Europol, the European Union police organization, uncovered more than 380 cases of match fixing that included games in the World Cup, European Championship, and Champions League. The evidence linked the crimes to a Singapore based crime group.
"This is a sad day for European football," Rob Wainwright, head of Europol, said. The probe uncovered over 8 million euros ($10.9 million) in profits from betting and 2 million euros ($2.7 million) in bribes to various players and officials.
More info on this is sure to come soon.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Soccer Weekend in Review
What a weekend it was in the soccer world, with exciting matches, debuts, and drama.
Friday saw the first day since the transfer window closed and it solidified the teams, with the exclusion of contract releases, for the rest of the season. The window saw Mario Balotelli return home to Italy, Lewis Holtby join Spurs a bit sooner than expected, Arsenal fail to bring in a striker, Loic Remy join AND score for QPR, and David Beckham take his talents to Paris. Friday also saw the first of the matches since the closing of the window, with PSG easily handling Toulouse and Zlatan Ibrahimovic taking his goal tally to 20 in the league.
PSG reveal their newest addition, midfielder David Beckham.
Saturday was the first full day of matches, and it came with a few surprises. The weekend saw the teams you'd expect to win do just that, win. Bayern Munich cruised to a comfortable 3-0 win over Mainz in the Bundesliga, with Arsenal and Manchester United leaving both their games late to each take 3 points over Stoke City and Fulham, respectively. Then came the surprises, Newcastle shocked Chelsea late at St. James Park on a 90th minute goal by French international Moussa Sissoko. Chelsea fell 16 points behind the Red Devils and 7 points behind second place Manchester City. In maybe the biggest surprise of the weekend Real Madrid fell to Granada on an own goal by Cristiano Ronaldo. It was CR7's first own goal of his career, and it couldn't have come at a worse time for Los Blancos as it saw them fall 16 points behind Barcelona in the league table.
Newcastle midfielder, Moussa Sissoko, celebrates after scoring against Chelsea on Saturday.
Sunday was a day filled with one of the most, if not the most, anticipated matches of the weekend. Manchester City took on Liverpool at the Etihad and it lived up to all it's hype. Newly re-energized Liverpool took the fight right to City, but conceded the first goal on a superb finish by Edin Dzeko. Moments later Daniel Sturridge brought it back to level on an absolutely stunning strike from outside the box that left keeper Joe Hart with no chance at a save. The game looked even, until Steven Gerrard hit a strike that reminded you that with all the talk of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, Stevie G is still the man. Hitting an absolute cracker on a half volley from 30 yards out, a dipping shot left Joe Hart with no chance. But minutes later Sergio Aguero hit back on the other side of the pitch, capitalizing on a HUGE mistake from Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina as he came too far out of the box, Aguero finished from an impossible angle to end the scoring and bring the two teams level. City fall 9 points adrift from cross town rivals United.
Liverpool Captain, Steven Gerrard, celebrates his fantastic goal against Manchester City.
Messi came to the rescue for Barcelona against Valencia in a game that should not have been as difficult as it was for the Catalans. Valencia took the lead on an Ever Banega goal, but conceded a penalty to Barcelona just minutes later which gave Messi the opportunity to equalize. Sharing the spoils in this match does not hurt Barca one bit, as they are so far ahead in La Liga.
Messi brings Barcelona level against Valencia.
In maybe the biggest news and debut of the week, Mario Balotelli made his return to Milan, this time as a member of the Rossoneri. Balotelli's impact on the attack for AC Milan was evident from the get-go as he scored a brace in his debut. He helped give Milan the lead 25 minutes in with a spectacular finish. After a lay off cross from Stephan El Shaarawy, Balotelli struck it on the half volley and left Udinese's keeper with no chance as Balotelli's close range shot was unstoppable. Udinese pulled a goal back through Giampiero Pinzi, but it was evident AC Milan had more goals left in them. In the 90th minute it was once again Balotelli and El Shaarawy combining for a goal, but in a different way. Balotelli played a through ball to El Shaarawy who was brought down in the box by Udinese defender Thomas Heurtaux. Stepping up to the spot was none other than Balotelli who slotted the penalty away with ease at the brink of stoppage time to grab the Rossoneri all 3 points. Balotelli's amazing performance and the way he and El Shaarawy linked up easily in their first match together should serve as warning to the rest of the Serie A teams, this is a completely different team than just a week ago.
Stephen El Shaarawy and Mario Balotelli lead AC Milan to victory over Udinese.
And that's all the major news from the weekend. What were your favorite parts? Leave a comment below or send me an email and let me know what you thought.
Friday saw the first day since the transfer window closed and it solidified the teams, with the exclusion of contract releases, for the rest of the season. The window saw Mario Balotelli return home to Italy, Lewis Holtby join Spurs a bit sooner than expected, Arsenal fail to bring in a striker, Loic Remy join AND score for QPR, and David Beckham take his talents to Paris. Friday also saw the first of the matches since the closing of the window, with PSG easily handling Toulouse and Zlatan Ibrahimovic taking his goal tally to 20 in the league.
Saturday was the first full day of matches, and it came with a few surprises. The weekend saw the teams you'd expect to win do just that, win. Bayern Munich cruised to a comfortable 3-0 win over Mainz in the Bundesliga, with Arsenal and Manchester United leaving both their games late to each take 3 points over Stoke City and Fulham, respectively. Then came the surprises, Newcastle shocked Chelsea late at St. James Park on a 90th minute goal by French international Moussa Sissoko. Chelsea fell 16 points behind the Red Devils and 7 points behind second place Manchester City. In maybe the biggest surprise of the weekend Real Madrid fell to Granada on an own goal by Cristiano Ronaldo. It was CR7's first own goal of his career, and it couldn't have come at a worse time for Los Blancos as it saw them fall 16 points behind Barcelona in the league table.
Sunday was a day filled with one of the most, if not the most, anticipated matches of the weekend. Manchester City took on Liverpool at the Etihad and it lived up to all it's hype. Newly re-energized Liverpool took the fight right to City, but conceded the first goal on a superb finish by Edin Dzeko. Moments later Daniel Sturridge brought it back to level on an absolutely stunning strike from outside the box that left keeper Joe Hart with no chance at a save. The game looked even, until Steven Gerrard hit a strike that reminded you that with all the talk of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, Stevie G is still the man. Hitting an absolute cracker on a half volley from 30 yards out, a dipping shot left Joe Hart with no chance. But minutes later Sergio Aguero hit back on the other side of the pitch, capitalizing on a HUGE mistake from Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina as he came too far out of the box, Aguero finished from an impossible angle to end the scoring and bring the two teams level. City fall 9 points adrift from cross town rivals United.
Messi came to the rescue for Barcelona against Valencia in a game that should not have been as difficult as it was for the Catalans. Valencia took the lead on an Ever Banega goal, but conceded a penalty to Barcelona just minutes later which gave Messi the opportunity to equalize. Sharing the spoils in this match does not hurt Barca one bit, as they are so far ahead in La Liga.
In maybe the biggest news and debut of the week, Mario Balotelli made his return to Milan, this time as a member of the Rossoneri. Balotelli's impact on the attack for AC Milan was evident from the get-go as he scored a brace in his debut. He helped give Milan the lead 25 minutes in with a spectacular finish. After a lay off cross from Stephan El Shaarawy, Balotelli struck it on the half volley and left Udinese's keeper with no chance as Balotelli's close range shot was unstoppable. Udinese pulled a goal back through Giampiero Pinzi, but it was evident AC Milan had more goals left in them. In the 90th minute it was once again Balotelli and El Shaarawy combining for a goal, but in a different way. Balotelli played a through ball to El Shaarawy who was brought down in the box by Udinese defender Thomas Heurtaux. Stepping up to the spot was none other than Balotelli who slotted the penalty away with ease at the brink of stoppage time to grab the Rossoneri all 3 points. Balotelli's amazing performance and the way he and El Shaarawy linked up easily in their first match together should serve as warning to the rest of the Serie A teams, this is a completely different team than just a week ago.
And that's all the major news from the weekend. What were your favorite parts? Leave a comment below or send me an email and let me know what you thought.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Balotelli Sparkles in Debut
Mario Balotelli put on an amazing performance in his return to Serie A, scoring a brace for his new side to lead them past Udinese. Balotelli looked happy and comfortable being back at the San Siro, and that showed in his play.
Linking up effortlessly with Stephan El Shaarawy, Balotelli's first goal was a sensational half volley off of a semi-deflected El Shaarawy cross. It was evident from that point that this new striker combo would be deadly. Udinese did equalize through a goal by Gianpiero Pinzi, but it was evident Milan were the better team.
With only moments left in the game, Balotelli played a through ball to El Shaarawy who was brought down in the box by Udinese defender Thomas Heurtaux. Stepping up to the spot was (who else?) Mario Balotelli. The former Manchester City striker put away the game winner with ease from the spot and secured the Rossoneri 3 points.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
What's wrong with QPR?
Harry Redknapp's QPR side has been dreadful so far in the premier league season. Having brought in almost a completely different squad, it looked like a promising season for QPR, but it has been far from what people expected.
Huge signings Julio Cesar, Ji-Sung Park, Jose Bosingwa, Esteban Granero, Stephane Mbia, Samba Diakite, Junior Hoilett, Loic Remy, Tal Ben Haim, and Christopher Samba can't seem to help QPR thrive in the BPL. So what is wrong at Loftus Road? Is it Harry Redknapp? A lack of team chemistry? It seems to me that the QPR players aren't playing with enough urgency.
What I mean by that is when you watch top clubs like Manchester United or Manchester City they always look be on the attack early and often. Searching for that first goal to open the game up, to play the game the way that they want it played. Even some of the non top tier clubs have developed that strategy such as Everton and Swansea. When playing in the top league in the world you need to play with urgency. You need to go out and play like you have something to prove right from the start.
QPR can spend as much as they want bringing player after player into Loftus Road, but if they do not find a way to step up their play no amount of money will save them from relegation.
Ba injured in Chelsea loss.
Demba Ba was forced to come off just 42 minutes in during Chelsea's 3-2 loss to Newcastle. Having been kicked in the face by Fabricio Coloccini, Ba tried to play on but looked dazed and out of it. It was later revealed the challenge had broken Ba's nose.
Fabricio Coloccini breaks Demba Ba's nose with a questionable challenge.
Adding insult to injury the loss leaves Chelsea 13 points behind league leaders Manchester United, and potentially 16 points behind depending on the outcome of the Red Devil's game against Fulham. Things look grim for Rafa Benitez's side, with no definite word on when Ba will be back. Chelsea will have to rely on inconsistent striker Fernando Torres to produce the goals from the forward spot. The only bright spot from this is that Frank Lampard is looking to be super inform at the moment, and Juan Mata continues his stellar play. Despite the spectacular play of the midfield, however, Chelsea will need Torres to produce if Ba can't come back quickly, otherwise they may see themselves slip even further behind in the table and potentially out of the top 4.
Adding insult to injury the loss leaves Chelsea 13 points behind league leaders Manchester United, and potentially 16 points behind depending on the outcome of the Red Devil's game against Fulham. Things look grim for Rafa Benitez's side, with no definite word on when Ba will be back. Chelsea will have to rely on inconsistent striker Fernando Torres to produce the goals from the forward spot. The only bright spot from this is that Frank Lampard is looking to be super inform at the moment, and Juan Mata continues his stellar play. Despite the spectacular play of the midfield, however, Chelsea will need Torres to produce if Ba can't come back quickly, otherwise they may see themselves slip even further behind in the table and potentially out of the top 4.
Spurs add more creativity to midfield.
Tottenham may have missed out on Leandro Damiao, but they did succeed in expediting Lewis Holtby's transfer from Schalke. In Holtby, Tottenham receive a young, talented, creative midfielder. Having become an integral part of the German Under 21 team, Holtby was courted by Tottenham and was set to arrive on a free transfer in the summer. With the season ending injury to central midfielder Sandro, Tottenham decided to pay Schalke their asking price to get the young German international to White Hart Lane.
Holtby signed a four and a half year contract with Spurs in the January transfer window.
Holtby doesn't have the most flashy career stats from his time at Schalke (13 goals in 78 appearances), but his vision and technical ability on the ball make him a force in the middle of the pitch. In Holtby Villas-Boas gets exactly the type of player he needs to pair Gareth Bale with to build a Champions League contending side with, a young, talented playmaker.
Will Tottenham find a silver lining in Holtby after the failure to bring in Damiao?
Holtby doesn't have the most flashy career stats from his time at Schalke (13 goals in 78 appearances), but his vision and technical ability on the ball make him a force in the middle of the pitch. In Holtby Villas-Boas gets exactly the type of player he needs to pair Gareth Bale with to build a Champions League contending side with, a young, talented playmaker.
Will Tottenham find a silver lining in Holtby after the failure to bring in Damiao?
Friday, February 1, 2013
Can the league leaders in the major competitions keep up their good form?
Since the winter break has come around I have wondered if the major leagues points leaders can keep up their form and stay atop their leagues. Here's my take on how they have done so far and what they must do to keep their form.
Ligue 1 (France): Paris Saint-Germain
Sitting atop the table in France is new soccer powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain. With the additions of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva, Ezequiel Lavezzi, and Gregory van der Wiel, PSG have solidified themselves as a force to come for at least this season and next. Starting off slow in the league they hit stride with superstar striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic netting 19 goals in the league so far. With the recent arrival of Lucas Moura from Sao Paulo and the surprising signing of iconic midfielder David Beckham, PSG seem set to keep their spot atop Ligue 1. As long as Ibra can keep scoring and getting just a little support there is no reason that PSG should slip out of number 1.
Bundesliga (Germany): Bayern Munich
Sitting atop the table in Germany is powerhouse Bayern Munich. Off to one of the best starts in team history with 48 points and having only 1 loss in the league Bayern look set to stroll to their 22nd league title. The additions of Mario Mandzukic, Xherdan Shaqiri, Dante, Javi Martinez, and Claudio Pizarro have seen Bayern have an even deeper squad, something that plagued them last season. With the recent fitness revival of Mario Gomez and the spectacular play of Mandzukic, the strike force is even more deadly.
La Liga (Spain): FC Barcelona
The leaders in Spain are (surprise, surprise) FC Barcelona. Sitting high atop the table, Barcelona are on pace to have one of their best seasons ever. With 58 points they are 15 points clear of arch-rivals Real Madrid and look unstoppable in the league. With Messi recently netting his 200th Barcelona goal and breaking the record for goals scored in a calendar year in 2012, Barcelona look to be in complete control in La Liga. Only a complete meltdown could kill their season, and we all know that won't happen.
Barclays Premier League (England): Manchester United
The Red Devils sit atop the Barclays Premier League, 7 points clear of cross town rivals Manchester City. Manchester United seem to be rolling, but a lack of defensive discipline could kill their title hopes. Having conceded their biggest amount of goals at this point in the season, and with goalkeeper David de Gea looking dreadful at times, Manchester United have relied on the strike force of Chicharito, Danny Welbeck, Wayne Rooney, and superstar signing Robin van Persie. Leading the league in goals, RVP seems to have picked up where he left off last season, on pace to score another 30 goals this season. United need to sharpen up their defense if they hope to survive comfortably in the second half of the season, but need not worry too much as long as van Persie and Rooney can keep scoring at the rate they are now.
Ligue 1 (France): Paris Saint-Germain
Sitting atop the table in France is new soccer powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain. With the additions of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva, Ezequiel Lavezzi, and Gregory van der Wiel, PSG have solidified themselves as a force to come for at least this season and next. Starting off slow in the league they hit stride with superstar striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic netting 19 goals in the league so far. With the recent arrival of Lucas Moura from Sao Paulo and the surprising signing of iconic midfielder David Beckham, PSG seem set to keep their spot atop Ligue 1. As long as Ibra can keep scoring and getting just a little support there is no reason that PSG should slip out of number 1.
Bundesliga (Germany): Bayern Munich
Sitting atop the table in Germany is powerhouse Bayern Munich. Off to one of the best starts in team history with 48 points and having only 1 loss in the league Bayern look set to stroll to their 22nd league title. The additions of Mario Mandzukic, Xherdan Shaqiri, Dante, Javi Martinez, and Claudio Pizarro have seen Bayern have an even deeper squad, something that plagued them last season. With the recent fitness revival of Mario Gomez and the spectacular play of Mandzukic, the strike force is even more deadly.
La Liga (Spain): FC Barcelona
Barclays Premier League (England): Manchester United
The Red Devils sit atop the Barclays Premier League, 7 points clear of cross town rivals Manchester City. Manchester United seem to be rolling, but a lack of defensive discipline could kill their title hopes. Having conceded their biggest amount of goals at this point in the season, and with goalkeeper David de Gea looking dreadful at times, Manchester United have relied on the strike force of Chicharito, Danny Welbeck, Wayne Rooney, and superstar signing Robin van Persie. Leading the league in goals, RVP seems to have picked up where he left off last season, on pace to score another 30 goals this season. United need to sharpen up their defense if they hope to survive comfortably in the second half of the season, but need not worry too much as long as van Persie and Rooney can keep scoring at the rate they are now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)