Who are ya? (The new football thread)

Thu, 2011-07-21 18:49

Catchfire

Quote:
President Hugo Chavez proclaimed Venezuela had been "robbed" of their victory goal after his team were beaten on penalties by Paraguay in the Copa America semi-finals.

Paraguay won a penalty shootout 5-3 on Wednesday to reach Sunday's final, sinking a desperately unlucky Venezuelan side who had an apparent goal ruled offside and hit the woodwork three times during the goalless draw.

The match, which was marred by an ugly fight involving players and coaching staff from both sides as they left the field, ended Venezuela's remarkable run.

Long regarded as the weakest team in South America, the side known as the "vinotinto" or "red wine" for their burgundy jerseys punched above their weight to reach the Copa semi-finals for the first time.

"In my modest opinion, based on observable facts, THEY ROBBED US OF THE VICTORY GOAL! And I hope that with that I don't offend anyone," Chavez said via Twitter from Cuba where he is undergoing treatment for cancer.

"In truth, our vinotinto won last night. Paraguay did not beat us in that game. Fidel (Castro) and I saw clearly that we had a goal taken from us."

Mon, 2011-08-08 14:02

#3

Caissa

Real Madrid has signed a seven-year-old soccer prospect from Argentina, who also happens to go by the name Leo, just like his idol Lionel Messi.

Leonel Angel Coira signed with the Spanish club and will begin training on Sept. 6, Madrid spokesman Juan Tapiador told The Associated Press on Monday.

Wed, 2011-08-10 10:48

#4

M. Spector M. Spector's picture

[url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/14472012.stm]This time the thugs, vandals, assholes, and agents provocateurs have gone too far![/url]

[url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-08-09/uk/29864784_1_bor... next, the [gasp!] Olympics?[/url]

Mon, 2011-08-15 15:00

#5

Catchfire

Robbie Keane to L.A. Galaxy? I suppose that's where EPL stars go to die now. Will Keano finally be able to score against such heavyweights as Toronto FC?

Also: Cesc Fábregas has finally completed his move to Barcelona. And Samir Nasri looks set to move to Manchester City. Poor Arsène. No one wants to play for Arsenal anymore.

Mon, 2011-08-15 15:16

#6

ikosmos

Eduardo Galeano wrote:

Insolence

In the 1936 Olympics, Hitler's country of birth was defeated by the soccer team from Peru.

The referee, who disallowed three Peruvian goals, did what he could and more to avoid displeasing the führer, but Austria lost 4 to 2.

The following day, soccer and Olympic officials set things straight.

The match was annulled. Not because an Aryan defeat at the hands of an attacking line, know for good reasons as the Black Steamroller, was inadmissable, but because, the officials said, fans had run onto the field before the end of the match.

Peru left the Olympics and Hitler's country won silver.

Italy, Mussolini's Italy, took the gold.

p. 298, Mirrors: Stories of Almost Everyone, Eduardo Galeano, Nation Books, 2009.

Mon, 2011-08-15 15:20

#7

6079_Smith_W

Wow, That is way better than the Jesse Owens story (no slight to him).

I'll make a point of passing that on. THanks!

Mon, 2011-08-15 20:46

#8

ikosmos

Galeano is a soccer fan and has also written Soccer (Football) in Sun and Shadow which is a review of the history of soccer.

Wed, 2011-08-31 16:03

#9

Catchfire

Owen Hargreaves, whose offer to play for free at Manchester United this season in an effort to prove he's finally fit was reluctantly refused, just signed a one-year contract at Man City. It's a gamble worth taking, but how many midfielders do City need?

Thu, 2011-09-01 14:37

#10

Caissa

I was looking at the Scottish Premier League table yesterday with some joy, Catchfire. The EPL is keeping me pretty happy as well. I guess we can both join in mourning our national squads in the MLS.

Thu, 2011-09-01 14:41

#11

Catchfire

Yes, well that makes one of us. Sitting last in the table wouldn't matter a fig if we didn't lose to Hearts last week at Gorgie Road. Ouch.

As for the 'Caps. there's always next year...

Thu, 2011-09-22 00:43

#12

Catchfire

Turkey imposes 'women and children only' rule on badly behaved clubs

Quote:
Turkish clubs whose fans are involved in crowd trouble face having all males over the age of 12 banned from their grounds as an alternative to playing games behind closed doors.

The Turkish Football Federation policy means that only women and children will be allowed in to matches for the duration of a ban. Children will need ID to prove their age before being granted free entry.

The TFF said: "After this decision, which is a first in world football, there will be no silent and unexciting games played without spectators. The change will make teams remember the beauty and values of football."

Thu, 2011-09-22 07:53

#13

Caissa

The game they reported on yesterday had no incidents of bad behaviour by the fans.

P.S. The EPL standings aren't looking quite so reosy to me these days, Catchfire.

Thu, 2011-09-22 09:32

#14

Catchfire

You can take solace in the hilariously bad form of Fernando Torres, who now holds the honour of owning one of the worst misses in footballing history after the Chelsea-ManU game Sunday. He scored a pretty good goal earlier in the game but after taking a nice through pass and rounding the keeper, he missed a gaping net while standing almost in the middle of it. 30 million pounds can't buy much these days.

Thu, 2011-09-22 13:13

#15

Northern Shoveler Northern Shoveler's picture

Catchfire wrote:

Turkey imposes 'women and children only' rule on badly behaved clubs

Quote:
Turkish clubs whose fans are involved in crowd trouble face having all males over the age of 12 banned from their grounds as an alternative to playing games behind closed doors.

The Turkish Football Federation policy means that only women and children will be allowed in to matches for the duration of a ban. Children will need ID to prove their age before being granted free entry.

The TFF said: "After this decision, which is a first in world football, there will be no silent and unexciting games played without spectators. The change will make teams remember the beauty and values of football."

I'd love to see them do that in the UK.

Thu, 2011-10-27 09:27

#16

Caissa

Former England striker Les Ferdinand says that racism will continue to be a problem as long as the game's authorities do not impose deterrents for abuse by fans or players.

Speaking at the Black List Awards, the former QPR, Newcastle and Tottenham star says that the powers-that-be in the sport prefer to turn a blind eye to the problem, rather than confront the issue head-on.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/15474501.stm

Thu, 2011-10-27 10:43

#17

Catchfire

Les's cousin Anton (and brother of Man Utd's Rio Ferdinand) was allegedly assaulted with a racial slur by no one less than John Terry, English National Captain and general classless person. The slur was caught on video (no sound) but Terry claims he was just repeating it because he was explaining to Ferdinand that he hadn't originally used it (!). This in spite of the fact that Anton had made no accusation (he plays for newly promoted QPR compared to Terry's Chelsea), which came from elsewhere and was entered into the referee's match report. So why would Anton accuse Terry of using it in the pitch, necessitating an explanation, and then remain quiet about it after the game?

This is all in the wake of Patrice Ezra of Man Utd accusing Luis Suarez of using a racial epithet several times over the course of the Northern Derby. Suarez adamantly and unequivocally denies the accusation.

Tue, 2011-11-01 05:44

#18

militantdilettante

Hello Babblers. This is my first post, and as it's in the footie thread, I thought it might be apposite to quote Liverpool Football Club's former manager, the late Bill Shankly:

"The socialism I believe in is everybody working for the same goal and everybody having a share in the rewards. That's how I see football, that's how I see life."

YNWA

Tue, 2011-11-01 09:31

#19

M. Spector M. Spector's picture

Quote:
According to football legend John Barnes, England will never win a World Cup until our footballers embrace their inner socialist. "Players from other nations when they play for their country are once again a socialist entity, all pulling in the same direction," he told the journalist Mihir Bose last week. Apart from citing Brazil and Argentina as role models seamlessly making their way to the World Cup final, he was spot on.

[url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jul/06/footballs-debt-socia... Guardian[/url]

WTTF

Tue, 2011-11-01 11:05

#20

Unionist

militantdilettante wrote:

Hello Babblers. This is my first post, and as it's in the footie thread, I thought it might be apposite to quote Liverpool Football Club's former manager, the late Bill Shankly:

"The socialism I believe in is everybody working for the same goal and everybody having a share in the rewards. That's how I see football, that's how I see life."

YNWA

Welcome to babble (or at least, to posting)!

It's nice to see a leftist take on football. I always thought that football, like capitalism, was characterized by winners and losers.

You Never Walk Alone.

Tue, 2011-11-01 16:48

#21

militantdilettante

Unionist wrote:

militantdilettante wrote:

Hello Babblers. This is my first post, and as it's in the footie thread, I thought it might be apposite to quote Liverpool Football Club's former manager, the late Bill Shankly:

"The socialism I believe in is everybody working for the same goal and everybody having a share in the rewards. That's how I see football, that's how I see life."

YNWA

Welcome to babble (or at least, to posting)!

It's nice to see a leftist take on football. I always thought that football, like capitalism, was characterized by winners and losers.

You Never Walk Alone.

Hi Unionist, thanks for the welcome - and kudos for recognising what YNWA means!

And yes, unfortunately, footie has become casino capitalism with a ball attached. I could go on for hours about it, and I probably will...but will keep this one short.

Tue, 2011-11-01 16:53

#22

Catchfire

Examples of socialism in modern football:

St. Pauli FC

FC United of Manchester (not to be confused with Manchester United)

Welcome to babble, militantdilettante! Glad to have another socialist football fan on the boards!

Tue, 2011-11-01 17:08

#23

militantdilettante

M. Spector wrote:

Quote:
According to football legend John Barnes, England will never win a World Cup until our footballers embrace their inner socialist. "Players from other nations when they play for their country are once again a socialist entity, all pulling in the same direction," he told the journalist Mihir Bose last week. Apart from citing Brazil and Argentina as role models seamlessly making their way to the World Cup final, he was spot on.

[url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jul/06/footballs-debt-socia... Guardian[/url]

WTTF

Great stuff, M. Spector. I was lucky enought to see "Digger" Barnes play at Anfield a few times. He was one of the greats and represented a huge kick in the arse to the racists that were so prevalent at the time.

One of the first books I read on the history of the game (can't remember the title - this was thirty-odd years ago) had an excellent section on the influence of socialism in the Soviet bloc countries - notably the "Mighty Magyars" - Hungary's brilliant team of the 1950s. Wish I still had that book.

I also remember watching Liverpool play Soviet teams such as Dinamo Tblisi during the seventies - they always got huge respect from the Anfield faithful.

Wed, 2011-11-02 08:45

#24

Caissa

Read this book a month ago: http://books.google.ca/books/about/Long_distance_love.html?id=u7wazHtK28oC&redir_esc=y

A bit dense but required reading for the Liverpool FC fan.

Wed, 2011-11-02 21:08

#25

militantdilettante

Caissa wrote:

Read this book a month ago: http://books.google.ca/books/about/Long_distance_love.html?id=u7wazHtK28oC&redir_esc=y

A bit dense but required reading for the Liverpool FC fan.

Thanks, Caissa. I'll be reading that one.

Mon, 2011-11-28 13:17

#26

Catchfire

Sid Lowe: Power shifts from Barcelona to Madrid in more ways than one

Quote:
Mariano Rajoy hasn't even set foot inside Moncloa and already something is changing. This is a new era; power has changed hands – in parliament and on the pitch. That, at least, is the theory. They say you shouldn't mix football and politics but in Spain it often seems impossible to do anything else. You can try to take the football out of politics but you can't take the politics out of football. The search for political explanation for sporting success and failure, for footballing meaning, is constant. When it comes to the battle that really matters, Madrid versusBarcelona, it is unavoidable.

On Sunday 20 November, the Partido Popular won general elections, returning to power for the first time since 2004. Out went the PSOE and its Barcelona-supporting leader, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero; two defeats later, in came Mariano Rajoy. "Real Madrid get strengthened," ran the cover of the freebie Catalan sports newspaper El 9, alongside a rather odd picture of the victorious candidate jumping for joy. "Rajoy, a self-confessed Madridista, brings the PP to government," continued the cover: "a party with which [the Madrid president] Florentino Pérez and the white team have always enjoyed a magnificent and fruitful relationship."

And so it was that as they gathered to celebrate with the world's worst disco down at PP HQ on calle Génova, power shifted from FC Barcelona to Real Madrid. Zapatero has gone. So, after this Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Getafe left them six points behind Real Madrid at the top of the table, have Barcelona's title hopes? "Barça are six points away!" cheered AS's cover on Sunday. This morning, they lead on the betting odds: for the first time in three years, Madrid are favourites. Even El País noted: "The league escapes Barcelona." And, never mind the football or the fact that Rajoy's not had the chance to do anything yet – Ana Pastor, the woman the right most loves to hate, and first in line when the cuts come, was still on TVE this morning – it's all down to the change at the top.

Fri, 2012-01-20 08:48

#27

Caissa

It didn't take Christine Sinclair long to make her presence felt at the CONCACAF women's Olympic qualifying tournament.

Sinclair scored four goals and assisted on another as Canada opened the North American, Central American and Caribbean zone tournament with a 6-0 win over Haiti on Thursday night.

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/story/2012/01/20/sp-canada-haiti.html

Tue, 2012-01-24 10:08

#28

Caissa

Canada warmed up for the semifinals at the CONCACAF women's Olympic soccer qualifying tournament with a 5-1 victory over Costa Rica on Monday night.

Striker Christine Sinclair kept up her strong play with two goals and an assist. The goals were her sixth and seventh of the tournament.

Canada finished the preliminary round with a 3-0 mark and clinched first place in the Pool A. The hosts had already secured a semifinal berth prior to the game.

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/story/2012/01/24/sp-concacaf-canada-qualifying.html

Kimberly Alexis Boulos scored to help Haiti beat Cuba 3-0 on Monday night in its final game at the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament.

The victory was the first ever for the Haitians in the final round of Olympic qualifying. They lost their two previous games at this tournament to Canada and Costa Rica by a combined score of 8-0, putting the semifinals out of reach.

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/story/2012/01/23/sp-soccer-oly-qualifyin...

Tue, 2012-01-24 11:04

#29

M. Spector M. Spector's picture

Can somebody explain to me why there is an apparent media conspiracy to mispronounce "Costa Rica" as "Coas-ta Rica"?

Oh, and the really important news from last night is that Canada is now only a win away (against Mexico on Friday) from qualifying for the London Olympics.

Tue, 2012-01-24 12:29

#30

Fidel

And Qewba, too. Someone should tell those idiots, it's Cooba!

Tue, 2012-01-24 14:44

#31

Caissa

Speaking of Cooba:

Two players were missing from Cuba's lineup for its game against Haiti at the CONCACAF Olympic women's soccer qualifying tournament Monday in Vancouver.

No immediate reason was given for the absences of forward Yezenia Gallardo, 21, and midfielder Yisel Rodriguez, 22.

Media reports suggested the players may have defected, something CONCACAF wasn't immediately prepared to confirm.

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/story/2012/01/23/sp-cuban-players-concac...

Tue, 2012-01-24 15:43

#32

Fidel

cbc.ca wrote:
While no reason was immediately given for the players' absences, there have been past incidents of Cuban soccer players defecting during international tournaments.

The Ceeb still off key on the cold war baloney I see.

Cubans come and go from the island all the time. They are free to go anywhere in the world the same as anyone in Canada is free to travel abroad. In fact I know many people in Northern Ontario who would like to travel anywhere outside of Canada at least once in their lives. It's just never going to happen for millions of us, though.

That's not true of American citizens. They are not free. Some may have the means to travel to Cuba but are threatened with fines by their governments. And many can't afford a bus ticket to the next state.

And it's a different story with political refugees from free market bastions, like Haiti, Sri Lanka etc. Our corrupt stooges in Ottawa would like to be more like their U.S. counterparts on immigration and "national security" issues.

Wed, 2012-01-25 01:48

#33

M. Spector M. Spector's picture

RevolutionPlease wrote:
These girls played really hard...

People get suspended around here for calling women girls.

Wed, 2012-01-25 07:24

#34

Caissa

Were you pwd last night, RP? You seem to have disrupted a few threads with running consecutive posts.

Wed, 2012-01-25 10:30

#35

Bärlüer

What is ze meaning of this PWD? Urban Dictionary suggests Person With Disabilities, Print Working Directory and Penisless White Dude.

Wed, 2012-01-25 11:05

#36

M. Spector M. Spector's picture

PWD = Posting While Drunk; BWD = Babbling while drunk

Wed, 2012-01-25 14:09

#37

Catchfire

RP, please apply better filters when moved to post to excess. The above posts count as spamming this thread. Try to exercise better self-control in the future out of respect for other babblers, thanks.

Wed, 2012-01-25 18:12

#38