Baseball Tops Football in Global Review of Sports Salaries
According to the Annual Review of Global Sports Salaries 2010 by the Sporting Intelligence, the New York Yankees are the highest paid team in all of sport. That’s surprising considering the global appeal of football around the globe. Only four football teams (Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea and Manchester United) were included in the top 30, with the first three clubs cracking the top ten. On a league wide basis, the English Premier League, generally considered the richest football league in the world, was ranked fourth behind the NBA, IPL (Indian Premiere League – cricket), and MLB.
(Via The Telegraph)
Renewed Allegations of Match-Fixing in Italy
Two weeks ago, bookmakers suspended bets on the Chievo – Catania match after spotting irregular betting volumes, with over £2 Million worth of bets placed on a draw, particularly a score line of 1-1. Concern centered around the massive number of bets placed from Asia and the fact that many of the bets were placed as far ahead as five days before the match. As if that weren’t bad enough, a dubious penalty was awarded in the second half, thereby ensuring a 1-1 draw. Fresh off the suspicions of that Serie A match, new allegations are forthcoming about similar betting concerns in several Serie B matches. Oh well, so what’s new in Italian football?
(Via The Independent)
Ghanaian Creates “First Soccer Board Game”
FRINDO SOCCER, developed by Ghanaian John Y. Frimpong, is purported to be the first soccer board game ever made. It is a board game that requires two or more players and it is meant to arouse young people’s interest in soccer. The game claims to challenge “the mental alertness and faculties” of those who dare play it, while leading “them to understand and appreciate tactical moves and inter-positional changes as in the actual game situation on the field.” I’m sure this is just marketing-speak for “this is a cool game”, but I hope the game is a lot more fun than it sounds.
(Via Ghana News)
Silly Raymond
In response to the recurrence of French International William Gallas’ calf injury, France National Team coach Raymond Domenech lashed out at his Arsenal counterpart by saying the following:
“It’s outrageous and irresponsible to have played him so early after the injury. It’s scandalous. He had better be fit for the World Cup.”
This is from the same guy that used to play a worn down Thierry Henry for long stretches in meaningless friendly matches. Besides, I’m not sure exactly what is scandalous about an employer making use of an employee. After all, Arsenal do pay the player’s wages. If Domenech wants to talk about scandals, France going to the World Cup instead of Ireland is scandalous.
(Via The Guardian)
World Cup 2010 Theme Song Battle Heats Up
It seems that the race to pen the official FIFA World Cup 2010 theme song has intensified in recent weeks. It was first thought that that Akon and K’NAAN were the early favorites. However, it now appears that other international stars are joining the queue. Hip-Hop duo NERD and Shakira are two of the rumored new contestants for the coveted FIFA World Cup songwriter spot. I sure hope whoever wins the honor doesn’t simply promote themselves at the expense of this monumental moment in South African and African football history. Since it is the first World Cup on African soil, it would be cool to uplift the continent through the creation of a meaningful song.
Get over the “scandal” of Ireland not being in the World Cup. I am a big fan of Ireland (mothers family) and of France (father). Ireland beat Georgia in a key game during qualifying because they had a player dive in the box, thus winning a pk which ultimately won the game. Also, minutes before France’s goal Shay Given grabbed the toe of Nico Anelka, sending him to the ground in the box but the ref missed that detail. Isn’t grabbing the foot of an attacker who is about to score just as scandalous a deceptive as Henry’s handball? I call it McKarma. The better team is in the WC.
David J, I get your point about the hypocrisy in football but please tell me that the “Shay Given toe assault on Nicolas Anelka” was for laughs.
Seriously, I wouldn’t be so hard on France if they didn’t under perform under Domenech. The French National team is stacked with many young and gifted players, however it seems like the manager is intent on not giving many of his younger starlets an opportunity to gain international experience. If you think about it, the squad wouldn’t have made it to the finals of the last World Cup, let alone qualified for the tournament, were it not for the return of an aging legend in Zidane. Instead of integrating some new blood into the team, Domenech doubled down and continued to play older players. Thus, France finds itself in the same predicament as it did in the lead up to the last World Cup, without a cutting edge. Unfortunately for them, Zidane will not be coming out of retirement to save the day.