Weekly Football News 10 December 2014

Celtic ban own supporters after violence

Celtic, the Scottish Premier League champions, have taken the remarkable step of banning over hundred of their own supporters from watching the side home and away.

Following the damage caused to Motherwell's Fir Park on Friday during Celtic’s 5-0 win, Celtic have suspended 128 fans from their matches and relocated another 250 season ticket holders.

The move has been taken is response to the rising levels of antisocial behaviour by a group of fans known as The Green Brigade, who attend home matches in Section 111 of the Celtic Park stadium.

Last month, the fan group unfurled political banners at Celtic's Champions League game against AC Milan, leading to the club being called before a Uefa disciplinary hearing.

Celtic have even threatened to close Section 111 in the past due to the group’s refusal to adhere to safety regulations.

In a statement, the club said that they had issued "precautionary suspensions against 128 individuals preventing them attending matches involving Celtic, pending further investigation".

Drop Vidic or Ferdinand: Savage

Former Manchester United midfielder Robbie Savage has urged boss David Moyes to drop either captain Nemanja Vidic or former England defender Rio Ferdinand and instead build a new back-line around Phil Jones.

Jones had played across the defence and in central midfield for both Manchester United and England in his short career to date, but arrived from Blackburn in 2011 as an accomplished central defender.

Savage said: "Moyes needs to establish his first-choice pair. When he does that, he has to think who he will be building his defence around in the future, and the answer is clearly not Ferdinand or Vidic.

"Instead he needs to look to Phil Jones. His best position is going to be at centre half and that is where Moyes needs to play him now if he is to make the most of his talent.

"If that means playing Jones regularly there for the rest of this season, then Moyes has to do it. Even if Jones plays badly there, he cannot do much worse than United are doing at the moment."

We can still improve: Guardiola

Pep Guardiola has demanded that Bayern Munich continue to work towards correcting their faults despite their record-breaking runs in both the domestic league and the Champions League.

Bayern extended their unbeaten run in the Bundesliga to 40 matches with Saturday’s 7-0 rout of Werder Bremen, while the European champions are also on a record run of 10 consecutive Champions League victories.

Furthermore, if they beat Manchester City on Tuesday they will top Group D with 18 points, something they failed to achieve last season under former coach Jupp Heynckes despite winning the title.

Nevertheless, Guardiola remains on the quest for perfection.

"We lose the ball too often over 90 minutes. I can't stand losing possession," he said.

"A 7-0 win at Bremen is good for the confidence, but they had their chances in the first half.

"We have to keep improving and that's why we are here.

Forget Belgium, we're favourites, says Capello

Russia manager Fabio Capello has claimed that it is Russia rather than Belgium that are favourites to progress out of Group H in the World Cup finals next year.

"Everybody is saying that Belgium are the favourites in our group, but I feel that it’s Russia who are the true favourites," Capello was quoted as saying by Sport Express daily. However, he added: "Belgium are an excellent team consisting of young and skilled players. We will need to find the means to cope with them."

South Korea and Algeria make up the remainder of the group.

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George's Premiership Predictions 7 December 2013

George predicted 50% of the results again last week and will be hoping for better this time out. All eyes will also be on the draw for the World Cup 2014 groups in Brazil.

Saturday 7 December 2013

Man United 1 v Newcastle 0
Southampton 1 v Man City 2
Stoke City 0 v Chelsea 3
West Brom 3 v Norwich City 0
Crystal Palace 1 v Cardiff City 1
Liverpool 2 v West Ham 0
Sunderland 2 v Tottenham 2

Sunday 8 December 2013

Fulham 1 v Aston Villa 0
Arsenal 2 v Everton 1

Monday 9 December 2013

Swansea City 2 v Hull City 1

2014 World Cup - Punters Hardly Going Nuts For England In Brazil

The draw for the 2014 World Cup is just hours away with England rated as 25/1 shots for glory in Brazil.

bet365 spokesman Steve Freeth "The wait is nearly over to find out England's group stage opposition, but we’re hardly being knocked over in interest for Roy Hodgson's side.

"Our main concerns are Germany and a very well backed Belgium side, who have been supported from 250/1 into 16/1."

Wayne Rooney is 9/4 to be England's top goalscorer in Brazil and 40/1 to be top overall goal-getter in the tournament, whilst the Three Lions can be backed pre-draw at 9/4 to be eliminated at the group stage.

2014 World Cup Outright E/W ½ 1,2

Brazil 3/1 Germany 5/1 Argentina 11/2 Spain 6/1 Belgium 16/1 Holland 20/1 Italy 22/1 France 25/1 England 25/1 Colombia 25/1 Uruguay 25/1 Portugal 33/1
(Others on request)

2014 World Cup – Top Goalscorer ¼ 1,2,3,4

Lionel Messi 10/1 Neymar 11/1 Cristiano Ronaldo 12/1 Luis Suarez 16/1 Sergio Aguero 16/1 Diego Costa 20/1 Robin Van Persie 20/1 Radamel Falcao 20/1 Fred 25/1 Mario Balotelli 25/1 Thomas Muller 28/1 Wayne Rooney 40/1
(Others on request)

Last time's Premier League predictions

FIFA's folly as Groups of Death beckon

2014 World Cup Draw 

Friday 13:00 local time (17:00 GMT), Costa do Sauipe, Brazil.

Ah World Cup draws, those ersatz episodes when FIFA tries to do showbiz.

It was not always thus. The blazers and ties of bigwigs and bureaucrats sufficed for years.

Remember the Spain ’82 draw when the little matadors and flamencistas took the wrong balls from the wrong urns - some groups were bigger than others. That was my favourite.

The USA ’94 draw in that soccer hotbed of Las Vegas set the tone for future extravagnzas, with Robin Williams at work and James Brown and Barry Manilow amongst the crooners.

The use of celebs is surely redundant as the World Cup is watched by all and sundry anyway and the only people taking time off work to follow the draw are already aficionados.

“Heidi Klum has sent us to hell” cried Serbian daily Blic in 2005 as the German supermodel’s choice of ball had dumped them in a ‘group of death’ with Argentina, the Ivory Coast and the Netherlands.

Are certain balls ever heated or chilled to ensure shenanigans? I doubt it, though to my untrained eye the hosts always seem to land cushy groups.

This year the seeding seems utterly barking: in case anyone had forgotten, FIFA is crazy, irrational, unfair and unfit to run football. I would like England to play the USA and Colombia for emotional reasons, but I would take anyone as long as Joe Hart does not do a ‘Rob Green of Rustenburg’.

With the Europeans’ dismal record in the Americas, five entrants including the host and two other seeds, CONMEBOL looks to have it in the bag anyway.  Chile dazzled when beating England 2-0 at Wembley last month, while Colombia, boasting star striker Radamel Falcao make a welcome return for the first time since 1998 having finished second in the South American table behind Argentina.

But don’t write off the holders just yet or the other big Eurostars – Germany, Holland and Italy, for that matter.

I am most keen to watch Japan next summer. Their dismissal of Denmark in 2010 was a frightening warning of how far Asian soccer had come, I thought, and only Paraguayan penalties halted their advance.

Brazil has a sizeable Japanese expat population and the connections between the two countries run deep in soccer with many Brazilians having coached in Japan, most famously Zico.  Nippon will not feel lost in Brazil.

Roy Hodgson mentioned the heat could affect Northern European teams like his but England performed better in baking Mexico in 1970 and ’86, reaching the Quarter-Final both times, than in chilly South Africa in 2010, where they struggled out of an easy group before being hammered in the Second Round.

But back to the seeding, which is more proof of how Sepp Blatter’s FIFA has lost the plot. How on earth are Italy and Holland unseeded while Belgium and Switzerland are? Why are South American group qualifiers Chile and Ecuador unseeded while Uruguay, who only made it via the playoffs, a seed?

According to the byzantine detail of the World Rankings, the eight seeds are correct: The host nation plus the top seven ranked nations in October 2013.

The Netherlands just missed out in eighth spot, followed by Italy and England. This was due to them playing a friendly against former possession Indonesia, a weak opponent which afforded the Dutch few points in the FIFA World Rankings as a result.

For historical reasons England too played weaker nations this year – Scotland and Ireland, and slipped down the charts. Strong nations are tougher to beat of course but the ranking difference a win brings is invaluable.  

If friendlies were not counted by FIFA, then Chile, Holland and Italy would replace Colombia, Switzerland and Uruguay as World Cup seeds and no-one would be crying foul.

Quite clearly the system is so flawed that Friday’s draw could throw up any of the following nightmare groupings:

• Germany, Chile, Japan, Netherlands
• Brazil, England, USA, Italy
• Argentina, France, South Korea, England
• Spain, Chile, Honduras, Netherlands

The possibility of a real Group of Death or two is there. And FIFA must shoulder most of the blame for persisting with a pedantic rankings system in defiance of common sense.

Yet national associations like the F.A. and the Dutch K.N.V.B. should also have done their homework while planning their friendlies for the season leading up to the World Cup draw.

Pot One: Brazil, Spain, Germany, Argentina, Colombia, Belgium, Uruguay and Switzerland.
Pot Two: Chile, Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Algeria, Nigeria, Cameroon, (plus one team from Pot Four)
Pot Three: Australia, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Costa Rica, Mexico, Honduras, USA
Pot Four: Bosnia, Croatia, England, France, Greece, Italy, Holland, Portugal, Russia (minus one team)

 (c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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Croatia edges Iceland makes it eight out of ten appearances at big tournaments

An amazing feat for a small country

By Ozren Podnar

Iceland came within inches of becoming the smallest country by population ever represented at a World Cup final tournament when they were drawn against Croatia in the European zone playoffs. With 320,000 citizens, the insular nation in the North Atlantic is three times less populous than the current champions - Trinidad and Tobago.

But, it was not to be for the descendants of the Viking explorers. Croatia edged Iceland with a 2-0 home win in Zagreb after a goalless draw in Reykjavik. The newly appointed manager Niko Kovac (ex-Hertha, HSV and Bayern midfielder) outsmarted his ultra-experienced counterpart on the Icelandic bench, Lars Lagerback.

Instead of Iceland, travelling to Brazil will be Croatia, another of the small nations, but with a respectable international record. Croatia, with 4.3 million inhabitants a giant compared to Iceland, will appear in its 8th final tournament, counting both World Cups and Euros. Taking into account the country's size, population, number of registered players and its GNP, Croatia is in fact one of the most successful soccer nations.

According to an analysis published on the Zagreb-based www.tportal.hr web site, a total of 60 teams, 28 of which are European, have qualified for the last five World Cups, including Brazil 2014. The analysis covered the period since 1994, when the red-and-whites were first allowed to take part in a qualifying stage, which happened to be for Euro 1996 in England.

David among Goliaths

Only eleven teams, five of which are European, have reached all five tournaments. France and Germany qualified automatically for the tournament each of them hosted, while England, Italy and Spain qualified every time by playing in the qualifiers.

Six countries have made it to four out of five tournaments, three coming from Europe: Holland, Portugal and Croatia. Compared to the other seven countries that have qualified for at least four out of five latest World Cups, Croatia is by far smallest in size, population and GNP.

Only four other European nations have taken part in three out of the last five World Cups - Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland and Serbia (including Serbia-Montenegro and FR Yugoslavia, as Serbia's legal predecessors). Judging by the number of participations at the World Cups since 1998, Croatia is among the eight most successful European countries, in spite of its numerical and financial inferiority with respect to many countries with fewer appearances.

But, there's also the European championship. All in all, 27 teams have taken part at the five most recent editions. Seven teams have been present at all five final tournaments: Spain, France, Italy, Germany, the Czech Republic, Holland and Portugal, but the latter two received a bye for the tournaments they organized.

Croatia is in the second group of five nations which have participated at four of the past five Euros. The others are Russia, Sweden, Denmark and England, who missed out on Euro 2008 due to an embarrassing 2-3 loss to Croatia at Wembley. Therefore, Croatia is among the eleven European countries with the most participations, ahead of Greece, Turkey, Belgium or Poland.

Considering both competitions, only four teams have qualified for all ten of the most recent tournaments - Italy, Spain, France and Germany. Three more have reached nine out of ten final tournaments - England, Holland and Portugal, but all three received a bye for the Euros they organized.

Croatia are the only team represented at eight out of ten big events, and one of the four who qualified for eight events by actually playing, alongside England, Holland and Portugal. Compared to the seven countries that have fared better regarding participations, Croatia is by far the least populous. Its population is just two fifths that of the closest rival, Portugal, whose GNP is by 17 percent higher than Croatia's.

Many wealthier, larger and more populous countries have remained behind Croatia in this analysis; not one which is inferior by the criteria used in this analysis has achieved more participations. And the Croats are apparently very proud of this achievement, as the fans' euphoria and the manager Niko Kovac's tears demonstrated on the night Iceland was beaten.

Least populous countries ever to feature at a World Cup

1. Trinidad and Tobago (2006) - 1 million 2. Northern Ireland (1958, 1982, 1986) - 1,8 million 3. Slovenia (2002, 2010) - 2 million 4. Kuwait (1982) - 2,5 million 5. Jamaica (1998) - 2,9 million

In brackets: featured World Cup(s)

Top teams by participation in last 10 big events 1-4. France* - 10/10 Germany* Italy Spain 5-7. England* - 9/10 Holland* Portugal 8. Croatia - 8/10

Note: the teams marked with an asterisk qualified automatically for one tournament each

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Europe's road to Brazil takes final turn

European teams have played their last big night of qualifiers with a handful of tickets to Brazil 2014 given out.

The big names – Germany, Italy, Spain, England and the Netherlands all made it through as group winners and Switzerland kept up their recently consistent record in qualifying for major finals. Of UEFA’s nine group seeds, only Norway were eliminated, but three of them could only make the playoffs. Three third-tier seeds – Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Switzerland, jumped to first place finishes.

In truth there were no big-name casualties, although some famous names live to fight another day via the playoffs.

1998 World Cup winners and 2006 finalists France is the biggest name to miss the initial cut, though Les Bleus remain a strong favourite to reach Brazil via the playoffs. In their defence they had Spain to contend with in Group I. Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal will also await the draw, having finished second to Fabio Capello’s Russia, who bagged the golden ticket from Group F.

Belgium make a welcome return to the finals and will bring a string of outstanding young players to Brazil, but little Bosnia & Herzegovina are the most notable European qualifier, topping the less than arduous Group G above Greece.

The Euro 2004 winners join Sweden, Iceland, Croatia, Romaniaand Ukraine alongside France and Portugal in the playoffs. Iceland are the most unusual name in the hat, having beaten Slovenia and Norway to second place in Group E, and it is nice to see Romania, whose dazzling team from 1994 lives long in the memory, back in contention having failed to make it to the last three World Cups.

Of the eliminated, 2002 semi-finalists Turkey missed the boat again, as did 1998 semi-finalists Croatia. Eastern Europe had slim pickings overall, with 2010 qualifiers Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Serbia and Euro 2012 co-hosts Poland left on the quayside and only Bosnia-Herzegovina and Russia passing automatically.

Denmark were the unlucky second-placed team to miss the playoff cut, having finished second behind Italy in Group B but gaining fewer points than the eight other second-place teams. The Danes will surely rue their three draws in Copenhagen for costing them advancement.

An off-colour 90 minutes often made the difference between going through and going out. Had the Czechs not lost at home to Armenia or the Serbs to minnows Macedonia, things would have been different for them.

Italy won the fewest games of any qualifier, with six victories out of ten, and Germany the most with nine.

Holland’s Robin Van Persie was the continent’s top gunner with 11 goals, followed by Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Edin Dzeko with ten. Germany were the top-scoring nation with 36 strikes in ten games, Holland were second with 34 and England third with 31.

Bosnia-Herzegovina, England and Holland all scored eight times in a single match, but only Ukraine netted nine, at home to San Marino. The Italian-speaking republic had the worse statistics across UEFA, with a goal difference of -53 far worse than the next leakiest defence, that of Andorra who finished -30 with Malta on -29. Unlike Andorra however, San Marino at least found the net once, in their 1-5 home loss to Poland.

The UEFA playoffs draw is on the 21^st of October with the two-legged games taking place on the 15^th & 19^thof November.

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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Comings and Goings in South Korea

Hong Comes Home

After 135 caps, and spells in charge of the Under-20 and Under-23 national teams, Hong Myong-bo is now the head coach of the South Korean senior side. The charismatic captain of the 2002 semi-final reaching squad, the ex-defender was always going to become the main man, it was just a question of when.

It is now. He has a lot of work to do. With less than a year to the World Cup he has to take a team that struggled and stumbled along the road to Brazil and turn it into a Taeguk Warriors machine that can get past the group stage in South America. Fans believe and the KFA hopes that he can do it. After all, he led the Under-20s to the last eight at the 2009 World Cup and more famously, brought home the bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics.

Choi goes home

After 18 months of mild torture, some for the fans but mostly for the man himself, Choi Kang-hee has returned to his true love Jeonbuk Motors. The former international defender was appointed under duress in December 2011 and always planned to return to Jeonju at the end of qualification. That was achieved on June 18 by the narrowest of goal difference margins. Fans were not sorry to see Choi leave and the KFA made no effort to persuade him otherwise. The football had not been great and the results were just enough. In the end, both sides were relieved to part ways.

He returned to a Jeonbuk team struggling. The team’s previous two games had seen a remarkable 4-1 defeat suffered at home to the low-scoring Busan I’Park and then came a wild 5-4 loss at rivals Suwon. Choi had planned a week’s holiday after the end of his national team contract but decided he was needed as soon as possible. Fans and players were happy to see him and the team responded with a thumping 4-0 win over Gyeongnam.

Tight at the top

At the end of June, six points separate the top six teams in the K-League Classic. Pohang Steelers had threatened to pull away but have dropped eight points from the last 15 – nothing to worry about too much but a source of frustration for the three-time continental champions. Ulsan Horang-I are second and looking good. The Tigers are in good form and welcoming players back from injury such as Brazilian goalgetter Rafinha. With Kim Shin-wook finding the net of a regular basis and the defence usually - apart from a recent 5-3 loss to lowly Daegu - is pretty solid.

Incheon United have been the surprise package of the season and currently sit in third. Young stars such as Lee Seok-hoon have impressed. Lee scored both goals in the recent win over Pohang Steelers, the winner a spectacular 25 yarder that flew past the goalkeeper. Lee 2002 midfielder Kim Nam-il has been a steady presence with another veteran Lee Chun-soo coming back to Korean football and performing solidly. If Lee can recreate his form circa 2005 to 2007 then Incheon really will fancy their chances of a top three finish. Especially as FC Seoul and Suwon Bluewings are more inconsistent that the runny tofu so beloved in Korea. Seoul recovered, of a sort, from a very poor start but all is not well. The team is predictable and with star striker Dejan Damjanovic, was lacking of ideas in a recent defeat against Ulsan.

Suwon have won just one of the last six and have a number of injuries and there are rumours that overseas players could be on their way with Stevica Ristic set to head to pastures new, probably in China. There are uncertain times.

Battle at the Bottom

Daejeon Citizen and Daegu FC are rooted to the bottom. Daejeon look to be in serious trouble with no wins in eleven and the club looking lost. New coach Kim In-wan has not got any kind of grip on the job and fans are understandably growing restless. Daegu are in slightly better shape and at least seem to be playing a little better from earlier in the season. The club have some decent attacking talent.

Gangwon FC are doing their utmost to pull away. Kim Hak-beom’s men have been playing well at various times all season but have not often got the points deserved in return. That all changed at the end of June with a vital 2-1 win over Suwon. It could be a turning point.

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Reversals of fortune in Korea

Early days 

Three games down and the big story in the K League Classic is that champions FC Seoul are having problems. One point out of a possible nine was not the start that was expected. An opening day draw at home against Pohang Steelers was not a terrible start but then a first home defeat in nine years against Incheon United followed and then came a depressing 1-0 loss at Busan I’Park.

Fans are saying that the tactics and team selections are predictable and there is an over-reliance on offensive stars such as Dejan Damjanovic and Mauricio Molina and if they are not in form, which they are not, then coach Choi Yong-soo does not seem to have a plan B. If you add an out-of-form goalkeeper into the mix and have a defence looking vulnerable to counter-attacks.

The season ahead is still long as is the road back to the top and Seoul have much to work out if they are going to get there. It wasn’t necessary in 2012, the Demolition Duo was unstoppable and that may prove to be the case in 2013, but it hasn’t happened yet.

Incheon finished last season very strongly and have been the story of the new season so far with two excellent wins in Seoul and Seongnam. Coach Kim Bong-kil has the team well-organised with wide men Nam Jun-jae and Han Gyo-won looking sharp and rookie Lee Seok-hyun looking talented just behind the main striker.

Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma is another struggler but the seven-time champions went through something similar in 2012. Like a number of teams, there is a new coach and like almost every other team there are a lot of new players. Seongnam’s new signing Server Djeparov made his debut in the home defeat at the hands of Incheon United, scoring a late consolation goal. The Uzbekistan captain will need time to settle back in the life in Korea but when he does, he can help lift the team back closer to where it used to be.  

K League Challenge

The new second division is already on its second name as it came to be felt that using the old K League name was confusing. K League Challenge won out against K League Basic, and rightly so.

The big game of the opening weekend was the game between Anyang and Goyang (pictured left, courtesy of the K League).

 Four thousand fans turned out to watch the first professional game in the city since 2004 when Anyang Cheetahs, champions of Korea in 2000 and finalists of the Asian Club Championship a year later, were moved by conglomerate owners LG, to the capital to use the vacant Seoul World Cup Stadium.

Anyang scored inside the first minute to send the fans wild but that was the only goal of the game. It was an entertaining affair the fans went home happy and with promotion a possibility this season, there is much to play for.

 Road to Brazil approaching a crossroads

Things are not going exactly smoothly in Korea’s quest to qualify for an eighth successive World Cup. One point from the last two games has people nervous. Usually, the visit of Qatar would not be cause for concern but this is a game that Korea now see as a must-win.

Three points here and three points in Beirut in June and the last two games, both at home, against Iran and Uzbekistan will be much easier to handle. The big news was the exclusion of Park Chu-young from the squad. The former Arsenal striker has been in and out of action with Celta Vigo in Spain and while he has three goals to his name, coach Choi Kang-hee feels that it is not enough.

The other European-based stars have all been called up. Son Heung-min is still in good form in Germany with Hamburg and Koo Ja-cheol has been starring for FC Augusburg. And with Ki Sung-yeung coming off a solid first season in the English Premier League with Swansea, there should be enough talent to see off the Qataris.

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Race to Brazil hots up

We're roughly halfway to the next World Cup with 31 places still up for grabs. Europe, Oceania and the Americas have just been in action.

The competition in Europe, which has the lion's share of final qualifiers (13) is now beginning to thin out with some clear water emerging between the competing nations.

In Group A, Belgium and Croatia are tied at the top following comfortable wins over Scotland and Wales respectively.

Italy are in pole position in Group B after beating Denmark in Milan 3-1. The Azzurri are four points clear of second-placed Bulgaria.

The strangest match in Europe saw Sweden claw back a 4-0 deficit in Berlin to draw 4-4 with Germany in their Group C clash. When Mesut Ozil scored Germany's fourth in the 56th minute, all seemed lost for Erik Hamren's team.

But a Zlatan Ibrahimovic header just after the hour mark heralded an extraordinary comeback, capped by Rasmus Elm's equalising drive in the 92nd minute. Germany had never looked so stunned.



The Netherlands continued their 100% record with a 4-1 victory in Romania to top Group D and Switzerland maintained a three-point lead over Norway in Group E with victory in Iceland.

Russia enjoy the healthiest lead in Europe in Group F, five points clear of Israel and Portugal, who could only manage a 1-1 draw at home to Northern Ireland. Bosnia & Herzegovina top Group G on goal difference from Greece, and in Group H Montenegro kept up the pressure ith a 1-0 win over Ukraine in Kiev to draw level on points with England, whose game in Warsaw was rained off.

Like Germany, world champions Spain were also victims of a late lapse in concentration, allowing Olivier Giroud to head an injury-time equaliser to snatch a 1-1 draw for France in Madrid. The two countries are now tied with seven points from three games in Group I.

With Brazil hosting in 2014, the fight for the four and a half places in South America is a little easier.As it stands, Argentina are well on their way three points clear of Ecuador and four ahead of Colombia before a four point gap to Venezuela, Uruguay and Chile.



CONCACAF's final round is now set with the three automatic qualifiers to come from Mexico, the USA, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Honduras and Panama. Wins for the States and Jamaica on the final day edged out Guatemala on goal difference, while Canada failed to make it through after an 8-1 mauling in Honduras.

In Oceania, New Zealand and New Caledonia are running away with it, with the All-Whites leading the Pacific Islanders by three points after four games. The two meet in Wellington on the 22nd of March and the group winner will play off against the fourth-placed team from CONCACAF for a place in Brazil.

In Asia, Japan, South Korea, Australia and Iran sit in the automatic qualification spots after four matches, with Oman and Uzbekistan poised to playoff the fifth-placed South American side.

Africa does not resume until March.

BRAZIL 2014's final 32

• Hosts - Brazil
• Europe - 13
• Africa - 5
• Asia - 4.5
• North & Central America - 4.5
• South America - 4.5
• Oceania - 0.5

Top Scorers so far

• AFC- Younis Mahmoud (Iraq), Hassan Abdel Fattah (Jordan), Le Cong Vinh (Vietnam) 7
• CAF - Tresor Mputu (DR Congo) 4
• CONCACAF - Deon McCaulay (Belize) 11
• CONMEBOL - Luis Suarez (Uruguay), Gonzalo Higuain, Lionel Messi (Argentina) 7
• Oceania - Georges Gope-Fenepej (New Caledonia) 8
• UEFA - Edin Dzeko (Bosnia-Herz), Mesut Ozil (Germany), Tomer Hemed (Israel) 5

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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The coffee is brewing

Colombia have jumped 13 places to ninth in the latest FIFA World Rankings, another sign they are the South American country to keep an eye on as we approach Brazil 2014.

Los Cafeteros (coffee-growers) have not qualified for a World Cup Finals since 1998, when they went out in the first round after defeats by England and Romania.

But after seven games they currently sit second in the CONMEBOL qualifying table for Brazil 2014, and with four and a half South American places up for grabs, Colombia has a wonderful chance of returning to the World Cup after 16 years away.

Always the bridesmaid it seems, for a country capable of producing so many skilful footballers. Even when Colombia were granted the staging rights for the 1986 World Cup Finals, they had them taken away and handed to Mexico after FIFA altered the hosting requirements.

At Itaila '90 Francisco Maturana's team looked outrageously talented, at one point making the eventual winners West Germany chase shadows with their passing game. But with the flair came the hubris, as Colombia's crazy goalkeeper Rene 'El Loco' Higuita, he of the Wembley scorpion kick, dribbled the ball upfield in the second round clash with Cameroon, only to be robbed by Roger Milla, who went on to score and knock Colombia out.

At USA 1994 Higuita was not there having just served a jail term for his role in a kidnapping, but the sublime mop-haired passer Carlos Valderrama and attacking midfielder Freddy Rincon were, and Los Cafeteros also had the outstanding long-legged marksman Faustino Asprilla.

Expectations reached fever pitch pre-tournament as Colombia thumped Argentina 5-0 in Buenos Aires in the final qualifer, topping the group and sending the Albiceleste to Australia for an Intercontinental Playoff.

Pelé tipped them to hoist the trophy, but the supposed golden age of Colombian soccer collapsed in misery as the team lost 2-1 to a weak host nation and an own-goal by Andres Escobar, who ended up riddled with bullets in a Medellin car park ten days later.

The evil influence of the drug cartels on Colombian soccer was suddenly, shockingly, laid bare to the world. Asprilla later said the players were terrified going into the US match, expecting snipers would take them out from the stands of the Rose Bowl.

Almost two decades on and the cartels' power has been curbed, not least thanks to the death of Pablo Escobar, who 'invested' heavily in his favourite sport.

The Colombian national team is recovering well too and in Atletico Madrid's Radamel Falcao they now have one of the hottest strikers in Europe. At the helm is former Argentina coach Jose Pekerman.

There were high hopes going into last year's Copa America, and Colombia duly topped their group, but made an unexpected exit in the quarter-finals after two late goals from surprise package Peru.

With the next World Cup on South American territory and five and a half places on the table for CONMEBOL teams, Brazil 2014 should see Colombia make a welcome return to the highest stage.



FIFA TOP TEN October 2012

1 Spain
2 Germany
3 Portugal
4 Argentina
5 England
6 The Netherlands
7 Uruguay
8 Italy
9 Colombia
10 Greece

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile


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Armadillo mascot for 2014

The next World Cup will have an armadillo as a mascot, the sixth time a recognised animal has been selected. Three big cats, three little boys, two fruits and two abstract characters have played the role before.

The choice of an endangered species, according to FIFA General Secretary Jerome Valcke, tallies with the emphasis on sustainability and environmentalism at the forthcoming finals.

The armadillo, in the colours of the Brazilian flag, has yet to be named, but the majority of the Brazilian public  is unhappy with the limited choice of names to be voted on: Amijubi, Fuleco and Zuzeco, and thousands have signed petitions demanding suggestions from the public be considered.

The uninspiring choice recalls the names considered for the tricoloured stick-man at Italia '90, eventually called 'Ciao' - Amico, Bimbo and Dribbly.

FIFA will reveal the armadillo's chosen name on the 25th of November.

FIFA World Cup Mascots

1966 (England): World Cup Willie
1970 (Mexico): Juanito
1974 (W.Germany): Tip and Tap
1978 (Argentina): Gauchito
1982 (Spain): Naranjito
1986 (Mexico): Pique
1990 (Italy): Ciao
1994 (USA): Striker
1998 (France): Footix
2002 (Japan & Korea): Ato, Nik and Kaz
2006 (Germany): Goleo
2010 (South Africa): Zakumi

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2014 football

Australia versus Japan is a battle for the ages

Japan has the highest proportion of elderly citizens of any country in the world. The irony is when the Samurai Blue takes to the pitch against Australia tonight, it’s the Socceroos who’ll attract all the attention for their age.

The Australian team which drew 0-0 in its opening fourth round World Cup qualifier against Oman had a combined average age of almost 32. Goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, 39, was arguably the best player on the pitch, while captain Lucas Neill is 34. If fact, there’s barely a key player in the Socceroos squad currently under the age of 30.

Japan, on the other hand, is brimming with youthful exuberance. Their fresh-faced vitality is best personified by attacking talent Shinji Kagawa – the erstwhile Borussia Dortmund star soon to strut his stuff on the hallowed turf of Old Trafford. The soon-to-be Manchester United playmaker is widely considered one of Asia’s most talented players and the fleet-footed 23-year-old is no doubt licking his lips in anticipation at the prospect of taking on Australia’s ageing back four. 

Keisuke Honda is another with his best years ahead of him. The CSKA Moscow midfielder announced his arrival on the international scene with a barnstorming campaign at the 2010 World Cup and the 25-year-old has rapidly developed into a talisman for the national team. Together with the likes of teenage Arsenal striker Ryo Miyaichi, defenders Atsuto Uchida and Yuto Nagatomo and front men Shinji Okazaki and Mike Havenaar, there’s plenty of young talent available to keep Japanese stocks ticking over.

The same can’t be said for the Socceroos and it’s surely a concern for Football Federation Australia. Six years ago to the day, Australia recorded its most famous victory – a come-from-behind 3-1 win over Japan at the World Cup in Germany. The hero that day, Tim Cahill, is expected to be recalled to Australia’s starting side for tonight’s blockbuster in Brisbane. Australia’s squad is still heaving with veterans from the 2006 campaign. A highpoint in Australian football it may have been, but the win in Kaiserslautern is increasingly becoming the millstone around Socceroos coach Holger Osieck’s neck.

With few young players putting their hands up for selection, Osieck has been forced to rely on experience in what has been a largely conservative campaign to date. Eighteen months ago the likes of Tommy Oar and Matthew Leckie were expected to push their claims for regular international football but the pair have struggled for first-team football in Europe. Others like Nikita Rukavytsya and Dario Vidosic have seemingly wasted their chances at international level, leaving tried-and-true old stagers like Cahill, Harry Kewell and a recently recalled Mark Bresciano to carry the slack.

And that could be a problem for a Socceroos defence desperate to keep the Japanese strike force at bay. The Samurai Blue haven’t exactly been goal-shy in the fourth round of qualifying to date, hammering Oman 3-0 before thumping Jordan 6-0 in their two games in Saitama. They don’t always play well on the road, but there’s no reason for Alberto Zaccheroni’s side to approach their trip to Brisbane with anything but the utmost confidence.

So it is that Australia experiences the rare occurrence of going into a home game as underdogs. The role may have suited the Socceroos in the past but there’s a growing sense of unease over the lack of progress being made under Osieck’s watch. He’s gambled on an ageing squad to try and beat a rampant Japan in Brisbane, but victory will only mask a far bigger problem. The Socceroos may qualify for the World Cup in Brazil, but unless Osieck uncovers some talented youngsters to take with him, the squad will almost certainly be too old to seriously compete once they get there.

© Mike Tuckerman & Soccerphile

Euro 2012 football

Finally Some Football For South Korea

It has been a strange few weeks for Korean football and the fact that the final round of qualification for the 2014 World Cup is about to start has almost been forgotten.

National team head coach Choi Kang-hee has been one of the most successful coaches in Korea and Asia over the last few years but increasingly in recent weeks he has been looking stressed. That never happened when he was leading Jeonbuk Motors to domestic and continental titles but his position has changed. With the national team, he has even tried to smile in front of the cameras; it is all a little unnerving for fans.

The first issue was all about Park Chu-young. Even when it comes to football, the fact that Korea's star striker had played just seven minutes of Premier League action since joining Arsenal last summer, would have put his place in the squad for the friendly against Spain and the matches against Qatar and Lebanon in doubt.

But this was not just about the football. The March announcement that the player had been given the opportunity to delay his military service for 10 years due to the fact he had been granted a right of residency in Monaco (after a three year spell at the club) overshadowed pretty much everything in Korean fotoball. The nation was divided among those that were happy to see Park complete his duty in his mid-thirties and those that saw an already privileged person gaining another advantage not open to the average man on the street.

Choi was caught in the middle. Attempts to get Park to talk to the Korean media were, according to KFA officials, refused by the player. In the build-up to the announcement of the squad, there were unsuccessful attempts to contact Park and in the end, he was omitted from the squad. “The door is always open,” said Choi but something will have to happen before Park can walk through it. He has said nothing, nobody actually knows where he is and there are suspicisons that he does not really want to play for the national team.

In the absence of the Arsenal player, Choi is keeping faith with his Jeonbuk star striker from the last couple of years. Lee Dong-gook has been scoring plenty of goals in the K-League and in Asia for a while now and is likely to start against Qatar and Lebanon.

The coach has also been looking to another Jeonbuk favourite to provide the ammunition for the Lion King as well as add to the team’s firepower himself. The only problem is that the player Choi has in mind is not actually Korean.

Eninho has been adding Brazilian flair to the K-league since 2007 and came into his own after joining Jeonbuk in 2009. A creator, finisher and dead-ball specialist, he was just what Choi wanted.

"The Korean national football team manager is an imperative position," Choi said earlier in May. "It has to win by any means possible; thus, I will try my best to do everything in my power." The debate grew as the coach acknowledged. "The issue has deviated in a way I have not imagined. If I proceed with the plan for my personal gain, I should be held accountable for it."

The Korean FA took the issue to the Korea Olympic Committee (KOC) in mid-May. The hope was that the body would recommend to the Ministry of Justice that Eninho should be fast-tracked into dual-nationality. In mid-May, the committee knocked back the initial request, saying that the country had ample alternatives to the Brazilian.

Choi was not impressed. "I wonder if the KOC seriously looked into his performance and sincerity. I would like to ask if they know how desperate the situation is regarding the manager asking for special naturalization for him. It may be against Korean cultural norms, but I want him."

The KFA tried again on May 19, confident that legally, there was no reason for the KOC to refuse but the outcome was the same.

"There was lot of debate and thoughtful consideration, but we didn't find significant factors to change our original result from the first review," KOC Secretary General Choi Jong-jun said after the meeting. “Special naturalization gives a person dual citizenship and waives naturalization tests, but in exchange for that, a basic understanding of Korean culture and language is essential. However, we thought he lacked effort in those parts.”

The KFA eventually admitted defeat and the issue has been put to bed - for now. There are other things to think about, not least the upcoming World Cup qualifiers in Qatar on June 8 and at home to Lebanon on June 12. All are relieved that there is finally some football to talk about.

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Korean Soccer football

International night, Euro 2012 finalists set

The final lineup for next summer's European Championship in Poland & Ukraine is now set after tonight's playoff second legs, with a strong field of sixteen heading for Eastern Europe.

There were no winning fightbacks following the first legs and Portugal, the Czech Republic, the Republic of Ireland and Croatia all advanced to Euro 2012, eliminating respectively Bosnia & Herzogovina, Montenegro, Estonia and Turkey.

The sixteen qualifiers are thus:

Poland, Ukraine, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, France, England, Portugal, Denmark, Croatia, Sweden, Eire, Czech Republic, Greece and Russia.

All the big guns are there, and Croatia, Sweden, Russia and Ireland make the boat having missed out on the World Cup in South Africa in 2010.

The Netherlands' Klaas-Jan Huntelaar finished as top scorer in Europe with twelve goals, followed by Germany's Miroslav Klose with nine.

England were the best supported team with an average home crowd of 77,000, followed by France with 65,000.

The draw for the finals takes place in Kiev on the 2nd of December and the tournament itself is from the 8th of June until the 1st of July.

***

* World Champions Spain's lukewarm friendly form continued when they scraped a 2-2 draw in Costa Rica. Trailing 2-0 at the interval, David Silva pulled one back in the 83rd minute and David Villa spared their blushes with a leveller three minutes into injury time. As with Saturday's defeat to England, Spain fielded a full-strength team for the clash in San Jose, Costa Rica.

In other European friendlies, Germany blanked the Netherlands 3-0 in Hamburg, Italy lost 0-1 to Uruguay in Rome, England beat Sweden for the first time since 1968, 1-0 in London, while France drew 0-0 at home to Belgium. The USA won 3-2 in Slovenia while there were home wins for both Euro 2012 hosts: Poland beat Hungary and Ukraine Austria, both by 2-1 scorelines.

* Argentina overturned a half-time deficit to beat Colombia 2-1 in their 2014 World Cup qualifier in Barranquilla, Colombia. Lionel Messi equalised Dorlan Pabon's opener on the hour mark and Sergio Aguero bagged the winner with five minutes to play. In another CONMEBOL qualifier, Ecuador beat Peru 2-0 in Quito.



* Asian giants Japan and South Korea both lost in 2014 qualifying tonight - Nippon lost 1-0 away to North Korea, while the Korean Republic lost 2-1 away to Lebanon. Australia won 1-0 in Thailand, China won 4-0 in Singapore and Iran won 4-1 in Indonesia. There were also qualifiers among the lesser nations of Africa and the CONCACAF region.

* In the pick of tonight's African friendlies, Nigeria beat Zambia 2-0, Ghana beat Gabon 2-1 and Zimbabwe beat neighbours South Africa 2-1.

(c) Sean O'Conor and Soccerphile

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The 2014 World Cup trek

FIFA have released the dates and venues for the matches of the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil, with the patience of traveling supporters set to be tested once again.

Instead of keeping group games within a couple of venues located close to one-another, as used to be the norm, fans will face trips of up to 2,000 miles in order to watch all of their nation's opening clashes.

One unlucky Group A team will begin in Sao Paulo, then trek 1,680 miles (2,700 km) up to Manaus, before an odyssey of 3,538 miles (5,698km) across the Amazon to Recife, a voyage one team from Group D and another from Group G must also endure. Even the hosts are not spared, with the seleçao kicking off in Sao Paulo before flying 1465 miles (2357km) to Fortaleza and then making another journey of 1042 miles (1677km) to Brasilia.

The explanation for clocking-up so many air miles, according to the organising committee, is the varying weather, with the south of Brazil much cooler than the north.

"The climate is so different you do not want to give an advantage to one country over another," said Head of Operations Ricardo Trade.

The semi-finals will take place in Belo Horizonte's Estadio Mineirao (70,000) and Sao Paulo's Novo Estadio do Corinthians (68,000), with the final in Rio's renovated Maracana (85,000) on the 13th of July 2014.

Starting times for matches will be 1700, 1900, 2300 and 0200 GMT.

Brazil will kick-off the whole shebang in Sao Paolo on Thursday the 12th of June 2014.



(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile
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Their Dream is Over

FIFA World Cup 2014 Qualification

It might seem a world away, but for some countries, the 2014 World Cup has already finished.

Qualifiers for the finals in Brazil began in June, and these nations will be watching FIFA's big party on television having been eliminated:

Afghanistan
Anguilla
Aruba
British Virgin Islands
Cambodia
Chinese Taipei
East Timor
Macao
Mongolia
Pakistan
Sri Lanka
Turks and Caicos

And at the end of today, Montserrat look likely to join them, trailing Belize 5-2 from their home leg.

With just over three years before the finals in Brazil, the tournament's top gunner is Vietnamese hot-shot Lê Công Vinh with seven goals, followed by the Bahamas' Lesly St.Fleur with five.

South American qualification begins in October, Africa and Oceania in November 2011 and Europe in August 2012.

On the 29th of July, FIFA will determine the inter-federation playoffs at the end of normal qualification and on the 30th will make the draw for UEFA, CAF and CONMEBOL qualifiers.

The breakdown of finalists is thus:

Brazil (hosts), Europe 13, Africa 5, Asia 4 or 5, South America 4 or 5, North & Central America 3 or 4, Oceania 0 or 1.

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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