match at Ashton Gate, where Bristol City were playing host to Crystal Palace, the away side scored on 34 minutes through on-loan striker Freddie Sears.

Well, all the players, staff and 14,603 in attendance around the stadium presumed he had scored, as well as the millions of football followers who later saw replays of the goal on television.

But to referee Rob Shoebridge and his linesman, Sears' effort was not a goal, but instead a goal kick.

In reality, the ball had broken to Sears, on-loan from Premier League side West Ham, and the highly-rated youngster unleashed a venomous shot right into the bottom corner.

However, the problem was that the ball was unleashed too fast into the bottom corner, as it smacked against the stanchion inside the goal and bounced straight back out.

So while Sears and his teammates had broke away to celebrate, Shoebridge and his team of officials were left dumbfounded as they were caught by the illusion of the ball hitting a hoarding and bouncing back onto the pitch. Well, we'll never actually know what the officials were thinking, but that's probably the most logical explanation.

A perfectly good goal disallowed it was then. As you can tell, an incident like that isn't just going to quickly and quietly make it's way into the archives.

This farcical situation has drawn parallels with the "phantom goal" of last season, where the now infamous referee Stuart Atwell awarded a goal which in actual fact was meant to be a goal kick. Looks like the officials at Ashton Gate on Saturday thought they'd try it the other way round.

Of course, the managers also have had their say, none more so than the aggrieved Crystal Palace boss Neil Warnock.

With his now famous quotes on the situation, the Palace manager said: "We can put a man on the moon, time serves of 100 miles per hour at Wimbledon, yet we cannot place a couple of sensors in a net to show when a goal has been scored."

"I feel sorry for the referee because he didn't get any help. But how can I mark him when he spoils an otherwise good display with a mistake of that importance?"

In his fit of rage, Warnock also decided to have a pop at his managerial counterpart, saying: "I thought [Bristol City manager] Gary Johnson and his players could have shown more sportsmanship because they knew it was a goal, like everyone else. But I'm 60-years-old and maybe I expect too much.

Perhaps in a bid to avoid a fine for his comments, Warnock tried to cool the situation with the referee: "We were cheated. And I'm not saying that against the referee because he didn't mean to get it wrong."

It's clear that Nicky Maynard's 89th minute winner for Bristol City didn't really do anything to cool the situation, and the hosts' manager Gary Johnson left to count his blessings.

The City boss said: "In Neil's position I would feel the same as he does. Sometimes as the away manager a big decision goes against you, the crowd get on your back and it's very hard to keep things under control.

"[Freddie Sears' 34th minute effort] was a goal of course, but I don't see what I could have done about it at the time. I had my own team to think about because we weren't playing well in the first half.

"Neil didn't want to shake my hand and that's up to him. I can't say I was surprised after what had happened, but it's one of those things."

So you could say, in conclusion, if one thing is for certain in this situation of monumental controversy, apart from the desperate need for goal-line technology, it's that football still has that win-at-all-costs attitude. And from this evidence, there's no suggestion of it ever dieing down.