World Cup 2010 Blog: “Trezeguet to make a comeback for France?” plus 1 more

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Trezeguet to make a comeback for France? Posted: 31 Oct 2010 07:31 PM PDT Will Trezeguet’s performance for Hercules be enough to catch Blanc’s attention? If David Trezeguet has anything to say about it, then yes. On this Sunday’s edition of Telefoot, he declared himself “available” to Blanc should his former France teammate decide to call him up. In the past, Trezeguet has not always been “available” to France’s previous coach, Raymond Domenech.  Trezeguet hasn’t been a consistent call-up for France since 2006 – supposedly because Domenech never really forgave him for missing his penalty in the 2006 World Cup final against Italy.  Since his last call up in 2008 (when he was chosen as a replacement for an injured Benzema), he has been absent from the national team due to competition in the striker position as well as a self-imposed international retirement. When explaining his reasons for retiring in 2008, he said the mains reasons were… The awful Euro 2008 and the reappointment of the coach. I see football differently from how they see it in France. Euro 2008 was very negative, but what annoys me more is that Domenech is staying. But if David really wants to return to the France side, he will have to convince Blanc that the team needs his leadership and experience.  Blanc has been staunch in his commitment to developing the next generation of French talent, something which Trezeguet has noted… The coach’s speech was clear, he relies more on a new generation. If someday there is an opportunity to be reconvened [to the France national team], it could be something special for me. Trezeguet has scored 5 goals for Hercules this season since his summer transfer from Juventus. For Les Bleus, he has 71 caps and 34 goals.  But will that be enough for him to surpass Benzema (Real Madrid), Payet (Saint-Etienne) and Remy (Marseille)?

UEFA Issue Verdict for Serbia and Italy (…and Northern Ireland) Posted: 31 Oct 2010 09:44 AM PDT Earlier this month, the Euro 2012 qualifying match between Italy and Serbia was abandoned due to to rioting among supporters.  Serbian fans threw flares on to the pitch and at Italian supporters  (by climbing over a fence and cutting a hole in the netting intended to prevent objects being thrown).  This was after the Serbian goalkeeper pulled out of the match in fear of his life after being threatened by Serbian fans angry over his loan to Partizan, the rival of the club where he began his career (Red Star Belgrade).The supporters also clashed with police after the abandonment leading to 17 arrests.  In response, UEFA has delivered the following verdict… Verdict:  Serbia 3-0 forfeit to Italy 1 game played in a closed stadium (vs Northern Ireland) (Suspended sentence) Additional game to be played in a closed stadium for a 2-year probationary period No future allocation of tickets to the Serbian Football Federation for away games Financial fines totaling: €120,000 Verdict:  Italy (Suspended sentence) Game to be played in a closed stadium for a 2-year probationary period Financial fines totaling: €100,000 This leaves Italy in first place in the group, 3 points clear of Slovenia (2nd) and Serbia in 5th place. While Italy appear to be thrilled., the reaction in Serbia seems to be mixed.  The Serbian Federation is claiming the role of the victim, arguing that Italy used its influence to obtain a cushy victory for the abandoned match (3 points and +3 goal difference).  Unsurprisingly, they are planning on appealing…and they want a replay of the match. The Italian lobby did its job in order to get this result, but we are not satisfied with UEFA's verdict, especially the 3-0 defeat. - Tomislav Karadzic, Serbian Football Federation President The press though seem to be taking a more moderate position – acknowledging that it could have been oh-so-much worse.  Before the verdict was released to the public, there was speculation that Serbia could be banned from international competition for several years.  Politika, a newspaper in Serbia (I think…), agreed that the fines were harsh but also acknowledged that Serbia “got off well.” Had UEFA really applied what (its president Michel) Platini calls ‘zero tolerance,’ we could have already said an international farewell to this generation of players - Politika Perhaps the more surprising opinion floated in the Serbian press is the idea that a national ban would have been beneficial for the country’s long-term success. Had it forced us into isolation, we would have had plenty of time to clean the house, like England did [reference to England's 5-year ban following the 1995 Heysel Stadium disaster]. Only then, after punishing our own for our own mistake, could we return to Europe with a clean face and point at others for their faults. - Politika But this decision doesn’t just punish Serbian fans (who did and didn’t riot)…but also Northern Ireland fans planning on traveling to the game to support their team. I really feel for our fans who have made their travel arrangements and will now be seriously out of pocket. I just cannot see why we should suffer because of the behavior of another country's fans. It could also have an adverse effect on the team. It's completely wrong and the Irish FA must strive get this outcome overturned. It is not right that two international sides should be playing in front of a dozen people. - Nigel Worthington, Manager of Northern Ireland UEFA should expect a call from IFA chief Patrick Nelson who is planning on protesting the decision, arguing that a neutral site where Northern Ireland fans can travel to support their team is a better solution.

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World Cup 2010 Blog: Dinho’s Back: Ronaldinho Gets Brazil Recall

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Dinho’s Back: Ronaldinho Gets Brazil Recall Posted: 29 Oct 2010 08:31 AM PDT Looking to curry favor as the new coach of the most demanding national team in the world? Then call up the superstar exiled by the previous regime yet pursed on the lips of most supporters in the country. Mano Menezes has done just that: Dinho’s back in the Brazilian fold for a friendly next month. The opponent? Argentina. Lionel Messi’s Argentina. Mano might as well have called him up for a World Cup final. This isn’t a provisional thirty, either – it’s the full 23, which means the only way through which Ronaldinho doesn’t make the cut is injury or doing something along the line of confusing prostitute genders. However, the lineup isn’t what you’d call the ‘first team’ – starting and ending in the keeper list, there’s no Julio Cesar, which should say enough – but rather one which looks more like a “bubble team”. In other words: they’re on it. Want to get off? Play lights out against Argentina, which will be arguably the most watched friendly in some time. Goalkeepers: Victor (Gremio) Jeferson (Botafogo), Neto (Atletico-PR) Defenders: Daniel Alves (Barcelona), Rafael (Manchester United), Adriano Correa (Barcelona), Andre Santos (Fenerbahce), Thiago Silva (Milan), David Luiz (Benfica) Alex Costa (Chelsea), Rever (Atletico-MG) Midfielders: Lucas (Liverpool), Ramires (Chelsea), Sandro (Tottenham), Jucilei (Corinthians), Douglas (Gremio), Philippe Coutinho (Inter), Ronaldinho Gaucho (Milan), Elias (Corinthians) Forwards: Robinho (Milan), Alexandre Pato (Milan), Andre (Dinamo Kiev), Neymar (Santos) For those who need a reminder or have only been paying attention to football since Nigel De Jong planted his size tens into Xabi Alonso’s chestplate, gratuitous Ronaldinho YouTuber:

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World Cup 2010 Blog: Euro 2012 Off To Foreboding Start

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Euro 2012 Off To Foreboding Start Posted: 28 Oct 2010 10:48 AM PDT Euro 2012 officials had a very big day today, as aside from claiming to sue the bejeezus out of conspiracy theorists, they also launched the very first of their brand spankin’ new fan buses (which really do look quite decent from a superficial perspective). So they gave the keys to Deputy-Prime Minister Boris Kolesnikov for the inaugural drive through Lviv, Ukraine and he….got into an accident. Yes, he plowed into the very same police car which was escorting him through the city. If this is how they run the ‘little stuff’, Euro 2012 is on pace to be a dog and pony show unlike anything we’ve seen before. Good for us, but not a good month to be UEFA, FIFA, or anything with an acronym, really.

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World Cup 2010 Blog: Paul The Octopus Is Dead, But He Will Not Die.

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Paul The Octopus Is Dead, But He Will Not Die. Posted: 27 Oct 2010 08:48 AM PDT That’s reportedly the movie poster for the upcoming film about Paul’s life. A conveniently intriguing conspiracy theory has erupted from those surrounding the film, indicating that Paul did not die over Sunday evening, but on July 9th, two days before the world cup. These are the type of people who stumble around in foil helmets, jamming alien frequencies and telling us that an oracle octopus can predict the future. Pfft. Idiots. Jiang said she thought it was “kind of strange” that news of Paul’s death had broken not long after the Oberhausen Sea Life Centre in western Germany had contacted her team to say they were keen to co-operate on the international distribution of her film. “We have been keeping in touch with the German aquarium ever since the beginning [of production] but it seemed to me that they were afraid,” she said. “The movie is about unveiling the inside story behind the octopus miracle, so they felt nervous. “For the movie, we had done quite a lot of investigation and I am 60% to 70% sure that Paul died on 9 July [two days before the World Cup final] and the Germans have been covering up his death and fooling us for a long time.” Or maybe just those looking for a bit of free publicity for their upcoming movie? Probably that. Meanwhile, Paul’s successor has been named: a mysterious Frenchpus, with tremendous tentacle booties to fill. But a slimy Frenchman who enjoys a bit of whimsical prognostication and decides the outcome of football games based on things from above? I think we’ve seen this movie before.

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