Rio eats grass After the handshake controversy, Manchester United captain Patrice Evra made it his ambition to plant one on Luis Suarez within the first minute of this afternoon's match. But he missed and it was team-mate Rio Ferdinand who felt the brunt of his challenge instead, leading to this spectacular faceplant.

After the usual pre season controversy and dilly dallying the SLeague finally got under way last night with a couple of games. Hougang United drew 1-1 with Tanjong Pagar at Hougang Stadium. Jordan Webb gave the home team the lead but Takaya Kawanabe pulled the Jaguars level a few minutes later. Just over 400 fans bothered turning up for the season opener.

Controversy is seemingly never far away when it comes to Liverpool striker Luis Suarez, and during the recent Spurs game, he was booked for a dangerous kick on Scott Parker. After the game, Man United thug Wayne Rooted tweeted that Suarez should've been sent off, and I'm sure there are people out there that share that view.

1. OTP proposes that to avoid the controversy and time delays of getting a couple of penalties every week, Manchester United should start all matches with a two-goal headstart. 2. Feed the Ox and he will score. 3. Aston Villa will be looking at the fixture list this morning and hoping that they having got [.

Though Chelsea ended a sloppy first half against Manchester United with a 1-0 off an Jonny Evans own goal, they did suffer an embarrassment of their own and it had nothing to do with Fernando Torres for once (maybe)!

In a pitchside ad for their own official website's megastore, the web address was spelled "chelsefc.

Match Report Video By the numbers

I think we can safely say this morning that's just what the doctor ordered.

Three points, a good performance, and a day which brought no controversy, animosity, angst or worry. For a moment it looked a bit shaky, when Pedersen equalised with Blackburn's first attempt on target, but instead of setting us back it sparked us back into life and withing a couple of minutes we were two goals to the good.

Over the years in the world of sport, there have been stories abound concerning the ways in which players and coaches have found themselves embroiled in controversy surrounding tax payments, with certain individuals keen to pay as little tax as possible, but one strange factor about all of these stories is the reason behind the tax evasion; for people who earn so much money, why would they risk getting into serious trouble with the tax authorities?

SPANISH FOOTBALL tonight with the 1º leg semi-final match of the SPANISH CUP ( Copa del Rey ) between VALENCIA CF & FC BARCELONA. Here is a brief summary of the main events, the scorers & the final result. Pinto touches ball outside the box VALENCIA CF finished the match with a 1 - 1 draw against FC BARCELONA.

It wasn't pretty. Hell, it was downright hideous. But it's a win, one that puts us in the fifth-round draw. Hey, that's good enough for this guy.

A united front

I guess we should have expected this. All the hype, all the controversy it simply overstated what was bound to be on display at Loftus Road on Saturday.

Both Chelsea and QPR decided there would be no customary handshake before the game as John Terry and Anton Ferdinand met for the first time since their controversial racism scandal when last they met. And there was more controversy as referee Mike Dean gave Chelsea a 62nd minute penalty after England striker Daniel Sturridge dived in the area, fooling the official into thinking QPR defender Clint Hill fouled the Chelsea cheat.

By Alan Duffy

Having found himself in the middle of the Andrei Arshavin/Arsene Wenger booing controversy at the Emirates at the the weekend, teenage winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has apparently now played himself into Fabio Capello's plans for the Euro 2012 finals.

By Chris Wright

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

Remember on Sunday afternoon? Against Manchester United? When Robin van Persie mouthed the words 'oh no' as Arsenal's most enterprising attacking threat was substituted off for Andrey Arshavin? Apparently that was a thing.

Usually, after a defeat like the one we experienced against United, and one in which the main talking point wasn't the football itself, there's a tendency for the club to go into lock-down mode.

Not this time though. We've got a reaction from various players to what's gone on, not least of which is Robin van Persie's exclusive in The Sun (why there and not the official site?

The Philadelphia Union have tried to stay away from off-the-field controversy since the franchise was created, but a soon-to-be new signing will prevent the club from keeping its completely family friendly facade.

Lionardo Pajoy was revealed to be the Union's next acquisition today, when Kerith Gabriel wrote that a source informed him of the Colombian striker's move to Philadelphia.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyGKr2S3J4k&feature=player_detailpage You simply can't keep that man out of the news. And whilst Balotelli's principal effect in Manchester City's game against Spurs was to gain and score the injury time winner from the penalty spot, Super Mario gained some of the controversy that seems to follow him around.

Former QPR manager Neil Warnock and current QPR thug Joey Barton are involved in an ongoing war of words at the moment, with Barton yesterday labelling his former manager 'embarrassing'. Never one to shy away from controversy, Liverpool legend Mark Lawrenson has now stuck his oar in given his view on the situation.

They scored, they scored again...and they scored again. In the opening game of the 2012 Olympic qualifying tournament, the United States women showed no mercy, completely showing up the Dominican Republic. The star of the night was Amy Rodriguez who despite not coming into the game until the second half, managed to score five goals, tying the tournament record.

Video- Pepe stamps on Messi hand Copa del Rey Barca Madrid Pepe Messi stamp 2012 January is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

Video- Pepe stamps on Messi hand Copa del Rey Barca Madrid Pepe Messi stamp 2012 January is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter ( Pepe Messi stamp Copa del Rey video Below) El Clasicos are never short of controversy.

Photo: Paul Rudderow

With the SuperDraft behind us, thoughts now turn to the nitty-gritty of the 2012 Union season. Naturally, questions arise. Over a two-part series we pose ten questions to our Union beat reporter, Eli Pearlman-Storch, which began with a look formation, roster depth and leadership roles within the starting XI in Part 1.

Amid all the controversy that, at least for the blue half of Manchester, surrounded Sunday's FA Cup fixture, one might be forgiven for almost forgetting something that transcended the meanings of those 90 minutes – Paul Scholes is back. Following his retirement in May, the United legend announced his comeback to help the club in [.

The FA will not be taking any action against Glen Johnson for his challenge on Joleon Lescott in the first leg of Wednesday night's League Cup semi-final.
After all the controversy that surrounded Vincent Kompany's red card against Manchester United for a two-footed tackle on Nani in the FA Cup third round last weekend, there have been calls for Johnson to face severe punishment.

Click here to become part of the definitive history of Woolwich Arsenal FC

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By Ref Reviewer 03

For the game between Manchester United and Wigan we had ref Phil Dowd. Any controversy to report about this game?

Min Type Foul from On C/NC Comment points [.

szólj hozzá: City v Liverpool 0:1 EXTENDED

Have at the 20 minutes highlights before it is taken down. Stefan Savic brings down Daniel Agger and Steven Gerrard converts the PK in the 12th minute. Liverpool were much the better team for large parts of the match in the first half. In the second they played good hard defensive ball to deny City at the Etihad.

Telegraph: Luis Suarez wants to repay Liverpool with silverware and Champions League place following racism controversy

Liverpool striker reveals desire to win trophy and Champions League spot when he returns from racism ban.

View the full story here: The Telegraph

A news article on 2012-01-11 10:04:02 from: The Telegraph

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

Goal: Liverpool chief executive Ian Ayre calls on club to work with Manchester United to ensure FA Cup match will be 'a great day'

Following further controversy on Friday night, the Anfield boss is after an amicable showing and has reiterated the importance of taking a tough stance on racism

View the full story here: Goal

A news article on 2012-01-10 08:18:00 from: Goal

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

Goal: Liverpool chief executive Ian Ayre calls on club to work with Manchester United to ensure FA Cup match will be 'a great day'

Following further controversy on Friday night, the Anfield boss is after an amicable showing and has reiterated the importance of taking a tough stance on racism

View the full story here: Goal

A news article on 2012-01-10 08:18:00 from: Goal

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

The latest from the Carlos Tevez transfer saga reveals that the striker has reached an agreement with Italian giants AC Milan. According to Milan Vice President Adriano Galliani, an agreement between Tevez, City and Milan has already been reached.

Of course this only creates more controversy as Milan's city rivals Inter are also thought to be still interested in Tevez despite Milan's arrangement.

Telegraph: Football Association to hold peace talks with Liverpool and Manchester United ahead of FA Cup clash

North-West giants will be urged not to inflame tempers ahead of FA Cup clash in the wake of the Luis Suárez-Patrice Evra controversy.

View the full story here: The Telegraph

A news article on 2012-01-10 06:00:02 from: The Telegraph

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

By Chris Wright

With charges, arrests and general controversy beginning to stack up, we are once again indebted to Taiwan-based media group NMA who filter out all the bull plop and present us with nothing but the clear facts using their trademark subtle blend of retina-searing imagery, dizzying overly-literal metaphors and featherlight grip on the actual incidents being discussed.

Manchester United's luck seems to switch around in the Derby as they get their revenge over Manchester City with a 3-2 victory in the third round of FA Cup with Wayne Rooney bagging two goals.

The Red Devils victory was however filled with a little bit of controversy as Man City were forced to play for pretty much the whole match with 10 men after Vincent Kompany received a pretty harsh straight red card.

1. Poor refereeing – the gift that keeps on giving.

Those that have been watching long enough will argue if Kompany's tackle was really worth the red card. A few years ago, it would have been a brilliant tackle but now considered a foul, but honestly to fans on both sides, was it really worth a red card?

At the end of the week in which Liverpool attempted to draw a line under the Luis Suarez controversy, the club found itself at the centre of a new allegation of racism last night. Oldham player Tom Adeyemi was pictured crying on the pitch during his side's FA Cup third round tie at Anfield, reportedly [.

Liverpool are now concentrating their efforts on financing a new stadium in Stanley Park, where they have planning permission, rather than redevelop Anfield.
American owners Fenway Sports Group had been keen to renovate the current ground like they did at their baseball franchise, the Boston Red Sox.

This weekend the English Premier League takes a break as the oldest federation competition in the world takes centre stage. The FA Cup never fails to deliver excitement and controversy as well as the frequent ‘giant killings'. As the FA Cup Third Round kicks off this weekend we take a look at Umbro's new Hi Vis Neo Pro ball.

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish hopes his team's football will do the talking against Oldham in the FA Cup on Friday night after a week in which the club's off-field actions have made the headlines.
The Reds decided not to appeal Luis Suarez's eight-match ban for racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra earlier this week but have faced criticism over the way they have handled the whole controversy.

Mirror: Why Liverpool owners' silence during racism row suggests they might not be here for the long haul

So many questions, so few answers. The Suarez affair or debacle, to apply a more appropriate description has raised such serious issues, yet few people seem prepared to address them.

While so much controversy has been swirling around Liverpool off the pitch, very few in the British media have directed criticism at Kenny Dalglish for the events on the pitch. He has signed two extremely disappointing, not to mention expensive,...
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Suarez bans himself from saying "negro" on English pitches Liverpool have gone some way towards repairing the damage done by their mismanagement of the Luis Suarez racism controversy after their star striker issued an apology. Only yesterday, manager Kenny Dalglish was sticking to his guns as the club continued to claim they were being victimised [.

Luis Suarez advert lands Paddy Power in bother

Luis Suarez has been caught up in more controversy after bookmaker Paddy Power landed in hot water for using the Liverpool striker in an advert.

View the full story here: The Mail

A news article on 2012-01-04 13:12:39 from: The Mail

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

This is a phrase describing the persuasive power of numbers, particularly the use of statistics to bolster weak arguments.

It is also sometimes colloquially used to cast doubt upon statistics used to prove an opponent's point.

The term was popularised in the United States by Mark Twain who attributed it to the 19th-century British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881):

"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.