Author Archives: Ian Plenderleith

[GERMANY] 1899 Hoffenheim took first place in the Bundesliga in style, hammering previous leader Hamburg, 3-0.

[ITALY] Udinese and Napoli continue to give the Milan teams a good run for their money at the top of Serie A.

[SPAIN] Barcelona and Real Madrid continued to pressure league-leading Valencia during a free-scoring weekend in La Liga.

[UEFA CUP] In the first round of the UEFA Cup group phase there were defeats for English clubs Tottenham Hotspur and Portsmouth, and Spanish clubs Racing Santander and Deportivo Coruna. With American Brad Friedel in goal, however, Aston Villa opened group play with a 2-1 win over Ajax.

[UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE] Barcelona traveled to Basel and knocked in five goals, while there were narrow wins for Inter and Chelsea in Wednesday night’s Champions League action.

[UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE] Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League group play produced a hatful of goals, with a net-busting average 4.5 per game. Arsenal, Lyon and Villarreal were the big scorers.

[ARGENTINA] River Plate has slumped to the depths of the Argentine first division after its latest humiliation — losing at home to shorthanded rival Boca Juniors.

[ENGLAND] The Big Four all won, but Hull City is still refusing to accept that Champions League qualifying spots are the domain of the established regulars.

[GERMANY] It’s hard not to love the Bundesliga this season after another weekend of high-scoring drama involving Werder Bremen and 1899 Hoffenheim.

[ITALY] Champion Inter began to look ominously good in a 4-0 win at Roma, while its city rival Milan is also stepping up a gear, beating Sampdoria 3-0.

[SPAIN] Barcelona and Real Madrid continue to creep up the standings, both teams posting narrow away victories at the weekend. Rampant Valencia is still top.

[ENGLAND] The English Football Association has admitted that it’s conducting an inquiry into a Championship match played earlier this month after reports of irregular betting on the game in Asia.

[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING] Australia, South Korea and Iran all won at home, but Japan was held at home by Uzbekistan in Asian World Cup qualifying.

[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING] Europe’s World Cup qualifying action Wednesday saw England, Spain and the Netherlands all maintain their 100 percent records. In the day’s biggest surprise, struggling Portugal was held at home by Albania.

[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING] Paraguay continued to win, but the shock result of the round was Argentina’s 1-0 loss in Chile. Brazil, meanwhile, was held at home by Colombia.

[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING] The end of the first phase of World Cup qualifying in Africa sparked off violence, celebrations and, in the case of Uganda, widespread confusion.

[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING] In Asian World Cup qualifying this week, Australia and Japan have winnable home games, while in Group 2’s big match Iran hosts North Korea.

[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING] There were few surprises in Europe’s weekend World Cup qualifying action, with expected victories for England, Spain and the Netherlands.

[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING] Paraguay continues to lead the way in South American World Cup qualification after a road victory in Colombia. Brazil and Argentina also won to keep a firm hold on second and third spots.

Burkina Faso and Malawi are among the surprise African countries through to the final phase of the continent’s World Cup qualifying. Those eliminated include recent World Cup participants Senegal and Angola.

[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING] European qualifying for South Africa 2010 is still in its early stages, with no team having played more than two games. Nonetheless, the next two qualifying rounds over the coming week could set the tone for the remainder of the campaign.

[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING] African World Cup qualifying concludes its first stage this weekend, with 17 of the 20 places in the final group phase still up for grabs.

[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING] With South American qualification set to move beyond the halfway stage over the coming week, Paraguay is the surprise group leader, while Brazil and Argentina have made mediocre starts.

[EUROPE] The global financial crisis is threatening to end the heady, high-spending days of European soccer. English Football Association Chairman Lord Triesman warned Tuesday of dark times ahead due to the collective debts of English teams, while in Germany the shares of broadcaster Premiere have plunged, threatening the vital money that it pays the Bundesliga for TV rights.

[MY VIEW] The Polish government last week sacked its national FA leadership over what it said was a failure to tackle corruption. Following FIFA protests and UEFA’s threat to rescind the country’s Euro 2012 co-hosting rights, it promptly reinstated them. So who, if anyone, is fit to fight corruption in soccer?