“This photograph of Hector Peterson, who was killed in the Soweto uprising in 1976, was taken by Sam Nzima, a photographer at the time for a newspaper in Johannesburg. It is on display as part of the Hector Peterson Memorial in Soweto, South Africa”
“The girl, just several steps off the tour bus full of English rugby fans, can’t be older than 15 or 16. She still is cradling her catered lunch in her hands when she is startled by the image. ‘Oh, my God,’ she says. Here, at the Hector Peterson Memorial in Soweto, is a larger-than-life-size replica of the photograph that galvanized public opinion around the world. This memorial is sacred ground to black South Africans, commemorating the 13-year-old Peterson — just one of many youths to die in Soweto in June 1976. Many of them were wearing school uniforms, defending themselves with trash can covers against police bullets. Tens of thousands of youngsters, many without informing their parents, had massed to march and protest the apartheid government’s edict that they be instructed in Afrikaans, the language associated with the oppressive government at that time.” (ESPN)

“Adidas has turned up the dial to 11 with its new match ball for the 2010 World Cup — the Jabulani, which means to celebrate in the Bantu language isiZulu. The newly designed orb, with some new technology, was unveiled Friday before the tournament’s draw in Cape Town, South Africa.” (NYT)

“If there’s one nice thing about following a team that plays in the Championship, it is that the usual mill of stories and talking points hovering around the top flight appear to be at a safe distance. Take today’s main bit of gossip, that Arsene Wenger refused to shake hands with Mark Hughes after City beat his team 3-0 last night. Quite honestly, I don’t care. The constant attention on Rafael Benitez’s chances of keeping his job at Liverpool doesn’t interest me. I’ve heard all about Sir Alex Ferguson’s run-ins with referees many times, so this season’s round of official-baiting bollocks raises a ‘meh’ from this corner of the web. Stewart Downing’s excellent performance in his first full match at Aston Villa forced a smile, but in fairness he’s yesterday’s news as far as I’m concerned. Sorry. I’m just not bothered. And the worst part is that when/if (delete as applicable) we do go back up, the essence of this reportage won’t have changed a bit.” (Smog Blog)

“There was always an air of unreality surrounding Coventry City’s three decade stint in the top flight. The Sky Blues rarely troubled the top half of the table and indeed, appeared to be attending multiple auditions for a remake of the film Flatliners. Their most dramatic escape of all came with a 4-1 victory over already crowned Champions Everton in 1985, long after other fixtures had been played and a situation that would never be allowed to occur nowadays. Only with FA Cup glory and John Sillett’s dancing in 1987 did the Midlands club rise above the humdrum, although they did brighten the mood with some ludicrous kits.” (thetwounfortunates)

“The World Cup draw, to be held Friday in Cape Town, will put the 32 teams into eight groups of four, with geographical restrictions. Essentially, one team from each pot will be put in each group. But no two teams from the same confederation (except UEFA, the European region) can be drawn into the same group.” (NYT)

“Throughout the history of football, there have been many great matches that have ended during penalty shootouts. During the penalty shootout, many heroes have been born for great saves that have gotten their side a trophy or advancement onto the next round, or missed to ruin their side’s chances of advancing or preventing your side from winning.” (Bleacher Report)

“Why do I love a derby? I nervously await each Merseyside derby as if it is the most important match of the season. I bite nails. I refresh webpages. I await injury updates. I lose sleep. This doesn’t make sense for two big reasons: 1.) I am not from Liverpool. 2.) The Merseyside derby is almost never pretty. (Every Liverpool victory I’ve seen over Everton inevitably ends with Red supporters in our pub agreeing: ‘That was an ugly win but I’ll take it.’)” (EPL Talk)

Francesco Totti
“Of all the reactions to the Thierry Henry controversy, Raymond Domenech’s was perhaps the most bewildering. Asked post-match about the incident, the France coach sighed. ‘We’ve just qualified for the World Cup. Can’t you just let me enjoy this moment of happiness?’ When the coach is the one man in France celebrating a lucky break as a tremendous triumph, you know all is not well in the cradle of the national team.” (ESPN)

“Paul Doyle, Barney Ronay and Geoff Pruce profile the teams that will be travelling to South Africa” (Guardian)

“This is the 98th season of top flight football in Austria, and the 36th season of Austrian Football Bundesliga (the first Austrian Bundesliga season was 1974-75). Reigning champions are Red Bull Salzburg. Prior to 1949, clubs from outside the capital of Vienna did not compete in the professional first division. Over the years, Austria has been plagued with numerous instances of prominent clubs folding, declaring bankruptcy and being forced to drop down to lower divisions and/or merge with other clubs. Which is why the list of all-time title holders in Austrian pro football is so complicated. The list is at the bottom of the map. Below are the home grounds of the last 3 champions in Austria…Red Bull Salzburg, Rapid Wien, and Austria Wien.” (billsportsmaps)

Mputu
“Football experts from across Africa have chosen Drogba, Essien, Eto’o, Mputu and Toure as the top five footballers. Now it’s up to you to vote for the player you think is the king of African Football.” (BBC)

Can an African team win the 2010 World Cup?
“Close your eyes and try to imagine the scenes of jubilation across Africa if a team from the continent were to win the 2010 World Cup. A celebration like no other, one billion people revelling in one of the greatest sporting and cultural achievements. For the first time in its 80-year history, football’s blue riband competition is coming to the world’s poorest and most underdeveloped land. How better to mark the occasion than with a first African champion?” (BBC)

“Fabio Capello’s men have been named as one of the eight seeds – along with hosts South Africa, Brazil, Spain, Holland, Italy, Germany and Argentina. The French and Portuguese will be placed in Pot 4 with the rest of the European nations who qualified for next summer’s tournament. Capello will be glad that his side have avoided the real big hitters such as Spain and Brazil, but will be acutely aware that England could still end up in a tough group in Friday’s draw.” (Telegraph)

“The global soccer establishment, which has gathered here in South Africa ahead of Friday’s World Cup draw, is dealing with an international mess that has been decades in the making. Last month, in case you missed it, France defeated Ireland on a goal that was allowed to stand even though replays clearly showed that French captain Thierry Henry touched the ball twice with his hand. Ever since, the world has been consumed by whether its most popular sport should continue to allow the outcomes of its most important games to be influenced, even decided, by one person who has to run as much as 12 miles per match with a whistle in his mouth.” (WSJ)

“As theological statements go, the title of Aleksandar Hemon’s essay in the current Granta, ‘If God Existed, He’d Be a Solid Midfielder,’ would not impress the plethora of seminarians in Hemon’s adopted home, Chicago. Its unapologetic agnosticism creates insurmountable doctrinal challenges. If God plays midfield, He creates. But can He save? Not without an intentional handball and automatic ejection, and who could send off God?” (The Global Game)

“We start – for all you Pantera fans – with Chelsea’s vulgar display of power at the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal were outmuscled and outclassed so is this year’s Premier League title Carlo Ancelotti’s to lose? From London, we move on to the northwest, where Manchester City suffered their seventh successive draw, this time at home to Hull. Even with a Carling Cup quarter-final to look forward to, is Mark Hughes now on borrowed time? And was Jimmy Bullard’s goal celebration just about the greatest of all time?” (Guardian – James Richardson)

“England have been seeded for the World Cup finals along with South Africa, Brazil, Spain, Netherlands, Italy, Germany and Argentina, FIFA announced at a press conference in Cape Town. France have unexpectedly been unseeded after FIFA decided to move away from their usual system of taking into account past performances at the finals. It had been expected that Netherlands would miss out on being seeded, while reports on Wednesday morning also suggested that by taking an average of ranking over the past three years could result in England being unseeded.” (ESPN)

“The fortunes of the 32 teams competing in the World Cup will begin to take shape Friday when the draw for the 2010 tournament takes place in Cape Town, six months before the first ball is kicked in South Africa. Eight of the teams will be seeded and drawn into groups of four teams for the first round of play scheduled to begin June 11 in Johannesburg. In the past, earning a seed meant a team would avoid facing another seeded team in the first round of the tournament. But the rules and procedures can change from tournament to tournament.” (NYT)

“Once more, may I begin with a big fat apology for not updating the site in recent days? My reasons for this are twofold. First are the demands of a job that has turned out to be relentlessly energy sapping and sleep deprivating. Who would have thought that working in a school would be so challenging? I now know how Mrs Smog feels when she gets home in the evening and just wants to remove her brain and crash. The other excuse is that it’s just no fun covering Boro at the moment. I’m not trying to argue that there’s no interest in talking about a team that doesn’t win very often – if we all felt that way, MFC on the web would be a barren place indeed.” (Smog-Blog)

“We’re not saying these are the 10 best Kops in football – some of them are now long gone, some will probably disappear in the near future, and crikey – some Kop aficionado’s will be horrified that not all of them are built on hills in the traditional Kop way ! But they’re all worth knowing about…” (midfielddynamo)

“If you want to better understand the Premier League’s position on digital rights, go ahead and read Premier League Chief Executive Richard Scudamore’s letter that was published in The Guardian last week on the topic of The Digital Economy Bill. The proposed legislation would kick accused, not convicted, file sharers off the Internet in the United Kingdom.” (EPL Talk)

“Originally, this article was intended to look at the reasons behind the complete lack of any managerial changes in the top flight of English football this season. But news emanating from Fratton Park on Tuesday 24th November confirmed Paul Hart as the first managerial casualty of the season, 101 days after the opening fixtures of the Premier League season.” (Just Football – Jaymes Monte)

“Before the FIFA World Cup of 1930, the Olympic Games football tournament represented the first organized attempt to stage a world championship. Even as early as 1908, that’s precisely what it was, featuring the United Kingdom, France, Holland, Sweden and Denmark. Only the withdrawal of Hungary and Bohemia before the tournament started prevent 1908 from boasting a full house of serious footballing nations of the time.” (James Hamilton)

“Nothing goes together like sports and gambling. Occasionally, the consequences of this for the integrity of sport are exposed: whether it’s Pete Rose or Bruce Grobbelaar or Hans Cronje or Matt Le Tissier, a high profile case briefly puts the issue back in the limelight.” (Pitch Invasion)

Messi
“Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s superb second-half volley was enough to give Barcelona victory over fierce rivals Real Madrid in the Primera Division’s first ‘El Clasico’ of the season at the Nou Camp and move the Catalans back to the top of the table. Ibrahimovic replaced Thierry Henry early in the second half and fired Barca in front less than five minutes later as he volleyed home Dani Alves’ cross.” (ESPN)

Cristiano Ronaldo fluffs lines as Zlatan Ibrahimovic scripts perfect ending
“This time, Iker Casillas wasn’t wearing his Iker Casillas face, the one that says ‘you call that a defence?!’ This time, his defence was a defence. He was, though, wearing the face of an idiot. Up the tunnel and through the plywood door, chapel to the left, dressing room to the right, Dani Alves was wearing the face of a grinning simpleton, all glazed expression and cheeky smiles. Xabi Alonso was wearing the face of the disappointed, doe-eyed and sad, Pepe was wearing the face of Stanley Ipkiss, and Cristiano Ronaldo was wearing the shiny but not particularly happy face of someone who applies too much lotion. It was hard to see what kind of face Carles Puyol was wearing but he was probably smiling behind all that hair.” (Guardian)

FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid Highlights on 29/11/09
(All About FC Barcelona)

“This week’s Video Of The Week is the second in the series of “Match Of The Seventies” videos, as hosted by Dennis Waterman. The 1971/72 football season was significant for several different reasons. Brian Clough’s Derby County pipped Leeds United to the Football League championship, evening matches were banned by the government as the energy crisis kicked in and Hereford United knocked Newcastle United out of the FA Cup thanks to Ronnie Radford’s right foot suddenly taking on the properties of a traction engine.” (twohundredpercent)

“Memories are often conjured up by sensations. As Proust’s nameless hero bites into the madeleine, the physical rush of the tea soaked cake brings childhood reminiscences flooding back. Hence for Watford fans, a wander down a Mediterranean sidewalk in blazing sunshine might remind them of the time they took a cheeky peek at a day old English newspaper in a Greek newsagent’s to discover that Tony Coton had joined Man City for a cool million pounds in 1990; a chocolate egg devoured might remind them of an Easter Monday thumping of hated rivals Luton in 1983, with those twin heroes Barnes and Blissett instrumental; a Boxing Day hangover might evoke a subsequent win over the Hatters three years later, with Kevin Richardson and Gary Porter on the scoresheet.” (thetwounfortunates)

“On the morning after Internazionale had beaten Livorno 2-0 on the first weekend of November, there were those who speculated that, were the scudetto a boxing match, the referee would simply stop the fight and declare Inter the winners, fully six months ahead of time.” (WorldSoccer)

“You don’t need a particularly long memory to remember Scottish football’s (last) Darkest Hour. In an attempt to appear contemporary and relevant and just like their more illustrious English counterparts, the SFA appointed Bertie Vogts to take charge of the nation’s football hopes between 2002 and 2004, and then crush them. Does the end of George Burley’s reign hold a candle to that shambles? It is certainly a dark time, with the general attitude of most being that things are only bound to get better under a new manager, be it Calderwood, Collins or Levein, because they really can’t get any worse.” (WSC)

Ludolf Backhuysen – The Warship Hollandia in Full Sail
“Liverpool produced a smash and grab Merseyside derby victory to claim fifth place in the Premier League on a day of raw tension at Goodison Park. But they will have sighed with relief after being pounded for almost all of this very local showdown, but somehow emerged with the points. An own goal from Joseph Yobo, deflecting a Javier Mascherano effort past Tim Howard saw Liverpool ahead at the break despite being almost permanently on the back foot as Everton poured forward.” (ESPN)

Everton 0 – 2 Liverpool
“Liverpool took the honours in the Merseyside derby as Javier Mascherano’s deflected first-half shot and Dirk Kuyt’s late strike gave them victory at Everton. The home side dominated for long periods but paid the price for failing to turn possession into goals as Liverpool took full advantage of their rare moments of attacking threat.” (BBC)

Fortune favours laboured Liverpool as Everton lament lack of finishing touch
“It is premature to suggest Liverpool have emerged from their trough, and some might label that a ludicrous assertion on this performance, but the breaks are no longer going against Rafael Benítez. Outplayed for much of the 212th Merseyside derby, they nevertheless emerged with a monumental triumph at Goodison Park. Campaigns have turned on much less.” (Guardian)

Liverpool take smash and grab derby victory
“Liverpool produced a smash and grab Merseyside derby victory to claim fifth place in the Barclays Premier League on a day of raw tension at Goodison Park. But they will have sighed with relief after being pounded for almost all of this very local showdown, but somehow emerged with the points.” (Independent)

Everton 0 Liverpool 2: match report
“Sunderland’s beach ball, Lyon’s offside, Cameron Jerome’s thunderbolt. If Liverpool have had their share of bad luck as their season has disintegrated, they more than made up for it with a priceless derby win against Everton despite being comprehensively outplayed.” (Telegraph)

Dirk Kuyt secures Liverpool victory in Merseyside derby
“Liverpool bounced back from their premature Champions League exit to beat neighbours Everton 2-0 on Sunday, a result which relieved some of the pressure that has been building on manager Rafa Benitez. Javier Mascherano’s long range 12th minute effort, which took a heavy deflection off defender Joseph Yobo, set Liverpool on their way before Dirk Kuyt sealed victory eleven minutes from time.” (TimesOnline)

Liverpool Everton – Recap and Video Highlights – Sunday, November 29, 2009
“One of the top rivalries in the English Premier League resumed as Everton hosted Liverpool. The two clubs are located in Liverpool and have played some great derby matches in recent years. Here’s a recap of the match from Sunday, November 29, 2009 along with video highlights.” (The 90th Minute)

“It remains the most stirring South African sporting moment. The country’s Springbok rugby team had just won the World Cup of 1995, uniting South Africans of all colours. Nelson Mandela walked on to the pitch wearing a Springbok jersey, shook hands with South Africa’s captain Francois Pienaar and said, ‘Francois, thank you very much for what you have done for our country.’ Pienaar famously replied: ‘No, Mr President, thank you for what you have done for our country.'” (FT – Simon Kuper)

“These include: Liverpool crashing out, Chelsea marching on, Juventus looking shakey and joy for those Viola of Florence. Sid Lowe joins the fun from Madrid with news of Inter’s dismal performance in Barcelona, plus a preview of the weekend’s El Clásico between Barça and Madrid.” (Guardian – James Richardson)

Gianluigi Buffon
“A few weeks back I said my player of the decade as Zinedine Zidane and earlier today I posted my cricket team of the decade. So, now, as Mr. Eugenides states in the comments to the cricket team, a footballing team of the decade will be much harder to put together. He is, as often is the case, correct. In every position I had an exceedingly difficult choice. Do I play 4-4-2? Do I play 4-1-4-1? Do I play 4-5-1? Do I play a False 9? Do I play a Makelele and if so, do I play Makelele? Choices, choices and all of them enviable ones.” (Left Back in the Changing Room)

“That’s your man John Cameron again. If he’s being ghost-written, he keeps his intercessor busy in this period – in addition to this weekly column, there are his chapters in Association Football and the Men Who Made It and his own book Association Football and How to Play It . In fact, Glossop and Bolton were striving to get out of Division II: the Third Division (North) didn’t exist until 1919.” (James Hamilton)

“Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola is still sweating on the fitness of Lionel Messi ahead of Sunday night’s El Clasico with Real Madrid, but believes his side can win with or without the Argentina winger. Messi picked up a thigh injury in last weekend’s 1-1 draw at Athletic Bilbao and was missing as Barca beat Inter Milan 2-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday night.” (ESPN)

The dawn of El Derbi
“The Saturday before a ‘clasico’ in Barcelona is like Christmas Eve. And it’s not just the kids who are getting overly excited. The first meeting of the season between Barca and their arch-rivals Real Madrid takes place at the magnificently imposing Camp Nou on Sunday and the city has been almost entirely consumed by the affair for days.” (BBC)

“In the wake of the tragic suicide of Robert Enke, the world has begun to ask questions about the levels of psychological support available to players who have to deal with the highly pressurised environment of professional football. In England, the Sporting Chance Clinic has been asking those questions and providing that support for the eight years since its inception.” (ESPN)

ESPN – Sat, November 28, Sun, November 29
ESPN – Sat, November 28, Sun, November 29
ESPN – Sat, November 28

Jean Cousin the Elder, Saint Mammes and Duke Alexander
“Lord Triesman could be forgiven for wondering why he is bothering. England’s bid for the 2018 World Cup, a bid which was widely reported as being theirs to lose, stands at the point of collapse after what is starting to look like a systematic attack on the credibility of Triesman and the Football Association. It is starting to feel as if the battle lines are being drawn for some sort of Battle Royale for ultimate control of the English game, and that the emotive subject of hosting the World Cup finals is being used as the opening gambit in the battle.” (twohundredpercent)

“Liverpool were dumped out of the Champions League group stages on Tuesday night, despite a 1-0 win over Debrecen in Budapest, and have lost five Premier League fixtures in the opening 13 games this season. It is two more defeats than they suffered in the whole of the 2008/09 campaign. But despite the poor start to the season, Gerrard, who has recovered from a groin problem and will lead his seventh-placed side into the 212th Merseyside derby against Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday, maintains everyone is still working in unison towards attaining Champions League football next term.” (Telegraph)

“As the European Union gathered in Brussels to name its first permanent president Thursday night, Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen pulled French President Nicolas Sarkozy aside to broker an urgent backroom deal: Would Mr. Sarkozy back Mr. Cowen’s call for a replay of the previous night’s soccer game between their countries? It was no ordinary match. France’s victory Wednesday evening propelled Les Bleus to next year’s World Cup in South Africa and sent Ireland home. But the French victory has created a firestorm around the world, thanks to the manner in which it was decided.” (WSJ)

“Chile has saved its spot in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa after a domestic relegation dispute threatened FIFA action. The Chilean club Rangers was deducted three points for using one more foreign player than allowed in a league match on Nov. 8, a 1-0 defeat to Cobreloa. The penalty saw the Rangers relegated to the second division, prompting the club to file a suit in the Chilean courts, which quickly raised FIFA’s ire.” (NYT)

“Harry Redknapp sold Darren Bent to Sunderland in the summer as he thought Jermain Defoe was a better goalscorer. With Fabio Capello now facing the same choice of strikers for a place in his World Cup squad, Bent will have woken up on Sunday a happy man. After he was harshly criticised for his performance in England’s tame defeat to Brazil the week before, his goal against Arsenal should have been enough to restake his claim for a place in Capello’s squad. That Defoe should respond with a five star performance against Wigan on Sunday afternoon was typical of Bent’s recent luck.” (WSC)

“Smiling through gritted teeth and forcing an unconvincingly contented smile, reminiscent of Tony Blair’s during the Iraq war; Jamie Carragher looks to be a man who’s had his heart and soul ripped out by Liverpool’s horrendous start to this season. Before Tuesdays clash with Depression in the big boys European League he attempted to put a gloss on the turd of the season that he has found himself buried in.” (Three Match Ban)

“The chauvinistic brand of nationalism that swept across Egypt last week – the violent fringe of which saw riots outside the Algerian embassy in Cairo – really isn’t about the football, despite what Joseph Mayton says in his Cif article yesterday. The spark was a football match, certainly, but Mayton’s contention that depressed Egyptians were simply ‘unable to deal with the fact that even on the football pitch, they cannot achieve success’ does not tell the whole story.” (Guardian)

Egypt-Algeria World Cup violence used to rally support for Mubarak regime
“Street-level clashes between fans that began over a soccer game between Algeria and Egypt last week have escalated into an international diplomatic incident that goes to the core of Egypt’s identity and its waning role as Mideast powerbroker. Libyan leader Col. Muammar Qaddafi announced today he would accept an Arab League request to mediate in the escalating conflict between the two states after Algeria beat Egypt for the last African slot in next summer’s World Cup.” (CS Monitor)

Efforts to Defuse Tensions Between Algeria and Egypt
“As readers of The Lede will be aware, North Africa has been facing a new source of strife in recent weeks — soccer. Last Wednesday, after the Egyptian national soccer team lost its World Cup bid to rival Algeria 1-0 in Sudan, 32 police officers and 21 Egyptian fans were reportedly injured in violence. The next day, Egyptian demonstrations outside the Algerian embassy in Cairo turned violent.” (NYT)

Gaddafi ‘to mediate’ in Egypt-Algeria football row >
“Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi has agreed to mediate between Algeria and Egypt in an increasingly heated row over football, state media say. Libyan news agency Jana reported that the Arab League had asked Col Gaddafi to intercede between the two nations. Each side accused the other’s fans of violent attacks after last week’s vital World Cup play-off, which Algeria won. Meanwhile, about 150 Egyptian and Algerian academics and intellectuals issued an appeal to defuse the row.” (BBC)

African view: Not just a game
“In our series of viewpoints from African journalists, Zimbabwean filmmaker and journalist Farai Sevenzo asks whether football has not grown too big for its boots. I don’t know about you but my last two weeks have been dominated by sports. Watching it not playing it, because I haven’t become a fitness fanatic nor am I addicted to the gym and I remain resolutely lazy when it comes to kicking up a sweat unless it is for pleasure. But with 198 days and counting down to the Football World Cup in South Africa, the season of inexplicable nationalism and outrageous passion is upon us.” (BBC)

30 seconds with referee Jerome Damon
“Jerome Damon of Cape Town has grown in stature since making his debut as a professional soccer referee in 1996. Now a member of the Caf and Fifa refereeing panels, he has officiated in three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, in Tunisia (2004), Egypt (2006) and Ghana last year. A fourth official at the 2006 World Cup, he held centre stage in the World Cup qualifier between Egypt and Algeria at the Cairo Stadium last Saturday.” (TimesLive)

“In the clash between old media and new media, I find it comical to see traditional old media establishments floundering to survive and concocting irrational business plans to hold on to the very little power they still have. The best example is Rupert Murdoch’s recent attempt to remove the websites he owns from the Google search engine results pages, and his plans to put up a paywall for many of his news sites to prevent readers from accessing articles for free.” (EPL Talk)

“Iraq’s national soccer team has certainly endured hardship. Saddam Hussein had players beaten after losses. And the war that deposed him forced them into exile, after extremists started killing sports figures. Their first game at home in years was just this summer — against the Palestinians, the only team willing to come here during a war.” (NYT)

“Throughout the history of European football, there have been many great comebacks that have changed seasons, careers, and the fate of clubs and/or countries in the process.” (Bleacher Report)

“The British author Simon Kuper was born in Uganda in 1969 and grew up in London and Leiden, the Netherlands. He is currently a Paris-based sports columnist for The Financial Times. His book “Football Against the Enemy” won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year award for 1994. He is also the author of “Ajax, the Dutch, the War.” His most recent book, “Soccernomics: Why England Loses, Why Germany and Brazil Win, and Why the U.S., Japan, Australia, Turkey — Even Iraq — Are Destined to Become the Kings of the World’s Most Popular Sport,” written with the economist Stefan Syzmanski, was published in the United States in early November.” (NYT)

“Last Thursday was the 40th anniversary of Pele’s 1,000th goal when he rolled a penalty past the Vasco da Gama keeper in his favourite stadium – the Maracana. Subsequent research has revealed that the milestone had probably been reached a few matches earlier and the achievement is open to question anyway, as the numbers were inflated with goals scored in army matches and so on. The point is, though, that Pele’s greatness as a footballer cannot be reduced to grim statistical accumulation. He is remembered not for scoring over 1,000 goals, but for shining so brightly for so long at the highest level of the game.” (BBC – Tim Vickery)

“Denmark, Superliga table … 16 of 33 rounds have been played in the competition, which will go into it’s long winter break after matches on 9 December, 2009, to start up again on 14 March, 2010. Denmark is currently ranked 16th, for 2010-11 UEFA competitions. That’s up 3 places from the last ranking, and is indicative of the progress Denmark has been making in football. The Denmark National Football Team’s recent qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup is another example of this. The Danish Superliga is currently playing it’s 20th season. Reigning champions are FC Copenhagen (FC Kobenhavn in Danish). FC Copenhagen won the double in ’09, with a 1-0 win over AaB in the Danish Cup final, for their fourth Cup title.” (billsportsmaps)

“Barcelona defeated Inter Milan on Tuesday, 2-0, at the Camp Nou in Spain. The victory, coupled with a 0-0 draw between Rubin Kazan and Dynamo Kiev, catapults the Catalan side to the top of Group F with 8 points and helps save the European champion from embarrassment. (The day’s results are here.)” (NYT)

Théodore Géricault, The Raft of the Medusa, 1819
“Liverpool crashed out of the Champions League after a bitterly disappointing victory in the Hungarian capital. They needed to win to give themselves any chance of reaching the last 16, but events in Florence ended those dreams with Fiorentina achieving the victory they needed to qualify. David Ngog scored Liverpool’s early winner, but they struggled painfully to produce a convincing display, the damage having been done in two games against Lyon that cost them four points.” (ESPN)

Liverpool’s bread and butter looks stale as their rivals ice the cake
“Move along, there’s nothing of interest here. Apologies for an intro that breaks every rule in the newspaper style book, even if it happens to be true, but I just wanted to pre-empt all the blog fascists who regularly use those words in an attempt to persuade other readers not to bother with a point of view with which they happen to disagree.” (Guardian)

Liverpool deserve more from us, says Javier Mascherano
“Javier Mascherano has claimed Liverpool’s players will not be demoralised by demotion to the second tier of European football but must take responsibility for the club’s damaging early exit from the Champions League. With qualification for next season’s competition essential for Rafael Benítez, the Argentina captain has called on Liverpool to turn the misery of Budapest into a sustained assault on a top-four finish and victory in the Europa League.” (Guardian)

Benitez focused on top-four finish
“Rafael Benitez has confirmed Liverpool will prioritise their bid to make a swift return to the Champions League over a tilt for Europa League glory. Being winners of Europe’s most-prized club trophy in 2005 and finalists in 2007 counts for little now in the wake of an exit in the group stages for the first time in six seasons under Benitez.” (Independent)

Debrecen 0 Liverpool 1: match report
“Liverpool’s supporters were defiant until the bitter end, hoping against hope for news of a miracle in Florence that never came. After hearing that Fiorentina had beaten Lyon, so evicting Rafa Benítez’s side from the Champions League, Liverpool fans chanted “we’ve won it five times’’. Strong past, weak present, uncertain future. Forget the financial cost of this collapse, the millions Liverpool will not make from continued feasting at football’s top table. It is the emotional price that will prove most substantial, the painful realisation that they are now amongst Europe’s also-rans.” (Telegraph)

“Holders Barcelona moved two points clear at the top of their Champions League group after producing a classy display to defeat previous leaders Inter Milan at Camp Nou. Barca could have found themselves out of the competition if results had gone against them on Tuesday, but Pep Guardiola’s side are now within touching distance of a place in the last 16 after brushing aside Inter thanks to early goals from Gerard Pique and Pedro Rodriguez.” (ESPN)

Rungrado May Day Stadium
“In this article we look at the world’s ten largest football stadiums, some perhaps better known than others, and assess their legacies and impact both on the game and in their individual countries. We also look ahead and ask what the future may hold for this selection of magnificent sporting venues.” (SoccerLens)

“Stowe sent me this ‘100 Greatest Quotes from The Wire’ video on Twitter the other day, and I watched it, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, The Wire,’ because I haven’t seen it in a few years and this sort of brought it all back. Then, for no obvious reason, this video started tugging at my brain after the Thierry Henry handball rocked the core of everything that had a core to rock yesterday. So I watched it again, and oh my God, The Wire, because about 87 of these quotes apply directly to the game and its aftermath.” (Run of Play)

“This week’s video of the week is the first episode of ‘Match Of The Seventies’, the BBC series that filled summers of the 1990s with nostalgia for the football of the past, and this episode focusses on Arsenal’s double season – 1970/71. It provides a reasonably good primer on the subject of English football in the 1970s. Host Dennis Waterman struggles to avoid stating the bleeding obvious at times, but unfettered access to the BBC’s massive football archive and the fact that length of each episode of the programme allowed the producers to touch upon areas of 1970s football that slightly less well remembered rescue it from the trash bin. This episode is the first of the series, and we’ll be putting the rest of them up if there is sufficient interest.” (twohundredpercent)

“Places Three to Six in the Championship have had an amorphous look all season and while the occupants of the automatic spots have an ominous aspect, few would bet on the four currently browsing the magazines in the promotion foyer to be the exact same four come May. We said this about Burnley last year of course, but what are the chances of the current quartet hanging on to those lofty perches?” (thetwounfortunates), (Places Eighteen to Twenty Four in the Championship – thetwounfortunates)

“It isn’t yet six months since Barcelona overcame Manchester United in Rome to win the UEFA Champions league final, crowning a magnificent season under new coach Josep Guardiola. But while the image of captain Carles Puyol raising the trophy in May remains fresh in memory, Barça is already losing its grip on European football’s most glittering prize.” (WSJ)

UEFA – Nov 24, Nov 25

Ferenc Puskas
“As you may have guessed, I am a practicing Roman Catholic. Within my belief structure, boxes exists for spirits and ghosts and hauntings. Purgatory awaits those with impure souls, the flames of hell toned down to a mild orange so as to burn away sinful elements of our time on this Earth. Up until this point, I had thought of Puskas as adversarial and one minded. He only wanted goat’s blood. Yet I had been equally adversarial and one minded – I had created major-struggle-mountain out of a molehill. But I took a deep breath and asked myself a very basic, simple question: why did this former Real Madrid legend want goat’s blood? And what did it have to do with me?” (Futfanatico)

“All us fans of the Irish football team felt well and truly sucker-punched last Wednesday night. Thierry Henry’s ‘blatant handball’ (it is now the law that every mention of his handling of the ball is preceded by the word ‘blatant’) killed off Ireland’s dreams of dribbling their way to the World Cup in South Africa in 2010 (judge the video for yourself below). We were angry.” (Spiked – Brendan O’Neill)