Ah, Friday. MLS players supposedly voting to strike, the league talking about progress, nothing at all happening, pre-season matches continuing as usual. Gotta love it. None of us over here are expecting a work stoppage. I think it’s just some last minute hardball before some signature pages get executed. But what do I know. Fans are excited about new teams, new arenas, and the energy is palpable. So let’s just wrap up. Okay?
If you love perms or Didier Drogba, you’ll love the Les Éléphants shirt …
Spain is trying to conquer the world again. This time, they might succeed.
A few days ago we gave you a post on football-inspired music, paying tribute to the golden voice of Diego Maradona, Manu Chao, and Jorge Ben. Now we’ve got some more for you. Who’s fatherly, was previously named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people, has two thumbs, and just released a football song? Wrong. It’s Daddy Yankee. If you looked at the picture before answering the question, you cheated. No reggaeton for you. (Video after the break) Continue Reading »
More: Culture | Music
6 Comments So Far
It is no secret that Arsenal Football Club (AFC) is run under a self-sustainable business model. The club takes great pride in touting this fact, sometimes to the detriment of some of its own fans who want greater on field success in the form of silverware (AFC has gone five long, arduous years without a major trophy – cue the violin). According to Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, it is imperative that football teams live within their means, by which he means that clubs should only spend what they make. That is why a few years ago, after the club decided to build Emirates Stadium, Arsene embarked on an odyssey of sorts to revolutionize how the squad was constructed. Continue Reading »
FIFA recently released the final list of referees for the 2010 World Cup. The referees from North and Central America are from EL Salvador, Mexico, and Guatemala. That’s right. No referees from the the United States. Sad, but not too surprising considering Major League Soccer (MLS) referees don’t have the best reputation, even within MLS.
The U.S. Soccer Federation is understandably disappointed, but has stated that it will just keep plugging away to improve the standard of refereeing in MLS. A recent Soccerlens article details several steps that the Federation is taking to improve refereeing standards. Some of the steps are clearly a move in the right direction. But others might answer your questions about why certain players seem to be penalized more than others and may aggravate fans who already think that the fix is in. Continue Reading »
More: Officiating | The Game
7 Comments So Far
On February 4, 2010, Chelsea Football Club entered into a “confidential” Settlement Agreement with RC Lens that lifted the ban imposed on Chelsea by FIFA of registering any new players for two successive transfer periods. Considering the amount of personnel turnover at the top clubs these days, such a ban could potentially cripple a club’s success. FIFA initially imposed the ban on Chelsea until the January 2011 transfer window as a disciplinary sanction for improperly inducing former RC Lens player Gael Kukuta to breach his contract and transfer to Chelsea. In November 2009, Chelsea appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (”CAS”) and the CAS Panel stayed the ban pending the outcome of Chelsea’s appeal. Continue Reading »
More: The Game | Transfers
4 Comments So Far
Receive news & updates by email.
We promise not to abuse the privilege.
Football for Change is a feature in which Nutmeg Radio highlights work being done by organizations across the globe using soccer to promote development.
Nutmeg Radio
Copyright 2009
Social Change
Racism in Italian Football Causes Team to Abandon Match
by Clive Longbottom-Fellow, Esq.
With ten minutes remaining in a match, amateur Italian team ASD Nuova Casteltodino recently walked off the pitch after one of its players, Narciso Egwu, was called a ‘dirty Negro’ by an opposing player. Narciso and his brother, Emeka, who also plays for Nuova Casteltodino, are of Nigerian descent, but both born and bred in Italy. According to Club President Maurizio Venturi, Narciso is 200% Italian, which by my calculations (and I’m no mathematician) is 100% more Italian than most Italians. It was supposedly the fourth time this season that the two brothers faced racism on the pitch. Venturi has stated that one of the incidents involved abuse from the match referee.
Nuova Casteltodino Club Secretary Francesco Ribeca invoked an interesting parallel when explaining the club’s decision to walk off the pitch. Continue Reading »
More: Commentary | Social Change
3 Comments So Far