Soccer (Euro futbol)

[dhatcher1]

Does anyone care about Soccer?

If so I will post a little article on the creation of Soccer...

[stephenconor]

Does anyone care about Soccer?

If so I will post a little article on the creation of Soccer...

wtf (Euro futbol) its football geeez

[USO36]

ROME (AP) -- The fans were pious. The players bound for glory. And the victory? A miracle.

Priests and seminarians from several soccer-loving countries took to a field near the looming dome of St. Peter's Basilica Saturday for the first match of the Clericus Cup, a tournament fielding 16 teams from Catholic institutes in Rome.


"You are playing in view of St. Peter's cupola, so behave well," admonished Cardinal Pio Laghi before giving the official kickoff at a small arena on a hill overlooking the Vatican.

In Italy soccer is a hallowed game, taken almost as seriously as Catholicism, and the players were all business once the whistle was ****n.

Amid screams from the coaches, pious slogans from the small crowd and T-shirts invoking the protection of the Virgin Mary, a motley crew of Latin Americans, Africans and Asians from the Collegio Mater Ecclesiae (Mother of the Church College) took on an all-Brazilian team fielded by the Gregorian University.

In a miraculous upset, the young Mater Ecclesiae players trounced the more experienced but portly Brazilians 6-0 as their fans chanted: "The Mother of the Church wants a goal!"

The game had its share of hard tackles and rough play, with the first goal coming from a penalty kick -- the second in the match.

Still, in the end it was all handshakes and smiles between the teams, in what officials and players hope will set a good example for Italian professional soccer, which has been recently marred by fan violence and scandal.

The Clericus Cup should "reaffirm the educational and pastoral value of sport," and "strengthen feelings of true friendship and fruitful sharing," said a message from Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican's No. 2 official.

Even as Italy's national team was making its successful run for the World Cup last summer, club soccer at home was ravaged by a match-fixing scandal that led to sanctions against several top teams.

Earlier this month, rioting at a game in Sicily caused the death of a policeman and forced authorities to bar fans from many stadiums.

"We have lost but we are all laughing, and this shows that sport should be a joy for all," said Reginei Jose Modolo, a 32-year-old midfielder on the Gregorian University team. On the field, he goes by the name of "Zico," a Brazilian soccer star.

The tournament is also a second chance for many clergymen who left promising soccer careers to follow their spiritual calling, said Marco Rosales, a Mexican seminarian who coaches the Mater Ecclesiae team.

"Some on the team had a chance to play professionally, but the Lord called them to His team," he said.

The Clericus Cup will run through June, with the 16 teams fielding 311 athletes from countries including Italy, the United States, Mexico, Papua New Guinea and Rwanda.

The matches last one hour and rules differ slightly from those of professional club soccer. Teams are allowed one time-out and, besides the traditional yellow and red card, the referee brandishes a blue card, which gives errant players a five-minute suspension.

[USO36]

FIFA may assign the 2018 World Cup to its North and Central American and Caribbean region, putting the United States in prime position to host soccer's showcase for the second time in 24 years.

Sepp Blatter, the president of soccer's governing body, discussed upcoming World Cups on Wednesday before meeting with Treasury Minister Gordon Brown -- the man expected to replace Tony Blair as prime minister.


"We have decided in the FIFA executive committee that rotation will be installed, and we have made rotation until and including 2014. The executive committee must take a decision whether the rotation should include all the confederations, in which case the 2018 World Cup should be in CONCACAF," Blatter said.

The United States (1994) and Mexico (1970, 1986) are the only members of the Confederation of North and Central American and Caribbean Football who have hosted World Cups.

Blatter also said it was possible FIFA's executive committee could assign the 2018 tournament to Asia.

"They could also decide that the Americas should be considered as one, and then rotation would go to Asia," he said, adding that China and Australia had both indicated they might bid.

The U.S. Soccer Federation's board gave the go-ahead Friday to bid for the tournament. The British government has said it would support a campaign to host the World Cup for the first time since 1966, when England won its only title.

The 2002 tournament was played in Japan and South Korea, last year's edition was played in Germany and the 2010 World Cup is scheduled for South Africa. FIFA said the 2014 tournament will be in South America, and Brazil and Colombia have announced plans to bid. The decision will be made in November, and Brazil is the strong favorite -- Blatter called Colombia's bid "more a public relations presentation."

Since England last hosted the tournament, the World Cup has been played in the other four major European soccer countries -- Germany (1974, 2006), Spain (1982), Italy (1990) and France (1998). England's Premier League is the most successfully marketed of the European leagues, and several new stadiums have opened in recent years.

Following the Hillsborough stadium tragedy in 1989, when 96 people were crushed to death at a FA Cup semifinal between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, English soccer has modernized most of its grounds and created all-seat stadiums that have high-tech security and no fences surrounding fields.

"Because of the big disaster in '89 in Sheffield, the government has taken a decision which is now applied everywhere in sports arenas, especially in football, and this shall be an example to everybody around the world," Blatter said.

"Comfort and security are in stadia where everybody is sitting, and if you have no fences and you don't need 200 policemen because you have stewards. If this example had been applied to all other big stadia and big leagues in Europe, some of the big associations in Europe would not be facing the problems they are facing."

Blatter was impressed by the wealth generated by the English club soccer.

"The way the Premier League is organized and the way it's marketed, it's remarkable," he said. "The money coming into the Premier League is exceptional. English football is shown everywhere in the world. I was in Africa and Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea and you cannot open a TV channel without watching the Premier League."

[dhatcher1]

The Birth of Soccer - a true history

A long time ago somewhere in the British Isles...

Two Rugby players nicknamed Butter Fingers and Twinkle Toes
sit on the bench, waiting for the coach to let them play.

Butter says "Hey coach, put me in!"

"I cant put you in in a close game like this. We need at least
a 10 point lead before you can play, Butter. You are always
turnig the ball over because you cant hold onto it for more than
a few seconds." replied the coach

"But its slippery..." protested Butter, to which the coach
replied "Shaddap ya clumsy twit!"

Twinkle chimed in with "What about me? I'm the fastest player on
the team!" as he stood up hoping to get put in.

"You are fast, Twinkle." said the coach, "but you cant seem to
do anything but roll the ball around on the ground so sit back
down until you do."

Twinkle sullenly sat back down and started talking to Butter.

"We need to make a game we can play, Butter." He said quietly.

Butter replied "Yeah, and the first rule is no on can use their
hands. Thats so unfair to dexterity challenged people like me!"

"Good idea, Butter." said Twinkle "and lets make the ball round
so i can maybe kick it in the right direction sometimes."

"And we need to put the goal on the ground, so you can score without
kicking a ball in the air too!" exclaimed and excited Butter, sensing
they were on the verge of a great breakthru.

"Hmmmm" mused Twinkle "What can we do about me kicking it the wrong
direction?"

"Simple!" Butter declared triumphantly "we will make the goal the size
of the broad side of a barn!"

and you know the rest of the story...



Seriously, Soccer players may be in good shape from running around alot,
but they have to be the least talented athletes ever. They have a regular
shaped ball and a goal larger than most peoples bedrooms, yet they only
score a couple goals a game? Any other sport and the scoring would be ridiculous.

How low would Tiger Woods score if he just had to get the ball on the green (many golf greens are not much larger than a soccer goal). Maybe 40 instead of 65 or 70?

A good hockey game has just slightly more scoring than soccer, but if you gave them a net that size we would see 100 goal games.

Not fair comparisons? Ok, look at basketball. The ball is about the same size and shape. I am willing to bet we'd be talking about a 1000 point game if you put a net that size up in a basketball court.

[dhatcher1]

See above post Regarding Soccer... :)

[stephenconor]

pfffff u


football (english game )

is far better there is more competation in it for 90mins thay run and hope to scrore football i think is the best sport around ^^

come on you try scoring in a gold when a goal keeper in staring you down and you have 4-5 ppl up your ass slide talcking you and all cost trying to stop you


football is the best
(MANCHESER UNITED FTW)

[dhatcher1]

come on you try scoring in a gold when a goal keeper in staring you down and you have 4-5 ppl up your ass slide talcking you and all cost trying to stop you

Put those 4-5 people on ice and give them a stick, and make it legal to use that stick below the shoulders and put blades on their feet so they are moving 5-10 mph faster (thats 8-15kph faster) and make the goal about 1/8th the size and the ball not round and alot smaller. And hockey players still score more often...

pffft Soccer, zzzzzzzz. Almost as boring as baseball.

[stephenconor]

pffft Soccer, zzzzzzzz. Almost as boring as baseball.


noooooooooooooooo its not football is kool not boring ( english football)

[sizza]

i want manu liverpool final... im an everton supporter... but i want it to go to extra time and i woodnt mind it going to penalties... good for the specator's point of view^^