Soccer archive

Ahmed Fathi, a defensive midfielder, ran for his life when he saw thousands of Egyptian opposition supporters streaming toward him on the field. His team, Al Ahly of Cairo, had just lost a local league game in February to Al Masry in the city of Port Said. Al Ahly does not lose often. It is the biggest and most successful soccer club in Egypt, and it claims to have tens of millions of fans worldwide. But the Masry supporters were not celebrating their victory. Something had gone terribly wrong.

“The fans were coming, sprinting after the match,” Fathi, 28, recalled last week. “I knew they hated me and all the players. All the players ran. I didn’t know what was happening outside. But something was happening outside. After this they killed the boys. Not the men, the boys.”

As Fathi and his teammates took refuge from the Masry supporters in a changing room, one of the darkest incidents in soccer history was unfolding in the nearby bleachers.

Within the hour, more than 70 people, many of them Ahly fans and members of the club’s fan group, the Ultras Ahlawy, lay dead.

“One of the fans came to the room and said: ‘You have a problem outside. Someone has been killed.’ And then another has been killed, and another,” he said.

“After this another comes in, and he has a wound.”

Fathi slowly ran a finger from the left side of his temple to his chin, to illustrate the gash to the young man’s face.

It was the bloodiest day in Egypt in the wake of the ouster 22 months ago of President Hosni Mubarak, who ruled for nearly three decades. There were widespread accusations that the military-led government that had replaced Mubarak allowed the violence to escalate to justify its powers and undermine the revolution.

In the aftermath, the soccer league’s season was immediately canceled. Play has yet to resume, and some clubs are teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. But Fathi and his teammates have somehow endured and continue to play on. The team dedicated itself to taking part in the most prestigious competition that remained — the tough African Champions League — and vowed to honor those who died by winning it.

And it did. Last month, the Ahly beat Esperance of Tunisia to be crowned champion of Africa, taking a path to the title that meant fending with protests, conspiracy theories and a coup in Mali during a match on the road.

Not only was it the Ahly’s seventh victory in the club competition — making it the most decorated club in African history — but it also meant the team qualified for the Club World Cup in Japan, where the champions of six regional soccer confederations battled it out through last weekend to be crowned the best in the world. Another title, another chance to honor those who had died, was at stake.

The man who had taken the Ahly this far, who had put it back on track after the blood bath, who had gotten through to players who had been scarred by the mayhem they had witnessed, was the 52-year-old coach, Hossam el-Badry.

“The club called me to take charge as head coach, but it was very difficult for me to prepare the players emotionally after Port Said,” Badry said the day before the Ahly was to play the Japanese champion Sanfrecce Hiroshima in the Club World Cup quarterfinal.

The Port Said incident had led several of the players to retire immediately from soccer. Among them was Mohamed Aboutrika, the Ahly’s renowned midfielder and one of the greatest players Africa has produced.

As the fans were being killed in Port Said — some crushed to death in a stampede, others stabbed and beaten by the Masry supporters — Aboutrika was said to have held a fan in his arms as he died on the dressing room floor.

For Badry, the answer to getting his players to focus on soccer again was to convince them that redemption for what had occurred could be found on the field.

“I told them I know it is very difficult to forget that day,” he said. “You have to change this bad moment to make something good for them.”

The players who retired were talked into changing their minds. But they returned for an African Champions League competition played on an uneasy terrain. The Ahly’s home group matches had to be held with the fans barred. Then, during an early round of matches in May, the team was stranded for four days in Mali’s capital, Bamako, after a coup. It was eventually airlifted out by military transport plane.

“We remember when we were waiting for the flight to take us back,” Badry recalled with a shake of the head. “Every minute, every hour, waiting for the plane.”

Still, the Ahly won it all, and now came the final challenge of this difficult year, in Japan.

Last week, snow fell heavily on the field at Toyota Stadium in Nagoya before the Ahly’s match against Hiroshima. Inside stood a hundred members of the Ultras Ahlawy, the fan group whose members were killed in Port Said.

For many in Egypt, the Ultras Ahlawy played an important role in the revolution, providing thousands of organized, secular, anti-authoritarian young men to fight on the front lines in Tahrir Square.

The Ultras Ahlawy was formed in 2007. Initially, the Ahlawy was a way of supporting the team with banners and songs and disparaging its great city rival, Zamalek. But it soon turned political when the Mubarak government cracked down on the group. Many of the members were arrested.

“We became what they feared the most,” said the founder of the Ahlawy, who declined to give his real name because he feared reprisals.

The match against Hiroshima was the first that he and the Ahlawy had attended since Port Said. The group had successfully campaigned to have league play in Egypt remain suspended until the completion of the trial of 75 Masry fans and security officers accused in connection with the Port Said deaths. The officers were charged with complicity in the violence, of knowing trouble was likely to occur and doing nothing to ward it off or stop it once the killings began.

The English Premier League, home to the country's best soccer teams, is at the top of its game. It recently negotiated huge price increases outside the U.K. for broadcast rights to its matches, and it's drawing top players from all over the world as megarich foreign owners pour money into their teams.

But some English clubs complain that the foreign largesse isn't benefiting all teams equally, while others say it's hurting the sport.

In a sign of the EPL's global appeal, the league sold overseas TV rights for 2010-2013 games for a total of £1.4 billion ($2.25 billion). That dwarfs the sums secured by other leagues in Europe, including Spain's La Liga, home to Barcelona and Real Madrid.

It's now negotiating regional deals to show Premier League matches overseas for the next three seasons, and it has already secured big price increases. The U.S. rights for the 2013 to 2016 seasons, which were won by Comcast Corp.'s CMCSA +0.21% NBC, soared to $250 million from the $80 million Fox Sports paid for the rights from 2010 to 2013.

"Soccer is the world's No. 1 sport, and the Premier League is the best in the world," said Jon Miller, president of sports programming at NBC Sports. He also noted that the league includes global brands like Manchester United.

The EPL has also secured big increases for broadcast rights in emerging-market regions such as India and sub-Saharan Africa.

But in contrast to other leagues in Europe, the EPL shares the money from its deals equally among its 20 clubs. Liverpool, the club from the Beatles hometown, says the arrangement hurts it. If it could negotiate its own overseas broadcast packages, it believes it would profit from its global popularity, a result of its 1980s heyday. (These days it's struggling to beat the league's top teams, including Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea.)

Real Madrid and Barcelona secure vast sums by negotiating their overseas TV deals separately from other Spanish teams. But other clubs are unlikely to rally to Liverpool's cause any time soon.

"I don't think there's any appetite to change it; 14 out of the 20 [EPL] clubs would need to vote to change it, and the only clubs that would really benefit are Manchester United and Liverpool," says Nick Harris, who runs sportingintelligence-com, a website that examines finance in sport.

Even Manchester United has supported the argument that the current distribution of overseas TV money helps to make the EPL more competitive. Mr. Harris says that while other big clubs such as Chelsea and Arsenal are becoming more popular overseas, they still don't attract a fan base comparable to Liverpool's and are thus unlikely to back Liverpool. The smaller clubs, also support the current arrangements, because they would receive less money if they negotiated their own broadcast rights for their matches separately.

A more serious split could emerge among EPL clubs over another source of overseas money in English football: purchases of English clubs by wealthy foreigners. More than half of the 20 EPL clubs are owned by foreigners, a much higher proportion than in other top European leagues, such as in Italy's Serie A, which has only one foreign-owned club.

Two clubs in particular, Chelsea and Manchester City, have benefited from foreign ownership. In the decade since Russian magnate Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea, the London club has won the Premier League three times and the Champions League, Europe's elite competition, once. Manchester City's purchase by Abu Dhabi Royal Family member Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan in 2008 was followed by a massive spending spree that culminated in Manchester City winning the most recent EPL title.

Foreign ownership has shaken up the established order, making the English game more interesting, according to many fans, but not all clubs are happy. London-based Arsenal, which like Liverpool has fallen down the rankings in recent years, argues the financial arrangements at Manchester City are at odds with "Financial Fair Play" rules proposed by UEFA, European football's governing body. The rules seek to limit clubs' spending on players to the income they generate, with the first assessments to be undertaken in the 2013/14 season. Clubs that fall afoul of the rules could be excluded from European competitions such as the Champions League.

Arsenal's manager, Arsene Wenger, has complained that Manchester City's sponsorship deal with Etihad Airlines, which is owned by the Abu Dhabi government, conflicts with Financial Fair Play because it is effectively a subsidy given its inflated value.

Manchester City has denied that the sponsorship deal is inflated, noting that it also includes valuable naming rights for the club's Etihad stadium.

At a recent meeting, 16 of the 20 EPL clubs supported the league implementing its own version of Financial Fair Play measures, but the clubs differ on how strict the rules should be. Manchester City is one of the four clubs that oppose such measures.


TV Rights Split Soccer Clubs - WSJ-com

For Olympic gold medalist Alex Morgan, there's no such thing as a relaxing vacation.

The 23-year-old soccer player opted for two different bikinis for two very physical activities on the beach in Maui - kayaking and paddle-boarding.

The brunette bombshell, who was just named the Female Athlete of the Year by U.S. Soccer, kept her athletic figure flexing in a vampy leopard-print two-piece on Thursday.

Alex joined several friends on an outrigger canoe ride outside the Four Seasons Resort Maui Thursday where she was able to workout her muscular, toned arms.

After the ride, the quick-footed forward for Seattle Sounders Women was seen snacking on apples and giving a high-five to the instructor.

Wednesday night the California native indulged in a platter of cotton candy for dessert - a well-deserved treat after her strenuous day of paddle-boarding.

Morgan, who's nicknamed 'Baby Horse' because of her distinctive running style, looked smoking hot in her multi-coloured string bikini.

It gave Alex a wonderful opportunity to flaunt her prominent 'thirteen' tattoo - a tribute to her 'personal hero' Kristine Lilly who was No. 13 on the U.S. national team.

It's evidently on the left side of her hip because she is 'left-footed.'

You could literally count the five-foot-seven stunner's abs as she waded in the waves and perched on top of her paddle-board alongside a blonde friend.

'Went paddle boarding at @FSMaui and met a few friendly sea turtles! Just the beginning of a relaxing vacay 😁 #fb,' Alex tweeted to her 1 million followers, after sipping pina coladas at an afternoon luau.

The confident athlete, who's favourite indulgence is In-N-Out cheeseburgers, clearly has no fear when it comes to bathing suits.

Earlier this year, she posed for the Sports Illustrated's 2012 swimsuit issue in nothing but body paint.

Not seen this week was Morgan's boyfriend Servando Carrasco, 24, who plays for Seattle Sounders
FC.

The longtime couple were reportedly college sweethearts at Berkeley.

At last summer's Olympics, Alex led the Americans with 28 goals, which was third-best all-time in a calendar year behind Abby Wambach (31 in 2004) and Michelle Akers (39 in 1991).

The soccer starlet also has a team-leading 19 assists in 2012, the fourth-most in a single year.

She'll find out if she won the prestigious FIFA Ballon d’Or (Golden Ball) on January 7.

Read more: Soccer champ Alex Morgan displays her Olympic-winning bikini body in Maui | Mail Online
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Wellington Phoenix super-sub Benjamin Totori has taken his time to find his niche in the A-League but the livewire attacker may just be up to speed now.

The Solomon Islands international looked threatening with the ball at his feet when he came off the bench for the Wellingtonians in their 1-1 draw with the Central Coast Mariners at the Cake Tin last night.

Totori's well-floated cross also laid on the Phoenix's late equaliser as Spanish midfielder Dani Sanchez was able to connect with a header that erased the advantage Daniel McBreen's earlier goal had given the visitors.

Totori is by no means the finished article and his option-taking needs work but it's easy to forget that the 26-year-old has spent a majority of his career playing in amateur sides.

At only 1.67m tall and about 61kgs dripping wet, Totori does risk getting muscled off the ball in the physical A-League but as he learns to use his pace and dimensions to his advantage he could become a starting-quality player.

He has been prolific for the Solomons with 15 goals in 17 internationals but those numbers are yet to translate to the Phoenix as he searches for his maiden strike.

The former Waitakere United and YoungHeart Manawatu man said his self-belief was growing.

"For me, coming in to the A-League, it was in the back of my mind that it wasn't going to be easy," Totori said.

"It's going to be difficult for me, especially coming from the Islands. It's a big stepping stone for me so I know everything's going to be hard and it's going to be tough for me, but as time goes on I started to play and I'm getting better each week. So hopefully I perform every week.

"My confidence is growing and I can feel it as well."

Last night the Phoenix were picked off easily at times on attack as their cross-heavy approach was well defended by the Mariners' experienced centre backs, although rookies Louis Fenton and Tyler Boyd were lively on the ball for Wellington.

Fenton and Boyd earned praise from Herbert and Mariners' coach Graham Arnold after the game, but both were unable to find a killer strike throughout the contest.

Totori's aggressive style gives the Phoenix a different dimension late in the game and he said the advice from Herbert as he entered the fray was the same each week.

"Nearly every time I go on he just says 'go do your thing, just play to your strength, use your speed and just go forward'."

Herbert was clearly pleased with Totori, and said that pace was a great asset to his side.

"For Benji, he's just lightning quick and I think that's great. He got the cross in and a good finish by Dani, so I think it just shows you can really benchmark the Central Coast game and I think defensively they're probably the best team in the league," Herbert said.

The 1-1 draw with the Mariners left the Phoenix in seventh place on the A-League ladder and they host the Melbourne Heart at Westpac Stadium on Thursday night.

The Heart, who lost 2-1 to the Melbourne Victory last night, will be without suspended centre backs Simon Colosimo and Patrick Gerhardt for the trip to the capital.



Soccer: Totori warming to the task - Sport - NZ Herald News

After the confinement and tiring etiquette of Christmas Day, the prospect of soccer on Wednesday offers something of a refuge for Britons. An opportunity to escape the family, the simmering tensions and the dinner table strife, and breathe a sigh of relief, Boxing Day games are a tradition that Britain holds dear. A national holiday, the day after Christmas (also called St. Stephen’s Day) has come to be known as Boxing Day. The origin of its name is largely unknown. One theory suggests the date was a day off for servants who would receive a Christmas box from their employers to take home to their families. Another proposes that great ships setting sail would have a sealed box full of money onboard for good luck. If the voyage was a success, the box was given to the church and the contents donated to the poor on this day.

Whatever its roots, its quintessentially British traditions are steeped in history, of which soccer is the centerpiece for many.

The tradition of soccer on Boxing Day dates to 1860, when the world’s oldest and second-oldest clubs contested the first interclub match. Hallam and Sheffield played a game under Sheffield Rules, a 19th-century interpretation of today’s modern sport that still permitted participants to catch the ball with their hands.

Derby matches were once contrived to fall on Dec. 26, bypassing the computer that randomly decides the schedule for the rest of the season. That particular tradition is now neglected in the upper echelons of English soccer. The past two seasons have had only two genuine derbies, with Fulham drawing with Chelsea in 2011 and West Ham winning at Craven Cottage the year before that. Only Arsenal and West Ham represented such a clash this year, until planned London Underground strikes for Wednesday forced a postponement.

These local games were devised to ensure that supporters would not have to travel long distances at a time of the year that revolves around the home.

Those who perhaps would not or could not attend their local team’s games for a majority of the season would go to the Boxing Day derby, in much the same way some Christians might attend only Christmas Eve services.

Perhaps it is an indictment of modern soccer’s precedence that this consideration is now dismissed. Or maybe the authorities simply decided that holding feisty derby matches fueled by alcohol was probably not the best way to mark the holidays. (At one game between Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United in 1979, players and supporters took Boxing Day a little too literally, and more than 50 were arrested.)

The most remarkable Boxing Day occurred in 1963, when 157 goals were scored in 39 games, with Fulham registering a 10-1 win over Ipswich Town; Liverpool defeating Stoke City, 6-1; Blackburn Rovers routing West Ham, 8-2; and Burnley topping Manchester United, 6-1.

Surprisingly, when United met Burnley again two days later, it scored five goals. Likewise, Ipswich defeated Fulham, 4-2, and West Ham also completed an unlikely turnaround, beating Blackburn by 3-1.

As far as the rest of Europe is concerned, sports on Dec. 26 is uniquely British. In Germany, the Bundesliga takes a six-week break in December and January. France similarly enters a state of hibernation, and some Eastern European countries postpone all sporting endeavors until March.

But in Britain (Scotland’s Premier League also has a full slate of games), the festivities are a time-honored and much-loved highlight of the sporting calendar, despite a degree of clamor from some for a continental-style winter break.

Outsiders question why the most games are played at the most volatile time of the year. (Many lower-level teams will be unable to complete their schedules for months because of unplayable fields.) Insiders might not have an answer.

British Boxing Day sports, in general, has a long and storied history. Dog-led fox hunts were a popular pastime, particularly among the upper classes, until the sport was outlawed in 2005. Horse racing was also a Dec. 26 staple, with the King George VI Chase still hosted every year at Kempton racecourse.

Rugby once operated a schedule similar to soccer’s until adopting a summer season in 1996. One Boxing Day tradition that has withstood time along with soccer is the urge to take to the sea, as participants don novelty costumes and plunge into the icy waters. That custom puts typical British eccentricity on full display all along the shoreline.

But no other sport can claim a stronger influence of good will over the holidays than soccer. Even during World War I, British and German troops called a temporary truce over Christmas to play a game with each other between their trenches.

Festive traditions tend to outlast their practicality; the explanation for the name Boxing Day is testament to that. Although the custom of soccer on the day after Christmas might have been diluted somewhat over the years, its place on the calendar is still marked.

Soccer and Christmas have changed significantly since Hallam and Sheffield played for the first time in 1860, but some traditions are seen as worth preserving.





www-nytimes-com/2012/12/23/sports/soccer/in-england-day-after-christmas-boxing-day-means-soccer-games-html?_r=0

To say Oscar Valle likes soccer is an understatement.

The Middleton High School senior enjoys soccer so much that he said he plays every day of the week, and on most weekends.

In addition to state-qualifying varsity teams his sophomore and senior years, Valle has played on multiple club and indoor teams in the Treasure Valley.

Valle, who made the varsity squad as a sophomore, said both state teams placed fourth in the tournament.

The combination of Valle’s skill and love of soccer and approximately 3.0 cumulative GPA has landed him a tryout with Southwestern College near Kansas City. He said he has been working out of season to keep his skills sharp for the tryout.

“Not so sure what they’re going to do, but I need to be prepared,” Valle said regarding the exact details of the tryout.

“But I need to keep running and keep my touch on the ball. I have a PE class I (am a teacher’s assistant) for and I run with them. The teacher coaches the girls soccer’ team. She gives me workouts to help prepare. So far it’s a good process, but it takes work.”

Valle, who started his soccer career at age 5, said his involvement with soccer teaches him respect and how to be a leader. Valle was a captain of the soccer team this past season. He typically plays defense or midfield but prefers midfield positions.

Valle is also a member of Future Hispanic Leaders of America at MHS. He said the group helps students find scholarships and grants that make post-secondary education and employment more accessible. He said the club helps students realize what the future may hold for his generation.

“Most Hispanic families come to America for a better (life) … and our generation is probably like the best one to have the opportunities to make something of themselves,” Valle said.

Aside from his hopes of playing soccer at Southwestern, Valle said he would like to get into sports medicine or physical therapy, and hopes to earn an athletic scholarship to help pay for tuition.

He will also tryout for the soccer team at Treasure Valley Community College.

What is your favorite memory of high school so far?

“That’s a hard one. My favorite memory would probably be going to state my senior year. Not only because I’m a senior, but our whole team was made up of seniors. It made all of us feel good our last year of high school.”

What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?

“Keeping my grades up during sports. It’s kind of hard to have a full school schedule while being in sports and keeping up with your homework.”

If you could have three wishes, what would they be?

Valle said he would like to become a professional soccer player and a millionaire. He also said he wishes he could go back and work a bit harder in the classroom during his earlier years of high school.

If you could give a piece of advice to someone your age, what would it be?

“Don’t let down on your dreams, keep following them. Anything can be accomplished if you put your heart to it.”

Swansea City's free-scoring striker Michu is set to make his Spain debut early next year following a sensational start to his career in the English Premier League.

Vicente del Bosque, coach of European and world champions Spain, told Spanish television that the 26-year-old will play in the Feb. 6 friendly against Uruguay in Doha.

Michu will be joined in the Spain squad by Iago Aspas, currently being linked to Swansea, whose manager Michael Laudrup is an admirer of the Celta Vigo forward.

"Iago Aspas and Michu will appear (against Uruguay)," confirmed Del Bosque.

Michu has been prolific since his bargain $3.2 million transfer from Rayo Vallecano in the summer, topping the Premier League scoring charts with 13 goals in 18 games.

He leap-frogged Manchester United's Robin van Persie after scoring the equaliser in Sunday's 1-1 home draw against the league leaders.

Aspas may well be on Laudrup's wish-list for the January transfer window but the expected price tag of around $13 million could put Swansea off.

The resurgence of German soccer began, like the country’s economic comeback, after a long slide toward stagnation amid dire prophecies of impending irrelevance. The sick man of Europe, as Germany was known a decade ago, could as easily have been called the sick man of soccer. After a disastrous European Championships in 2000 when the traditional powerhouse won no games and scored one goal, the problem-solving, build-a-better-widget German drive kicked in.

While the government was loosening German labor laws to grease the creaking gears of the country’s economy, a society known for its apprenticeships and vocational training set about methodically developing young talent in the world’s most popular sport.

In a little more than a decade, Germany has invested nearly $1 billion in its youth programs, with academies run by professional teams and training centers overseen by the national soccer association, the Deutscher Fussball Bund, or D.F.B. The programs testify to the long-term strategic thinking and to the considerable resources that have driven Germany’s rise to renewed prominence in — and at the expense of — a struggling continent.

“Once the Germans have decided to transform, to reform, they do it,” Emmanuel Hembert, an expert in the business of soccer at the consultancy A. T. Kearney, said. “It has been the case for the labor rules; it’s the case for football where they changed their model; and it’s had a very positive impact.”

The products of the new factory system were exhibited in striking fashion this season. Germany sent seven professional teams into European competitions, and for the first time all seven advanced to the knockout rounds beginning in the new year.

The three German teams in the hypercompetitive Champions League — Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Schalke — all won their groups. Less noticeable but equally important is the depth and parity in the German game. Teams from the midsize cities Leverkusen (pop. 160,000) and Mönchengladbach (pop. 260,000) were among the four that advanced in the slightly less prestigious Europa League.

The German league has seized the advantage while many clubs in crisis-stricken, austerity-squeezed countries like Spain and Italy have been unable to deal with deep debts and older stadiums in poor condition. The Spanish team Valencia started the season with an unfinished stadium and no sponsor for the team’s jersey, a standard moneymaker in European sports.

The German teams “are preparing for an era of European dominance,” Hembert said. “The time of the German league is coming.”

Where England’s soccer analysts bemoan a British league brimming with foreign mercenaries but crowding out local players, German teams have improved with a rising share of domestic players. At the same time, they have overcome stereotypes of ugly but effective play and today are more likely to be compared by opponents to finely tuned Porsches than grinding Panzer tanks.

“It’s no longer this wooden, boring soccer,” said Horst Heldt, the general manager at Schalke, a blue-collar squad with a national following similar to that of the N.F.L.’s Pittsburgh Steelers.

German teams have benefited from and contributed to the country’s improved reputation abroad, not to mention an economy that has held up far better in rough economic times than many of its neighbors. Eager German talents are nurtured with the best coaching and conditioning, and presented in cutting-edge stadiums.

In preparation for the 2006 World Cup, Germany invested $1.84 billion in new and renovated stadiums, helping German clubs to set a record with 13.8 million spectators last season. The sport has entered an empowering cycle in which better play helped earn a richer television deal, which in turn is being used to plow more money into player development.

Today the German league, the Bundesliga, pulses with an abundance of young homegrown stars, like Borussia Dortmund’s Marco Reus, 23; Bayer Leverkusen’s André Schürrle, 22; and Munich’s Thomas Müller, 23. Reus’s Dortmund, the reigning German champion, even topped the so-called Group of Death, with the Dutch power Ajax, Real Madrid of Spain and England’s big-spending Manchester City, in the Champions League.

“What we are experiencing at the moment is incredible,” the Dortmund executive director Hans-Joachim Watzke told 1,300 members at the club’s annual meeting last month. He was talking not about the performance on the field but about the 40 percent increase in revenue to 215.2 million euros (about $284 million) and the club’s record profit of 34.3 million (about $45 million).

“We want to have maximum athletic success on a solid economic foundation,” Watzke said, “without creating a single euro of debt.”

That sort of debt aversion would be music to the ears of Germany’s first fan, Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has placed a similar emphasis on parsimony and long-term planning in Berlin.

“Clubs have done their homework,” said Schalke’s Heldt, echoing a favorite phrase of Merkel’s during the European debt crisis. “We are in a position to pay good salaries where a lot of countries no longer can.”

Germans, even in depressed areas like the Ruhr Valley, simply have more money now for tickets and merchandise. Companies, like the brewery Veltins, which sponsors Schalke’s stadium, have more money for naming rights.

The crowning achievement for German soccer would be a World Cup or at least a European Championships title. The Germans lost in the semifinals to Italy last summer in Poland. Soccer history is littered with cautionary tales of unrealized potential: Portugal’s so-called Golden Generation never won a major championship.

West Germany won the World Cup in 1990, less than a year after the fall of the Berlin Wall and only a few months before the formal unification of East Germany and West Germany. In keeping with the unbridled optimism of the time, the country’s coach, the former star Franz Beckenbaue

Our colleague Nicholas Kulish has written a year-end sports piece sure to get folks thinking. “The resurgence of German soccer began, like the country’s economic comeback, after a long slide toward stagnation amid dire prophecies of impending irrelevance,” Nick writes.

It may be hard to believe today, but a decade ago Germany was seen, economically, as “the sick man of Europe.” Nick says the epithet could have just as easily been extended to the country when it came to soccer.

How times have changed. Just as superior soccer nations like Italy and Spain have fallen on dire economic times, Germany — economically and on the soccer field — has roared back, taking advantage in both realms of others’ weakness to cement its resurgence, including building a whole new infrastructure to train the next generation of soccer stars.

“Where England’s soccer analysts bemoan a British league brimming with foreign mercenaries but crowding out local players, German teams have improved with a rising share of domestic players,” Nick writes. The products of the new factory system were exhibited in striking fashion this season. Germany sent seven professional teams into European competitions, and for the first time all seven advanced to the knockout rounds beginning in the new year.

The three German teams in the hypercompetitive Champions League — Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Schalke — all won their groups. Less noticeable but equally important is the depth and parity in the German game. Teams from the midsize cities Leverkusen (pop. 160,000) and Mönchengladbach (pop. 260,000) were among the four that advanced in the slightly less prestigious Europa League.

The German league has seized the advantage while many clubs in crisis-stricken, austerity-squeezed countries like Spain and Italy have been unable to deal with deep debts and older stadiums in poor condition. The Spanish team Valencia started the season with an unfinished stadium and no sponsor for the team’s jersey, a standard moneymaker in European sports.

Nick concedes in his in-depth analysis that the crowning achievement for German soccer would be a World Cup — and that has not happened since there were two Germanys.

And debt crisis or no, Italy beat Germany in the semifinals of the European Championships title last summer in Poland.

But if investment is the key to future prosperity, and other nations barely have the funds to upkeep the stadiums and teams they have now…the German teams “are preparing for an era of European dominance,” as Emmanuel Hembert, an expert in the business of soccer at the consultancy A. T. Kearney, told Nick. “The time of the German league is coming.”

Do you agree? And will Germany be able to translate its economic dominance into soccer dominance? And what will that do to relations between the members of the eurozone who are more dependent on Germany than ever?



In Soccer as in Life, Will a Resurgent Germany Dominate a Weakened Europe? - NYTimes-com

A few weeks ago, ESPN columnist Bill Simmons wrote an in-depth column on the leadership style of NBA star Kobe Bryant.

It was a well-premised piece with the central theme being that Kobe Bryant has choosen which leadership-style–that of an omnipresent, bristled-at, egotistical bull in a china shop for lack of a better phrase–suits him best. Simmons argument is Bryant is completely comfortable with the notion that many, including his own teammates, will detest him at the expense of the team winning.

USSF President Sunil Gulati finds himself in a similar leadership role as the head of American soccer.

Think about it.

Gulati wiped egg off his face not once, but twice because he and his leadership cohorts thought Jurgen Klinsmann was the best present day solution for USMNT stewardship. Gulati was also probably not considering his own brand equity when he dropped down to his knees and begged Pia Sundhage to remain coach of the USWNT after the 2007 campaign.

This is not say that Gulati is a completely white-gloved servant or samaritan. Nor has Gulati been without blame for an ultimately miscalculated World Cup bid strategy or abhorrent exit treatment of Bob Bradley. Many in the inner circles of the US Soccer community simply acknowledge Gulati as a “survivor” and an “operator” in reaching the pinnacle of American soccer hierarchy. It’s for these positive reasons that Gulati must be given the benefit of the doubt in his dealings with Sepp Blatter and FIFA … and it’s for this reason that the fans must also give Gulati and USSF the necessary out to say the current dealings are unsatisfactory to US requirements.

First, let’s restate the case against Sepp Blatter. Homophobic and misogynistic views? Yes. Permissive attitude towards racism? Yes. Presiding over World Cup bids ultimately won by nations with opaque oversight and little freedom of the press? Yes. Conspiring to reroute millions in FIFA funds over the years to contractors qualified through nepotism and-or kickbacks? Nearly proven, so, yes.

Any of these aforementioned transgressions above are grounds enough for the US to retract it’s support of Blatter, especially the prejudicial and racial actions and sentiment that are in direct opposition to the ideals the United States was founded. For most, the US ideals of integrity, fair play & hard work are still ideals. What does it say USSF sides w/a “leader” opposite those ideals? (I realize that is a grandiose statement, but take a step back and consider it for a second.)

So why hasn’t the US, in the face of clear under-the-table dealings in World Cup selection for 2022, recent comments by Blatter lamenting the state of the game in the States, a powerful position in terms of commanding the highest WC TV rights and more, continued to author its support in favor of a corrupt leader who favors ideals diametrically opposed to the United States and personal sentiment antogonistic at best, revolting at worst, continued to cast it’s support for Blatter? And with seeing virtually no return on investment from that support?!

The only plausible reason is that Sunil Gulati–whose own equity takes a sledgehammer punch of vitriol with Blatter support–believes the devil he knows (Blatter) is better than the devil he doesn’t know. That despite all of the wretchedness associated with Blatter and with no plausible alternative waiting in the wings, that going against of his (Gulati’s) own volition is a death toll to any leverage in further negotiations over whatever.

Therefore, it’s the contention here that it can be and it should be the voice of the US soccer populace that needs to stand up and demand that the United States Soccer Federation not support Sepp Blatter. In doing so, Gulati & Co. could save face at the highest level of FIFA with an argument that sort of looks like this:

Gulati, “Look Sepp, we can’t support you anymore.”

Blatter, “Okay, what’ll it take?”

Gulati, “Sepp, it’s Sunil over here not Fursenko.”

Blatter, “Oh, right, right sorry. WHY CAN’T YOU SUPPORT ME?!”

Gulati, “Well, I need the support of the people. You know I’m up for re-election in about a year and I’ve got all these folks petition me not to support you. I need to still be the choice of the people.”

“Look if it was up to me alone, you’d know I’d be there for you buddy.”

Blatter, “Can you remove the petition from the Internet or pay of the guys that started it.”

Gulati, “I mean, I could try Sepp, but you know we’re into Klinsmann for a hefty paycheck each month. It’s killing us.”

… well not exactly like that, but you get the drift.

-

Stand up for women.

Stand up for players and people of any sexual persuasion.

Stand up for the ideals of the United States.

Hope to improve the global game, maybe not now or maybe not for ten years, but hope for it anyway.

Give Sunil Gulati and USSF the out they need.

Demand that USSF retract its support for Sepp Blatter. Publicly. It’s a start.



Petition: Retract US Soccer Support for Sepp Blatter « The Shin Guardian

While the rest of European soccer has downed tools for a mid-season break, the Premier league has stepped into the limelight in style, underscoring its reputation as the most exciting league in the world.

As Champagne corks have been popping throughout the continent, the Premier League has been fizzing on the field typified by Saturday's goal-laden action.

So often pilloried for shunning the virtues of a winter break and blamed for England's failure at major tournaments, the league has demonstrated that the fast and furious nature of its Christmas fixtures can deliver unparalleled levels of entertainment.

Playing for the third time in eight days, many Premier League sides lacked the freshness required to put in a high-intensity rearguard action and the result was a flurry of goals, thrills and spills.

The chaotic excitement of tired players turning out for matches in quick succession was perfectly distilled at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium where the home team conceded three times but still came out on top in a 10-goal avalanche.

When Theo Walcott, whose prowess as a central striker evoked memories of Thierry Henry, netted his hat-trick it was the 35th goal to hit the back of the net on Saturday, a record for a single day this season, and the sixth highest ever in the Premier League.

While Newcastle became the first team to score three in successive Premier League matches and lose them both, having been stung 4-3 by Manchester United last week, there was a sense they had played an equal part in an end-to-end encounter and were unlucky to end up with a drubbing.

It was a similar story at Norwich City, where the hosts pushed champions Manchester City all the way before losing 4-3 in a match that included excellent finishes from two of the world's top striking talents in Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko.

Punishing schedule

It is a perennial argument that the English football calendar is too punishing to get the best from players and this is often highlighted at World Cups and European Championships where England usually flatter to deceive.

But while this may be true for those who rely on fitness to stifle and contain, attacking talents frequently flourish when heavy winter pitches take their toll on tired legs.

The fans at Loftus Road who saw Luis Suarez tear man-size holes in the Queens Park Rangers defense or at Old Trafford where the Premier League's top scorer Robin van Persie curled home an unstoppable left-foot shot were not bemoaning a lack of quality.

If Suarez was jaded having featured in all but one of Liverpool's Premier League games this season then he hid it well.

"He's a magician," was England captain Steven Gerrard's assessment of the Uruguayan's form.

"He's been brilliant since he's come to the club. These players (QPR ) only have to play against him twice a year - we have to train with him every day. Week in, week out, he shows his value."

Fulsome praise

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson was equally fulsome in his praise of Van Persie who has featured in every Premier League game this season and came on as a late substitute to seal a 2-0 win over West Bromwich Albion.

" (Van Persie ) changed the game for us," the United boss told the BBC.

Whether or not quality is determined by entertainment is a contentious and perhaps superfluous philosophical debate.

The fact that only two Premier League teams have made the knockout stages of the Champions League this season, compared to four from Spain and three from Germany is a strong piece of evidence for the prosecution.

However, the reigning European champions are Chelsea and English clubs have won the competition three of the last eight seasons, parity with Spain and better than Italy with two and Germany none.

Ultimately, the record 3 billion-pound rights deal the Premier League struck in June, suggests the product on offer is more enticing than it has ever been.






Soccer / Premier League sparkles in bleak European winter - Israel News | Haaretz Daily Newspaper

Wellington Phoenix midfielder Manny Muscat has been suspended for three matches for elbowing the Roar's Nicholas Fitzgerald in the head in their New Years Day loss in Brisbane.

The Match Review Panel has found Muscat guilty of assault on a player when not challenging for the ball.

With striker Tyler Boyd also suspended for receiving two yellow cards in the match, All White Michael Boxall and Cameron Lindsay have been called into the squad to play the Melbourne Victory on Saturday.

New Year's resolutions brim with wishful thinking. The same is true when the player transfer market opens for a month on Jan. 1 in Europe. Fans demand that front offices buy new talent to save their team from relegation or put it over the top to success.

Money does the walk. Players are chased by obscene amounts. Last month, the world's best player, Lionel Messi, was offered $40 million a year by a Russian club attached to an oil pipeline. Agents run the show, taking their cuts, twisting player fantasies in the wind. Hot air pumps from the rumor mill - who is going where?

It's a chance market of combustible egos. Investments can easily blow up. Injury can put millions of dollars on the bench.

And then there is the prospect of the unhappy player strumming the blues: The new acquisition who forgets to check the weather beforehand in the freezing city he now finds himself playing in. Or his wife hates the fact that there is no good shopping to be done in a provincial backwater blessed with a successful soccer team. Drive 100 miles to find a fancy restaurant. If the ego doesn't fit the local lifestyle choices, play on the field can suffer. He will be back on the transfer merry-go-round soon enough.

The capitalist economics of this market would have Wall Street economists scratching their heads. "Soccer has become increasingly commercial but unlike other commercial enterprises rarely makes a profit for clubs, and for many clubs the profit line is not that important; it is more important to acquire the best players and have success on the pitch," said Dr. Peter Kennedy of the Glasgow School of Business for Society in an e-mail.

Read more: Soccer transfer market opens in Europe - SFGate

As a white person, I have never been on the receiving end of a racial insult. I don’t know what it feels like, but I can imagine it’s the kind of thing you don’t just casually shrug off. To be reminded that, centuries of progress notwithstanding, human stupidity and aggression not only persist but, in certain individuals, flourish: this alone must rankle.

I do, however, know what it’s like to play soccer. For someone like myself, who isn’t very good at it, playing soccer is quite hard. You have to concentrate intensely, run around non-stop, try to read the minds, or at least anticipate the actions, of your teammates as well as the players on the other team. You have to immerse yourself totally in the game to have even a chance of not making a fool of yourself.

Now, Kevin-Prince Boateng, the German-Ghanaian midfielder who plays for the mighty A.C. Milan, is probably a better footballer than me, but I expect that, when you factor in the quality of the opposition he faces and the high stakes involved, playing soccer is quite hard for him, too. He must have to put everything he has into everything he does, both on and off the pitch, in order to perform as he performs.

Boateng is black. This was something that the fans of the fourth-division Italian team Pro Patria decided to call attention to yesterday afternoon during A.C. Milan’s “friendly match” (the Italian league has a month off during the holiday season, and this game was for both sides to limber up before competitive league matches resume) against the Lombard minor-leaguers when they (the fans, or at least a small but vocal minority of them) began pummeling Boateng, and his black teammates, with racial abuse whenever they touched the ball. Boateng did his best to ignore the abuse for the first twenty-five minutes, but finally he reached his limit.

Boateng’s response was powerful. He stopped, picked up the ball, and hoofed it into the stand where the offending fans were concentrated. Then he turned, removed his shirt, and started to walk off the pitch. For a moment it seemed as though his teammates, as well as some of Pro Patria’s players, wanted to persuade him to continue. It didn’t work. Soon, the whole Milan team was following Boateng’s lead. They didn’t return, and the game was called off.

Commentators and fellow footballers alike have praised Boateng’s action, and rightly so. “It was brave of Kevin-Prince Boateng to do what he did and it was the right thing,” tweeted Patrick Vieira, a French midfielder of Senegalese descent who won the World Cup in 1998. “We need to stand up and stand together.” Vincent Kompany, a Belgian of Congolese descent and the captain of English champions Manchester City, tweeted, “How about becoming extremely intolerant to racist idiots? They need to be told.” Playing football is hard enough as it is, without being hounded by a chorus of bigots.

Racism continues to bring shame to the sport, and the authorities have proven inept at tackling it. During a recent under-twenty-ones match between England and Serbia, several black English players were subject to monkey chants from the Serbian fans. U.E.F.A., European soccer’s governing body, fined the Serbian team a mere sixty-five thousand pounds. (For reference, the Danish player Nicklas Bendtner was fined eighty thousand pounds for displaying an unauthorized advertisement for a betting firm on his underwear, which he flashed after scoring against Portugal in last summer’s European Championships.)

Some people have questioned the wisdom of Boateng’s response. His former teammate, Clarence Seedorf, who is also black, tweeted, “I don’t see it as such a positive thing because [it] empowers more of this behavior.” Others have asked whether Boateng would be willing to do the same thing in a match with higher stakes. But why not? Perhaps it would be harder for Boateng, or any player, to walk off the field during a competitive match, but think what would happen if high-profile games started to be cancelled on a regular basis? The already reviled minority of racist fans would come under increasing pressure from everyone else to stay home or shut up. What’s more, with revenues at stake, the game’s governing bodies might finally take meaningful action. So far, nothing else has got the message through.

Read more: Soccer and Racism: A.C. Milan's Kevin-Prince Boateng Walks Away : The New Yorker

Youth soccer teams from Paso Robles to Southern California have descended upon Lompoc for the weekend, bringing players, coaches and families to town for Lompoc AYSO’s annual Spaceport Classic tournament.

More than 80 teams are participating in the tournament which is being held in two Lompoc locations — Riverbend Park at the north end of A Street, and Ryon Park at Ocean Avenue and O Street. Games started Saturday and continue through today.

Along with hitting the fields for play, the players and their supporters also are bringing business to local hotels, restaurants and other establishments in Lompoc.

Many of the players and parents from farther away spent the night, either camping or staying at motels. This adds up to a boost in business at motels and restaurants during the weekend.

The Lompoc Valley Chamber of Commerce put out a flier to be stuffed into welcome packets for the Spaceport Classic coaches. On it were coupons and special offers from the Pizza Garden, Skydive Santa Barbara, O’Cairns Inn, The Book Store, Westside Pizza, T&T’s Sweet Repeats, Grocery Outlet, the Lompoc Family YMCA, Alfie’s Fish & Chips, the Walnut Pier Health Club and the Surf Connection.

“It’s really good that we were able to work with Ken (Ostini) and the chamber. A lot of teams stay here and eat here,” said Joaquin Paz, this year’s Lompoc AYSO regional commissioner.

Paz has been with the Lompoc AYSO for 26 years as a referee and a coach.

“I’m glad they contacted us and asked us if there was something we could do,” said Ostini, chairman and CED of the Lompoc chamber. “The AYSO Spaceport Classic is a wonderful event that brings a lot of people to Lompoc.”

Other Lompoc businesses benefited by having booths at the tournament. Lompoc Planet Soccer had booths at both locations, Ryon Park and Riverbend Park.

Each had a selection of soccer cleats and clothing.

“They invite us to come in and set up a little shop and do some business,” said Eduardo Mera, Lompoc Planet Soccer owner.

The 80 teams, which have 12 players each, came from as far away as Tulare and Redondo Beach, and also from closer cities such as Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo.

Thirteen teams from Lompoc also participated this year.

The tournament includes players divided by age groups — U14 teams (under 14 years old), U12 (under 12) and U10 (under 10).

Participants and observers were enjoying the fair but dealt with chilly weather Saturday, with some supporters huddled under blankets while watching from the sidelines.

Mary Halleck traveled from Santa Barbara with her son, Brian, to watch Brian’s daughter, Gia. She is 11 and plays with the Riptides.

“It’s good exercise for the kids,” Mary Halleck said. “Kids today have so many indoor gadgets to play with. Being outdoors is good for them.”

Paso Robles resident Deb Stilson watched her son, Cole, 13, who was playing with the Paso Bearcats. She was sitting with another son, Tyler, 15.

“We have a couple games today and up to three tomorrow,” said Tyler.

The family didn’t spend the night but planned to return today.

“We have animals at home so it’s not an option,” she added.

The Spaceport Classic is the latest tourney the soccer mom and her sons have traveled to, with a previous event in Nipomo and an upcoming tournament in the Five Cities.

“Each weekend there’s a tournament in a different city. I think it’s six weekends,” she added.

The tournament calendar is available at AYSO - American Youth Soccer Organization.

The Lompoc AYSO Spaceport Classic Soccer Tournament has been going on here at least 15 years, said Paz. It’s held the first weekend of January following New Year’s Day.

AYSO — it stands for American Youth Soccer Organization — is 50 years old and has 50,000 teams with more than 600,000 participants.



Soccer tourney attracts 80 teams from Paso to SoCal

RECORD-BREAKING Lionel Messi is poised to become the first player to win four successive Ballon d'Or awards today, sealing his status as the greatest player of his generation.

The 25-year-old is the overwhelming favourite to see off the challenge of Barcelona teammate Andres Iniesta and great Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo for the prize.

It will crown another landmark year for the Argentine who is the top scorer in Primera Liga this season with 25 goals having also broken Gerd Mueller's 40-year record for the most goals in a calendar year.

He finished 2012 with an astonishing 91 goals in all competitions.

But Messi has insisted that his scoring records will mean nothing if Barcelona do not go on to take Primera Liga title off Real or fail to win the Champions League.

"It's nice to beat records but the win for the team is what is important.

"My goals are to win titles with the team, the Spanish league, Spanish Cup or Champions League is more important than any personal records."

He remains just as modest when it comes to today's awards in Zurich.

"If Iniesta wins, it will be well-deserved for all that he has done, for the way he plays. Again, it will also be a prize for the dressing room."

Messi and former French star, UEFA president Michel Platini, are the only players to win three straight Ballon d'Or awards while Dutch stars Johan Cruyff and Marco Van Basten have also won three accolades.

Barca coach Tito Vilanova has no doubt that Messi will be a deserving winner.

"Leo's great quality is that he plays as if he still a child," said Vilanova.

"He was always good as a youngster and you didn't need to be a coach to say that. It was a joy to see him play as a 15-year-old and that continues now."

Portugal captain Ronaldo admits he would love to win but it would not be the end of the world if the prize went elsewhere.

"If I win, perfect. If I don't, never mind, life goes on. But obviously I'd love to win. I'm not going to lie or be hypocritical," said the 27-year-old Real Madrid forward.

"Fair or unfair, the decision will be what it will be ... I'll maybe be very happy or maybe very sad. But that's life. I can't live according to an individual prize," the 2008 Ballon d'Or winner added.

Other awards today will see Vicente Del Bosque -- who led Spain to Euro 2012 glory and made them the first side to win three back-to-back tournaments -- in line for the best coach award.

He will be up against Real Madrid's Jose Mourinho and former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola.

For women's Player of the Year, five-time Brazilian champion Marta goes up against US pair Aby Wambach and Alex Morgan.

Read more: In line for another first - Soccer - New Straits Times In line for another first - Soccer - New Straits Times

Amid a brilliant afternoon sun in this picturesque Connecticut town that now needs no introduction, school buses filled the winding streets, a reminder of ordinary life that is now less so.

On Main Street, commemorative white and green ribbons hugged trees and poles. On Dickinson Drive, where the horror of Dec. 14 took place when 20 children and six staffers were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School, yellow police tape remained stretched across the street.

Legendary U.S. soccer player Kristine Lilly grew up in Wilton, Conn., about 20 minutes away. When she drove into town Monday with her good friend and former teammate, Mia Hamm, to be a part of "Soccer Night in Newtown," she turned off at an exit she had passed thousands of times. Then, Newtown was just a sign, a blur outside her window on her way somewhere else. "I saw that exit forever, now the name changes … " Lilly didn't finish the sentence, but it's clear that everything has changed.

Newtown now stands for tragedy and unimaginable grief, but it also stands for other things too – resilience and community. "You drive through town and you see the signs that read 'Strength' and 'Remember' and 'Keeping Strong,'" Lilly said.

Newtown also stands for afternoons like the event that took place at the Newtown Youth Academy Sports & Fitness Center on Monday. Forty soccer players, including arguably the greatest U.S. male and female players in history, Landon Donovan and Hamm, put on a soccer event organized by Houston Dynamo president Chris Canetti, a Connecticut native, and funded largely by the MLS' charitable organization.

The event's mission, according to the organizers: "to bring smiles to the faces of Newtown children, provide a brief diversion from the awful realities facing their community, and create positive lifelong memories."

The result: A success. Just ask the Gerace family.

For 5-year-old Marcus, the best moment was jumping in the bounce house.

For 7-year-old Isabella it was meeting Hamm. Why? "Because I knew she was the captain of the USA Olympics and I just really love her."

For 9-year old Julia: "It means a lot. Newtown has never been noticed before. I think it's good for all these people to come and help us out. It means that a lot of people will feel good about us as well as feel sorry for us because of what bad happened." The players signed autographs, played mini-games, stood in goal as kids took shots and mingled with the more than 1,000 Newtown residents who came to the two sessions.

Donovan, who is taking a break from soccer and is noncommittal about his return, didn't speak to news reporters. But he gladly answered questions from kids.

One favorite: "Would you ever play for Man U?"

"I would love to but I don't think that's in the cards. Can you talk to Sir Alex for me and tell him I'm interested?" Donovan said with a smile, referring to the famous English Premier League club and its manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

For the San Jose Earthquakes' Marcus Tracy, the event was particularly meaningful. Tracy grew up in Newtown and his mother once taught at Sandy Hook Elementary. "It's awesome," he said. "It's good to see a lot of familiar faces and be back home."

The line for Hamm's autograph stretched the longest, from sideline to sideline, even though she hasn't played since retiring after the 2004 Olympics. Hamm put her arms around hundreds of small shoulders and signed ball, after shoe, after shirt, after ball.

"Your shoes don't smell, do they?" she would joke.

"I think we're just trying to put some smiles on some kids' faces," Hamm said. "Not only as a player of this game but as mom (to twins in kindergarten and an almost one-year old), I've been impressed with how everyone is taking care of one another. We really appreciate the community letting us come in and share the game we love with their kids."

For mother Kara Gerace, it couldn't have gone any better. "Everything has been amazing. It was so fun to be someplace safe, and everyone around you was caring for you and helping you out and helping your town and offering such wonderful gifts for these kids just to have fun and play."

"That's why we're here," Hamm said. "I don't want to do it a disservice, I don't want to make my impact greater than it is. There is still a lot of healing and pain, but what we need to keep in mind is to keep revisiting them because the grieving process takes time. We're through the holidays then they'll be birthdays … I want us to keep reaching out."




Newtown kids get visit from U.S. soccer stars

Lionel Messi was crowned soccer’s best player for an unprecedented fourth straight time after the Barcelona and Argentina forward broke the record for goals in a calendar year. Messi scored 91 times in 2012, overtaking Gerd Muller, who had 85 goals for West Germany and Bayern Munich in 1972. Last night’s Ballon D’Or award puts Messi one ahead of three-time winners Zinedine Zidane of France and Ronaldo of Brazil. Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo came second in the poll, ahead of Messi’s 28-year-old clubmate Andres Iniesta.

“When I was eight years old I never dreamed of being the best,” Messi, 25, said before being presented with the trophy in Zurich. “I don’t dream about it now. The only thing that interests me is to play with the ball and enjoy the game.”

Two years ago, Messi became the first player to claim the current FIFA Ballon d’Or trophy, a prize created when soccer’s ruling body merged its own top-player accolade with France Football magazine’s award. France’s Michel Platini won that prize three straight times from 1983 to 1985.

Madrid’s Ronaldo, named the world’s best player after helping former club Manchester United win the Champions League in 2008, has been Messi’s biggest challenger for the top individual accolade in recent years.
Not ‘Life or Death’

The 27-year-old Ronaldo was the world’s most-expensive transfer when he moved to Madrid. He scored 46 goals in 38 games as the team clinched the Spanish league ahead of Barcelona with a record 100 points and 121 goals. It trails Barca by 16 points in the current campaign.

“It is not a prize of life or death,” said Ronaldo, denying reports that Messi’s monopoly of the award is a source of frustration. “I do not feel much rivalry, at least not personally. Of course we are here to win, but there is no rivalry. It is just about the football -- that is what counts.”

Messi’s alliance with the likes of midfielders Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez has helped turn Barcelona into the dominant force in European soccer in recent seasons. The Catalonia-based team has won three of the last four Spanish championships and is 11 points clear atop the table this season. It’s also won Europe’s top club competition, the Champions League, twice in the past four seasons. The Copa del Rey was Barcelona’s sole title last year.
Muller’s Record

“This has not been my best year,” Messi said. “I’m more interested in team awards than individual awards. There were other years when we won more trophies, so they were better.”

Messi polled the highest number of votes from national team coaches, captains and selected journalists. FIFA’s original award, established in 1991, didn’t survey the media.

“My record stood for 40 years, 85 goals in 60 games, and now the best player in the world has broken it, and I’m delighted for him,” Muller said after Messi surpassed his tally. “He is an incredible player, gigantic.”

Nicknamed “the Flea” because of his 5-foot-6 1/2 (1.69- meter) frame, Messi trained at Barcelona’s academy after moving to Spain from Argentina for treatment of a growth deficiency when he was 13. He made his debut at 16.

The forward’s contract runs to 2018 and has a 250 million- euro ($325 million) buyout clause. Last March, France Football magazine said Messi was the best-paid soccer player, with annual earnings of 33 million euros.

Messi so far has been unable to match his club success on the international stage and is yet to win a major senior title with Argentina, although he won an Olympic gold medal in 2008. Next year he’ll have the chance to challenge for the World Cup when the competition is hosted in neighboring Brazil.

Spain’s Vicente del Bosque was named coach of the year, after his World Cup-winning team added a second straight European Championship in July. The U.S.’s Abby Wambach got the award for best female player.
FIFA PLAYER OF THE YEAR

1991: Lothar Matthaeus (Germany)

1992: Marco van Basten (Netherlands)

1993: Roberto Baggio (Italy)

1994: Romario (Brazil)

1995: George Weah (Liberia)

1996: Ronaldo (Brazil)

1997: Ronaldo (Brazil)

1998: Zinedine Zidane (France)

1999: Rivaldo (Brazil)

2000: Zinedine Zidane (France)

2001: Luis Figo (Portugal)

2002: Ronaldo (Brazil)

2003: Zinedine Zidane (France)

2004: Ronaldinho (Brazil)

2005: Ronaldinho (Brazil)

2006: Fabio Cannavaro (Italy)

2007: Kaka (Brazil)

2008: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)

2009: Lionel Messi (Argentina)

2010: Lionel Messi (Argentina)

2011: Lionel Messi (Argentina)

2012: Lionel Messi (Argentina)


Messi Wins Record Fourth Straight Award as Soccer

The Albemarle County Commonwealth's Attorney's Office dropped a misdemeanor assault charge Monday against a former Fluvanna County soccer player accused of biting an opponent, Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Jon R. Zug said.

Katrina Ditta, 18, was found guilty in July of biting a member of the Western Albemarle High School team a semi-final conference tournament game last spring.
Western player Christine Domecq testified that Ditta bit her during a corner kick in the game's final overtime.

Ditta was sentenced to 90 days in jail, with all of that time suspended. Ditta's defense attorney, Bonnie Lepold, appealed the decision to the county's circuit court, but Domecq said she did not want to go forward with the case, Zug said.

In a statement, Lepold said the Commonwealth dropped the charges in part "to avoid wasting valuable judicial resources on trying this case because, if it had been tried, a jury could have easily found reasonable doubt."

Zug said Domecq did not say why she no longer wanted to press charges.

Ditta graduated from Fluvanna County High School in June.

Whatever happened to the English hooligans? Bill Buford's best selling book, "Among the Thugs," published in 1991, became the standard text for outsiders looking at English soccer hooliganism - the "English disease," as it was known. Consider it a literary anarchy in the U.K. - riotous mobs, vandalism and eyeballs being sucked out of sockets.

English soccer clubs dealt with the hooligan crisis by building all-seated stadiums - it is hard to stampede when seats block the mob's path. They coupled this to effective policing and ticket price hikes beyond affordability for the working class, a traditional breeding ground for hooligan culture.

Beyond stadiums, some explained the reduction in violence on the popularity of the late 1980s rave music scene. Fighting on ecstasy was impossible; soccer's lager louts gave up beer and punches for hugs.

Dougie Brimson knows the hooligan life from the inside. He is the author of several books on the subject. He wrote the screenplay for the 2005 movie "Green Street Hooligans." The flick starred Elijah Wood, popularly known as Frodo Baggins in the "Lord of the Rings" movies - from a rustic life in the shire to running with the hooligan crew of London club West Ham United.

"Hooliganism is an evolutionary beast which is primarily driven by the impact of law and order," Brimson said in an e-mail. "Since the mid-'80s, the police have been afforded increasing amounts of both legislation and power which have resulted in an almost total suppression of violence inside our soccer stadia.

"However, nothing has ever been done to address the culture of hate, which is the primary fuel of the hooligan culture, and that is as evident inside soccer grounds as it ever has been. The result being that we have, in effect, a nonviolent hooligan culture."

Recent events in Europe illustrate this "culture of hate." A supporters group of top Russian team FC Zenit St Petersburg issued a statement saying black players and gays would never be welcome playing there; last week in Italy, AC Milan's players walked off the field when their black players were racially abused; last year, West Ham United fans chanted vile Holocaust taunts at Tottenham supporters (the Spurs have a large Jewish following).

"One of the primary reasons why hooliganism continues to infect soccer is because people on the outside of the culture do not understand that the only genuine reasons behind it are fun, tradition and simple tribalism," Brimson said. "As a consequence, they try to apply rational thinking to what is a totally irrational past time which adds to the mystery, the attraction and the continuance. Yet in reality, the notion that all hooligans are racist morons is as stupid as saying that everyone in the U.S. is a potential mass murderer."

With supporter groups growing in size among MLS teams, and rivalries becoming more heated, should we expect an American hooligan moment? Los Angeles Galaxy fans were ejected en masse during a game at the Earthquakes' Buck Shaw stadium last season after trouble flared.

MLS execs must worry that a more serious incident could occur. It seems unlikely, but mixing loyalty, colors and territory is combustible, especially in soccer.

Read more: Could soccer hooliganism invade America? - SFGate