A meaningless two month suspension and a fine of $25,000.00.

It's always good to have friends in high places.

Argentina coach Diego Maradona banned for two months by Fifa

• Argentina's World Cup preparations disrupted
• Coach apologises for rant against journalists

guardian.

Click to continue reading...

Due to the AFA's complete inability to comprehend that some of us are running blogs about their league in our spare time from a time zone three hours ahead and rather enjoyed having not much to do on a Monday evening, Monday afternoon and evening matches begin in earnest this week. Rodrigo Archubi, found guilty [. Click to continue reading...

El Racing Club de Avellaneda no a tenido la mejor suerte en las ultimas temporadas pero hasta ahora me pregunto que pensaban los dirigentes al querer contratar a Lothar Matthaus como su nuevo DT? El tipo siempre a sido un dolor de cabeza para todos los equipos en el que a jugado y dirigido y supuestamente rechazo la oferta de Racing por mensage de texto. Click to continue reading...

In a meeting held between Maradona & Grondona it was decided that current Chacarita Juniors manager Fernando Gamboa will become one of Maradona's assitants replacing Miguel Angel Lemme whose contract expires next month.

It is not yet known what will happen with Maradona's other assistant, Alejandro Mancuso.

Click to continue reading...

We're now halfway through the Torneo Apertura, and two points separate 1st from 8th. How's the AFA's playoff system going to work if everyone ends up on the same points total? San Lorenzo lead after edging out Central on Friday evening, Racing and Gimnasia La Plata both lost on Saturday, and Sunday saw Rolando Schiavi [. Click to continue reading...

Bad news for Pablo Zabaleta, who will miss out on an opportunity to make his debut (and press his claims for a World Cup spot should Argentina qualify) due to a hamstring injury suffered at Aston Villa:

It is not a major injury, but I am not likely to be able to play. Sometimes, it is down to luck, I usually don't have these problems, but it is frustrating for me.

Click to continue reading...

With Saturday featuring Argentina's must-win World Cup qualifier at home to Peru, the AFA have brought forward most of the eighth round of the 2009 Torneo Apertura, rather than opt for a two-week gap between matches. River Plate confirmed on Tuesday that former defensive lynchpin and title-winning boss Leonardo Astrada is their new manager, and [. Click to continue reading...

Felicitaciones a Palermo por su gol #200 con la xeneize. Lo hizo casi desde la media cancha y con la cabeza! Click to continue reading...

No Estádio Olimpico de Cordoba, jogaram amistosamente as seleções da Argentina (8ª no ranking da FIFA) e Gana (32º no ranking da FIFA).
Antes desse jogo, essas seleções jogaram:
12/10/1964 - Argentina 1x1 Gana (Jogos Olímpicos)
05/09/1997 - Argentina 0x0 Gana (Mundial Sub-17)
07/04/1999 - Gana 1x0 Argentina (Mundial Sub-20)
08/07/2001 - Argentina 3x0 Gana (Mundial Sub-20)
O quarteto de arbitragem desse jogo, foi chileno, com:
Árbitro: Enrique Osses (CHI)
Assistentes: Osvaldo Talamilla y Sergio Román (Chile). Click to continue reading...

"El barbon siempre me ha ayudado antes y espero que lo haga otra vez." Esas fueron las palabras de Maradona en una reciente entrevista con FIFA.com sobre la posibilidad de que Argentina se quede fuera del Mundial. Claro, cuando se refiere a que Barbas lo ha ayudado antes, Diego se refiere a la vez que salio vivo despues que fue hospitalizado por hepatitis aguda toxica y de su pasado con la drogas, sobrepeso y todo eso. Click to continue reading...

Recent Melbourne Victory supporters' protest

Big Story
It's an absurdly hyperbolic headline from the Roar, but their story of surveillance of fans is a little concerning, especially in the context of the long failure of the Australian football authorities to understand that heavy-handed restrictions and knuckle-headed security is not the way to grow the sport in a country with far more established sporting cultures.

Click to continue reading...

The executive committee of the Argentine Football Association (AFA) confirmed that the Argentine national team will return to playing at River Plate's Monumental stadium for next month's 2010 World Cup match with Peru. Click to continue reading...

Boca Juniors y River Plate, dos gigantes del futbol Argentino se encuentran en los ultimos lugares en la tabla de posiciones. Despues de cinco fechas River Plate ya no juega a nada, los jugadores se ven sin alma y direccion y no generan nada.� Centeno, err que diga Gorosito no implanta su juego despues de nueve meses en el mando. Click to continue reading...

Well that was a brief road trip. Diego Maradona's and the AFA's protracted falling-out with River Plate over the state of the Estadio Monumental pitch led to River putting up posters proclaiming '16 years unbeaten at the Monumental...' in the wake of the 3-1 defeat to Brazil in Rosario last week. On Tuesday it was [. Click to continue reading...

Over the weekend, some apparently unhappy Argentine fans hacked the website of the Asociacion del Futbol Argentino (AFA).
The posted a still photo of old Maradona ad where he's dressed in a Brazilian kit.
Soccer in that country is becoming a joke. They need to get rid of him ASAP, before he rids the world of some great talent in 2010. Click to continue reading...

Diego Maradona's power is being taken away. Carlos Bilardo is being asked to step in and help with player selection.

Julio Grondona had requested Maradona to avail of Bilardo's advise after the Bolivia drubbing but the manager who won Argentina the 1986 World Cup and helped catapult Maradona to the world stage has been marginalized with little input in the selection.

Click to continue reading...

A picture is worth a thousand words.

The AFA website was hacked and Diego Maradona was photoshopped wearing a Brazil shirt. The ultimate insult.

And the coach's image is taking a beating. Support from his die hard fans is eroding. Almost 70% of them believe it will be Maradona's fault if Argentina fail to qualify for SA.

Click to continue reading...

Needless to say, the blame for Argentina's failings are falling on one easy, obvious target.
Coach Diego Maradona.
Here are some of the local press-clippings:

"This Maradona has shown dramatically that he wasn't born to coach, that his glorious image was useful at first, but no more," the Diario Popular newspaper wrote in Thursday's editions.

Click to continue reading...

El terror de las damas, ex-obispo y ahora presidente de Paraguay, Fernando Lugo, afirmo con cierta firmeza que Paraguay le gana a Argentina por 2-0 este miercoles, esta tan seguro de una victoria Paraguaya que si pierden esta dispuesto a reconocer a uno de sus hijos ilegitimos. PLOP.
-ole- Click to continue reading...

En la vida las decisiones deben ser bien pensadas pero con tiempo de anticipación y eso fue lo que menos hizo el Sr Guillermo Franco.

Hace unos días informamos a ustedes que "El Guille" se había contratado con Estudiantes de la Plata de Argentina pero hoy se dio la noticia de que Franco podría no jugar el torneo argentino.

Click to continue reading...

'Where's my week gone?!' I can hear you inwardly asking. Don't worry you've not been in a coma since Monday. Due to the upcoming World Cup qualifiers (notably that between Argentina and Brazil in Rosario on Saturday) the AFA have moved the third round of the Torneo Apertura to midweek. Rosario Central vs River [. Click to continue reading...

Aca sobra uno...
Les debía un post. En este caso, me voy a poner en la piel de Claudio María Domínguez con bigotes y peluca (es decir Julio, el contador sensible), y en la de crítico. El tema es, como era de esperarse, el nuevo contrato de la TV.
¿Con la privada es más rentable? Click to continue reading...

Last weekend's start to the Torneo Apertura in Argentina gave fútbol fans the opportunity to move on from weeks of drama that had suspended the start of the season, but while ratings for River and Boca matches reflected public excitement for the season's start (if not the AFA's new government sponsored television deal), the story of the tournament's first weekend was the new era of Argentine football. Click to continue reading...

Según "Bloc de Periodista", Don Julio liberó los goles que tenían secuestrados los malos y los va a repartir entre los pobres. ¿Un nuevo héroe?.
Por un mundo con hambre, inseguridad, pobreza y muuuucho fútbol. Fútbol para todos.

Click to continue reading...

via AP

• Ibracadabra and Messi will play against Manchester City tonight in the Joan Gamper trophy... and tonight marks Ibra's debut after recovering from a hand fracture. The Dona doesn't need to worry either, because his beloved Messi has shaken off his muscle injury and will be available for selection.

Click to continue reading...

Argentina made a deal with the government to broadcast matches free of cost on non-cable channels when the AFA was unable to get the private TV broadcasters to pay more for the TV rights. The league will begin their new season this coming weekend.

The deadlock has seen a delay with the league set to start August 14th.

Click to continue reading...

Perdon por la demora en publicar, pero estas 2 semanas he tenido algunos problemas de tiempo, que por suerte, ya se solucionaron.
ARSENAL 3x0 COLÓN SFFuente: Arsenal de Sarandí
Amistosos de Agosto
Debido a los conflictos AFA-TSC-Gobierno que han retrasado el inicio del Apertura 2009, Arsenal no perdió el tiempo y continuó realizando partidos de práctica con otros clubes, a fin de encontrar lo más pronto la forma y el equipo ideal. Click to continue reading...

Argentine sides enter The Copa Sudamericana on Tuesday night, with Tigre hosting San Lorenzo in the first leg of their preliminary round tie as I type, but I'm buggered if I'm staying up until the thing finishes the goals will be online on Wednesday night. Given the fuss over the Primera División TV rights [. Click to continue reading...

At last, after much coming and going, it's confirmed: the 2009 Torneo Apertura will begin this coming Friday (and in time for the new season, we've got a bit of a surprise for you, of which more later in the week...). A discussion on Saturday at the AFA saw a planned schedule for the weekend [...] Click to continue reading...

via Photogamma

The Boca boys didn't have much to do yesterday (apart from their laundry, etc) since the AFA postponed the start of the Apertura. So it was only natural that Javier García, Lucas Viatri, Ricardo Noir and Juan Forlin turned up at the infamous DOT shopping centre in Buenos Aires to reveal Los Xeneizes' new kit.

Click to continue reading...

You may think you missed the start of the Argentine football season, you would be wrong. The league canceled its first week in an effort to save money. The tough economic times hit Argentina as hard as anyone, maybe harder. Now the AFA is going to break their TV contract to try and double [...] Click to continue reading...

via Ole

.. And so are we, but he's the coach of the Albicelestes so he'd better suck it in! Anyway, is it just us or does tipo over here appear to be packing the pounds? Don't tell us he's been eating Benjie's portions too...

Anyway, The Dona walked into the press conference room yesterday looking visibly worried about the state of things.

Click to continue reading...

via REUTERS

So after days of intense discussions about the state of the Argentinean championship , the AFA finally reached a decision about the start of the country's domestic league. The first game is scheduled for kick off on 21st August (as opposed to the 14th this weekend).

Click to continue reading...

Vaya lío que se traen en Argentina con los derechos de transmisión, la tirada era romper el contrato con TyC y de alguna manera tendrán que resarcir el daño a la empresa por esta rescisión unilateral del contrato.

Click to continue reading...

The financial stand-off which last week forced the AFA to announce that Argentina's first division championship wouldn't be able to start this coming weekend has taken a step towards concluding on Tuesday, with the news that the clubs are to break away from the TV deal signed with TyC Sports. A new financial package has [. Click to continue reading...