Category: Section 2 Around the Net

“[Wayne] Rooney knocked in a corner, I jumped and that was when I heard a shout from [City defender Micah] Richards and simultaneously the sound of a whistle. At that moment I was convinced that the referee had whistled for a foul. I stopped trying to head the ball and score a goal, and I […]

"In principle he has violated two rules. One which concerns affecting the progress of the match and another which concerns inciting disorder. We have to verify the motive and the gestures." Argentine Public Prosecutor Luis Cevasco is studying the goal celebration of Boca Juniors' Juan Roman Riquelme, who after scoring the winning goal against Racing […]

"When will Premier League football clubs learn to stop taking the loyalty of their fans for granted?" Don Foster, the Culture, Media and Sports spokesman for the UK's Liberal Democrat Party, complains that soccer clubs over-charge for beer in stadiums compared with pub prices.  

FC Barcelona's Chief Executive Officer Joan Oliver has said that the Spanish team's chances of landing a Major League Soccer franchise in Miami stand at 90 percent. Barcelona, together with Miami-based Bolivian businessman Marcelo Claure, in October submitted one of a half dozen bids for two available franchises. "If it's confirmed, we expect to make […]

Former St. Louis University striker Vedad Ibisevic, 24, has been a scoring sensation this season in the German Bundesliga. On Saturday he scored his 17th goal of the season for league-leading Hoffenheim in just 15 games, and this Friday will appear for his team against the reigning champion, second-placed Bayern Munich. "It is kind of […]

Former Major League Soccer star Preki won the league's MVP award at the age of 40, and said that his secret to keeping fit was yoga. Manchester United's Ryan Giggs, who has played for the club a record 772 times, is using the same method to keep his 35-year-old body in shape for the Premier […]

The English media love the early rounds of the FA Cup because they get the chance to list the mundane jobs of the lower league team's semipro players. Fifth-tier Histon Town duly provided the "delivery" headlines after it knocked 2001 Champions League semifinalst Leeds United out of the competition Sunday on a headed goal by […]

France Football magazine will almost inevitably award its European Player of the Year Ballon D'Or trophy to Cristiano Ronaldo, writes Paul Doyle. But he believes that there are two better candidates. The first is Spain and Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas. His "superb performances for [Euro 2008 winner] Spain last summer, allied to his heroics […]

"The buzz around MLS circles is that Michael Parkhurst, the [New England] Revolution's standout defender who is out of contract this winter, has reached agreement with a Danish club. Barring last-minute complications, a formal announcement is expected soon." Steven Goff telegraphs another MLS standout heading to one of Europe's less glamorous leagues.  

“Playoffs add little in terms of drama or hype — relegation does, with every game important. With this in mind, MLS should look into establishing a second division, where teams can bounce up and down based on performance.” Just one component of Gareth Wheeler’s seven-point manifesto for change in Major League Soccer.

"Perhaps both sides will get things patched up by the end of next week, but it looks to me as if the opportunity has been fumbled and lost. After winning a championship, the Crew will be cutting the man most responsible for the title. What a curious thing to do." Michael Arace's take on why […]

Sheffield Wednesday's Frankie Simek could face Clint Dempsey in the FA Cup when the two teams meet in the competition's third round next month. Tim Howard and Everton travel to Macclesfield, Brad Friedel and Brad Guzan will face either Gillingham or Stockport away, while Jay DeMerit and Watford host Scunthorpe United.  

Edinburgh rivals Hearts of Midlothian and Hibernian will meet in the fourth round of the Scottish FA Cup next month. Holder Glasgow Rangers, the team of DaMarcus Beasley and Maurice Edu, will travel to second-tier St. Johnstone, while champions Celtic hosts Dundee.  

The Bundesliga has sold its TV rights for four seasons, starting next year, for $2.1 billion, an average of $525 million per season. That’s up marginally from the current deal, which brings in an annual $516 million.   Pay-TV company Premiere bought the live broadcast rights, and said it will pay between $286 and $350 […]

Philadelphia’s 2010 MLS soccer team is getting ready for its first sellout — Monday’s groundbreaking ceremony at the site of its 18,500-seater stadium in Chester, where MLS Commissioner Don Garber will get his hands dirty by putting shovel to soil in front of temporary bleachers filled with members of the Sons of Ben fan club. […]

“Today, in the world and in Europe, there is trafficking of children. I will not mince my words because the situation is serious. What else do you call a phenomenon whereby children aged 12 or 13 are torn away from their environment and culture to join a business in return for payment? This is what […]

“The players have been great to work with and the fans have made me feel at home since day one. We have a big challenge ahead of us for the rest of the season, but together I’m confident we will make good progress.” Joe Kinnear responds to the extension of his spell as Newcastle United […]

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is “very sensible with the way he approaches the transfer market, he’s not going to buy anybody just because the press or fans say he should. He certainly has got money if he wants to spend it.” Arsenal Chairman Peter Hill-Wood says Wenger has cash available for the winter transfer window.

“It was a strange game, I can’t really describe it.” Estudiantes’ Juan Sebastian Veron after his side lost the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana final 1-0 at home to Brazilian side Internacional. The Brazilians won on an Alex Meschini penalty kick, despite playing with only ten men for over an hour.

The “ambassador of MLS” was nowhere to be seen on Sunday when the league played its showpiece final game, writes Andrea Canales. As David Beckham lives so close to the stadium where he plays for the L.A. Galaxy, why did he not show up at an event that “has traditionally been a showcase for the […]

AC Milan’s visit to England to play Portsmouth in the UEFA Cup Thursday gave the media plenty of opportunities to ask its players what they thought about David Beckham‘s loan deal. They not only delivered the statutory words of praise, but claimed that Beckham will help the team become Italian champion. Brazilian Kaka even thinks the L.A. Galaxy player will stay for good.
 
Dutch midfielder Clarence Seedorf claimed “everybody is excited about David’s arrival. We know we have a job to do [win Serie A] and that he will help us with that. We already have a solid team with a lot of experience but everybody knows what David can bring onto the pitch.” Making it sound more like a honeymoon than a loan deal between two football clubs, Seedorf added, “I think it will be a fantastic couple of months we’ll have together. We need to let him come and train and get himself fit first — and not put too much pressure on him.” By saying that he will help the team win Serie A, for example.
 
Meanwhile Kaka told Sky Sports News that when Beckham comes and experiences Milan, “I think [he] will want to stay a bit more, until the end of the season and who knows after that. He is an amazing player and an amazing guy. He will bring many qualities to our side and I believe he can help us win the championship. I hope he can stay with us at AC Milan a little bit longer.”

Major League Soccer Deputy Commissioner Ivan Gazidis, 44, is to take over as chief executive of Arsenal at the start of 2009, the league announced Wednesday. “Ivan’s credentials are first class,” said Arsenal Chairman Peter Hill-Wood. “It is evident that he has a wealth of business acumen together with a broad knowledge of football that […]

One of the reasons that Arsenal has recruited Ivan Gazidis is his reputation for negotiating player contracts, writes Tom Dart. Gazidis, a "significant figure in bringing David Beckham to America," will work closely with manager Arsene Wenger on player recruitment and contract issues. "Given the obvious need for Arsenal to recruit wisely in the January […]

Argentine playmaker Guillermo Barros Schelotto will return for another season with the Columbus Crew and could be the team’s first designated player, reports Shawn Mitchell, quoting “a source close to both Schelotto and the team.” Mitchell writes that team owner Hunt Sports Group is willing to make the 35-year-old league MVP a designated player, “which […]

U.S. Soccer for the most part sticks to its manifesto as a non-profit body aimed at promoting soccer in the U.S. "in order to make it the pre-eminent sport recognized for excellence in participation, spectator appeal, international competition and gender equity," writes Mark Zeigler, quoting the USSF's federal tax return. But when it comes to […]