Category: Section 2 Around the Net

Certain English commentators really know how to describe a game of football. Sometimes, it seems, the words that flow out of their mouths are so appropriate it’s impossible to think of whatever they just said being described in any other way. Richard Williams achieves this at certain points throughout his synopsis of yesterday’s semi-final showdown […]

Martin Walker of United Press International writes that The 2006 World Cup will be remembered for the dominance of the defensive game, which brought about the lowest goals per game average since Italy in 1990. It will also be remembered, somewhat infamously, for setting records for the number of fouls and the number of send-offs […]

Brazil may be out, but these Brazilians are still in it: Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari and the sublime Barcalona midfielder Deco advanced to the semifinals, two very different, very important Brazilians to this Portuguese side. He’s “Big Phil” or “General Felipao” to those who know him, the no-nonsense coach of Portugal, and the same man […]

Real Madrid, one of the world’s richest clubs, is set to unveil Fabio Capello as the team’s new coach, the Guardian reports. This will be Capello’s second stint as Real coach; he also coached the La Liga side during the 1996-1997 season, where he brought them the league title. Ramon Calderon, Real’s newly elected President, […]

BBC Sport reviews the bizarre press room scenes involving World Cup semifinals France and Portugal. “Big Phil” Luiz Felipe Scolari was the first of the two victims to enter the courtroom. Brazilian journalists, leftover from their country’s exit at the hands of France, clapped politely as Phil, who guided them to their 2002 success, walked […]

There can be no question that the decision about whether German coach Juergen Klinsmann remains with the national team now belongs solely to Klinsmann himself, writes Chris Bryant of the German paper Der Spiegel. There can be no doubt that Klinsmann extended his team to the limit, a team that almost no one gave a […]

The Italian press is in raptures following the extraordinary extra-time display that saw the Azzurri beat host Germany 2-0 in its traditional fortress, the Westfalenstadion in Dortmund. “We love you,” ran the headline form the Corriere dello Sport. The sports paper predicted the performance would become legend. “We knocked them out in their own backyard, […]

What are the economic implications of the World Cup? Is it overrated? The British Center for Economics and Business Research estimates that the World Cup will provide a consumption boost worth $25 billionmost of it netted by Europe. Goldman Sachs published a guide of World Cup nations and history, tipping the now-defeated Brazilians to take […]

According to the New York Times, almost everything in Germany comes back to soccer these days. A few days ago, German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced tax increases coinciding with changes in the health care system. More than one commentator noticed how Ms. Merkel tried to slip that in there while everyone was cheering on the […]

The canonization of France legend Zinedine Zidane continues. Midfielder Franck Ribery says he looks forward to the day when he can tell his grandchildren how he played on the same field with the great Zidane. “He is great, extraordinary,” Ribery said, “and it will be great when later on in my career, or even when […]

Stefano Palazzi, chief prosecutor of the Italian soccer federation, has called for all four clubs involved at the center of the match fixing scandal to be thrown out of Serie A. These would be champion Juventus, Lazio, AC Milan and Fiorentina. Palazzi also asked that Juve’s 2005 and 2006 titles be revoked. Coach Fabio Capello’s […]

Hidetoshi Nakata, Japan’s most famous player, has decided to quit the game altogether he announced on Monday. Nakata is Japan’s most adored player, having played in three World Cups and having won a Scudetto with Roma in 2001. The midfielder became the first Japanese to play professionally in Italy, when he signed for Perugia in […]

Reuters profiles the four coaches whose teams remain to battle it out for the ultimate prize in soccer: Germany’s Jurgen Klinsmann, Italy’s Marcelo Lippi, France’s Raymond Domenech and Portugal’s Luiz Felipe Scolari. Italy’s Lippi, the cigarette-smoking former Juventus boss who Alex Ferguson once dubbed “Paul Newman” for his serious, stoic looks tomorrow takes on a […]

Italy head into tomorrow’s semifinal clash with Germany with the best defense in the tournament and growing confidence after an impressive offensive display against the Ukraine on Friday. The Azzurri haven’t lost in 23 matches, and have only conceded a single goal at this World Cup, an own goal by Cristian Zaccardo in the 1-1 […]

It comes as no surprise that the Brazilian media, that 800-pound monster that accompanies the team wherever it goes, should turn on them so abruptly following Brazil’s failed campaign in Germany . The New York Times notes the media couldn’t understand or forgive how Ronaldinho of all people, the man touted as THE star of […]

It seems there’s a World Cup for everything these days. There’s the Women’s World Cup, of course, which will be held in China next year, there’s the Gay World Cup, which will be in Buenos Aires, also next year, and now the Homeless World Cup, to be held in Melbourne after Australia beat out bid […]

David Beckham was absolutely crucified by the English media following the red card against Argentina in 1998 that forced England to play with 10 men. Of course, they went on to lose on penalties 75 minutes later. It’s a story that sounds familiar now, the day after England lost again on penalties, this time to […]

David Beckham’s resignation speech as captain of England “was tearful, powerful and emotionalbut also totally correct,” writes Phil McNulty of BBC Sport. Beckham had a decent World Cupa goal and a few assists, but the soft-spoken, mild-mannered man is no captain. BBC Sport takes a slightly harsher view of Beckham’s World Cup, labeling it “another […]

Blogger Lark Howorth pours his heart out to Zinedine Zidane, the finest footballer on the planet for the last 10 years, following les Bleus’ comprehensive 1-0 victory over defending champion Brazil yesterday. “Zidane is the greatest player I have ever seen.” Which isn’t to say he’s the greatest player in the history of the game, […]

Since the U.S. team’s exit from the World Cup a week ago, Bruce Arena, the man who guided them to an unprecedented fourth place position in FIFA’s world rankings, has come under heavy criticism from just about everyone for the tactics the team deployed. Over three games, the U.S. earned a single point, scoring two […]

England is crashed out of a major tournament on penalties once again. Again it was Portugal, and for the third time running Brazilian Felipe Scolari was at the helm. “At the end, the tortured, cursed end, those who had hounded the head coach and the captain all the way up to the final chapter got […]

Here’s Brazil ‘s version of the American Dream: the poor, surrounded by drugs, gang violence, and state corruption, look to futebol as their ticket out of the favelas, or slums. Of course, very, very few make it. Adriano Leite Ribeiro, known to the world as Adriano, is one of those who made it, coming from […]

The Azzurri finally came to last night overcoming a number of off-field problems to beat Ukraine, 3-0. As several Serie A executives are on trial in a match-fixing scandal, former Juventus and Italian national team defender Gianluca Pessotto is fighting for his life after an apparent suicide attempt. Both Gianluca Zambrotta and captain Fabio Cannavaro […]

Chelsea striker Hernan Crespo, who scored three goals for Argentina at the World Cup this year, said the Argentines are in agony following their exit yesterday on penalties at the hands of host Germany. “We played really well and it hurts so much to lose,” Crespo said adding, “Germany weren’t better than us and the […]

Germany is in the semifinals after a winning a stirring World Cup quarterfinal against Argentina. The hosts showed tenacity and resourcefulness to come back from a goal down after it looked as though Argentina was set to shut up shop and grind out a defensive 1-0 win. Argentina went ahead through a wonderful header from […]