REAL MADRID - FC BARCELONA DERBY - HUMOUR OR NERVES FROM BARCELONA?

Barcelona based Sports daily “Mundo Deportivo” add humourto the upcoming Real Madrid – FC Barcelona game next Saturdaywith this cartoon from “Kap”. Both Coach Guardiola & PresidentLaporta are drawn saying (Translated):“No, No. It’s not that we are afraid of the Swine Flu.It´s the media campaign coming out from Madrid thatstinks”¿Humour or nerves at Camp Barça?

"EL CLÁSICO": REAL MADRID vs FC BARCELONA 2009. THE GAME OF THE SEASON

It´s the biggest Football game of the season & possibly on Earth asREAL MADRID CF meets FC BARCELONA at 20.00 hrs (Sp.time) at the"Santiago Bernabeu Stadium" to determine if:1. Real Madrid can scratch another 3ºpoints from Barça & put the difference between them & the latter to just a single point with 4more Rounds in play of the Championship.2. Barça win & make it "virtually" impossible to be

REAL MADRID TURN TOWARDS IBRAHIMOVIC & RIBERY - UNDER FLORENTINO PEREZ?

From Italy the news from “TuttoSport”, which has been gladly pickedup here by the “speculative” sporting daily “AS”, says that ex- REALMADRID President Florentino Perez "has made" an offer for INTERMILAN forward ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC. That isn’t the real news as wehave heard this before, the novelty is the offer of a 15M€ /year salary(3M€ more than what he gets at Inter) to tempt the 27 year old

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 1º LEG SEMI-FINAL 2009: FC BARCELONA 0 - CHELSEA FC 0

The first leg Semi-final clash of the Champions League betweenFC BARCELONA & CHELSEA FC finished in a 0-0 draw, which could be said was a "victory" for the English Club. One of the keys of the game was the strategy put in place by Chelsea´s "old fox" managerGuus Hiddink who saw everything as a two game affair & planned itaccording. FC Barcelona Coach Guardiola was "outwitted" as he did´nt see it

FC BARCELONA PUTS A 20M€ PRICE ON ETO´O?

According to local sports daily “AS” & English paper “The Times”,FC BARCELONA President Laporta has met with Gary Cook of theEnglish Club MANCHESTER CITY in London to discuss the future ofSAMUEL ETO ´O.The 28 year old Barcelona forward ends his contract with the SpanishClub next season & negotiations of renewal are halted at Barça asEto´o asks for 4 more years & a hike in his economic pretensions

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 1º LEG SEMI-FINAL 2009 - FC BARCELONA vs CHELSEA FC - PREVIEW

(photo:Sport)FC BARCELONA meets CHELSEA FC tonight in the 1ºst leg of theSemi-finals of Champions League. Barça will have theadvantage of its home ground & must take adavantage of theopportunities to return to London with the best possible conditions.Two teams with two clear styles of Football; Barça with its balldomination & touch Football & Chelsea with its more physical & aerialplay. Which

FERNANDO TORRES GETS NAMED IN THE IDEAL 11 TEAM OF THE YEAR

The English Professional Footballers Association (PFA) hashanded down its Awards with the main prize, the Best Player of TheEnglish Premier League for season 2008/2009 ( Player of The Year)going to Manchester United veteran player Ryan Giggs.What calls happily SFS attention is that Spanish International &Liverpool FC forward FERNANDO TORRES was included in the"Ideal 11 Team" of the Premier League

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA 2008/ 2009 - ROUND 33 SUNDAYS GAMES RESULTS

The news & the conclusion after Round 33 is that we have dramaback for the Spanish League title. Real Madrid won & closes the gapwith leader FC Barcelona to 4 points & they meet next Saturday atMadrid in the big Spanish derby that may decide the title.SEVILLA FC lost 1-3 to REAL MADRID in "topsy turby" game wereone man was the key - RAUL (above). The Real Madrid Captainscored a HAT TRICK ( 44th,

TENNIS: RAFAEL NADAL WINS HIS 5TH GODÓ TROPHY

"The king of the clay courts", Spanish & Tennis World Nº1 RAFAEL NADAL has added another trophy to the collection. If last weekendNadal won his 5th straight Monte Carlo Masters, today he has won his5th straight "Open Barcelona", also more commonly known as the"Godó Trophy".Rafael Nadal defeated fellow Spaniard DAVID FERRER, who has hada fabulous tournament, in two straight sets: 6-2, 7-5. The

FORMULA 1 BAHRAIN 2009: FERNANDO ALONSO 8TH

Spanish two time World Formula 1 Champion FERNANDO ALONSOfinished in 8th position today in the Bahrain F1 race. Alonso´s teamhave´nt as yet increased the speed relative to their competitors whoare well ahead in the horsepower area, not to mention theaerodynamics.Race winner was J.BUTTON, followed by Vettel & Trulli(Fernando Alonso)The Top three World Championship Table cuurently looks like this:1

MOTOGP 2009 - SPANIARDS DO WELL - LORENZO & BAUTISTA WIN IN JAPAN GP2009

Good news from MotoGp & from Japan. Spanish GP rider JORGELORENZO (pictured) has won the Japan Gp race in a magnificent exhibition of riding. Jorge finished ahead of Italian World Champion& team-mate Valentino Rossi, plus the other good news was the 3ºrdplace for DANI PEDROSAThe added highlights came from Casey Stoner who had problemswith his bike & Dani Pedrosa who did an excellent start to get

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA 2008/ 2009 - ROUND 33 SATURDAY GAMES RESULTS

Three games tonight of Round 33 of the Spanish League with themain plate the tasty VALENCIA - FC BARCELONA clash. A seriousgame overall as Barça was risking that arch rival Real Madrid close inon its points advantage, while Valencia wants to cement itsChampions League place on the table.FC BARCELONA started firm & confidently but kept smashing intothe Valencia wall, until MESSI scored Barça´s

SPANISH FOOTBALL: JOAQUIN CORTIZO HISTORICAL RECORD GAMES SUSPENSION HOLDER

Seeing that REAL MADRID defender PEPE has indirectly increasedworldwide interest in Spanish Football (Soccer) the last couple of days,here is an interesting piece of “trivia” that will answer some inquiriesSFS is receiving in its email.The person – player with the historical all time record of matchsuspension in Spanish Football goes to JOAQUIN CORTIZO, a rightback from REAL ZARAGOZA (pictured)

THE PEPE & CASQUERO CASE: AN ALTERNATIVE ANGLE

The now infamous PEPE incident in last Tuesdays Real Madrid – Getafegame of the Spanish “Liga” has spread like wildfire around the World& has been the most discussed Football (Soccer) issue in the pastcouple of days. There are opinions of all sorts, some are very extreme,“overheated” & go as far as to suggest that Pepe be banned fromplaying Football, some even have said locked away!Before SFS

REAL MADRID: PEPE GETS A 10 MATCH SUSPENSION

The Spanish Football "Disciplinary Committee" has handed down thisafternoon a 10 match suspension to REAL MADRID defender PEPE afterTuesday nights “loss of control” & “violence” against Getafe playersCasquero & later Albin. That´s only what was bleamed around the World,there also was abusive language to the linesmen & he jumped back on thefield to celebrate Higuain´s winning last minute goal when

VIDEO: RACING DE SANTANDER 5 - ATLETICO DE MADRID 1

This will be good to watch, the disaster at Santander yesterday praticallysinks any hope of finishing in Champions League positions for Atletico deMadrid. A terrible defence, no idea of play at all that will lead to someserious changes that will no doubt be coming up in the future at the Club,they have too!A stiff six Rounds left for Atletico of this seasons Spanish League. The newfrustration &

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA 2008 / 09 - ROUND 32 MID-WEEK THURSDAY GAMES RESULTS

Round 32 of the Spanish League finished tonight with the last 4 gamesgiving us results & hope for some of the bottom Clubs struggling not tobe pulled in by the relegation "black hole".One team that has created its on hole is ATLETICO DE MADRID whichsaid practically goodbye to Champions & possibly Uefa as well after losing5-1 to RACING DE SANTANDER. The Madrid team is 7th on the ladder& the above

SFS FLASHBACKS: YUGOSLAVIA 0 - SPAIN 1. JUANITO & HIS FAREWELL GIFT

It was the 30th of November the year 1977 in Belgrade, Capital of the thenYugoslavia. The Spanish national team was playing the Yugoslavian nationalside for their Group ticket to the 1978 Argentina World Cup finals. Thegame was a violent affair with outrageous tackles, as the Yugoslavs used allthe dirty tactics in their “hidden” box to stop Spain. Real Madrid defenderPirri was brutally tackled &

VIDEO: FC BARCELONA 4 - SEVILLA FC 0 : LA LIGA ROUND 32 2008/ 2009

(Courtesy of Sport.es)Here is the VIDEO highlights of yesterdays clash with FC Barcelona& Spanish International Andres Iniesta putting us the show. One goal& his three passes set up the others:Thanks to Rafa for the clip.

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA 2008/ 09 - WEDNESDAY MID-WEEK GAMES RESULTS

Round 32 of the Spanish League continued tonight with its mid-week fixturewith four great games played, tomorrow the last four matches will be decided.VALENCIA CF are back in form at the right moment as they have theireyes firmly set on cementing a Champions League table position. Theywon tonight 1-2 REAL BETIS & have taken back 4th place from Atleticode Madrid who play tomorrow.However there is

VIDEO: PEPE GOES "MAD" & KICKS CASQUERO & PUNCHES ALBIN - REAL MADRID vs GETAFE 2009

Yesterdays Real Madrid 3 - Getafe 2 match had a dark spot. It was the87th min & Real Madrid defender PEPE fouled Getafe player CASQUERO& went MAD!!! He went after the player while on the ground & KICKEDhim twice, yes twice, & later while arguing with players PUNCHED Getafeplayer ALBIN while his team-mate Gago attempt to keep him away.A Red Card & penalty - that Casquero missed. However a

VIDEO: REAL MADRID 3 - GETAFE 2. LA LIGA 2009

Here is the VIDEO highlight of yesterdays amazing REAL MADRID 3 -GETAFE 2 game. Simply increidible:(ALLOW TO LOAD!)

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA 2008/09 - ROUND 32 MID-WEEK TUESDAY GAMES RESULTS

The Spanish League & Round 32 goes mid-week with two games playedtonight. The rest will be spread out over the next two upcoming nights.REAL MADRID came back from the dead - they nearly lost the 3 points -to win in the very last moment GETAFE 3-2. They are now 3º points behind League leaders FC Barcelona who play their game tomorrow in a difficult clash against third placed Sevilla FC. Now the

SPANISH FOOTBALL & SPORTS BLOG GOES GLOBAL

One of the founding philosophies of the Spanish Football & Sports Blog is togive access to all global non-Spanish speaking fans to our Sports & Sportsmen& at the same time to allow living & travelling Spaniards around the worldto maintain in touch from anywhere, anyplace & anytime with the SpanishSports scene. SFS thinks a natural development is to go GLOBAL via “YouTube”. Thus it haselaborated a

REAL MADRID OFFERS 38M€ FOR FRANCK RIBERY

According to online media ITA Sport Press, which has been picked up here bylocal daily “AS”, a REAL MADRID "upcoming" Presidential candidate hasmade a 38M€ offer to German Club BAYERN MUNICH for its star wingerFRANCK RIBERY.The local paper suspects that it comes from ex-Real Madrid candidateFlorentino Perez via his chosen "World Club Ambassador" – if he wins– Zinedine Zidane. The former is good

SPECTACULAR GOAL FROM EMANA (VIDEO) : REAL BETIS - REAL SPORTING DE GIJON

REAL BETIS player EMANA was the decisive man for his team scoringboth goals in their 2-0 victory over REAL SPORTING DE GIJON in Round31 of “La Liga” played yesterday. Check the first goal out on this VIDEO,impressive & unstoppable (keep volume down!):

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA 2008/ 09 - ROUND 31 SUNDAY GAMES RESULTS

Spanish Football & Round 31 of the Spanish 1º Division - La Liga -continued today with 5 games that stir up the classification positionsat the top & at the bottom.VALENCIA CF regained the Champions League 4th table position fromAtletico de Madrid after they defeated SEVILLA FC down to 10 men 3-1 in a game full of yellow cards & the mentioned red.Sevilla got ahead early via a beautiful header from

ITALIAN PRESS PLACES CANNAVARO AT JUVENTUS NEXT SEASON

News emanating from Italian press, which has been picked up here locally by“rumour” Sports daily “AS”, has situated REAL MADRID & ItalianInternational Captain 35 year old FABIO CANNAVARO at JUVENTUSfor next year.According Sky Sport 24, Tuttosport & Datasport, Cannavaro had set a limitwhich was yesterdays match against Recreativo for Real Madrid to make amove & inform if they wished to extend his

TENNIS: RAFAEL NADAL WINS HIS 5TH MONTECARLO MASTERS

The 2009 Montecarlo MASTERS 1000 Final between Spanish World Nº1RAFAEL NADAL & Serbian World Nº3 NOVAK DJOKOVIC has finishedwith the former winning 6-3; 2-6; 6-1 to create tournament history & becomethe only player to win the title 5 times in a row.It was´nt easy for Nadal after Djokovic won the 2ºset & pushed Nadal to thelimit. However, it is at the limit were Nadal plays his best tennis &

FORMULA 1: CHINA GP - FERNANDO ALONSO 9TH

No, this is not FERNANDO ALONSO, its S.VETTEL who won todaysFORMULA 1 CHINA GP, with 2º place going to his Red Bull team-mateM.WEBBER to give their team a historical double.It was a rain trenched race that gave headaches to all drivers & one ofthose was 2 time World Champion & Spaniard Fernando Alonso who had a horror race. The Spaniard started from 2ºposition to fall to 20th afterhe made a pit

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA 2008/09 - ROUND 31 SATURDAY GAMES RESULTS

Tonight 5 games were played of Round 31 of the Spanish League withthe status-quo between the two run away teams - FC Barcelona & RealMadrid - as it was last Round.FC BARCELONA played away to GETAFE & won 0-1 to keep its 6 pointlead over second placed Real Madrid. LEONEL MESSI was the goalscorerin in the 18th min. Barça played well all game & were disallowed another Messi goal late in the 2ºhalf

ATLETICO DE MADRID: NEW PROMO CAMPAIGN TO LIFT THE CLUB INTO CHAMPIONS

ATLETICO DE MADRID has one objective, get & finish the season in thevaluable 4th classification place of the table currently with Valencia CF, thatserves as a “ticket” for next years Champions League. Anything less would bea disaster for the Club economically & that may force Atletico to sell some“big names” for next season.There are 8 games left of the Spanish League & each game is a final. To

CARLOS TEVÉZ HEADING TO REAL MADRID?

Spanish sporting daily “AS”,with a propensity to dabble in rumours,publishesthat MANCHESTER UNITED Argentine International on loan CARLOSTEVEZ could end up joining his current team-mate CRISTIANORONALDO at REAL MADRID next season. Now this would be taken witha grain of salt but the news starts & originates form the British paper “TheTimes”, thus giving the story some credibility.Everyone knows

FERNANDO TORRES WOULD ENJOY TO PLAY IN SERIE A (ITALY)

LIVERPOOL FC & Spanish International star forward FERNANDOTORRES has given an interview in Britain which has been syndicatedthroughout Europe landing in the Italian daily “La Gazzetta dello Sport” &has been picked up here by all the important Sports dailys.The message is thesame as the last interviews, a big NO to Real Madrid if they are thinking ofasking, his total happiness with Liverpool & a

ATHLETIC DE BILBAO PRESENT NEW SPANISH CUP FINAL MERCHANDISING

The final of the 2008/2009 SPANISH CUP will be May the 13th at the"Mestalla Stadium" in Valencia. The two teams to battle it out for the titleare FC BARCELONA & ATHLETIC DE BILBAO, the latter is a"specialist" in the Spanish Cups with 23 titles, although this one will be adifficult final to conquer beforehand.Having said this the whole city of Bilbao is solely thinking in this game & theexcitement

EUROPEAN FOOTBALL: FC BARCELONA vs ENGLISH FOOTBALL

An interesting column has appeared today in the local daily “Marca” titled
“FC Barcelona against England”. It makes reference to the fact that
English Football has managed to place three Clubs out of 4 in the Semi-Finals
of the Champions League. Spanish Football long considered as the “Best
Football League” in Europe has only managed to get one of its teams into the
Semis that being FC BARCELONA

ATLETICO DE MADRID HAVE SILVA & NEGREDO ON THE AGENDA

VALENCIA CF Spanish International DAVID SILVA was on the agenda ofATLETICO DE MADRID when ex – Coach Javier Aguirre was in charge.That “professional attraction” is still strong today according to local daily“AS” who publish that the Madrid Club will be back attempting to sign theplayer for the 2009/ 2010 season.Atletico estimate that they can compete in the20-25M€ transfer price range & will

CRISTIANO RONALDO 40mt GOAL VIDEO AGAINST OPORTO - SPECTACULAR

In tonights Oporto - Manchester Utd Q/Final match of the ChampionsLeague, we witness an action that transcends frontiers & nationalities & thusmakes it universal for all to see in any post on any Football/Soccer Blog thats accesible.SFS posts this amazing 40mt winning goal from CRISTIANORONALDO that is spectacular & at the sometime responsable for takinghis team into the Semi-Finals. Enjoy!Allow

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2008/2009 2º LEG Q/FINAL: ARSENAL 3 - VILLAREAL 0

It was always going to be a tough affair, but while there is hope the Spaniradsthought... English Premier League Club ARSENAL goes into the Semi-Finalsof the Champions League after defeating 3-0 ( 4-1 on aggregate) Spanish sideVILLAREAL in tonights 2º leg Q/Final clash at London.Arsenal started well early with a WALCOTT chipped goal from a Cesctouch-on that rocked the Spaniards in the 10th min,

ATLETICO DE MADRID FOLLOWING JULIO ARCA OF MIDDLESBROUGH?

It´s normal with 7 to 8 Rounds left of the Spanish League that most Clubs –at least the serious one – are already planning the next season & combingthe overseas markets for possible reinforcements, new talents &/or bargains.Spanish Club ATLETICO DE MADRID is one of those doing their “earlybird…” work & it’s not to surprise that local media are publishing on aregular basis transfer speculations

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2008/09 2ºLEG Q/FINAL PREVIEW: ARSENAL vs VILLAREAL

Big night in London tonight for VILLAREAL & Spanish Football, with theformer taking its slim 1-1 draw result into the 2ºleg Champions League clashagainst ARSENAL, & for the latter to regain its prestige back in EuropeanFootball & allow Spain to put two of its teams into the Semi-Finals stages.Villareal are not favourites, they have two significant players injured,CARZOLA out for the season (

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2008/ 09 Q/FINAL 2º LEG RESULT: BAYERN MUNICH 1 - FC BARCELONA 1 (1-5)

FC BARCELONA goes into the semi-finals of the CHAMPIONS LEAGUEafter drawing away in the 2º leg match of the Q/Final 1-1 (1-5 overall)against BAYERN MUNICH. The Spanish side will now host the other winnerof the Q/Final played tonight, Chelsea FC, the 28th of April at Barcelonain their 1ºst leg S/Final clashBayern Munich started strong & attempted all it could to score quickly, butas time went by

FC BARCELONA EYES DANIEL AGGER, WHILE LIVERPOOL FC FOLLOWS JAVI MARTINEZ

According from the English daily “Daily Mail” the news is that FCBARCELONA will “go” after LIVERPOOL FC & 24 year old DanishCentral Defender DANIEL AGGER. The cited player hasn’t renewed withhis Club & his contract ends on the 30th of June, thus Barça & player canlegally negotiate & there is no transfer fee if both parties come to a finalagreement. The “hitch” with Liverpool is Agger´s desire to

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2ºLEG Q/FINAL PREVIEW: BAYERN MUNICH - FC BARCELONA

FC BARCELONA plays BAYERN MUNICH tonight at the Allianz Arena,stronghold of the German Club were they along with their cheering fans willattempt to pull back the 4-0 advantage that Barça achieved in the 1º legmatch of the Champions League Q/Finals. The Spanish League Leader goes into this match with modesty as they respectthe German Clubs history & greatness realising that Bayern is capable

LUIS ANGEL LANDIN - "THE GOAL OF THE SCORPION"

At times throughout the World of Football things occur that transcendfrontiers & deserve to be posted on any Sporting Blog by their pure merit& universal Football appeal. SFS has seen this amazing goal & wishes toshare it with its readers.It occurred last weekend in Mexico. The team CRUZ AZUL was playing itsRound 13 game of the Mexican League against MORELIA. Suddenly Cruz Azulforward LUIS ANGEL

HISTORY & LEGENDS OF REAL MADRID CF - A SHORT VIDEO

Found this interesting video, a short documentary of the Legends of REALMADRID CF. It´s in English & follows a numerical order of past & currentgreats who have played at the Club. Interesting viewing for all the Real SFSreaders throughout the global, which are many.Enjoy!

ATLETICO DE MADRID: SIMAO GOES DOWN IN HISTORY FOR GOAL 4.000

The brief: it’s Round 30 of the Spanish 1ºst Division & Deportivo de A Coruñais playing Atletico de Madrid. The latter is leading 0-1, & in the 70th minuteSIMAO scores his teams’ second goal plus Atletico de Madrid´s 4.000 goalin “Liga”. Excuse the poor quality of the video: Simao goes down into Club History & joins other players like:Palacios, first ever goal scorer for Atletico in 1929;Escudero

FC BARCELONA NEWS: RIBERY & INIESTA

Let’s give the brief on two news pieces doing the rounds in the local Sportsdaily’s in reference to FC BARCELONA. The first is the interest thatBAYERN MUNICH player FRANCK RIBERY has in leaving his Club forBarça & the second the supposed interest by MANCHESTER CITY forBarça midfielder ANDRES INIESTA.Ex- FC Barcelona Dutch player & now Bayern Munich midfielder Mark vanBommel, made comments to

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA 2008/ 09 - ROUND 30 RESULTS

Hi! Great to be back posting. This weeks Liga summary will be shorter,because SFS was out on Easter holidays & did not get to see all the games.Plus, just in & checking all the results & scorers from around the media.SATURDAY RESULTS:FC BARCELONA 2 ( Iniesta; Morris (og) ) - RECREATIVO 0VILLAREAL 0 - MALAGA 2 (Duda; Eliseu)SUNDAY GAMES RESULTS:Ex-REAL MADRID player DAVID BECKHAM flew into Madrid

GERMAN "SPORT BILD" VOTES MESSI BEST FORWARD IN EUROPE. SEE THE TOP 10 LIST

(photo courtesy of Sport Bild)German magazine “Sport Bild” has published its Top 50 list of "BestForwards in European Football". Spain grabs all the attention as out ofthe Top 10, 7 play in Spanish Football (3 are Spanish born). ArgentineInternational & FC BARCELONA star LEONEL MESSI tops the list asNº1 , with ex- German Football player, ex-National Team Selector & nowGeneral Manager of Bayern

FIFA RANKING: SPAIN MAINTAINS TOP SPOT & BREAKS RECORD

FIFA has just released its monthly rankings for National Teams. SPAINmaintains its Nº1 spot for 10th consecutive month & break another recordfor having the greatest points gap (367pts) in respect to a second placedteam (Germany) since FIFA introduced this ranking in 1993.(photo: JOSÉ A. GARCÍA. MARCA)Here is the Top 20:.1. Spain 1.729 pts.2. Germany 1.362 .3. Holland 1.360 .4. Brazil 1.275 .5.

REAL MADRID - KAKA NEGOTIATIONS: WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Spanish paper “AS” has always been suspected on following the REALMADRID line of thought – to say the least – as does its equivalent “Sport”in Barcelona. The former has been very active of late in publishing ongoingnews on the new signings that ex Real Madrid President Florentino Perez hasup his sleeves if he gets re-elected next June in the Clubs Presidential elections.The funny thing is –

REAL MADRID: A BLAST FROM THE PAST FOR FLORENTINO PEREZ

Claude Makelele who is currently playing at PARIS ST. GERMAIN, livedpersonally the era of the grand REAL MADRID of the “Galacticos” ofMr. Florentino Perez. He also felt personally the decision from the same manto sell him to Chelsea, a decision that was positive for the English Club & adisaster for Real Madrid. Many – including myself – claim that since Makeleleleft Real Madrid hasn’t recovered

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2008/09 1ºLEG Q/FINALS: VILLAREAL 1 - ARSENAL 1

VILLAREAL will be disappointed that they only managed to get a 1-1 draw result against ARSENAL in their 1º leg CHAMPIONS LEAGUEQ/Final clash. The English team will be happy as they go home with avaluable away goal & prepare to host the Spanish Club with the homeground advantage & with their crowd cheering them on.Villareal started great as they pushed the ball well finding spaceswhile Arsenal was

NEW FOOTBALL (SOCCER) MARKETING: THE SAVIOUR OF THE GAME - THE SERGIO RAMOS CASE

One of the main “Marketing tools” & reasons for the spectacular rise inFootball Club Finances & “Cash Flows” is the female & gay target.Traditionally until the last 80s & early 90s the Sport was seen & dominatedby the heterosexual male segment of the market. Many Business “SocialEngineers” saw the potential in increasing their market share & incomes ifthey managed to shift the focus & profile

THE UPCOMING ATLETICO DE MADRID REVOLUTION: THE PASSION OF IT ALL

It´s a real possibility, in fact the trend & the level of play shown gives weightto the idea that ATLETICO DE MADRID will not make Champions Leaguetable positions this year. That in Sporting & Economic terms is a disaster forthe Club as the investments put in have not given the ROI (return oninvestment) expected & damaged the Clubs prestige. Like any other BusinessUnit (Football is a Business) &/

FERNANDO TORRES SHOWS "HIS TRUE COLOURS"

“The Kid” that grew up as a Football player at ATLETICO DE MADRID,were he was their youngest Captain plus their symbol & masthead, hasgrown up into a World Class Sportsman who is reaping in the fruits of hismaturity & talent. FERNANDO TORRES gives a comprehensive &insightful interview to Spanish Football Magazine “Don Balon” that SFSwould like to grab your attention considering that it´s well

SAMUEL ETO´O ON COURSE FOR THE EUROPEAN GOLDEN BOOT 2008/09

The “Golden Boot” is the prize (award) given to the player who scores themost goals from the Top European Leagues during the season. It is weightedso as to take into account that not all Football Leagues in Europe are of thesame strength & not all goals have the same degree of difficulty. Therefore,scoring a goal in Spain, Italy, England, Germany & France is worth 2 points,while elsewhere they

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA 2008/09 - ROUND 29 SUNDAY GAMES RESULTS

Yesterday six games were played of Round 29 ( see below post) & today theother four have been in action with the following results, scorers & images.OSASUNA "jumped" out of the relegation zone with a decisive victoryover ATLETICO DE MADRID with the 2-4 scoreline. It was a terrible game for Atletico who are in danger - real & viable - of not finishing inChampions League positions & at this rate

FORMULA 1 MALAYSIAN GP 2009: RACE SUSPEND & ALONSO 11TH

The Malaysian F1 GP race was suspended due to torrential tropical stormsthat made driving impossible & dangerous. With 24 laps still left the skiesopened up on the Sapang circuit & stopped the race with Spanish DriverFERNANDO ALONSO skidding out at that precise moment with slicks onto go back onto the track & be halted in at 11th place. It was pure bad luckfor Fernando as he made a brilliant

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA 2008/2009 - ROUND 29 SATAURDAY GAMES RESULTS

Big night of Spanish Football with 6 games played & with the usual doses ofgoals & amazing comebacks. Here is the summary of scores, scorers & pics.FC BARCELONA travelled to VALLADOLID & managed to "handle" the pressure, not only from the home side but the neck breathing second placed RealMadrid, with a 0-1 victory . Valladolid was a rugged & tough unit tonight thatmade Barça work its pay. The

CRISTIANO RONALDO & REAL MADRID ARE BACK ON THE NEWS

CRISTIANO RONALDO is back on the news in reference to REALMADRID. The English paper “The Gaurdian” has published what everyonealready suspects, that CR7 has an agreement & that he will be the star signingof Real Madrid for next season. The transfer figure being said is 82M€As filtered way back. Cristiano Ronaldo had accepted to stay at ManchesterUnited on the condition that he would be allowed to

A JUAN PABLO CARRIZO & MAXI RODRIGUEZ SWAP? DOUBT IT

Italian paper “Corriere dello Sport” makes echo of the interest by SpaniardsATLETICO DE MADRID for Argentine goalkeeper JUAN PABLOCARRIZO who is currently with Italian Club LAZIO. The daily adds thatthe Italians may let the goal stopper go if Atletico agrees for an exchangewith fellow country man & Atletico Captain MAXI RODRIGUEZ.The story develops further adding that this is an idea that it is

ABRAMOVICH TORPEDOES REAL MADRID´S PLANS?

An interesting front cover from the Spanish Sports daily “Marca” today.The paper highlights that REAL MADRID, via its ex-President FlorentinoPerez who is rumoured & speculated to be working behind the scenes totie up his “NEW REAL MADRID” to be re-elected President in theupcoming June 12th Club elections, is not having things going his way.According to “Marca”, CHELSEA FC owner Roman Abramovich

SPANISH NATIONAL TEAM KEEPS BREAKING RECORDS

The Spanish National Team has been breaking records since it won theEuropean Championship in 2008 against Germany. The moulding of a younggeneration of extraordinary & talented players is taking Spanish Football toheights it has never known before in its history.(photo:AS)SPAIN has achieved 31 games without knowing defeat (28 victories & 3 draws)& is getting close to the all time record held by

LIVERPOOL TEST FC BARCELONA WITH 32.5M€ OFFER FOR ETO´O

News from the English newspaper “Mirror”, which has been picked up hereby daily “AS” reports that LIVERPOOL FC via its Spanish Coach RafaelBenitez is willing to go as high as 32.5M€ to convince FC BARCELONA toallow its star striker SAMUEL ETO´O to think & take up the serious offer toincorporate himself to the English Club next season.The Cameroon forward is having a tremendous season with 25

VICTOR VALDES TESTS FC BARCELONA: ON THE SAME LEVEL AS IKER CASILLAS?

Victor Valdes has been for many years the Nº1 goalkeeper of FCBARCELONA, he won the “Zamora” (title given to the goalkeeper who hasleast goals scored against him in a Spanish League season) in 2005 & has beenone of the least scored goalkeepers ever since. His President Joan Laporta hassaid that for him, Valdes is the “Best goalkeeper in the World”. The playerfinishes his contract with Barça next

SFS FLASHBACKS. SPANISH CUP 1997: FC BARCELONA 5 - ATLETICO DE MADRID 4

SFS Flashbacks goes way back to the 12th of March 1997 to remember & putyour emotions at 100 kmph with what many consider one of the best comebacksby any Club in Spanish Football History. The occasion was the eliminationround of the SPANISH CUP that matched FC BARCELONA & ATLETICODE MADRID. This is what happened, an extraordinary chain of events the putthe game of Football to it’s maximum height

WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFIERS: SPAIN DEFEATS 1-2 A BRAVE & WORTHY TURKEY (SEE VIDEO)

The evoked spirit of William Wallace ( Braveheart – see the below post) byTurkish team Coach Terim was in the air tonight along with 25.000 screamingTurkish fans pushing their national team TURKEY onwards, but the anxietyof the final moments, the need to win & some vital defensive errors were thefew opportunities that SPAIN needed to take the match with a 1-2 final scoreline.The first half was a

TURKEY COACH TERIM EVOKES THE SPIRIT OF "BRAVEHEART" AGAINST SPAIN

SFS picks up this news piece from “AS” on how important it it is tonight forTURKEY to defeat SPAIN. The Turks have to win & grab the 3 points orrisk giving up & allowing Bosnia to escape & take the 2ºposition of GROUP5 & the other ticket for the World Cup in South Africa next year.(Ali Sami Yen Stadium)According to the cited paper Turkish Coach Terim has specifically wished &enforced that tonight

PRE-MATCH WORLD CUP 2010: FOR TURKEY A MUST WIN GAME AGAINST SPAIN

(photo: JUAN MANUEL BUENO / MARCA)Turkish Captain & Villareal player NIHAT, revs up this team at the pressconference:“Hemos llegado a un punto, como selección nacional de Turquía, en queganar a cualquier equipo ya no es fantasía” We´ve got to a point, as theTurkish National Team, that to win any other team is no longer a fantasy”.TURKEY meets tonight at Istambul, the current European Champions

REAL MADRID: MANUEL PELLEGRINI IS PLAN B FOR NEXT SEASON

Spanish daily “AS” publishes that Chilean & VILLAREAL Coach MANUELPELLEGRINI has entered the “betting” as the next potential Coach ofREAL MADRID. This situation occurs because news has been leaked that ExPresident Florentino Perez chosen Club General Manager Jorge Valdano seesthe Villareal Coach as an alternative option to the originally chosen AC MilanCoach CARLO ANCELOTTI.(photo:AS)The Italian

U/21 FRIENDLY INTERNATIONAL 2009: SPAIN 0 - SWEDEN 0

Swedish goalkeeper stopped everything that SPAIN was able to fire to allowhis side SWEDEN finish with a 0-0 draw in the U/21 Friendly International.Added to this Spain hit the bar three times which made it a frustrating dayoverall for the young Spaniards.Very good game for Spain, BUT there was HANSSON & the posts.(Bojan with a near miss: photo AS)TEAMS:Spain - 0: Asenjo, Sergio Sánchez, Chico,