Football (Soccer) Thread

[HVC]

Hope Solo's such a twat

whatever, she was pissed. Of all the things she's done to be known as a horrible person her tweet was the least of it.

[Josquius]

The season began.
With an expected loss. Albeit not as embarrassing as it could have been given we only have half  a team and we're playing man city.

Leicester losing is truly a surprise. Shall really have to watch MOTD for that one.

And let's all laugh at Newcastle. Played 2, lost 2. Given their "we will walk this league" attitude this pleases me.

[Duque de Bragança]

http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/37097423

I was about to say good riddance but there are others in his place.

Joao Havelange: Former Fifa president and IOC member dies aged 100

Joao Havelange
Havelange was born in Rio de Janeiro in May 1916
Former Fifa president Joao Havelange has died at the age of 100.

The Brazilian was predecessor to Sepp Blatter at world football's governing body, serving from 1974 to 1998.

He resigned as Fifa's honorary president in April 2013 following an investigation into bribery allegations and was admitted to hospital the following year with a lung infection.

He was an International Olympic Committee (IOC) member from 1963 until 2011, resigning because of ill health.

"He had one idea in his head, to make football a global game with his slogan 'football is the universal language', and he succeeded," said former Fifa president Sepp Blatter.

Havelange represented Brazil in swimming at the 1936 Olympics - the year he qualified as a lawyer - before his election to the IOC.

As Fifa president he led the World Cup's expansion from 16 to 32 teams, with six competitions held under his tenure.

However, his career was also mired in controversy over bribery allegations.

In 2010, a BBC Panorama programme accused Havelange and son-in-law Ricardo Teixeira of taking millions of dollars in bribes from Swiss marketing agency International Sport and Leisure (ISL) to retain the company as Fifa's sole official marketer.


Joao Havelange hands the World Cup trophy to Mexico president Miguel de la Madrid to present to Argentina captain Diego Maradona at the 1986 final
His resignation from the IOC five years ago avoided an investigation into the ISL allegations, which Havelange had denied.

In 2012, Teixeira stepped down as head of Brazil's football federation, a position he filled for 23 years, and resigned from the 2014 World Cup organising committee after coming under pressure over corruption allegations, which he also denied.

As well as swimming at the 1936 Olympics, Havelange was part of the Brazilian water polo team at the 1952 Helsinki Games and was chef de mission for the Brazilian delegation at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne.

And it was as a sports administrator, particularly in football, that Havelange made his mark.

He embarked on a career which began as president of the Metropolitan Swimming Federation in Brazil. He also became a member of the Brazilian Olympic Committee and joined the International Cycling Union in 1958.

After becoming vice-president of the Brazilian Sports Confederation, he served as president from 1958 to 1973, before he became the most powerful man in world football.

In 1974 he succeeded Britain's Sir Stanley Rous to be elected Fifa president, marshalling support among those unhappy at the perceived European domination of the world governing body.

An imposing figure, with piercing blue eyes, his astuteness as a politician and his adeptness at retaining power enabled him to hold the Fifa presidency for 24 years until being succeeded by Blatter in 1998.

When Havelange was elected president, Fifa's Zurich headquarters housed just 12 staff members. But that figure increased almost tenfold over the next two decades as Fifa's organisational responsibilities and commercial interests grew.

Increasing the size of the World Cup to 32 teams gave countries from Asia, Oceania and Africa the chance to shine on the world stage, Cameroon becoming the first African country to reach the quarter-finals in 1990.

It was Havelange who launched a wave of new tournaments, notably the world championships at Under-17 and Under-20 level in the late 1980s and the Fifa Confederations Cup and Fifa Women's World Cup at the start of the 1990s.

Gary Lineker
Former England captain Gary Lineker gives his reaction to the former Fifa president's death

Lineker

[HVC]

US soccer suspended Solo for 6 months and terminated her contract.

[celedhring]

Contract? Wasn't aware US players had contracts with the NT.

[Valmy]

Contract? Wasn't aware US players had contracts with the NT.

Of course. They get paid a salary. Being on the NT is a pretty sweet gig.

[Zanza]

Eh, the male football millionaires here play for free on the national team. It's still a question of honor. Although there are bonuses paid when they win something.

[Valmy]

Eh, the male football millionaires here play for free on the national team. It's still a question of honor. Although there are bonuses paid when they win something.

The economic conditions are different here. Especially for the WNT.

[Josephus]

I believe the WNT threatened legal action at one time because they weren't being compensated the same as the men.

[Valmy]

I believe the WNT threatened legal action at one time because they weren't being compensated the same as the men.

Yes. Which is kind of funny considering how much more successful they have been. Maybe funny is not the right word.

[HVC]

I believe the WNT threatened legal action at one time because they weren't being compensated the same as the men.

Yes. Which is kind of funny considering how much more successful they have been. Maybe funny is not the right word.

what's funnier is that they originally bargained to be paid a salary instead of bonuses like the men, and then cried foul later that they weren't paid like the men.

[Valmy]

what's funnier is that they originally bargained to be paid a salary instead of bonuses like the men, and then cried foul later that they weren't paid like the men.

Ok that is sort of funny.

[The Larch]

No comments about the Champions League group stage draw?

Group A

- Arsenal
- PSG
- Basel
- Ludogorets

Group B

- Benfica
- Napoli
- Dynamo Kiev
- Besiktas

Group C

- Barcelona
- Manchester City
- Celtic
- Borussia MG

Group D

- Bayern Munich
- Atlético
- PSV
- Rostov

Group E

- Bayern Leverkussen
- Tottenham
- Monaco
- CSKA Moscow

Group F

- Real Madrid
- Borussia Dortmundt
- Sporting
- Legia Warsaw

Group G

- Leicester
- Oporto
- Brugge
- FC Copenhagen

Group H

- Juventus
- Olympique Lyon
- Sevilla
- Dynamo Zagreb

[Zanza]

Ludogorets?

[Duque de Bragança]

Yes, Ludogorets beat Pilzen.

Good draw for Porto after a bad draw for the play-off: AS Roma. But then Roma got 3 reds in two games for rough play. So 3-0 for Porto in Stadio Olimpico in the second leg after a tie in the Dragão. Porto is still recovering and rebuilding though.
Italy might be headed for a French league situation with Juventus far ahead. Naples is in though.

Tough luck for Sporting, Benfica has a better one.

I expect Paris to go to quarter finals at least, the other French clubs might not make it out of the group phase but should reach Europa League. Maybe not for Lyon ,)