Category Archives: Benfica

Do Overpaid Football Players Encourage Or Discourage Participation In The Game?

  By O-Posts Team | February 23, 2013 - 20:20 | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Leave a comment

Getting the nation fit and active is a huge challenge. Sports leagues are a great way to do this, and one of the most popular sports is, unsurprisingly, football. Football is the worlds most popular sport with an enormous worldwide audience, as a result there’s a huge amount of money in the beautiful game.

But one of the negative factors associated with the game is the astronomical wages demanded by the top players. With wages continuing to increase, the question of whether these overpaid players encourage or discourage participation is an important one.

 

Household Names

David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, Lionel Messi – these football players, and others superstars of the sport, are household names around the world. But not only do they have exceptional talents – they also earn huge amounts of money.

Messi’s base salary is currently $15.44 million after agreeing to a new deal with Barcelona in December 2012. However, with all of the added bonuses, he will be paid a massive $44.68 million in 2013 – and that’s not even counting his sponsorship deals.

The money is staggering – but is it a good thing?

 

The Youth Effect

Young boys have always dreamed of being star football players. However, whereas in the past this was mainly driven by a love of the game and the idea of being a hero, these days there is another incentive: money.

Soccer players are very wealthy celebrities, and many lead lifestyles that most people can only dream of. As a result, it is not hard to assume that many young people are drawn to the game by their desire for the fame and riches that go with being a top player.

There are fears that if young boys are dreaming of the lifestyles that go with being rich, and who are regularly influenced by the antics of various high-profile football players in the media, they will go into the game for all the wrong reasons.

However, whatever the fears that young people will be attracted to the sport for the wrong reasons, it seems that something altogether different is happening: participation in the sport is actually falling.

 

Falling Participation

Back in 2011, the BBC reported on the falling numbers of participation in grassroots football in England. The amount of people participating in soccer was falling, and the drop was especially significant in the 16-to-19 year group.

The FA was threatened by Sport England with the withdrawal of funding to the tune of £25 million, and it was so concerned that it launched the Just Play initiative.

So what is this fall in participation linked to?

There are a number of possible reasons, including fewer referees, the growing popularity of computer games and busier lifestyles. However, whatever the cause, it is clear that the rising amount of money being paid to the superstars of the sport is not exactly boosting participation in the game.

 

Disconnected Fans

Most people participating in a football league will not be encouraged or discouraged by the wages of professional players – after all, they are not trying to make a career out of it. However, the danger is that the average fan can start to feel disconnected with football.

When fans start to see players who care more about money than football, this could have an adverse impact on fans – especially if higher wages are funded by higher-priced tickets on match day.

 

Authorities Need to Invest at a Grassroots Level

Whether or not overpaid football players are having a positive or negative effect on participation, one argument is clear: more needs to be done to put money into grassroots facilities to encourage greater participation in the sport from schools through to casual local leagues.

Youngsters will look up to the top players, and they may even want to emulate their lifestyles. But it is a love of the game that should be promoted more than anything, and this is where promoting local leagues and investing in local facilities is really going to pay off.

 

Image License: Creative Commons image source

John is a feature writer and football fan from the UK.

 

Please like O-Posts on Facebook

You can follow O-Posts on Twitter @OPosts

Feature: Important Tips to Follow to Become a Not-So-Bad Goalkeeper

  By O-Posts Team | February 23, 2013 - 15:20 | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Leave a comment
Do you want to fly like Messi? Then follow the tips below.
Do you want to fly like Messi? Then follow the tips below.

Do you want to fly like Messi? Then follow the tips below.

No soccer team can ever dream of doing well without a reliable goalkeeper. The goalkeeper forms the last line of a team’s defense. It is such a key position that it plays a crucial role in determining the result of a match.

For instance, a team that is doing poorly in defense and is not being able to stop the opponent from coming up with one attack after another, can get away with a draw just because of having a great goalkeeper who helps them to keep a clean score sheet with some spectacular saves. Mentioned below are some useful tips that will help you in becoming a good goalkeeper.

Do Not Lose Focus on the Ball

A mistake that novice goalkeepers often commit is that they start watching the ball only when it is there inside the penalty box. It is necessary for a goalkeeper to keep seeing the ball each and every moment. Even when the ball is far away from you, you need to keep watching it so that you do not find yourself unprepared when the opposition suddenly comes inside your penalty box.

Many goalkeepers have realized later how dangerous it can be if the eyes are not on the ball all the time.

 

Be Prepared for Leaving the Penalty Box

The main aim of a goalie is to prevent the shots of the opposition players from entering inside the goal. However, you can find such situations in a match where it is necessary for you to come out of the penalty box. But it is not wise to perform this act frequently as the opponent will always be ready to capitalize on the slightest of mistake from your part. You should be ready to leave the goal line and attack the ball when it is required.

When you make a run towards the ball, you should be full of determination and confidence that you will either clear away the ball from the feet of the opponent striker or stop him successfully.

 

Reach for the Crosses

Before jumping up in the air for saving the ball, you must ensure that it will actually be possible for you to reach for the ball. It is quite challenging for a goalkeeper to determine whether he should or should not jump for intercepting the cross. This is actually something that you will get to learn with the matches you play.

It is with experience that you will develop the capability of anticipating. If ever you end up losing the ball even after jumping, then the opponent strikers will waste no time in capitalizing on the opportunity that you have presented them.

 

Do Not Repeat Your Mistakes

It is absolutely necessary for a goalie to realize his mistakes and learn from them. While playing, it is quite obvious that you will make mistakes and you should use them as learning curves. It is extremely essential for you to have sufficient amount of confidence in yourself.

Mentioned above are some highly useful tips that you will enable you to polish your goalkeeping skills and will take you further in your football career.

 

Description: Goalkeeper is a key player in a football team. He needs to have all the necessary skills along with good presence of mind in order to make sure that his team does not concede.

 

Author Bio: Diyana Lobo is a renowned author writing high quality articles on topics such as android games. She contributes regularly for the website Bahis77.com where she also writes on dünya kupası and Tek Maç.

 

Please like O-Posts on Facebook

You can follow O-Posts on Twitter @OPosts

Robbie Rogers: Coming out in football is sadly still a big event

  By O-Posts Team | February 16, 2013 - 18:30 | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
1 Comment

Robbie Rogers is not the most recognisable name in football but after he revealed his retirement from the sport aged 25 on Friday, he has suddenly become familiar with supporters across the world. Rogers was most recently turning out for League One Stevenage on loan after being released from Leeds United in January, a series of injuries had seen his short career nosedive and he chose to bow out of the game while still young.

There was nothing major about that news, a series of nagging injuries had taken their toll on the ex-United States international of 18 caps, and despite him signing a recent deal with Chicago Fire back in the United States, maybe he thought his fitness and form had deteriorated to the extent he could not fully honour his commitments.

However, there was an explanation that saw the story plastered over the news pages and social network sites to post Rogers, a seemingly forgotten player who had been heading for the scrapheap, back in the full beam of the media spotlight. The explanation was that he was gay.

Rogers made the announcement via an eloquently written seven-paragraph blog in which he claimed football was his “escape, my purpose, my identity. Football hid my secret, gave me more joy than I ever imagined”. He concluded with a startling revelation that “I could only truly enjoy my life once I was honest… My secret is gone, I am a free man, I can move on and live my life as my creator intended”.

Those words hinted at the emotional toil that Rogers had to battle in order to suppress his sexual orientation in a sport that remains incredibly insular. Football has existed to be a victim of its own male dominated world, a macho surrounding that is coloured by intense competitiveness and tribalism both on the pitch and off it.

In preparations for Euro 2012, Polish police drew up stereotypes of English football fans to help deal with problematic behaviour and they predictably came up with the generic portrayal of the chauvinistic, beer-swilling, boisterous Neanderthal. It is those characteristics that have connotations of heterosexuality and sadly, with football well into the 21st century, being gay is still an unfortunate taboo.

Rogers became only the third professional footballer to reveal his homosexuality after Justin Fashanu back in 1990 and Swedish lower league player Anton Hysen in 2011. Hysen is still playing in the obscurity of the third tier of Swedish football, well away from the limelight, but Fashanu’s fate was tragic, hanging himself eight years after his initial announcement that was met with media vilification and rejection from his own brother, John.

Once a £1 million signing for European Champions Nottingham Forest in 1981, Fashanu’s revelations to the Sun saw his football career fizzle out whilst his private life was placed under the most intense media scrutiny, right the way up until his suicide of 1998 following a false accusation of sexual assault in America.

Justin Fashanu's bravery led to his tragic demise.

Justin Fashanu’s bravery led to his tragic demise.

In a BBC documentary fronted by Fashanu’s niece, Amal, said, “I’m proud Justin was my uncle. Football needs more people like my uncle if homophobic barriers are to be removed”.

It is those homophobic barriers that probably caused Rogers to feel the need to conceal his orientation. Worryingly, he spoke of his trepidation in revealing his secret, “for the past 25 years, I have been afraid to show who I really was because of fear”, he said in his parting blog that has summoned waves of support from his peers.

Fellow American players Chris Pontius, Heruclez Gomez, Omar Gonzalez and Abby Wambach, of the women’s national side, all tweeted their respect for Rogers while Robert Snodgrass, Ross McCormack, Stuart Holden and PFA chairman Clarke Carlisle all took to the social media website to voice their respect.

If Rogers had garnered such emphatic support from fellow professionals and equality groups after his announcement, one could ask why he was so overcome by fear in letting his secret out and, even more pertinently, why is he not comfortable continuing in his trade now he is outed?

Eddie Pope, an ex-USA international who played in 3 World Cups and is now an executive of the MLS players union, tweeted “brave men like you will make it so one day there’s no need for an announcement. That day can’t arrive soon enough”.

That is the disheartening problem that besieges homosexuality and football and will continue to do so until something drastic can smash the boundaries of normality to which the world of football has become accustomed, that a “coming out” of a player still remains a big thing, an event fitting of wide news coverage.

The hurdle of racism has been successfully overcome (with a few minor hiccups) since the days of banana throwing back in the 70s and 80s, and the presence of black players in a starting XI is now perfectly normal. A homosexual player? We are seemingly still light-years away from that same kind of acceptance. It is indicative of what an unfortunate quandary that is when a 25 year old has to turn his back on his profession because he felt he could not be true to himself.

Rogers will turn to a new career while football continues to work hard in the name of equality. In England, the FA last year set out a six point plan to make the game more inclusive, as well as tackling homophobia. “We do have players who’ve said that, while they are gay, they don’t feel comfortable enough to come out” said Chief Executive of the PFA Gordon Taylor.

“We know of players who are playing who are gay who’ve not had that confidence as yet. But, as the rest of the world becomes more civilised, hopefully that will come” said Taylor, but as Rogers bows out giving a clear insight into his own harrowing lack of confidence to reveal his truest feelings, one may hope the winger can leave a trailblazing legacy as football continues its search for equality.

One may hope more players will come out so being outed as a gay footballer is no longer an event worth reporting.

 

Written by Adam Gray

Follow Adam on Twitter @AdamGray1250

Please like O-Posts on Facebook

You can follow O-Posts on Twitter @OPosts

Special Feature: An Analysis of the Beautiful Game’s Various Positions and Roles

  By O-Posts Team | February 14, 2013 - 17:05 | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
1 Comment

Considered as the king of thrill and excitement, football has always been one of the most popular among all games. Almost all the countries of the world welcome football with a lot of enthusiasm and passion.

Apart from skill and techniques one of the most important things which is indeed the lifeblood of football is the physical fitness of the players. It is true not just for football only; but every single game requires a great deal of physical fitness from the players. With a right training and guidance, you can achieve this level of fitness.

But only the fitness won’t do your job. You have to become serious and dedicated towards the game in order to become a successful football player in the future. Every game has its own rules and regulations and other technical matters. You have to be acquainted with these things and abide by the rules of football. More familiarity with the rules will help you to become a more technically correct player.

There is one thing more which is extremely necessary in playing football- the position. It is natural that all the players will not play in the same position. So, to assign different positions for different players is very important.

But before that the person who has been given the charge of doing this job must be familiar with the individual capability of the players and by analyzing their playing technique the players should be assigned their positions.

Every position has its own importance from the perspective of the way the entire team performs. And a good team needs to have equally good players in all these positions.

Here under are given some of the positions extremely important in a football match which will also give you the contribution of them behind a victory.

Role of the Goalkeeper

He is the protector of the team. The ultimate of the defense line, goalkeeper of a team must be so good in his action and reaction that his team can get a comfortable victory. He must be very cunning and lively so that he can become a powerhouse of inspiration of the entire team.

He needs to have a presence of mind which will tell him when to go forward to stop the opponent and when to stay inside the penalty box. In these cases, a perfect reflex is very important.

 

Role of the Defender

Defenders are divided into three sections inside the field- the left back, the right back and the centre back. In order to prevent the attacks made by the opponent team, the defense of a team must be solid enough. He must possess the required skill to stop the striker of the opponent team but without committing a foul- especially inside the penalty box.

And like the goalkeeper a presence of mind is very important for them because it is their duty to assume from which direction the attack might come. So, they play according to that.

 

Role of the Midfielder

He is the engine of his team. He acts as the lifeline by creating the chances of goal and also by controlling the total performance of his team. As a connecting link between the defense and the attack, the midfielder actually does a double work- contributes to the defense to make it stronger and also adds to the attack to make certain chances of scoring.

What happens when the positions and roles get mixed up.

What happens when the positions and roles get mixed up.

Role of the Striker

The responsibility of scoring remains on him. If the striker does not possess enough skills to push the ball into the net of the opponents, the entire team suffers. So the striker must skillful, technically sound and intelligent so that no chances will miss.

The above mentioned points have given you some information on the importance of various positions in football. To win a football match one must give emphasis to all these things.

 

Author’s Bio

Diyana Lobo is one of the renowned authors writing on tempobet hakkında. In this article she has discussed about the importance of various positions in football. She is regular contributor to Bahis10.com.

Please like O-Posts on Facebook

You can follow O-Posts on Twitter @OPosts

Feature: The Health Benefits of Football

  By O-Posts Team | February 11, 2013 - 18:57 | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
1 Comment

Every sport has unique benefits, and soccer is no exception. It’s more than just a great cardio workout with balance and foot-eye coordination exercises. It also has many additional benefits that you might be unaware of. Football naturally has a semi-circuit setup with bouts of walking, running and jogging which helps keep the body guessing (and the metabolism high).

While running can be hard on the knees, it’s also a great way to build bone strength. Endurance is another important aspect of health that wanes as people age. While you might not be listing your football league on a federal resume, it’s still an important part of your life.

Check out these surprising health benefits your favorite sport is giving you.

 

Tight in the Right Places

The combination of sheer cardio and strength training can lower body fat and increase muscle tone. This lowers your risk for a host of diseases including diabetes and heart attacks. Cardiovascular health is a biggie, as heart disease is the leading killer in America. The best way to beat it is with regular cardio exercise.

You know that you’re unlikely to stick with a cardio routine that you don’t like. Football mixes things up, and there’s an end in sight (unlike epic runs on the treadmill). It’s also best to run outside whenever possible for more resistance with wind and natural differences in fields.

Many football players, even on intramural teams, also practice regular strengthening and stretching.

 

Social Health

Running, lifting and using elliptical machines might be great exercises. However, they’re also solitary and do nothing to improve your social health. Football is a team sport, and gives you an opportunity to meet people, engage and build a community. This can help with depression and anxiety.

You likely have different friends for different aspects of your life. Having a group that loves the same sport helps give you a community. It’s a great way to find a sense of belonging when you move. It also gives you the opportunity to share your passion with your children.

 

Prepping for Old Age

Soccer improves coordination, which can get shaky as people age. Of course, it also helps to get you outside. Gyms can be great, but there’s no replacement for the fresh air. Building healthy routines now can help cement the foundation for an active life in middle age and beyond. It’s much easier to get into the habit now than to try and pick up a new activity when you’re older.

There are many health benefits to football, and it’s important to keep them in mind the next time you head to the field. Is there something more you can do to improve your game and your health? Maybe you can lead the team in adopting new (or additional) strengthening exercises before or after practice.

It’s your game, and your health, so play it wisely.

 

Written by Michael Deaven

Follow Michael on Twitter @MichaelCDeaven

Please like O-Posts on Facebook

You can follow O-Posts on Twitter @OPosts

AFCON Final Preview: Nigeria vs Burkina Faso

  By O-Posts Team | February 10, 2013 - 18:08 | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Leave a comment

The Super Eagles of Nigeria have against all expectations qualified for the FINAL of the 2013 African Cup of Nations. It has been an astronomical rise for the Giants of Africa as they were once known.

The young team put together by former Eagles captain, Stephen Keshi has proved all the doubters wrong by sending the Ivory Coast out of South Africa and dismantling Mali in the semis to earn a shot at a title which has eluded them for the past 19 years.

Coach Stephen Keshi who is affectionately called the ‘BOSS’ is aiming to become only the 2nd man to win the Nations Cup as a player and manager after Egypt’s Mahmoud Al Gohari. The former Eagles captain won the trophy in 1994 when Tunisia hosted it.

The Nigerian coaching crew have been sweating on the fitness of key players-Emma Emenike and Victor Moses who picked up injuries in the 4-1 humbling of the Aigles of Mali in the previous match. Other players are available and hungry to come back home with the trophy.

The Burkinabe were almost robbed by the Calamitous Slim Jdidi in the semi final showdown with Ghana. A series of astoundingly bizarre decisions went the way of the Ghanaians in the match including a soft penalty which should never have been and worse still, the RED CARD awarded to Star Stallion, Jonathan ‘Beninwende’ Pitroipa- a decision which has since been reversed.

Belgian tactician, Paul Put will be hoping to ‘put’ the name of Burkina Faso among Nations that have won the AFCON later today when proceedings end.

Both teams know a bit of each other. They were in the same group (C) and the game contested between them ended in a 1-all draw made possible by a last minute Alain Traore equaliser. The Lorient front man whose 3 goals ensured that the great Stallions qualified for the knockout stages.

The unlikely finalists will slug it out this evening at the beautiful soccer city stadium in Johannesburg with all eyes on the men on the sidelines who have somewhat contrasting fortunes. Paul Put the Belgian manager has been ostracised in his home country over allegations of match-fixing and bribery (The YE ZHEYUN SCANDAL) and cannot manage in his country unless a fresh license is given to him by the FA of Belgium.

He has found a new home in Ouagadougou and has surprisingly reshaped the football philosophy in Burkina. The former Gambia coach (2007-2011) affirmed that he gave his boys clips of Greece’s 2004 Triumph, Chelsea’s UCL win last season and Zambia’s road to success last time out, to show them that underdogs can come from nowhere and upstage the so-called cup favourites.

The videos have made the desired impact to his delight and he will be hoping to add his name to the Di Matteos, Renards, and Rehhagels of this World in a few hours. Stephen Okechukwu Keshi the 50 year former Super Eagles skipper is a man well respected and revered in Africa.

After guiding Togo to the 2006 World Cup against all odds and managing the Malian National team with considerable success, he has etched his name in the jistory books and expects to add a Nations Cup trophy to his burgeoning resume after today’s battle. It will even be more remarkable because of the number of so-called big boys he left out of his final squad list.

The likes of Osaze Odemwingie, Taiye Taiwo, Obafemi Martins, Yak Aiyegbeni, Obinna Nsofor, etc were overlooked for Kenneth Omeruo, Obaobana, Brown Ideye, Sunday Mba and co. Even Captain Joseph Yobo has been warming the bench for the past 4 games. It has reaped the desired results as the EAGLES have swept aside all before them in their quest for Continental glory. One more hurdle to scale.

 

PROBABLE LINEUPS:

NIGERIA:

Enyeama, Ambrose, Obaobana, Omeruo, Echejile, Mba, Mikel, Onazi, Ideye, Moses, Emenike

 

BURKINA FASO:

Diakite, Koffi, B.Kone, Koulibaly, Panandetiguiri, D. Kone, Rouamba, Pitroipa, Nacoulma, BANCE.
Aristide Bance is deputising for the injured Alain Traore who sadly, can play no further part in this tournament. Burkina Faso have been boosted by the decision of CAF to rescind the RED CARD awarded to Pitroipa and the suspension of Slim Jdidi who should not be handed a whistle again for another 2 years. Bance scored the leveller v the Black Stars and took his penalty well in the shoot-out.

Captain Joseph Yobo will watch from the bench once again as his guys try to win the AFCON for the 3rd time ever. The team leader is in his 1st ever final, alongside all his other teammates. Vincent Enyeama will lead the Eagles out, but it remains to be seen who will lift the trophy should the Nigerians emerge victorious. This is Nigeria’s 7th final-only Ghana and Egypt have appeared in more.

Old Stallion, Moumouni Dagano has appeared in 6 ANC (African Nations Cup) Tournaments, but has registered just 1 goal. An appalling stat.

 

Written by Ohireime Eboreime

Follow Ohis on Twitter @ohiskaka1990

Please like O-Posts on Facebook

You can follow O-Posts on Twitter @OPosts

Special Feature: Match-fixing remains vague, but still a very clear issue

  By O-Posts Team | February 9, 2013 - 11:51 | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Leave a comment

On Monday, Europol, the law enforcement agency of the European Union, announced the results of an 18 month inquiry of match-fixing in football to a reaction of immense shock throughout the game.

They revealed that a total of 680 matches across the world were fixed, including a Champions League tie that had been played in England which went someway to hinting at the seriousness of their findings. Not only would they concern a club close to home, but it gave a lucid indication that match-fixing was now festering in the very highest levels of the sport.

It was an investigation that originally only involved Germany, Finland and Hungary, but expanded to over 30 countries spanning right across the world. The European Police revealed that Asia had staged 300 corrupt matches while Europe played host to 380, including “several top football matches in European leagues as well as World Cup and European Championship qualifiers”.

Officials went to the extent of revealing the figures of corruption in Germany-based matches alone; £13.9 million in total was wagered to a profit of £6.9 million and very worryingly, as they voiced from behind a stall in The Hague, this was “just the tip of the iceberg”.

However, there was a slight sense of apprehension to the report that UEFA are now awaiting in detail according to Rob Wainwright, Europol’s director. The FA, reacting to the bombshell that one of the matches in question was a Champions League game hosted in England “three or four years ago”, said they were “not aware of an credible reports into suspicious Champions League fixtures played in England, nor has any information been shared”.

The match in question was quickly confirmed as Liverpool’s one-nil win over Hungarian side Debrecen back in 2009. Charges involved Debrecen goalkeeper Vukasin Poleksic for not informing officials that he was approached by fixers prior to a game with Fiorentina in that campaign, for which he was banned for two years. However, the charges only specified the Italian club and not Liverpool, who maintain they have never been told by any organisation that the match at Anfield was under investigation.

A case that concerned a goalkeeper who had previously been severely dealt with by European football’s governing body hardly fitted into the sensationalist headlines the investigation should have demanded, but it was clear as the revelation continued that the issue went far, far deeper into the heart of the game. They created a macabre of criminal syndicates, based mainly in Asia, using facilitators in Europe to bribe and corrupt all those involved in the game for financial gain.

Over 425 suspects were identified by an investigation that involved 50 arrests and 80 further search warrants. Wainwright portrayed a dark, eerie criminal network spreading itself into Europe from its epicentre out in the far-east.

It is believed that the betting syndicates are operating not only on results, but on certain events in matches similar to the no ball scandal that scourged the Pakistani cricket team back in 2010. That should be familiar to the everyday football fan who is exposed to in play betting and the plethora of markets now available to betting companies who have developed into a mass businesses on the back of such practice.

The wide-scale of Europol's match-fixing probe.

The wide-scale of Europol’s match-fixing probe.

With so many areas on which to place money in the sport, there is always a suspicion that a footballer can take advantage on an individual level, it was Southampton’s Matt Le Tissier who claimed he made a spread-bet, of which he failed, on himself to win the first throw-in in a game with Wimbledon back in 1995.

Europol’s findings have taken that suspicion and multiplied it to a grave worry that manipulation is taking place on the grandest of scales via a murky underground network of criminals threatening to send a game that has always prided itself on fair play and honest competition into a state of decay.

With the African Nations Cup taking place in South Africa, Paul Put, the Belgian coach of Burkina Faso, said he was not surprised by Europol’s findings, claiming the problem is pandemic.

He has had a previous run-in with the practice having served a three year ban in Belgium after being found guilty for fixing two matches while manager of Lierse, a con allegedly organised by Chinese business man Ye Zheyun and has led to forty people being charged. “Match-fixing has always existed in football” said Put, “that is reality but what can you do about it?”

Even stronger views came from Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger who feared these revelations would form a “tsunami” that would overwhelm the sport. “I cannot accept this” said Wenger, “I was always aware there was a lot cheating in the game and we are not strong enough on what is happening”. These words were motivated partly by Wenger’s past with corruption that involved his Monaco team being caught up in the match-fixing scandal with Marseille in the early 1990s and he now calls for severe sanctions on those found guilty.

Wenger did allay fears over the domestic game though, remaining adamant that English football remains free of corruptive influence, “match-fixing is not a problem in England” said the Frenchman.

The football world will now await the next chapter of this saga, that will probably appear with the details of UEFA’s revision into the Europol investigation, with a great deal of agitation. There will be a hope that the more the governing bodies continue to peruse over the investigation with the finest of tooth-combs, the more information will gradually begin to come clearer in order to erode away the mystery that is shrouding this squalid world of corruption.

The European Police have gone a long way to confirming a fear that football is blighted by a darker-side but there is a sense that it has only scratched the surface, it now must delve further into the abyss in order to ensure football remains free of the disease lurking underneath.

 

Written by Adam Gray

Follow Adam on Twitter @AdamGray1250

Please like O-Posts on Facebook

You can follow O-Posts on Twitter @OPosts

Booing in Football: Help or hindrance to a club’s on-going issues?

  By O-Posts Team | February 8, 2013 - 14:33 | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Leave a comment

Booing is an issue which divides supporters of the same club let alone within the same country, and one that came into focus over the weekend. Some fans say ‘You make your choice, you pay your money, you can do what you like’, but when booing works against your side and consistently costs them points, why do it?

Aston Villa’s winter of discontent saw them humiliated out of both cups and walloped at home time and time again. (Re ‘Winter of Discontent’: Excuse the cliché but if there’s ever a week for a Richard III reference, it’s definitely this one. Hint: there’s another nod to Shakespeare coming up).

Since November, to a backdrop of boos, Lambert’s youngsters have lost four of five home games – their only ‘positive’ result a 0-0 draw with Stoke. Inversely, Villa have lost just once on the road following trips to QPR, Liverpool, Swansea, West Brom and Everton. The dejected Villa Park moans it seems are negatively affecting results.

So I put it to you simply, to boo or not to boo, that is the question.
Of course there’s a chicken and egg argument here. Do fans boo because results are poor or are results poor because fans boo? I’d guess the former on the basis that fans presumably do not launch unprovoked attacks on their own team, but the issue boils down reaction: how do real fans cope with disappointment/ failure?

Consider Villa’s weekend opponents Everton. Since December 15, Blues fans have ripped their Red counterparts non-stop after their 3-1 home defeat to the Villains, yet an hour into Saturday’s game, the Toffees were in the exact same position in a match that could have sent them fourth.

The fans remained onside, they didn’t boo once. Look and behold, Everton drew level and gave themselves a chance of victory.

 

The ‘confused boo’

The key aspect is entitlement. If you demand your side wins every week, you’re going to end up booing because that is definitely not going to happen. Take Chelsea fans for instance who have become so deplorably immersed in the gimme, gimme, gimme culture of money-gifted success, they’ve given rise to a new form of disenchantment in the stands, the ‘confused boo’.

We’ve seen this recently with fans’ unsustainable anger at Roman Abramovic after heartlessly sacking of Double-winning fan favourite Roberto Di Matteo has been displaced into a more conventional rage at temporary manager Rafa Benitez. Granted Rafa made some ‘deeply hurtful’ (spot on) comments about flags, but what sort of moral high ground permits abuse of name-callers but not club legend-axers?

Home fans have booed Benitez from minute one of his two-month Stamford Bridge reign. Unsurprisingly, the Blues have won just 38% of their home fixtures (3/8) compared to 54% (7/13) away. No top six side has beaten Norwich, Everton or Stoke away this season, Chelsea have beaten all three.

On the road, altered conditions can suit a struggling side. Pressure decreases, scrutiny is reduced, as the noise from visiting supporters is almost exclusively positive. With the burden of expectation lifted, the impact of failure lessens freeing up teams to play better.

There’s surely a lesson there for home fans. The point of support must be to optimise your team’s chance of victory. Booing merely turns an opportunity for huge gain into severe disadvantage, at which point, fans only have themselves to blame in the event of a defeat.

 

Written by Chris Smith

Follow Chris on Twitter @cdsmith789 and visit his blog www.therussianlinesman.com

Please like O-Posts on Facebook

You can follow O-Posts on Twitter @OPosts

Betting Feature: What’s the Hottest Ticket in Town Right Now?

  By O-Posts Team | February 5, 2013 - 19:44 | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Leave a comment

If you are looking for something to do at the weekend, a ticket to a local football game could well be top of your list. However, if you are looking for sporting excitement that you can enjoy during the week without having to take time off work or travel to a packed stadium, you may well find that the betting opportunities available on a wide range of international events are just the ticket!

For fans of horse racing, there are a number of top jump meetings held at this time of the year in the UK. If neither of those options tickles your fancy, the Rugby Union season is also in full swing and come next spring, the main Australian Rules Football league will start again.

The Formula 1 2012 season finished last month and the SBK World Championship, featuring top motorcyclists from across the globe drew to a close in October but will start again in the spring. Of course, the English Premier League is entering the busiest part of its season, with many appealing fixtures over the holiday season on which odds are available.

You can choose to back your favourite soccer teams from the comfort of your home, with many online bookmakers offering prices for each fixture. New account holders are often offered free bets by leading forms when they fund their account, enabling you to back your opinion in a wide variety of events without fear of losing your shirt.

Avid football fans can of course bet on a fixture they are attending to make the event even more exciting so there is no need to choose between supporting your local team in person and backing them online.

Before you open an account with an online bookmaker and fund it, it is of course advisable to make sure that you are not breaking any laws. As these differ from country to country, it is not possible to give definitive advice on what each individual reader of this article can and cannot do.

If you want to obtain tickets to an English Premier League game, you will find various sellers on the Internet but if you want to attend a popular fixture, it is advisable to book as early as possible to avoid disappointment. FIFA fans can also buy tickets online, with seating charts for each stadium making it easy for you to ensure that you book the seats you really want.

For those that are unable to bet on local or international sporting fixtures with an online bookmaker due to legal problems, there is always the option of travelling to attend a major sporting event in Europe and having a flutter while you are there.

To find out about upcoming fixtures, you can check one of the many websites dedicated to providing fans with details of the latest football schedules around the world.

 

About the Author:

Punters Lounge is an online leader in Paddy Power free bets and similar offers. You can also obtain expert advice on sports betting on their website at www.punterslounge.com.

 

Please like O-Posts on Facebook

You can follow O-Posts on Twitter @OPosts

Football – The Offside Rule In Detail

  By O-Posts Team | January 31, 2013 - 16:06 | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Leave a comment

Offside on Fifa 10

Football, otherwise known as ‘the beautiful game’, may seem simple on the outside but as its future becomes more technologically orientated with the introduction of goal-line technology, more and more of its traditional rules are starting to be questioned, none more so than the renowned offside rule.

 

What Is It?

This rule is brought up consistently on football programmes such as Match Of The Day and Sky Sports News as it continues to play such a massive part in the game and is still a strong catalyst for controversy.

The rule was brought into play to stop attacking players from wandering up the field to stand next to the opponent’s goal-keeper, waiting for a ball to float into them so they could score an easy goal. The rule requires attackers to time their runs and passes to perfection as well as requiring defenders to operate as a solid defensive unit.

A football player is offside if he is in the opponent’s half of the pitch and is positioned nearer the opponent’s goal line than either the football or the second last opposition defender. You cannot be offside if you are level with the second last defender, the last two defenders or the ball and you cannot be offside if you’re not involved in active play, which is where much of the confusion arrives.

 

Active Interference

One of the bigger questions an official has to ask themselves when giving an offside decision is whether or not there is a player in an offside position interfering with play. The linesman can easily spot whether or not the attacker has breached the last line of defence and flag for offside but if a player is not interfering with play, then no offside will be flagged.

A player does not have to touch the ball to be interfering with play. That’s an important aspect to remember as it encapsulates a few factors. If a player is blocking off a defender from an offside position, disabling them from defending or by blocking off a keeper’s vision, then they count as offside.

If a shot comes in from a player who is onside and it rebounds off the keeper or the post to a player who was offside when the ball was fired in, then the linesman will flag as the player has retained an advantage from being in an illegal position.

 

Other Situations

The offside rule does not come into play during certain set pieces. For example, a player may use a throw-in without having to worry about the rule as it will not count for offside. The same can be said for both goal-kicks and corner-kicks, with the offside rule not coming into play until the ball has been played at least once.

When the player appears to be level with the second last defender, the decision has to be whether or not the attacker’s ball-playing body parts are beyond that defender. A player can use any part of their body except their arms to control the ball so if any parts, save for the arms, are beyond the last defender, they will be offside.

It’s not a difficult rule to understand essentially. The goalkeeper counts as a defender so the rule dictates that the attacker must not be beyond the second last defender (the goalkeeper counting as the first defender) and players are only offside if they’re interfering directly or indirectly with play.

The result of an offside is an indirect free-kick to the opposition, taking place from where the offside offence occurred.

 

Featured images:

Brad Chambers is a keen sportsman and blogger for Sealskinz.com, a leading UK retailer of thermal sports gloves and socks. Brad enjoys football skiing and climbing and can be followed on here on twitter.

Please like O-Posts on Facebook

You can follow O-Posts on Twitter @OPosts