Vuvuzealots

Dec 17

Zenit St. Petersburg fans support racism in the name of tradition -

MOSCOW — Fans of two-time defending Russian champion Zenit St. Petersburg are calling for non-white and gay players to be excluded from the team.

Landscrona, the largest Zenit fan club, released a manifesto Monday demanding the club field an all-white, heterosexual team. It added that “dark-skinned players are all but forced down Zenit’s throat now, which only brings out a negative reaction” and said gay players were “unworthy of our great city.”

“I can personally assure you that I will do everything I can to help those who seek to explain to people what tolerance is, and the need to respect other cultures and traditions.”— Zenit coach Luciano Spalletti

The club quickly sought to distance itself from the fans. Without directly referring to their manifesto, Zenit’s coach, Luciano Spalletti, said in remarks posted on the club’s website that “tolerance for me is most of all the ability to understand and accept differences.”

Nov 23

More than a club: FC Barcelona and Catalonia’s road to independence – video

Nov 22

Time for Neymar to head to Europe

“The background here is that over the last 25 years almost every big-name Brazilian player has been lured across the Atlantic, which has come as a blow to national pride.  After every disappointing performance from the national team, the call has usually come for more home-based players to be selected – the very players who, six months later, are then also transferred to Europe. 

So far, Neymar has bucked the trend.  He has become a symbol of the new Brazil, the emerging power growing in confidence and economic strength.  The country’s development is exemplified by the fact that there is enough money around for Neymar to receive a European-style salary. ”

(Source: ESPN)

Nov 20

Fantasista 2013 Exhibition: group of talented artists celebrate the beautiful game

In Belgium, an Old Quarrel Gets a New Slant

“Since 1979 we’ve had a survey of how Belgian people feel,” De Winter said. “The Walloons have always felt Belgian, the Flemish hadn’t. That shifted in 1986 in the Flemish community: a jump in 15 percent from feeling Flemish to feeling Belgian. There was no other event in that period that might have triggered it.”

(Source: The New York Times)

Nov 19

The Bhoys: Mod Rod and Rocket Man

(Source: The New York Times)

Star of David, For Entertainment Only

“In 2005, Ajax made a concerted effort to try to distance itself from the Jewish image. (Among other things, it stopped making a “Hava Nagila” ringtone available for download on its website.) Why? Because the quasi-cultural identification had been adopted by its hooligans, some of whom draped themselves in Jewish symbols when fighting with other fans or the police. What’s more, whenever Ajax faced teams with supporters with far-right tendencies, it faced a barrage of anti-Semitic abuse, including chants of “Hamas! Hamas!” and hissing meant to emulate gas chambers. The club’s campaign had limited success.”

(Source: The Wall Street Journal)

The Football Lab that Arsenal hope will create a new generation of stars

“The player stands in the centre and must pass the ball off whichever rebound board is flashing in the quickest amount of time. It’s a real test of reactions, agility and passing accuracy.

And to add to the space age feel, every movement of player and ball is mapped by the sensors, with the data instantly available to download to an iPhone app.”

(Source: Daily Mail)

Nov 01

[video]

Oct 25

Players of the local Voukefalas soccer team wearing T-shirts displaying the logo of their sponsor “Soula”, a luxury brothel, prepare for a soccer match in the city of Larissa about 320 km (200 miles) north of Athens October 20, 2012. 
REUTERS/John Kolesidis

Oct 23

Soccer Fever in Kabul

“In a city where parks and public spaces are rare, and crowds typically are associated with danger, there was a festive normality to the occasion. There was even — albeit in the V.I.P. section in the stands — a large contingent of women and children, whose public entertainment options are almost nonexistent.”

(Source: The New York Times)

Oct 19

Sounders Putting Up Big Numbers

“Progress is nice. Progress is encouraging. And when it comes in the form of 66,452 fans packed into a stadium, progress can be loud.”

(Source: The New York Times)

Oct 16

Italian Soccer Celebrity Named Georgia’s Energy Chief

Retired soccer stars have taken up all kinds of unlikely jobs, but AC Milan onetime defender Kakha Kaladzetakes the prize for the most unpredictable career change. The former captain of Georgia’s national soccer team, and a little bit of a national sex symbol, Kaladze has been nominated to become the Georgian minister of energy and natural resources.

Kaladze’s surprise nomination came as Georgia’s prime-minister-to-be, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, who today got back his Georgian citizenship, announced the final members of his proposed cabinet, with Kaladze given the country’s power switch.

The Internet abounds with visual evidence of Kaladze’spersonal energy and natural resources (warning: some mild male nudity), but, beyond this, he has zero job-related credentials.

With disarming honesty, Kaladze himself conceded the point. “Honestly speaking, I have no experience in the energy sphere,” he told reporters after Ivanishvili’s announcement.

Oct 13

From a buddy living in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil yesterday: “Trying to play some futsal today?”

Oct 12

South America’s home-field advantage like no other

“So why is life so tough for the road team in South America? One explanation is that it is a mighty long road. Distances are vast in South America, and traveling around the continent can be tiring. At the end of the journey, the visiting team is often met by an intimidating atmosphere – and conditions that may not be to its liking.”

(Source: ESPN)