Asia - Most popular for January 2008
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Iraqi soccer star Nashat Akram was this close to realizing his dream of playing in Europe. But it
looks like it's not going to happen. England denied the twenty-four-year-old midfielder's request
for a work permit this week, so he won't be playing at Man City as planned. The reason? Iraq's
standing [.
Greenland is an autonomous province of Denmark with a population of around 50,000. The Faroe
Islands are an autonomous province of Denmark with a population of around 50,000. The Faroe Islands
belong to FIFA; Greenland does not. A reasonable person might wonder why the Faroes are given
membership into the international soccer governing body while Greenland [.
I have no idea how we missed this the first time around, but way back in June, J-League player
Naoya Kikuchi was involved in a sex scandal that was simultaneously really depressing and, also,
more than a little hilarious (and long as you're only reading about it, and not involved). The
Júbilo Iwata player, you [.
Steve Menary's book Outcasts!: The Lands That FIFA Forgot is a fascinating read. In the book,
Menary reports on the far flung "countries" that FIFA doesn't recognize. Steve Menary sat down to
speak with me recently about writing Outcasts and the issues his book raises. Menary told me that
he got his start writing for [.
One of the joys of watching the World Cup is seeing teams from different parts of the globe play
each other. The styles they employ are often a study in contrasts. Any time England plays
Argentina, it is a battle of grit and determination versus technique and guile (there's also the
wee matter of the [.
What's one of the benefits of being a billionaire owner of a large EPL team? You can fly your
entire National Team in to train with them. Man City's Thai owner, Thaksin Shinawatra is doing just
that, paying to fly Thailand's entire national team to England for two weeks to train with the Man
City players.
Just last week, the papers in Japan, Scotland and England were all discussing the possibility that
standout midfielder and free kicking maestro Shunsuke Nakamura could be on his way back to Japan
after many years abroad. He was said to be considering a return to Yokohama Marinos, with an eye to
securing a place in [.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6VcrFHPM1I You may have heard that Manchester United were in Saudi
Arabia this week for a benefit match against Al-Hilal. You may also have heard that they lost, and
that the winning goal came on a sweet bicycle kick by Bader al-Kharashi. What you might have
missed, though, was Sir Alex Ferguson's obvious amusement at seeing [.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima, who fell to Division 2 at the end of the J-League relegation playoff, saw
their miracle Emperor's Cup run stopped on New Year's Day, when they lost a dreary final to
three-time Cup winners Kashima Antlers. 19-year-old defender Atsuto Uchida put Kashima ahead in
just the sixth minute and, apart from a hopeful [.
It was reported last week that, after a successful trial with Manchester City, Saudi Arabia captain
Yasser Al Qahtani turned down a contract offer with the club because his current team Al Hilal
"need [him] too much this season." Al Qahtani assured the press that the issue was definitely not a
financial one, and that [.
Things to read as you drink your presidential milkshake: "Let's have Harry Redknapp as a cockney
Moses and Martin O'Neill as an Ulster Herod." (Guardian Unlimited) High school footballers in Utah
really, really need sportsmanship meetings. (The Beautiful Game) MLS is turning Japanese. (MLSnet)
Argentina legend Diego Simeone gets his first coaching win.
Alexi Lalas again had to state the obvious today as he told Sky Sports News that Beckham,
"...wouldn't be put out on loan to another club - that is not an option - and David is not for sale
at any price."
Although Lalas words might not be enough to convince many that Beckham is indeed still the center
of the Galaxy's universe, the team also announced today that they will tour Asia this March as part
of their pre-season.
In his first contribution for Pitch Invasion, Eric Daams looks at the curious set-up of the Asian
Champions League, saying it needs to change to be truly representative of the best clubs in the
region.
Things to read with your totally sweet Hello Kitty contacts: The Unfortunate Torpor Of Newcastle
United. (200%) The baby-centric celebration has gone (another step) too far. (Guardian) Pato is
really, truly going to play. (FIFA.com) Okada bringing Total Football to Japan. (Reuters) Stephen
Appiah may be hurt, but he's still going to the African Cup of Nations with Ghana.
This Iraq supporter may not be wearing a box on his head, but he's deeply invested in his team's
1-1 friendly draw with Jordan yesterday. Given the emotion he's evidently investing in a game that
doesn't matter, it's hard to imagine how he reacted to that miracle Asian Cup win. The Offside
Blogging Team can also [.
Earlier this month, Urawa Reds took another step in their effort to replace the goals they lost
when Jefferson left, securing the signature of Eintracht Frankfurt striker and Japanese
international Naohiro Takahara, and it's now being reported that they're set to send midfielder
Makoto Hasebe back the other way, to Bundesliga side Vfl Wolfsburg.
The last time anyone heard the name Dragan "Pixy" Stojković, it was probably in the context of the
violence at Red Star Belgrade at the end of last year you remember, a plain-clothes cop ended up in
the hospital, and three club officials were arrested and held for a month while investigations were
made?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUeNulR-u48 If you're looking for profundity, go elsewhere. But
watch this video first. If only to revel in the dueling accents. (Spotted on Who Ate All the Pies)
