Arsenal and Liverpool target Alexis Sanchez says he does not want to leave Barcelona this summer. The Chilean star signed for the Catalonia side for an initial €26 million from Udinese in 2011, but has since failed to live up to the hype at the La Liga giants. At the time the pacy winger was wanted by Manchester United and Manchester City, and was one of the most wanted players in world football.
Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano has been accused of approving payments for spying on internal club emails during his time at Barcelona. Soriano, Barca's financial vice-president during Joan Laporta's time as president, is being investigated for criminal liability by prosecutors in Catalonia over his involvement in an alleged scheme to monitor staff emails.
A little over a week ago we informed everybody that Bright Dike was called up for the Nigerian national team's training camp ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations. While his position on the team at that point was far from locked in, it was still a great chance for him to, at the very least, get some meaningful training at the international level.
The Catalan elections took place over the weekend and naturally, Barcelona's star players proudly exercised their right to vote. Prior to their trip to Valencia, where they defeated Levante 4-0, the players including Cesc Fabregas, Gerard Pique and Marc Bartra all went to their local polling stations to vote.
Sandro Rosell, the FC Barcelona president, spoke categorically about where Barca would play, if Catalonia won independence today during a meeting with businesspeople at the Vallés Oriental delegation of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce. "If Catalonia were independent one day, Barça would still play in the Spanish league.
Poor Cesc: torn between the love for his adopted family in London and his birth family
in Catalonia, he decided last summer to return to his original home, only to find himself not
fitting in properly there anymore.
Poor Cesc: torn between the love for his adopted family in London and his birth family
in Catalonia, he decided last summer to return to his original home, only to find himself not
fitting in properly there anymore.
This animosity between Real Madrid and Barcelona is getting out of hand. Yesterday I wrote how
Barcelona chief Sandro Rosell said that Ronaldo would not get in the Barcelona first team.
Well today we learn that Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has fired the club's academy youth
director, Alberto Giraldez, for praising former Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola.
By Jordan Brown, who imagines an alternative world for our protagonist.
Andres Iniesta woke to a familiar pounding of his heart and a tense anticipation. It was a
foreboding sense that came from a basic and instinctual part of himself, the same way someone might
know, as they walk back to their just momentarily parked car, that they have just been given a
parking ticket.
Welcome toThe Friday Crackovia Club, your weekly recap of football's
craziest comedy show from Catalonia! Unfortunately, we'll have to wait
till next week to see their hilarious take on the Champions League action (expect sketches of epic
proportions) as the Crackovia crew usually films between Fridays and
Mondays.
Real Madrid are almost within touching distance of the La Liga title after beating Barcelona at
the Nou Camp. Cristiano Ronaldo got the winner in a 2-1 win.
However, are we witnessing the start of a power shift in Spanish football, away from Catalonia
and back to the capital.
Last night, at Stamford Bridge, we somehow managed to defeat Barcelona. Yes, the actual
Barcelona. I find myself at a loss still. You, meanwhile, likely remain abuzz. What a night it
was.
However, with a result of such epic nature comes significant criticism. From all angles. And, as
you well know, when Barcelona, the Holy of Holies, is defeated, an inquisition is held in Catalonia
into how, and why, such a tragedy was allowed to unfold.
TweetLionel Messi scored a superb hat-trick during Barcelona's 5-3 win over Granada on Tuesday
night to become the club's all-time leading goalscorer. Well, it was bound to happen sooner rather
than later and on a warm spring night in the Catalonia skies, the football God's ordained Lionel
Messi into Barcelona history.
Espanyol overturned their heartbreaking 5-1 loss to Real Madrid last weekend and handed it over
to Rayo Vallecano instead yesterday. Yes, just like the Da Silva's
pancakes, Mauricio Pochettino's men flattened their opponents with five goals a hat trick
from Uche and a brace from Pato's own Spanish league twin
Coutinho!
Welcome to the Friday Crackovia Club, amigos! If you still haven't
heard about the best football sketch show from Catalonia (what?!!), click
here. In this week's episode, Florentino Perez builds a statue of Jose
Mourinho outside the Bernabeu to convince him to stay at Real Madrid.
Real Madrid's latest win (4-2 over Levante) gave Jose Mourinho's squad a 10 point lead (and a
comfortable margin of error) over Barcelona in the race for the La Liga title. It would fair to say
that Los Blancos are nearing on the league title after years of dominance by their bitter rivals
from Catalonia.
Welcome to the Friday Crackovia Club, where it's always a party in
here before the weekend! Of course, Crackovia is one of the most craziest football
sketch shows from Catalonia and this week was all about Barcelona's quest
to slow down Madrid using some insane dressing room rituals.
Welcome to the Friday Crackovia Club, the comedy club which welcomes every
single one of you Futbolitinos! Of course, for the newbies, Crackovia is
the best football sketch show from Catalonia (you'd be hard pressed to find a better one).
Real Madrid suffered another home defeat to Barcelona but this time in the first-leg of the Copa
del Rey. The cup loss has not been as painful as the La Liga loss to the bitter rivals from
Catalonia. In both defeats the hosts took the lead early on only for the Catalans to strike back to
achieve precious and morale boosting victories.
Bienvenida a Friday Crackovia Club! This is where the best
football sketch show in Catalonia gets its own personal space simply because you need to be
reminded of how brilliant it is. This week, Cristiano Ronaldo gets all emotional
at a press conference, where he later breaks into a song (channeling Sade, one of his favourite
singers, perhaps?
Bienvenidaaaaa! We know it's Monday and you're probably still nursing
that hangover from last Saturday but Gracias a Dios for football because
Villarreal held Valencia to a 2-2 draw last night and we
know the town folks are celebrating!
It's the first weekend of November, and Friday has come rollin'! Time for you to get a
dose of the best sketch comedy show in Barcelona...Crackovia! Pau
Escribano and his team of producers and actors have done it again this week, with
Pep Guardiola (seen above) getting annoyed at the trio of Puyol, Pique and
Fabregas (the 'moc moc' clan) for their Twitter addiction in the dressing
room.
Welcome to the Friday Crackovia Club, where we profile the
best football sketch comedy show from Catalonia (and the
whole of Spain, for that matter!) As it's Halloween weekend and you're
ALL dressing up as Carlos Tevez in a bullfighting matador
outfit tomorrow, this won't take much of your time!
Every Wednesday, we round up the offbeat stories making their rounds in the football world. Today,
read about Puyol's girlfriend,
Don't worry folks, you didn't miss out on Malena Costa and Puyol's wedding of
the century (collective eye-rolls, we see!) she's wearing a wedding dress in that fofo car
to celebrate her 'Queen of Cava 2011' title in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia,
Barcelona.
Even after Aleandre Pato'o "saw a gap and ran at it" (great quote sometimes football's just a
simple game), the Champions League opening night provided no further letdown, only building with
steam across the continent. Late drama was seemingly a common thread, both in Catalonia and
Germany.
Catalonia vs Nigeria 2013 Friendly Highlights 1-1 Sergio Gonzalez penalty Bright Dike Goal Video is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter
Catalonia vs Nigeria 2013 Friendly Highlights 1-1 Sergio Gonzalez penalty Bright Dike Goal Video is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter Catalonia vs Nigeria 2013 ( Catalunya Super Eagles VIDEO BELOW) Final score and result:- Catalonia vs Nigeria 1-1 ( Sergio Gonzalez pen/ Bright Dike) Estadio Cornella-El Prat, Espanyol- January 2, [.
It may have been an unofficial friendly, but Nigeria started 2013 with a 1-1 draw against Catalonia thanks to a goal from Portland Timbers forward Bright Dike.
Dike netted the equalizer against a Catalonia side that included Barcelona players Carles Puyol, Gerard Pique, Xavi and Sergio Busquets on Wednesday, racing to a pass played in behind the defense before executing a nifty cutback and firing it in off the near post in the second half of the match.
While the recently growing calls for Catalan independence have led to a number of very tricky questions for politicians at local, national and European levels to ponder, they have - more importantly of course - also caused football fans to scratch their heads and wonder about the possibles issues that would arise.
Tonight marks "Un día histórico" for Spain, who became the first team
in history to successfully defend their Euro 2012 title. Their 4-0 victory defied expectations and
predictions as the Italians found themselves struggling to come up with an answer to David
Silva and Jordi Alba's first-half goals.
Jose Mourinho has achieved something no other manager ever has: winning titles in three of the
top leagues (four if you include Portugal) in Europe. He won La Liga last season with current club
Real Madrid, he won Serie A twice with Inter, the Premier League twice with Chelsea and the
Portuguese Liga twice with Porto.
Robin van Persie is the son of a sculptor and a painter and his inherited creative genius shines
through on the football pitch. Beginning his career at Excelsior Rotterdam, he moved on to
Feyenoord and earned caps for the Dutch u19 and u21 teams.
Robin always dreamed of playing for his hometown club and then moving on to Arsenal or a small
club in Catalonia to further his career.
This may be about to become the shortest-lived feature in Pies history, but Christmas is
crowning over the horizion (six weeks folks) and naturally our thoughts have started turning toward
our nearest and dearest.
Indeed, what better way to show Granny Ethel that you love her than by watching her eyes light
up on Christmas morning as she unwraps a bespoke gift sent with love from you to her maybe a small
ceramic figurine of Sergio Ramos curling one off with his shorts around his ankles perhaps?
Behold this 'caganer' ceramic figurine of Madrid's Sergio Ramos, a traditional Catalan Christmas
tradition which dates back to the 18th century symbolising "fertilisation, hope and prosperity" for
the coming year! / via AFP Photos
Welcome to the Friday Crackovia Club, a weekly cap on Catalonia's Best Comedy
Football Show. If you haven't heard of these guys yet, be very ashamed because they're in
a class of their own! This week, the Madrid players are a little 'loony' from playing their early
noon fixture against Osusuna with Sergio Ramos still munching on his oily (but
delicious!
The fight for Catalonian independence may have taken a serious blow this week as the Catalonia Football Federation revealed a brand-new strip which is, well... just look at it.
The new shirts — designed by renowned designer of fashionable things Custo Dalmau — are said to be inspired by the fire of the dragon that was slain by Saint George, the patron saint of Catalonia.
Regulars in the Spanish Segunda División since 2009, Girona Futbol Club, S.A.D. is a Spanish soccer team based in Girona, in the autonomous community of Catalonia. Founded in 1930, the...
The Bars of Aragon, part of the Catalonian flag will feature in the 2013-14 kit
Two days ago, a million and a half Catalonians demonstrated in Barcelona in an unmistakably fervent call for independence from Spain. The president of Barcelona, Sandro Rosell attended that demonstration with his family as a private citizen, not representing the club.
Didier Drogba emerged from the confines of his tent to the thrum of a busy camp. All around him
the army of Chelsea were preparing for war. Infantrymen were rushing to formation, their tall pikes
bobbing rhythmically as they ran. Plated warhorses stomped and bit at paiges checking the readiness
of mounts, bowmen were fitting their strings and chatting nervously in small circles while the
sounds of grinding steel poured from the row of armorers keening the edges of hundreds.
So we lost. 6-1. To City. In a week that brought us the catastrophic news of Westlife splitting
up, it had me wondering what about now? Could this really be City's season in the sun?
It's always a mini-trauma to lose heavily to a bitter rival, and we all have our own personal
coping mechanisms.
