The Real Football Thread

[python]

Re:

Laughably predictable outcome. Reminds me of some of the communist "elections" during the Cold War times.

alp,respectfully, but the comparison to the communist cold war elections is not a good one.

sure, blatter has become - and likely grew to like it - the authoritarian ruler, defacto getting elected for the 5th ferking time. but his election, unlike the shams of the cold war communists, is a world wide test of the complex personal and political loyalties, as opposed to the domestically grown, pre-programmed cronies...

blatter, a blue-blooded european from a traditionally neutral switzerland, was able to march the 3d world delegates from africa and asia to overcome the stiff, almost unanimous and uncompromising opposition from the european (and north american) states.

iow, the contest at the fifa president elections was more akin to the current geopolitical divide, clearly reminiscent of the past colonial sentiments, than the joke the communists were able to call their elections.

blatter gained roughly just under 2/3 of the worlds votes totaling 209.
------------------
added later.

incidentally, those who voted for blatter -rightly or wrongly despite and in the face of the american investigation into the sport most of the americans dont care for nor understand - do believe the affair is nothing but an attempt to influence their vote. ..

they, and their domestic media, refer to the indisputable fact that the news of the american investigation broke up just in time to affect their votes.

hardly an unreasonable consideration.

 

[gooner]

More indictments on the way, IRS say.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/30/s...-expected-in-fifa-case-irs-official-says.html

Plus, Interpol raid the offices of the three Argentine officials that were mentioned in the scandal.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/30/us-soccer-fifa-argentina-idUSKBN0OF00D20150530?rpc=401&

 

[gooner]

On the Africa vote, I mentioned this briefly about the GOAL project over in the clinic. The GOAL project has done brilliant things for the facilities and grassroot development of the game in Africa. I know Bin Hamann oversaw it but whatever about the individuals running it, that has been an excellent initiative on FIFA's part. It helps Blatter win a lot of support and the ethics side of things are secondary to many of these FAs as a result.

 

[Christian]

Final of DFB Pokal today between Dortmund and Wolfsburg - last game for Jürgen Klopp as BVB coach. End of an era. His dream: one last ride around "Borsigplatz" (main square in Dortmund) in a truck as winners of DFB Pokal. On paper Wolfsburg has to be the favourite, they've played a great season (finishing 2nd in the league) and beat Dortmund just two weeks ago. However "the Pokal has its own laws" as they say in Germany, and even though Dortmund has played terrible most of the season, they have great players who, in theory, are always capable of knocking out a world class game. If they win it, it would be a fairy tale ending to the fairy tale that has been Klopp's 7 years in Dortmund.
#dankekloppo

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Re: Re:

alp,respectfully, but the comparison to the communist cold war elections is not a good one.

You're right in that I don't know enough about it. i'm going from what I read in various news reports, and don't follow the sport or it's politics like you, or others here.

Never the less, the whole thing seems like a charade, a joke, his actions and reactions, all the way to how the voting system is set up. I mean, how is it that a country like the Maldives, or these tiny Caribbean islands have the same voting power as a country like Brazil or Germany is just baffling. And a system like this where oversight in a country like the Cayman Islands is just ripe for, well, corruption.

What a shock then that Blatter was re-elected (note: sarcasm). And his bizarre rambling speech perfectly fitting. No, it's not the same as the cold war, but Blatter would have made a fine communist leader. Of course, that's just my opinion. My perspective from an "outsider". Take it how you see fit.

 

[ILovecycling]

My God, this Barca form is frightening

edit: anybody watching?

 

[sniper]

My God, this Barca form is frightening

edit: anybody watching?

watching with one eye.
The game is pretty much over unless Athletic get a quick goal back.
indeed their form is frightening.
The three up front are all in top form. Messi, even when he doesn't score, he creates a lot. With distance the best player on earth at the moment.
Neymar has really found his 'schwung'. Very pacey, great stamina, and very slick moves. Suarez, always a threat, and playing very unselfishly. (I think this was his third or fourth assist to Neymar in just as many games)
Everybody is maximally fit. Iniesta still going strong.
A guy like Mascherano is having a second youth.
Rakitic was never really a huge talent, but he illustrates how some players suddenly flourish when they got quality players around them, it makes life a lot easier.

 

[ILovecycling]

Yep,they are working like a clockwork together, incredible chemistry imo.
Now they are only controling, which is a shame, but the cup is safe

 

[Flamin]

That goal from Messi classic Spanish defending though, but still amazing.

And of course he's by far the best player in the world. That discussion should have been put to sleep from the moment a 20-year old Messi owned Ronaldo in his magic season 2007-08, at old trafford, semi-finals CL. The frustration on Ronaldo that game was priceless, even though they were 1-0 ahead, he knew the magician was coming to take his crown

 

[gooner]

Brlliant piece in the Mail on Sunday by Andrew Jennings and his role in helping the FBI.

I have caught Mr Warner many times peddling thousands of World Cup tickets into the black market. Now it had to be Mr Blazer’s day of reckoning. He thinks himself the cleverest guy on the planet, so I knew he must be stealing millions from football.

It was time to jet propel the FBI into the dirty depths of Fifa. I called a contact. Mr Blazer never published CONCACAF financial reports. He kept them secret, and I soon realised why. They were emailed to me 24 hours later. It took me seconds to realise that Mr Blazer was stealing around $2 million a year (£1.3 million), dressed up as phoney ‘commissions’. That would do to get the FBI started. Clever Chuckie banked this loot offshore, so as not to trouble the taxman.

In 2002 I had started digging into FIFA, expecting to find a few bad apples. As I learned more, I sensed a huge kickback fraud on the sale of World Cup marketing and TV rights. But I needed documents from inside Mr Blatter’s fortress on a hill above Zurich. And I had to create sources deep in his kingdom. This is how it’s done.

I went to his next press conference. The auditorium was lined with robotic-looking Fifa officials in blazers. I knew many were unhappy about his dictatorial ways. Many of the women were tired of being patted. They were my target. I had to signal to them that if they gave me the bullets, I would fire them.

I grabbed the roving mic in the auditorium and asked: ‘Herr Blatter, have you ever taken a bribe?’ No reporter had ever dared suggest to Mr Blatter’s face that he might be corrupt. Furious at not being addressed as ‘President,’ he stuttered: ‘I have never taken a bribe.’ That gave me a headline in the next day’s Daily Mail – ‘Blatter denies taking a bribe.’ He was in play, I had roughed him up in front of his staff. The sources began to leak vast amounts of documents. A decade later, they still do.

They slipped me documents revealing that Mr Blatter pays himself a secret six-figure bonus every year. I published and the next day was the only reporter in the world banned by Mr Blatter. Twelve years later I still am.

HE frightened off other reporters by announcing my story was false and that he would sue. He didn’t. We still have not discovered how much he pays himself in salary, perks and bonuses. It’s a Fifa secret. My sources say $15 million (£9.8 million).

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...tml?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

 

[ebandit]

coming soon from a sweatshop near yourself.........the nike seb blatter fair play limited edition footy slipper.........

in the colour of money only.................

Mark L

 

[sniper]

Re:

That goal from Messi classic Spanish defending though, but still amazing.

And of course he's by far the best player in the world. That discussion should have been put to sleep from the moment a 20-year old Messi owned Ronaldo in his magic season 2007-08, at old trafford, semi-finals CL. The frustration on Ronaldo that game was priceless, even though they were 1-0 ahead, he knew the magician was coming to take his crown

yes, that discussion is none. (interesting only for the media to have something to write about)

that said, the more i see messi play, the more i realize how much of his game is down to his sheer stamina, his ability to run, run and run. and very quickly.
he's also very strong physically, very tough to get him off the ball.
of course it's a major skill to keep the ball so close to the feet while running, but still, much of his game is down to his incredible physical ability, a bit different from maaradona in that respect.

 

[l.Harm]

Thanks for the article gooner.

 

[ILovecycling]

Re: Re:

That goal from Messi classic Spanish defending though, but still amazing.

And of course he's by far the best player in the world. That discussion should have been put to sleep from the moment a 20-year old Messi owned Ronaldo in his magic season 2007-08, at old trafford, semi-finals CL. The frustration on Ronaldo that game was priceless, even though they were 1-0 ahead, he knew the magician was coming to take his crown

yes, that discussion is none. (interesting only for the media to have something to write about)

that said, the more i see messi play, the more i realize how much of his game is down to his sheer stamina, his ability to run, run and run. and very quickly.
he's also very strong physically, very tough to get him off the ball.
of course it's a major skill to keep the ball so close to the feet while running, but still, much of his game is down to his incredible physical ability, a bit different from maaradona in that respect.

More his stability and power in legs I think, but speed also

 

[Flamin]

Re: Re:

That goal from Messi classic Spanish defending though, but still amazing.

And of course he's by far the best player in the world. That discussion should have been put to sleep from the moment a 20-year old Messi owned Ronaldo in his magic season 2007-08, at old trafford, semi-finals CL. The frustration on Ronaldo that game was priceless, even though they were 1-0 ahead, he knew the magician was coming to take his crown

yes, that discussion is none. (interesting only for the media to have something to write about)

that said, the more i see messi play, the more i realize how much of his game is down to his sheer stamina, his ability to run, run and run. and very quickly.
he's also very strong physically, very tough to get him off the ball.
of course it's a major skill to keep the ball so close to the feet while running, but still, much of his game is down to his incredible physical ability, a bit different from maaradona in that respect.

Yes, you can't do with really good physique in modern football if you want to be a top player (exceptions are brilliant players like Iniesta of course but imo he would be better than Messi if he had the same physique; now he's 'just' a world class player). Much different from the era Maradona played in. I think Maradona would have a hard time adapting to the kind of football today.

 

[ILovecycling]

Re: Re:

That goal from Messi classic Spanish defending though, but still amazing.

And of course he's by far the best player in the world. That discussion should have been put to sleep from the moment a 20-year old Messi owned Ronaldo in his magic season 2007-08, at old trafford, semi-finals CL. The frustration on Ronaldo that game was priceless, even though they were 1-0 ahead, he knew the magician was coming to take his crown

yes, that discussion is none. (interesting only for the media to have something to write about)

that said, the more i see messi play, the more i realize how much of his game is down to his sheer stamina, his ability to run, run and run. and very quickly.
he's also very strong physically, very tough to get him off the ball.
of course it's a major skill to keep the ball so close to the feet while running, but still, much of his game is down to his incredible physical ability, a bit different from maaradona in that respect.

Yes, you can't do with really good physique in modern football if you want to be a top player (exceptions are brilliant players like Iniesta of course but imo he would be better than Messi if he had the same physique; now he's 'just' a world class player). Much different from the era Maradona played in. I think Maradona would have a hard time adapting to the kind of football today.

Yep, I agree. Probably the main reason why Neymar plays so great this season.He gained a bit of weight and mainly he improved his stamina.Still his stamina is really bad (usual for brasilian players) and has a room for improvement.

 

[Amsterhammer]

Barca's three strikers have scored 120 goals between them this season. That is insane. That is unheard of. Neymar took some time to adjust and grow into the European game, but now that he and Messi are so often on the same wavelength, we can look forward to many more goals from this unique pair.

I was hugely critical of Barca for spending crazy money on Suarez. I thought that he wouldn't fit in, because as an Ajax fan I have probably seen him play more than most here, and I was convinced that his style of play would never work at Barca. I was right about that, but wrong about him fitting in. The transformation of Luis Suarez from a wonderful, but selfish goal getter, to a team player who now invariably passes to an open player instead of going for it alone, has been astonishing. It's a shame for Pedro, who will probably move this summer, but the MSN attacking line is probably the most awesome and dangerous that we will ever see. I therefore fully expect Barca to complete the treble in Berlin next Saturday.

 

[sniper]

the way Messi has 'allowed' Neymar and Suarez to settle in, without letting it affect his own play, that's perhaps the most telling part of the story, and it nicely illustrates why Messi is so many lengths above C. Ronaldo, who has largely failed to click/team up with Bale, and by extension why Barca is currently miles ahead of Real Madrid.

 

[ILovecycling]

Re:

the way Messi has 'allowed' Neymar and Suarez to settle in, without letting it affect his own play, that's perhaps the most telling part of the story, and it nicely illustrates why Messi is so many lengths above C. Ronaldo, who has largely failed to click/team up with Bale, and by extension why Barca is currently miles ahead of Real Madrid.

Quoted for truth, amazing.Such a power! I doubt even the best catenaccio will be enough, they are practically unbeatable this season.

 

[Gigs_98]

Re:

That goal from Messi classic Spanish defending though, but still amazing.

And of course he's by far the best player in the world. That discussion should have been put to sleep from the moment a 20-year old Messi owned Ronaldo in his magic season 2007-08, at old trafford, semi-finals CL. The frustration on Ronaldo that game was priceless, even though they were 1-0 ahead, he knew the magician was coming to take his crown

meh, messi in top shape is the best player in the world but in the last two years ronaldo was clearly better for me.

 

[Amsterhammer]

Federal authorities believe that Sepp Blatter’s top lieutenant at FIFA made $10 million in bank transactions that are central elements of the bribery scandal engulfing international soccer, United States officials and others briefed on the case said Monday. The revelation puts the money trail closer to Mr. Blatter, FIFA’s president, than had been previously known.

Jérôme Valcke, the soccer organization’s secretary general, is the unidentified “high-ranking FIFA official” who prosecutors say transferred $10 million in 2008 from FIFA to accounts controlled by another soccer official, Jack Warner, the officials said. The payment is a key piece of last week’s indictment accusing Mr. Warner of taking a bribe in exchange for helping South Africa secure the right to host the 2010 World Cup.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/02/sports/soccer/sepp-blatters-top-fifa-deputy-jerome-valcke-is-said-to-have-transferred-money-central-to-bribery-case.html

 

[mrhender]

http://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2015/jun/02/fifa-calls-press-conference-amid-latest-corruption-claims-live

Sepp resigns...

 

[l.Harm]

Yay...

More important is what happens next. Real change or status quo. Fear the latter.

 

[python]

Re:

http://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2015/jun/02/fifa-calls-press-conference-amid-latest-corruption-claims-live

Sepp resigns...

this is huge...

 

[Amsterhammer]

Excellent news!!