Actually Japan is leading the charge against vuvuzelas leading into the World Cup.
Won't amount to much I'm sure.
But maybe it would if more join the charge!
To the links:Liverpool Daily Post]
Fergie says City is top four material. [ESPN]FIFA warns Iraq to separate gov't/soccer. Click to continue reading...

This is what an allergy to water would look like, I presume. This is how years of therapy start. (Water Cooler Offside) The mathematics of a statistic. (Uli Hesse) The truthiness behind Lampard's plane injury. (Studs Up) Samuel Eto'o dishes out some expensive watches for his Cameroonian teammates. (The Spoiler) FIFA wages war against Iraq. Click to continue reading...

There are two international friendlies on Sunday, November 15, 2009 which included Iraq v Azerbaijan and United Arab Emirates v Czech Republic. None of these teams have qualified for the 2010 World Cup. The matches will be covered live at our other sites, Free Live Sports TV, at the links below.

Iraq v Azerbaijan LIVE International Friendly Sunday, November 15, 2009 12:45 GMT, 07:45 EST

United Arab Emirates v Czech Republic LIVE International Friendly Sunday, November 15, 2009 15:30 GMT, 10:30 EST

Click to continue reading...

Jogaram em Beirute, no Estádio Municipal da capital do Líbano, as seleções do Líbano (145º no ranking da FIFA) e a seleção da China (102º no ranking da FIFA).
Antes desse jogo, as 2 seleções jogaram (todos amistosos):
2008
Zhongshan
20/01/2008
CHN
0:0
LIB
2004
Chongqing
03/07/2004
CHN
6:0 (1:0)
LIB
1998
Surat Thaoi
30/11/1998
CHN
4:1 (2:0)
LIB
First round
O quarteto de arbitragem foi assim definido:
Árbitro: ALI HAMAD MADHAD SAIF ALBADWAWI (UNITED ARAB EMIRATES)
Primeiro Assistente: GHULOUM EISA MOHAMED DARWISH GHULOUM (UNITED ARAB EMIRATES)
Segundo Assistente: SALEH MOHAMED ABDULLA HASAN AL MARZOUQI (UNITED ARAB EMIRATES)
Quarto Árbitro: HAITHAM MOHAMMED ALI AL-TAMEEMI (IRAQ)
Aos 44 minutos do primeiro tempo, YU HAI fez o gol da China. Click to continue reading...

I do not normally comment on non-soccer related items on this blog. While I have mentioned good causes to support in the past, they have all been soccer related somehow. This is a little different, no soccer involved but something I am supporting.There is a group known as Soldier's Angels. They help the wounded who arrive in Germany and the States from Iraq and Afghanistan. Click to continue reading...

Remember a few years ago how everyone --myself included-- was all OMFG when "How Soccer Explains The World Came Out"? I was all tits-over-tail about and then my man Tom Fina, The Angriest Man in Metroland™, hit me with the heat one night that "Frank Foer is just Kuper light".
Intrigued, I had to find out who this Simon Kuper was so I read his engrossing "Soccer Against the Enemy" and found myself swiftly agreeing with Fina. Click to continue reading...

Bafana's Brazilian coach, Joel Santana, is out of a job. Pallid performances and pitiful results sunk the former Flamengo coach. "In the bigger picture and the interest of the country," said Mandla Mazibuko, SAFA vice-president, "he [Santana] realized while he was doing his best, his best was not good enough.

Click to continue reading...

Some good food for thought as we start the week.
Tom Englelhart asks an important question this week in his excellent article "Is America Hooked On War?"
And lest you think this is a jab at either major party, you'll find that Engelhart finds this addiction started long before Bush and seems to have broad approval by both parties. Click to continue reading...

Iraq Goals (webplayer)

LiveSport1 (Sopcast)

Shanghai Sports (Sopcast)

ATDHE (webplayer)

To use the Sopcast links you must download the player.

Posted in Streams Click to continue reading...

The Nehru Cup (International Football Tournament) is a tournament organized by the All India Football Federation. It was launched in 1982, but was not held between 1998 and 2007. After the trophy was won by the Iraq in 1997, it was reinstated only in 2007.
India -whose current FIFA ranking is 156 beat Syria who are ranked 95.

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Persisam Samarinda, nicknamed the Borneo Eagles, have expressed an interest in Chonburi's international keeper Kosin Hathairattanakool.
The newly promoted side already have former Persita keeper Wawan Darmawan plus a couple of others but coach Aji Santoso is keen to bring in one more.
I would humbly suggest however Persisam do some homework about Thailand. Click to continue reading...

Seven Offside and WCB posts you might have missed this week: A very early bath in Brazil Iraq finally gets a proper home game Your European football kickoff calendar How can you be in CONCACAF but not FIFA? Toronto fans to go thirsty Emmanuel Adenbayor and The BeautIful South Like father, like son Click to continue reading...

Obama met with Sigi, Ezra and the rest of the MLS champion Columbus Crew of '08 the other day.

In case you missed it, Fernando Torres introduced his newborn to the media too.

A cool story involving Charlize Theron and her work to help build soccer fields in Africa.

Click to continue reading...

Iraq beat Palestine 4 - 0 in the first game they were able to play at home after 6 long years of relentless strife.Iraq last played a home game on 22 July 2002, when they beat Syria 2-1 in Baghdad.In a symbolic celebration of this return of the game from exile,scores of white doves were released shortly before the kick off.

Click to continue reading...

Something to read after you peruse Emmanuel Adebayor's Michael-Owen-style brochure... Full thing available in PDF format at Arseblog. Marketing Gooch, Milan style (Studs Up) Homeless World Cup filmmaker competition (The Bit Bucket) Six things Newcastle United need to do (Newcastle Offside) Iraq playing at home for first time since 2002 (AP) Getting ready for Robocup 2009 (Oddity Central) Mehdi Mahdavikia's goodbye (Revolutionary [. Click to continue reading...

And now we come to the two teams I saw the least of in this tournament. (It was a scheduling issue, not deliberate avoidance!)
New Zealand. You know, as a sometime-supporter of the US team and an always-supporter of the Portland Timbers, I have an inkling of what it felt like to be a New Zealand fan in this tournament. Click to continue reading...

As the 2009 Confederations Cup enters it's final stages, here's a look at some of the best football photography from the action in South Africa with our Just-Football Photo, Shoot special. First up:... Click to continue reading...

�

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � Photo by ISIPhotos.com

Beat Spain.

Two words, one seemingly impossible task. Not just for the U.S. national team, which faces the European champions on Wednesday, but seemingly for any team these days.

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PRETORIA, SUDÁFRICA
Originally uploaded by Diario El TIEMPO
Dos partidos con marcadores iguales este domingo y una sorpresa mayúscula: el campeón del mundo Italia fuera . Estados Unidos se reivindica y pasa a la siguiente ronda.
Brasil 3 -0 Italia ( Copa Confederaciones Junio 21, 2009)
Luis Fabiano con dos goles fue la figura, a pesar de que Robinho jugo de manera deslucida acerco para que el defensa italiano anotara un auto gol para el tercero. Click to continue reading...

Group A
Spain 2 South Africa 0
Mangaung/Bloemfontein
Hosts South Africa needed a draw against Spain last night to progress to the semi-finals, but in the end even that wasn't necessary. With Iraq and New Zealand playing out a goalless draw at the same time in Johannesburg, South Africa could afford their defeat at the hands of the European champions. Click to continue reading...

I just read a very interesting article in the Danish newspaper Weekendavisen, by Asker Hedegaard Boye, on Iraqi football. This is exactly interesting as the Iraqi national team has now been participating in the Confederations Cup in South Africa as Asian champions.The development of Iraqi football has been quite extraordinary in the face of the problems that the country has faced: in the 1980s Click to continue reading...

Group A of the Confederation's Cup has concluded it's games leaving it's first 2 victims in Iraq and New Zealand.� Hosts South African advance and so does the record breaking Spanish team (now with 15 straight wins). The final standing like this for Group A Confederations Cup: FIFA Confederations Cup - Groups & Standings Group A Table [. Click to continue reading...

2008

June 26: Euro 2008 semi-final

Spain 3 Russia 0

June 29: Euro 2008 final

Spain 1 Germany 0

Aug 20: Friendly

Denmark 0 Spain 3

Sept 6: World Cup qualifier

Spain 1 Bosnia 0

Sept 10: World Cup qualifier

Spain 4 Armenia 0

Oct 11: World Cup qualifier

Estonia 0 Spain 3

Oct 15: World Cup qualifier

Belgium 1 Spain 2

Nov 19: Friendly

Spain 3 Chile 0

2009

Feb 11:Friendly

Spain 2 England 0

March 28: World Cup qualifier

Spain 1 Turkey 0

April 1: World Cup qualifier

Turkey 1 Spain 2

June 9: Friendly

Azerbaijan 0 Spain 6

June 14: Confederations Cup

Spain 5 New Zealand 0

June 17: Confederations Cup

Spain 1 Iraq 0

June 20: Confederations Cup

South Africa 0 Spain 2

Note: Spain surpassed the record held by Australia (1996-1997), Brazil (1997) and France (2003-2004)

Click to continue reading...

(Iraq-N. Zelanda 0-0)
IRAQ (4-4-2) - K. Mohammed; Mohammed Ali, Basem, Ali Hussein, Salam, Basem; Mahdi (67' Salih), Nashat, Hawar (46' M. Fareed), Karrar; Imad (56' A. Alaa), Younus. Ct: Bora Milutinovic.
NUOVA ZELANDA (4-1-3-2) - Moss; Scott (85' Mulligan), Sigmund (71' Boyens), Vicelich, Lochhead; Elliott; Brockie (68' Christie), Brown, Bertos; Killen, Smeltz. Click to continue reading...

(Spagna-Sudafrica 2-0)
SPAGNA (4-3-1-2) - Reina; Puyol, Piqué, Raul Albiol, Arbeloa; Fabregas, Sergio, Riera (dall'81' Cazorla); Xavi; Torres (60' Llorente), Villa (60' Pablo). Ct: Vicente Del Bosque.
SUDAFRICA (4-2-3-1) - Khune; Gaxa, Mokoena, Booth, Masilela; Mhlongo, Sibaya (83' Mashego); Pienaar, Dikgakoi, Modise; Parker (93' Tshabalala). Click to continue reading...

Tonight's games from the Confederations Cup wrapped up Group A, as Spain took on hosts South Africa and Iraq took on New Zealand.
Goals from David Villa and Fernando Llorente gave European Champions Spain a record 15th victory over Confederation Cup hosts South Africa.
It did not bode well for the Spaniards, when Villa missed a second half penalty, but recovered his composure a minute later, angling a shot past Itumeleng Khune and celebrating by kicking the hell out of a corner flag. Click to continue reading...

Today was a great day for South Africans in Confederations Cup. Despite the 2-0 loss to Spain, the team from Joel Santana has qualified to the semi-finals and should face Brazil (give they end first in their group after tomorrow's match against Italy).

After a scoreless tie, New Zealand and Iraq are out of the competition.

Click to continue reading...

It was the last day of group matches in Group A as Spain took on � South Africa and Iraq faced New Zealand. Spain had already clinched their semifinal spot but the 2nd spot was up for grabs. Here's a recap of both matches along with links to video highlights for both matches.

Spain defeats South Africa 2-0 - Video Highlights - Spain had most of the possession and scoring chances against South Africa but couldn't take the lead until early in the second half.

Click to continue reading...

Confederations Cup at 2:30pm: Spain - South Africa on ESPN2 and Iraq - New Zealand on TeleFutura. MLS on ESPN2: San Jose - Los Angeles at 4:30pm. SuperLiga on TeleFutura: Chicago - San Luis at 8pm and Chivas USA - Tigres at 10pm. Brasileirao on GolTV: Atletico Paranaense - Palmeiras at 3pm. Click to continue reading...

Bora Milutinovic - Iraq National Team - Confederations Cup South Africa
Originally uploaded by nicholas macgowan Hace unas horas la directiva de Irak ha dicho que desea mantener a como de lugar al entrenador serbio , casi casi ciudadano mexicano Bora Milutinovic. (en la foto aparece en el vestuario de Iraq)
El director técnico trota mundos, el histórico y eterno entrenador que aparece en todas las competiciones importantes del orbe organizadas por FIFA. Click to continue reading...

059-football in jo burg
Originally uploaded by most uncool Esta imagen muestra el furor de la Copa del mundo característica de los 365 días antes del mundial de futbol, este edificio de Johanesburgo esta listo para recibir el futbol.
El futbol ya llego a tierras africanas y se que todos ustedes están esperando los resultados de la Copa Confederaciones, así que aquí están los que llevamos hasta el momento. Click to continue reading...

I was at Qwest Field the other day taking in a glorious Sounders FC game and it was hard not to miss the Seahawks a little bit.
29,000 fans is good, but 66,000 is so much better.
In case you're in that boat, and have a love for the other football as well, I wanted to give you a venue to bet on NFL football. Click to continue reading...

Saturday's matches kick off at 2:30pm EDT with the Spain and South Africa clash (ESPN2) a wee bit more enticing than Iraq/New Zealand (so sorry - no U.S. TV). On Sunday it's the big Brazil/Italy match (ESPN) along with the United States/Egypt (ESPN2). Those are at 2:30pm EDT as well, with coverage of Brazil/Italy beginning at 2pm. Click to continue reading...

Persisam are rapidly turning into the Manchester City of Indonesia. Flush with cash they are busy linking themselves with anyone and everyone.
This story links them with Thai pair Datsakorn and Teerasil even quoting one club official as suggesting paying Teerasil an unprecedented 500,000 USD a year. Click to continue reading...

I don't want to use any cheesy war jokes but I find Iraq such an interesting nation, no one can knock their fighting spirit. You know how America has been bombing the shit out of them for the past 7 years but still can't win? Well we did Click to continue reading...