Adriano’s got issues again. No one has ever questioned Adriano’s talent. But his off the field issues have been following him for years now. Adriano left Inter Milan to relieve his depression by moving back to Brazil to be closer to his friends. Robinho recently left Manchester City under similar circumstances. It makes you wonder whether the players were running from disciplinarians Continue Reading »
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.
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
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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
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Periodically, I’ll share some of my insights into life, touching on topics ranging from work to relationships, and maybe even spirituality and farming. The big things that shape my life. Today, it’s work.
The goal at work is to be selected, climb to the top of the table, and not get injured. That’s how you maximize your income potential. To achieve this goal requires discipline, something I have in abundance.
Before I sit down at my desk each morning, I warm up. As I get older, I take better care of my muscles because, frankly, I need to stay healthy to prevent others from taking what I have — a corner office. My competition reeks of confidence and ambition, but deep down, I know they fear me. They fear my discipline, and their fear is palpable. They’ll never get my office.
I begin my morning by jogging up and down the hallway Continue Reading »
More: Advice | Lifestyle
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In Part II, I explained a bit about the social and spatial legislation that laid the foundation for the development of apartheid sport. But to begin to understand the current state of South African sport and what this World Cup means in historical context, you need to understand South Africa’s unique sporting landscape.
South Africans are sports mad. The madness is more than a passion, it is religion. However, observing South African sport from the viewpoint of major South African newspapers during apartheid skews one’s perspective on South African sport. Before South Africa was awarded the 2010 World Cup, South African soccer, which was a predominately a black sport, was largely invisible to most outside of South Africa. To most of the outside world, rugby, and to a lesser extent cricket, were the quintessential South African sports. Internally, stories and scores from these sports frequently rivaled political news for headlines. This reality allowed rugby and cricket to thrive inside South Africa, while support for black leagues, players, and competitions suffered behind closed doors. Continue Reading »
More: History | Outside the Lines
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So you’ve been asking around for new music? Well these aren’t exactly new, but here are a few fantastic songs from South America that highlight the intersection of music and football. First up — the great Manu Chao (I know he’s French). The song is called La Vida Tombola, and as you can tell from the video, it’s about that lovable pudgy guy, Diego Maradona. There’s some quality early footage of young Maradona. Check it out after the jump. Continue Reading »
More: Culture | Music
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