Categoría: noticias sobre Fútbol

From Carlos Gardel and Eva Peron to Maradona and Lionel Messi

«He (Lionel Messi) is the best player in the world by some distance», Arsne Wenger, the coach of the F.C. Arsenal, has proclaimed of the five-foot-eight-inch tall, Argentine-born football star, «He’s (like) a PlayStation. He can take advantage of every mistake we make».

As elsewhere in Latin America, much of Argentina’s sporting history has been dominated by football — known simply as soccer in the States– since the 1920s. After Argentina’s military strongman Jorge Rafael Videla Redondo, a hated tyrant, declared top priority to win the FIFA Global Cup in the late 1970s, the nation’s footballers invaded the world with a host of global awards and trophies. On June 25, 1978, Mario Kempes and his fellow players lifted the winner’s Cup on home soil upon scoring an overwhelming win against a Peruvian team led by an Argentine-born goalkeeper (6-0) in the semis. Within a year, in Japan’s capital city of Tokyo, the South American contingent,spearheaded by Diego Armando Maradona, was regarded as the best junior team on the Planet at the expense of the former Soviet Union/USSR. Shortly thereafter, Argentina was one of the «huge favorites» in the men’s football tournament prior to joining the U.S.-led boycott of the 1980 Moscow Games. Three years on, its national side came close to winning the IV Junior Global Championship.

On June 29, 1986, Los Celestes, as the national squad is known around the globe, placed first in the FIFA Cup in the United Mexican States; One of the most memorable matches ever seen in World Cup history was played there as Argentina beat England–Maradona and his team-mates tried to win on the field what their countrymen had lost in the 1982 Anglo-Argentine Falklands War. Already, in 1990, once again Maradona put Argentina in the final of the FIFA Cup on Italian soil. In the space of six years, from 1995 through 2005, the national contingent was four-time winner of the Under-20 World tournament. It was around this time that name Messi appeared on the scene.

Argentine-born Messi,who is dubbed » the Flea», is a strong and powerful forward who plays both in FC Barcelona (since 2003) and Argentina’s national squad (2006).Curiously, he has spent his entire career in Spanish club (nearly 10 years), working in a variety of teams (Under-15, U-17, U-19, as well as other squads). Messi has become almost indispensable to his club (known popularly as «Barca»)-he is the backbone of Barcelona’s 4-3-3 formation. Nevertheless, he loves to play football with the Argentine side, having refused to be a member of the Spanish national team despite his strong links to European nation. As well as being an Argentine-born person, Messi, of Italian background, is a Spaniard citizen since the mid-2000s. From 2005 through 2011, Messi collected over seventy individual awards. Indeed, his success as a sportsman is largely due to his persistence and hard discipline. According to Paris-based magazine France Football, Messi is the world’s top paid footballer. Besides all that, the center forward —a soccer gold medalist in the 2008 Olympics– has gained international stature as a champion for the rights of children.

Although Lionel Andres Messi, known occasionally as «the ghost center forward»,is considered one of the greatest soccer players to have never won a FIFA World Cup (together with Ferenc Puskas from Hungary and Liberia’s George Weah), he is already one of the male athletes most famous on the global sporting map. In the Western Hemisphere, Messi, who is often compared to Maradona, has inspired thousands of young would-be footballers to follow their dreams,especially in poverty-stricken regions. But not only that, because of him more people know about Argentina –which has a long-standing history of man-made disasters— than ever before. On his home soil, his status is only comparable to three national celebrities: Argentina’s postwar First Lady Eva Perón -made famous by Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Evita— Maradona, and Carlos Gardel, nicknamed the «songbird of Buenos Aires» and who helped popularize tango around the world.

Lionel Messi: A Rough Diamond

Lionel Messi’s life changed forever when he was plucked out of the Spanish-speaking republic of Argentina by a talent scout to play for Barca, which is often referred to as one of the top clubs around the globe- it holds hundreds of millions of soccer fans outside its own borders, from Bangladesh and Guinea-Bissau to San Marino and the Feroe islands.

You cannot become a top sportsman (woman) if you don’t achieve notable results, if you are not a hard worker, and before all, if you are not able to overcome the obstacles in your life. In fact, Lionel Messi knows firsthand about this. Like his fellow Argentine Maradona, Messi is small –who stands 5 feet 8 inches tall– for the position of forward, but he overcame this with a prodigious ability and exceptional intelligence on the filed, earning the nickname «Flea». Over his athletic career, he also has defeated other hurdles: numerous injuries, especially during Rikjaard’s direction. Throughout his years as a boy, his country underwent one of the deepest recessions in the Americas. But this wasn’t all. Because of an illness, he almost gave up the sport. By 2008, there were troubles to send Messi to the Summer Games due to his dual citizenship and status as a professional footballer in Barcelona. Against club wishes, however, Messi,the greatest professional footballer of all time, arrived at Beijing with the Argentine squad (as a defending champion). In the Olympic arena, soon afterwards, he and his colleagues were champions, making history in the People’s Republic of China. Currently, Barcelona won’t sell Messi for anything in the world.

Messi bases his success on being able to offer a play based on passion, determination, hard discipline, and an exceptional ability. No player can ever be categorized as invincible in football world, but Messi is probably the most talented man ever to carry a ball. In all his matches, Messi plays as if were a game for the FIFA World Championship.

Rosario: The Birth Of A Footballer

Born in the Argentinian city of Rosario (Santa Fe Province), on June 24 1987 – a year after his country captured the FIFA World Tournament in the Mexican metropolis— Messi is one of the fourth children born to Jorge Horacio Messi and his wife, the former Celia Mara Cucittini. Curiously, he is one of the four most prominent individuals from Rosario, alongside Libertad Lamarque (performer), Valeria Mazza (supermodel),and César Luis Menotti (football coach).

His father had been a factory steel worker. In fact, Messi inherited his football genes from his father, who was coach during a brief period. Meanwhile, Messi’s mother is an admirer of notable people and wanted his children to have famous names. Celia Mara named his son Lionel after her favorite idol Lionel Richie, a Grammy-winning singer/songwriter whose pop chart-topping hits in the 1980s included «Truly», «You Are», and «All Night Long».

Like most of Argentina’s sportsmen as Octavio Dazzan (cycling), David Nalbandian (tennis), and Manu Ginibili (basketball), Lionel reflects the Italian roots of his motherland. His father’s family is from Italy’s city of Ancona who came to the Latin American place during a large-scale European immigration at the turn of the 19th century. This Spanish-trained professional footballer, the high-scoring forward of Barcelona, has two brothers, Rodrigo and Matas, and a sister, Maria Sol. On the other hand, his cousins Maximiliano and Emmanuel Biancucchi are also soccer players.

His sporting life goes back to times when Messi grew up playing football in Rosario, a land famous for their athletic passion and hosted the World Championships for both professional and amateurs, including the Men’s Football World Cup (1978) and Men’s Volleyball Global Tournament (1982);Messi can take credit for that because he has been named official Ambassador for Rosario’s 2019 Pan American bid. Under this Olympic atmosphere, Jorge Horacio Messi made no secret of his ambitions for his son.

Like several Latino champs –among them Edwin Vásquez Cam (shooting) and Nancy López (golf) — Messi was introduced to sport by his father. Before joining the Newell’s Old Boy’s youth side, Lionel -when he was only 5 years old— played in the local team of Grandioli, where his father was coach. On that occasion, the smaller Lionel was a goalie on the football team. At the time, he had a lot of athletic skills, but not the technical skills. Shortly after, while Lionel demonstrated his talent in the under-10 competitions in his homeland and abroad in the middle of the 1990s, the Argentine boy, at the age of 11, was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency. Since then, prior to begin an athletic career as a junior player in the following years, he had to beat back an illness, whose treatment cost $ 900 a month. But in spite of this problem, his enthusiasm for football was unbelievable.

A Golden Opportunity

Recognizing Messi’s precocious talent, Carles Rexach, a sports administrator, promised him that FC Barcelona would pay his treatment if he decideto play for the famous club.The answer was «yes», of course. As a consequence of this, Messi and his parents moved permanently to Barcelonese soil, a football-mad place. On that occasion, the youngster was sad to leave his home city. However, the Spaniard place had a special significance to Messi: There, on May 3, 1980, his fellow Argentine Maradona signed a six-year contract with the traditional side.

The travel proved to be a turning point in his life. In the capital and largest city of Spain’s Catalan region — one of Europe’s first class cities— Messi received a scholarship to play football in Barca’s athletic academy, alongside Xabi Alonso, Gerard Piqu, Andrs Iniesta and other boys. The Club’s Youth Academy (one of Western Europe’s major sports academies), was set up with one primary goal in mind: Scans up to 300 young talents and transform some of them into champions. The youth squads have always preoccupied Barcelona’s sports leaders. In recent decades, the Spaniard club sent scouts to Latin America looking for promising youth athletes.

As well as being the nation’s second largest city behind Madrid, Barcelona is a place that is tied closely to the Olympic Movement, physical activity and all of the values that sport represent in the 21st Century. This corner of the planet, host to the 1992 Summer Olympic Games, is an international grandstand with recreational spaces, sports academies, and state-of-the-art Olympian facilities on a par with other sporting cities such as London (UK), Singapore City, Doha (Qatar), Montreal (Canada), Dubai ( United Arab Emirates), and Los Angeles (CA). Additionally, it was home of Mr. Juan Antonio Samaranch, former Chairman of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and among the world’s most gifted and influential sports administrators.

During a breakout year, after overcoming his illness, Messi, who was about four-foot-seven-inch tall, become one of Barca’s top male players in the Boys’ Division of the Spanish Football Championships. There, he had been outstanding throughout the event, scoring over 35 goals and setting numerous records for his age group. A couple of years later, under the aegis of Spain’s Club, Messi improved rapidly his play and was promoted to the junior team’s starting lineup, competing in the under-19 tournaments.

Encouraged by Frank Rijkaard

As a young teen, he got the first opportunity to used his talent as a member of Barca’s official contingent when he made his first appearance in the friendly against Porto on November 16, 2003. Following his initial impact, scoring 22 goals in the junior competitions, the up-and-coming Messi, by late 2003, was moved up to the reserves of the club: The squad «C», prior to winning the right to play for Barcelona B side, a second division club. Messi, as a young athlete, acquired enough expertise to participate in senior soccer events, face-to-face with finest professional players from Europe and abroad. It was an excellent school for him, of course.

After watching his athletic performance in the traditional junior contests on Spaniard soil, Frank Rijkaard, Barca’s major coach at the time, put his eyes on Messi –perhaps his most famous pupil–and did not doubt that he would be the next greatest footballer on the Planet —Perhaps a Maradona. Nonetheless,the high-flying coach was not the first to be excited by the potential of Messi. On the other hand, Rijkaard backed up a number of young players, including Carles Puyol and Vctor Valds.

At the age of 17, Messi had a chance to show his athletic potential. Fortunately,he did not disappoint to Barca’s sports officials and soccer fans when he entered the highest level in Spanish championship, by passing many senior footballers and becoming the youngest player in the domestic soccer league. It was one of the greatest moments of Messi’s life on the soccer field.

Encouraged by his coach, Frank Rijkaard, Messi, months later, made his mark with the club by scoring his first senior goal against Albacete Balompi, becoming the youngest footballer from Barcelona to ever score in the domestic football league, among the world’s most competitive sports tournaments. By any standards it is a phenomenal achievement. In fact, Rijkaard made him the focus of the team’s new offfensive scheme. Later on, Messi spoke with gratitude about Rijkaard, «I will never forget the fact that he launched my career, that he had confidence in me while I was only sixteen or seventeen». Without a doubt, he was considered one of the great prospects of the world football.

A Champion In the Netherlands

By the mid-2000s,Messi brought home his country’s fifth junior global title, considered a huge success in the South American republic; It was a history-making day for the Argentinean Football Association (AFA). Messi began his work with his homeland when Argentina’s sports officials called on him to join the 2005 junior World Cup team. Always a heavy favorite with the Dutch fans, the national side, sparked by Messi, came first in the global contest in front of the Amsterdam (Netherlands’ capital) crowd, an international sporting platform to numerous unknown footballers. Thereupon, Messi collected two special awards in Holland: The Golden Ball and the Golden Shoe.

Futbol Club Barcelona: 2005- 2006 Season

The breakthrough season for the team and Messi came in 2005-06. Three of Barcelona’s Spanish titles can be attributed to Messi: Domestic League, Cataluña Cup, and Spanish Supercup— beginning a new period of success for Spain’s most popular club and topping the TV sports rankings in the European nation. On that occasion, Messi also amassed three individual trophies.

On September 27, 2005,before a crowd of several fans and spectators at Barcelona’s Nou Camp Stadium (among the world’s major football stadia), star youngster Messi made his debut as a local player in the European League Championship (against Italy’s Udinese). He competed with Barca until his injury, six months later. In spite of playing without Messi, however, the club earned the famous Champions League, one of the four big international events on Earth, along with the Olympic Games (Winter and Summer), and the FIFA World Cup.

In the same year, the prolific scorer Messi was named as Europe’s best young player by Tuttosport (a magazine from Italy), gaining the Golden Boy Trophy, by passing several sportsmen such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney.

Curiously, Spain is home of one of the world’s largest populations of foreign-born athletes(along with France, Canada and the oil-rich Kingdom of Qatar) such as Eulogio Martínez (Paraguay, football), Nina Zhivanevskaya (Russia, swimming), Juan Domingo de la Cruz (Argentina, basketball), Glory Alozie (athletics, Nigeria), and Juan Pérez (Cuba, waterpolo). By the end of 2005, Messi was one of the last athletes to become a Spanish citizen (dual citizenship), making him eligible to play as a Spanish player in the National League.

FIFA 2006 World Cup

Historically, Argentina has the honor of being the third Third World country to capture the global contest after Uruguay (1930 & 1950) and Brazil (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002). Due to this tradition and thanks to its world-beating players on European soil, the Argentine football squad had become one of the top favorites to gain the 2006 FIFA Cup, but they finished sixth overall (ahead of three Europeans squads: England, Ukraine and Spain), after losing to host Germany in the quarterfinals. Immediately, Argentina’s soccer fans blamed José Pekerman, national coach, for the defeat against Germany. Why? Incredibly, Messi was excluded to play that game.

Certainly, Messi had dissapointed 2006. Although, he made his long-awaited debut in the World Cup as he led Argentina -two-time winner of the men’s football World Cup (1978 & 1986)– to win its first points following a triumph over Serbia-Montenegro (former Yugoslavia). In Germany, he played three of Argentina’s five football matches.

During the 2006 World Cup, Messi became Argentina’s most youngest footballer to attend the FIFA Cup. The following year,Messi and his fellow Argentine players finished as runner-ups to Brazil in the 2007 America’s Cup on Venezuelan soil.

Spain’s ‘Football War’

Throghout his 2006-07 season, Messi had become a regular player in his European squad, competing on equal terms with senior players and attracting huge numbers of interested fans. It was truly an inspiring moment. However, he withdrew from the Spaniard Football League due to an injury (a game against Real Zaragosa).

With better health and upon spending three months on South American soil, Messi went back to Spain, playing in the match between Barcelona and Racing de Santander. Soon after, he made a hat-trick when his club drawn 3-3 with Real Madrid, a match between the two most popular teams in Spain (better known as «The Clasico»). Since decades ago, these matches have been labelled the «Spain’s Football War», attracting the largest average audience in the European country and numerous regions around the world, especially in soccer nations. In fact, it is a battle which is being won by Barca’s team in recent years.

Messi’s Hand of God Goal

As he entered his 20s, by 2007, he picked up a total of 14 individual trophies inside and outside Spain, a new personal record over his professional career. But this wasn’t all. Evoking the style of Argentina’s former star Maradona, Messi, was dubbed «Messidona» in the course of an impressive career as a sportsman.

During a never-to-be-forgotten game, on April 18, 2007, the Barcelonese club got two goals from Messi to defeat Getafe CF in the semis of the Copa del Rey; one goal inspired comparisons to Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God ‘goal against England’s squad at the 1986 Mexico City World Tournament — it appeared that Messi may have knocked the ball into the net with his fist. In fact, this was great news both for Barcelona and the whole country. Nobody could imagine this feat. His fellow player Deco said, «It was the best goal I have ever seen in my life».

2007-2008 Campaign

Over the course of the season,Messi was in the spotlight as he was regarded as the world’s top footballer by experts, sportswriters, coaches, players, and sports administrators. Meanwhile, Messi was elected as one of the 14th Best Male Athletes in 2007 by a total of 422 AIPS (International Sports Press Association) members from 94 countries–ahead of South Africa’s rugby star Bryan Habana and Rafael Nadal, a tennis player from Spain.

After making a record in soccer world —scored five goals over a span of seven days– Messi helped Barcelona to become one of the four leaders in the first class Spaniard championship. He was the answer to their lack of versatility in attacking positions. In fact, he sees Barcelona through the eyes of a lover. Additionally, he scored also two goals in the UEFA Champions League. In beginning 2008, Messi celebrated his 100th match.

In March, the star athlete was forced to drop out of the Champions League because of an injury. Following over a month, he returned to the line-up, competing with Cristiano Ronaldo, considered among the globe’s finest footballers. Under Messi’s guidance, however, the Barcelonese club was eliminated from the European championship, showing the effects of his injury. Certainly, Messi had not a strong performance in this season, winning only two unofficial events (Beckenbauer Cup in Germany and Joan Gamper Trophy). In July of that year, on the other hand, Messi was appointed as the captain for the first time in a friendly match against Scotland’s Dundee United.

Subsequently, the Barcelonese soccer club paid tribute to Messi’s perseverance: Wearing the shirt number ten for the first time (historically given to the leading scorer), the number worn by former stars such as Romario Souza of Brazil, Hugo Sotil of Peru and Maradona, Messi began a new period in Barca, few weeks prior to 2008 the Summer Games.

Messi At the 2008 Beijing Olympics

Argentina earned its first soccer medal in the 1928 Amsterdam Games, after falling to Uruguay’s side in the gold-medal match. Then, the national contingent was asked to replace Uruguay in the 1976 Montreal Games, but it did not accept.

During the Centennial Games in the States, on August 3, 1996, the Argentine team was runner-up to Nigeria (sub-Saharan Africa)-matched its performance in the 1920s. In the 26th Olympiad, the silver medalists were Roberto Ayala, José Chamot, Javier Zanetti, Roberto Sensini and Diego Pablo Simeone, Ariel Ortega, Hernan Crespo, and Claudio López, among others footballers. Over the next years, by 2004, the Spanish-speaking republic placed first in the Athens XXVIII Summer Games upon their victory over Paraguay, a feat never before accomplished by a male squad from Argentina in the men’s soccer Olympic Cup.

Messi was Latin America’s top hope for a medal in the 2008 Olympiad. Nonetheless, there were troubles to send Messi to Beijing: his club did not approve his Olympic participation. After a long-running conflict between the Spaniard club and AFA (Argentinean Football Association), Messi was eligible to represent his nation in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where he won his second major global event following a convincing triumph over Nigeria, one of the most extraordinary results in the history of the Olympic Championship. It was interesting to note that Messi was a great Olympian champ in the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

Unlike Pele (Edson Arantes do Nascimento) -a long-standing senior player from Brazil– and Maradona, Messi has won an Olympic gold medal after Argentina defeated six countries in the men’s Olympian football championship in the Games of 29th Olympiad in mainland China, becoming the first world-class soccer player to win a trophy in the Modern Olympics since the early 1950s when Ferenc Puskas took the Hungarian team to its first Olympian title in the Finland Summer Games.

The Soccer Tournment included some strong names such as Brazil, Belgium, Holland,and Cote d’Ivoire.There, this Spanish-trained professional player also helped Argentina to win their second straight Olympic title; the nation’s fourth Olympian medal in men’s football. As well as earning the gold in the People’s Republic, Messi was regarded as one of Latin America’s foremost Olympic athletes. Nonetheless, his trophy was overshadowed by the wins of Michael Phelps, Usain Powell of Jamaica ( 3-time Olympic gold medalist ) and other champions.

2008-2009 Season

After being part of the Olympic gold-winning squad in 2008, Messi won the world’s best footballer by FIFA ( the world’s governing body of soccer ).

In beginning 2009, Barcelona’s 2-1 win over Racing de Santander was one of Messi’s most notable matches, scoring both goals in the last 45 minutes. Messi entered the match when its club was defeated (0-1), but he confirmed his international status when he was able to break down a Santander defense. During the game, Spain’s team made its 5,000 goal with Messi.

After making worldwide headlines on Spaniard soil, he was a key player when his club had a convincing 6-2 win over Real Madrid at Santiago de Bernabu Stadium in Spain’s capital city— Without a doubt, one of the greatest games of Messi’s athletic career. As has traditionally been the case, this a match attracted several neutral fans across the globe. Messi’s other important achievement was when Barcelona’s side finished first in the unofficial event Joan Gamper Trophy for the third time in a row. In 2008, he came away with 10 individual awards.

His Play Speaks For Itself

By the time the 2009-10 season, Messi brought about a sporting revolution at Barcelona. Astonishingly, his side won all the championships. For these wins, some experts and sportswriters believe he is better than Maradona and Pele.

Upon claiming five prestigious competitions —the Champions League, the UEFA Supercup, the Spanish Cup (Copa del Rey), the National League, and the Spanish Supercup— Messi was able to lead Barcelona side to victory in the FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the turn of the 2009, becoming Spain’s most popular person and making Barcelona one of the world’s most successful clubs in football history. Apart from winning these events, he collected over 15 individual awards in the Americas, Persian Gulf, and Western Europe: World Football of the Year, Alfredo Di Stefano Trophy, World Selection, Best Player in the Club World Cup, and Champions Trophy, among other trophies.

In April 2010, one of the most interesting statistics came from Messi when he became Barcelona’s first footballer to score four goals in the Champions League-all against Arsenal F.C. Likewise, he made a name for himself in soccer world as he was Barcelona’s top scorer in the Champions League ( twenty-five goals). Later on, Messi helped the club to capture the Spanish league, as well as winning two special trophies as the Best Player.

Spain: The Best Domestic Football

Not all of Messi’s play was acclaimed in 2010. Despite the optimism following Messi’s strong performance in Western Europe, Argentine side was eliminated by Germany (0-4), allowing it to secure a top five position in the FIFA Global Tournament;one of Messi’s most disapponting results in this period.

The men’s football team of Argentina departed for Africa in the quest of their third Global Cup. From the beginning, Los Celestes entered the 2010 South Africa World Cup as a front-runner to win the title. Prior to being eliminated in the quaterfinals, the South American nation had four wins: Nigeria (1-0), South Korea (4-1), Greece (2-0), and Mexico (3-1). Ironically, the Spanish national team won the Global Cup for the first time.

Although one of the most prominent sportsmen in this Century, Messi has not won a World Cup (2006 & 2010). In sub-Saharan Africa, his production was poor: He did not score a single goal. Up to now, his results pale in comparison with Maradona and Pele.

2010-2011 Season

In September 2010, Messi’s play captivated the audience, from experts and sportswriters to fans, setting new Spanish and European records. For the third consecutive time,the star player became top scorer in the Champions League. It was unbelievable. In the whole event, the sport’s greatest footballer was a «perfect machinery». Spearheaded by its idol Messi, the Barcelonese club amassed two tournaments – The national tournament and then Champions League for the second successive year, sparking off celebrations in the Spaniard city of Barcelona. In the meantime, he gained the FIFA Ballon d’ Or. These wins have helped construct an excellent relationship between Messi and his fans inside and outside Spain. In his native country, however, there is another atmosphere.

America’s Cup

Argentina’s side was upset by Brazil in the finals of the 2007 South American Cup (there Messi appeared in all six of his nation’s games). Four years later, the traditional event was held in Argentina. There, the host nation entered the regional contest, but it did not even make the semis. On the eve of that event, Argentina was a gold-medal contender well ahead of Brazil and Uruguay.

Unfortunately, Messi could not do anything. In spite of his extraordinary achievements in Western Europe, the amazing Latino player was unable to lead the Argentine side to win the Copa America for the second time, being strongly criticized by Argentina’s football fans.

The local squad had two draws with Bolivia (1-1) and Colombia (0-0) before defeating Costa Rica (3-0) and falling to eventual champion Uruguay (4-5) in the quarter-finals. In his own land,Messi did not score a single goal (except on a penalty) over the course of the Latin American championship. Undeterred, he departed for Spain.

Undoubtedly, some soccer fans don’t understand why Argentina’s national team can not win international tournaments with the world’s most prominent soccer player.

2011-2012 Season

Spearheaded by Messi, the Barcelonese club captured the Spanish Supercup on in August 2011. With 8 goals, Messi was the top scorer in the national contest, ahead of Raúl González Blanco. Within a few weeks, they also won the European Supercup. On December 18, 2011, Barcelona won the Club World Cup by beating Brazil’s Santos (4-0). There, Messi was the tournament’s most valuable athlete. Astonishingly, Messi became the top scorer (236 goals) in Barca’s history on March 31, 2012.

An Advocate for the Rights of Children

Latin America’s remarkable football player Messi is regarded as Argentina’s long-standing advocate for the rights of poor children. By 2007, he created a self-named foundation,whose principal aim is to improve education and health care of the future generation of Argentina’s boys and girls. Recently named UN Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Messi works closely with the international organization, increasing global awareness and providing financial aid to programs for children and mothers on Earth.

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We found this amazing site which is the greatest resource for online soccer betting, providing players with all the information they need before they make a wager. The popularity of soccer betting comes from the high popularity of the sport itself. Millions of people watch soccer to either cheer on their favorite team or just to get a hand on the adrenaline of the game. The most important difference between soccer betting and other forms of gambling is that it takes some time to become profitable and start earning real money. However once you have learned some basic tips – as outlined here, you’ll be able to enjoy higher than average returns on your wagers.

The trick in soccer betting is studying past soccer games to get a feeling for what the best odds are and to be able to tell if one team is going to win or not. While this may sound like an obvious piece of advice, you’d be surprised at how many players loose site of the «big picture» when betting on soccer games.

There are also many soccer tips you can find online forums that analyze game stats. Probably one of the best soccer betting tips is to take a look at all the online sports books before making your first bet; different sports books offer different bonuses and different odds, all of which affect your bottom line as a sports bettor. Therefore, simply taking some time to choose the best odds will put you in the right track to win big. Some of the best sports books online are William Hill, Ladbrokes, 888 Sport and Bet 365.

Soccer betting odds are not as favorable when the point spread (also known as an ‘Asian handicap’ is involved. So for beginners it is recommended to start playing with straight bets. This type of betting is also known as 1X2 where 1 is the home team, 2 is the away team, and X is a tie.

Because the skill in picking a winner based on a point spread is more difficult we recommend going with 1X2 wagers as predicting which team is going to win without giving an exact amount of points is a simpler task. Other ways to get a winning start when betting on soccer is to simply bet on the home team each time. While the odds are usually lower on home teams – they outperform both tie bets and away teams by a wide margin.

To increase your chances of winning, you should first stick to games where you know both teams and can easily tell what their behavior on the field will be like. You chances for success at betting on soccer will only decrease if you are betting on unknown teams, or are chasing long shots with no realistic chance of winning only to make a big score.

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Those who live in the Miami area may – worried that they will be shunned from restaurants and country clubs – claim to be Dolphins fans, growing fins and living underwater in their spare time. But Miami, like any other city in a state with multiple football teams, likely has its fair share of Tampa Bay fans. Perhaps these folks once lived in Tampa Bay and moved to Miami. Perhaps they grew up watching Tampa Bay or know someone who played for them. Perhaps, they (gasp!) would just rather be a Buccaneer than a Dolphin. For you Tampa Bay fans lingering in the city of Miami, this article is one you’ll likely want to pirate.

Every NFL team has its fair share of history and trivia. But, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers possess some of the most interesting trivia around. Those who disagree will have to walk the plank.

Kings of the South: Tampa Bay is the only team in the NFC South to prevail as Super Bowl Champions. Though Atlanta and Carolina have reached the Super Bowl, they have yet to be victorious. New Orleans, on the other end of the spectrum, is one of a handful of teams to have never made it to the championship.

The Rich Get Richer: The owner of the Buccaneers, Malcolm Glazer, also owns the Manchester United, an England soccer team. The Manchester United is considered the richest sports organization in the entire world.

Oops: The 1976 Buccaneers are the only team in modern day NFL history to lose every single game in a season. Since the NFL went to a sixteen game season, in 1978, several teams have gone 1-15, but no one has gone 0-16. During the 1982 season, which was shortened by a strike, the Baltimore Colts had no victories, but they had one tie to accompany their eight losses.

He could go all the way…but he won’t: The Buccaneers are the only NFL team that has never scored a touchdown on a kickoff return during a regular season game, a feat that has, up till the start of the 2006 season, been done over 1700 times by other teams. The Bucs have, however, scored five touchdowns on kickoff returns during preseason games.

A Pirate’s Curse: No team that has lost a regular season game to Tampa Bay has ever won the Super Bowl. This, because of its years in existence, is known as The Tampa Bay Curse and haunts anyone who falls to the Bucs before season’s end.

The Warm Weather Factor: Until the final regular season game of 2002, in which Tampa Bay defeated the Chicago Bears in Chicago, the Buccaneers had never won a game where the temperature at kickoff was less than 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Before beating the Bears, the Bucs had lost the twenty previous games played in cold weather.

Keeping it Real: Not only did the Bucs not do well in cold weather, but they also didn’t do well playing on artificial grass. They once lost 27 games in a row played on artificial turf in outdoor stadiums. This losing streak spanned 15 years, from the 1980 season to the 1995 season.

Coach Potatoes: Tony Dungy, who recently led the Indianapolis Colts to a Super Bowl victory and served previously as head of the Buccaneers, has seen four people from his Tampa Bay coaching staff make it as head coaches. Herman Edwards, an assistant under Dungy, coaches the Kansas City Chiefs; Rod Marinelli, a defensive coach under Dungy, coaches the Detroit Lions; Mike Tomlin, a defensive coach under Dungy, coaches the Pittsburgh Steelers; and Lovie Smith, a linebackers coach under Dungy, coaches the Chicago Bears. The former Buccaneers coaches met most recently in the 2007 Super Bowl.

Tampa Bay might not be a team full of Super Bowl rings or hall of fame names, but it’s an interesting team nonetheless, and one that some Miami fans can’t help but cheer for…even if done quietly.

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Football is a universal sport, and Nigeria remains the biggest exporter of talented footballers Worldwide. A bulk of these foreign legions however ends up playing for their adopted countries in place of their country of birth or origin.

The list is endless, as countless numbers of Nigerian born footballers are daily seeking greener pastures or opportunities to showcase their potential in the color of their adopted countries. Nigeria ultimately becomes the biggest loser, as it is denied of quality players through this football drain.

Muri Ogunbiyi

Muri Ogunbiyi is an attacking midfielder who once played for the famous Enyimba football club of Aba. He presently plays for the squirrels of Benin Republic.

Carlton Cole

Carlton Cole was born of a Nigerian father and a Sierra Leone mother, but presently plays for England senior National football team. He is a top striker with English Premiership club- West Ham United.

Onyewu Oguchi

Onyewu is a regular central defender in the United States of America senior National soccer team, with Nigerian root.

Gabriel Agbonlahor

Gabby as he is fondly called turned down several invitations to play for Nigeria, and opted instead to honor a call up to play for England. He has a Scottish mother and a Nigerian father. He is a key member of Aston Villa F.C in the English Premier League.

Toto Tamuz

Toto Tamuz is a son of former Nigerian international footballer Clement Temile. He presently stars for the Israeli National footballer team. His mother is an Israeli. Like his father, Toto Tamuz plays in the attacking positing for the Israeli national senior team.

Dennis Aogo

Dennis is an experienced defender with the German U-19 national team. He has a Nigerian Father and presently plays for Hamburg SV in the German Bundesliga.

Rubin Rafael Okotie

Rubin is an Austrian U-21 international striker with Nigerian father and Austrian mother. His father hails from Delta State in Southern Nigeria.

Emmanuel Adebayor

The former Togolese national team captain was born to Nigerian parents in Lome, but currently playing for the Togolese National football team and Manchester City of England.

Paul Mc Grath

Paul Mc Grath is an Irish international who holds the distinct record of being the first Nigerian-born footballer to play for an adopted country, born to a Nigerian father and an Irish Mother.

Emmanuel Olisadebe

Emmanuel Olisadebe was in sensational form during the FIFA 2002 World Cup co-hosted by Korea-Japan. He is a Nigerian footballer who switched allegiance to his adopted country-Poland.

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1. Effort is more important than systems and tactics

Yes, we know you like to tinker with your tactics and formation in an attempt to defeat your opponents; the truth is that the effort of your players will invariably be the difference between winning and losing, especially if both teams are similarly matched in terms of ability. Instil into your players the importance of giving everything on the field and coming away knowing they have nothing left to give. Win or lose, if they give everything, they can be happy and so should you be.

2. What you know is not as important as your personality and ability to relate to your players

Any coach can improve their understanding of the game by reading the literally endless pages of advice and help you will find on the internet. Sure, if one coach knows nothing at all and another coach is very experienced, the latter guy is probably going to be a better coach. However, Not every coach has or is willing to develop their personality and approach to the game to get the best out of the kids they have under their remit.

3. Practices don’t have to be complicated

Running complex drills can be confusing for young players whilst running drills for too long gets boring. If you commit these mistakes, your players will lose interest very quickly. Your practices should be based around small-sided games and scrimmage as they relate directly to match-day situations. Of course, some drills based on individual skills are a good idea but you should aim to move into small-sided games and scrimmage for most of the practice.

4. Winning is not the goal; your focus should be on improving your players and developing their love for the game

Yes, we know that winning has become the be-all and end-all for soccer coaches at all levels, particularly in recent years. However, it should not be your focus as a coach of young players. You want them to ultimately improve and learn to love the game. Nobody enjoys losing but even if you are winning games, if you are not coaching your players in the right way, letting them express themselves and make mistakes without fear of being screamed at, ultimately they will very likely fall out of love with the game.

They need to enjoy the freedom of playing without being judged on whether they win or lose. If you encourage them at all times and focus on positive things they do rather than negatives, they will improve quicker and will enjoy just playing the game. Players improve quicker when they enjoy doing something, it is important to remember that.

5. The biggest secret is that there are no ‘secrets’!

There really is no great secret to coaching soccer. Sure, there are different lineups, tactics, playing styles and coaching methods but they are all available to every coach, seasoned or beginner, by simply searching information on the internet.

It is ultimately down to the player to develop a deep connection with the game, with the ball. As a coach, you can facilitate that and so you have a big responsibility on your shoulders. Encourage your players, give them freedom, teach them to play with pride, passion and integrity and to respect their opponents and the match officials. Finally, remember that kids soccer is a players’ game, not a coaches’ game.

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The world worships the game of «futbol», which in America we call soccer. While soccer has enjoyed phenomenal growth as a popular sport for male and female children, and at the high school and college levels, the game has not succeeded on the professional level in the United States. In the rest of the world, however, soccer is the most rabidly followed of all sports.

«Futbol» has been ordained the «Beautiful Game» by the soccer mad fans addicted to the game. Because the use of hands to control the ball is not allowed, the game requires immense foot/eye co-ordination, speed, balance, aggression and a chess-like strategic vision of the complete field of play. The flow of the game, which can seem slow to casual observers, is part of the beauty of the game which heightens the passion the sport enjoys among its rabid followers.

I have lived in Europe and travelled widely, including second and third world countries. It is an amazing sight to see a country completely mesmerized, the population, men and women, old and young, glued to television screens, as key matches are contested. Games between clubs from different countries create an unbelievable outpouring of nationalism.

Soccer is a beautiful game. And if that claim is true, then I believe baseball is the perfect game. The pace of soccer and baseball are similar in that much of the play is spent in preparation for the difficult tasks of scoring, goals in soccer, runs in baseball. Both are total team games, and yet, both require individuals to perform at high levels. The shortstop in baseball is completely alone when attempting to field a hard hit ball, but he needs other players to perform their roles in order to throw out base runners.

The symmetry of baseball is amazingly perfect. The game has been idealized to have been invented by Abner Doubleday in an upstate New York field in the mid-19th century. Maybe, maybe not! However, whoever really crafted the rules of the game designed a field of play with perfect dimensions. The dimensions actually increase the drama of virtually every pitch and play.

Imagine if bases were closer, or further, than 90 feet apart. The bang-bang play at first would almost never happen. If bases were closer the stolen base would be automatic, even for slower runners. The bases are laid out in a diamond, which provides a perfect path for runners to pursue and fielders to target. The pitcher’s mound, a small hill, is 60 feet, six inches from the point of home plate. If the rubber on the mound, which the pitcher uses to gain purchase and leverage while throwing to the batter, were closer than 60′, 6″ the batter would have almost no chance of ever hitting the ball. If the rubber were further back the hitter would enjoy an unfair advantage.

The strike zone is designed to balance the opportunity for the pitcher and hitter to succeed on a competitive basis. Three strikes and the batter is called out; but an at bat can be extended indefinitely by fouling off pitches. Four balls and the hitter earns a free pass to first base, thereby forcing the pitcher to throw strikes or give up base runners which can lead to runs scored.

The most wonderful thing about the game of baseball is best described by the great Yogi Berra’s famous statement, «it ain’t over ‘til it’s over»! Unlike every other team sport there is no time limit in baseball. The game does not end until the last out of the ninth inning is secured. It is possible, and does happen regularly, that a team can be seemingly so far behind in the run count that the outcome of the game seems inevitable, but a few hits, a few walks, an error and all of a sudden there is hope that the outcome will be reversed.

Spring training, baseball on radio, hot dogs and beer at the park and the opportunity to enjoy a game played at a leisurely pace on a warm summer night while kibitzing with friends all make baseball the «perfect game». It is every bit as beautiful as soccer, but played well, there is no sport as perfectly crafted and structured as baseball.

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It is August. It is summer. It is hot, and it is kick-off time across the country as pre-season football practice begins. Players will expect to get hot and sweaty, as their coaches attempt to whip them into shape. However a combination of hot/humid weather, tough conditioning drills and players unaccustomed to practicing in the heat, can make August a deadly and dangerous month.

Despite all the warnings, the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research reports that 24 football players (19 high school, 3 college and 2 professional) have died from heatstroke since 1995.

The main problem associated with exercising in the hot weather is the water loss through sweating. However drinking water is simply not enough. In extremely hot weather the body will sweat at a rate faster than water can be absorbed into the system. So how can we reduce the amount of sweating, while at the same time help the body to regulate its core body temperature?

The answer is the Arctic Heat Body Cooling Vest. A lightweight cool vest which will not only help to protect athletes from heat related illness, but it will also allow athletes to work harder for longer.

The Arctic Heat cooling vest was originally developed for football players in Australia and it now used by International teams in every other major football code in the world. Rugby League, Rugby Union, Soccer and Australian Rules Football all use the cooling vest to protect their athletes and to improve their performance. It was also used at the Athens Olympics by all the major sporting countries, including many of the USA teams. The military in Iraq are even using the Arctic Heat cooling vests.

«The Arctic Heat Cooling Vest, designed for football, will legally improve performance and will also help protect an athlete’s health,» said Dr John Surie, President of Arctic Heat USA.

The ice cold cooling vest can be worn underneath playing uniforms, it can be used as a pre-cooling device before conditioning drills, and it can be used as a recovery tool in between or after sessions.

Yet enquiries from local football teams have so far been limited. «There seems to be a different mentality in football that you have to run players hard and make them sweat, in order to toughen them up. We believe it is better to cool down and fire up athletes. Most other sporting codes in the world now agree with us,» said Dean Sainsbury from the Arctic Heat company.

Arctic Heat has also developed a range of unique cooling blankets and cooling caps which can be used to immediately treat players who have overheated. «The cooling caps can be used during a game to cool players down. When they come to the bench they can remove their helmets, put the cool cap on, and cool down,» said Dr Surie.

The lightweight Arctic Heat Cooling Vest uses a two stage cooling process. The vests contain a gel-like substance that can be frozen or chilled. The cooling vests are manufactured using Woolmark’s Sportwool, a special body cooling fabric which incorporates Vapor Management Technology, helping to wick moisture away from the skin, allowing the user to keep dry.

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The Purpose of the Offside Rule

The purpose of the Offside Rule is the same in Soccer as it is in hockey — to prevent «cherry-picking» by a player who camps in front of the other team’s goal. Without the Offside Rule, Soccer would be a large field game of ping pong, filled with long kicks and alternating mad scrambles from one end of the field to the other. By preventing any «offside» player from participating in the game, the rule puts a premium on dribbling and passing, rather than long kicks. This promotes teamwork, which, in turn, encourages quick switching from one side of the field to the other, and compresses the action to a smaller area of the field — usually about 30 or 40 yards long. The end result is that all the players stay closer to the action, and everyone has a better chance of participating in the game.

The Offside Rule:

«Offside Position»

A player in an offside position is only penalized if, at the moment the ball touches or is played by one of his team, he is, in the opinion of the referee, involved in active play by interfering with play, or interfering with an opponent, or gaining an advantage by being in that position.

Law 11 states that a player is in an «offside position» whenever «he is nearer to his opponent’s goal than both the ball and the second last opponent,» unless «he is in his own half of the field of play.» Put more simply:

— No one is «offside» in his own half of the field.

— No one is «offside» if even with, or behind the ball.

— No one is «offside» if even with, or behind two or more opponents.

In addition, there are three major exceptions to the offside rule. Anyone receiving a ball directly from a throw-in, a corner kick, or a goal kick, cannot be «offside.» So, if Sally receives the ball directly from her teammate’s throw-in, it doesn’t matter if she is in an offside position. The fact that it was a throw-in means that the play was not offside. However, if she flicks the ball along to Jane, who is even further downfield than Sally was, Jane can be offside, since she received the ball from Sally, rather than from the throw-in. The same holds true for corner kicks and goal kicks, as well. If the ball comes directly from the restart, the play cannot be offside; but once the first player receives the ball, the «offside» rule comes back into play.

«Involved in Active Play»

Contrary to some popular misconceptions, it does not violate the rules merely for a player to be in an offside position. The violation comes only when an «offside» player becomes involved in the play. So the referee — or the assistant referee on the sidelines — who allows play to continue even if everyone can see a player well beyond the offside line is probably not missing anything. Rather, they are applying the rule correctly, by letting play continue until the player in the «offside position» becomes «offside» by getting involved in the play.

There are three — and only three — situations where someone in an offside position is penalized for being «offside.» All of them, however, require participating in play from an offside position — or, in the wording of the rule, becoming «involved in active play» in one of three ways:

— Interfering with play

— Interfering with an opponent, or

— Gaining an advantage by being in an offside position.

The easiest example of «offside» comes when an offside player receives a pass from a teammate. In this case, he is directly «interfering with play» because he got the ball. Other examples of the same principle apply this same logic, but seek to spare the players a few steps, or the coaches and fans a few heart attacks. So, if one or more attackers is trapped offside and running to play the ball, the play will be «offside.» On the other hand, if an offside player removes himself from the play — pulling up, for example, in order to let an onside teammate collect the ball — an alert official will allow play to continue. And if the ball is going directly to the keeper, the officials will usually let the players keep playing.

While it is not an offense to be in an offside position, a player who never touches the ball may nevertheless affect play in such a way as to be penalized for being offside. The offside player who runs between an opponent and the ball, for example — or one who screens the goalkeeper from a shot, or interferes with the keeper’s ability to jump for, or collect the ball — violates the offside rule by participating in the play. But this sort of participation does not come from touching the ball. Rather, it comes from interfering with an opponent’s chance to play the ball. In this case, once the assistant referee sees the participation, the appropriate response is to raise the flag. But, if the offside player pulls up, steps to the side, or clearly indicates that he is removing himself from the moment’s active play, the alert official will simply allow play to continue.

Among the trickiest things to spot — either as a spectator or an official — is the player who exploits an offside position to gain an unfair advantage. This does not mean that the player is «gaining an advantage» by avoiding some extra running on a hot day, however. Instead, it means that the player is taking advantage of his positioning to exploit a lucky deflection, or a defensive mistake. So, if an offside player is standing to the side of the goal when his teammate takes a shot — but does not otherwise interfere with play or inhibit the keeper’s chance to make the save — then he is not offside…and the officials will count the goal. But if the ball rebounds, either from the keeper or the goalpost, and the offside player bangs the rebound home — the play is offside, and the goal will not count, because the player is now gaining an advantage from the offside position.

«The moment the ball touches, or is played, by a teammate…»

The Offside rule is the source of more controversy than any other rule in soccer. Partly, this is because there are at least two critical moments of judgment in every offside call, or no-call. The second of these, the moment of participation, is often easy to see: that’s usually where the ball lands and the players are playing, and that’s where everybody is looking. But the first «moment of truth» is usually away from everyone’s attention, because what determines the «offside position» is the relative position of each player at the moment the ball is struck.

Players touch the ball a lot during a soccer game, often in quick succession. And soccer being a fluid game, on a good team each player is constantly in motion. This means that the first moment of judgment — determining whether any players are in an offside position — is constantly changing, and the relative position of the players will often be very different from one moment to the next. Yet the officials have to keep it all straight, and have a heartbeat or less to take a mental snapshot of the players’ positioning at one frozen moment in time — the moment the ball is played by a member of one team — in order to judge whether an offside member of that team subsequently moves to play the ball, interferes with an opponent, or gains an advantage from being offside. From the official’s perspective, the game is an endless series of these snapshots, because each new touch of the ball redetermines the offside line….and the official often has less than a heartbeat to make the decision.

The important thing to remember is that the moment of judging «offside position» is different than the moment of judging participation. And this is true whichever direction the players are moving. An offside player who comes back onside to receive the ball is still offside; to avoid the call, he cannot participate until another teammate touches the ball, or his opponents manage to collect it. On the other hand, a player who is onside will remain onside, no matter how far she runs to retrieve it, and no matter where the other team’s players move in the meantime. So, if Steve is onside when Tom kicks the ball forward, it doesn’t matter if he’s twenty yards behind the defense when he collects the ball. The play will be onside…because he was onside at the moment her teammate passed the ball. And if Steve is onside…but Frank is offside…then an alert official will wait to see which one of them moves after the ball — because if Frank takes himself out of the play, and lets Steve collect it, then play can continue because there is no offside violation.

Soccer Officials and Offside

The offside rule has been part of Soccer for a long time, sparking arguments and controversies since its inception. But its purpose is simple: to prevent «cherry-picking.» Since it is an important part of the game, the referees will enforce the rule to the best of their ability. But when they rule a play offside — or let play continue, because they saw no infraction — they are not doing it out of spite, or to hurt one team or the other. Rather, they are doing so regardless of which team it hurts or benefits, simply because the rules require it.

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The field of football, as one of England’s most popular sport, has gone under different changes since its beginning. From including an astounding number of teams and football clubs, the English Soccer League has transformed into the elite football organization that it is today. As of present time, it is one of England’s multi-million dollar industries, what with all the advertisements and investment deals that this sport has spurred.

As a matter of fact, its popularity is no longer confined to the territory of the country which it originated from. The English Soccer League has managed to attract the attention of soccer and football enthusiasts from all over the world. As a matter of fact, quite a big number of people are also making money out of it, without actually being involved in the game.

Sports better from all over the world have come to recognize English football as the fruitful betting platform that it is. For this reason, hundreds and hundreds of betting sites have been put up with the purpose of helping betters connect with each other during English soccer seasons. Millions of dollars trade hands as the games progress, while most betters place their money on the teams that have the biggest chances of winning.

Different betting techniques are used to calculate the winning-losing odds of the different teams involved in the English Soccer League. There are different factors that affect people’s betting choices, all of which are included in the calculations made. While it is simpler to place your bets on your favorite teams, this practice is very much discouraged. After all, there are different resources that you can use to compare a certain team’s statistics against that of the others. By taking all of these resources leads together, there should be no way for you to not be able to place your money on the best bet.

The teams’ past performances, along with the statistics of every single one of their players, are used to lend integrity to the comparison. Those that have good win-loss ratios and who have skilled players naturally ranks well in all forecasts resources. As a matter of fact, there are certain teams that have managed to consistently make it to the list of the best picks, for quite some time now.

One of these teams is Manchester United. MU has consistently managed to rank high in almost every soccer league in England, thanks to its wealth of home-grown and imported players. As a matter of fact, Manchester United is perhaps the most popular soccer team in England, as far as opinion polls are concerned.

The Liverpool Team is also a popular betting choice, because of its proven ability to win back to back games. Kay players score astounding records in almost all of their game, which makes placing your bets on this team a sound choice.

Another team that consistently manage to get into the betters’ picks is Manchester City. This team has a roster of good players, which makes almost every game an easy win.

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Unless the necessary programs are put into place, and politics and personal interests are put aside from the game of football, those who control football and the national football teams will continue to bring disgrace to Liberia.

The Liberia Football Association keeps creating the avenues for more whipping of our various national teams. Over the weekend, the senior and Under-23 national teams suffered heavy defeats in two international football competitions.

In the qualifiers of the African Cup of Nations, the senior Lone Star went down 2-4 to Cape Verde on Saturday, March 26. Another disgrace for Liberian football was on Sunday, March 27 when the Under-23 sustained a humiliating defeat at the legs of the Under-23 of the Ivory Coast in Accra in the London 2012 Olympic qualifiers.

Liberia was walloped 0-4 by the Ivoirians. The country conceded a total of eight goals in two days in two international matches. Such horrific football image for Liberia could only be attributed to the inability of the current administration of the Liberia Football Association or LFA headed by Musa Bility.

Our football authority failed to plan and prepare because they had nothing to prepare, so they had nothing to implements as a nation on Saturday March 26 and Sunday, March 27, 2011 in Cape Verde and Ghana.

The road to London 2012 for Liberia has received numerous setbacks before the final one against Ivory Coast after full time.

Lone Star Under-23 first setback was experienced during a knock-out between Jubilee FC and Nimba FC, when Sam Johnson for Nimba FC got injured from a tackle with Jubilee FC defender.

The action put the Under-23 striker out of Lone Star junior team game played in Ghana against Ivory Coast on Sunday (March 27). Lone Star Under-23 second setback arrived when Israel base winger Patrick Doeplah died on Tuesday morning in Monrovia, after arriving in Liberia for a day training session with the team, before heading for Ghana. Lone Star Under-23 was contented for the arrival of America Under-20 Liberian forward Alex Nimo to replace the late Patrick Doeplah.

The team landed in Ghana on Thursday, they were informed that Nimo will not play for Liberia, until the right document are put into place. The team was left in the hands of Sekou Jabateh, he did his best, but they still lost.

The Liberia Football Association has confirmed the death scene of Patrick Doeplah, the Israeli based Liberian striker who met his untimely death on Tuesday morning.

The LFA in a statement issued Wednesday, March 23, 2011, said the player died at the home of his girlfriend on the old road, a suburb of Monrovia and not in a hotel room as was earlier stated.

Medical report quoting Dr. Brisbane said Patrick died Tuesday morning March 22, 2011 upon arrival at the JFK medical center in Monrovia, where he was taken by friends.

According to the LFA: «He had spent the night of March 21 at the home of his fiancée on the Old Road a few hours upon arrival into the country from Israel to form part of the national U-23 delegation to Ghana to engage against Ivory Coast on Sunday».

The Football House says the Government has launched an investigation into the circumstances leading to Patrick Doeplah’s death. The LFA says it is also sponsoring full autopsy on the mortal remains of the player to ascertain the foundation of his demise.

According to a statement signed by LFA spokesman Henry Flomo, the LFA wishes the family of the player to take solace in God Almighty during the period of bereavement. The Football House says the loss of Doeplah is colossal to the nation’s plan of improving the potential of youthful players.

Meanwhile, the LFA will open a book of condolence by 12:noon Thursday March 24, 2011 at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium in Monrovia; it will be preceded by a major news conference.

All football lovers, officials, the media and members of the LFA are expected to turnout. The Liberian leader and Chief Patron of sports Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf have presented the LFA US$20,000 as support to the national football teams of Liberia.

The President also wishes the national team victory in their endeavour away to Ivory Coast and Cape Verde. Disclosing this on Wednesday, LFA president Musa Bility said the Football House is grateful to the president for the gesture. He said the amount will help boost the morale of the players.

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