06.02.2012 - Recién liberada del yugo inglés en 1947, India tiene al cricket como deporte nacional y al hóckey y luego al voley como juegos multitudinarios, entre religiones, idiomas y vacas sagradas. El fútbol en India estuvo y está muy lejos de aquellas popularidades soñadas por los empresarios e "inversores".

Like an outdated fantasy league auction, the new Premier League Soccer featuring six teams based in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal bid for the rights to sign several "icon" players." Hernan Crespo, who scored nine goals for Parma last season, drew the highest bid and went for $840,000 (£536,000) at the sprightly age of 36.

The new tournament in India had its auction today. A quick refresher for those who allow quirky short-term tournament formats to slip from the back of their minds (shame): five teams, each team bids for a leading "icon", along with two foreigners and a manager, with a wage budget of $2.5m. (How much is being ballparked for the icons 30-40%?

Fabio Cannavaro. Sought after wherever he goes, apparently. Here, he's attracting a bit of interest from local kids in Phnom Penh on January 9th. Image: STR/AFP/Getty Images.

We're not going to get wrapped in the complexities of the newly founded Premier League Soccer tournament in India for two reasons.

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.

With Martin Luther King's legacy being commemorated across the country, it's an eye-opening shame that blatant forms of racism still exist around the world, specifically in the soccer forum.

Over the weekend, U.S. midfielder Maurice Edu and Rangers teammate Kyle Bartley were the subject of racial abuse via Twitter, an incident that resulted in the arrest of a 41-year-old man who was due to appear in a Scottish court on Monday.

The practice of veteran stars seeing out their careers in lesser leagues isn't exactly new, nor is it rare. The Middle East has been using oil-soaked checks to lure eager foreigners for years. And yet, this weekend might just take the cake for odd locations and trail-blazing new football landscapes.

Indians will see Roberto Pires in action next month

Instant cricket, the 20/20 version has found a home in India's Premier league, one of the world's most lucrative sporting brands, till corruption eroded its worth. The success of the IPL is inspiring a new soccer league in India which will see the likes of Roberto Pires, Fabio Cannavaro, Juan Pablo Sorin, and others participating in a soccer competition styled on the IPL format.

Last year the Indian Football Association announced it would be launching Premier League Soccer in early 2012, with six franchises. The franchises are located in Kolkata, Howrah, Asansol, Midnapore, and Siliguri. When the league was announced, IFA also stated that each team would have one icon player and a maximum of three overseas players and one overseas player from Asia.

by Adam Bate

The impending arrival of Carlos Tevez could well end any hopes Filippo Inzaghi had of winning back his place in the AC Milan Champions League squad let alone the first team. Unless Super Pippo can prove people wrong one more time, the 38-year-old poacher will have to seek a new home before the transfer window closes.

2010 -11 Recap A mid-table finish last term does not tell the whole story of a nerve wracking campaign for I Ducali which saw them flirt with relegation right up until the closing few weeks of the season. A change at the helm in early April, which saw former Bologna tactician Franco Colomba substitute Pasquale Marino in the Ennio Tardini hot-seat, proved a season saving move by larger than life.

There has been a recent large outlay of money for home grown players between English Clubs. In many peoples view the money exchanged for certain players has been described as ‘excessive'. Names including James Milner, Andy Carroll, Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson have all crossed the £20 million plus threshold.

Alex Livesey/Getty Images (Bleacher Report) Lionel Messi has stolen the Champion's League spotlight this year as he leads the competition with 11 goals as Pep Guardiola's Barcelona team heads into the final against Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson.
Messi's two goals against archrival Real Madrid in the first leg of their eventual triumph were what allowed the Blaugrana to advance, and he will be keen to continue his success this year and hopefully help his side raise the Champions League Trophy once more.

It may not seem so now, but Parma was once a major protagonist in Italian football. After financial turmoil and relegation a short few years ago, it may seem that the club is a far cry from the likes of Inter and Milan, but the truth is quite the opposite. As recently as 2002 the side won the Coppa Italia as well as the UEFA Cup: two competitions in which Parma were regulars in between the late.

Claudio Ranieri talking to the Official Chelsea Website, remembers being called "The Tinkerman" and talks of how now more than ever, it has become more and more apparent in football.
He said:

'In Italy we are used to moving tactically and change system in every match, Do you remember?

Liverpool have officially announced an agreement with Andy Carrol for £35m (€41m) plus bonuses. Deep breath.

To put this in perspective, he's now the 18th most expensive outlay in the history of football, just between Ballon d'Or winner Pavel Nedved and World Cup winner David Villa. That's a good place for Carroll's 14 top-flight goals, solitary international cap and the big bread winner, his English birth certificate.

Juventus vs Parma Stadio Olimpico, Turin- January 6, 2011- Thursday Final score :- Juventus 1-4 Parma ( Nicola Legrottaglie/Sebastian Giovinco*2, Hernan Crespo, Rafael Palladino) Sebastian Giovinco scored a brace against his former club as Juventus were thrashed 4-1 by Parma in their first Serie A game of 2011.