El Classico makes the wold standstill

As the El Classico will be taking place on 08 October, the world will come to a halt as it is the biggest rivalry soccer match in the world. The match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid FC gets over 200 million people glued on their screens. The game never disappoints in a sense that we always witness spectacular goals and skills displayed.

On the left is Cristiano Ronaldo and on the right is Lionel Messi. (www.bigsoccer.com) 

It is Messi vs Ronaldo  

One would agree that for the past three years, the faces of the El Classico have been Chirstiano Ronaldo for Real Madrid and Lionel Messi for Barcelona. The two players have taken the rivalry to another level, with both players contending for the Best Player in the world award. The media on the other hand have narrowed the rivalry match to a Ronaldo versus Messi, the hype around the match has enormously increased as both players have become favourites to even people who do not follow soccer. Pressure has also mounted for the two players and their teams as they are expected to come to the party and perform according to the standard of the El Classico because previous El Classicos have never lived to disappoint. The previous match was won by Real Madrid, in a match where the two players lived up to their names so the coming one will not have any less expectations. 

The world is watching

Sunday's meeting between the two teams will be at Nou Camp, Barcelona's home, where a 99 000 seat stadium will be fully packed as tickets got sold out in only four days. The match will be televised on ESPN and SupperSport 3 where a total of 400 million viewership is predicted between the two television channels. With so much viewership, the two Spanish teams are expected to be focused and show commitment as people have put their hearts on the match. Real Madrid manager, Jose Mourinho said at a conference, "it is a game we love to play and it is not just us, but, surely for them also. In this sense, it is definitely more than a normal league match." I must say that this time it is very difficult to predict which team will come out victorious as both clubs have displayed excellent quality football in their previous encounter.

Head-to-head results





• Barcelona wins                                                                  65
• Real Madrid wins                                                              69
• Draws                                                                               31
• Barcelona goals                                                                 263
• Real Madrid                                                                      267 

Let us bury the case

On 27 September 2012, Chelsea FC fullback, John Terry was found guilty by the English Football Association (FA), for racially abusing Queens Park Rangers', Anton Ferdinand. Though in July,Terry was found not guilty to a racial offence at Westminster Magistrates' Court (England) for the incident that took place in October 23 last year, the FA had proceeded their own investigation to the case which they found the Chelsea player guilty. I am still wondering whether the verdict was made on valid evidence or whether the FA was out to get him.



The 31 year-old, Chelsea fullback, is issued with a four match ban and a  fine of £220 000 (R2.9m) pending appeal. The English Football Assocaition should have laid the case to rest as Terry was   cleared of the allegations by a London court in July. I am not implying that top players should go off the hook when they act out of the global football code of conduct but it is evident that case has affected English football. John also retired from international football which has will impact England's manager, Roy Hodgson's, plans ahead of qualifying for the World Cup which will be hosted in 2014, Brazil. In a statement, he said "I am today announcing my retirement from international football," the former England captain said in his statement.I would like to thank the England managers who have selected me for my 78 caps."

The gravity of the case had displayed when Terry was chosen ahead of the Ferdinand brothers for the 2012 Euro tournament. Racism allegations in football tarnishes the sporting code's image and has led to a wide range of controversial incidents which have been reported in the media. The sport itself does not induce racism. It would be a great day in football if Anton Ferdinand and John Terry would bury this saga and set the example to upcoming players that football brings unity. 

 

Cowards racially abuse Obi

On 20 September 2012, Chelsea's midfielder, John Obi Mikel closed his Twitter account after being racially abused by fans for his costly mistake against Juventus. John deactivated his account from the micro-blogging social site less than a day after his miscue of the ball contributed to Juventus' equaliser which forced Chelsea to only come out with one point from the UEFA Champions League clash.Chelsea settled for a 2-2 draw in their opening UEFA Champions League match at Stamford Bridge.

John Obi Mikel, apologising at a press conference for his mistake which made Juventus equalise. (www.dailymail.co.uk)

Racism in football is unacceptable

Chelsea has informed the police about the unpleasant nature of treatment Obi experienced on Twitter. "We have informed the police and support taking the strongest possible action," a Chelsea statement read. At a press conference held by Chelsea, John Mikel apologised for his careless mistake as he mentioned at the conference, "If I want to make up an excuse, I can. But, for me, I gave the ball away. I put my hands up, we move on. I'm sorry about the mistake, but there are no excuses." www.metro.co.uk

This is not the first time a British fans have used Twitter as a platform to attack its players for costing the team, as Chelsea left back was also attacked after missing a penalty for England in the shoot-out against Italy at Euro 2012 tournament. this behaviour does not do good for football as there has been a lot of campaigns against racism and football federations have been working hard to get rid of racism in football. Football is known to be a sport that unites people, therefor, this improper behaviour from football supporters damages the character of the sporting code.

Ronaldo is sad

The football community was left amazed when Real Madrid player, Cristiano Ronaldo, did not celebrate his 150th goal for the club in a convincing win against Granada. On 3 September 2012, Portuguese superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo revealed to the media that he was not happy at Real Madrid FC. Though he did not give reason(s) why he is not happy at the club, the Spanish media speculated it could be that he did not win the European Best Player Award which was won by Andres Iniesta. Ronaldo also mentioned that it was not a personal but a professional reason that he is not happy at Madrid. "I'm sad because of a professional issue and the club know why. That's why I didn't celebrate the goals, because I'm not happy. The people [at the club] know why," he told reporters after the match.

Cristiano Ronaldo left fans to celebrate his 150th goal during a match against Granada (www.telegraph.co.uk) 

Will Ronaldo leave Madrid
Ronaldo, previously expressed his unhappiness in the manner that Madrid has been treating his fellow teammate Kaka. The pair joined Real Madrid in 2009 with hopes of winning EUFA Champions League for the club, but have failed to do so last season after losing in the semi-finals to Bayern Munich and Kaka falling out of favour with the manager as he has become a bench warmer at the club. Life seemed great for Ronaldo after winning the Spanish Super Cup against FC Barcelona as the win motivated the club ahead of the season.

Clubs dream to have Ronaldo in their team sheets but only a few can afford him. Manchester City is leading the race to lobby Ronaldo to the club after stating that they might make a 200 million euros offer for the winger. Ronaldo, whose 80 million euros transfer from Manchester to Madrid still remains the highest in football history.

Top 10 most expensive football transfers

Cristiano Ronaldo: Manchester United to Real Madrid – £80m (2009)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic: Inter Milan to Barcelona – £60.7m (2009)
Kaka: AC Milan to Real Madrid – £56m (2009)
Fernando Torres: Liverpool to Chelsea – £50m (2011)
Zinedine Zidane: Juventus to Real Madrid – £45.62m (2001)
Luis Figo: Barcelona to Real Madrid – £37m (2000)
Javier Pastore: Palermo to Paris Saint-Germain – £36.7m (2011)
Hernan Crespo: Parma to Lazio – £35.5m (2000)
Radamel Falcao: FC Porto to Atletico Madrid – £35.2m (2011)
• Sergio Aguero: Atletico Madrid to Manchester City – £35m (2011)
• Andy Carroll: Newcastle United to Liverpool – £35m (2011)

 

Will changing keepers work wonders for Pirates

Orlando Pirates FC have proven to be trendsetters as the Soweto team has set-up a new policy to rotate their goalkeepers throughout the season. It is unknown why the team decided to go for the strange arrangement. The policy has come to the rescue for Pirates' number two shot-stopper, Senzo Mayiwa, as he is rarely featured by the club unless the club's number one goalkeeper, Moeneeb Josephs, is unavailable.

(Orlando Pirates No 2 goalkeeper, Senzo Mayiwa will get a chance to plays half of the season's games)
www.supersport.com 

Moeneeb is still the best keeper
Though Pirates has not officially stated as to why they have come up with the new policy, it is obvious that Moeneeb Josephs will not be around for too long as age is playing its part. Josephs, 32, has been Orlando Pirates' first choice goalkeeper since his arrival in 2008. The 32 year-old Capetonian has been consistent in keeping his impressive form and his retirement from international football in May 2012 hinted how highly committed he is to Orlando Pirates. The rotation may be great news for Sonzo but he will have to earn his place in the team's starting line-up. " It is better for me to get game time and you can see Moeneeb is getting older, so I must be happy," said Pirates goalkeeper, Senzo Mayiwa to the reporters on Thursday, 23 August 2012.

(Orlando Pirates goalkeepers at a training seesion, on the left is Moeneeb Josephs and right is Senzo Mayiwa)
www.wordpress.com

Pirates should keep its winning formula
Age might have played a factor in the implementation of the new rotation policy, but the policy itself should be questioned because it does not make sense to put a player who is in good form on the bench as Moeneeb has proved his goalkeeping expertness even though ageing. One can argue Moeeb's ageing issue as we have witnessed a number of goalkeepers reaching their prime at a late stage of their careers. For example, former Pirates goalkeeper, William Opara reached his best form in his late 30s. I personally think that Pirates should re-look the new rotation policy before it backfires on the team. 

The Sea Robbers will dominate again

Orlando Pirates FC will be the team to beat this season. Pirates also known as the "Sea Robbers" have strengthened their squad, bringing in new signings and promoting a few development players to join the senior team. Pirates, unlike their arch-rivals Kaizer Chiefs, have taken a different course on signing new players.They have focused on signing attacking players as the likes of Collins Mbesuma and Takesure Chinyama were confirmed to have joined the team on 15 August 2012.

(Orlando Pirates squad at the Premiere Soccer League awards as they were crowned team of the year for the 2011/12 season)www.teamkickoff.com

New signings will benefit the team

The new signings will add depth to the squad which will be fighting to defend their league title, MTN8, and the Telkom Knockout cup. I am impressed with the fact that Pirates did not leave the "Issac Chansa-position" issue unattended as he left the team for China. The team brought in Onyekachi Okonkwo to fill in Chansa's position. It was crucial to do so as Pirates will be taking part in the African Champions League. The "Sea Robbers" play an attacking style of football  but Okonkwo's addition to the squad will balance the team's dynamics because he is a defencive mid-fielder but can also attack at times. " We had to find a replacement for Issac as it is obvious that he's departure was major" said Pirates coach, Augusto Palacios, at a conference held by the team. (www.kickoff.co.za)

Orlando Pirates are good at benchmarking as it can be arguably said that the cause of their signings may be behind the fact that their arch-rivals, Kaizer Chiefs, have strengthened their defence force. But one can also argue that Pirates has the best defence, therefor this sums up that Pirates has the best squad in the Premiere Soccer League.

Players who have joined Orlando Pirates this season

• Collins Mbesuma
• Onyekachi Okonkwo
• Takesure Chinyama

South Africa prepares for the Afrcan football tournament

(African Cup of Nations (Afcon) logo. South Africa will be hosting the tournament in January 2013)www.news24.co.za

The South African Football Association (SAFA) is determined to make the Africa Cup of Nations a success as South Africa were handed over to host the tournament in January 2013. South Africa is known for being good hosts/organisers after it has successfully organised a number of global events. Though when it comes to football, as a hosting country, the success of the tournament is not only measured on the technical side but also on how the hosting team performs.

(FNB Stadiums is one the the stadiums that are going to be used during the Afcons)www.viralkings.com

South Africa has what it takes to host the Afcons
Yes, South Africa may have the best training facilities, stadiums, warm crowd and even handful of sponsors behind the tournament but does that guarantee the supporters that the national team will win the tournament? On 30 June 2012, SAFA appointed a new national coach, Gordon Igesund, to bring back the national team to its winning ways after displaying poor performance under former coach Pitso Mosimane, playing seven games and winning none. Igesund, who is the most decorated coach in South Africa, winning four Premiere Soccer League (PSL) titles with four different teams, has a difficult task ahead of him. With only six months to prepare the boys, SAFA has set an unrealistic objective for the coach to win the tournament with a team that is ranked 67th in the world.

South Africa had originally failed to qualify for the Afcons but became the hosting country after Libya bailed out, South Africa got automatic selection. Gordon Igesund is arguably the best coach in the country but even he admitted that it would be tough to achieve what SAFA had set for him. At a press conference held in July 2012 at the SAFA House, Igesund mentioned said he would take advise from PSL coaches with regards to player selections and is grateful for the support he has received from the fans and the South African media. Gordon's appointment has brought positive energy ahead of the Afcons. Should South Africa win the tournament, from a public relations point of view, it would be a successfully organised event as it would bring gain to both the supporters and the organising committee.

Stadiums that are going to be used for the Afcons

• FNB Stadium                                                 Johannesburg
• Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium                         Port Elizaberth
• Royal Bafokeng Stadium                                 Rusternburg
• Moses Mabhida Stadium                                 Durban