Bleacher Report - World Football

Arsenal FC All-Time XI

Alex Stamp — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:57:15 -0500

Arsenal FC have been blessed with some of the finest players which British football has ever seen. The history of the club is as rich and varied as any, and for a club who have not been relegated from the top flight in over 90 years, they have a long history of success. From Herbert Chapman and his revolutionary W-M formation, led by maestros Cliff Bastin and Alex James, and boasting David Jack, Charlie Buchan, Joe Hulme and Eddie Hapgood, to the 1953 team of Joe Mercer, the Compton brothers and Jimmy Logie. Then the double winners of 1971, Mclintock, George, Radford, Graham and Armstrong, through to the days of George Graham as manager, Tony Adams, Alan Smith, Paul Merson, David Rocastle and Steve Bould. Finally, onto Wenger-perhaps the finest period in the club's history-consistent success mixed with players of wonderful entertainment value and ability. The names of Dennis Bergkamp, Marc Overmars, Emmanuel Petit, Patrick Vieira, Sol Campbell, Ashley Cole, Thierry Henry and latterly Cesc Fabregas, Robin Van Persie and Gael Clichy will go down as some of the finest in the club's history. Here we take a look at some of the legends of the club as we build a composite all-time XI of Arsenal FC.

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Arsene Wenger Leaps To Defence Of Thierry Henry

Barnaby de Hoedt — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:09:38 -0500

How Thierry Henry must wish Arsene Wenger was the manager of the French national team.

The Arsenal manager has been nothing short of a father figure to Arsenal's all-time top scorer and he came to the striker's defence after Henry was branded a "cheat" around the world for his already infamous handball against Ireland.

"Football and sport in general is full of heroes who have cheated 10 times more than Thierry," said Wenger in his press conference ahead of Arsenal's trip to Sunderland.

Wenger, who as a Frenchman admitted it was "embarrassing" to qualify for the World Cup in these circumstances, is far angrier with the French Football Federation than he is with Henry.

Henry first worked under Wenger at Monaco and it was during that period that the Arsenal manager's faith in football was tested to the limit. Indeed, if memory serves, Wenger left for Japan on the back of the Olympique Marseilles match-fixing scandal.

Perhaps it is why Wenger never became France's manager and there was a disdainful tone in his voice towards the football authorities in his home country this afternoon.

"For me, people who bought games, who bought referees, who drugged [sic] before big competitions - they are the real cheats," Wenger said, strongly attempting to exonerate the man he helped transform into a world-class superstar. "Thierry Henry has 12, 14 years of fair behaviour in sport and he is singled out today for me in the wrong way."

Wenger insisted the onus to act was on Fifa and the FFF.

"We are still in 2009, sitting here, where 2 billion people see what happened and one guy doesn't see it and he cannot help you," Wenger said. "Come out with a solution maybe with one guy behind the goal, the best one would certainly be technology."

And Wenger, famed for offering an FA Cup replay to Sheffield United in 1999 when Arsenal scored an "unsporting" goal, said France should offer the olive branch of a replay.

"It is up to the French to do something and not leave one guy out there against the world. France should say, yes it was a handball, and offer a replay. Then it would be down to Fifa."

Yes, how Henry must wish Wenger was still his boss. Instead, he must persist with Raymond Domenech.

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Chelsea V Wolves Online Preview: Premier League Football

Sports Betting Review — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:21:59 -0500

Chelsea v Wolves

21st November, 2009

Stamford Bridge

Kick-Off: 15:00 GMT

Chelsea

Chelsea recorded a fine victory against Manchester United in their latest Premier League match prior to this Chelsea vs Wolves clash .

Captain John Terry came up big when his side needed him most, as he has done for a number of years. The centre back scored the only goal of the game in the 76th minute to record a crucial victory for the Bleus over their rivals.

Chelsea have now distanced themselves from the rest of the pack as they sit comfortably in first place, a full five points clear of Arsenal and Manchester United. The club have yet to lose this season and have a fantastic goal difference of +21.

The depth of Chelsea’s squad is enough to scare any opposition, and following the internationals, Carlo Ancelotti may elect to rest a few of his first team regulars in this Chelsea v Wolverhampton match on Saturday.

Michael Essien, however, has apparently returned to England earlier than expected as he failed to report for Ghana’s friendly match with Angola on Wednesday.

Jose Bosingwa will miss the next three months after having surgery on his knee.

Wolves

Wolverhampton find themselves in the relegation zone, as they currently sit 19th in the league.

The newcomers were expected to struggle, although with a bit of luck, their situation could be very different.

Mick McCarthy’s team have lost six matches, but have shown signs of promise. Wolves have drawn three of their last four matches against strong opposition in Everton, Aston Villa and away against Stoke, who are an extremely strong team at home.

A victory would come as a big boost for the side that have not won since September, although against an in-form Chelsea team at Stamford Bridge, there is a real risk of a slaughter in this Chelsea v Wolves tie.

Prediction

The last league matches between these two sides came back in the 2003/04 season. The Chelsea vs Wolverhampton match at Stamford Bridge ended in a 5-2 Chelsea win, whilst the reverse fixture was even worse, with the Blues thrashing the Wolves 5-0.

Chelsea will be massive favourites ahead of Saturday’s match, and deservedly so—the difference between Chelsea and Wolves is like night and day.

The Wolves have done well so far this season, all things considered, and when they have lost, it has generally only been by a goal or two.

However, if Chelsea were to continue the form they possessed prior to the international break, there is a real chance that they could run riot in this match.

Chelsea vs Wolverhampton Prediction: Chelsea 4 - Wolves 0

Get the BEST Chelsea vs Wolves Betting Odds and Tips at Sports Betting Review now!

And check out our other previews, with Liverpool vs Manchester City , Sunderland vs Arsenal , Manchester United vs Everton and plenty more!

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Humor: We Know What Happened During The France—Ireland Clash

Zahi Sahli — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:42:53 -0500

It was a day like any other. Or not so.

Thierry Henry handled the ball, crossed a ball that was headed by William Gallas into the back of the net to launch France into the 2010 World Cup and eliminate Ireland from contention. Or is that only what "they" want us to see.

Was it FIFA, the ones who staged the match with a seeded draw, wanting Ireland to meet the French and bring all the media's attention to football by having a "controversial" goal scored late?

Was it the French who demanded that the last game and all its drama be held in Paris to attract more media spotlight to its capital? Or maybe it was all shot in a Hollywood studio!

Were the Irish in on it too? Does Henry's apology come from his heart or is it all scripted?

Ahh! We saw Henry coming down the bus. What was he doing talking with Ireland's assistant manager Marco Tardelli? They were laughing and smiling! They must be in on it!

What we have heard and are not so sure of until now (although we are pretty sure about the rest of the story) is that Henry called Diego Maradona to ask the Argentinian legend for help.

Henry asked Maradona about the "correct" usage of "the hand of God" in order to get the maximum out of cheating by using the hand and keeping it out of the referee's sight.

Maradona was reportedly happy to give Henry advice.

Later, when asked about the rumor, Maradona cursed using words familiar to his not-so-distant history in cursing and denied the whole alleged phone calls, deleting Henry's number from his phone book in the process.

Look at Henry's photo. Thierry "The Cheat" Henry. And he has his two arms raised up in the air! That's good. At least he knows he's the bad guy in this story.

It was all part of a great deal concerning the biggest countries in the world. For sure the United States know about it.

Or maybe it was all part of Saddam's plans to ruin the world. Or perhaps some aliens who we thought came "in peace". Oh, how evil can these green creatures get?

What if referee Hansson is an alien himself? He's a blind one, that's for sure. Or maybe Bleacher Report's Barney is even in on it so that he can write another brilliant edition of "The Great Debate".

Other theories however, include some who believe it was all—how can we put it? A "coincidence". Ha, if they only knew!

Ladies and gentlemen, we are in front of a new world order. Conspiracy lies among us. Maybe we are among those who are on it too.

No, it's not "just another game". It's the sign of the times! Is it 2012 already?!

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English Premier League Preview: Week 13

shaun Lazarov — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:37:33 -0500

Saturday 20th November

Sunderland vs Arsenal

Sunderland face a tough game against Arsenal who struggle to establish themselves as serious title contenders again after a few dubious seasons, and they are certainly doing well at proving that they are fit for the challenge. At only five points adrift, if they win this game they’ll be within reach of leapfrogging Chelsea and placing themselves at the top of the table. Sunderland are going to need a miracle.

Aston Villa vs Burnley

Whilst Burnley’s record against the Villain’s is a pretty good one, a lot has changed since the 1930’s when they played on a regular basis. Villa need to keep winning to continue with their European hopes and it seems they’ve got a pretty good chance of doing so.

Chelsea vs Wolverhampton

A returning Ashley Cole is great news for Chelsea, who can’t afford any slip ups with Arsenal hot on their heals and with their squad being more than slightly injury riddled. Wolves may need this win to drag them out of the relegation battle, but the smart money is on them being out-classed in every way by the superstars of Chelsea.

Hull vs West Ham

Hull’s top goal scorer Geovanni is banned and their keeper is injured. This does not bode well for the Tigers; most sides would suffer without their first string keeper and main goal scorer, so it is unlikely at best that a rather small Hull squad would be any different. West Ham are, however, coming off the back of a defeat, but it was hardly a crushing blow, so with the Hull line-up limited it’s fair to say West Ham have a good chance of getting a result.

Man Utd vs Everton

Both sides are riddled with injuries and suspensions although the Man United side looks slightly less worse for wear despite missing Carrick and Berbatov than the Toffees who have a nonexistent first string midfield, who do however look set to return by Wednesday, will not be playing against United, this match will basically come down to whose injuries affect them the least.

Birmingham vs Fulham

If Birmingham win or draw this game they will have equalled their best run under McLeish which would be great for the morale of the team. However it looks likely that Fulham will not be raining on their parade; their form this season certainly looks like that would be the case at least. Both teams coming off the back of draws it wouldn’t be unlikely to see another draw on Saturday.

Liverpool vs Man City

Although Liverpool are missing Torres, again, the return of Gerrard looks good for the Reds from Merseyside, but will it be enough to beat the ever-improving Man City? This is certainly a hard game to pick, but without any real striking power it would seam unlikely for a much needed Liverpool victory to be obtained. Are Benitez's days numbered?

Sunday 21st November

Bolton vs Blackburn

Both of these teams are struggling to find form this season and are subsequently in the bottom half of the table. Bolton’s recent injuries may, however, be enough to give Blackburn an advantage in what would have otherwise been a very even match.

Stoke vs Portsmouth

With Stoke missing their captain Portsmouth may have an opportunity to win those much-needed points to get them out of the relegation zone, but with both teams not in great form, the game could go either way.

Tottenham vs Wigan

Tottenham are missing practically half a squad so it would be fair to say Wigan have got a very good chance against the injury ridden or semi-fit Tottenham side. Wigan haven’t been on great form, but maybe they can pull something out of the hat this Sunday.

Shaun - livescoredaily.com - live sports

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Death of Mexican International Antonio De Nigris Raises Questions

Eric Gomez — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:47:28 -0500

It was a cruel blow for Aldo de Nigris.

The Monterrey forward had just helped qualify his team to the Mexican League playoffs. Better yet, they'd be squaring off against Club América, one of the country's elite teams.

This week was supposed to be about joy.

Now, it's about pain, mourning, and reflection.

"I want to play [...] I followed in [Antonio's] footsteps, tried to follow. Maybe someday I'll be able to do what he did," said Aldo, visibly shaken during a press conference.

His brother, Mexican international Antonio de Nigris, passed away last Sunday from a heart attack in Larissa, Greece at the age of 31.

The tall forward was a true globetrotter, playing in Spain, Turkey, Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, as well as Greece during a 10 year career.

Well-spoken, charismatic, and charming, Antonio was almost universally liked, a point that was clearly seen by the outpouring of tributes all over the footballing world.

Antonio played wherever he could out of necessity, not choice.

A victim of Mexico's infamous "Gentlemen's Pact," which restricts players from moving from club to club after their contract expires, Antonio de Nigris famously avoided such involuntary servitude by going abroad.

According to Antonio, one such incident involving the pact occurred when playing for Santos in Brazil back in 2006, when de Nigris got a call from Monterrey brass who informed him he belonged to the club.

De Nigris was a free agent. The dispute cost him his place at Santos, eventually settling in Turkey.

He would never return to Mexico as a footballer.

Several troubling aspects surrounding Antonio's death should lead to a further investigation of what is happening in football.

Despite the fact that this was not a death on the playing field like Serginho's, Antonio Puerta's, Marc-Vivien Foe's, or many others, was there something unchecked about his physical condition that caused his demise?

Are club doctors overlooking certain things in their patients' medical histories?

This is but the latest of active footballer deaths that have rocked the sport in the past decade, with no significant change to the way player health is monitored.

Cries for investigation from FIFA and other bodies of international sport have basically gone unheard.

Just three months earlier, RCD Espanyol captain Daniel Jarque also died suddenly. The cause? A heart attack.

In 2007, Sevilla's Antonio Puerta also succumbed to the same fate, dramatically collapsing on the pitch during a Spanish league match.

In Puerta's case, an inherited heart disease was to blame. It was never tested for.

Whatever further diagnosis of Antonio de Nigris' autopsy reveals, the burden should squarely be placed on FIFA to produce a unified health screening process for footballers.

Warnings and even restrictions should be placed on players who possess certain ailments that endanger their lives.

Nutritional supplements, exercise routines, and regenerative practices that are common in every footballer's daily routine should also be taken into account.

Clubs should be compelled to test for absolutely every condition that could hinder a footballer's performance and shorten his lifespan, including heart defects.

If the worry here is the fact that promising or established players will be forced to reevaluate their playing careers or stop entirely, consider this:

The value of a young man's life will always supersede the amount of money that said young man can generate for himself and an institution.

Aldo de Nigris can surely attest to that.

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The Battle For Fourth Place?

Kieran Beckles — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:15:35 -0500

Six-hour flights to Doha, 15,000 riot police marshaling stadia, and the hand of Henry sending the Irish dancing back to Dublin were just some of the main talking points of a frenetic and controversial, international break.

Football players and fans will be thankful to return to the normality of domestic football.

The most intriguing clash of the weekend undoubtedly will be at Anfield, where fifth meets sixth as Liverpool look to leapfrog Manchester City and move into fourth—if only temporarily.

It has been described as the "battle for fourth place;" a title which would presumably irk Rafa Benitez after the Reds came so close to winning an elusive Premier League title last campaign, but have stumbled over most hurdles this season.

Indeed, in their current plight, securing the final Champions League spot is a more realistic target than knocking Sir Alex Ferguson of his lofty perch.

Mark Hughes will be desperate to halt City’s current, cumbersome sequence of stalemates. After enjoying a successful start to the season, City have stalled in recent weeks, culminating in a frustrating 3-3 draw with Burnley at the Eastlands.

The trip to Liverpool provides the likes of Adebayor and Tevez with an ideal opportunity to cement the European ambitions of their employers.

Benitez has struggled to come to terms with a lengthy list of casualties in recent weeks, but he expects to have some of his big guns returning for this crucial league game. Steven Gerrard is fresh and raring to go, which will provide the manager, the players, and fans with renewed optimism as the club look to resurrect their season.

Questions will be rightly raised over the fitness of some of Manchester City’s players. Barry, Bridge, Lescott, and Wright-Phillips made the 10,000-mile round trip to Doha and played in England’s defeat to Brazil. Liverpool will be looking to capitalize on any fatigue shown.

Mark Hughes has plenty of depth to choose from should he opt to rest these key players, but he will want his strongest unit present to defeat an out-of-sorts Anfield outfit.

The tenacious Gareth Barry will be looking to flaunt his unquestionable talent in front of the Kop, reminding the Reds what could have been.

He’ll need to pass a fitness test on a troublesome groin.

The smart money will be placed on the home side. Liverpool perform best under pressure and Benitez will hope to replicate their outstanding performance against United a few weeks back.

Ultimately, Hughes would be content to settle for a sixth consecutive draw, but Benitez will recognize that, after a less than satisfactory result against Birmingham a fortnight ago, a win is imperative.

The Spaniard said: “Maybe we can start the season right now. Winning against City will boost everyone and if that happens I am sure we will see the best of the team.”

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Rafael Benitez: One Week to Define an Era

Adamo Digby — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:09:30 -0500

It is only November, and yet for one of England's biggest clubs, the season could end this week.

It has been a nightmare start for Liverpool and their manager, Rafael Benitez, and it could be about to get much worse. Adamo Digby takes a look at eight days that may well decide how his tenure at Anfield is remembered.

Before we look forward let's go back to the start. Back to June 2004. Liverpool had just finished a distant fourth in the league, 15 points behind third place, and a staggering 30 behind eventual—and unbeaten—Arsenal.

In stepped former Valencia manager, Rafael Benitez, fresh from winning La Liga and the UEFA Cup. He was charged with turning around Liverpool's fortunes, and bringing glory back to Liverpool. He sold off a number of well-liked, local players in Owen and Danny Murphy, replacing them with relative unknowns such as Xavi Alonso and Luis Garcia.

Then, to widespread astonishment, he led the Anfield club to their fifth European Cup, beating Juventus, Chelsea, and Milan along the way. This left him untouchable to many of the clubs fans, willing to forgive many errors along the way. He had finally given the Kop something new to taunt their rivals with, after suffering, by Liverpool standards, a barren decade and a half.

Then another new start came in February 2007, when Hicks and Gillet took over the club ownership, promising a new stadium and funds for the best players. They seemed to be the ideal for Benitez; finally he could lead Liverpool to a long-awaited league title.

It proved to be a false dawn however, the ground remains merely a dream, while the transfer funds have plunged the club into terrible debt. The owners failed to back the manager when he requested players such as Gareth Barry, then appeared to sign Robbie Keane behind his back.

The club became a mess, in-fighting, players openly expressing their desire to leave, yet Benitez continued to work near miracles on the field. Liverpool had their best ever Premiership season last year, yet still finished four points behind the champions, Manchester United.

This summer Liverpool lost Alonso to Madrid, but picked up Glen Johnson and Alberto Aquilani. Perhaps this would be their year. Perhaps now, Benitez could lead them to glory instead of more heartache for the fans, more misery on the field, more ammunition for those who believe Benitez to be less than advertised.

Already they have suffered defeat to Fulham, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, and Sunderland in the league, and lie seventh, eleven points behind the leaders. They crashed out of the Carling Cup to Arsenal. It has been no better in the Champions League, with losses to Lyons and Fiorentina.

This week, then, seems pivotal for both club and manager, with three games . It begins on Saturday as Manchester City visits Anfield. Defeat here would make a top four finish difficult. Not only would it leave them even further behind, but as City looks to replace one of the established "Big Four," defeat to them at home could spell disaster.

Then comes a Champions League night no Liverpool fan can be looking forward to.

Liverpool travel to Debrecen on Tuesday night, knowing that even a win might not be enough. If Fiorentina can beat Lyons at home, then the Reds go out of the Champions League at the first hurdle. Given the financial state of the club this will be yet more bad news for everyone connected to the club.

The last game of the three comes next Sunday at Goodison Park, for the Merseyside derby with Everton. By then, this game may be all Liverpool has to play for this season—pride and local bragging rights. That doesn't fill the trophy cabinet or satisfy supporters of a club like this.

A week to save the season then, and with it, perhaps, one man's job—maybe even his legacy.

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Manchester United Will Need Jonny Evans to Have the Vidic Effect

Nathan Lowe — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:33:13 -0500

Most casual observers of Premier League football attribute Manchester United's trilogy of consecutive championships to be largely based on an ingredient no longer present: Cristiano Ronaldo.

But it's intellectual evasion to simply attribute anything to just one factor. The current Galactico's emergence into the world class certainly paralleled United's resurgence against Chelsea's brief dominance in the top division, but his influence was not absolute.

Often overlooked—as defenders are—was the capturing of Patty Evra and especially Nemanja Vidic in January of 2006.

Despite each taking time to acclimate to the British game, both Evra's swinging wing play and particularly Vidic's guerilla mentality provided the foundation for players like Ronaldo to get forward with complete abandon.

Then United started winning titles again.

If that trend is to continue, it'll likely be predicated on defense once again.

Unable to rely on that big, red Ronaldo button—the emergency pressure valve, activated after each successful defense, launching marauding counter-attacks—now United are stagnant getting down the field.

Often Wayne Rooney drops deep, sensing need, to spray the ball to the right, and if a cross comes in, it's only Dimitar Berbatov in the middle to fend for himself. Or vice versa, as Berbatov links play, leaving Rooney's considerable head—but small stature—in the center alone.

When once they sprang forward, they now progress more deliberately, making their attack less incisive, their defense more important.

As such, any success in Mancunian parts will be founded again upon a murderin' Vidic with his new partner Jonny Evans.

Rio Ferdinand is mercifully taking ample time to tend to his injuries. He can afford to, already cemented in Fabio Capello's England plans. Therefore, Evans has at least two months of consistent football ahead of him.

In the games he's earned this season and last, the Northern Irishman has proven more than willing and capable to fill Vidic's position in the left of central defense. The right-footed Vidic actually seems more comfortable in Ferdinand's vacated position to the right of Evans.

Just a fortnight ago, against Didier Drogba—formerly Vidic's favored nemesis—Evans cheekily and knowingly stamped the Ivorian's chest in a pugnacious display which brought joy to anyone rooting red, as Vidic himself chuckled on the sideline while Drogba writhed epileptically.

It's the same physical, simple-minded approach that Vidic himself brought to the club in 2006, perpetuating what is now a decade-long dynasty for United.

Each player will have a chance to put their head in where it hurts when they greedily welcome the blue-collar Everton to Old Trafford on Saturday. For Evans, it begins what should be a long run of games alongside the fan-favored Serbian.

If Jonny Evans continues to impress fans, pundits, and his manager, while causing our rivals' show ponies to spasm comically, Ferdinand might not be—nor should be—featuring even into the new year, or even well beyond.

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The Great Debate: Should FIFA Allow Ireland vs France To Be Replayed?

Barney — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:21:46 -0500

Controversy, cheating, and conspiracy.

These have been the three buzzwords this week in football's latest soap opera as Thierry Henry's "Hand of Frog" put France through to the World Cup in South Africa at the expense of Ireland.

Twenty-three years after Diego Maradona made enemies with every person in England with his infamous "Hand of God", Henry seems to have done the same with the Irish.

With the ball bouncing out of play, Henry clearly used his hand to claw it back in, before poking it across the goal to William Gallas, who headed in from a yard out.

Much to anger and astonishment of the Irish, however, the referee didn't blow for a handball, instead awarding the goal to the French.

Understandably, everyone involved not wearing a blue shirt was incensed, and the fallout has made the back pages of newspapers all over the world.

The most recent news is that FIFA, football's governing body, has rejected Ireland's appeal for a replay of the match.

But should they have let another match take place?

First, I will look at the argument from the side of the Irish.

Not only did Gallas' goal rob Ireland of a place in the World Cup for the first time since 2002, but it also robbed them of history and an awful lot of money.

The price of a World Cup campaign to the economy has been quoted as being as high as £1-2 billion, money Ireland will now have to go without. Undoubtedly, Henry's handball is the most expensive in history.

To go out in such circumstances is incredibly galling, particularly considering they had put in so much effort just to get to that stage.

But should the size of the implications of the result have any impact on FIFA's decision? No, I don't think they should.

A game of football is a game of football, and controversial things happen all the time. FIFA can't sanction a replay because then it'd be one rule for matches with a lot at stake and another for the "less important" matches.

I remember having a similar feeling at the end of the Tottenham vs Manchester United game a few years ago. In that match, you will remember, Pedro Mendes had a shot from the halfway line which clearly crossed the line after Roy Carroll's mistake.

The referee and linesman, however, insisted that it hadn't, and Spurs were robbed of a goal.

I distinctly remember feeling a massive sense of injustice for Tottenham at the end of that game, and I strongly believed that it should have been replayed. The match was much less important than Ireland and France's World Cup qualifier, but FIFA has to treat them both the same.

The laws of the game are the laws of the game, be it at Sunday league level, Premier League level or international level.

Did England get a replay against Argentina for Maradona's handball? No. Unless FIFA want to set a new precedent that they will follow thereafter, they have to abide by their rules.

Under the circumstances, then, the match couldn't have been replayed, and FIFA made the only reasonable decision. I do, however, think that a change of rules should be thought about.

A post-match panel of officials could look at any controversial decisions and decide what action should be taken. Whether this action could be extended as far as a replay in extreme circumstances is up for debate.

What it could include, though, is a citing system similar to that in rugby, where a player can be penalised after the match for incidents the referee has missed or misjudged the seriousness of.

Would this be applicable to Thierry Henry though?

Well, to answer that it must be established whether he handled the ball on purpose.

Henry has since admitted the ball hit his hand, although he insists it was accidental, and has apologised and even said a rematch would be the fairest option.

But replays suggest he did handle the ball on purpose.

When it first strikes his arm, it looks like a natural reflex action, but then he seems to scoop the ball back into play with his hand.

He knew he was cheating at the time, but I don't think he was thinking of the consequences of his actions or the major ramifications they would have.

He instinctively tried to keep the ball in play and create a chance for his team. Yes, this is technically cheating, but it is no worse than diving or any other form of bending the rules for your own gain.

Henry is unfortunate that his actions have been magnified due to the importance of the game, and I don't think he would have been cited had the system been in play.

Should he have owned up? In a perfect world, yes, but he can't be expected to. Incidents like Paolo Di Canio catching the ball because the opposition goalkeeper was injured are heart-warming moments, but they are most certainly the exception to the rule.

So is Henry a cheat? I suppose that, by the letter of the law, he did cheat, but I would have done the same and so, I'm sure, would most of the Irish bemoaning the hand of Henry.

The match, it must be remembered, was as important to France as it was to Ireland. If you had a chance to slightly bend the rules if it meant going to the World Cup finals, would you do it? I know I would.

On that point, would Ireland be so accepting of a replay if it was Robbie Keane who handled and they who had progressed?

The incident also opened up the seemingly endless video technology debate, which I will be discussing in a future article.

It also caused several members of the Ireland set-up to question whether FIFA favour the bigger, more glamorous nations, an argument spurred on by the seeding of the qualifying teams.

This ensured the likes of Portugal and France wouldn't meet each other, instead getting potentially easier ties.

Viewers in neutral countries would rather see Cristiano Ronaldo and Thierry Henry than Richard Dunne and Damien Duff, that is a fact, but favouritism cannot be spawned from greed and potential money-making.

Whether or not FIFA planned, or rather expected the bigger teams to go through will be cause for argument until the World Cup kicks-off, but for now, the Irish just have to lick their wounds and get on with it.

I sympathise with them, I really do. I can imagine the whole country is printing off pictures of Henry to stick on their dartboards, and I would be doing the same if England were in their position, but I don't blame Henry for doing what he did and I certainly don't blame FIFA for not allowing a replay.

In fact, the only people that can be held responsible are the officials. Ireland were just unlucky that they were stuck with a referee and linesman who, like Robbie Keane and co., won't be making the trip to South Africa.

Read more World Football news on BleacherReport.com

Liverpool v Manchester City Online Preview: Premier League Football

Sports Betting Review — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:07:50 -0500

Liverpool vs. Manchester City

21st November, 2009

Anfield

Kick-Off: 12:45 GMT

Liverpool

The international break could not have come at a better time for Liverpool, who will have had time to regain their thoughts and focus for Saturday's Liverpool vs Man City matchup.

Rafa Benitez' men are in desperate need of a win, as the club have won only one of their previous five Premier League matches.

Unfortunately for Liverpool, injuries have cast a dark shadow over the squad as of late.

The injuries to stars Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres were, for obvious reasons, huge blows to Liverpool, but the team has failed to step up their game in the absence of their leaders.

The fact that Liverpool currently sits seventh in the league on only 19 points from 12 games is a bit shocking. And in wake of their failures, Benitez has been on thin ice in the media.

This Liverpool vs. Manchester City clash will not make things easier for the side, as they will be facing a team who is undoubtedly looking to break into the top four and oust the Reds from their formerly comfortable position.

Liverpool's most recent 2-2 draw with Birmingham at Anfield was only the latest in a long run of poor performances. And, if Liverpool doesn't right the ship sooner, rather than later, Benitez could very well be out the door, as could Liverpool's future Champions League aspirations.

Manchester City

Manchester City have generally done well through the first three months of the season.

Mark Hughes' side currently find themselves one position ahead of Liverpool in the table, in sixth. The Blues have gathered 20 points for their efforts this season, but have a game in hand over Liverpool.

Still, the fine position Man City find themselves in has been no indication of the way the club has been performing recently, as they, too, will have enjoyed the break.

After storming out to an inspired start, City have now drawn all of their last five Premier League matches, the latest of which came in a 3-3 draw against Burnley.

Man City was the better side, but were down 2-0 just after the half hour mark. The match swung wildly following Burnley's second goal, and City hammered three consecutive goals past Brian Jensen to take a 3-2 lead.

Then, with only three minutes remaining, substitute Kevin McDonald levelled things up for the visitors.

For a team that holds such high aspirations as Manchester City now does, draws against weaker sides simply cannot be an option on a regular basis if the side is to challenge the Big Four at the top of the table.

Prediction

With a run of mediocre results behind them, Man City will certainly be hoping for three points at Anfield on Saturday.

The Citizens managed a draw in last season's Liverpool vs. Man City fixture at Anfield, but lost the Man City vs Liverpool match at the City of Manchester Stadium by a scoreline of 3-2.

Both Liverpool and Manchester City will be eager for a result in this fixture, for similar reasons.

But. Liverpool should be the hungrier of the two sides, and with captain Steven Gerrard set to make his return from injury for the match, the Reds would have to appear to be the more likely of the sides to take a result away on Saturday.

Liverpool vs Man City Prediction: Liverpool 2, Man City 0

Get the BEST Liverpool vs Man City Odds and Betting Tips at the Sports Betting Review site now!

Also, read our other weekend previews, including Man Utd vs Everton , Sunderland vs Arsenal , and Chelsea vs Wolves plus three others!

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Bayern vs. Leverkusen Preview: Contenders vs. Pretenders?!

Samrin Hasib — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:37:24 -0500

Wait a second! Who are currently at the top of the Bundesliga table? It must be Bayern! Wait...no...it's Leverkusen!

My opening statement pretty much sums it all up. While Bayern are headed downward, Leverkusen are headed upward.

This weekend is far more than a clash for three points. Bayern will be out to prove a point. They will be out to prove that they will forever be the team to best out any other side in the Bundesliga while Leverkusen will be out to prove that they are a lot more than "Neverkusen."

Bayern: It's time for a change

I have always known in life that there is always some peace after a lot of turmoil. Bayern proved me wrong again. I thought that the winter break would finally bring some peace to the Allianz Arena, but Uli Hoeness made sure that I was wrong. He came out and said that Louis Van Gaal must not take matters into his own hands.

Van Gaal hasn't done much favours to himself by constantly changing the lineup every match day, but this also had to do with the fact that a lot of Bayern players were injured. Currently Arjen Robben is back after a layoff but will most probably not start.

What is guaranteed, though, is that Thomas Muller will start. Perhaps, the best thing after Toni Kroos in Bavaria is this young lad. He is a born fighter and will fight till the death. A lot of what will happen in this match wil be down to the defence behind Muller.

Philipp Lahm and Daniel Pranjic will have to stay back (forget Braafheid!) to stop either Toni Kroos or Tranquillo Barnetta from exploiting the gaps they might leave behind.

On the other hand Muller and Schweinsteiger will have to try and score because I can bet on the fact that the Bayern strikers will not be scoring against Bayer's resolute defence (unless you convert Daniel van Buyten to one, of course).

Leverkusen: It's time to get rid of the label "Neverkusen"!

Hans Joerg Butt mentioned that the only Bayer player he is in contact with is Simon Rolfes since he left in 2007. This reflects the revolution of new blood at Bayer. Bayer is now a disciplined team simmering with talent at almost every point. Even with Simon Rolfes, Patrick Helmes and Renato Augusto all out due to injuries, the team is coming out on top in most of its games.

Jupp Heynckes has finally, or at least hopefully, gotten the best out of a team that has always had talent but never had the power to shine on the big stage. This statement from Miroslav Klose will perhaps best sum up the Bayer of recent years:

"They're a good side, they play well and have some good players in the squad. Under Bruno Labbadia they were also a good team. But you've got to be consistently good across the season."

This year could finally be Bayer's time to shine.

Toni Kroos is still under contract with Bayern and he will know how to get to the Bayern wing backs. Bayern's defence has its disadvantages, and Kiessling or Derdiyok will be able to get past Daniel van Buyten or Martin Demichellis with fair ease. It might be strange to say this, but the toughest link to break down in the Bayern defence might actually turn out to be Holger Badstuber!

Predicted lineups

A big question mark hangs over whether Miroslav Klose or Ivica Olic will be in the squad for Bayern. Frank Ribery is definitely out alongside Andreas Goerlitz.

Lineup: Hans Joerg Butt- Philipp Lahm, Daniel Van Buyten, Martin Demichelis, Holger Badstubber- Mark Van Bommel, Hamit Altintop- Thomas Muller, Bastian Schweinsteiger- Mario Gomez, Miroslav Klose.

Bayer's injury list is evergrowing. Simon Rolfes, Patrick Helmes, Michael Kadlec, Renato Augusto, Pierre de Wit and Benedikt Fernandez are all out with injuries.

Lineup: Rene Adler- Daniel Schwaab, Manuel Friedrich, Sami Hyppia, Gonzalo Castro- Arturo Vidal, Bastian Reinartz- Toni Kroos, Tranquillo Barnetta- Stefan Kiessling, Eren Derdiyok.

Prediction

Leverkusen haven't lost over their last five matches, but they did draw three of them. Bayern drew two of their last five matches. Both teams won two of their last five matches (Bayern lost the other game). Leverkusen haven't beaten Bayern since 1989 at Bayern's home ground. Klose and his Bayern side also know that they will be nine points off the top if they lose this week.

Bayern will come up with something to get out of this situation, but looking at Leverkusen recently, they might just have the power to battle this one out.

Bayern 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen.

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Athletic Bilbao vs. FC Barcelona Quick Preview from a Barca Point of View

Isaac Asante — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:02:41 -0500

This is a full version article, get more here.

A comprehensive 4-2 home victory over Mallorca for FC Barcelona two weeks ago should normally serve the Catalans as a morale-boosting result ahead of their weekend away match against Athletic Bilbao in La Liga.

The Spanish League titleholders have not really managed to keep the luck and strength they showed last season, but regardless, they still hold the first place in the standings.

Surely, this is because of Real Madrid’s incapability to remain in winning ways, yet Barcelona could suffer a drop in the standings if they fail to get a victory at the San Mames stadium on Saturday.

FC Barcelona - Dealing with Exhaustion

It is indeed true that matches played by Barcelona’s biggest stars during their recent international duties could have an impact on their display this weekend. Certainly, this would be understandable, but then, bearing in mind that Real Madrid’s rotation policy could help Los Blancos in terms of fitness and match preparation against Racing Santander, Barcelona would certainly have to put their fatigue behind.

This definitely calls for determination…

Enhancing the back

Recent matches have clearly revealed that Barcelona’s defenders need a whole new way of protecting their goal line, so as to prevent their opponents from scoring in almost every single match they play; but nonetheless, it looks like coach Pep Guardiola is more concerned by the work of his front men than the mistakes of his back players.

Most goals conceded by Barcelona recently have been coming from dreadful faults in the Catalans’ own half. Perhaps, a stronger midfield could do be the ideal solution to solve such a dangerous problem, but then, it would be unacceptable to rely on specific parts of the team only, instead of the entire squad.

At least the defense would have to be blameless before the manager decides to handle games over to his attackers; however, this is not the case for the Spanish League titleholders.

Well, these negative facts should immediately be taken seriously by manager Guardiola, if ever he is to prevent Athletic Bilbao from making his side pay for the humiliating, historic moment when they defeated the Basques 4-1 in the Copa del Rey final, and 5-1 on aggregate in the Spanish Super Cup single-legged encounter.

Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona - The Score Line

To be honest, I personally can’t really predict the score line, but I certainly can predict that the match will not end in more than a 5-goal thriller. What about you fans, what do you believe?

You might want to let me know your opinions through comments, and maybe, check here.

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The Bottom Corner: Is FIFA Just a Bunch of Muppets?

Salaar Shamsi — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:42:08 -0500

FIFA have dashed the Republic of Ireland's hopes of replaying their World Cup qualifying play-off with France.

The Football Association of Ireland requested a replay after Thierry Henry's clear handball in the build-up to William Gallas' decisive goal.

Thierry Henry admitted to handling the ball, but it doesn't mean anything to the Irish, who were absolutely sensational throughout the game—they played their hearts out and deserve to be in South Africa next year.

The goal has created an outrage in the football world, many have blasted Henry for having no morals and drawn comparisons to Diego Maradona’s "Hand of God" goal.

Irish supporters rightly claim they have been robbed of an opportunity to be part of the World Cup.

It’s a real shame to see the Irish bow out especially after seeing how Ireland dominated the game, the level of passion and spirit showed by Giovanni Trappatoni’s men was truly spectacular.

Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn has described the event as ‘the greatest injustice in sport.’

Former Republic of Ireland midfielder Ray Houghton has called for FIFA president Sepp Blatter to make a public statement on the decision by football's world governing body.

"Where is Sepp Blatter? Why hasn't he come out and stood up and told everyone how it is."

"He's very good at telling other countries how to run their game. It really needed the top man to come out and tell the footballing public why they have made this decision."

If you have a look at how FIFA responded to this controversy, you might begin to question the credibility of the game’s leading body.

FIFA stated that the result of the match cannot be changed and the match cannot be replayed because it is clearly mentioned in the laws of the game that decisions taken by the referee are final.

A statement released by FIFA reads :

"There is no way the game can replayed”.

"To do so would cause absolute chaos for football. If it was replayed then every match in the future would also be subject to these calls for a replay any time a referee misses an incident”

"FIFA's rules are absolutely clear. Law 5 states that a referee's decision on points of fact are final. That is the end of it. You cannot replay the match on this basis."

"You have to have a rule that says the referee's judgement is always right."

The FAI had claimed there was a precedent because FIFA ordered Uzbekistan to replay Bahrain in 2006 World Cup qualifier when the referee made a "technical error" after a penalty had been awarded.

However, in that instance, the referee was guilty of wrongly applying the rules rather than missing an offence, he awarded an indirect free-kick against Uzbekistan when one of their players encroached on the Bahrain penalty area as the Uzbeks successfully converted a penalty.

The correct decision would have been to order the penalty to be retaken.

Personally, I’m beginning to question whatever happened to FIFA and its fair play campaign?

My heart goes out to the thousands of Irish fans who travelled to Paris and have been wrongly denied a chance to support their heroes in South Africa.

Perhaps, FIFA just doesn’t have the balls to stand up to the French who are, make no mistake about it, one of the strongest parties in world football.

A World Cup without France, where it might be just, would’ve hit FIFA and the French as hard as a jawbreaker.

It’s extremely unfortunate that we won’t get to see the likes of Shay Given, Damien Duff, Robbie Keane, and Kevin Doyle in South Africa but football is really cruel game, isn’t it?

FIFA may have gone by their own rules here but they clearly haven’t done the right thing.

The problem with bringing video technology into the game, many tend to argue, is that it will affect the human aspect and the natural beauty and intensity of the sport. Well, when you get results like this, is it a risk worth taking?

Has FIFA shown double standards here?

Hold that thought for now.

That's it from The Bottom Corner, here's Salaar Shamsi signing off, until next time, it's goodbye.

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Rafa Benitez's Bargain Hunting Costing Liverpool Dearly

illya mclellan — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:21:43 -0500

At the close of last season, it was thought that Liverpool were finally going to end the run which has seen them not lift the league trophy since the managerial tenure of Anfield legend Kenny Dalglish.

Now, a mere 12 games into the new season, they seem to be out of the title race. Not only this, but Europe is looking grim as well.

For Liverpool fans across the globe, this has come as a shock and has brought them back to earth to face the grim reality that the cost cutting measures of the financial crisis has meant that the club entered the new season under-prepared, unready and with a squad that is still far too reliant on two key players.

The question here is whether the blame is solely Benitez's or if it is to do with the clubs ownership not being true blue reds.

After all, can the American owners really understand the nature of the passion of Kop end regulars? Or any Liverpool fans for that matter?

It is hard to imagine many of the premier leagues foreign owners really understanding what the game means to the people who flow through the turnstiles to place their hopes and dreams at the feet of their heroes.

So if Benitez was forced to curb spending because of budgetary constraints, it now appears extremely ironic that they are now in danger of slipping out of the lucrative champions league positions which guarantee the club millions in revenue every season.

So in order to cut costs, they went into the new season with a squad that has only two real world class players and a lot that have had the odd good day followed by a few bad ones.

When the only major signing Benitez made in the off-season being the acquisition of the unfortunate Aquilani, who though a very good player, has been hindered terribly in his time in Italy through injury and so far not helped his new club at all to bear the burden of the loss of the Spaniard Alonso.

Perhaps complacency crept in to the Liverpool camp.

After all, last season they should really have won the league at a canter, whereas they instead found themselves in the familiar position of looking up the table at Manchester United.

Four points behind the champions at the close of the season they clearly lost the title because of the sides inability to close out fixtures against mediocre opposition. Drawing 11 games to United's six.

This was clearly the problem that needed to be addressed and it was widely expected that Benitez would go some way toward solving the problem of the teams heavy reliance on Gerrard and Torres with the signing of at least one more world class striker and one more world class midfielder.

World class is not used lightly in this context either, by world class it is meant the players should be able to make a shadow squad for a world 11 or other such all star side.

Instead the cash was spent on an injury prone midfielder who has struggled to play in Italy and now has not appeared yet in the EPL, which by many peoples standards is a much more physically demanding competition than Serie A.

Perhaps Benitez should have taken more time to appeal to his bosses to unlock more funds to his command so that he was able to buy two quality players that could have functioned in the place of the two players that seem to be irreplaceable when they are absent.

Instead, he chose to get Aquilani for under twenty million when he realistically should have been looking at buying two players at a cost of up to £60 million.

While this figure seems high, in comparison with the revenue amounts the club gains from the champions league every year along with advertising and exposure for the club brand through appearances in the champions league it is nothing.

If the players that were purchased would have helped them to reach the last 16 of the CL and kept them in the hunt for the EPL trophy its a good piece of management.

Now it seems that bargain hunting has cost Liverpool millions, may cost Benitez his job and maybe even herald danger that Liverpool could slip out of the top four and maybe even creaked the hinge on the door to mid table mediocrity.

The bargain hunting nature of the football manager is always lauded as a great gift,where in actuality most managers at successful clubs have to part with large amounts of cash in order to guarantee the continuation of that success.

Liverpool have to salvage their season from here on in and the January transfer window will need to be utilised in order to shore up the team.

Astonishingly two players that perhaps could have been ideal for the positions that Liverpool needed to fill and find adequate cover for, have been languishing out of the squad at Lazio. Goran Pandev and Cristian Ledesma are both out of favor with the ownership of the Italian side because both are eager to move on to greener pastures.

Perhaps Benitez needs to forget about bargains and just splash the cash so that Liverpool do not fall too far behind the clubs they have tried so hard to dethrone in the last few seasons.

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Ireland Clutching At Straws

tumang bokaba — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:52:16 -0500

Listen to enough English radio and TV talk shows and you'd be certain that Thierry Henry was a murderer and that the French Republic was harbouring a wanted fugitive.

Travesty of justice. Miscarriage of Justice. Cheats. Typical French. Frogs. And and and. Ahem.

What happened on Wednesday in the game between France and Ireland is nothing new and will forever happen. What Thierry Henry did was instinctive, almost everyone agrees that it is a human reaction to try to keep the ball playing.

For Robbie Keane and them to suggest that the French planned to cheat is simply clutching at straws. The Irish FA has now requested FIFA to replay the game because a precedent has been set by an FA Cup between Arsenal and Sheffield. This is unlikely.

It sets a very dangerous precedent and creates a rot on the back of FIFA and UEFA. The Irish FA chief when quizzed on why when he didn't request a replay in their Georgia game when apparently a a dubious decision was given in their favor, he stated without irony that the two games were different?

Are they? Ireland win a game in dubious circumstances and it is fine. They lose a game and the whole world must stop. The Irish Chief went on to state that they are requesting the replay because amongst other things "the whole world was watching."

This, when four other games were playing. Hardly the whole world, I'd say. Did Henry cheat? It depends on how you look at it.

Hasn't Ireland benefited from a question call during games and never thought otherwise? Are they only team to have been victims of poor officiating? England lost the World Cup to a handball. Ireland lost a game.

Get over it move on. A match not worth more than three points. Robbie Keane cries out that UEFA and FIFA are celebrating now that a bigger nation has qualified instead of them. And? Give me a sponsor that would like to see minnows competing in a money making tournament. The FA would much rather have a Manchester United - Liverpool game everyday of the week than a Stoke and Hull FA Cup final.

It is business. Football is business, Keane. Deal with it. Yes, FIFA are happy France are through. UEFA are happy that Ireland is out. Move on. As for Ireland calling France cheats?

Didn't they have a fraud Tony Cascarino playing for them for a good 14 years? Will they agree that all those 88 games the fraudster played be invalidated and the opposing teams be compensated? European Championships and World Cups the fraud played in.

While many people sympathise with the manner in which they lost the game, this is not a world crisis. Ultimately, it is just a game.There'll be more coming and I am certain they'll win some controversially.

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Manchester United Will Have an Asian Jersey Sponsor One Day

Ashley Furrow — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:37:00 -0500

The English Premier League is arguably the top professional league in Europe. It is also the most watched sporting league in the world and the top earning soccer league.

And Manchester United is arguably the most globally recognizable brand in the EPL.

According to an annual study done by business advisory firm Deloitte, Manchester United made £257.1 million in 2008—making it the world’s second wealthiest football club by revenue, directly under Real Madrid.

Roughly 25 percent of that figure came from commercial revenue. Put another way, Manchester United earned £64.3 million from sponsorships and merchandising during a one-year period.

That is a huge chunk of cash. A chunk many companies are vigorously competing to be a part of.

United is widely acknowledged as the best-supported club in the world with an estimated fan base of 333 million. Of these, 190 million fans live in Asia and 72 million in China.

Since football is wildly popular all over Asia, sponsoring EPL football clubs gives companies colossal brand visibility, which continues to grow as satellite television and exclusive rights to EPL games become more and more accessible to people across Asia.

As of 2007, English Premier League games were broadcast to over 600 million homes in 202 countries in Europe, Asia, Australasia, Oceania, Africa, the Americas and the Middle East.

ESPN-Star Sports, Asia’s biggest sports content provider, announced in early October that it won exclusive rights to broadcast EPL matches in 18 markets across Asia until 2013. For the first time ever, it will show all 380 matches each season live across several platforms including television, cell phone, and Internet.

Of the 16 official sponsors of Manchester United, 6 of them are Asian-owned companies, signifying a trend that is becoming more in more popular in the EPL—sponsors are increasingly becoming Asian-based. These sponsors range from telecommunications companies to vacation destinations to airlines to tire companies.

Manchester United is already ahead of the Asian-based company sponsorship curve, which could explain why the club earns the highest revenue in the EPL. It embraces the Asian market and welcomes players, fans and companies alike.

This year, Manchester United made trips to China, South Korea, Indonesia and Malaysia during the summer months to appease their foreign fans. The club is constantly looking to enter new markets.

As AIG, their current jersey sponsor, had to be bailed out by the United States government, the club had to look elsewhere for a new jersey sponsor for next season.

This decision comes down to one factor. Asia is where the money is.

That is the main reason why Aon, a U.S. insurance company, decided to dish out £80 million over four years to be the jersey sponsor for United. Aon saw how the AIG brand grew in Asia through their links with the football club and wanted to gain recognition in the area.

Furthermore, Asian-based jersey sponsors are not a foreign concept in the English Premier League, Chelsea sports Samsung, a Korean electronics group, on their jerseys and Everton sports Chang, a Thailand beer company, on their jerseys.

As Asia’s economy continues to sky rocket and satellite broadcasting deals continue to prosper, it is not off base to suggest that an Asian sponsor will some day be front and center on the jersey of Manchester United.

That day will probably occur sooner than you think.

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Cultures Collide When Barcelona faces Bilbao

Jack — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:10:14 -0500

Throughout Spain's long history, regional and national identities have always butted heads. The idea of a unified Spain has always sparked controversy in a land with so many diverse and differing cultures.

No two regions exemplify this better than Catalunya and the Basque Country. Coincidentally, both of these sections of Spain use their football teams as the most public expression of their heritage.

In Catalunya, FC Barcelona is a source of pride and love for Catalans. The colors of the Catalan flag are in the club's badge. The team itself uses Catalan as the official language, not Spanish.

Barcelona's club motto is in Catalan and reads "Mes que un club" or "more than a club." The saying alludes to the club standing as symbol of a nation, not just a team that plays football.

In the Basque Country, Athletic Bilbao plays a similar role. Los Leonas are so passionate about their Basque heritage that they only use players with Basque ancestry, although they prefer to use players born in the Basque Country itself.

Barcelona's team has a history of signing foreigners, but they still count on a strong contingent of Catalan players including Xavi Hernandez, Carles Puyol, Bojan Krkic, Victor Vales, and Gerard Pique. These players have represent Catalunya's National Team as well as Spain's.

Barcelona is certainly one of the biggest clubs in the world and are the second most successful club in Spain, but few outside the country know that Athletic Bilbao are Spain's third most successful club, having won eight La Liga Titles. Bilbao has also won the Copa del Rey 24 times, a number only bettered by Barcelona after the Catalans beat Bilbao in last year's final.

Bilbao have great young stars in Fernando Llorente and Javier Martinez, but they can come no where near the star power of Barcelona.

After a week of international games, Barcelona's players could be tired from their exertions after exploitations with their national teams. Interestingly, the only major injury worry for Barca is a player who did not take part in a match for his national team, Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Ibra will miss the match with a thigh injury which could mean a starting role for Bojan or Pedro.

The match will take place in Bilbao's historic San Memes Stadium, called "The Cathedral" and will be a return to club football for Irish nemesis Thierry Henry.

After all of the outcry following the Frenchman's handball to help knock out the Republic of Ireland from the World Cup, it will be interesting to see how Henry will play after such a hectic and emotionally draining week. The France captain will certainly be happy to get back to a normal routine with his club after being made a villain world wide for his actions Wednesday.

Henry's France teammate Eric Abidal is also likely to miss out, which should see a rare start for Maxwell at leftback.

Barcelona's players will also take the match knowing that their Champions League future will be in the balance on Tuesday when Inter come to the Camp Nou. Any injuries could be catastrophic if Barcelona wants to retain the Champions League trophy.

With all the possible distractions and Ibrahimovic's absence, the scene is set for the upset, especially in front of 40 thousand Basques who will like nothing more than to knock off the team that pipped them for their first major trophy in fifteen years last season.

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Harry Redknapp Launches Scathing Attack on Spurs Squad Players

Willie Gannon — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:05:31 -0500

Spurs sit in fourth place after getting off to their best start to a league campaign in some time. But Harry Redknapp has indicated to his team that he is not prepared to sit on his laurels by lashing out at certain squad members for complaining to the clubs Chairman about not playing enough.

Tottenham's star has risen exponentially since Redknapp joined in October 2008. Sitting bottom of the table after their worst start to a season since 1912, Spurs moved to bring in the former Portsmouth boss.

His influence is there for all to see, as Tottenham rose from the depths of the Premiership to actually launch a concerted attack on the European positions of the league. Only a final game defeat to Liverpool denied Spurs what would have been one of the great feats of the Premiership age.

With the wind in their sails, Spurs were expected to challenge for those elusive European positions this year. As luck would have it, they would entertain Liverpool in the first game of the season.

Spurs ran out comfortable winners over the team that finished second last year, and the stage was set for a good start to the season.

Eleven games later and Tottenham sit in fourth place above challengers Manchester City, Liverpool, and Aston Villa.

Much of this progress can be attributed to Redknapp's influence on the team, but it is worth noting that he has spent £71.5 million in only one year at Spurs.

For the most part, the money has been spent very wisely. Spurs were lacking firepower since the sales of Dimitar Berbatov, Robbie Keane and Jermaine Defoe. So when Harry went looking for new strikers, it came as little surprise to see him re-sign both Defoe and Keane, before adding Peter Crouch to the mix.

These signings were quite significant, but perhaps his most important signing has been that of midfielder Wilson Palacios.

The Honduran was added to give Spurs some steel in midfield, as Redknapp reckoned that Spurs "lacked character in a battle." He was right.

Over the years, players have come in at Tottenham with the attitude that they have made it to the big time because Spurs are such a massive club and have then gone on to produce little on the pitch. This attitude has been endemic throughout the club over the years.

However, that attitude has begun to change since Redknapp came in.

Palacios bolstered midfield and all of a sudden certain players who had always thought that their position was unassailable were under threat.

There has been a massive culture change at Spurs in a little more than one year, and Harry deserves much credit for actually making these players work for the right to represent their team on the pitch.

Over the last 30 years, Spurs have gone through too many managers who were not equipped to tackle the culture of underachievement that had become part of the fabric at White Hart Lane, and Redknapp has now moved into the second phase of this culture change at the club.

Whenever a culture changes in an organization, it is normally met with fear, trepidation, and a general level of mistrust.

Changing your organizational culture is the toughest task you will ever take on. The organizational culture has been formed over years of interaction between the participants in the organization and changing it can feel like rolling rocks uphill.

Knowing that Spurs were burdened with players who were sitting on fat pay cheques and contributing very llittle, Tottenham Hotspur changed the players working conditions to try and force some of them into leaving.

In the summer, Spurs pulled their team out of the Reserve Squad Premier League.

All of a sudden, players were looking at going through a season without a game of football.

The focus was placed on Tottenham's ever-improving Academy side and many young squad players were sent out on loan to get experience.

While others were left to fight it out for the first team.

This obviously had a huge impact on players—not getting games. Now Harry has lifted the lid on how some disgruntled players have decided to complain to the clubs Chairman rather than the manager.

“What I found amazing is that agents will ring the chairman [Daniel Levy] and complain about their player not playing, you know, ‘What is your manager doing, why is he picking this player?’” Redknapp said.

That’s something that’s new to me and I find it strange and very difficult to deal with—if a player hasn’t got the courage to come and see you himself and ask why he’s not playing and get his agent, who would know nothing about football anyway, to ring.

“He [the agent] is only there because [the player] is a money-making machine. He’s got no interest in the player when he finishes his career probably, but will ring up the chairman and ask why you’re not picking this particular player.

“I’m lucky that the chairman doesn’t take any notice and he tells me about these idiots who ring him. But I just find it amazing that they have the nerve to do that, and I’m amazed that the player is weak enough to let his agent ring up the chairman and ask why he’s not playing.

“He should be coming to see me, knocking on my door. But that is what’s going on and I’ve come across it more and more in recent times.”

The broadside seems aimed at players like Roman Pavlyuchenko, Jermaine Jenas, David Bentley, Giovani Dos Santos, and Alan Hutton, who have all found their chances limited this year.

At least two of those five are expected to move on in January after AS Roma and Zenit St. Petersburg announced their interest in Pavlyuchenko, while Bentley has been linked with a swap for Manchester City's Martin Petrov.

There needs to be many components in place for clubs to change. For a start, it's particapants actually have to want to change.

It then begins with the chairman, who has to understand how the current culture works and how it can be changed. He then puts together a team to bring in his vision of how the organisation should be structured.

Levy made one massive mistake with Juande Ramos as manager and Damien Comolli as Technical Director, so he went back to traditional methods and chose the most traditional of managers for the task.

Redknapp has been in management since 1984 and is one of the few managers to have reached 1000 professional games.

His history is there for all to see, and now he is the key influence on Tottenham's future.

So far, he has done a very good job.

But the progression off the pitch will only be recognised if he can make progress on the pitch.

To do that, Spurs must finish in the top seven. So far they are on course, but as any Tottenham fan will tell you, they're used to false dawns, and hope that this is not another.

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Now or Never: How FIFA Must Order a Replay for the Good of the Game

Christian Araos — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:13:21 -0500

By now we all know what happened at the Stade de France on Wednesday. Today we now see the backlash of Thierry Henry's blatant handball in extra time of the second leg of the World Cup Qualifier Playoff against Ireland.

Now the world turns its eyes to FIFA as the FAI have lodged an official protest asking for a replay of the game. They deserve it too. Saying that they got the short end of the stick is a gross understatement, but it's the cleanest thing I can say to describe it.

The way I see it Sepp Blatter has three options:

Order a total replay of the game. The likely result if Ireland's protest works. We would start all over in Paris. This is not the best option for Ireland or France given the club schedules both teams are under and the hassle of ticketing for fans of both nations. It would also benefit the French who in all fairness were simply outplayed by the Irish and would give them a much needed mulligan.
Deny the protest and let the result stand. If Blatter chooses this option he is bound to have critics from every country, except France. He would probably give Henry a fine of a few thousand dollars which Henry could probably pay off with a smile on his face. It would be an acceptance of cheating and could harm his position as president of FIFA.
Disallow goal resume play with free kick and red card for Henry. I call this the George Brett option after the acceptance of the Kansas City Royals' protest over the pine tar game. Henry should get a red card due to the intentional handball. The match could take place in closed doors but all it would take is 20 minutes of extra time and penalties. There'd be probably 40 minutes of match action so the players would be busy for at most two hours.

The decision lies in Sepp Blatter and it will be a major factor in his legacy. He could go down as either the man who turned a blind eye in the face of scandal or the man who preserved justice, integrity, and beauty in the beautiful game.

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Build It and They Will Come: RSL's Transformation Worth Noting

Christopher Kamrani — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:11:57 -0500

It's funny how things can go from one extreme to the other.

It's funny how a little elbow grease, work and determination will get you to where you need to go.

Funny the way things work out sometimes, isn't it?

This Sunday on Seattle's Qwest Field, a team comprised of once-dubbed "nobody's" or "has-beens" will be on the hook for an MLS Cup title.

No, it's not the Los Angeles Galaxy.

In 2007, Jason Kreis was a beleaguered fading star on a second-rate squad. The team had boatloads of talent, but it often saw nothing but circles in the win column.

With a surplus of high draft picks, a scoring machine that had a penchant to get lost in his own reflection and aging wonders, Real Salt Lake was headed toward oblivion.

Quite literally.

The team's contract with the University of Utah's Rice-Eccles Stadium was up, and it needed a new place to hang its hat.

Many folks opposed building a stadium for RSL. You know, the usual political mumbo jumbo. Taxes, fees—location, location, location.

In the middle of all this was Kreis.

At age 34, the youngest active MLS coach at the time, the former MLS all-time scoring leader had work to do.

This wasn't his team. This wasn't a team. It was a mess—a jumbled blob-of-an-excuse for those who opposed RSL and soccer in the state of Utah as a whole, to take the said higher road.

Soccer had run its course in Salt Lake.

Plastered over headlines of local newspapers were headlines that read: "RSL. Real St. Louis?"

Rumors of the team being relocated on account of no place to play grew louder and louder, and all this time Kreis was busy in his laboratory assembling his would-be monster.

Things had to be done.

First off, Kreis shipped the mercurial and oft-dramatic Jeff Cunningham out of town. The two never really saw eye-to-eye, and Kreis saw the first step to his far-away masterpiece on schedule.

Then went the team's former No. 2 overall draft pick Mehdi Ballouchy.

Then went Chris Klein.

Then the stabilizing Eddie Pope hung up the cleats.

Yeah, the team even had "phenom" Freddy Adu in uniform for one season. The youngster fled for success overseas that hasn't exactly been channeled quite yet.

In the meanwhile, Kreis was organizing the pieces on his board. He acquired a bulldog and face of the franchise in midfielder Kyle Beckerman.

There was a trip to Argentina to scout talent and there he found midfield mainstay Javier Morales and a left-footed attacking Fabian Espindola, who plays an amazing pest to opposing defenses.

He received allocations and future draft picks to stock up on. By trading a good friend in Klein, Kreis got his hands on arguably the fastest forward in the MLS.

Yura Movsisyan came in for virtually nothing.

In came Nick Rimando, a 5-foot-10, 27-year-old keeper who was cut loose by D.C. United after five season and some championships in hand.

In these moves, Kreis and general manager Garth Lagerway were building an ark of talent and most obviously, an ark of know-how and togetherness.

When Sunday rolls around, RSL will be lining up against the belle of the ball.

The most-recognized signing in the history of the league, David Beckham will be gunning for his first piece of MLS hardware. The best U.S. soccer player of all time, Landon Donovan will be hungry for his first in five seasons.

The Galaxy are where they are because of the talent they have and the impressive patch-job Bruce Arena did coming in.

He got his Eddie Lewis' and his Greg Berhalter's—he got his guys that he knew he could count on to help get his team to where they are now.

Kreis seemed like a craps guy.

He was rolling the dice, unsure of what would come, but steadfast in knowing that if he would be able to assemble the correct and just characters, that the ship would be righted.

It has been.

RSL has a chance to be the first team in the recent history of professional sports in America to have owned a championship despite finishing the season with a losing record.

They finished the 2009 campaign with a record of 11 wins, 12 losses and seven ties.

Yeah, the banality is there.

Squeaking into the playoffs is one thing, RSL did it on the last day of the regular season and needed help from about three different teams.

Destiny smiled, winked and gave them a right of passage—they didn't disappoint.

Besting the league's best team in a home-and-away round and then snapping the hearts of Chicago Fire fans, much thanks to Nick Rimando's Superman heroics.

Unlike a year before, when RSL stumbled into the 2008 playoffs and were about five shots off the post to advancing to the MLS Cup.

2008 wasn't it. I think someone wants to give Cinderella an encore dance here in 2009.

And go figure, a team that won all of two road games all season long go back-to-back heading to the Midwest and beating the two best teams in the Eastern Conference on their turf.

Is RSL a perfect team? Far from it. They still have a penchant for playing so conservatively that they often bury themselves due to lack of creativity and anyone familiar with the team knows that any lead from the 80th minute heeds no cause for complacency.

This team has a flaws. Its coach has flaws. This team has no superstar, no media mogul.

It's one shining star at the moment. Given its chance to enter the atmosphere and surprise so many, it's taken that opportunity and ran with it.

Contributions from Clint Mathis and Will Johnson, a couple guys that were given the quintessential thumbs down for so many years.

A back-line of comprised of another minor Kreis deal made major with the acquisition of Chris Wingert, to coincide with Nat Borchers coming back to the states from Norway and a freight-train named Jamison Olave.

The magical concoction that is this RSL squad can just continued to be rattled off and you'll find contributors left and right.

None will be more important and firm than Andy Williams. The Jamaican international has been with RSL since the 2005 inception, and has endured more than losing seasons along the Wasatch Front.

Marcia Williams, Andy's wife has been in a tough bout with cancer, and anytime you see No. 77 on the pitch, you hear a roar from the RSL faithful.

Side-stories are few and far between here in 2009 for this franchise, and standing in its way of the team's first MLS Cup Sunday is the team that has the star power.

Folks will pick against RSL as they have all season long, and it's helped the cause along the way.

Kreis is a life-long underachiever overachieving. He relishes the role. As does his team.

They've been written off since year one, day one.

It's about time that the "nobody's" got a shot at proving doubters wrong.

When asked about RSL, one hardline fan replied, "Our team is one big star."

Spot on assessment, and be assured Kreis and his guys won't take it for granted. Not after that revolutionary overhaul.

Now we'll sit back and see if this slew of no-namers can pull the ultimate coup d'état.

Mission impossible is now 90 minutes away from being flipped on its back.

Backs to the wall, Kreis and Co. wouldn't have it any other way.

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The Hand of Henry: Why the Former Arsenal Star Is Not a Cheat

Jam — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:01:25 -0500

First things first, the Irish boys were magnificent last night. They showed desire, passion, belief, bottle, and everything else you'd want in your national team.

If England showed a third of that passion and commitment, they would be very hard to beat in South Africa next year.

Unlike the first leg, Trapattoni's men came out to play and attacked the French at every given opportunity. Time and time again they cut through the fragile French back-four by exposing the obvious weak link—Julien Escudé.

Simply put, Ireland deserved to win the game last night.

However, the game will not be remembered for the way the Irish team played or the magnificently worked goal by Robbie Keane.

Sadly, the match will be remembered for one thing and one thing only:Henry's own version of "La Main de Dieu".

Minutes before this incident, the French players felt that they were denied a penalty when Nicolas Anelka dinked the ball past the on-rushing Shay Given, goes down under what looked like a foul from the keeper in the Irish penalty area.

The referee was having none of it and gave a goal kick. However, replay showed that Given had a sneaky grab of the striker's ankle as the ball went past him. To be fair to Anelka, he didn't complain about the referee's decision, but one thing's for certain - I've seen penalties given for a hell of a lot less.

Minates later, William Gallas nods a Thierry Henry cross into the net, prompting wild celebrations from players and fans alike.

At first, when the goal was scored, I was convinced that William Gallas scored with his hand, but the frame-by-frame replay clearly showed that it was, in fact, Thierry Henry that controlled the ball with his hand before feeding the Arsenal defender.

At the this point the linesman should've flagged, and the referee should've chalked off the goal. But they didn't, and the rest, as they say, is history.

However, to listen to some of the anger and indignation which spewed out in the aftermath of the incident, you would think that the Frenchman had invented a whole new way of cheating.

Or even worse, that he'd killed someone.

The sad truth is this: every striker in the world would've done the same as Henry.

Robbie Keane himself claimed that he felt "cheated" by Henry and that he "wouldn't expect it from anyone."

Thats hypocrisy at his finest because Keane himself "cheated" in the past to win penalties and free-kicks and, given the chance, he would've definitely played-out his own version of the infamous Hand of God routine.

Furthermore, this hypocrisy also exists among fans, managers as well as the British media.

The collective thinking is this: "Cheating is terrible, we should get rid of it, and anyone caught cheating deserves to be punished, shamed, ridiculed....Unless its us."

Had Robbie Keane scored the winner last night in exactly the same circumstances, I'm fairly certain that we would not be seeing the same venom and vitriol from the British media aimed at Henry.

And this is basically what ensures that the culture of "cheating" continues to thrive in our beautiful game, never genuinely addressed or challenged.

In addition, the chances are that, next week, your favourite player will be rolling around, diving, faining injury, and doing whatever it takes to win a game, even if that mean blatantly cheating.

And will you be disgusted, ashamed or even call for his head? I very much doubt it.

All football supporters have this in common: They don't care about cheating at all; what they actually care about is being cheated against.

When their own players cheat, the talk is usually about how they were clever, streetwise and cute;or they simply smirk to each other, barely a peep about it.

Thierry Henry is a truly great player—one of the best players we've seen in the Premier league - but because of this one controversial act, many in the media are already trying to destroy his reputation.

And sadly a lot of arsenal fans are falling for this. Any notion that the "Hand of God" incident somehow diminishes anything he did for Arsenal is so hysterically fickle it’s untrue.

What caught my eye after the game was the sight of Thierry Henry and Richard Dunne shaking hands, and even hugging at one point. Dunne is an experienced professional and therefore knows that one of his own players could've easily profited from a similar incident.

After the game Kevin Doyle told Sky Sports:

“It is just instinctive on his behalf, but it is that obvious that I'm sure he expected the free-kick straight away,” the Wolverhampton Wanderers forward stated.

"I don't blame him as much as how it's not seen to be honest."

Henry is not the first and, certainly, will not be the last player to benefit from a handball incident.

Football history is littered with such controversies: Diego Maradona’s Hand of God goal against England in 1986; Alan Hansen's handball clearance off the line against Everton in the League cup; and Henry himself was denied a goal via Stephen Henchoz's hand on the line against Liverpool in the 2001 FA Cup final.

Last Wednesday night, William Gallas scored a goal that shouldn't have stood. the referee, who's been excellent on the night, together with the linesman, failed to spot the handball by the French captain.

On any other day, the referee would've awarded an indirect free-kick to Ireland.

However, he didn't, and the goal stood. Thus, the blame lies squarely at the feet of the match officials, not Thierry Henry.

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When Superman Falls: Thierry Henry's Sad Story

Liam Abbey — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:11:08 -0500

What happens to Superman when he can’t be Superman anymore?

Well, this is a question with a simple answer. Superman never stops being Superman. Superman never ages and never loses his powers, and the only way to stop him is to kill him.

However, in the real world, where Superman does not exist, other idols take on this role for many people. In most cases it is taken by sporting figures, and one such sporting figure is Thierry Henry.

For nearly a decade at Arsenal he truly was Superman to the club. This one man could win Arsenal games by singlehandedly doing something special. His unmatched ability in the football field made him a hero.

Everyone relied on him to win the games, to score the goals, to be the leader. He was relied upon to do it because no one else could. He was Superman.

After the invincible season in 2003-2004, Henry and his sidekicks slowly disbanded. By the time Arsenal were playing in the 2006 Champions League final, only him and a couple more were left, at which time he was left up front by himself with limited service. Yet he was still being asked once again to be Superman.

However, this was becoming a problem for Henry. There were calls from Spain for him to leave Arsenal and join Barcelona’s super team, where he wouldn’t be the only Superman—he would have help. But why would Superman need help?

Also, despite the Champions League run, it was obvious all was not right. Arsenal were struggling, and Henry was having trouble saving them. He still saved them from time to time, but not as regularly. He has no sidekicks, said the papers. He is just having a hard time personally and professionally.

Then someone whispered the unthinkable reason: What if Superman is losing his powers?

Arsenal lost harshly to Barcelona’s super team in Paris. Hampered by an early sending off, Arsenal put on a brave display before Barcelona’s late show. This is what the papers said, but deep inside the belly of those match reports was Henry’s demise. Henry missed a one on one chance to make it 2-0 to Arsenal.

Two years ago, Henry missing a one on one like that wasn’t possible. Henry wouldn’t scuff a one on one under pressure. He was too cool for pressure. Henry is Superman. Isn’t he?

Henry resisted the call of Barcelona for another season, but it was a season to forget for Henry and Arsenal. Henry was saving Arsenal less and less during that season. That was, of course, if he was there at all. Henry was injured for most of the season.

Also, certain things became noticeable during the season. His trademark smile was replaced by a small frown. The goals of his teammates were polity applauded rather than celebrated. Private matters were also a factor, but it all led to the same conclusion: Superman had to leave Arsenal.

Henry arrived at Barcelona and received a hero’s welcome from the club. However, celebrations were short-lived, as Henry’s first season mimicked the last at Arsenal.

He struggled for form and fitness, but this time people didn’t care that much. Sure, they cared but there was Ronaldinho, Deco, and Samuel Eto’o to worry about as well. Henry was under less pressure to be Superman.

Henry took advantage of the relief of pressure and started to provide the form again, but it wasn’t as magical as before. He just scored the goals, but the likes of Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, and Xavi were doing the skills and dribbles. Henry really wasn’t Superman anymore; he was just a sidekick.

At least this was the case at club level. At international level Henry was experiencing the same disintegration of a team he had experienced at Arsenal—stars of the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Marcel Desailly, and Didier Deschamps. He was being asked to be Superman for France more so than ever. The question was, could he still be Superman?

France’s qualification for the 2010 World Cup had been a shambles. They had made it through to the playoffs, but the lack of harmony and direction was obvious. Many said it was the lack of the stars of the previous generation, but many also blamed the manager.

Of the many that blamed the manager were the players. Henry stood up at a team meeting and told Raymond Domenech that they were left dazed and confused by his management. However, they had to put it aside for the playoff match against Ireland.

The first leg was at Croke Park and was seen by many as a leg in which Ireland must get a result. However, it was France who left with a 1-0 advantage thanks to Nicholas Anelka. Not many thought Ireland could win in France, but people still watched on Nov. 19, 2009.

On a cold night in Paris, Ireland provided a heart-driven display and were 1-0 up after 90 minutes, sending the game into extra time. The French had been poor, and Henry was no threat to the Irish defence. Extra time was passing harmlessly though the French tried to put the pressure on.

Henry then witnessed an action from a teammate of which he had never done himself. Anelka, charging through on goal, dived over Shay Given in an attempt to win a penalty. The ref was not fooled by Anelka’s act of deceit, and play was waved on.

Henry had never done what Anelka just did. Why would he need to? He was Superman, and Superman doesn’t cheat. He doesn’t need to cheat because he is Superman. Others cheat to beat him, not the other way around.

A few minutes later a free kick found him in the box, and the ball hit him on the arm. It was a chance for Superman to do what he does best.

However, had all the doubt, all the fear that he couldn’t do it anymore infected his mind? Was he was just an ordinary player now? Was he just an ordinary player being outplayed?

He knew what ordinary players would do to win. He knew it after all these years of being on the receiving end. Ordinary players do the things Superman doesn’t need to do. They cheat.

So what happens to Superman when he can’t be Superman anymore? Thierry Henry knows.

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Birmingham City's Barry Ferguson Must Play For Scotland Again

Andrew McNair — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:07:23 -0500

The outspoken views of Tartan Army chief Alan Duncan about Scotland fans reacting angrily to the potential return of Barry Ferguson and former teammate Allan McGregor to the international fold—just months after their lifetime bans by the Scottish Football Association—are absurd.

Yes, the two men’s actions—of early morning drinking at Cameron House—midway through a Scotland camp were inexcusable and their actions of gesturing to fans and media alike at Hampden a few nights later—a sure fire sign footballers think with their feet and not their heads, but just as inexcusable—is allowing Scotland’s decline into the abyss continue because grown men cannot forgive or forget.

The pair were not the only players drinking that night (or morning, to be more accurate), and probably felt victimised by both the fans and the media, but they never once denied their guilt and took their eventual bans on the chin.

Birmingham’s Rock

Barry Ferguson moved south from Rangers in the summer and has once again proven his credentials as a quality football player with Birmingham City in one of the world’s toughest stages—the English Premier League.

One of Scotland’s evident problems is the lack of experience at the highest level, yet Mr. Duncan and his associates do not want to see the return of probably their most decorated domestic player days after an embarrassing 3-0 defeat to an under-strength Wales side.

The 31-year-old midfielder has won it all in Scotland, including five Scottish Premier League titles, five Scottish Cups, five Scottish League Cups, and even led his side to a UEFA Cup Final. The 45-time capped Scot should be let back into the national setup to add experience and talent to a squad apparently lacking in either.

Far too many players in the squad have never played in Europe and are plying their trade in the championship in England.

George Burley made some fatal mistakes in his tenure, including losing the best goal keeper in Scotland (McGregor), a former captain (Ferguson) through bans, and the most prolific striker in British football (Kris Boyd) thanks to international retirement.

A country as small as Scotland simply cannot cope with losses of that stature.

Scotland’s Best Shot-Stopper

Ferguson was not the only player mentioned by Duncan, and in 27-year-old McGregor, he wants to sideline the best keeper playing in Scotland. With Scotland number one Craig Gordon of Sunderland looking increasingly fragile through injury, it is utter madness to ignore the only other goalkeeper in his class, especially with David Marshall lacking the consistency to perform at the highest level.

If Scotland wants to start afresh, then that means starting afresh—with Ferguson and Rangers duo McGregor and Boyd welcomed back into the international frame.

Alan Duncan does not speak for every Scotland fan with his narrow-minded views, as Scotland with the “boozegate” pair would be a better Scotland and Scottish fans should remember not to put pride over success; as pride has never qualified for a major tournament.

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Head-Butts And Handballs: That Is How They Roll In France

Bryan Flynn — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:25:22 -0500

The outrage in the Republic of Ireland can be heard all the way across the Atlantic Ocean to the United States. The world ended up focused on the tiny island with a population of just over 4 million people over a soccer game.

Unless you do not watch sports or you were living under a rock, here is what all the controversy is about. The French were leading the two leg series on a 1-0 aggregate after winning in Dublin in the first game.

In the second leg of World Cup qualifying the Irish were leading France 1-0 in overtime. With about 17 minutes to go until penalty kicks would have decided who earned a spot in the world’s largest tournament.

Here is what happened in the game when on a free-kick just past mid-field for France was kicked in to the box. First of all, the French had two players off-sides before the ball reached the box and a call should have been made by the referees’ assistant.

The off-sides was not called when French and Arsenal striker Thierry Henry cupped the ball into his arm to control the ball. Henry then was able to pass the ball to William Galla who was able to finish and put the French ahead 2-1 on aggregate and on to South Africa.

You can view the video and decide for yourself if it was a bad call for not.

The handball has been compared to the famous goal by Argentina’s Diego Maradona. The goal was said to have been helped in to the goal by “the hand of God” and put England out of the 1986 World Cup.

Henry’s goal was not as blatant as the goal by Maradona and should be more aptly named “the thumb of Jesus”. Below is the goal by Maradon if you have never seen it before.

The question is what does FIFA, do about Henry’s goal. They have already been questioned about the European draw to get the final four spots from the continent.

Golf is still the only sport where a player calls a penalty on themselves. So should Henry have told the referee that he touched the ball?

Did FIFA set the draw up so that the biggest named teams would make the World Cup and Ireland had no shot to begin with? These questions are hard to answer but, FIFA could deflect some of these questions if they would add instant replay to the sport.

Soccer would not be embroiled in this controversy if they had some form of replay. What should be more important to FIFA is what to do with France.

This is not the first controversy the French national team has been involved in. Nearly four years ago the French playing in the World Cup final brought soccer from the back page to the front with a single play.

French superstar Zinedine Zidane was caught on video delivering a head-butt to Italian defender Marco Materazzi. Zidane claimed he gave Materazzi the head-butt because of things that were said to him.

The 2006 World Cup would go on to be won by Italy in a penalty kick shoot-out 5-3 after the game ended at a 1-1 tie. The video of the head-butt can be seen below.

In their last two big games the French National team has been involved in controversy. The rest of the world and in America has to wonder two things.

First, is the French squad filled with dirty players and if so what to do about them. Secondly, is the French squad filled with players that cheat and again if so what to do about it.

Henry placed the blame of his hand-ball on the referee. One has to question whether Henry is the type of man to be a role-model.

What does it profit a man to gain the world if he loses his sole? That paraphrases a line from the book of Mark out of the Bible to describe the French situation.

What does it profit France to make the World Cup if the rest of the world is going to question your integrity and honesty? So France will be in South Africa in 2010 but how many head-butts and handballs will the French be allowed to have before FIFA changes.

Soccer will survive worldwide but as a game it will suffer in the United States. FIFA must do something to let the world know teams cannot bully or cheat their way to victories.

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FIFA World Cup 2010: Surprises in Qualifying Rounds (Revisited)

Ryan Eshleman — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:22:08 -0500

While the World Cup always hosts countries like Brazil, Italy, and Germany, many spots in the Finals are up for generally any nation who has the resources and mindset to take them.

In my article FIFA World Cup 2010: Flops and Surprises in Qualifying Rounds , I took a look at the nations that were struggling or thriving more than expected. Now that qualifying is over, I will look at those June observations and re-evaluate how those teams performed down the stretch.

All observations are old. New comments are in bold italics .

Big Qualification Flops (From June 16, 2009)

Poland (Did Not Qualify)

-Third in Group Three of UEFA (three points behind Northern Ireland and five points behind Slovakia)
-Finished fifth in the group, above only San Marino
-Lost 3-2 to Northern Ireland, 2-1 to Slovakia, and tied Slovenia 1-1
-Made the two previous World Cups
-Remaining games: Northern Ireland, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Slovakia
-Lost three of the four, tying Northern Ireland for their only point after June

Czech Republic (Did Not Qualify)

-Fourth in Group Three of UEFA (five points behind Northern Ireland and seven points behind Slovakia)
-Finished third in the group, four points behind Slovenia
-Lost 2-1 to both Poland and Slovakia, tied 0-0 with both Slovenia and Northern Ireland
-Made 2006 World Cup and sported one of the Cup's youngest rosters
-Remaining games: Slovakia, San Marino, Poland, Northern Ireland
-Tied two and won two, leaving them with 16 points after having only eight through June

Portugal (Qualified)

-Third in Group One of UEFA (four points behind Hungary and seven points behind Denmark)
-Finished second in the group, leaving them with a playoff against Bosnia-Herzegovina
-Lost 3-2 to Denmark, tied 0-0 with Sweden twice and Albania once
-Made the two previous World Cups and took fourth place in 2006
-Remaining games: Denmark, Hungary, Hungary, Malta
-Beat Hungary both times, defeated Malta, and drew with Denmark
-Beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0 on aggregate to qualify

Sweden (Did Not Qualify)

-Third in Group One of UEFA (four points behind Hungary and seven points behind Denmark)
-Finished third in the group, one point behind Portugal
-Lost 1-0 to Denmark, tied 0-0 with Portugal twice and Albania once
-Made the two previous World Cups and made the Round of 16 in 2006
-Remaining games: Hungary, Malta, Denmark, Albania
-Won three of four, losing only to Denmark. Finished with 18 points, nine more than they had in June

Mexico (Qualified)

-Fourth in CONCACAF (one point behind Honduras)
-Finished second in CONCACAF with 19 points
-Lost to Honduras 3-1 and to El Salvador 2-1
-Made the four previous World Cups and made the Round of 16 in 2006
-Remaining games: USA, Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador, and Trinidad and Tobago
-Won four of five, tying only Trinidad and Tobago

Since June, two more teams expected to make the World Cup stumbled.

In four games after June, Croatia only lost to England, but could not finish with more points than Ukraine for second place.

Russia lost 2-2 on aggregate on the "away goals rule" to Slovenia in their playoff.

Costa Rica lost 2-1 on aggregate to Uruguay in the CONCACAF/CONMEBOL playoff.

France was a near miss, but defeated Ireland in overtime to qualify.

Big Qualification Surprises

Chile (Qualified)

-Second in CONMEBOL (one point behind Brazil)
-Finished in the exact same position
-1-0 win over Argentina
-Hasn't made a bid since 1998
-Remaining games: Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador
-Tied Venezuela and lost to Brazil, but won their final two matches

Honduras (Qualified)

-Third in CONCACAF (five points behind Costa Rica)
-Finished third in CONCACAF
-3-1 win over Mexico
-Hasn't made a bid since 1982
-Remaining games: Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago, Mexico, USA, El Salvador
-Won three of the five, losing to Mexico and USA

North Korea (Qualified)

-Second in AFC Group B (four points behind South Korea)
-Finished second in AFC Group B
-1-0 win over Saudi Arabia
-Hasn't made a bid since 1978
-Remaining game: Saudi Arabia
-Tied Saudi Arabia to qualify
-Ranked 106th in the world by FIFA/Coca-Cola
-Now ranked 91st in the world by FIFA/Coca-Cola

Hungary (Did Not Qualify)

-Second in Group One of UEFA (three points behind Denmark)
-Finished fourth in the group, above only Albania and Malta
-0-0 tie with Denmark
-Hasn't made a bid since 1986
-Remaining games: Sweden, Portugal x2, Denmark
-Won only their last game of the four

Slovakia (Qualified)

-First in Group Three of UEFA
-Won their group with 22 points
-2-1 wins over Czech Republic, Northern Ireland, and Poland
-Has never made a bid
-Remaining games: Czech Republic, Northern Ireland, Slovenia, Poland
-Went 2-1-1 to finish qualification

Northern Ireland (Did Not Qualify)

-Second in Group Three of UEFA (two points behind Slovakia)
-Finished fourth in the group, five points from playoff qualification
-3-2 win over Poland, 0-0 tie with Czech Republic
-Hasn't made a bid since 1986
-Remaining games: Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic
-Tied two and lost one. Finished with 15 points

Besides these surprise qualifiers, a few other teams surprised us by making it to the 2010 World Cup Finals.

Slovenia beat Russia 2-2 on aggregate by the "away goals rule" to qualify for only the nation's second time.

Algeria beat Egypt 1-0 in a tie-breaking game to earn their third trip ever to the World Cup Finals.

While favorites like Portugal, France, and Argentina snuck into the Finals at what seemed like the last minute, there were still some surprise qualifications and misses.

2010 will again provide some titillating soccer and thrilling controversy. I surely can't wait, and I'm fairly certain I'm not alone.

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Zahi's Notes: Behavior of Egyptian and Algerian Fans Is Shameful

Zahi Sahli — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:24:10 -0500

When I read the articles in the papers of Algeria and Egypt, I wonder whether some nations should have sports competitions on their agendas. Some writers seem to think that the two countries are at war.

It seems that the countries have no democratic institutions whatsoever and, in reality, have surrendered their dreams of social and economical satisfaction. It doesn't seem like they can take it when they lose yet another "dream".

This has happened several times in the history of many of the small countries' federations; a team loses a crucial game and right after that, the whole country calls for the head of the coach.

And even worse can happen. If the national team loses, the whole nation could claim that the referee is the reason, or the players have "betrayed" the country's people.

Before their national team's crucial group stage game against Algeria, Egyptian fans attacked the bus of the Algerian team. After Egypt won the match, many Egyptian corporations in Algeria were harmed and had to close after threats and attacks.

In Sudan, where the final playoff game was held (on a neutral field because it was part of the playoffs), the fans locked horns and fought in chaotic fashion after Algeria won the game.

Meanwhile, Ireland lost to France in a game in which Ireland dominated ball possession and was more dangerous than the French team.

Despite that, Ireland lost because of awful refereeing. But still, Giovanni Trapattoni shook hands with Raymond Domenech.

The Irish are disappointed. But they will not blame Trapattoni or the players. They know that they should be united in victory and in defeat.

That is simply not the case in Egypt.

Let us not forget that Egypt has won the last two African Cup of Nations. Egypt defeated Italy and had a historic game against Brazil in the Confederations Cup last year.

The Egyptians were led to all these major achievements with the same faces on their squad. Their coach, Hasan Shehata, must be credited and not criticized after so many great times and after coming extremely close to World Cup qualification.

The players must receive a standing ovation in Cairo, as I am sure the Irish players will be praised in their own home country.

Sports, after all, are all about discipline, peace, and sportsmanship.

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Ireland vs. France: Travesty and Technology; What Can We Do to Fix Football?

Arsenal Adam — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:48:47 -0500

What a sad night.

What a sad, sad night.

Hell ya, I shed a tear. I shed a tear or 10.

We deserved to win. But we didn't.

Now...where can I point this big foam finger?

Who can I blame?

Which goat shall I scape today?

Paul McShane - In fairness, he tried his little ginger best (which just isn't very good).

Thierry Henry - Although I can appreciate his Gaelic footballing ability, perhaps his actions were suited for a slightly larger pitcher, filled with a larger number of slightly uglier men. However, really...I mean really ...can you sit there, laptop resting on your testicles, or ovaries, and say you wouldn't have done the same thing?

The ball is going out. You are in extra time. Nobody is going to see (except the thousands in attendance and the millions watching around the world). Give the ball a little flick with your wrist, keep it in, pass it to Bill, and book your flight RSA.

You would all do the same things.

Anyone who wouldn't is either:
A) A liar
B) Mentally disabled
C) A filthy, stinking liar
D) Morally righteous. Then I would vomit on you repeatedly, so as to attempt to corrode your Holier-than-thou skin to see if you would melt or rust.
E) A gobshite. I mean, we are talking about sending your country to the World Cup finals. Most of the time you get one shot. If you are lucky you get two. And only legends of the sport get three or more shots. Actually , most of the time you never get a shot! So, you can engage in a little bit of gamesmanship and con the referee by taking your shot, or you can play fair and kick some penalties.

Alright, I'm obviously being facetious: What Titi did was wrong.

It's hard to say that because this is an Arsenal blog (normally) and, for me, Thierry Henry is God, or at least an angel with god-like abilities (such as his divine dribbling and celestial speed).

But you are not allowed to handle the ball. It's pretty much the simplest rule one can think of regarding football. The game is designed to be played with your less dexterous limbs. Otherwise it would be called rugby.

However, it is not the players who are consigned the task of enforcing the rules of the game. It is the referees , the match officials . They are the ones who control the conduct on the field. They are the ones who tell you if what you did is right or wrong.

It is very rare, nearly never, when you will see a player put down his hand when a ball is kicked out of play and say, "It's the other team's ball. It went out off me!"

In fact, if someone was to say this, I think Thierry Henry would be high on the list of athlete's who would admit fault when they had done something wrong. You have already heard Titi say that he did touch the ball, but it was not intentional.

Which is something that is being conveniently forgotten, as well.

The ball was going freaking fast, lads. The cross was swung in. It missed everyone's head (including Dicky Dunne's and, more disparagingly, Ginger McBane of my existence). It skips off the grass and hits Thierry's arm.

Watch the replay again. I don't think he goes to control it. And even if he does, he's got less than a second to think what to do with it. It's not as if he placed the ball on his foot and cushioned into Gallas' path. (Before you jump down my throat, this is incredibly painful for me to write, so please do not question my nationality. I'm Irish like a lot of you who are going to read this article, and my broken heart has been bleeding green since final whistle yesterday.)

Anyway, I'm not trying to justify his actions, just perhaps putting things in perspective. I don't think his intention was to cheat the referee; I think his intention was to do what he could to see his team through to South Africa. I think he reacted instinctively to save an unplayable ball, and unfortunately the better team went out, and another nation went through.

Justice was not done on two counts:

1. A player has scored after an abuse of the rules of the game, and

2. The team that deserved to go through has been left behind (We should also remember that this could have happened even if the goal was disallowed: Ireland still needed to put away some penalties in front of a boatload of Frogs)

So whose fault is it then, Adam? My foam finger is starting to get sore!

The Referee - Well, it is his duty to enforce the rules of the game. Yes, he should have seen it, and if he didn't see it, his linesman should have seen it.

But I can understand. We are not infallible. Nobody sees everything all the time.

The linesman was busting his butt to get in line with the last defender and probably should have seen that France was offside when the set piece was taken. However, this is a tough thing to do.

Essentially, you have to look in two places at once: To your left to see when the ball is kicked and in front of you, to see where the blue guys are when the ball is kicked.

I'm not a linesman, but I'd say it's harder than it looks.

The referee probably was in a good position to see almost everywhere else, unfortunately Paul McBane of my existence and his big ginger mop was probably blocking the referee's line of sight and the balom .

So, yes, it is the referee's fault. However, people make mistakes. We will continue to do so until the end of time. It is impossible to be perfect, and even more impossible to be perfect all the time.

It is perfectly impossible to be impossibly perfect (This makes little sense but I quite like it all the same).

So, I'm not really willing to place the blame on the lads in black. In fact, I remember thinking during the game (I believe after 90 minutes) that the referee had been outstanding and probably gotten every decision, little or big, correct. (I look to hearing from those in the viewing audience who enjoy unnecessary incessant arguments).

Well who is at fault, then ?

You want to know who is at fault!? You want to know who to point the freaking finger at!? You want to know the name of the new Facebook group you should join if you want to avoid things like this happening in the future?!

FIFA.

FIFA??? What the hell have they got to do with it?

I mean, sure they appointed the referee, but they couldn't control his actions, couldn't control what they did or did not see (Although if they could through telekinesis, the incredible "coolness" of that would only be surpassed by its fantastic terror).

You want to know why? Because for years, FIFA has neglected to introduce technology in order to cut crap like this out of football. This isn't the first time this has been brought up either.

Freaking years . Three hundred and sixty-five days multiplied by numbers larger than one.

There is technology available to the powers that be: the rule making body of the sport we all know and love. However, Blatter keeps bleeting on about keeping football the same at the grassroots and professional level, and that technology will eliminate some of the human element of football.

Bollocks .

Has tennis gotten worse with Hawkeye?

Have people stopped following the NFL since the introduction of challenges and instant replay?

Yes, but these are sports with stoppages in play.

Okay...what about rugby? Rugby has only become more popular and more professional since the introduction of technology into the sport, and the stoppages in play in rugby are comparable to a football game (they did, after all, derive from the same sport).

So stick that argument up your stodgy little arses.

FIFA has neglected its duty to review the rules and regulations of football and bring them in line with the demands of those involved in the world of sport today. They have made limited attempts to integrate goal-line technology into football, testing one product at one tournament (U20 in 2007 or something), but after some unfortunate malfunctioning of the product, FIFA and UEFA have scrapped the idea and decided rather than using more effective "eyes" that we should, to add more chefs to the pot and use six more referees in Europa league matches this season.

Clearly this eliminates the biggest problem with referees. The capacity for human error.

Oh wait...no it doesn't...

Freaking idiots.

The integration of instant replay and goal-line technology could help resolve the many flashpoints within the 90 minutes of a soccer match with no significant delay to the fluidity of the proceedings (Furthermore, I believe referees do have the ability to tack on added time for stoppages at the end of the 90 minutes. I hear at some stadiums the clocks work differently than others though—link ).

Why Should FIFA/UEFA/the Relevant FA Incorporate the Use of Technology into the Regulations of the Game?

1. To help the appointed referees, who are so consistently hung out to dry by their respective associations, confederations, and federations. They are generally not allowed to talk to the press after a match, having perhaps made a questionable decision, and are made the fall-guys of almost every bad decision. It is about time that these people were given a break. I doubt there is a professional (in attitude, not in job title) referee who wouldn't like some help when having to decide if there was contact for a penalty, or if the ball had crossed the line.

2. To [help] eliminate diving (one of the scourges of the modern day game) from football. The players who attempt to con the referee and gain an advantage in the game by abusing the rules would be reprimanded rather than rewarded for their poor gamesmanship and unsporting antics (Think Rooney v. Arsenal in the 50th Match unbeaten streak, or Eduardo against Celtic in UCL Qualifying this Sept., or Cristiano Ronaldo when...well. whenever someone farts near him in the box.).

3. To help referees make split-second decisions regarding goal mouth scrambles. To prevent the awarding of phantom goals, and the disallowing of actual goals. I think we can all remember a situation where a ball may or may not have crossed the line, or even entered the goal, where we would have liked some clarification or a different, more equitable result. Think Liverpool Chelsea UCL, when Mourinho was in charge of the Chavs. Think Reading's ghost goal against Watford last season.

4. Most importantly, to stop the existence of gross injustice in the sport. We only need to think as far back as yesterday to recall a situation where the use of the eyes of a camera, and the instant playback onto a monitor for the fourth official, could have stopped France from scoring a goal, which resulted from a breach in the rules of the game.

However, also think of Chelsea against Barcelona in the second leg at Stamford Bridge last season. when they were denied two stone wall and three questionable penalty decisions in their favour, which would have surely put the tie out of reach for the Catalans.

Why Is This So Important?

Well, we can sit here and shed tears about the WC hopes and dreams of Richard Dunne, Kevin Kilbane, Damien Duff, and Shay Given perhaps having died in France. They all might never get another chance to represent their country in the world's grandest tournament.

We can all say that it's about time the saddened fans, whose hearts have been broken by bad officiating on many occasions, can finally trust that the system won't rob them of what is rightfully theirs.

However, this isn't the reason that technology must be incorporated into football.

What is, then?!

Freaking money. Freaking cash.

Think of the amount of money in football these days. Think about how much the FAI is going to lose as a result of Ireland missing the plane to RSA. Think about how much money Chelsea lost after missing out on an appearance in the CL final last season. Think about how much money Arsenal may have lost because Eto'o was ruled onside instead of offside and there was no technology to clear up the situation.

We are talking about millions of Euro now, and it is the legal and economic responsibility of FIFA, as the drafters of the documents which govern the game we know and love, to draft them in a manner which observes the highest standard of care.

They have failed to meet the required standard of care and they have breached their duty to provide their members with an adequate level of policing, legislating, and governing.

I think it is time for a change. Let's bring technology into football so we can leave poor Thierry alone. He, after all, is not the one to blame here.

ArsenalAdam

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2010 World Cup: A Truly Global Affair

Chris B — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:20:36 -0500

The 2010 FIFA World Cup will be the first time that fierce rivals New Zealand and Australia both feature. This article looks at the recent changes made to the qualification process that has allowed both countries the right to compete at the highest level, and how the decision has impacted four qualification zones.

The Oceania zone has always had a complicated method of qualification with just 0.5 places available to the 10 countries that compete. The 0.5 means that the champion of the region, after playing all their qualification games and coming out on top, does not instantly win a place at the World Cup. Instead, they get placed into a playoff with a runner up from another region and must play a two legged match for the qualification place.

The other regions that compete in these playoffs also have .5 places. They are:

Asia (4.5 places) Four guaranteed qualifiers and one playoff.
South America (4.5 places) Four guaranteed qualifiers and one playoff.
North America (3.5 palces) Three guaranteed qualifiers and one playoff.
Oceania (0.5 places) No guaranteed qualifiers just one playoff.

So what changed?

The first key change was made by Australia moving from the Oceania region to the Asia region. Australia now qualify alongside the likes of Japan, Thailand and China rather than New Zealand, the Solomon Islands and Fiji. Although many would argue that this is simply not fair, you can't knock the reasoning that Australia had for wanting this decision to be approved. They want to advance as a footballing nation and the Oceania zone offers very little competition due to the majority of competitors being very small Pacific islands. In order to grow, you must compete with the best.

This change between the two football confederations left the path clear for New Zealand to top the Oceania qualification zone (always dominated by Australia before) and go into the playoff game.

The second key change is that the playoff games involving the four confederations with a .5 place have all swapped around. The champions of Oceania now play against the fifth placed Asian qualifier and not the fifth placed South American. Meanwhile, the fourth placed North American qualifier must now face the fifth placed South American qualifier and not the fifth placed Asian qualifier. These changes are more clearly understood when we compare the playoff fixtures for the 2006 and 2010 World Cups.

2006 Qualification
Oceania Champion Vs Fifth Placed South America
Australia Vs Uruguay
Fourth Placed North America Vs Fifth Placed Asia
Trinidad & Tobago Vs Bahrain

2010 Qualification
Oceania Champion Vs Fifth Placed Asia
New Zealand Vs Bahrain
Fourth Placed North America Vs Fifth Placed South America
Costa Rica Vs Uruguay

Why make the changes?

The change will benefit all four regions as it cuts out an around the world commute for one of the legs of their playoff. It is quite ridiculous that in 2002 qualifying, Australia traveled to Uruguay the same week Trinidad and Tobago went to Bahrain. Simply put, the change made sense geographically.

The change also makes sense in terms of footballing ability. The North American region features Mexico and USA who offer very good competition for the likes of Honduras, Costa Rica, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago. Therefore, facing the fifth placed South American team is not something to fear.

Meanwhile, the Oceania champions go up against the fifth placed Asian qualifier. New Zealand playing against Bahrain is a much more level playing field than if they had to play Uruguay.

What of the future?

Whilst New Zealand are living on cloud nine for the foreseeable future, other countries in their region have very little hope of ever qualifying for a World Cup finals. FIFA will need to constantly look into the qualification process and they must be prepared to make the necessary tweaks and changes to ensure the best possible level of diversity in the competition. Even if it means shifting borders and merging confederations.

For now, I think we should enjoy this victory and praise FIFA for finally seeing the light. It has enabled a truly global World Cup for the very first time in the history of the tournament.

Now we just have to hope New Zealand get placed in England's Group!

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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.

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