A player on Croatia's national soccer team has been suspended – and will be barred from following his team to the World Cup finals in Brazil – after leading a post-game chant that also happened to be the country's national slogan during Nazi rule.
The chant itself sounds pretty innocuous. After a play-off victory against Iceland, Croatian defender Josip Simunic chanted "For the homeland," to which the crowd each time responded with "Ready." But that was also the national chant of Croatia's World War II-era government, a Nazi-appointed puppet regime that enforced brutal, Nazi-style rule from 1941 to 1945.
In suspending Simunic, the governing soccer body FIFA seems to believe that Simunic's choice of words was no coincidence. And there's a strong case to be made that, although outsiders may not be aware of the chant's dark history, Croatians couldn't not be. Simunic has denied he meant it as an echo of Nazi-era rule. Here's a video of the call-and-return, taken from the audience:
If "for the homeland" is indeed well-known enough in Croatia as a Nazi-era slogan that Simunic and the crowd likely meant it that way, then the crowd's enthusiastic return would be much more alarming than the one soccer player's chant. Far-right ultra-nationalist movements have been rising in Eastern and Southeastern Europe, particularly since the euro crisis created a vast class of unemployed, dispossessed young people.
These far-right movements have often coincided with soccer fans. Maybe that's just because both tend to attract young men, maybe for some other reason. But the result has been a string of incidents of far-right ultra-nationalism, or outright Naziism, in Eastern European soccer culture. A Greek soccer player was suspended for giving a Nazi salute; Polish fans have chanted "Jews to the gas" or "death to hooknoses" at opposing teams; Ukrainian fans have waved Nazi flags and made monkey sounds at black players. Hungarian fans have waved banners in support of László Csatáry, a Hungarian who allegedly helped capture and kill thousands of Jews under Nazi rule.
A similar movement in Croatia would, unfortunately, not be inconsistent with the rest of the region. If that's the case, then one player shouting a Nazi-era slogan isn't the problem. The problem is that, by all appearances, the crowd loved it.
Here’s the Nazi-era chant that just got a Croatian soccer star suspended
Retired soccer star David Beckham and Major League Soccer (MLS) took a step toward fielding a new Miami team as local officials unanimously approved on-going efforts to find a suitable stadium location.
The vote by county commissioners was the first test of political support for Beckham's soccer venture in Miami.
The decision gave county officials authority to identify stadium sites and negotiate construction contracts with developers.
MLS, the highest soccer league in the United States, has stressed the importance of having a final stadium deal, along with a business plan, before it will approve a new team.
"We can't go to Miami without the right stadium solution," MLS Commissioner Don Garber said during his state of the league address ahead of the MLS Cup final in Kansas City in early December.
"David understands that, the city understands that, that is an indisputable fact," he said.
The former England team captain who also played for the Los Angeles Galaxy, retired as a player in May but is seeking to exercise a cut-price US$25 million ($30 million) option in his MLS contract to start a new franchise.
County officials say Beckham is interested in an urban setting near Miami's downtown, possibly on publicly-owned land next to the port of Miami's cruise ship terminals, hoping the stadium would become part of Miami's tourism landscape.
Beckham's group is not looking for public financing, but may need to negotiate site plans with the county, such as leasing the port location, to help build a privately-financed stadium.
Beckham has toured Miami twice in recent months with British businessman and American Idol creator Simon Fuller, as well as Bolivian-born billionaire Marcelo Claure, founder of Miami-based Brightstar Corp, the world's largest wireless distributor and the provider of global services to Apple.
The financial plan is well advanced though details still have to be worked out according to a source close to the negotiations, and an announcement could come before the end of the year.
"We're almost there," Beckham told the BBC in an interview in late November.
Beckham earlier this month registered as a Florida company under the name Miami Beckham United LLC and has hired HR&A Advisors, a New York-based development consulting firm, to examine possible stadium locations in Miami.
Miami's top architecture firm, Arquitectonica, has also been hired to design the stadium, according to The Miami Herald.
Beckham is eying a prominent, 25-acre plot of county-owned land next to Miami's cruise ship terminals, on a spit of land facing the city's downtown waterfront.
The port site is in walking distance from the Miami Heat's basketball arena, and is also within easy reach of the Miami Beach hotel district.
The port has been looking to develop the prime site with a shopping mall, hotel and office complex, as well a yacht marina, but some county commissioners questioned whether a stadium was appropriate.
"I don't see the relationship of a soccer stadium with the big boats and the big cargo coming from Panama," said county commission chairwoman, Rebeca Sosa, noting the port's preparations to handle larger ships using the Panama Canal which is undergoing a massive expansion.
David Beckham's Miami soccer stadium gets go ahead - Entertainment News | TVNZ
Brazil’s under-17 soccer team was unhappy with their performance during their 4-1 loss to the US, and even less happy with the ref sending a second Brazilian player off with a red card, so they just stopped playing.
With 5 minutes remaining in the Nike International Friendlies match in Florida last weekend, the Brazilian players just stood at midfield with their hands on their hips. The American team responded in kind, by simply holding on to the ball and waiting for time to run out.
As an American, I will admit I am not super familiar with the customs of international youth soccer, but this seems like kind of a jerk move by Brazil.
Brazil’s U-17 Soccer Team Quits by Just Standing There in Match against U.S. | Extra Mustard - SI-com
Notre Dame, the newly crowned men's national soccer champion, will take on 2012 champ Indiana this April as part of the spring edition of the Shindigz National Soccer Festival.
The game is set for April 12 at the Fort Wayne Sport Club on Ardmore Road.
Last August IU played North Carolina in a game that drew more than 7,000.
The soccer festival is part of a 14-year-old event founded by director Terry Stefankiewicz and former IU coach Jerry Yeagley. The festival annually brings some of the nation's best teams together in August.
This year 18 of the 48 teams in the NCAA tourney field participated in the festival, with five making the final eight and Notre Dame winning it all.
“Each year the best of the best continue to view the Festival as the supreme place to complete against the finest teams in the country," Stefankiewicz said in a release. "They know they can count on being paired with another great team and Northeast Indiana always creates an electric atmosphere."
Added Mike Roeth, the Shindigz National Soccer Festival operations leader: “This may be unprecedented in NCAA sports where the prior (national) champions play against each other in the months before the next official season begins, in back to back years. It truly is very exciting.”
Notre Dame to face IU in soccer - News-Sentinel-com
To end its centennial year, U.S. Soccer this week released its all-time Best XI for the men’s and women’s national teams.
The men’s Best XI, released Friday, was led by Landon Donovan, who had the most votes (52). He and Clint Dempsey are the only players active with the national team among the selections.
The selections for the women’s and men’s teams were made by a committee picked by U.S. Soccer that included 56 former players and administrators, as well as news media members (New York Times writers and editors are not permitted to participate in voting for various awards).
Men’s Best XI (4-4-2 formation and listed below in alphabetical order, by position):
Goalkeeper: Brad Friedel (1992-2004)
Defenders: Marcelo Balboa (1988-2000); Carlos Bocanegra (2001-12); Steve Cherundolo (1999-2012); Eddie Pope (1996-2006)
Forwards: Brian McBride (1993-2006); Eric Wynalda (1990-2000)
Complete voting:
Goalkeepers: Friedel 25, Kasey Keller 14, Tim Howard 13, Tony Meola 4, Arnold Mausser 1, Frank Borghi 0, David Vanole 0
Defenders: Balboa 35, Pope 33, Bocanegra 25, Cherundolo 25, Thomas Dooley 20, Paul Caligiuri 18, Jeff Agoos 16, Alexi Lalas 14, Frankie Hejduk 9, Harry Keough 6, Pablo Mastroeni 3, Fernando Clavijo 2, Tony Sanneh 2, Mike Windischmann 2, Gregg Berhalter 2, Desmond Armstrong 0, Jimmy Banks, Brian Bliss 0, Mike Burns 0, John Doyle 0, Mike Lapper 0, Oguchi Onyewu 0, Werner Roth 0
Midfielders: Donovan 52, Reyna 45, Ramos 42, Dempsey 25, Michael Bradley 20, Cobi Jones 12, Walter Bahr 6, John Harkes 6, Hugo Perez 3, Adolf Bachmeier 2, Rick Davis 2, John O’Brien 2, Al Trost 2, DaMarcus Beasley 1, Ed McIlvenny 1*, Joe-Max Moore 1, Brian Quinn 1, Mike Sorber 1, Chris Armas 0, Chris Henderson 0, Eddie Lewis 0, Preki 0, Ed Souza 0, John Souza 0
Forwards: McBride 45, Wynalda 43, Earnie Stewart 16, Billy Gonsalves 7, Jozy Altidore 6, Peter Vermes 3, Joe Gaetjens 2, Archie Stark 2, Roy Wegerle 2, Roy Lassiter 1, Clint Mathis 1, Benny McLaughlin 1*, Ed Murphy 1*, Bruce Murray 1, Kyle Rote Jr. 1, Willy Roy 1, David Brown 0, Brian Ching 0, Aldo Donelli 0, Frank Klopas 0, Bill Looby 0, Bert Patenaude 0, Josh Wolff 0
*Not on the eligible list, but earned write-in votes
The women’s Best XI, released Thursday, includes two unanimous ballot selections: defender Joy Biefeld (née Fawcett) and forward Mia Hamm. Midfielders Michelle Akers and Kristine Lilly were each one vote short.
Womens’ Best XI (4-3-3 formation and listed below in alphabetical order by position):
Goalkeeper: Briana Scurry (1994-2008)
Defenders: Brandi Chastain (1998-2004); Joy Biefeld, née Fawcett (1987-2004); Carla Werden, née Overbeck (1988-2000); Christie Rampone, née Pearce (1997-present).
Forwards: Hamm (56), Wambach (52), Morgan (15), Carin Jennings-Gabarra (13), April Heinrichs (12), Tiffeny Milbrett (10), Cindy Parlow Cone (1), Sydney Leroux (0), Amy Rodriguez (0)
Do you agree with the selections? Please leave comments below.
NOTES Clint Dempsey, 30, has passed a physical exam and is set to return to England’s Premier League on loan to Fulham until early March. Dempsey was transferred from Tottenham to the Seattle Sounders of Major League Soccer last summer. Coach Jurgen Klinsmann of the United States national team has urged many of his top players to seek playing time overseas in a World Cup year. Dempsey scored 50 goals in 184 league matches for Fulham from 2007 to 2012. ... The United States Soccer Federation and Nike on Friday announced the extension of their partnership for nine more years. Nike has provided uniforms and other gear for American teams since 1995.
Bayern Munich capped the greatest year in club history by beating Raja Casablanca 2-0 to win its third Club World Cup on Saturday.
The European champions added a record fifth title to their trophy cabinet at the tournament of continental champions to go with the Champions League, Bundesliga, German Cup, and European Super Cup triumphs in 2013.
Dante scored early to deflate the Moroccan hosts at Marrakech Stadium, and Thiago Alcantara put the Bavarian side in command with his 22nd-minute goal.
Unheralded Raja, which beat Copa Libertadores champion Atletico Mineiro in the semifinals, used its speed on the break and came close to scoring but ultimately couldn't keep up with the German champions.
''I think we knew how to approach each game and that was key,'' said coach Pep Guardiola, who won the event for the third time, including twice before with Barcelona. ''The first 25 minutes we played very well. After that we forgot to attack.''
Bayern won the first of two Intercontinental Cups - the forerunner to this event - exactly 37 years ago on Saturday.
With King Mohammed VI of Morocco amid the majority of 37,747 spectators cheering for Raja, the Moroccan club just couldn't muster enough to break through against Bayern's deep squad of internationals.
Guardiola made three changes to the team that dismissed Guangzhou Evergrande of China 3-0 in the semifinals, with Dante replacing slow-footed central defender Daniel van Buyten to pace Raja's speedy forwards, who were especially dangerous on the counter.
Dante made an immediate impact as the Brazil international gathered teammate Jerome Boateng's headed corner inside the box to blast it past helpless goalkeeper Khalid Askri seven minutes after the start.
Raja's defense erred by playing Dante onside to score, and it was again scrambling in the 22nd as David Alaba laid a pass onto Thiago's run into the area to sidefoot a powerful shot beyond Askri.
Raja coach Faouzi Benzarti bemoaned the team's having to play four games to Bayern's two, leaving them fatigued, and nerves also played a factor with the King in attendance.
''It is the greatest team in the world with the greatest coach. We believed in our means but we were not lucky today,'' said Benzarti, who guided the club in its second appearance of the competition and first since 2000. ''We were not aggressive enough. And we were playing giants.''
With the crowd - and a nation, really - behind them, the hosts did not wilt and came close to breaking through.
Forward Mouhssine Iajour, who was instrumental in the upset of Atletico, had several opportunities as Raja found space on the break, and Abdellah Hafidi got an unlucky bounce in the 38th as he nearly caught goalkeeper Manuel Neuer out after a poor clearance.
As Bayern slacked, Raja pressed with Neuer making several saves against a team without a single Morocco international before Mohsine Moutaouli sent his shot high over the empty goal near the close.
Guardiola, who replaced Jupp Heynckes in the summer following the first three title wins, improved his overall record to 6-1 in one-game finals while earning his 16th trophy since beginning his coaching career in 2008.
''This title belongs to Jupp. I just tried to keep alive everything he did,'' Guardiola said. ''You can't compare these triumphs, they're all different.''
Earlier, 10-man Atletico beat Asian champion Guangzhou 3-2 to finish third. Luan scored a stoppage time winner following Ronaldinho's 88th-minute red card.
Read More: Bayern Munich beats Raja Casablanca to win Club World Cup - Soccer - SI-com
Retired soccer star and sometime underwear model David Beckham has signed on to help promote Las Vegas Sands' properties in Singapore and the Chinese gambling enclave of Macau.
Sands said in a statement that it hopes to cash in on Beckham's popularity in the region.
The Las Vegas-based company is the largest casino operator in Macau, the center of the modern day gambling world.
The deal may help Sands win attention in mainland China, where casinos are illegal and casino advertising is also banned. Soccer is hugely popular in China.
Beckham appears to have started his new gig already.
In November, he posed for photographs with 100 local kids at the Venetian Macau and gave an hourlong interview. The children were selected with the help of several local community groups, including the Macau Special Olympics and the Association of Rehabilitation of Drug Abusers of Macau.
Details about what the partnership will look like over the long term are scarce. Sands said it will use the Beckham brand in dining and retail options at its casinos.
Michael Leven, Sands' president and chief operating officer, said in a statement that the Beckham brand will help Sands "as we aggressively explore opportunities to further expand our presence in Asia."
Over the summer, Beckham staged a similar event in Singapore, meeting about 60 kids at a Sands casino there. Sands owns four booming casinos in Macau. The Venetian Macau is the largest casino in the world.
Soccer star Beckham will promote casinos in China | The Jakarta Post
The national honors continued to come in for junior Leo Stolz today, as he was named to the Top Drawer Soccer National Team of the Season, earning first-team honors.
Stolz became the sixth UCLA player all-time to be named Pac-12 Player of the Year in 2013 and is a finalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy, given out to the nation's top collegiate men's soccer player. He led the Pac-12 conference in points (30) and goals (11) and finished tied for the team lead in assists with eight. Overall, he finished the season ranked 13th nationally in points, 20th in goals scored and 25th in assists. Stolz also ended the season with four game-winning goals, another conference best, and posted three multi-goal games on the year.
In addition, Stolz recorded at least one point in 10 of his final 14 matches and was named to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week on four separate occasions. He helped lead UCLA to the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2003 and was named a first-team All-Pac-12 selection this past season as well. Finally, Stolz earned first-team All-America honors from the NSCAA and College Soccer News.
Leo Stolz Named to Top Drawer Soccer National Team of the Season - UCLA Bruins Official Athletic Site | UCLABruins-com
At the start of the year, the U.S. was chasing a spot in next summer's World Cup Finals in Brazil. Coach Jurgen Klinsmann told his players to be meaner.
By fall, the U.S. had knocked out its rivals. The highlight? A convincing 2-0 defeat of Mexico in Ohio in September, a seventh consecutive finals appearance secured.
South of the border, Mexico's national team was going down like the plane in "Flight," the 2012 crash movie. Perhaps Mexico was a little tipsy on the assumption that World Cup qualification was easy to land. Losing altitude fast in the qualification group, Mexico was saved by the U.S. scoring in the last seconds of the last game against Panama, allowing El Tri to squeak into a playoff against New Zealand at Panama's expense. The Mexicans beat the Kiwis and booked passage to Brazil. You're welcome, neighbor!
Domestically, Major League Soccer took its wagons further. Indeed, the caravan is set to grow. In the summer, New York and Orlando announced they would hitch their wagons to MLS in 2015. Spotters in Miami sighted David Beckham preparing a prairie schooner with his soccer brand painted bright on the canvas. Joining the soccer trek will now set you back around $100 million if you wish to buy an MLS franchise. And you need to bring a barn with you. Building soccer-specific stadiums is now a requirement for new teams.
In the old country, in the fields of England, the last of the great managerial monarchs abdicated in May. Soccer's most successful coach, Sir Alex Ferguson, gave up his crown at Manchester United after 27 years. An invitation arrived from the Ivy League in the colonies. Harvard ferried Fergie, a former shipyard worker and organized labor supporter, across the ocean. He divulged his leadership secrets to the future captains of capitalism, the readers of the Harvard Business Review.
-- And one eye forward:
In the year 2014, everything is focused on the gold of the World Cup in June. The U.S. meets Ghana, Portugal and Germany in Round 1. Bring them on!
There will be extra air miles for U.S. fans traveling to Brazil, and there are many thousands going south to raise Old Glory. Count the miles at 14,000 to cover the first round matches. Many more when the U.S. makes it to the second round and beyond.
In the Bay Area, the Earthquakes will be going vertical. The stands are rising on land in San Jose housing their new stadium, with a 2015 opening date. On the soccer side, the team will aim higher - to make the playoffs. It failed last season. A new-look Quakes side will take to the field in March. Several key players have departed. Coach Mark Watson gets the chance to raise his profile in his first full season in charge.
In a quirky projection, the Quakes will initiate the new turf at Levi's Stadium, the new home of the 49ers, in a game against the Seattle Sounders in August. Soccer lines painted first on a new football field. Twenty years ago, that would have been laughable. Back then they said: Soccer, who cares? Now, many do and 2014 will accelerate the impression.
Happy New Year!
America's soccer outlook growing ever brighter - SFGate
A violent brawl between fans of two rival soccer teams has erupted in Melbourne, injuring several people.
Fans threw sticks, set off flares and broke glasses and chairs in the scuffle, police said.
The fight broke out between Melbourne Victory and Western Sydney Wanderers fans outside the Royal Melbourne Hotel on Bourke Street just after 3.30pm on Saturday (AEDT).
It has been reported that the group clashed when a group of Melbourne Victory fans approached the venue and were chanting.
Police spokeswoman Belinda Batty said no one had been arrested.
Ambulance Victoria confirmed a male in his early 20s was taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital with an upper-body injury.
Two NSW men have been charged with causing serious injury and police are targeting other rioting fans following the outbreak of two brawls on Saturday afternoon and evening between Melbourne Victory and Western Sydney soccer fans.
Assistant Commissioner Andrew Crisp said a 23-year-old NSW man was charged with conduct endangering serious injury, the discharging of a missile and with possessing cannabis in relation to a fight outside the Royal Melbourne Hotel on Bourke Street just after 3.30pm, which saw rowdy soccer fans set off flares, break chairs and glasses and throw sticks at each other.
The Assistant Commissioner said "furniture was damaged, glass broken and four people were injured".
Ambulance Victoria spokesman Ray Rowe said a man in his early 20s was taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital with upper body injuries.
Soccer once again showed its uglier side later that evening, where rowdy fans set off at least five flares, flooding the stadium with thick, orange smoke. The Assistant Commissioner said that "at the same time, about four or five extremely loud fire crackers were also discharged ... something new we haven't seen here in Melbourne".
"It is disappointing when a few idiots engage in behaviour which actually puts a significant number of other people at risk," the Assistant Commissioner said.
He warned those responsible to turn themselves in, and for anyone with information to "do the right thing and dob them in".
Police charged a second man, 29, also from NSW, with conduct endangering injury after the game. Both men have been bailed to appear at the Melbourne Magistrates Court on April 14, and have been banned from attending any Football Federation Australia (FFA) games worldwide, including the re-match between the two teams on January 14.
The head of the A-League, Damien De Bohun, said the men would not be allowed into any A-League game for five years.
"And that's not just A-League, but any fixtures to do with the FFA.
"If they were planning a trip to the World Cup in Brazil, then that's over as well," he said.
Another man, believed to be in his late teens, was also injured during the second half of the game in Gosch's Paddock, near AAMI Park, the Assistant Commissioner said, and was treated by paramedics before being taken to hospital. He was later released.
Fans at the game took to Twitter to express concern after hearing at least five explosions at AAMI Stadium about 9.30pm. Kacey Lam tweeted a photo of the thick orange smoke, saying: "SIX LOUD BANGS. Anyone would think terrorists have overtaken AAMI".
Richard Hinds tweeted: "Heading down the cellar with a box of canned goods to avoid the huge riot. Tweet me when it's safe to come up," while Leonard Bailey wrote: "Fans brawl before and after the game. Soccer fail".
Another fan, Alex Loft, tweeted: "kids and parents were walking out scared".
Mr De Bohun said "it was interesting ... how many true football fans came out and condemned the behaviour".
"So the real fans know they are there for the right reasons, and those who want to misbehave will find that we will remove them."
Despite the brawls, both Mr De Bohun and Assistant Commissioner Crisp said that out of the 22,000 fans who attended last night's game– about 1,400 from Sydney – only a few misbehaved.
"For most of the people who attended, it was a fantastic game," the Assistant Commissioner said.
Mr De Bohun said that "there's only been a total of 14 evictions across Melbourne A-League matches this year, and there were eight last night".
"The number of incidents have actually reduced dramatically since last year," he said.
"The message is definitely getting through, and people are seeing that we are serious about this: we won't rest until every single individual who misbehaves is removed," Mr De Bohun said.
Chelsea 2 Liverpool 1: Chelsea starved Luis Suarez of chances in claiming a 2-1 come-from-behind win over Liverpool in a pulsating Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge.
In Suarez’s first match with Chelsea since April’s infamous bite on Branislav Ivanovic earned him a 10-match ban, Jose Mourinho’s side deprived the prolific striker of scoring opportunities and took full advantage.
The Blues responded from going behind to Martin Skrtel’s fourth-minute goal with a brilliant Eden Hazard strike and a rare striker’s goal.
Samuel Eto’o showed a goal-poacher’s instinct to decide the game with his third Premier League goal of the season — and just the sixth by a Chelsea striker.
Liverpool hit the bar through Mamadou Sakho and might have had a penalty when John Terry clumsily clambered over Suarez in the box; although Hazard also had justifiable claims for a first-half spot-kick dismissed by referee Howard Webb.
Suarez had another penalty claim denied when Eto’o tripped him off the ball as Chelsea held on to move two points behind leaders Arsenal in third place. Liverpool are six points off the pace at the halfway stage of the season.
Mourinho enjoyed a famous rivalry with Liverpool in his first spell, but Chelsea’s recent record against the Reds has been poor as they recorded just a third win in 14 Premier League games between the sides, with the Portuguese achieving victory over Brendan Rodgers, one of his former apprentices.
Mourinho’s previous duels with Liverpool came against Rafael Benitez, who he has made numerous veiled barbs towards since succeeding the Spaniard at Chelsea.
Mourinho insisted he would not deploy David Luiz in midfield, but he did just that in a side showing four changes in a bid to stifle the attacking threat of Liverpool, particularly Suarez, who had scored 19 goals in his previous 13 Premier League games this term.
Chelsea captain John Terry made his 600th Chelsea appearance, while Daniel Agger was the Reds’ sole change following the loss at Manchester City.
The Reds led when Suarez got in front of Ivanovic to meet Philippe Coutinho’s free-kick. The ball hit Ivanovic and broke for Skrtel to tap in.
Conceding early roused Chelsea into action in a high-tempo, end-to-end contest.
Hazard forced Simon Mignolet to save before going down in the box under the challenge of Lucas Leiva, who was fortunate not to concede a penalty.
Mignolet was at full stretch to turn over a Frank Lampard shot from 25 yards which appeared destined for the top corner — but the Belgian goalkeeper was beaten by a brilliant shot from his compatriot Hazard moments later.
Oscar drove through the middle and his attempted pass bounced off Sakho into Hazard’s path — and he hit a curled effort into the top corner.
Chelsea were now on top, but still had to be alert at the back and Gary Cahill made a brilliant tackle to deny Joe Allen.
Ivanovic’s reunion with Suarez lasted less than half an hour after the Serbia right-back’s left leg over-stretched after he collided with Agger, with Cole replacing him and Cesar Azpilicueta moving to right-back.
Azpilicueta was involved in the move which took the Blues ahead, making an over-lapping run before Oscar crossed towards Eto’o — who got in front of Skrtel to poke in beyond Mignolet.
Cech saved from Allen before the half-time whistle and a truce in proceedings which saw Eto’o and Sakho and Oscar and Coutinho swap shirts.
Lampard was replaced by John Obi Mikel as Mourinho made his second change in a breathless encounter.
Sakho hit the bar with a looping header after being found by Jordan Henderson before Mignolet saved from Eto’o.
Suarez volleyed straight at Cech after tangling with Mikel to earn his first shooting chance of the game and then went down in the box after competing for an aerial ball with Terry, with Webb unmoved.
Oscar curled narrowly wide after dispossessing Lucas and Hazard shot off target either side of Cech turning a Johnson effort round the post.
Then Eto’o needlessly tripped Suarez off the ball — but again Webb dismissed Liverpool complaints.
Fernando Torres replaced Eto’o and immediately ran at the Reds, cutting in from the touchline before forcing Mignolet to save.
Brazil team-mates Lucas and Oscar were involved in an angry exchange in stoppage time after the Chelsea man’s tackle left his side defending a free-kick.
Suarez scored in the 97th minute in April and when a late set-piece went the visitors’ way, Mignolet went up for the set-piece — but on this occasion there was no late equaliser.
Chelsea edge home against Liverpool - English Football News | UK Soccer Results, Fixtures & Tables | The - Sun, Dec 29, 2013
A year ago Alex Morgan was preparing to fly to Zurich, Switzerland, where she was to be feted at a star-studded gala and recognized by FIFA as one of the three best women’s soccer players in the world.
This coming weekend Morgan will be driving to Veterans Park in Pomona, where she’ll be playing host to a couple of hundred grade-school players at her first youth soccer camp on Saturday and Sunday. And the U.S. national team star couldn’t be happier with the change.
“I love the fact that I’m able to share my love for soccer with all these young [players],” said Morgan, who after scoring 44 goals in 70 matches with the national team was this month named to U.S. Soccer’s all-time all-star team.
The weekend camp, open to boys and girls in first through eighth grades, consists of four separate three-hour sessions, running from 8-11 a.m. and from 1-4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. In addition to Morgan, campers will also work with national team players Kelley O’Hara and Meghan Klingenberg; Allie Long and Meleana Shim, Morgan’s teammates with the Portland Thorns of the National Women’s Soccer League; and Major League Soccer players including Servando Carrasco of the Houston Dynamo, who also happens to be Morgan’s fiancé.
“I just wanted a chance to be able to give back to my community, to be able to meet some of the younger girls that are going to grow up and take my place one day on the national team,” said Morgan, 24, whose childhood home is just up the street from Veterans Park in Diamond Bar. “With that in mind I talked to my dad about it. I talked to some of my teammates about it. And we thought it was the right time to start something like this.
“And what better place than right next to my hometown.”
Morgan, who while growing up played basketball, softball and volleyball in addition to soccer, said she never had time to go to a soccer camp. And that’s left her playing catch-up with some of her U.S. teammates.
“I’m definitely not the most technical person on the national team,” she said. “I’ve really focused hard on that the last couple of years: getting my first touch down, working on my technique, getting that repetition that I didn’t get when I was younger.
“You pick up so much more when you’re younger. If they can learn good technique when they’re younger, they can be even better than the player that I have become.”
For information and prices for the Alex Morgan Soccer Camp, go to AlexMorganSoccer-com.
Alex Morgan to hold first youth soccer camp - latimes-com
Arsene Wenger is facing a potential injury crisis ahead of the New Year’s Day clash against Cardiff City, which striker Olivier Giroud will definitely miss because of an ankle problem.
Midfielders Tomas Rosicky (calf) and Jack Wilshere (ankle) both face fitness tests later on Tuesday, as does England forward Theo Walcott, who picked up a shoulder problem in the 1-0 win at Newcastle.
Full-back Kieran Gibbs definitely misses out because of a calf strain, while fellow defenders Nacho Monreal and Thomas Vermaelen have both been laid low by illness. Midfielder Aaron Ramsey is expected to be unavailable for around three weeks with the thigh problem suffered in the win at West Ham on Boxing Day, while German playmaker Mesut Özil is also sidelined, with the club awaiting results of a visit to a shoulder specialist.
“You need a good memory because we have plenty of problems,” said Wenger, whose side head into 2014 top of the table by a point from Manchester City. Ramsey and Özil are out. Ramsey (for) three weeks and Özil has seen a specialist last night, I haven’t got a report yet.
“We lost Gibbs at Newcastle with a calf strain. We have as well Monreal and Vermaelen, who are not sure to be ready because they come just back from illness, then we have uncertainty about Rosicky, Wilshere and Walcott. We lost Giroud on an ankle problem at Newcastle, so this morning will be more a medical check to see who will be available for tomorrow’s game.”
Wenger, though, moved to allay any worries Giroud’s injury could be a long-term concern. “Olivier is a strong structure and he recovers quite quickly,” said Wenger of the France striker, whose second-half header secured victory at Newcastle to end his mini-goal drought. “He thinks he will be all right for Saturday, but the medical people think he will be a bit short. He is quite optimistic about it.”
Wenger must decide whether to start Lukas Podolski, who scored on his return from a four-month injury lay-off at Upton Park, or Nicklas Bendtner in attack against the Bluebirds. “I have to see how I can balance the team because I have to consider as well who else is out and how can I get a balanced team out there,” he said.
Wenger will measure up Arsenal’s options ahead of the transfer window opening again on New Year’s Day. “We are like many clubs, we are certainly on alert if something special turns up we will not turn it down, but we are not as well desperate because we have a big depth in our squad,” the Arsenal boss said.
“We have shown that because our midfield for example at West Ham and at Newcastle was completely different - we changed three players and we still managed to have a very strong team.”
France international Giroud admits he would “rather not see a new striker come in” next month. Wenger, though, maintains Arsenal are not looking to replace their 11-goal forward, rather offer him support.
“Would you expect anything different from a striker?” said Wenger when asked what he thought of Giroud’s comments to French TV. “I believe we have to give him credit for one thing, that physically he has coped with it until now in a remarkable way and with a fantastic combative attitude. I don’t know if we will do something or not (in January), but it is not to replace Olivier Giroud - we have a great confidence in Olivier Giroud.”
Arsenal facing injury dilemma - English Football News | UK Soccer Results, Fixtures & Tables | The - Tue, Dec 31, 2013
I was in the French stadium in 1998 when Michael Owen electrified the world, holding off one Argentine defender with appreciable strength and then blowing past another one who was way too stationary. (Watch it here if you like.)
Owen (pictured) was just 18 years old, the flower of England football, and the world seemed to be there for the taking.
He certainly did go one to have a long career, but injuries stripped away so much of the potential along the way. So his retirement from the game falls with just a little more melancholy.
Owen was among the notable retirements of 2014. Obviously, David Beckham tops that list, but few people who follow the sport will forget that 2014 was the year that “Becks” tearfully walked away from it all. (Well, “it all” as a player, anyway.)
Same for Sir Alex Ferguson, who finally handed over the keys to his Old Trafford manager’s office. But there were plenty of other notable retirements, too.
It was quite a year all the way around for retirements of Old Trafford types: Owen, Ferguson, Paul Scholes and Phil Neville all made their bones in some part at Manchester United. Just down the road, Jamie Carragher was an institution at Liverpool, with 508 appearances for the storied club.
Alessandro Nesta, one of the true defensive greats in a land that knows how to appreciate them, walked away at age 37, his final two seasons having played out at Montreal.
Yet another Italian World Cup winner Gennaro Gattuso hung ‘em up … although he cannot seem to stay out of the news, which is not a good thing in this case.
A more complete list of notable, global retirements is here from FIFA-com.
The first weekend of 2014 is kicked off with an exciting three days of soccer action across the globe, including the return of Serie A, the FA Cup, and Liga MX.
Weary English Premier League clubs head into their fifth game in two weeks as the world’s oldest cup competition begins it’s third round, with plenty of the lower league teams hoping to take out an EPL side. Headlining the round is the classic North London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham on Saturday while Manchester United host Swansea City on Sunday.
In Italy, Serie A resumes with a top-of-the-table clash that could determine who wins this season’s Scudetto. Once leaders AS Roma travel north to face three-time defending champions Juventus on Sunday and fans will be able to see both team’s veteran leaders play. Roma have their ace Francesco Totti back to full fitness as do Juventus with Andrea Pirlo. With five points standing in between Juventus and Roma, a win for the Bianconeri could set themselves up for a fourth straight Serie A title.
Finally, Liga MX returns this weekend with the start of the Clausura campaign, just 19 days after Club Leon won the Apertura title. Club America, who lost in the final, enter the season as favorites to win, as does Leon and Morelia. The biggest test in the first match of the year though goes to America, who host Tigres UANL.
Here’s a rundown of this weekend’s soccer on TV:
SATURDAY
1:30am – Newcastle Jets vs. Perth Glory – Fox Soccer Plus
3:45am – Melbourne Victory vs. Brisbane Roar – One World Sports
7:45am – Motherwell vs. Inverness CT – Fox Soccer Plus
7:45am – Blackburn vs. Manchester City – Fox Sports 1/Fox Deportes
10am – Malaga vs. Atletico Madrid – beIN Sport en Español
10am – Rochdale vs. Leeds United – Fox Sports 1/Fox Deportes
10am – Grimsby Town vs. Huddersfield Town – Fox Sports 2
10am – Macclesfield Town vs. Sheffield Wednesday – Fox Soccer Plus
12pm – Real Valladolid vs. Real Betis – beIN Sport en Español
12:15pm – Arsenal vs. Tottenham – Fox
2pm – Valencia vs. Levante – beIN Sport USA
2pm – Rennes vs. Valenciennes – Univision Deportes
4pm – Almeria vs. Granada – beIN Sport USA
6pm – Club America vs. Tigres UANL – Univision
8pm – Monterrey vs. Cruz Azul – UniMas
8pm – Pachuca vs. Toluca – Univision Deportes
10pm – Atlas vs. Club Tijuana – Univision Deportes
10pm – Chiapas vs. Veracruz – Univision Deportes 2
SUNDAY
1am – Central Coast Mariners vs. Melbourne Heart – Fox Sports 2
7am – Nottingham Forest vs. West Ham United – Fox Sports 2/Fox Deportes
7:45am – St. Mirren vs. Celtic – Fox Soccer Plus
9:15am – Derby County vs. Chelsea – Fox Sports 1
10am – Barcelona vs. Elche – beIN Sport USA
11:30am – Manchester United vs. Swansea City – Fox Sports 1
12pm – Fiorentina vs. Livorno – beIN Sport USA
12pm – Osasuna vs. Espanyol – beIN Sport en Español
1pm – Pumas vs. Puebla – Univision
2pm – Real Sociedad vs. Athletic Bilbao – beIN Sport en Español
Portuguese great Eusebio, acknowledged as one of soccer's greatest ever strikers, has died aged 71, Portuguese media reported on Sunday.
The 'Black Panther', whose full name was Esuebio da Silva Ferreira was born in Mozambique but made his name as a fearsome striker for Portugal at the 1966 World Cup in England, where he top-scored with nine goals to help his team finish third.
He won the European Cup with Benfica in 1962 and was named European Footballer of the Year in 1965.
The Portuguese sports daily A'Bola said Eusebio had died of a cardiac arrest in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Portuguese soccer great Eusebio dies aged 71 - Independent.ie
He has called 26 players to Carson, Calif., for a camp that runs from Jan. 6 to Feb. 1. After six days in California, 23 players will head to Sao Paulo from Jan. 13-25 for a dry run for this summer’s tournament. The team will then return to its U.S. training center. The preliminary roster features 10 players who helped the U.S. advance to the World Cup for the seventh straight time. Midfielder Graham Zusi led all players with nine appearances, while defender Omar Gonzalez and forward Eddie Johnson had eight each. Klinsmann says the camp will “give us our first taste of Brazil” and help the players develop a “bond and sense of urgency for the tournament.” Here’s the full roster, via ussoccer-com: Goalkeepers: Tally Hall (Houston Dynamo), Bill Hamid (D.C. United), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake) Defenders: Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders FC), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Clarence Goodson (San Jose Earthquakes), Michael Harrington (Portland Timbers), Chris Klute (Colorado Rapids), Chance Myers (Sporting Kansas City), Shane O’Neill (Colorado Rapids), Seth Sinovic (Sporting Kansas City), DeAndre Yedlin (Seattle Sounders FC) Midfielders: Eric Alexander (New York Red Bulls), Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Mix Diskerud (Rosenborg), Benny Feilhaber (Sporting Kansas City), Luis Gil (Real Salt Lake), Dax McCarty (New York Red Bulls), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City) Forwards: Landon Donovan (L.A. Galaxy), Eddie Johnson (D.C. United), Mike Magee (Chicago Fire), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)
Read more at: Jurgen Klinsmann Calls 26 U.S. Soccer Players to California Camp, Begins Preparations for 2014 World Cup | World Cup | NESN-com
A soccer shirt is igniting a war of words between Chile's Jewish and Palestinian communities.
The Palestino soccer Club of Chile's first division recently released its new jersey. But many are outraged because shirts that include the number "1'' show the numeral in the shape of Israel and the Palestinian territories, implying all the land is Palestinian.
Gerardo Gorodischer is president of Chile's Jewish Community. He tells The Associated Press that the group is demanding an apology from the club and asking Chile's soccer association not to allow the shirts because they don't recognize the Israeli state.
Chile's Palestinian Federation said in a statement Monday that it backs the club's choice of the shirt.
The country's Palestinian community is among the world's largest, with about 350,000 immigrants and their descendants.
Chile Jewish Community Hurt by Soccer Club Shirt - ABC News
AEK Athens supporters recently stormed the field at a match against home side Egaleo, firing flares into their opponent’s stands and catching riot police off-guard. They caught the riot police off-guard because they stormed the field before the game had even started.
Both teams play in the Greek third division. Before this year, AEK played in the top flight of Greek football, but thanks to financial issues and multiple incidents with their fans, they were demoted this past year. The club’s owners then decided to move them down to the third division, so the team could be designated an amateur squad, further saving money.
Despite the move down two tiers of Greek football, their crazy fans have stuck around.
Once the field was cleared, they actually managed to play the match, which AEK won 2-1.
Hooligans fire flares into crowd at Greek soccer match | For The Win
The chant itself sounds pretty innocuous. After a play-off victory against Iceland, Croatian defender Josip Simunic chanted "For the homeland," to which the crowd each time responded with "Ready." But that was also the national chant of Croatia's World War II-era government, a Nazi-appointed puppet regime that enforced brutal, Nazi-style rule from 1941 to 1945.
In suspending Simunic, the governing soccer body FIFA seems to believe that Simunic's choice of words was no coincidence. And there's a strong case to be made that, although outsiders may not be aware of the chant's dark history, Croatians couldn't not be. Simunic has denied he meant it as an echo of Nazi-era rule. Here's a video of the call-and-return, taken from the audience:
If "for the homeland" is indeed well-known enough in Croatia as a Nazi-era slogan that Simunic and the crowd likely meant it that way, then the crowd's enthusiastic return would be much more alarming than the one soccer player's chant. Far-right ultra-nationalist movements have been rising in Eastern and Southeastern Europe, particularly since the euro crisis created a vast class of unemployed, dispossessed young people.
These far-right movements have often coincided with soccer fans. Maybe that's just because both tend to attract young men, maybe for some other reason. But the result has been a string of incidents of far-right ultra-nationalism, or outright Naziism, in Eastern European soccer culture. A Greek soccer player was suspended for giving a Nazi salute; Polish fans have chanted "Jews to the gas" or "death to hooknoses" at opposing teams; Ukrainian fans have waved Nazi flags and made monkey sounds at black players. Hungarian fans have waved banners in support of László Csatáry, a Hungarian who allegedly helped capture and kill thousands of Jews under Nazi rule.
A similar movement in Croatia would, unfortunately, not be inconsistent with the rest of the region. If that's the case, then one player shouting a Nazi-era slogan isn't the problem. The problem is that, by all appearances, the crowd loved it.
Here’s the Nazi-era chant that just got a Croatian soccer star suspended