No I thought not.
It’s taken seriously in South America, where it feels like a Champions League final to them, a chance for the Copa Libertadores winners to topple the best from Europe.
And it occasionally makes its mark elsewhere. I still remember waking to the news that Zico’s Flamengo had humiliated Liverpool 3-0 in the annual Intercontinental game in Tokyo in 1981. I thought my team were indestructible before that.
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
December 19 – Poland’s Ekstraklasa, the operator of the top tier of Polish professional football league, is aiming to educate young footballers on the risks related to gambling. The initiative, carried out by the Ekstraklasa Foundation, is launched in cooperation with Transparency International which also collaborates with six other European football leagues on similar programmes.
December 19 – Construction is set to resume at the World Cup stadium in Manaus where a young worker recently fell to his death, prompting a walkout amid heightening safety fears six months ahead of the big kickoff.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 18 – Many of Europe’s less heralded countries will be given a greater chance than ever to qualify for the European Championship finals following a revolutionary new format unveiled by UEFA for 2016. Teams will be placed into nine groups of five and six teams, with both group winners and runners up qualifying automatically as well as the best third-placed side.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 18 – Moroccan football is celebrating its greatest ever club triumph after little-known domestic champions Raja Casablanca upset Ronaldinho’s mighty Atletico Mineiro to reach Saturday’s final of the Club World Cup.
Congratulations to Raja Casablanca, whose 3-1 win over Ronaldinho’s Atletico Mineiro in Marrakech on Wednesday has earned them a match-up with Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich in the final of the 2013 FIFA Club World Cup.
The Moroccan side will be following a trail blazed by the magnificently-named Tout Puissant Mazembe Englebert, from the Congolese mining capital of Lubumbashi, who in 2010 became the first African team to contest a Club World Cup final,
December 19 – Greek club Olympiakos Piraeus have appealed against the partial closure of their ground for their glamour Champions League last-16 tie with Manchester United, denying claims by UEFA that a section of their fans acted in a racist way in last week’s final group game.
By Paul Nicholson
December 19 – Brazilian, coach and former World Cup winner Leonardo has accused UEFA president Michel Platini of not knowing what he is talking about when it comes to the importance of third-party player ownership in South America, and that the 14 month ban he received in France at PSG for allegedly pushing a referee on the touchline “had a political logic to it”.
Le prime lacrime stanno già spuntando da occhi generalmente asciutti e abituati a sguardi ruvidi. Non siamo ancora arrivati a quella sorta di tassa sul lusso partorita dalla Francia del presidente Hollande, ma l’emendamento alla Legge di Stabilità presentato da Stefania Covello e Antonio Castricone, deputati del Partito Democratico, ha messo già in fibrillazione il calcio italiano.
La norma – a cui la Commissione Bilancio ha già dato il via libera col parere positivo del governo –
December 18 – In a review of its development activities in 2013, FIFA has reported that it has invested $200 million in football development over the past year.
December 18 – Champions League knockout stage qualifiers Olympiakos and Zenit St Petersburg have both paid the penalty for racist behaviour by their respective fans.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 18 – Football’s international players’ union, FIFPro, is demanding a complete overhaul of the transfer system in a move that could ultimately have the same impact on the game as the landmark Bosman ruling of 18 years ago. The union is to launch a legal challenge against the current system which, it claims, shackles players and still prevents proper freedom of movement.
December 18 – The Global Player, a new magazine, was published this week by the International Football Arena (IFA) and is as eclectic and elegant in its look and feel as the IFA conferences are themselves. Originally planned as a one-off to celebrate 15 years of IFA in Zurich, the magazine will now be published regularly, though the commitment to the publishing schedule is to be announced.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 18 – One of the players at the centre of the English spotfixing scandal has been sacked by his club on the grounds of gross misconduct.
December 18 – David Beckham’s plans to move into club ownership in the US have taken a significant step forward after local Miami officials unanimously approved efforts to find a suitable stadium location in the city.