Un ceceno che investe nel calcio a Neuchatel - città fascinosa ma dall’appeal pallonaro pari a zero - sembra l’inizio di una barzelletta. Ma in Svizzera non ha riso nessuno, dal momento che in soli nove mesi Bulat Chagaev è riuscito a distruggere un club storico del calcio elvetico come il Neuchatel Xamax – tre campionati nazionali in bacheca (uno con il nome di Cantonal). A gennaio è arrivato il crack: revoca della licenza e dichiarazione di fallimento per il club neocastellano, detenzione preventiva per il suo ormai ex proprietario, accusato di falso nei titoli e frode.
Chagaev rappresenta il lato peggiore di quell’esercito di milionari dell’Est che negli ultimi anni hanno trovato nel calcio un formidabile mezzo per ottenere visibilità (nei casi di migliori) o per riciclare denaro di dubbia provenienza. Che il ceceno non fosse un benefattore lo si era capito fin da subito: nel maggio 2011, pochi giorni dopo il suo insediamento, aveva minacciato i giocatori nell’intervallo della finale di coppa nazionale (persa) contro il Sion. A giugno l’intero staff amministrativo del club aveva rassegnato le dimissioni – nell’occasione il Neuchatel non aveva potuto stampare i biglietti per l’esordio stagionale in campionato. Poi sono arrivate nuove minacce ai giocatori, con una testimonianze che parlano di Chagaev nello spogliatoio accompagnato da guardie del corpo armate di pistola. A settembre viene esonerato lo spagnolo Caparros (quarto tecnico dall’arrivo del ceceno) dopo una rissa sfiorata con il patron. Nel frattempo aumentano i creditori, tra i quali anche i gestori dello stadio Maladiere, che lamentano il mancato pagamento dell’affitto. Infine il contrattacco della Federcalcio tra multe, inchieste, perquisizioni domiciliari e penalizzazioni in classifica. Fino alla scoperta di un documento di garanzia finanziaria, firmato dalla Bank of America, pieno di errori grammaticali: un falso clamoroso. E’ tutto vero invece il buco in bilancio del club: oltre 6 milioni di franchi.
Il 4 febbraio partirà la seconda fase di un campionato monco: fuori il Neuchatel (ripartirà dalla quinta divisione, sempre ammesso che trovi un imprenditore locale disposto a investire nel rilancio del club), penalizzato di 36 punti l’ormai famoso Sion di Constantin. Ma la storia che vede protagonista l’architetto vallesano, nel quale in molti cominciano a vedere una sorta di Robin Hood moderno che si batte contro i padroni del calcio (FIFA, UEFA e, nel suo paese, Federcalcio svizzera), è ben diversa. Constantin è un vulcanico Pierino che ama baloccarsi con i cavilli legali. Però niente pistole, né frodi, né mancati pagamenti. La sua potrebbe anche essere una barzelletta divertente. Quella di un ceceno che investe nel calcio a Neuchatel invece è solo triste. Au revoir, Xamax.
Fonte: Il Giornale
lunedì 30 gennaio 2012
domenica 29 gennaio 2012
La Spagna dei record
Cosa hanno in comune Messi e il Polideportivo Ejido? L’ingresso quasi contemporaneo nel libro dei primati del calcio spagnolo. Anche se il club andaluso, proveniente dalla provincia di Almerìa, ne avrebbe fatto volentieri a meno.
(Articolo completo su Il mondo siamo noi).
(Articolo completo su Il mondo siamo noi).
sabato 28 gennaio 2012
I bomber degli altri
Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Robin van Persie, Mario Gomez; nomi che chiunque si aspetta di leggere in cima alla classifica dei bomber europei. Dove invece staziona Aleksandrs Čekulajevs, sconosciuto attaccante lettone classe 1985, forte di un mostruoso score realizzato nell’edizione 2011 della Meistriliiga (la massima divisione dell’Estonia) con la maglia del Trans Narva: 46 reti segnate in 36 partite. Insufficienti per vincere la Scarpa d’Oro (il moltiplicatore non lascia scampo ai figli di un gol minore), ma utili per regalare al giocatore il warholiano quarto d’ora di celebrità. Come ammesso dallo stesso Čekulajevs. “Tra il sottoscritto e Cristiano Ronaldo c’è la stessa distanza che separa la terra da Marte. Però è emozionante leggere il mio nome accanto al suo nelle notizie”.
Curiosamente la straordinaria vena realizzativa di Čekulajevs non ha portato trofei né al Trans Narva, giunto terzo in campionato a 13 lunghezze dai campioni del Flora Tallin (che hanno sconfitto i rosso-blu anche nella finale di coppa), né al diretto interessato, classificatosi clamorosamente secondo (per un voto) nella votazione di miglior giocatore della Meistriliiga. Il premio è finito al centrocampista del Flora Tallin Sergei Mošnikov, con Čekulajevs che ha dovuto accontentarsi del primato di miglior marcatore stagionale nella storia del calcio estone. Delle sue 46 reti (cinque in più del vecchio record-man Tarmo Neemelo), 18 sono arrivate contro il fanalino di coda Ajax Lasnamäe: tripletta il 22 marzo (7-0), poker il 14 giugno (7-0), sestina il 13 agosto (14-0) e cinquina il 27 settembre (12-0). Niente male per un giocatore che a inizio carriera, nel FK Riga, agiva da centrocampista offensivo.
Non è la prima volta che Čekulajevs scrive il suo nome nella storia calcistica di un paese. Nel 2007 ha stabilito il record di marcature stagionali in Lettonia andando in rete 51 volte in 30 partite nella seconda divisione lettone con l’FK Auda Riga. Poi ha tentato l’esperienza all’estero, prima nella terza divisione ceca, quindi in Islanda. Il treno giusto è però passato da Narva. Cosa fare adesso, dopo aver chiuso un campionato avendo realizzato – da solo – più gol delle ultime tre squadre classificate? “Si volta pagina e si ricomincia. Il mio contratto è scaduto a gennaio, adesso si apre una nuova fase della mia carriera. Sogno di giocare in Bundesliga”.
Fonte: Guerin Sportivo
Curiosamente la straordinaria vena realizzativa di Čekulajevs non ha portato trofei né al Trans Narva, giunto terzo in campionato a 13 lunghezze dai campioni del Flora Tallin (che hanno sconfitto i rosso-blu anche nella finale di coppa), né al diretto interessato, classificatosi clamorosamente secondo (per un voto) nella votazione di miglior giocatore della Meistriliiga. Il premio è finito al centrocampista del Flora Tallin Sergei Mošnikov, con Čekulajevs che ha dovuto accontentarsi del primato di miglior marcatore stagionale nella storia del calcio estone. Delle sue 46 reti (cinque in più del vecchio record-man Tarmo Neemelo), 18 sono arrivate contro il fanalino di coda Ajax Lasnamäe: tripletta il 22 marzo (7-0), poker il 14 giugno (7-0), sestina il 13 agosto (14-0) e cinquina il 27 settembre (12-0). Niente male per un giocatore che a inizio carriera, nel FK Riga, agiva da centrocampista offensivo.
Non è la prima volta che Čekulajevs scrive il suo nome nella storia calcistica di un paese. Nel 2007 ha stabilito il record di marcature stagionali in Lettonia andando in rete 51 volte in 30 partite nella seconda divisione lettone con l’FK Auda Riga. Poi ha tentato l’esperienza all’estero, prima nella terza divisione ceca, quindi in Islanda. Il treno giusto è però passato da Narva. Cosa fare adesso, dopo aver chiuso un campionato avendo realizzato – da solo – più gol delle ultime tre squadre classificate? “Si volta pagina e si ricomincia. Il mio contratto è scaduto a gennaio, adesso si apre una nuova fase della mia carriera. Sogno di giocare in Bundesliga”.
Fonte: Guerin Sportivo
venerdì 27 gennaio 2012
Inside Interview: Prolific Mons Striker Jeremy Perbet
An incredible 40 goals in 40 games in 2011 made 27-year-old striker Jeremy Perbet one of the most lethal marksmen in Europe. Since landing at Belgian top flight outfit RAEC Mons last January, the French forward has become a key player for the Walloon side, both in the second half of the 2010/11 season (Mons won promotion from the second division through the playoffs) and the first half of the current campaign, helping to turn Les Dragons from relegation candidates to a mid-table side.
Inside Futbol speak to the revelation of the 2011/12 Jupiler Pro League.
Inside Futbol (IF): Jeremy Perbet, your goal average in 2011 was better than Lionel Messi’s and Cristiano Ronaldo’s. How does it make you feel to read your name next to these top players?
Jeremy Perbet (JP): It feels good for sure and it makes me feel proud. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are two great champions who play for great teams, that often win a game by scoring three or four goals more than their opponents. For me the situation is quite different. Mons are a newly promoted team whose aim is to avoid relegation. And actually we are doing fine, even in the national cup – we are in the semi-finals. We must go on in this way.
IF: 22 goals in the Tweede Klasse (Belgium’s second tier), 17 in the Jupiler Pro League, two in the Belgian Cup. Which was the most beautiful of these?
JP: Last August we met Anderlecht at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium – it was the fourth round of the league. I opened the scoring with a shot to the top corner. It was a beautiful moment, a goal scored in a full stadium against the country’s best team. The game ended 2-2.
IF: Apart from your goals, what is the secret behind Mons’ surprising season?
JP: There isn’t any particular secret. Our team is quite like that which was promoted last season from the second division. The players know each other. Even our coach, Dennis van Wijk, is the same. We already know his football philosophy, his tactics and what he is expecting from us. Moreover, last summer Mons signed some new players too who brought the experience a newly promoted club needs.
IF: What kind of striker is Jeremy Perbet? To whom do you compare yourself?
JP: I am cold-blooded in front of goal and I don’t need many chances to put the ball in the net. I am the typical penalty box striker, however I am good at protecting the ball too and playing with my back to goal. Something I must certainly improve is my quickness off the mark. I should be more explosive. I don’t like to make comparisons though. When I was a teenager I liked Jean-Pierre Papin, who later became my coach at Strasbourg. Another player I admired was the former Paris Saint-Germain striker Pedro Pauleta. Despite the fact that he wasn’t a top player, in the box he was a lethal forward.
IF: You started your career in France, where in 2006 you became the top scorer in the third division with Moulins (23 goals). However, you had to move to Belgium to make an impact in professional football. What happened?
JP: I became a professional only when I was 18. Before that I trained no more than twice a week, because for my family school was more important than football. My father was an amateur footballer, however I never joined a youth academy. I am not a typical French player who grew up playing in the youth teams of clubs like Lille, Bordeaux or Saint-Etienne. Moreover, at that time I did not have the right mentality to be a professional. For sure it didn’t help me to change clubs every year, from Clermont to Moulins to Clermont again, then Strasbourg, four months in Belgium at Charleroi and then a return to France with Angers.
IF: Then you definitely settled in Belgium…
JP: I had a good time with Charleroi and I became a little sick of playing in the French second division, or worse. And at Angers, where I was on loan from Strasbourg, a knee injury ruled me out for months. I thought it was time to leave and when French coach Albert Cartier asked me to join him at Tubize, I agreed.
IF: What is the current level of football in Belgium?
JP: In my opinion it is increasing year after year. Look at the Belgian clubs in Europe. Anderlecht, Standard Liege and Club Brugge have all qualified for the Europa League knockout stage. Three or four years ago it was impossible to imagine something like this; the Belgian league is often underrated, maybe because it lacks media exposure. However, the level is good.
IF: Alongside Standard Liege, Mons are the only Walloon club in the Jupiler Pro League, while all the rest are Flemish – apart from Anderlecht. How can you explain this?
JP: I’ve played for clubs from both regions – Charleroi, Tubize and Mons are Walloon, while Lokeren are Flemish, and I can say that there is no difference between football in Flanders and Wallonia except for the language. The first speak Dutch, the second French. But if we talk about training facilities, organisation, football stadiums, it becomes a question of club, not of region.
IF: The two previous Jupiler Pro League top scorers moved to two big teams – Romelu Lukaku joined Chelsea and Ivan Perisic signed for Borussia Dortmund. Where will Perbet go?
JP: First of all, I still have to win the Gouden Schoen (Golden Shoe. ed). The season hasn’t finished yet and there is still a lot to do. Then, who knows? The football world moves so fast that it is impossible to make any predictions. I’ve heard about interest from many foreign clubs, but I am actually happy here with Mons.
IF: But if you could choose, which league would you like to play in at some point in the future?
JP: The Premier League and Spanish La Liga are currently the best competitions. However, I feel that Holland’s Eredivisie is the right league for me to show my true potential. There they play attacking football, just like Van Dijk does here at Mons. It’s a great shop window for a striker.
IF: As the most productive French footballer in 2011, have you ever thought about a call-up to the national team?
JP: No, never. I am aware that normally a league’s top scorer gets a national team call-up, but I have never had any contact with anybody in France. It is something I’ve never thought about.
Fonte: Inside Futbol
Inside Futbol speak to the revelation of the 2011/12 Jupiler Pro League.
Inside Futbol (IF): Jeremy Perbet, your goal average in 2011 was better than Lionel Messi’s and Cristiano Ronaldo’s. How does it make you feel to read your name next to these top players?
Jeremy Perbet (JP): It feels good for sure and it makes me feel proud. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are two great champions who play for great teams, that often win a game by scoring three or four goals more than their opponents. For me the situation is quite different. Mons are a newly promoted team whose aim is to avoid relegation. And actually we are doing fine, even in the national cup – we are in the semi-finals. We must go on in this way.
IF: 22 goals in the Tweede Klasse (Belgium’s second tier), 17 in the Jupiler Pro League, two in the Belgian Cup. Which was the most beautiful of these?
JP: Last August we met Anderlecht at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium – it was the fourth round of the league. I opened the scoring with a shot to the top corner. It was a beautiful moment, a goal scored in a full stadium against the country’s best team. The game ended 2-2.
IF: Apart from your goals, what is the secret behind Mons’ surprising season?
JP: There isn’t any particular secret. Our team is quite like that which was promoted last season from the second division. The players know each other. Even our coach, Dennis van Wijk, is the same. We already know his football philosophy, his tactics and what he is expecting from us. Moreover, last summer Mons signed some new players too who brought the experience a newly promoted club needs.
IF: What kind of striker is Jeremy Perbet? To whom do you compare yourself?
JP: I am cold-blooded in front of goal and I don’t need many chances to put the ball in the net. I am the typical penalty box striker, however I am good at protecting the ball too and playing with my back to goal. Something I must certainly improve is my quickness off the mark. I should be more explosive. I don’t like to make comparisons though. When I was a teenager I liked Jean-Pierre Papin, who later became my coach at Strasbourg. Another player I admired was the former Paris Saint-Germain striker Pedro Pauleta. Despite the fact that he wasn’t a top player, in the box he was a lethal forward.
IF: You started your career in France, where in 2006 you became the top scorer in the third division with Moulins (23 goals). However, you had to move to Belgium to make an impact in professional football. What happened?
JP: I became a professional only when I was 18. Before that I trained no more than twice a week, because for my family school was more important than football. My father was an amateur footballer, however I never joined a youth academy. I am not a typical French player who grew up playing in the youth teams of clubs like Lille, Bordeaux or Saint-Etienne. Moreover, at that time I did not have the right mentality to be a professional. For sure it didn’t help me to change clubs every year, from Clermont to Moulins to Clermont again, then Strasbourg, four months in Belgium at Charleroi and then a return to France with Angers.
IF: Then you definitely settled in Belgium…
JP: I had a good time with Charleroi and I became a little sick of playing in the French second division, or worse. And at Angers, where I was on loan from Strasbourg, a knee injury ruled me out for months. I thought it was time to leave and when French coach Albert Cartier asked me to join him at Tubize, I agreed.
IF: What is the current level of football in Belgium?
JP: In my opinion it is increasing year after year. Look at the Belgian clubs in Europe. Anderlecht, Standard Liege and Club Brugge have all qualified for the Europa League knockout stage. Three or four years ago it was impossible to imagine something like this; the Belgian league is often underrated, maybe because it lacks media exposure. However, the level is good.
IF: Alongside Standard Liege, Mons are the only Walloon club in the Jupiler Pro League, while all the rest are Flemish – apart from Anderlecht. How can you explain this?
JP: I’ve played for clubs from both regions – Charleroi, Tubize and Mons are Walloon, while Lokeren are Flemish, and I can say that there is no difference between football in Flanders and Wallonia except for the language. The first speak Dutch, the second French. But if we talk about training facilities, organisation, football stadiums, it becomes a question of club, not of region.
IF: The two previous Jupiler Pro League top scorers moved to two big teams – Romelu Lukaku joined Chelsea and Ivan Perisic signed for Borussia Dortmund. Where will Perbet go?
JP: First of all, I still have to win the Gouden Schoen (Golden Shoe. ed). The season hasn’t finished yet and there is still a lot to do. Then, who knows? The football world moves so fast that it is impossible to make any predictions. I’ve heard about interest from many foreign clubs, but I am actually happy here with Mons.
IF: But if you could choose, which league would you like to play in at some point in the future?
JP: The Premier League and Spanish La Liga are currently the best competitions. However, I feel that Holland’s Eredivisie is the right league for me to show my true potential. There they play attacking football, just like Van Dijk does here at Mons. It’s a great shop window for a striker.
IF: As the most productive French footballer in 2011, have you ever thought about a call-up to the national team?
JP: No, never. I am aware that normally a league’s top scorer gets a national team call-up, but I have never had any contact with anybody in France. It is something I’ve never thought about.
Fonte: Inside Futbol
sabato 14 gennaio 2012
Complesso di superiorità
Il pallone d’oro 2011 assegnato a Lionel Messi è indiscutibile, a differenza di quello del 2010. Sul fuoriclasse argentino è stato detto e scritto di tutto. Noi intendiamo celebrarlo chiedendo aiuto ai numeri. Ecco le tappe salienti di un’annata stellare.
(Articolo completo su Il mondo siamo noi).
(Articolo completo su Il mondo siamo noi).
sabato 7 gennaio 2012
2011’s Top 10 most unusual football facts
2011 was another year to remember for Barcelona. Stars such as Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Xavi and Gerard Pique shone brightly for the umpteenth time. However, 2011 was a year to remember for a number of the game’s other more minor characters too – footballers who did not hit the headlines for their talent or being key players in their team’s success.
Inside Futbol look at the top ten most unusual football characters of 2011:
1. Big head
Japanese centre back Ryujiro Ueda set a new world record in 2011, scoring with an incredible 58.6 metre header in a game between his Fagiano Okayama side and FC Yokohama in the country’s second division. Ueda’s amazing goal at the Mitsuzawa Stadium curiously came just one month after Odd Grenland midfielder Jone Samuelsen headed home from 57 metres in the Norwegian top flight – it was a record that was not supposed to be beaten, let alone so quickly.
2. Grandpa is a bomber
Jozef Mannaerts played for Racing Mechelen in the Belgian first division in the 1951/52 season. The striker scored more than anyone else in that campaign, but no one found out until 2011, when Brian Nackaerts, a local supporter, uncovered a 59-year-old mistake. It was Mannaerts, with 25 goals and not Beerschot forward Rik Coppens – who scored 23 – who was the Belgian league’s top scorer that season. Thanks to Nackaerts’ research, at the ripe old age of 88, Mannaerts has finally lifted a Golden Shoe. “I knew I scored a lot that season”, said the granddad. “But at the time nobody took care of these sorts of things. I am the first to be surprised.”
3. A double surprise in the Pacific
With 30 consecutive defeats and 299 goals conceded, minnows do not get any smaller than American Samoa. However, last November the country grabbed a historic victory against Tonga in qualification for the 2014 World Cup. But this was not the only reason why the game entered the record books. In the centre of American Samoa’s defence was Johnny Saelua – a player who became the first transgender footballer in World Cup history. The 23-year-old belongs to the fa’afafine people, a group recognised in Samoan culture as “third-gendered” – born biologically male, but embodying both male and female traits.
4. A star is porn
From professional footballer to gay porn star: This is the path taken by Belgian defender Jonathan De Falco. At the age of 27, the player left his club side Racing Mechelen (a Belgian third-tier outfit) to join the world of hardcore pornography. “Too many injuries”, bemoaned De Falco. “My career was on the road to nowhere”, he added. De Falco changed his name to Stanley Falcone – “it all started as a joke, but now with this name I’m even famous in the USA” – and swapped boots for gay porn shoots.
5. Never on Saturday
In the summer of 2011, Swiss striker Johan Vonlanthen, widely remembered for his goal at Euro 2004 that beat Wayne Rooney’s record as the youngest ever scorer at a European Championships, signed a deal with Colombian side Itagui. Strongly devoted to the Seventh-Day Adventist Church (a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by their observance of Saturday), Vonlanthen joined a club that never play on his new holy day. “I put God above money”, said the forward. And that indeed is true, as at Red Bull Salzburg, Vonlanthen earned €800,000 per year, while in Colombia he is pocketing just €35,000.
6. Pay me my money down
Kevin van Diermen is the first professional football to have taken his former agent, Aleksandar Bursac, to the Court of Arbitration. The Dutch defender asked Bursac for €100,000 for “mistakes” made during negotiations with Vitesse over his new contract. Bursac did win a higher salary for Van Diermen, boosting his pay from €2,000 to €15,000. However, the defender needed to play at least 20 games in a season. After an injury ruled Van Dierman out for several months, the Vitesse man wanted Bursac to pay the money he had missed out on. The Dutch Football Federation did not rule in Van Dierman’s favour.
7. Danger zone
Australian amateur player Aaron Eccleston easily won 2011’s race for the most bizarre sending off, being shown a red card for a genital piercing. The referee became aware of Eccleston’s piercing only after he was struck by the ball in his mid-section and had to leave the pitch. And, according to the rule that orders players not to wear jewellery for safety reasons, the official showed the Melbourne Old Hill Wanderers’ player a second yellow card and sent him off.
8. Not once but twice
When thinking about goalscorers, the name of Aleksandrs Cekulajevs is not exactly one that springs instantly to mind. However, the Latvian player knows how to put the ball in the back of the net, as 46 goals in 35 games shows. The Trans Narva striker set a new record for the Estonian first division, beating Tarmo Neemelo’s 41 goals in 2005. Such feats are nothing new for the 25-year-old however, as he managed 51 goals in 30 games with Latvian second division outfit Auda Riga – the best ever goal-getting performance in the Baltics.
9. Iron Lion Sion
How does a football club become famous without even lifting a trophy? Swiss architect Christian Constantin knows the answer: start a legal war with UEFA that may revolutionise football as the Bosman ruling before it. The Sion owner’s war with Europe’s footballing body has moved from the Court of Arbitration for Sport to the Swiss Civil Courts. FIFA threatened to ban Switzerland from world football – but that has not stopped Constantin. The Sion supremo is actually UEFA, FIFA and SFL (Swiss Football Federation) public enemy number one. Hero or zero?
10. Losing game
In 2010, coach Sean Connor managed to keep Galway United in the Irish Premier Division. If he had possessed a crystal ball however, Connor may have quit while he was on top. 2011 started with a record run of 22 consecutive defeats, meaning the coach was quickly out of a job. From 15th April until 9th September, Galway United could not pick up a single point, being relegated after the worst season for a club ever in the Irish league. The team ended the campaign with six points, 20 goals scored and 115 conceded. Connor left with 41 defeats out of 66 games on the Tribesmen’s bench.
Fonte: Inside Futbol
Inside Futbol look at the top ten most unusual football characters of 2011:
1. Big head
Japanese centre back Ryujiro Ueda set a new world record in 2011, scoring with an incredible 58.6 metre header in a game between his Fagiano Okayama side and FC Yokohama in the country’s second division. Ueda’s amazing goal at the Mitsuzawa Stadium curiously came just one month after Odd Grenland midfielder Jone Samuelsen headed home from 57 metres in the Norwegian top flight – it was a record that was not supposed to be beaten, let alone so quickly.
2. Grandpa is a bomber
Jozef Mannaerts played for Racing Mechelen in the Belgian first division in the 1951/52 season. The striker scored more than anyone else in that campaign, but no one found out until 2011, when Brian Nackaerts, a local supporter, uncovered a 59-year-old mistake. It was Mannaerts, with 25 goals and not Beerschot forward Rik Coppens – who scored 23 – who was the Belgian league’s top scorer that season. Thanks to Nackaerts’ research, at the ripe old age of 88, Mannaerts has finally lifted a Golden Shoe. “I knew I scored a lot that season”, said the granddad. “But at the time nobody took care of these sorts of things. I am the first to be surprised.”
3. A double surprise in the Pacific
With 30 consecutive defeats and 299 goals conceded, minnows do not get any smaller than American Samoa. However, last November the country grabbed a historic victory against Tonga in qualification for the 2014 World Cup. But this was not the only reason why the game entered the record books. In the centre of American Samoa’s defence was Johnny Saelua – a player who became the first transgender footballer in World Cup history. The 23-year-old belongs to the fa’afafine people, a group recognised in Samoan culture as “third-gendered” – born biologically male, but embodying both male and female traits.
4. A star is porn
From professional footballer to gay porn star: This is the path taken by Belgian defender Jonathan De Falco. At the age of 27, the player left his club side Racing Mechelen (a Belgian third-tier outfit) to join the world of hardcore pornography. “Too many injuries”, bemoaned De Falco. “My career was on the road to nowhere”, he added. De Falco changed his name to Stanley Falcone – “it all started as a joke, but now with this name I’m even famous in the USA” – and swapped boots for gay porn shoots.
5. Never on Saturday
In the summer of 2011, Swiss striker Johan Vonlanthen, widely remembered for his goal at Euro 2004 that beat Wayne Rooney’s record as the youngest ever scorer at a European Championships, signed a deal with Colombian side Itagui. Strongly devoted to the Seventh-Day Adventist Church (a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by their observance of Saturday), Vonlanthen joined a club that never play on his new holy day. “I put God above money”, said the forward. And that indeed is true, as at Red Bull Salzburg, Vonlanthen earned €800,000 per year, while in Colombia he is pocketing just €35,000.
6. Pay me my money down
Kevin van Diermen is the first professional football to have taken his former agent, Aleksandar Bursac, to the Court of Arbitration. The Dutch defender asked Bursac for €100,000 for “mistakes” made during negotiations with Vitesse over his new contract. Bursac did win a higher salary for Van Diermen, boosting his pay from €2,000 to €15,000. However, the defender needed to play at least 20 games in a season. After an injury ruled Van Dierman out for several months, the Vitesse man wanted Bursac to pay the money he had missed out on. The Dutch Football Federation did not rule in Van Dierman’s favour.
7. Danger zone
Australian amateur player Aaron Eccleston easily won 2011’s race for the most bizarre sending off, being shown a red card for a genital piercing. The referee became aware of Eccleston’s piercing only after he was struck by the ball in his mid-section and had to leave the pitch. And, according to the rule that orders players not to wear jewellery for safety reasons, the official showed the Melbourne Old Hill Wanderers’ player a second yellow card and sent him off.
8. Not once but twice
When thinking about goalscorers, the name of Aleksandrs Cekulajevs is not exactly one that springs instantly to mind. However, the Latvian player knows how to put the ball in the back of the net, as 46 goals in 35 games shows. The Trans Narva striker set a new record for the Estonian first division, beating Tarmo Neemelo’s 41 goals in 2005. Such feats are nothing new for the 25-year-old however, as he managed 51 goals in 30 games with Latvian second division outfit Auda Riga – the best ever goal-getting performance in the Baltics.
9. Iron Lion Sion
How does a football club become famous without even lifting a trophy? Swiss architect Christian Constantin knows the answer: start a legal war with UEFA that may revolutionise football as the Bosman ruling before it. The Sion owner’s war with Europe’s footballing body has moved from the Court of Arbitration for Sport to the Swiss Civil Courts. FIFA threatened to ban Switzerland from world football – but that has not stopped Constantin. The Sion supremo is actually UEFA, FIFA and SFL (Swiss Football Federation) public enemy number one. Hero or zero?
10. Losing game
In 2010, coach Sean Connor managed to keep Galway United in the Irish Premier Division. If he had possessed a crystal ball however, Connor may have quit while he was on top. 2011 started with a record run of 22 consecutive defeats, meaning the coach was quickly out of a job. From 15th April until 9th September, Galway United could not pick up a single point, being relegated after the worst season for a club ever in the Irish league. The team ended the campaign with six points, 20 goals scored and 115 conceded. Connor left with 41 defeats out of 66 games on the Tribesmen’s bench.
Fonte: Inside Futbol
mercoledì 4 gennaio 2012
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