Argentina host Colombia tonight at 6pm Argentine time (10pm British Summer Time) on the kind of pitch that even Wembley Stadium Ltd. would be embarrassed to see England play on. After Argentine rock band Los Piojos played in El Monumental last Saturday, the AFA have wait for it painted bits of the pitch [.

God knows why the AFA do this every bloody year. As usual, they've released the full fixture list the day after the first weekend's fixtures were announced. What possible good comes of this is for Julio Grondona to explain (not that anyone really cares enough to ask him), other than to guarantee two straight days [.

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.

'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 [.

If the AFA thought they had problems with crowd control in the top flight for the last few seasons, they can't have been happy bunnies on Monday. Chacarita Juniors, whose previous spells in Primera A have been most notable for very badly behaved crowds, most infamously (and tragically) when playing Boca Juniors, are back in [.

On Tuesday the AFA announced the first weekend's fixtures for the 2009 Torneo Apertura in the Primera División, and their website promptly decided to stop working (for me at least, but I've had some internet issues tonight so maybe it's the only site that's still not loading on my PC). The remaining fixtures haven't yet [.

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.

Last season they were playing in the Torneo Argentino A, the third division section for clubs not affiliated to the AFA, but on Sunday Atlético Tucumán ensured their city will continue to have Primera División representation next season by thrashing relegation-threatened Talleres de Córdoba 4-1 to confirm the B Nacional title.

River Plate's El Monumental has been Argentina's World Cup venue

Diego Maradona continues his divisive ways.

He was said to have complained about the state of the Mounmental stadium describing it as "a pasture" before the Colombia match. The topic cropped up again after the loss to Ecuador, when Maradona expressed his unhappiness about the stadium being the venue for the match against Brazil.

The threat of postponement to the start of the 2008-2009 season has been hanging over Argentine football since the official fixture list for the Primera División was released last week. On Wednesday AFA President Julio Grondona declared that the decision has been taken to provisionally 'postpone all the championships until Futbolístas Argentinos Agremadios [the players' [.

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.

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.

Our Argentine readers will no doubt want to put the midweek international to the backs of their minds as quickly as possible, and the AFA are obliging them by getting league action back underway post haste. Friday night sees second-placed Colón visit fifth-placed Huracán, whilst Vélez vs Banfield on Saturday should be a good one.

Veron, Tevez to miss Argentina friendly in Russia

Reuters

August 5, 2009

Juan Sebastian Veron and Carlos Tevez will miss Argentina's friendly against Russia in Moscow next week due to injury, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) said on Tuesday.

Striker Tevez called Diego Maradona to say he had aggravated a twisted ankle and midfielder Veron told the coach he had not recovered from a leg muscle injury, AFA said.

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 [.

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 [...]

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Maradona ataca de nuevo, o más bien contraataca contra Pelé, que hace unos días criticó al Pelusa. "Qué quieres que te diga, él debutó con un pibe", aseguró el seleccionador argentino en alusión a la virginidad del brasileño. 'O Rei' habló de Maradona no hace mucho y aseguró que personificaba un mal ejemplo que nadie debería [.

After falling out with River Plate over the appalling pitch surface for the recent World Cup qualifier at home to Colombia, the AFA have submitted a request to FIFA that Rosario Central's stadium, El Gigante Del Arroyito, be accredited as an alternative venue. It's possible the qualifier against Brazil could be played there if the [.

That is, protests against the AFA, not protests on the part of the AFA. At six on Tuesday evening, two coaches dropped off sixty or seventy people outside the AFA headquarters who proceeded to mount a protest against current AFA President Julio Grondona. Earlier in the day, José Sand was sold by Lanús to Al Ain [.

Wow, how massive is this...a whole country's top flight getting mothballed due to debt :

The start of the football season in Argentina has been delayed indefinitely because many of the clubs involved are heavily in debt. The season had been due to kick off on 14 August, but the Argentine Football Association (AFA) said some clubs did not have enough money to pay players.

No Boca this weekend..... / VIA AP

Uh-oh, it looks like we may not get to see the likes of Boca Juniors and Estudiantes this weekend in the Apertura after the AFA recently ran into major monetary problems.

Yes, it seems that the top-tier Argentinean sides have amassed massive debts estimated to be a whopping US$182 million and this has forced the Football Association to scrap the Aug.

On Sunday TyC Sports president Marcelo Bombau talked to Olé, telling them that he considered the AFA's attitude towards the TV companies in the ongoing dispute over player wages to be 'illicit, unjust and disrespectful.' Last week, of course, it was announced that the championship won't be starting as scheduled this coming weekend.

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.

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).

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 [...]

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 [.

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.

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.

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.

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 [.

"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.

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

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.

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 [.

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 [.