One well-known Barcelona man who was certainly not thrilled by the Blaugrana's Champions League triumph against Manchester United was Carlos Ruiz Zafón, author of international publishing phenomenon 'The Shadow of the Wind' and the biggest-selling contemporary writer in Spanish.

The Catalan capital is the setting for Zafon's works, which have been translated into 45 languages, but the 'mes que un club' (more than a club) mantra has never been one of his.

"I don't take it too seriously," Barcelona-born Zafón told Soccerphile about the club's cultural grip on the city and region. "I take it more with a pinch of salt. It's not a matter of life or death is it, eleven men against eleven kicking around a ball."

The horror! I was shocked that anyone from Barcelona could fail to be taken in by such a big event as their city's famous club winning the ultimate club rprize. I like to think football is the world's greatest unifying force, a tidal wave of popular feeling at times like this. And that no club breaches the boundaries of the stadium to define its wider community more than Barcelona does. Have you been to the Camp Nou and its museum? It is a cathedral for a mass faith, isn't it? Maybe not.

Meeting Zafón, in London to promote his new title, 'The Angel's Game', I was reminded of the first time I went to Liverpool to see a match at Anfield. I ahd been expecting every Liverpudlian to be a mine of soccer knowledge and a world away from the snobbish middle-class folk of my southern home county for whom a knowledge of football was a real rarity...I was rebuffed when the first Scousers I spoke to told me they weren't really interested in football and preferred to watch horse-racing...To each his own, I shrugged, but what a comical let-down.

Of course, when football gets really big it is a national TV event which reels in all but the most die-hard curmudgeons, and even Señor Zafón, who now resides in Los Angeles, cannot escape that.

Was Zafón interested at all in FCB's Champions League victory in Rome? "I was a little bit," he conceded. I am happy for them when they win as it is such a big thing in Barcelona."

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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The UEFA u21 Championship gets slowly bigger every two years, but remains half in shadow, a curious sideshow to the bigger tournaments.

Clashing with the FIFA Confederations Cup meant more international eyes were focused on South Africa, even in UEFA's backyard, since two European nations were involved (Italy & Spain). In Britain this led to an interesting media rivalry between Sky, the tournament rights holders, and the BBC, who were showing the Confederations Cup and did their best to ignore the U21s, even waiting until the following day to post results on their website, despite England's participation.

The attendances in Sweden ranged from 3,000 to the 20,000 capacity of the new stadia in Malmo and Gothenburg when the hosts were playing. Clearly, the show is not big enough yet to take to the super stadia of the continent. Should England for instance host it, Millwall's The New Den (20,000) would make more sense than Arsenal's Emirates (60,000) as a capital venue. Malmo's new stadium is an interesting exercise in dark minimalism, a brooding hulk of a spacecraft against the long Scandinavian summer evenings, as if from '2001 A Space Odyssey', or as UEFA described it 'something out of Star Wars'.

It and the New Gamla (old) Ullevi in Gothenburg had perfect sightlines inside though lacked character like all new venues do. Compared to its iconic older brother, a feature of the skyline of Sweden's second city, it is hidden away between buildings and hard to spot. Both arenas' size reminded me of MLS stadia, although unlike those American examples, both were roofed for Northern Europe. Happily, the familiar eliptical rooves of the old stadia in both cities remain, with the new grounds built cheek by jowl.

The two other venues, Helsingborg (12,500) and Halmstad (7,500) were real charmers, especially the tranquil forested riverside stadium in Halmstad. Both used for the 1958 World Cup, they dated originally from 1898 and 1922.

You would have known a tournament was on in Sweden as UEFA repeated their FanZone experiment of Euro 2008 in the host cities, although as in the beer tents of Euro '92, most locals were probably there for the cheap ale and sausages. It was midsummer in Sweden, their biggest national fest and a time for relaxation more than enthusiasm anyway. But no complaints about the host. Everything went smoothly as far as I could see, although scheduling late kick offs in small cities without enough hotel beds was not kind to the fans.

As for the football, what U21 players do is intrinsically less important than what they will do next. It remains, in the words of UEFA's Technical Director Andy Roxburgh, 'the final stepping stone' for footballers on their way to the big time. That was at the back of the mind of everyone watching, knowing that the teams on show were about to break up and that only a smattering of those in Sweden will be there in the next u21 tournament in two years' time. Perhaps for that reason, tactical innovation seemed absent, too.

It is hard to know what to read into the different teams' performances given the lack of a clear correlation over the years between this competition and the big ones. France were world and European champions at the end of the 1990s but never reached a u21 final in that decade. Ditto Spain in the noughties. If there is a pattern to pick out here it is that Germany have won the most recent u17, u19 and now u21 competitions.

And what is also notable about Germany is that for the first time their team is predominantly non-Teutonic. A few years ago a Deutsche Elftal would never have had a Mesut Ozil, Gonzalo Castro, Anis Ben-Hatira, Ashkan Dejagah, Sami Khedira and Chinedu Ede on the same field. Are Germany's immigrant offspring propelling them to greater heights? Could be.

The national styles were clearly embossed on the young players: Germany were ruthlessly efficient, the Italians solid and skilful throughout, Serbia were tough and England talented but reckless.

The scouts, over 100 official ones, were buzzing around as usual, but most stars have already been spotted by their late teens. Take Finland's jaunty young striker Teemu Pukki for instance, 19 years of age and playing for Sevilla in Spain.

In my earlier post I listed the 15 or so players we will be hearing more of in years to come who played in Sweden, but it is still too early to be sure who will be the greatest. Michael Ballack, Raul and Zinedine Zidane graced the U21s previously, although no-one probably foresaw all that they would achieve then. If I had to stick my neck out I would go for Marcus Berg, Mesut Ozil and Mario Balotelli as seasoned international stars of the future.

The promotional literature included Giuseppe Rossi and Theo Walcott prominently, but the former was at the Confederations Cup and the latter disappointed in Sweden, cryingly isolated alone up front in the final.

England arrived as favourites and were still the bookies' tip up until the final, before they collapsed humiliatingly 0-4 to a tactically astute Germany. Three key suspensions in the semi-final killed their chances, exposing Stuart Pearce's decision to bring only three forwards (two of whom were ruled out by cards), while replacement goalkeeper Scott Loach echoed Peter Bonetti's calamity replacing Gordon Banks in Mexico 1970.

If Pearce can take some succour from this setback it is that England have been genuine contenders for the last two U21 tournaments and could have won this one with some better discipline in the semi-final.

Other nations have more worries, particularly Spain, who left with a whimper and, as if in a timewarp, played exactly like their national team always used to pre-Euro 2008.

All in all a successful tournament for fans and football and UEFA were happy too. Euro 2012 remains their big headache, although a blazered official assured me it will go ahead in Ukraine even with one venue, because of political pressures regarding Europe's gas supplies pumping from Russia via their neighbour.

The 2011 edition of the U21s will be in the Jutland peninsula of neighbouring Denmark at Viborg (9,566), Aalborg (10,500), Herning (11,800) and Aarhus (21,000).

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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Over 100 scouts registered to attend the UEFA u21 Championship which has just finished in Sweden. Previous participants have included Raul, Michael Ballack, Luis Figo, Frank Lampard, Henrik Larsson, Eric Cantona and Zinedine Zidane.

Here are the rising stars who caught my eye -

#1 - MARCUS BERG, 22, Groningen & Sweden The hottest shot of the tournament began with a hat-trick and ended with seven goals in four games. A class apart from his rivals with two deadly feet and immaculate off the ball running. What are the big clubs waiting for?

#2 - ZORAN TOSIĆ, 22, Man Utd & Serbia. Signed by Sir Alex in January, he has only made two cup appearances for the Red Devils so far but with his high-speed dribbling, free kicks and ability to play on both wings, expect to see more of this Serbian starlet in the EPL soon.

#3 - MESUT ÖZIL, 20, Werder Bremen & Germany. Germany's ace in the pack destroyed England in the final and with his speed and pinpoint vision has the potential to be his country's greatest attacking midfielder since Lothar Matthaus.

#4 - MARIO BALOTELLI, 18, Inter & Italy. Astonishingly good for his age, he will likely be one of Europe's most feared forwards across the next decade. Balotelli is fast, strong, difficult to mark and shoots with abandon. Looks dangerous whenever he is on the ball.

#5 - ANDREW DRIVER, 19, Hearts & England. Driver by name and by nature, the Hearts teen made his u21 debut against Germany in the group stage, but what a debut. A revelation on the right wing, unlike his first-choice colleagues, he caused no end of problems to the eventual winners with his penetrative surges.



(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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No one is going to argue that the CONCACAF Gold Cup is the world’s biggest tournament. And winning the 2009 Gold Cup doesn’t even qualify you for the next Confederations Cup in 2013 (the 2011 Gold Cup will do that). But it’s still an international tournament, and it kicks off today.

For the uninitiated, this is the regional tournament (think Euros, Copa America, Africa Cup of Nations etc) for CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football). The USA is hosting, as usual (since the CONCACAF Championship became the Gold Cup in 1991, the USA has either hosted or co-hosted every edition).

The 2009 Gold Cup teams, schedule and TV listings are after the jump…

It’s twelve teams split into three groups of four:

Group A:
Canada
Costa Rica
El Salvador
Jamaica

Group B:
Grenada
Haiti
Honduras
United States

Group C:
Guadeloupe
Mexico
Nicaragua
Panama

After that it’s quarter-finals, leading to the obvious question: How do you get eight quarterfinalists from three groups?

Here’s how:

The top two teams from each of the three groups and two wildcards, the
two third-place teams with the most points, shall qualify for the
Quarterfinals.

At the end of group play, if two or more teams are equal on points
(including ties among third place teams), the manner in which teams will
advance to the next round will be resolved as follows and in the order
indicated:
a. Greater number of points in matches between the tied teams.
b. Greater Goal Difference in matches between the tied teams (if
more than two teams finish equal on points).
c. Greater number of goals scored in matches among the tied teams
(if more than two teams finish equal on points).
d. Greater Goal Difference in all group matches.
e. Greater number of goals scored in all group matches.
f. Drawing of lots.

Source: CONCACAF Gold Cup 2009 regulations pdf

The USA games are all on Fox Soccer Channel in the United States, with other games on Spanish language channels Univision, Galavision or Telefutura. Here’s the schedule and TV listings taken from USSoccer.com:

If you’re in Canada, then Rogers Sportsnet will be broadcasting all of Canada’s games.

So, who’s looking good? Well, the US initially named a weakened 23 man roster that looked a lot like Freddy Adu’s last chance to do something at international level this year. But due to their Confederations Cup involvement they’ve been allowed to add seven Confed Cup players (including Jozy Altidore) to make a 30-man megaroster. USA WCB has the final USA 2009 Gold Cup roster.

Mexico have named a semi-strong roster (Mexico WCB has it here) featuring Carlos Vela and Gio dos Santos. Javier Aguirre will be keen to restore some Mexican pride after all that Sven business, and I think it’s fair toc all US and Mexico joint favourites here.

Costa Rica have to be third favourites given their recent form, and that impressive win vs the USA at home in World Cup qualifying. Honduras should be capable of making challenge too, and you can see their roster on Honduras WCB.

Canada (the only nation outside of US and Mexico to have won this thing since 1991) have gone with some fresh faces, so Mike at Canada WCB is providing squad bios for their complete roster.

Complete 2009 Gold Cup squads/rosters can be found on Wikipedia. Team profiles on the official Gold Cup website.

Their pockets heavy from the $131 million sale of Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United seemed in prime position to sign anyone they trained their sights on. And, with holes in...

Brazil go back to the top of this month's Fifa world rankings after winning the Confederations Cup in South Africa. Brazil are followed by Spain and the Netherlands England are down one in 7th place.

France are in 9th. Côte d'Ivoire are the highest African team in 18th. Russia are 6th, with the USA in 12th.


1 Brazil
2 Spain
3 Netherlands
4 Italy
5 Germany
6 Russia
7 England
8 Argentina
9 France
10 Croatia
11 Greece
12 USA Turkey
13 Switzerland
14 Serbia
15 Denmark
16 Australia
17 Portugal
18 Côte d'Ivoire
19 Ukraine
20 Uruguay

Full world rankings

Last month's Fifa World Rankings

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It's all change at Old Trafford as one winger leaves and another is brought in to take his place. As Cristiano Ronaldo completed his world record £80million transfer to Real Madrid, Sir Alex Ferguson wasted no time licking his wounds and has instead snapped up Ecuador star Antonio Valencia. 

The former Wigan Athletic winger put pen to paper on a four-year deal on Tuesday night, in a transfer believed to have cost United around £16million. Valencia had been linked with a move to Old Trafford for the last 12 months and Ferguson said: “Antonio is a player we have admired for some time now, having spent the last two years in the Premier League with Wigan. 

“I am sure his pace and ability will make a significant contribution to the team.”

The 23 year old is one of a number of foreign players to have made their name at Wigan in recent years and he was quick to thank his former employers. He said: “I hope the fans at Wigan can understand that I am an ambitious guy and a chance like this might never come again for me.

“I am happy that the club has benefited from the move financially because I owe them such a lot. I have had a great time here.” 

Many have been impressed by the way Valencia has adapted to the English game, however he will need to continue improving if he is to fill the sizeable void left by Ronaldo. Up for particular scrutiny will be his goalscoring prowess - while Ronaldo regularly scored upwards of 20 goals a season, Valencia managed just three last term.  

With the World and European Player of the Year now firmly planted in Madrid, the pressure is on both Valencia and Ferguson to come up with the goods. There is no doubt that the United boss has acted quickly and decisively in finding a replacement but will it be a case of true love or has Alex been caught on the rebound? Football betting on that one would certainly be interesting!  

You have to think that Gary van Egmond had endured enough turmoil in his 32-month stint at the helm of the Newcastle Jets.

To some, it was no huge surprise when Van Egmond, an affable 44-year-old and former A-League coach of the year, this week handed in his resignation to outspoken Jets owner Con Constantine.

Any brownie points his side had earned from reaching the knockout phase of the AFC Champions League had evaporated in Pohang as the Steelers ran out 6-0 victors last week, eliminating them from the competition.

Such a heavy defeat would often be enough to prompt many trigger-happy chairmen to act or noncommittal managers to walk away - notwithstanding Van Egmond had recently penned a contract extension tying him to the Jets until 2013.

But revelations since that Korean nightmare have revealed Van Egmond's hasty resignation wasn't prompted solely by his under-prepared team's ACL humiliation.

He already had his eye on exiting the club he helped transform from cellar dwellers to champions and had formally applied for a coaching position within Football Federation Australia, the game's governing body.

As the application process proceeded, it became clear Van Egmond was the outstanding candidate for the role of working with some of the country's finest rising stars, as Australian under-17 assistant coach and with a remit to guide the youngsters at the Australian Institute of Sport.

But whatever the ramifications of bringing Van Egmond into the FFA stable with an eye on his long-term coaching development within the national body, from the outside it appears unusual to move from a head coach's position in the A-League to the lower ranks of the national side.

Van Egmond has been earmarked for a larger job since making an immediate splash when he took over at Newcastle in October 2006. The man known to all as 'Dutchy' led the Jets from the basement to the championship within 18 months and was labelled the brightest young manager in the Australian game.

But Newcastle's title defence was a disaster. They finished bottom, yet sympathy was shown for Van Egmond's position as his championship side was ripped apart by a combination of dubious incoming and outgoing transfers.

The coach would have tired of the revolving door at the Jets, particularly when it was clear a number of those coming and going did so against his wishes.

Newcastle have endured the biggest turnover of players of all eight foundation clubs with Van Egmond this season facing the prospect of managing without full internationals Jade North, James Holland, Joel Griffiths, Adam Griffiths, goalkeeper Ante Covic and Mark Milligan.

The Jets hierarchy brought in only journeymen and youngsters as replacements.

Still, Constantine had little sympathy for Van Egmond on his controversial departure, saying he blamed the defector more than the FFA, who he claimed poached his employee behind the club's back.

"He forgets that if it wasn't for me, he wouldn't be where he is now. He was selling Pepsi to me eight years ago. He pleaded then to help him get involved in coaching in the game," Constantine told The Australian.

He added: "If the FFA want to fine me (for his public condemnation of their actions), well, it would be like fining Jesus Christ because of the treachery of Judas."

Branko Culina, Van Egmond's replacement, is seen by the Jets movers and shakers as Newcastle's saviour.

Culina, a former Sydney FC coach, became the Jets' technical director earlier this year, a kind of guiding hand for Van Egmond.

He had said that his axing by Sydney in 2007 had left a bad taste, but the TV pundit couldn't resist another crack at frontline coaching after Constantine asked him to fill the breach, certainly for the medium term.

Culina signed a two-year deal, immediately jetting off to Europe to scout a pair of imports to change the Jets' fortunes this forthcoming season.

“I think that Branko is the best man for the job," trumpeted CEO John Tsatsimas. "He has been here since February and he has seen the club, he knows the players first-hand. He is an experienced coach, he is a very technical coach as is (assistant) Mark Jones and we believe that they will work well together. We also believe that it will provide the foundation for rectifying us results-wise and it will lead us into the finals.”

Copyright © Marc Fox and Soccerphile.com

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If there's one team that can stop the Kashima Antlers juggernaut from steam-rolling to a third successive J. League title, it's Kawasaki Frontale.

The Kanagawa side geared up for an epic showdown with Kashima on Sunday by beating Gamba Osaka 1-0 at Todoroki Stadium in a rescheduled Round 10 fixture overnight.

Youngster Yuji Yabu scored the only goal of the game, setting up a highly anticipated clash with runaway league leaders Kashima in four days time.

Kawasaki can cut the deficit at the top of standings to just five points with a win over Kashima, but Gamba's title hopes look all but over after they lost to Kawasaki for the second time in a week.

The reigning Asian champions were knocked out of this year's Champions League after Kawasaki beat Gamba 3-2 in a thriller at Expo '70 Stadium on July 24.

Kashima Antlers were also knocked out of the Champions League on the same night - losing on penalties to South Korean club FC Seoul - but unlike Gamba, the Antlers look well placed to pick up another piece of silverware this season.

They hammered a disappointing Nagoya Grampus 3-0 in the evening's other rescheduled fixture overnight, with midfielder Takuya Nozawa scoring either side of goals from strikers Shinzo Koroki and Marquinhos.

A full round of top flight fixtures takes place on the weekend of July 4/5, with the highlights seeing Omiya Ardija welcome Yokohama F. Marinos to Omiya Park, while the bottom two clash at Kyushu Oil Dome when Oita Trinita host JEF United in a relegation six-pointer.

On Sunday night, Nagoya Grampus host Gamba Osaka in a Toyota Stadium blockbuster, injury-riddled Sanfrecce Hiroshima take on Jubilo Iwata at Big Arch Stadium, while all eyes will be on Todoroki Stadium as Kawasaki Frontale welcome Kashima Antlers to town.

Caio Junior becomes the season's first casualty

Vissel Kobe coach Caio Junior became the first J. League coach to exit his post this season when stepped down following the Kansai club's latest 2-0 defeat away at Urawa Reds.

The Brazilian tactician arrived with impressive credentials, but the man last in charge of Brazilian giants Flamengo failed to endear himself to the Kobe faithful for his inability to win with a side that includes former Japan captain Tsuneyasu Miyamoto.

The disastrous signings of compatriots Alan Bahia and on-loan Benfica forward Marcel contributed to Caio Junior's unpopularity, and the Brazilian jumped before he was pushed, with Vissel Kobe currently lying fourteenth in the standings.

Masahiro Wada has stepped in to take charge on an interim basis, and his first match is the home clash with FC Tokyo this Saturday night.

Copyright © Michael Tuckerman & Soccerphile.com

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Apparently FIFA was unimpressed with the footballing performances of the Confederations Cup. If not, how would you explain June’s World Rankings? Brazil knocked Spain off the top spot - as much was to be expected as Brazil have quietly been by far the best team in the world for a few months now - but no one else impressed. The United States made a 2 spot leap to #12 for their Cinderella run, but then Greece made a 6 spot leap to #11 for doing precisely, err, nothing.

The same happened to South Africa, who only jumped two points, while Italy lost absolutely nothing. Which would lead one to believe that the committee looked at the Confederations Cup as an independent set of games, rather than one whole tournament. Perhaps falling in line with the theory that the Confederations Cup games really are meaningless.

Or maybe FIFA’s rankings are just rubbish.

[Link]

There was a familiar site on display after Sunday’s Confederation Cup Final (above). Not just Brazil lifting another trophy, but Kaka’s famous “I Belong to Jesus” t-shirt, which he apparently got back from the dry cleaners just in time to wear for the final. Several of Kaka’s teammates also wore Jesus themed t-shirts, and the team got down on its knees to celebrate together in prayer, which you can see at the end of the video above.

No harm in that, right? Well, depends who you ask…

I’m sure most people, like me, thought nothing of it. If Brazilian players want to wear t-shirts about Jesus and all kneel down together, then it’s none of my business.

But Denmark Football Federation Secretary-General Jim Stjerne Hansen has pointed out that religious displays contravene one of FIFA’s laws.

Here’s FIFA Law 4, Decision 1:

Players must not reveal undergarments showing slogans or advertising. The
basic compulsory equipment must not have any political, religious or personal
statements.
A player removing his jersey or shirt to reveal slogans or advertising will be
sanctioned by the competition organiser. The team of a player whose basic
compulsory equipment has political, religious or personal slogans or statements
will be sanctioned by the competition organiser or by FIFA.

[from page 20 of the 2009/10 FIFA Laws of the Game (released today!)]

And here’s what Jim Stjerne Hansen had to say yesterday:

“Personally I do not think that sport and religion should be mixed to such a degree that we more or less see a manifestation of a religious stance,” says Hansen.

“Just as we reject political manifestations, we should also say no to religious ones. There are too many risks involved in clubs, for example, with people of different religious faiths,” he says.

Obviously FIFA hasn’t cracked down on the Brazil team, because that definitely would have made the newspapers. In some ways this is tricky stuff, and so FIFA appears to be tuning a blind eye.

But mostly it’s just common sense. If a team wins a trophy, and wants to celebrate by holding hands and kneeling in a circle, then that’s up to them. They’re not mocking any other religion or pushing their beliefs on anyone else. And if Brazilian players want to wear t-shirts saying “I Belong to Jesus” and “I Love Jesus” then that’s up to them too. It’s a personal message. If the message was “You Belong to Jesus” or “You Should Belong to Jesus”, then we’d have a problem. But it’s not, so we don’t.

If you’ve taken to perusing the interwebs for football news with your morning coffee the last couple days, you’ve undoubtedly read about he praise over South Africa’s handling of the Confederations Cup. And in nearly all respects, they’re absolutely right. Not only was the infrastructure largely a success according to those in attendance (Sepp gave it a 7.5 out of 10, which is quite good for what was a first draft with one year left to perfect), but so wasn’t the tournament itself. It had people talking about what is barely more than a glorified run of friendlies.

And really, little about the tournament could’ve gone better. The home team did exceptionally well when expectations were hovering around bedrock. A Cinderella - a big media market Cinderella at that - made the tournament enjoyable for the underdog lovers and a nation (read: economy) which could always use a footballing kickstart - and they weren’t the only one providing upsets. The best team won - the ultimate goal for any big tournament whether a fan of the little guy or not. Even the vuvuzela was a success, getting people who have no vested interest in the sport talking about the Confederations Cup - a tournament most ardent fans of the sport care little about. Hell, there was even a hooker scandal to whet the appetites of the gutter-based tabloids. All in all, a wildly successful tournament.

But it’s going downhill quickly and it might take World Cup 2010 with it.

South Africa’s biggest union said on Tuesday 50,000 construction workers would launch a strike over pay from next Wednesday, halting work across the economy including on stadiums for the 2010 soccer World Cup.

“A strike action is set to begin on July 8,” Lesiba Seshoka, the NUM’s spokesman said.

“Its not just the World Cup stadia that will be affected, we are talking about power stations, hospitals, roads and the like. It will last until they (the employers) come to their senses and offer a 13 percent wage increase for one year.”

Obviously World Cup 2010 is the least of their worries in these cases, but given the expected boost to South Africa’s economy as well as the country not just representing itself, but also the continent of Africa, this could be a major loss.

As it stands, 5 stadiums have yet to be completed and, presumably, countless other details - both big and small - must be taken care of before the World Cup. It’s not as though they were going to finish these things in September and twiddle their thumbs while they await the cavalries next summer. Much like any decent host, they’ll need every moment possible to perfect, assess, perfect, reassess and perfect again.

This couldn’t possibly be worse timing after all the good done over the last few weeks, and it certainly seems South Africa 2010 is going to prove just as difficult as expected.

Last year was a rough one for Germany. They lost the final to Spain on a Phil Lahm faux pas and then proceeded to send German family counselors scattering abroad for fear of being roped into aiding the crumbling Mannschaft. (Remember that ridiculous meeting to clear the air between Captain Ballack & Jogi Lowe at an airstrip which was all cheesy James Bond? Exactly.) The big boy squad also lost a friendly to England which I’m sure they’d love back, as that was back when England was England, not Fabio Capello’s England. Not quite humiliating, but far from thrilling.

So the U-21’s took revenge for the senior team against both yesterday. They won a European final - the Under-21 variety, their first ever - by thrashing England 4-0 (aided by some awful keeping) in a game which doesn’t quite make up for last summer, but is quite a nice consolation prize.

UEFA u21 Championship Final
Germany 4:0 England

Germany pricked the bubble surrounding Sturat Pearce's England u21s by blanking them 4-0 in the UEFA u21 final in Malmo.

Werder Bremen's Mesut Ozil, one of the best midifielders in the tournament, was the ringleader of the tormentors as Pearce's dream of Euro glory once more foundered at Teutonic feet.

Leading 1-0 at the interval from an almost copycat goal of the one they scored against England in Halmstad, the Germans sat back in the second half and let the Three Lions monopolise possession, but picked them off with three killer counter-attacks, which left the final score appear like a rout had happened.

It had not. England enjoyed 60% of the ball and dominated proceedings in the second half, but had lost the verve they showed in the group stages and semi-final when leading Sweden 3-0 at half time. The yellow cards shown to Gabriel Agbonlahor, Fraizer Campbell and Joe Hart cost them dear in Malmo.

With no recognisable strikers left, Theo Walcott, baptised star of the show before the first game, was left forlorn up front in the middle, unable to physically dominate the defenders around him and shorn of decent through-balls to sprint after.

Then at the back, Watford's Scott Loach was a less than adequate replacement for Hart. He was wrong-footed for Ozil's swerving goal in the 48th minute and let Sandro Wagner's 79th minute strike fly through his legs.

Germany however, played a tactically sound game, marked closely, defended en masse and did a textbook job in frustrating their more fancied opponents, waiting until England lost possession before raiding upfield.

A surprise then, as Sweden, Belarus and Italy had looked more impressive than the Germans beforehand, and a devastating loss for England, who had looked all set from day one to bring home their first u21 trophy since 1984.

After Italia '90 and Euro '96, Pearce's run of misfortune against the Germans goes on.

GER - Castro 23'
GER - Ozil 48'
GER- Wagner 79'
GER - Wagner 84'

Germany- Neuer, Beck, Howedes, Boateng, Boenisch, Hummels (Aogo 83'), Johnson (Schwaab 68''), Castro, Khedira, Ozil (Schmelzer 89), Wagner.

England - Loach, Cranie (Gardner 80'), Richards, Onuoha (Mancienne 46'), Gibbs, Cattermole, Muamba (Rodwell 77'), Noble, Milner, Walcott, Johnson.

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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The 2009 Confederations Cup was a nice little preview of World Cup 2010. Here’s what we learned:

1. Cold weather = High tempo
June in South Africa is pretty cold. The heat and humidity that usually slows down summer tournaments was absent. A few players had to wear gloves and Dani Alves wrapped half a bear around his neck. But the huge upside was the high tempo of the games, which wouldn’t be possible in other countries at this time of year. If that doesn’t get you excited for World Cup 2010 then I can’t help you.

2. The Confederations Cup is a legit tournament
Chris and myself have disagreed about this, and still do. He sees the Confed Cup as barely a notch above a friendly, I see it as pretty close to the real deal. The truth is probably somewhere inbetween. But because I’m writing this post, I’m going to point to the way Brazil celebrated winning this tournament.

3. Attendances will be fine
Mistakes were made and some seats went unfilled. Mostly because the cheapest ticket was three times the cost of a South African Premier Soccer League game and because no one really wanted to see Iraq vs New Zealand. But the good news is that average attendances were around 36 to 37,000 and that’s without the invasion of foreign fans that will happen next summer.

4. Spain are not unbeatable
La Furia Roja are still an excellent football team. But - as the USA proved - they can be beaten. This makes World Cup 2010 that little bit more open.

5. South Africa aren’t half bad
OK, so Group A was easy. But Bafana Bafana got out of it and gave Brazil a scare in the semis. The fears about the 2010 host nation being incapable of competing can be put aside for now.

6. Luis Fabiano is the real deal
Those who only know the big names might not have recognized the Seville striker. Not everyone who wears the Seleção #9 can be as famous as Ronaldo. But Luis Fabiano led the line more or less solo and still finished the tournament as top scorer with five goals.

7. USA are better than most people thought (including themselves)
It started badly, but at least two countries - Spain and Brazil - will be a little more wary of the United States in future. And the performances of Landon Donovan and Oguchi Onyewu could yet secure them moves tho big European teams (with all due respect to Standard Liege).

8. New Zealand are not, and Oceania’s got to go
Hate to say it, but the presence of Oceania seriously dilutes the standard of both the Confederations Cup and the Club World Cup. Time for Oceania to be absorbed by Asia I think.

9. Italy need to click refresh
You can’t take your 2006 players to a 2009 tournament and expect to win. Young Beppe Rossi proved that the Azzurri have young talent that’s ready to play. Marcello Lippi needs to let that happen.

10. Four syllables: Vu - vu - ze - la
Whether you wish death to the vuvuzela or have learned to live with them, the air horns will be a huge part of the World Cup next summer. But here’s hoping we don’t spend the next twelve months talking about how they sound like a swarm of bees etcetera. Because the only thing more annoying than the sound of the vuvuzela, is the sound of someone complaining about it.

Even if the tournament means very little in the grand scheme of things, the Confederations Cup has provided an entertaining two weeks of soccer in the middle of June —...

Brazil got the big trophy yesterday, but there were plenty of smaller ones handed out too. There were Gold, Silver and Bronze Balls for individual players, Gold, Silver and Bronze shoes for goalscorers and a solitary Golden Glove to the best keeper.

For the Golden Ball (donated by David Beckham?) FIFA’s Technical Study Group drew up a shortlist of ten players before the third place playoff and final:

Clint Dempsey (USA)
Landon Donovan (USA)
Kaka (Brazil)
Luis Fabiano (Brazil)
Bernard Parker (South Africa)
Steven Pienaar (South Africa)
Robinho (Brazil)
Fernando Torres (Spain)
David Villa (Spain)
Xavi Hernandez (Spain)

(Because apparently the shortlist couldn’t wait until after the tournament was actually completed)

Members of the FIFA accredited media were each asked to pick a top three from that list, and then the points were tallied to come up with:

Golden Ball: Kaka
Silver Ball: Luis Fabiano
Bronze Ball: Clint Dempsey

Not sure I’m 100% on board with that. Kaka was excellent in the final (especially the second half) but probably wouldn’t claim to have had an outstanding tournament. Luis Fabiano has led the line solo for Brazil and finished as top scorer (including two massive goals in the final - the first of which was a gem). So maybe he deserved it more.

And Clint Dempsey as the third best player at the tournament? Sure he’s scored three goals, and got better as the tourney progressed. But for the first two and a half games he was worthless, and many US fans were calling for him to be benched. Who came in fourth? DaMarcus Beasley?

I’m also more than a little unhappy with how the precious metal shoes for top scorers were distributed.

Golden Shoe: Luis Fabiano - 5 goals
Silver Shoe: Fernando Torres - 3 goals
Bronze Shoe: David Villa - 3 goals

Clint Dempsey also got three goals. But apparently his bronze ball disqualifies him. And why does Torres get silver and Villa bronze? Torres scored all his goals against New Zealand. The summer 2008 version of Mario Gomez could have done that (maybe),

Last but not least…

Golden Glove: Tim Howard

No argument there, the man was incredible against both Spain and Brazil. But respect to Egypt’s Essam Al Hadary for his performance against Italy.

A few extra awards from WCB:

Most headed clearances: Oguchi Onyewu. If this tournament doesn’t earn him a move from Standard Liege to the Premier League then nothing will.

Best performance by someone playing out of position: Dani Alves. With the score at 0-0, the attacking rightback came on at lefback, and thundered home a late free-kick to send Brazil to the final.

Costliest error: Andrea Dossena, for the own goal vs Brazil which was ultimately what sent Italy home early.

Best redemption: Bernard Parker. Horrible moment for the South African striker where he cleared his teammate’s shot off the line in the opener vs Iraq, but Parker scored two in the next game vs New Zealand and all was forgiven.

Biggest impact form a player most people had never heard of: Charlie Davies. He plays for Hammarby in Sweden, in case you were wondering.

Any other individual awards? Hand them out in the comments.

UEFA u21 Championship Final, Malmo, Sweden

England v Germany

After a ding-dong semi final in which they threw away a three-goal lead before winning 5-4 on penalties, England return to Malmo for the final of the UEFA u21 Championship.

Stuart Pearce will be missing three key players through suspension - goalkeeper Joe Hart and forwards Gabriel Agbonlahor and Fraizer Campbell, which means Theo Walcott should take on a central striking role against the Germans, who edged Italy 1-0 to reach the final.

Pearce will be confident of victory, after his selection with ten changes outplayed the Germans and fought to a 1-1 draw in the group stage in Halmstad. Despite the suspended absentees, England's squad remains deeper and more battle-hardened than any other.

While England's Premier League is generally considered detrimental to youth development, its academies temples of cultural globalisation instead of national breeding grounds, a victory for the u21s in Sweden tonight will reassure doubters.

Germany have not looked as impressive as Serbia or Sweden overall but like all German elftals they are game-savvy and tournament-savvy enough to reach the final even when they are not one of the best two teams.

Plus, coach Horst Hrubesch has a couple of aces in talented playmaker Mehsut Ozil of Werder Bremen and attacking midfielder Gonzalo Castro of Bayer Leverkusen England must beware.

Win or lose, Pearce has come through this tournament with flying colours. The former England captain has been an engrossing communicator at press conferences, impressing journalists with his acute analysis of games and tournament issues. Pearce's progress from mediocre Man City coach to being a favourite to succeed Fabio Capello as England coach has been meteoric.

But a second successive failure to bring home the silverware will wound his reputation. England began the tournament as hot favourites with their arsenal of Premier League stars. Tonight in Malmo they have their best chance in years of winning a tournament.

Interestingly, England's two penalty villains of Italia '90 against Germany are in the stadium - Pearce and Chris Waddle, who is working as a radio summariser.

After the fright against Sweden, another shoot-out defeat to the Germans is just too much for Pearce to contemplate.

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile


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The Confederations Cup 2009 is done, with both the third place playoff and the final taking place today. Congratulations to champions Brazil (who celebrated by wearing their shirts backwards) and to USA (yes, they threw away a two goal lead, but achieved plenty just by being in the final).

Highlights from both the final and the third place playoff after the jump…

Let’s start with the game no one was interested in:

South Africa 2-3 Spain (aet)

Hosts South Africa went ahead through sub Katlego Mphela in the 73rd, and came thisclose to claiming third place. But Spanish sub Dani Guiza scored in both the 88th and 89th (the second of which was clearly a cross) before Mphela made it 2-2 with a screamer of a free kick in the 93rd and sent it to extra time. If you came late to this game, you timed it right.

South Africa did themselves proud, but had to settle for fourth after Xabi Alonso curled a 107th minute free kick into the far bottom corner.

Spain’s winning run has begun again, but South Africa have done themselves proud at this tournament by running both Brazil and Spain close.

Now onto the more serious game…

---

Brazil 3-2 USA (goals, highlights and celebrations)

Obviously this was a bigger deal for the USA than for Brazil. The US has never won a tournament not named the Gold Cup, so the Confed Cup trophy would have taken pride of place in the US Soccer cabinet.

And after just 27 minutes, they were 2-0 up thanks to Clint Dempsey’s gentle volley (he meant it though, I think) and Landon Donovan’s goal on the counter-attack. With Oguchi Onyewu and Jay DeMerit putting on a repeat show of their defending vs Spain and Tim Howard looking like some sort of unbeatable half android, half human goalkeeping monster, a win looked a real possibility at half-time.

Second half was a different story, as Luis Fabiano’s turn and volley made it 2-1 with just 45:30 on the clock. From there it was almost all Brazil. Howard continued to make save after save, and even somehow convinced the refs that Kaka’s header hadn’t crossed the line (it clearly had).

Kaka’s influence grew and he eventually created Brazil equalizer by accelerating past Spector down the right and crossing for Robinho to hit the underside of the bar and Luis Fabiano to bury the rebound. Last but not least, Lucio made it 3-2 Brazil with just six minutes left when he headed home an Elano corner.

Great game of football for the neutral, and if the World Cup 2010 Final is even half as exciting as this, then I’ll be happy.

US fans might feel annoyed that their team let a 2-0 lead in a final disappear. Like when you smell great food heading your way in a restaurant and start salivating, only to see the food delivered to the next table. But the fact that the US even came that close is an achievement in itself, especially for a team that was all but mathematically eliminated before the final group game. They did well just to be at the table.

As for Brazil, that’s trophy number two for Dunga, who can respond to his critics with both Copa America and Confederations Cup medals. Not everyone loves how his Brazil plays, and the questions will continue all the way up to (and during) World Cup 2010. But his team battled back from two goals down today and got the job done.

FIFA Confederations Cup Final, Johannesburg
BRAZIL 3:2 USA

USA - Dempsey 10'
USA - Donovan 27'
BRA- Luis Fabiano 46'
BRA- Luis Fabiano 74'
BRA- Lucio 84'

Brazil retained the Confederations Cup after a real game of two halves at Ellis Park saw the United States take a shock 2-0 lead before succumbing to a Brazilian tempest in the second half to lose 3-2.

After dismissing the Spanish in the semi-final, the US were all set to replicate the Miracle of Bloemfontein with a two-goal lead, until Brazil remembered their status and blitzed them with three goals in the second half.

The US' solid 442 had frustrated the selecao enough to knock them out of their stride. Increasingly bereft of ideas and lacking any zest, the five-times World Cup winners had relied too much on individual magic to breach the white wall in front of them, which for the second game in a row was not giving way.

After less than ten minutes the Americans were ahead as Jonathan Spector's deep centre from the right wing curled into the path of Clint Dempsey who had pulled clear of the yellow shirts before tapping the ball past a despairing Julio Cesar into the far corner. America, on their way home after two miserable group defeats and with their coach on deathwatch, were instead heading towards the trophy itself.

The dream was surely on, a shock to be heard around the world. Brazil were struggling, like Spain had, to contend with the two lines of four, massed like robots in front of Tim Howard. After 27 minutes it got worse for them, as the US leapt into a two-nil lead. Four touches were all it took for the Americans to score after robbing Brazil of the ball close to their own box. Charlie Davies and Landon Donovan played a textbook wall-pass move which Donovan finished with real aplomb.

Half-time and the Americans deservedly led. Not only had they worked hard to frustrate Brazil and keep their shape come what may, Dempsey and Donovan had stayed upfield while their colleagues had toiled to keep the yellow army at bay, but the gamble had worked. Not only had they posed a threat on the break which produced two goals, but they had also kept the Brazilian full-backs from overlapping. The US were winning the tactical battle. The soccer world was topsy-turvy.

What a difference half time made. Brazil were unrecognisable from their first half shadows and cranked up the samba as soon as the second half kicked off, pulling a goal back within a minute. Luis Fabiano, the tournament's premier marksman, swiveled and fired home from the edge of the box in a split-second, a goal of international calibre.

The quick strike put wind in their sails. It was all Brazil now, pressing, fast, furious and inventive, everything they were not in the first half, the old selecao rejuvenated.

What magic must Dunga have worked in the dressing room. His players were defending higher up the field and their fullbacks, neutered previously, now overlapped with abandon. Six minutes later they were unlucky as a Kaka header crept over the line but was punched clear by Howard before the officials noticed. Could the US hold out? It looked unlikely, but just maybe their never-say-die and all-hands-to-the-pump team spirit might see out the clock.

Sixteen minutes from time disaster struck again. Kaka, a wandering assassin hungry for a kill, popped up on the left flank and steamed past Spector like an express train, before pulling back a deadly cross which Robinho hit goalward before Fabiano converted: 2-2 and Brazil clearly in the driving seat. The brave American challenge was wilting in the cool Johannesburg night.

Bradley did what he could, throwing on three fresh pairs of legs for his tiring troops but the MLS substitutes made no impact, a reminder of the need for 23 international class players in your squad.

Lucio rose highest to a cross five minutes from time to head Brazil into a deserved lead and an uncluttered path to the tournament. The goalscorer was in tears of joy. At the final whistle Dempsey cried in sorrow. So near, but still so far, the US had almost completed an incredible dream, but could have few complaints about the final score.

While they surprised the world by beating Spain and leading Brazil, it will still be a while before the US can mount a credible challenge for the big prize. Still, results like these will win them more respect worldwide and inspire more American kids to aim high in the Beautiful Game.

It was in Brazilian town of Belo Horizonte where the US shocked the football world by beating England in the 1950 World Cup Finals. Their future is still a beautiful horizon, but for now God is still a Brazilian.

In the earlier game, Spain grabbed third place by beating South Africa 3-2.

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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It was always to be expected, the classy Brazilians shifting up the gears and finding the moments of inspiration to blow past the gritty Americans. (In case you missed it,...

Here it is then. Brazil vs USA in the 2009 Confederations Cup Final. The most important cup final the USA has ever reached. But definitely not the most important cup final Brazil has ever reached.

USA WCB preview here

Brazil WCB preview here

LiveBlog (from 30 minutes before kick off) below…

Brazil vs USA Confederations Cup Final LiveBlog

Any predictions?

Watch on ESPN and ESPN360.com. Kick-off is at 2:30 p.m. eastern. You would have to be brave to pick anything but a Brazil victory in this one. Still, the US...

Yet again Carlos Tevez has had his say in the world’s press. No doubt his advisors are encouraging him to, since he is currently on the look out for a new club, and they want a slice of the action.

So the latest - well, we all know he felt unloved at United, but now he is turning the blame onto someone else - a certain Mr Dimitar Berbatov.

Tevez says that Berbatov is the reason he ultimately decided to leave Old Trafford, after it was clear to him he would always be playing second fiddle to the stroppy Bulgarian. Even after pleas by Fergie to stay, and the promise of a lucrative £100,000 + a week wage, Tevez would not forgive the way he was treated by those at the Theatre of Dreams. Mmm…a hefty wage, playing in front of 75,000 fans week-in week-out, Champions league Finals…yes, bad treatment indeed.

This all from a guy who looks like he’s going to join Manchester City - a team still very much in the making, who will unlikely challenge the top four this season…but will give him a lot of money. Makes sense right? Uhh no.

Seems to me Tevez is acting like a bit of a cry-baby. There is no doubt Fergie would’ve wanted Berbatov to succeed in his first season at Old Trafford, especially when paying out £30 million for the striker. However, Ferguson is not a stupid man, nor does he favour players. He simply picks those he believes will win him a football match. What did Tevez expect, a first team place automatically, whilst the new £30 million striker warms the bench? No, at Old Trafford you earn your place in the starting eleven.

Tevez should’ve kept his head down, worked hard, perhaps even taken a leaf out of reserve team manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s book. Then, maybe he would’ve seen more minutes on the football pitch, and reaped the rewards. He too should’ve taken comfort in the fact that the fans loved him. Certainly a lot more than they did Berbatov. They made it clear they wanted him at Old Trafford, so did United…they just took a little longer in expressing their wishes. You could argue rightly so however; £25 million is a lot to spend on a player, especially when there are still questions over the ownership legalities, and for someone who may only be effective as a bit-part player.

Tevez may live to regret giving up his place in one of the best teams in the world, and for what? A team who have got potential? All for not feeling loved enough…ahh diddums.

Congratulations to the England U-21’s, who have progressed to the European Championship finals after beating Sweden  - on penalties!! Yey!

Not that is should’ve even got to penalties, after England were 3-0 up by half-time, through strikes from  Martin Cranie, Nedum Onuoha and an unfortunate own goal.

Cue complete complacency, and a remarkable fightback from the Swedes, who levelled the game at 3-3.

Usually, us English fans would think the worst; thrown away a 3 goal lead, against the host team, facing penalties to take us into the final…only one winner right?

How refreshing then, that the Under 21’s showed incredible character and spirit to defy the odds - and thoughts of the majority of us cynical fans - and come through as winners, in a thrilling 5-4 shootout. Five times previously, England have fallen at the semi-final stage in the competition - but not this time.

It now leaves us licking our lips at the thought of an England vs Germany final, after the side from Deutschland beat Italy 1-0 in the other semi-final. A perfect final…..that’s if we win!

On a more sour note, three players from the squad look set to miss out on the final; Frazier Campbell saw  red against Sweden after a desperate lunge on Mikael Lustig; and both Gabby Agbonlahor and Joe Hart picked up a yellow card each, ruling then out too.

Hart was booked after venturing off his line during the shoot-out itself, and Pearce has said he intends to appeal. Let’s hope he’s successful, as England will need him between the sticks against the Germans.

Good luck England, we’re all behind you! Go out and show the seniors how it’s done!

UEFA U-21 Semifinals

Any coach who can afford to leave Theo Walcott out of his team is a lucky one.

But when that team is the England U21s and Walcott has started the last two games for the National Team, the manager opens himself up to scrutiny. Is the team really that good? Or is there another reason?

Predictably, journalists have latched onto Pearce's sporadic use of his best player as a story to run with and them to interrogate him on at every opportunity. Pearce denies any exceptionalism at every turn, but the hacks are still baffled.

Is the FA trying to keep the big clubs on board by tacitly acquiescing to Arsene Wenger’s request that Walcott should not travel to Sweden? Is Pearce trying to prove to others, or even to himself, that star names cannot be allowed to outshine the team’s identity? Or is he secretly playing games with his opponents by naming unexpected lineups only to unleash his talisman as an impact substitute?

It would seem absurd to suggest England could do without Walcott when he is good enough to play for the National Team and was explosive against Spain.

The promotional posters and literature for the UEFA u21 Championship all seem to have Walcott prominently displayed on them. English football is closely watched in Scandinavia and Arsenal have strong support across Sweden. Attracting crowds to U21 football during the Midsummer Holiday here was never going to be easy, so the organizers must have breathed a sigh of relief when England refused to bow to Wenger’s predictable request that they rest his scarcely-used 20-year-old this summer. If there is one thing Wenger has no appreciation of it is the international game and it should not bow to his selfish and club-centric demands.

True, Walcott did not impress for the first 45minutes against Finland in Halmstad and was unsurprisingly replaced. Coach Stuart Pearce justified his substitution of the Arsenal starlet by pointing to the fact England won the game after he departed, but the media interrogation is not about to stop. He is the star name of the tournament, just ahead of the now disappointing Bojan Krkic of Spain, and the show must go on.

When Walcott was not named to the starting eleven against Spain in England’s second game there were baffled looks all around. ‘Is he injured?’ everyone wondered. Not as far as anyone knew.

At last! was the collective feeling in Gothenburg’s new stadium when Walcott stepped onto the field after an hour and the effect was immediately catalytic. England scored within two minutes and added a second soon afterwards following a typical roadrunner raid by Walcott on the Spanish defence.

With that victory England qualified for the semi-finals, leaving the clash with Germany in Halmstad little more than a training game. The one thing Pearce will not want is for his best players to get injured and/or suspended in that game. But there was Walcott, coming on as a second-half sub….?!?!?

Without Walcott, England still appear to have the quality to defeat any team in this competition, but if they struggle to make headway after an hour, an injection of the Arsenal man into the cocktail should prove too potent for anyone, so Pearce’s thinking goes. Psycho remains unconvinced of the need for 90 minutes of Theo. But in the knock-out stages there is no room for experimenting or for making the sort of errors you have time to make amends for in the group stage.

Come the semi-final on Friday, Pearce must be tempted to give in and field Walcott from the start, although his return against Spain might tempt him into using him as sub again. It is a risk which could backfire should England leave it too late to do too much catching up, but results so far have backed Pearce.

Whatever his insistence on treating all his players the same as each other, the former England skipper knows well that some players are more equal than others.

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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It's do or die now as the UEFA U21 enters its semi-final stage.

Germany tackle the Italians in Helsingborg while a tasty clash is on the menu in Gothenburg, where a sell-out crowd is expected for Sweden v England.

A united Germany has yet to reach the finals while Italy have featured in five of the last nine u21 finals, winning four of them.

Sweden will be hoping to maintain the momentum which saw them win a bruising battle (the referee flashed two red and ten yellow cards) against the highly-rated Serbs 3-1 in their final group game. The crowd in Malmo was almost 20,000, raising hopes that the New Gamla Ullevi in Gothenburg, with its 18,800 seats, will be the first venue in the competition to witness a sell -out.

England must beware the telepathic Dutch-based striking duo of Marcus Berg and Ola Toivonen, who have bagged seven goals in three games, but England's aces look more than capable of eliminating the hosts.

Stuart Pearce witnessed his B-team, with ten changes from the eleven who had beaten Spain, outplay Germany's first team in Halmstad and fight to a 1-1 finish to qualify as group winners.

"Other than they goal they snatched we had the game in control and were comfortable that whole match," England right-winger Andrew Driver told Soccerphile. "We came to this tournament with a strong 23 and I think we showed tonight that no-one will disappoint. The boys are very confident. You have to take every game as it comes obviously and take that momentum into the next game but we are brimming with confidence."

"The team has done really well and we have shown that there is a lot of depth in the squad." Chelsea's England centre-back Michael Mancienne told Soccerphile.

Mancienne was sent off in England's opener against Finland but after serving his one-game suspension and playing 90 minutes against Germany, he is now relishing the showdown with the Swedes.

"The momentum is good and we are looking forward to the game," he said. "It has been a really good camp for us. All the boys are really close. Having been a great defender, Stuart Pearce gives me a lot of good advice so he has been really great to work under too.

Obviously Sweden are the home nation but they are all tough teams from now on."

The final is in Malmo on Monday.

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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Soccerphile Exclusive:
England u21 revelation Andrew Driver

Andrew Driver is not exactly a name on many fans' lips, but after a stellar debut for the England u21 side against Germany on Monday, expect to hear more of this young talent soon.

The 21 year-old from Lancashire, who plays his football north of the border with Heart of Midlothian, was a sensation on the right-wing, storming up the flanks and leading the Germans a merry dance with his penetrative runs, until coach Stuart Pearce decided to rest his ace after 71 minutes' of a more than satisfactory debut.

"Obviously it was a dream to get my first cap," Driver told Soccerphile. "It was the first massive game for me, and one of the biggest of my career. I really enjoyed it," he went on, "and am really pleased with how it went. I wanted to get the ball at every opportunity and it is good when you are in that mood."

Watching Driver lead the line against Germany so confidently, it was eye-opening to think it really was his first game for his country at any level.

Of course, England had taken notice already, as had Burnley and Coventry, who had both been rebuffed in efforts to sign the precocious midfielder, the Sky Blues offering one million pounds back in January's transfer window.

Edinburgh might not be the most usual port of call for English u21s, but Driver has lived in the Scottish capital since nine years ago when his father took the family north of the border for work.

Joining the Tynecastle youth system, the young Englishman worked his way through the ranks until he made his first-team debut for the Jam bos in a pre-season tour of Austria in 2006.

Driver speaks with Lancastrian vowels and a hint of that county's unmistakable burr, but confesses it is all a bit of a ruse to hide his subsequently-acquired Scottish accent.

"I just sound English because I have been with English people here for a while!," he joked. "When I arrived all the boys said I sounded Scottish. I have been taking quite a bit of stick as you can imagine. I just say a few words and get slagged!"

And joining a team including some household names with World Cup and Champions League experience was not easy.

"It was really nerve-racking the first time I entered the England dressing-room not knowing everyone," he admitted, "because these guys are at the top of their game. I have never played against them and have never been near them so they would not know who I am. But the boys have made it really easy and I feel like I have settled in quite well. Football is football when you are out on the pitch and everyone is the same."

Overlooked for the first two games in Sweden, Driver is pressing for inclusion against the hosts in the semi-final, but his lack of caps will count against him making the starting eleven.

"There are boys in the squad who are very experienced," he said.

"In my position you have Milner and Walcott in my position and Johnno (Adam Johnson) on the left so obviously I am just happy I went out and showed everything I could and put myself in the mix. It is a team game so if I am not selected I will just be happy to support the team. It is a massive tournament for us and however the manager decides to win it I will be very happy to go along with him. Stuart has been very supportive of me and the training has been brilliant. He is brilliant with the players."

Win or lose in Gothenburg tonight, Driver will not forget the first time he played for his country, and this is surely not the last time we will have heard of him either.

"For me the experience is something I have never done before. This is my first international squad outing. I have not always been the best traveler in the past but I have really enjoyed this trip. I just hope to take as much from it as possible and I am enjoying doing that."

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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Brazil v South Africa Live Streaming & Match Preview
Brazil vs South Africa Live Online - Click Here
Thursday, 25th June 2009
Kick Off : 19:30 GMT
Venue : Johannesburg

Brazil will kick off the second semi finals of the Confederations Cup against South Africa this evening. The first semi finals featured USA and Spain with USA causing a massive shock by beating Spain 2-0 even finishing the match with just 10 players.

Brazil will be fresh from the last group match where they demolished Italy 3-0, whilst South Africa lost their last match 2-0 against Spain yet they still managed to qualify. Brazil will no doubt be the favourites to beat a respectable South Africa side, where they will face USA in the Confederations Cup final.

My Prediction: 3-1

Watch Brazil v South Africa Live : Brazil vs South Africa Live

The United States may not have deserved to be in the semifinals of the Confederations Cup, but after Wednesday night, they certainly deserve to be in the final. For the...

With Cristiano Ronaldo off to join the new galáctico era at Real Madrid leaving Sir Alex Ferguson with £80 million burning a hole in his pocket here is a selection of South American starlets who could fill the vacant number seven shirt at Old Trafford.

Despite assuring Nani that he has a future at the club, having Serbian Zoran Tosic in the wings as well as pursuing Franck Ribéry and Karim Benzema do not be surprised if one or more of the names below show up in a Manchester United shirt sooner rather than later.

In fact with the money raised by the sale of Ronaldo alone Fergie could bring all four of the Latin wing wizards he is linked with and still have enough left over for a sizable punt on the nags.

So lets have a look over the runners and riders…

Name: Alexis Sanchez

Age: 20

Nationality: Chilean

Current Club: Udinese

International Record: 22 caps, 7 goals

Possible Cost: £30 million

Both Udinese and Chile have benefitted this season as Alexis Sanchez continues to polish up his act and produce the goods on the pitch.

El Niño Maravilla has grabbed his chance in Italy by making 32 appearances for Udinese this term and his performances for Chile, including a brace last time out against Bolivia, have fired his nation to within touching distance of the World Cup.

Despite Udinese’s president Sergio Gasparin issuing a hands off warning to Manchester United speculation is still rife that Alexis Sanchez will be swapping Stadio Friuli for Old Trafford in time for next season.

Gasparin is obviously keen to be seen as protecting his prize asset and has turned to the press to voice his concerns about Sanchez even though the player himself has stated he would love to play for Manchester United one day.

“Alexis Sanchez is not for sale,” Gasparin told the Italian press. “From a technical standpoint, this player means a lot to us.”

“He has a four-year contract with Udinese and there is no contact with Manchester United,” bluntly added the club’s president. “We do not have any intention of selling Alexis.”

Gasparin has already turned down a €25 million bid from Bayern Munich who appear to view Sanchez as a perfect replacement for want away Franck Ribéry.

However the player’s agent appears not to be heeding Gasparin’s warning and continues to put his player in the shop window. Fernando Felicevich went as far to reveal that meetings were taking place with Old Trafford officials to get a deal off the ground.

“My partner is currently in England working on the transfer of Alexis," Felicevich told Setanta.com. “Yes, we have spoken to Manchester United, but not just to United. We have also held talks with other English teams. We are trying to do the transfer this summer.”

Sanchez first appeared in the Chilean league with Cobreloa and was snapped up shortly after by Udinese for around £2 million. Sanchez was then loaned to Colo-Colo and then River Plate where he picked up an Argentine league winners medal.

After a successful debut season in Serie A Alexis Sanchez has proven his ability in one of Europe’s top leagues and the high asking price represents the relatively low risk factor of this transfer with the player primed to make an instant impact in the Premier League.

Name: Antonio Valencia

Age: 23

Nationality: Ecuadoran

Current club: Wigan Athletic (ENG)

International record: 34 caps, 4 goals

Probable cost: £17 million

Sir Alex doesn’t have to look to far for one Latin America option with Ecuadoran Antonio Valencia plying his trade just up the road at Wigan Athletic.

Valencia has just completed his third Premier League term and did his chances of a move to Old Trafford no harm with a man of the match performance there this season as Wigan lost by a single goal.

Steve Bruce knows what it takes to succeed at Manchester United and he gave a frank assessment of the player when he eventually signed Valencia on a permanent bias from Villarreal last year.

“He has pace, trickery, he is as strong as an ox and has a great work ethic,” said the former United captain. “I want him to focus completely on his football and keep improving because I believe he has the potential to be a top, top player.”

Valencia certainly stepped up to Bruce’s challenge as he helped in his manager’s transformation of Wigan from basement battlers to Europa League contenders.

However as Wigan’s chairman Dave Whelan freely admits just like Wilson Palacios, Emile Heskey and Leighton Baines before him, Valencia has his price.

That price is believed to be in the region of £17 million but could be pushed up as joint interest from Real Madrid sparks a bidding war for the Ecuadoran. Another factor which could add a few quid on to Valencia’s transfer is a 20% sell-on fee owed to Villarreal.

Whelan explains the latest state of play concerning Manchester United’s approaches.

“They have been in touch with us and we will be starting negotiations very shortly, I would imagine,” the Wigan chairman said. “United have been in touch with us over Antonio over the last two or three months, expressing an interest and putting cash offers on the table.”

Manchester United were forced to act on Valencia after they learnt of Real Madrid putting in an £18 million bid back in January despite seemingly to have already secured the services of Ronaldo.

While Whelan would like to strengthen his ties with the current Premier League champions he concedes that the eventual decision will be in the player’s hands.

“We have had offers that are acceptable to Wigan Athletic, around the £14-£18m mark, said Whelan. “One club could offer £2m more than the other, but if Antonio says he doesn't want to go there then there is no point.”

Name: Douglas Costa

Age: 18

Nationality: Brazilian

Current club: Grêmio (BRA)

International record: Under-20 11 caps, 3 goals

Probable cost: £21 million

After getting his fingers burnt with Brazilian talent in the past Sir Alex looks now to have found a way to harness players from the most successful footballing nation in the world.

Fergie plucked Kleberson straight from the Brasileirão after his performances in the 2002 World Cup singled him out as star performer in the middle of the park. However, an injury in only his second appearance for Manchester United set the tone for two disappointing seasons with the club.

A look through the Manchester United squad now though reveals a healthy Brazilian contingent including first team regular Anderson as well as Rodrigo Possebon and the Da Silva twins on the fringes.

No surprise therefore that Fergie has used his considerable scouting network in Brazil to identify a possible successor to Ronaldo. It appears all his sources have come back with the same name, Douglas Costa of Grêmio.

Now after a year of monitoring the player’s progress which has seen Douglas establish himself in the Grêmio side and guide Brazil to success at the South American under-20 championships the time has come to act.

Inter Milan and Real Madrid are reported to be interested but Manchester United hope that Douglas will be swayed by the prospect of joining up with Fergie’s current boys from Brazil.

The left-footed Douglas is rumoured to have a £21 million release trigger in his contract with Grêmio plus United would have to jump through a few hoops on the work permit front in order to secure his signature.

These hurdles however have not prevented officials from Old Trafford starting a dialogue with Douglas’ agent Cesar Bottega.

“There have been informal conversations and I believe United would match [the release price],” Bottega said. “At the end of the Brasileirão in December, Douglas will be worth at least twice that.”

Bottega also added that the reported £6.7 million that Manchester United have already tabled for Douglas was laughed off by Grêmio president Duda Kroeff.

One person who is not happy with United’s interest in Brazilian youngsters is the 1970 World Cup winning captain and scorer of that goal, Carlos Alberto. After seeing so many talented youths tempted away from his homeland Carlos Alberto has accused Manchester United in particular of “raping Brazilian football”.

As well as employing two full-time scouts in Brazil Manchester United also have a deal with Desportivo Brasil, a youth club owned by Traffic Football Management. A move which be seen as at odds with some of the club’s comments concerning third party ownership which arose as Carlos Tevez left the club.

Name: Javier Pastore

Age: 20

Nationality: Argentine

Current club: Huracán (ARG)

International record: Unreleased by Huracán for under-20 duty

Probable cost: £11 million

Last weekend I went along to watch Huracán go top of the Argentine league with a 3-0 win over Arsenal. The star of the show without doubt was Javier Pastore, a midfielder equally adept in creating as well as taking goalscoring chances.

It was looking likely that Pastore would be available in the coming months as his complicated contract with Huracán drew to a close but before last week’s match it was announced to the great delight of the crowd that Pastore has signed up for another six months on loan.

However, if a big bid was to come in who is say that Pastore would be sticking around in Buenos Aires for another season. Any deal would have to suit the investment group would paid £200,000 for 55% of his registration and Talleres, the Argentine lower league club who own the remaining 45%.

It has been quite the coup by Huracán chairman Carlos Babington, nicknamed El

Ingles for his English sounding name, to secure Pastore’s services as the cash strapped club stand one game away from an historic league title.

Pastore has benefitted from working under Huracán's manager Angel Cappa, a staunch football purist whose style of play demands the ball is played to feet. Cappa has urged Pastore to explore his talents on the pitch as he gives his players free range to express themselves in pursuit of goals.

This freedom has seen Pastore head and shoulders above his fellow tricksters in Argentina’s weekly showboating feature on a television program and what makes him such an attractive proposal is the final product he has delivered time and time again.

Braces in recent wins against River Plate and Rosario Central have kept his team in a title race as well as cementing the interest of Manchester United.

“I'm very proud that a club like United are interested in me,” Pastore said. “The thing is that at clubs like Manchester United there are a lot of great players, and they are all internationals. I know that if I moved to a club like that, I'd have to wait to get my chance to play.”

In the meantime a little wrinkle for Pastore to iron out is his apparent snub of international duty which has recently seen him frozen out of Diego Maradona’s plans with the national team.

Pastore was selected to represent Argentina at the South American under-20 championships but Huracán refused to release him and this has led to a feeling that he let his country down.

When reacting to his exclusion from Argentina’s recent B international against Panama the talented youth took the opportunity once again to remind people that it was not him who made the decision to withdraw.

“I didn't refuse to travel with the national team,” Pastore said, before adding. “The players who are in the national team are there because they deserve to be.”

Copyright © Tim Sturtridge and Soccerphile.com

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Soccerphile Exclusive:
Manchester United & Serbia's Zoran Tosic

Manchester United’s Serbian u21 star Zoran Tosic has said he will leap at the chance of replacing Cristiano Ronaldo at Old Trafford next season if given the opportunity.

The skilful winger, signed by United from FK Partizan in January’s transfer window, has been wowing the crowds in this summer’s UEFA u21 tournament in Sweden, leading to talk that he might be about to step into Ronaldo’s shoes now the Portuguese star has left for Real Madrid.

“I have read that,” Tosic told Soccerphile. “I came to Manchester United to get better and get stronger in every way and it will be six months in July since I came. In the next six months I hope I am going to get a chance and I have to use that chance.”

22-year-old Tosic debuted for the Red Devils as a substitute for Ronaldo in an FA Cup fourth-round tie against Tottenham on the 24^th of January, then made his league bow three days later, replacing Dimitar Berbatov against West Brom, but saw no more first team action in 2008-’09.

Like another flying winger in the U21 tournament, Theo Walcott, Tosic has experience with the National Team, for whom he has clocked up 13 appearances since 2007.

Standing only 5’7” (1.71m), his low centre of gravity makes him a natural dribbler. Add to that his quick feet, rapid acceleration and ability to play on both wings and he seems a potentially tailor-made replacement for Ronaldo, albeit with less prowess in the air.

He is also a free-kick specialist, but was devastated after failing to find the target with his set-piece against Belarus, the last kick of the game. Tosic collapsed crestfallen at the final whistle and did not get up from the ground for a long time.

“I was disappointed because I did not score at the end from a free kick and I am practising them every day, every day!” he explained. “And the only reason I practise is so I can get a chance like that in the 95^th minute. In that moment you show the entire world you are a player that can score from just one chance and unfortunately I did not score.”

Serbia exited the competition after losing 3-1 to the hosts in Malmo on Tuesday, after registering successive 0-0s from their first two games against Italy and Belarus. But Tosic's impressive showings in Sweden have not gone unnoticed and will mean more eyes than before will be focused on the young Serb when United kick off their Premier League defence in August.

“Of course it has been a great experience so far,” he said about playing in England. “It is the strongest league in the world and every player who can play in England can play in every country.

All I know is if I get the chance I am going to use it and do my best - Who knows, maybe some day I am going to pick up Ronaldo’s place!”

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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UEFA u21 Championship, Sweden 2009

Sweden 3-1 Serbia, Malmo, 19,820
Italy 2-1 Belarus, Helsingborg, 3,014

Sweden and Italy advanced to the semi-finals tonight leaving Belarus and Serbia to pack their bags.

The hosts downed Serbia 3-1 in front of almost 20,000 fans in Malmo, the championship's biggest crowd yet, with tournament top gunner Marcus Berg scoring twice in the first quarter of an hour to lift his goal tally to five. Serbian skipper Gojko Kacar pulled one back after 26 minutes before Ola Toivonen scored Sweden's third just short of the half hour. A fiery evening saw the referee brandish ten yellow cards and send off two Serbs, Nikola Petkovic and Nenad Tomovic.

In Helsingborg, Italy and Belarus fought a ding-dong battle for the last semi-final spot, with the Azzurrini triumphing 2-1 in the end. Sergei Kislyak fired Belarus into a 45th minute lead only for Robert Acquafresca to equalise for the Italians from the spot in added-on time.

Both sides had chances to score before Acquafresca gave Italy the lead in the 75th minute with his second goal of the evening, a lead PierLuigi Casiraghi's team held until the final whistle.

Sweden play England in Gothenburg on Friday for a place in the final, while Italy tackle Germany in Helsingborg.

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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With South Korea safely qualified for the 2010 World Cup, it was time to head to South Africa and the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. This competition is a rehearsal for the massive festival of football that comes next summer. It features the champion of each of the six continental confederations as well as the World Cup host, South Africa obviously, and the world champions, Italy.

The eight-nation quadrennial tournament is one of the better ideas that the world governing body has had over the years. It gives everyone a chance for a dry run and to iron out any rough spots.

The teams that make it get a great opportunity to check out training facilities in South Africa but even the pioneers often have to fight for their favored spots. The United States and Italy have fallen in love with one pristine training park in Centurion just outside Johannesburg. The Europeans used it for this competition but have been shocked as the Americans slipped in behind their backs to do a deal with the authorities. Italy are not happy - in fact, the Azzurri have not had the best of times this summer/winter.

The organizers get a dress rehearsal in logistics and in making sure that the whole thing, and even the Confederations Cup is no small affair, works for most. There have been a number of complaints about Johannesburg’s Park and Ride system that buses fans in from designated car parks around the city but plans are in place to improve this system as well as public transport for next year. For the media too, it is a great chance to become familiar with the country, the football scene, make contacts as well as more prosaic parts like accommodation and transport.

South Korea will be here in 2010 but have to wait until the draw is made in Cape Town in December to find out locations and opponents. The coastal city is one of nine World Cup hosts but not one of the four Confederations Cup sites.

The current quartet comprises of Johannesburg, neighboring Pretoria, Rustenburg to the north-west and Bloemfontein to the south.

Johannesburg - call it Joburg or Jozi as the locals do - is a sprawling metropolis of leafy avenues and shopping malls with little in the way of public transport. The first thing that every single business traveler does upon arriving at OR Tamba International Airport is first rent a car and secondly, rent a navigational system because with the former you can’t go anywhere and without the latter, you can’t find anywhere.

Outside the big cities of Joburg, Cape Town and Durban, accommodation could be hard to come by. Even in the lower profile Confederations Cup, hotels in the Free State city of Bloemfontein were fully-booked. So organization is also key.

Crime is never far from a conversation when you talk about South Africa and especially in a city like Johannesburg, it is something to be considered. Locals warn of going to the downtown area, most businesses upped and moved to the suburbs over a decade ago. There are other parts that are deemed unsafe, and unnecessary, to visit.

Caution is advised but on the whole, the locals are friendly and while any World Cup will struggle to match the smooth convenience of Germany 2006, one part in which South Africa can stand out is in the warmth of its people and the delight they feel at the prospect of being hosts to the world in the summer of 2010.

Ke Nako is the slogan which means ‘The Time Is Now’. It isn’t time yet but the countdown has now broken the one-year barrier. When the clock stops in the summer of 2010, South Korea, as well as 30 other visitors are going to have a great time in the Rainbow Nation.

Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile


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Four of the six Iranian footballers who wore green armbands in Iran's 1-1 draw with South Korea in a recent World Cup qualifier have been handed life bans from the national team.

Ali Karimi, 31, team captain Mehdi Mahdavikia, 32, Hosein Ka'abi, 24 and Vahid Hashemian, 32 have been "retired" from national team duty and are reported to have had their passports confiscated.

Karimi, Mahdavikia and Hashemian have all played with top clubs in Germany. Karimi with Bayern and Mahdavikia and Hashemian with Eintracht Frankfurt and Bochum.

Liverpool have wrapped up their signing of Glen Johnson from Portsmouth. The lingering doubt, though, is how much of a role can arguably Britain’s finest full-back play in transforming Liverpool into Premiership champions.

On last season’s form, Johnson is certainly England’s best full-back. His attacking raids invariably result in finer distribution than, say, Ashley Cole, he’s more trustworthy than Micah Richards and probably now edges a fully fit Gary Neville for his country’s No.2 shirt.

Whether he is the best full-back in England, however, is a far more complex debate.

Chelsea must believe so or why would they risk losing Portuguese Jose Bosingwa (who cost £16m from Porto last summer). Meanwhile, it is Arsenal’s Bacary Sagna who this month took steps to deny publicly reported interest from Real.

What’s certain is Johnson appears a more supreme Premier League athlete than Liverpool’s current first choice right back Spaniard Alvaro Arbeloa, who now looks destined to return to Spain as a makeweight in the Johnson deal.

But, £18.5m remains an incredible transaction for Liverpool’s first piece of transfer business of the summer. Of deals involving right-backs, only Barcelona's purchase of Dani Alves from Sevilla for £24m and Lilian Thuram’s move to Juventus for £23m have come at a greater cost.

(Intriguingly, Sevilla agreed to sell Alves to Liverpool three years ago, but Benitez refused to stump up the £10m asking price.)

When it’s remembered that Liverpool refused to meet Aston Villa’s £18m asking price for national team midfielder Gareth Barry a year ago – a player that has since moved for two-thirds of that amount – spending more than £18m on Johnson seems generous.

The Indepedent's Ian Herbert branded the amount "extraordinary", although like others did concede that the financial blow is softened by the remaining debt, thought to be £7m, for Peter Crouch’s move in the opposite direction last summer.

In a transfer market within a constant state of flux, and one so currently dependent on the financial clout of clubs’ foreign owners, recent deals perhaps provide the only prudent comparison.

In pre-season to date, Johnson’s sum mirrors the price Manchester City splashed out on Roque Santa Cruz while Arsenal are thought to have spent £11m on Ajax defender Thomas Vermaelen.

It’s been said that Liverpool’s bold move for Johnson shows a statement of intent.

They haven’t been prepared to wait and miss out such as in the Barry saga. They’ve moved swiftly in the wake of champions Manchester United losing first Cristiano Ronaldo and then Carlos Tevez.

The Reds have also purchased a player at the top of his game, but still with plenty of scope for improvement.

The 24-year-old was man-of-the-match in England’s 6-0 hammering of Andorra earlier his month, setting up goals-a-plenty against the amateurs.

But following the national side’s win in Kazakhstan, his defensive acumen had been questioned and his place on the right debated.

Benitez has placed an enormous amount of faith in Johnson. With the club under some financial uncertainty, the manager was only expected to enter the transfer market for two major acquisitions, and a second striker appears top of the Spaniard’s shopping list.

But the outlay on Johnson doesn’t stop with his purchase. He is reportedly commanding a £80,000 per week wage at Anfield, an amount only eclipsed by Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres. The Sun said Johnson's weekly earnings would be closer to £100,000.

That’s left some Liverpool fans wondering whether his expensive signature adds any great dynamic to the squad pipped to the post last season.

"Sometimes you have to spend a little more," Benitez argued. "You can't compete in the top four of the Premier League unless you spend some money.

"We were looking for a player of quality and also somebody who is British because of the new Champions League rules.

"Glen Johnson fits both categories."

Chelsea decided that such an outlay for a player they sold to Portsmouth for £4m two years ago was too high. Manchester City were never interested.

So, Johnson’s arrival at that price is a calculated gamble. As a teenager, he failed to secure a regular first team place during Jose Mourninho’s reign at Chelsea after being signed for £6m by Claudio Ranieri.

He made only 41 appearances in his Chelsea career and was loaned to Portsmouth before making the move permanent in 2007.

Copyright © Marc Fox and Soccerphile.com

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UEFA u21 Championship, Group B

England 1:1 Germany

Halmstad, Sweden - Germany booked their place in the semi-finals after drawing 1-1 with a second-string England in Halmstad this evening.

When Gonzalo Castro fired Germany into a fourth-minute lead, it looked like Stuart Pearce's weakened team selection would backfire into humiliation, but England fought back and deservedly equalised through Everton's Jack Rodwell on the half hour.

After Rodwell's goal, England had other chances to bag a second, which would have sent Spain, 2-0 conquerors of Finland in Gothenburg, through instead of Germany. But as the minutes wore on in the second half, it seemed as if both teams were content to settle for a draw.

"I expect a big performance and to win," said Stuart Pearce before the game, stressing his personal, painful experiences of losing to Germany as an England player, but his starting eleven showed ten changes to the team which had beaten Spain. Actions speak louder than words.

Inside the charming little riverside ground the Orjans Vall, German fans, chanting obscenely and belligerently, exploded flares and firecrackers before kick-off, one landing not far from England goalkeeper Scott Loach and the others fogging up the field of play. There were no visible police on show. The Swedes had expected everyone to be friends at the u21s but had not anticipated this.

Once the smog had lifted after four minutes, Germany saw clearly enough to snatch the lead in the game. Gonzalo Castro, a 22 year-old Spanish-German attacker from Bayer Leverkusen, outran Michael Mancienne and nutmegged Loach.

Germany had the lead and the psychological advantage. But as the succeeding minutes proved, they were not up to dominating their B-team opponents. Both teams slipped up and sprayed passes wildly. Then England replied.

Andrew Driver, who plays his club football in Scotland for Hearts, was England's most impressive player, driving attacks from his right-wing berth in a highly-impressive debut.

Gardner got his head onto one of his crosses and should have scored after a quarter of an hour before he and Richard Stearman got entangled in the German box five minutes later and failed to get a shot off. Promising stuff after a horrible start.

Just short of the half hour, Gardner curled over a corner from the left and Jack Rodwell, Everton's young find of the season, rose to power his header into the German net.

Panic over, England started to open up and play with more fluency. Germany, up against a B-team and having to avoid defeat, were pinned back and having to play on the counter, though they still posed a threat via Castro's energy and the mesmeric dribbling of Mesut Ozil, their ace in the pack.

But the first half ended with the red shirts of England dominating.

At 1-1, neither side needed to do anything, but any suspicions of a gentlemen's agreement had no wings, though England were clearly experimenting.

Three minutes short of the hour mark, Pearce replaced his lone striker Fraizer Campbell, who had worked well up front, with Theo Walcott, in another enigmatic employment of his star man. His retirement of the penetrative Driver with 20 minutes left for the defensive Kieran Gibbs was a sure sign that winning was not Pearce's top priority tonight.

Germany made their first switch ten minutes later, replacing their ineffective left-winger Anis Ben-Hatira with a zippier performer Marko Marin, a pint-sized midfielder reminiscent at times of Thomas Hassler.

As the clock ran down so did each side's enthusiasm for three points, Germany especially knowing only one would do. With Spain leading Finland 2-0 in Gothenburg, an England goal would eliminate the Germans, but by the end they had lost all stomach for a fight.

In the semi-finals, England play the Group A runners-up in Gothenburg on Friday, while Germany play the Group A winners in Helsingborg the same day.

Scoring:

GER - Castro 4'
ENG - Rodwell 29'

ENG- Scott Loach (Joe Lewis 45'), Andrew Taylor, Richard Steadman, Craig Gardner, Adam Johnson, Jack Rodwell, James Tomkins, Michael Mancienne, Andrew Driver (Kieran Gibbs 71'), Fraizer Campbell (Theo Walcott 57'), Danny Rose

GER-Manuel Neuer, Andreas Beck, Bendikt Howedes, Jerome Boateng, Patrick Ebert (Dennis Aogo 85'), Sami Khedira, Ashkan Dejagah, Mesut Ozil, Anis Ben-Hatira (Marko Marin 67'), Gonzalo Castro, Marcel Schmelzer

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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Now, I know Michael Owen will soon be desperate to land a contract at a Premier League club…but Hull?

Well, reports at the weekend suggested just that. Hull are said to be interested, willing to pay him a substantial weekly wage, with bonuses for appearances and goals scored. Apparently…

I could be wrong, but I fear this is almost as ridiculous an idea as the one Owen’s management company had when sending out a brochure of the (former?) England international.

Call me cynical, but I sense it is more about Phil Brown missing the limelight in the close season, and wanting to make a few more headlines, enhance his profile some more, and not about a serious attempt by Hull to lure Owen to the KC Stadium.

Phil ‘James’ Brown has been quick to make comments on how Hull need strengthening in ‘that department’ and how Owen would be on his list of potential new signings …however, no contact has actually been made. Nada. Niente.

Owen will officially become a free agent at the end of June, and has expressed his desire to play for one of the top clubs in England, or even abroad.

So I’m sorry, but that is why I see no way that Owen will be a Hull player come August. Hull are not a top side, and Owen is still keen to prove he is not the faded star many people think he is.

If he does join Hull, I shall never write another football article again. (I can hear the many calls for him to become a Tiger, as we speak!!…)

So Roque Santa Cruz looks to have received his pressies early this year, after finally getting his wish at a move away from Ewood Park. Assuming he completes the formalities of a medical, he will be unveiled as Manchester City player in the next 24 hours.

The 27-year old was contracted to Ewood Park until 2012, but City looked to have exercised the £18 million buy-out clause that was stimulated in Santa Cruz’s contract when he initially signed for Rovers. Not a bad return for Blackburn, who bought Santa Cruz from Bayern Munich two seasons ago, for a mere £3.7 million.

Although he will not be easy to replace - Santa Cruz scored 29 goals in 70 games for Rovers - it will be a much needed boost to Big Sam’s transfer kitty.

Santa Cruz will be City’s second signing of the  summer after Gareth Barry - will Tevez be the third?

Let’s be honest, the United States had no business making it out of the group stage of the Confederations Cup. In what universe should losing to Brazil and Italy...

Gothenburg: Finland v Spain
Halmstad: England v Germany

The second semi-finalist will be decided today, with England already through to the knock-out stages. After a two-day hiatus to coincide with Sweden's national midsummer holiday, the football begins again in earnest.

Stuart Pearce's men face Germany in Halmstad, scene of their opening win over Finland, with nothing but pride and no injuries or bookings to play for. A draw will be enough for the Germans to qualify, but a defeat may just let in Spain, who tackle the eliminated Finns in Gothenburg. Spain trail the Germans by three points and four goals at start of play.

Group A, which concludes tomorrow, is much more open, with any of Sweden, Italy, Serbia and Belarus in contention for the last four.

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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In an extraordinary reversal of fortune the USA made it through to the Confederations Cup semi-finals after defeating Egypt 3-0 in Rustenberg.

Italy's 0-3 reverse to Brazil in the coinciding match meant the Americans advanced on goals scored with three teams left on three points at the end of the group stage. Strikes from Charlie Davies, Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey sent the US through to the knock-out stages of the Confederations Cup for the first time.

But after losing 3-1 to Italy and 3-0 to Brazil, only the brave expect the Yanks to top the Spanish in the semi-finals

Semi-finals

Weds 24th June SPAIN v USA in Bloemfontein
Thu 25th June BRAZIL v SOUTH AFRICA in Johannesburg

Third-Place Play-off

Sun 28th June Rustenburg

Final

Sun 28th June in Johannesburg

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile


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So Chelsea are appealing the decision to give Didier Drogba and Jose Bosingwa respective bans from European competition. What a surprise.

Drogba has been given a six-game ban by Uefa (two of which are suspended for two years) from European competition; team-mate Jose Bosingwa, has been handed a four-match ban, one of which is suspended.

Now firstly to Drogba. Interesting to see the reaction to the ban after he said prior to the ruling, he would be prepared to accept any ban imposed by Uefa. Me thinks he was expecting to get away with a slap on the wrist. Well, think again Didier…

Bosingwa was guilty of calling the referee a ‘thief’, amongst other things. That will teach him to go running to the Portuguese media after a game then, won’t it?!

The thing is, despite the circumstances and ill-feeling due to the controversial decisions made by the referee that night, there is no excuse for the way Bosingwa and, in particular, Drogba, reacted at the final whistle. His aggressive nature towards referee Henning Ovrebo, not to mention choice words straight down a TV camera, were inexcusable. He is a highly-paid professional who serves as a role model to millions of children, not to mention those back in his native Ivory Coast. Yes emotions run high, but that does not mean to say discipline can be thrown out of the window.

In the year of the Respect campaign, Uefa had no choice other than to hand Drogba a heavy fine - otherwise imagine what sort of stand that would have made to the footballing-world. Uefa had to make a point, and have done to strongly in with the imposed bans. On the other hand….

The improper charge for conduct by their fans and players imposed on Chelsea -and with it a £85,000 fine…now that’s not exactly making a point, is it? Chelsea are indeed appealing that too….sure, because they can’t afford that can they?! Honestly, after making strong gestures with the Drogba and Bosingwa bans, what is the point in handing billionaire Roman Abramovich’s Chelsea side, a measly £85,000 fine?!! It’s not even going to make a pin-prick dent in My Moneybag’s pocket is it?

Anyway, we shall see what comes of the appeals. Knowing Uefa, they will fail to stand by their strong stance, and cave in under the millions of pounds…sorry pressure….from the power that is Chelsea and the English PL. Still, here’s hoping….

 

It’s emerged today that Carlos Tevez will definitely be leaving United this summer, after the Argentinean turned down the offer to stay at Old Trafford.

United were willing to pay the £25.5 million that it would’ve taken to keep Tevez at United, however Tevez’s advisors have informed United, he does not wish to remain a Manchester United player.

Adored by United fans, many will be shocked at Tevez’s blatant snub. However, it is thought United’s unwillingness to sort out a contract sooner, has led to Tevez turning his back on the Champions. His agent further confirmed this idea, by saying if the club had offered him the contract six months ago, Tevez would not have hesitated to sign. Clearly, Tevez was not happy at how he was treated at Old Trafford. Will United live to regret there decision?

So, that leaves Chelsea and Manchester City as the front runners to win his signature - after his advisors ruled out Liverpool due to their ‘intense rivalry’ with United.

City will be desperate to land the Argentinean - not only to stick one over their rivals, but as proof they are a club with ambition. And they certainly have the money at their disposal.

Chelsea are also rumoured to be interested, but with Ancelotti still assessing his team ahead of a new season, the Italian may feel there are other players that would fit in better with his style of play.

Tevez will make his decision at the start of July. He is said to be keen to stay in the Premier League and I for one wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up a short trip away at Eastlands.

I had commented on it last week, but now the proverbial you-know-what has indeed hit the fan in the Setanta offices, at the announcement it has lost the rights to show 46 matches of the English Premier League with immediate effect.

£30 million in debt, Setanta failed to meet the Friday-deadline put in place, and the league will now put the 46-live matches out to auction. Offers need to be made by Monday, where it is expected Sky will express an interest. Although EU regulatory rules prevent one broadcaster from owning all PL rights, so they will only be able to bid for one of the two 23-game packages Setanta had agreed to. ESPN, the Disney-owned sports channel in the US, are also expected to show interest.

Setanta have a big part to play in the Scottish Premier League, and are still locked in talks with the chiefs there, after also failing to pay the league £3 million. They will also now focus on thire other contracts - England internationals, the FA Cup and Blue Square Premier.

Unfortunately for Setanta, news that it will no longer show English PL games, will probably trigger an influx of cancellation letters from it’s 1.2 million subscribers. It would be an understatement to say things are not looking good for the Irish sports broadcasters….

UEFA u21 Championship: Serbia 0:o Belarus

Malmo- The two East European nations in the finals battled to a scoreless draw in Malmo, leaving all four teams in Group A with a chance of making the semi-finals in the final round of first-games on Tuesday.

The Serbs could yet be the dark horses of the UEFA U21 tournament. They are a quick and muscular team England and the others must deal with before they can celebrate final victory in Sweden, but unless they defeat the hosts in their final game, their championship challenge will be a footnote.

After having tied Italy 0-0 in their opening game, Serbia started with aplomb against Belarus, who came seeking to repair their reputation after their 5-1 drubbing here by the Swedes.

Backed by a few hundred vociferous expats in an otherwise sparsely-attended arena in Malmo, the Serbs looked tougher and meaner competitors than their East-European near neighbours, though it was Belarus who carved out the first chance in the 13th minute when Sergei Krivets’ wickedly dipping effort was tipped over by Serbian goalkeeper Zeljko Brkic.

Two minutes later it was his opposite number Pavel Chesnovski who acrobatically denied the dangerous right-winger Zoran Tosic at his near post. Tosic, signed last summer by Manchester United from FK Partizan, is surely someone we will be seeing more of in the future. The 22 year-old has a low center of gravity, quick close control and enjoys taking defenders on. Do United already have a tailor-made replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo? Watch this space and watch his pace.

The other Serb who caught the eye in the first half was Nikola Petkovic, a formidable left-back with quick distribution, acquired in January by Eintracht Frankfurt.

With both sides needing points the field opened out, Belarus enjoying the space to play their expansive approach, while Serbia hammered away at them on the counter, hoping their physical stamina would count sooner or later.

Belarus came out for the second half confident their languid passing game could prevail after containing their more favoured opponents for the first 45 minutes, but they lacked punch up front. Lone striker Vladimir Yurchenko was frequently off the pace and shirked 50-50 balls. Krivets, their blond attacking midfielder, pulled the strings elegantly but his orchestra stayed out of key.

Still, Sweden's whipping boys were growing in confidence and Leonid Kovel should have hit the target with his drilled finish to a slick attack. Serbia needed fresh ideas so coach Slobodan Krcmarevic swapped Petkovic for attacker Nemanja Tomic in the 64th minute, switching his ace Tosic to the left wing.

Serb defender Nemanja Pecinovic should have scored with ten minutes remaining but skied his effort from close range after Tomic had whipped in a set piece from the right.

Tosic's pace still gave Serbia hope, as well as Chesnovski's nervous handling of anything in the air, but time was running out.

Deep into the five minutes' added-on, Mikhail Sivakov knocked over Gojko Kacar 20 yards out. Tosic stepped up to give the game a fairytale ending but his curling free kick scuffed the top of the net and it was all over.

Tosic must have stayed even longer on the field, looking like he had lost the World Cup for his country with a missed penalty. This young man wears his heart on his sleeve, and he and his colleagues will get a final chance on Tuesday.

The same evening Serbia play Sweden in Malmo, Belarus will tackle Italy, 2-1 conquerors of the hosts today, in Helsingborg.

BEL- Pavel Chevnovski, Nikolai Osipovich, Igor Shitov, Maksim Bordachov, Sergei Krivets, Leonid Kovel, Mikhail Afanasiev (Andrei Chukhlei 69'), Sergei Kislyak (Aleksandr Volodko 82'), Dmitri Verkhovtsov, Vladimir Yurchenko (Anton Putilo 76'), Mikhail Sivakov

SER-Zelijko Brkic, Ljomir Fejsa (Rade Veljovic 82'), Gojko Kacar, Nikola Petkovic (Nemanja Tomic 63'), Milan Smiljanic, Miralem Sulejmani, Zoran Tosic, Nenad Tomovic, Nemanja Pejcinovic, Jagos Vukovic, Marko Milinkovic (Ivan Obradovic 45')

***

Italy inflicted a 2-1 defeat on the host nation in Helsingborg this afternoon, sending them a point clear of Sweden at the top of Group A. Inter's Mario Balotelli played Jekyll & Hyde, scoring before being sent off in the first half. Cagliari's Robert Acquafresca ensured three points with a second-half strike. Ola Voinonen grabbed a late consolation for the Swedes.

After two games each, the teams' points are as follows:

Group A: Italy 4, Sweden 3, Serbia 2, Belarus 1
Group B: England 6, Germany 4, Spain 1, Finland 0

Mon 22nd June - Group B: England v Germany (Halmstad), Finland v Spain (Gothenburg)
Tue 23rd June - Group A: Serbia v Sweden (Malmo), Belarus v Italy (Helsingborg)

Semi-finals Fri 26th June - Winner A v Runner-up B (Helsingborg), Winner B v Runner-up A (Gothenburg)

Final Mon 29th June (Malmo)

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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There’s a fierce wind blowing through the top order of Argentine club football as the Clausura championship draws to yet another exciting finale.

Last season’s bottom placed club River Plate are now mathematically out of the title race and the other traditional superpower Boca Juniors are a further eight points down the league.

With three teams left in the title race the swell of support in Argentina now stands behind Angel Cappa’s second place Huracán who have brushed aside rivals this season with a style of football which is very easy on the eye.

While many Argentine teams in recent years have resorted to a more direct, physical and wholly European approach to the game Cappa’s side have entertained crowds with their tradition Argentine toque-toque style of play.

Toque-toque translates as touch-touch and for an example on the global stage think of Esteban Cambiasso latching on to Hernan Crespo’s backheel after a move involving 24 passes to put Argentina 2-0 up against Serbia & Montenegro at the 2006 World Cup.

Eight players touched the ball in the move that led up to the goal before slicing open the opposition defence and it is in this image that the purist Cappa has moulded his Huracán side.

Many tipped Huracán’s title challenge to run of fizz sooner or later but deep into the business end of the season Cappa’s side are primed to bring the league title home to Parque Patricios.

Last weekend’s clasico against San Lorenzo was moved to Boca Juniors’s La Bombonera stadium for security reasons after a Huracán fan was killed after the corresponding fixture last season. Rodrigo Silvera, 27, was shot dead waiting for a takeaway pizza in November by San Lorenzo’s barra brava and the game’s toxic reputation continues to grow in Buenos Aires.

On the pitch this season the encounter turned out to be a rather drab affair as Huracán’s long-serving centre-back Pablo Goltz nodded home the game’s only goal from a corner.

With the spotlight shining on his team Cappa was clearly disappointed with his side’s showing.

“It was one of the worst games we've played,” said Cappa. “If we'd played at 30 or 40 percent of our capabilities, it would have been a simple second half.”

Vélez Sársfield are currently sitting on top of the Clausura with one point more than Huracán who are a further point ahead of Lanús. Third place Lanús were first before the latest round of games but fell two places after they were stuffed 4-1 by lowly Arsenal away while Vélez Sársfield matched Huracán’s win by dismissing Newell’s Old Boys 2-0 at home.

This weekend Cappa’s men entertain Arsenal at home and a win will put them top for at least two hours as Vélez Sársfield against Lanús kicks off after the Huracán game.

As long as Huracán pick up three points this weekend they will take their title challenge to the last day and a possible winner takes all game away to Vélez Sársfield.

Even if the overall quality on the Argentine domestic scene has been poor in recent years tight finishes to the season are becoming the norm.

In the Apertura six months ago you couldn’t squeeze a blue Rizla paper between Boca Juniors, San Lorenzo and Tigres going into the final game.

The three teams were locked on 36 points with Lanus only a further two behind meaning anyone of four teams could take the title on the last day of the season.

As it turned out Boca Juniors, San Lorenzo and Tigres all picked up a win to take their final tallies to 39 points.

With goal difference discounted as a method to separate the teams the authorities took the unprecedented step of holding a end of season three-way playoff.

Ironically enough Boca Juniors won the playoff on goal difference after all three teams won one and lost one of their round robin games.

Cappa will hope that there is no playoff required this season as two wins will secure the clubs second ever league title, their first coming in 1973. If they do bring home the title it will be a victory for aesthetically pleasing football and hopefully will go someway to bucking the trend of negativity which is now rife in domestic Argentine football.

The fluidity of Cappa’s team is borne out in the fact that despite Huracán being the league’s top scorers the club do not have a single player in double figures for the season. Instead they have four players who have five or more and a further 13 players who have chipped in with goals during the course of the season.

In discovering what makes Angel Cappa such a breath of fresh air it is important to take a look at his schooling. Huracán’s head honcho served two important apprenticeships under César Menotti and Jorge Valdano.

The chain-smoking Menotti led Argentina to World Cup triumph on home soil in 1978 and Cappa took up the assistant post with him at Boca Juniors before following him to Atletico Madrid as well as working as a trainer with the national team.

Menotti’s attacking style first bore fruit at Huracán and after wowing crowds for three years and scooping the Metropolitano in 1973 he served as national coach for nine years, grooming Diego Maradona along the way.

After working with El Flaco Cappa joined up with Jorge Valdano first at Tenerife and then at Real Madrid where they won the 1994/95 La Liga and put the wheels in motion for a period of success which the club are still trying to recreate now.

Valdano, a goalscorer in Argentina’s 1986 World Cup win, is known as El Filósofo and El Poeta for his purist views on how the game should be played. Recognized as a true philosopher of the game he has penned the influential books Sueños de fútbol and Cuentos de fútbol.

The former Real Madrid manager and latterly sporting director is known for his outspoken views such as likening a stifling Champions League semi-final between Chelsea and Liverpool to watching ‘shit hanging from a stick.’

It seems Cappa shares his former bosses’ views of the turgid fare so often offered up when teams packed with skilful players decide to shut up shop.

After an undistinguished playing career Cappa himself has already enjoyed a colourful management career in his own right. He has taken charge of teams with varied success in Peru, Mexico, Spain, South Africa as well as his native Argentina.

With a patchy CV there were some grumblings from the Huracán faithful when their president Carlos Babington hired the coach last year.

Many wondered if Cappa, already into his 60s and known for his hardcore old school values, could coax a team with an average age of 23 to any degree of success.

What followed has exceed even the most romantic visions of those who hold Huracán or even the tradition values of Argentine football in high esteem.

Although everyone in Cappa’s side have played their part two names have stood out above the rest, striker Matías De Federico and midfielder Javier Pastore.

De Federico rewarded national coach Diego Maradona for his call up to for the B international against Panama by bagging a goal. The 20-year-old forward has drawn comparisons with Lionel Messi with his squat stature, ability with ball at his feet and precise left peg.

Javier Pastore is Huracán’s leading marksman with nine goals from midfield and dazzling performances against River Plate and Rosario Central last month which saw him grab a brace in both games have driven the European transfer mill into overdrive.

What makes the player such an attractive proposal is that he will be a free agent when his contract runs out at the end of the season. The 19-year-old is believed to have turned down £8.8m to join Manchester United and is waiting to hear from AC Milan, Barcelona as well as host of other interested teams.

Incidentally the last player to transfer straight from Huracán to the English top flight was Ossie Ardiles.

The interest in Pastore has come as no surprise to his coach who again gives away his mystic view of football as he refuses to take full credit for the player’s development.

“He has a lot of talent, he does things that can't be taught," said Cappa. “He is still developing, so he needs to harness that ability and adjust it to work as part of a team. He is a player who invents things, he is tremendously creative.”

Pastore leads an Argentine newspaper’s showboating league and has all the tricks plus the final product to match. If Sir Alex does get his man it would not be unreasonable to view him as a long term successor for a talented winger and prolific whiner who has recently departed Old Trafford.

Copyright © Tim Sturtridge & Soccerphile.com

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Well, if it’s the summer before a World Cup or a European Championship, it must mean another summer of thrilling Confederations Cup action. You're excited, too. I know. This is perhaps...

Let’s just put it this way: if Real Madrid had wanted to spend just a little more than it did on Cristiano Ronaldo this week, the club could have bought...

Interesting revelations by former United and Scotland goal keeper, Jim Leighton, this week.

In an interview with BBC Radio Five Live, Leighton revealed Ferguson was close to becoming manager of the Gunners in the summer of 1986. Leighton says Ferguson was offered the job, along with George Graham as his assistant, and had actually agreed he would take charge, but wanted to wait until after the World Cup in Mexico before making any official announcements.

However, Arsenal’s directors said no; they wanted to sort the deal out before the tournament, to which Fergie said in that case no, the deal’s off. Arsenal then settled for George Graham as their number one instead.

How interesting indeed. Remarkable really that not many people seem to have ever known about the supposed arrangements, and that details were kept under wraps for such a long time. Assuming Leighton’s not telling porkies, it leaves you wondering just what Arsenal’s fortunes would’ve been had the Scotsman taken charge. More so, what would’ve happened with United?! It’s unlikely they would’ve had such success and dominance.

Anyway, just a bit of gossip for you to munch on until the next half-interesting story comes our way…..

Newcastle United have confirmed that the now-Championship club is up for sale at a knock-down price of £100 million.

It’s no surprise that Mike Ashley wants to sell - he’s been trying to wash his hands of the club he loves for months, but has been unsuccessful.

It is said former Chairman, Freddy Shepherd, is among several interested parties - he’ll probably be welcomed back with open arms after the mere disastrous period that Ashley has presided over.

Since buying the club in 2007 and investing a cool £250 million overall, Ashley has suffered heavily at the hands of the financial decline, not to mention his popularity amongst Toon fans. In September 2008, Ashley put the club up for sale, but there were no takers. He took the club off the market briefly, and then of course the devastation of relegation followed.

Keith Harris, who has been put in charge of brokering a deal, says Newcastle have become more attractive to potential buyers in the wake of relegation;

“Newcastle had an awful season and got relegated so that has an implication for the value of an asset of a decrease to make it more attractive.”

As well as Shepherd’s interest, reports suggest other potential suitors are as far flung as Dubai and Oman, although the bidders will not be identified until next week. However,the club have said they are open to offers and those interested can email admin@nufc.co.uk. So, any takers out there??

In the meantime, the issue of who will be in charge next season still hangs heavy. Shearer is the undoubted choice, although it would appear Ashley does not necessarily side with the Toon faithful. Yeah, like he needs yet another reason for them to dislike him! It is unlikely Shearer will be none the wiser until the future of the club becomes clearer, but how long that will be is unclear.

UPDATE, 7:16 p.m. In the first blockbuster move of the summer, Real Madrid has signed Kaka from A.C. Milan for what is being reported as a record-breaking fee. Kaka,...

So the monolithic, cash-churning English Premier League is having money issues. Join the club. It’s the worst global recession in most people’s lifetimes. But the number is still quite astonishing...

Carlo Ancelotti announced his long awaited resignation from Milan soon after the Fiorentina match was over. He ended his Milan association a year before his contract was to expire.

He should be confirmed as Chelsea manager shortly.

OK. We already have Franck Ribery joining up Real. Before that it was Cristiano Ronaldo. If it Tuesday it must be Kaka. Now, it is Alonso.

If you keep shooting BB shots, a duck will fall.

One thing is certain. A number of tabloids and blogs are kept afloat by the Real rumour mill. Yours truly included. It is a gift that keeps giving.

Btw, I take back that duck reference. It would mean that Alexandre Pato is on his way to Real too. Which he might. Which he might. Stay tuned.

Soccernews.com reports that the head of South African 2010 World Cup, Danny Jordaan, said he wants to "transform people's world view of Africa through the staging of a successful tournament....

© J. Kraemer The Norwegian soccer team Rosenborg may not be doing great at playing soccer in Europe but they are making big push for more energy savings, and less emissions of greenhouse gasses, err, ...

David, along with Victoria Beckham, who attended the Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly (ESPY) Awards on Wednesday night in Los Angeles, expressed his satisfaction at being accorded a red carpet welcome.A red carpet will not be rolled out for Beckham when he hits the field Saturday night at Giants Stadium where the match between the Los Angeles Galaxy and the Red Bulls is slated to be