Even though soccer is the world's most popular sports, there's a surprising lack of films about the beautiful game. In America, it seems that there are more movies about college football than the soccer variety. But we've combed the video ...
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Soccer has never been a clean game and never will be. It's original form allowed hacking. Long before the soccer craft was engineered for style and class, hunks of meat took chops at each other. Reputations were built around violence and threats. Men whose shadow was aggression found the soccer field inviting, a safe place to kick the living daylights out of a fellow mortal.

When Luis Suarez was accused of racially abusing Patrice Evra, he retorted with the quote,

"I go to the field with the maximum illusion of a little child who enjoys what he does."

I finally understood what he meant by that last Saturday against Norwich.

It seems that a lot of people are not talking about football these days. Whether it be racism, gayism (ok not sure if that's an actual word) or other outrageous incidents not even related to the beautiful game. Here are a few things which I think should be brought back/or removed to help bring the English game back to the glory days of the 90s.

Referee Scott Zawadzki clears up some common misconceptions about the laws of the beautiful game. And no, he doesn't care if you "got the ball first." We also interview the filmmakers behind "Laduma: One Goal" and ask: what now for WPS?

Dominic Wilcox is an artist who makes, among other things, watch sculptures the type which operate better in a glass encasement than inevitably shattering against the nearest solid object. He made one for football which was on exhibit in London recently.

The Beautiful Game, 2011 A footballer holds aloft a trophy in the form of a pound symbol (£) as three prospective WAGs fight for his attention.

The last few weeks have not been good for the financial side of the beautiful game. We have seen clubs going into administration, others nearly folding and no progress on controlling the wages of top players. Only today Wigan have ...
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Now, here at OTP we want to remove diving/simulation/cheating from our game as much as anyone. Anything that tarnishes the reputation of the beautiful game must be eradicated, and villains treated with the heavy-handed arm of the football law. However, it does appear that referees can often go too far.

This is a case of beer. We are making an argument or case about something. See the connection?By Mike Cardillo / That's On Point
"Crawl. Walk and then run." -- Clay Davis
"I'm just a troll who's intentions aren't good, oh lord please let me be misunderstood.

For the longest time, they labelled Fernando the £50 million flop. "Give him a ball, they said, "and he'll show you his mop!" But over the weeks, old Torres remained the same Till yesterday, when football returned to the Beautiful Game Pique, Messi, Alexis and Iniesta, they all tried None could break through when Ramires took flight And in the 81st minute, when Torres came on, Chelsea began to hum a strange song An hour of combing his blonde mane Had left the poor Spaniard quite insane, But who's to say what money can buy?

Wow. Times does fly. It was just before the start of Euro 2008 that I started Il Mondo di Calcio, as a way to get in touch with other soccer fans around the world, and talk about the beautiful game... Now 4 years later I feel obligated to once again give you a preview of what is to come this summer in international football.

Time now for the 3rd annual Jakarta Casual Awards. A little late this time so if your hols have been ruined by their non appearance you have my sincerest apologies.
It's been another mental year with mental goings on. One thing is for sure. The people who run football in this part of the world do not do it for football.

Simon Kuper is the preeminent intellectual football author of our time. His works such as Football Against the Enemy, and Soccernomics (aka Why England Lose) need no introduction to many fans of the beautiful game. His columns in publications such...
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Now that you need never miss a moment of the beautiful game with things like Sky+ and BBC iPlayer you need to have the perfect TV to watch it on. HD is pretty much a given seeing as you want to watch all the action in micro-fine detail, but you also want a TV that [...] Related posts:

1. What The F**k Are You Watching.

The annual FIFA gala was held in Zurich, Switzerland today, where the stars of the beautiful game both past and present converged to celebrate a great year in soccer. Various individual award were presented and no one will be shocked with the results. The most hyped award, the FIFA Ballon d'Or for best male player, [.

(This entry is formulated with the transcript of the media release by the Football Association of Singapore - FAS)
(L-R) FAS President Mr Zainudin Nordin. S.League CEO Mr Lim Chin, Great Eastern Singapore GM Dr Khoo Kah Siang, Great Eastern Singapore Chief Marketing Officer Mr Colin ChanReaffirm its commitment towards Singapore football since 2009, insurance giants Great Eastern (GE) has agreed to continue its sponsorship of the country sole sporting professional league - the S.

Howard...gratefully claims it... Distribution...Brilliant...Are things on here for the USA?... Can they do it?...

Who among us can listen to those words of Ian Darke and not get goosebumps? Well, that is some ice water indeed flowing through your veins if that does not describe you.

Feeling a bit misty for South Africa? Maybe hear Landon Donovan's goal call one more time from Ian Darke? "One Goal USA" just released the official trailer for their 2010 World Cup film, "LADUMA".

"Millions of people worldwide watched the 2010 FIFA World Cup on television, as Spain won the first ever soccer World Cup to be played on the African continent.

Guest Post: I have Been to the Mountaintop: Rethinking Success for MLS

On the road tonight, so here is an encore of the most popular guest post in Footiebusiness history. The original generated a significant amount of comments. Back live on Monday.

Once again, we are fortunate to have a guest post from Dave Laidig.

Dion Bubblin' and Phil Bubb Apart from the possible introduction of video technology we all agree that football is pretty much best left alone. It is a beautiful game because it is beautifully simple, and all of the gimmicks merely threaten to get in the way of what makes the game so special. Or so [.

Way back somewhere in the annuls of time; before the awe inspiring stadiums and the anti-sweat kits, before the mega millions and the sponsorship deals, before television and radio and the world wide web – back when the beautiful game ...
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The US Women's National Team demolished their first two opponents in their quest to London. First up was a CONCACAF minnow who fell prey to the USWNT's elite squad in less than ten minutes. The Dominican Republic fell by the embarrassing score of 14-0.
Some raised questions of a mercy rule while others criticized the Americans for punishing such a weak squad into a pulp.

Hey everbody, welcome to my new blog, FC Blacklabel. I'm rejoining forces with my buddy over at Blacklabel Tennis to create what I will modestly call a sports network. He focuses on tennis, I focus on all things soccer (football, fútbol, calcio or whatever you call it in your part of the world).

By Alan Duffy

"F**king kick him, you ponce" Peter Reid, bringing the beautiful game to the India

Trying to break the massive, all-conquering hold cricket has on India ain't gonna be easy, but the organisers of the new Indian Premier League Soccer tournament are doing their best to get the locals interested by getting a number of ex-greats involved.

Any number of products try and connect with soccer fans through official partnerships, event activation and commercial spots. Typically, soccer related marketing is part of a much larger general interest campaign. Based in the Pacific Northwest, Sports energy drink Golazo bucks that trend by focusing on the game of soccer.

CNN's Piers Morgan (left) does a weird thing with his mouth after he speaks. His lips pinch tight. As if the torpedo tube is being sealed until the next salvo. It can be quite intimidating. It fits the style of a man who was previously employed as a tabloid editor in the warfare of English newspapers.

Stylish and Educational! 3nil's Onside/Offside Shirt.

Imagine a perfectly timed run from the far side. Ozil slips Benzema in, which is followed by a cool finish to the far post. But there's something wrong; the assistant referee has raised his flag and the goal doesn't stand.

To anyone who follows the beautiful game, Anelka's move to Chinese Super League club Shanghai Shenhua did not make sense. What is even more interesting is Anelka's recent revelation that he snubbed PSG and a chance to re-unite with former coach Carlo Ancelotti for a little known Chinnese team.

A week away from the blog.
I'd like to explain my absence with exciting tales of derring do. But I can't. The most excitement I got was watching Hibs beat Kilmarnock in the Scottish Cup, nailbiting to the end.
No, I've been away largely because I couldn't be arsed for the last week.

Amazingly enough, Footiebusiness is about to start its 4th year of covering the business of American soccer. It has been a great ride and one that I hope to continue to enjoy and improve. When I started the site, I had no idea how long it would last, whether there was any interest in the business aspects of American soccer or whether anyone would read what I wrote.

By Alan Duffy

"Oi Xavi, stop poncing about, go long... hit the channels, you f*****g girl's blouse"

Never one to hide his light under a bushel, West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has eased Hammers fans fears by reiterating that, despite being linked to the England job (a tiny bit), he is still fully focused on his job at Upton Park.

Without a doubt, the book that Simon Kuper (British author and Financial Times sportswriter) is most famous for is Soccernomics. Soccernomics takes a look at the analytical side of the sport; the statistics, the psychology, and the economics behind why certain trends and results in soccer are the way they are.

The Sunday Ref

Telling the story of 69-year-old referee Francisco López, a man who continues to referee Sunday league games after a life dedicated to football, The Sunday Ref is a short film focusing on López's thoughts with regards to the world he lives in. This world, of course, is influenced by the beautiful game, and he prefers to see it in its purest, most genuine form.

Footballers overcoming adversity to play the beautiful game - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Despite the common trait of footballers being poor role models and lacking integrity, some players and their backgrounds can inspire you. The majority of footballers have an enviable life and everything they could ever imagine on a silver platter, but these combatants have had to overcome adversity to play the beautiful game.

With the Desert Diamond Cup less than two weeks away and representing the Revs first true test against MLS competition, it's time to introduce a feature I'll be running with all season long: The Cyber Manager (name pending, I'm picky). Think of it as along the lines of those old Monday Morning Quarterback themes in football: each week I'll outline what I would do personally with the club, from lineups to subs and tactics.

There has been some very bad news for football over the last week. The fact that Glasgow Rangers have been put into administration, by the club's owner, is an indication of the sorry state the Beautiful Game is in both financially and in terms of management.

This latest occurrence has come about as a result of Her Majesties Revenue and Customs (HMRC) demanding up to £50 million in unpaid taxes and National Insurance contributions due on money paid into Employee Benefit Trusts (EBTs).

(This entry is formulated based on the transcript of the media release issued by X-League, one of the partners of this blog.)
(P.S: The images depicted in this blog entry are provided by X-League.)
Not just futsal, the new facilities include eateries and a supermarket within reachThe Woodlands region, located at the north of Singapore, will see a new futsal league kicks off in the month of March.

Image: mlssoccer.com, George Frey/Getty Images.

Where do you stand on soccer 'noobs', Kickettes?

The reason we ask is that the guys behind IFC's 'Portlandia' comedy show have applied their satirical eye to the subject of over-enthusiastic but hopelessly inexperienced fans, with stars Fred Armison (Saturday Night Live) and Carrie Brownstein (Wild Flag, Sleater Kinney) heading on down to Jeld-Wen Field for the first time, to show some love to the Timbers.

Last year in a 2-part "tactical preview" I suggested that the true shape of a "back four" team is actually a "W", taking into consideration the prevalence of the deep-lying central defensive midfielder, who in many applications has become almost a 3rd center back and revised the famous "libero" role of the past.

Italian giants AC Milan and Juventus played out a controversial 1-1 draw at the San Siro yesterday to maintain their respective positions in the Serie A table. The draw leaves on 51 points one ahead of Juventus who have a game in hand.

Traditionally considered as one of the biggest matches in Italy and Europe, a Milan-Juve fixture is never short of thrilling and entertaining football.