General Football Thread

[Rafael]

Terrible, terrible decision I'd say. The guy was doing a nice job, we were having terrific exhibitions, just because we got a 1-1 against pretty much the best Colombia ever, and because of a silver medal in the olympics. Now who's available for the job with less than 2 years to make a proper team for the World Cup? Felipão? Was pretty bad at Palmeiras. Guardiola? Not a chance.

Edited November 24, 2012 by RafaelFms

[Lineker]

Fabrice Muamba is to guest star on a Christmas edition of Strictly Come Dancing, nine months after he suffered a cardiac arrest during an FA Cup tie.

The former Bolton Wanderers midfielder will be one of several celebrity guests to be announced in the next few days.

The announcement comes weeks after he told an interviewer he had turned down ITV's Dancing On Ice, but would be "well up for" Strictly.

Muamba, 24, has had to give up football since his near-death experience.

He collapsed in front of 35,000 fans during an FA Cup match against Tottenham at White Hart Lane on 17 March.

His heart stopped for 78 minutes but he was resuscitated after repeated shocks from a defibrillator.

Muamba, who recently got married, came to the UK aged 11 from the Democratic Republic of Congo to join his father who had fled from political persecution.

The 24-year-old former footballer will dance with Aliona Vilani who made an early exit from this year's competition because of a damaged ankle. Her partner Johnny Ball was voted out during her absence.

A spokesman for the BBC One show said: "This booking comes on the back of our most successful series ever."

Also expected to return for the Christmas special are last year's runner-up Chelsee Healey and newsreaders Natasha Kaplinsky and Chris Hollins.

[9 to 5]

Terrible, terrible decision I'd say. The guy was doing a nice job, we were having terrific exhibitions, just because we got a 1-1 against pretty much the best Colombia ever, and because of a silver medal in the olympics. Now who's available for the job with less than 2 years to make a proper team for the World Cup? Felipão? Was pretty bad at Palmeiras. Guardiola? Not a chance.

Enjoy the return of Big Phil!

[Rafael]

You know, he left Palmeiras at 19th and the team was relegated 2 weeks ago.

[stokeriño]

David Beckham is to begin talks with AS Monaco.

Not for tax reasons. No sir.

[Hobo]

It's too bad Djimi Troare isn't there anymore. Cause that would be a fine pairing.

[Lineker]

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/world-of-sport/hilarious-sexy-managers-calendar-already-selling-fast-104542158.html

[Lineker]

FORMER Southend, Stevenage and Oxford United midfielder Mitchell Cole has died aged 27.

Cole was forced to retire from professional football last year due to a rare heart defect.

He explained his situation in an interview with SunSport in February 2011.

Cole was playing part-time at Arlesey Town in the seventh tier of English football.

And the club confirmed on Twitter: “Have just been informed of the sad news that Mitchell Cole passed away last night the thoughts of everyone at Arlesey are with his family.”

A tweet from the Professional Footballers' Association added: "The PFA is deeply saddened by the loss of 27-year-old Mitchell Cole, our thoughts are with his friends and family."

[MJB]

Winning 2-1 in his last game for LA Galaxy, David Beckham's team were awarded a 92nd minute penalty ...

... and Robbie Keane scored it

Still, Becks leaves Galaxy with a victory. Personally, I'd love to see him back at United. It'll never happen, but I'd still like to see it.

[Lineker]

A Dutch man has died after being kicked and punched by a group of teenage football players for whom he acted as linesman in a Sunday league match.

Richard Nieuwenhuizen collapsed and was taken to hospital hours after he was beaten by three players from Amsterdam club Nieuw Sloten. He died on Monday.

He had been officiating for Buitenboys club, in the town of Almere, and one of his own sons had been playing.

Three teenagers, aged between 15 and 16, have reportedly been arrested.

Buitenboys club chairman Marcel Oost said Mr Nieuwenhuizen, 41, officiated as linesman for the team every week. "He enjoyed doing it. He was a real football man; he was always here," he told national broadcaster NOS.

News of his death sparked shock in sporting circles around the Netherlands.

The Dutch minister for sports, Edith Schippers, said: "It is absolutely terrible that something like this can happen on a Dutch sports field".

Anton Binnenmars ,of the Royal Netherlands Football Association, described it as "too crazy for words that somebody involved in a sporting hobby becomes a victim of this kind of aggression".

Nieuw Sloten said it was "deeply shocked" by what had happened, and intended to ban for life the players found to be responsible, had pulled their team from the league and temporarily suspended all its operations as a club.

"Violence should not be on the football fields," it said.

[GoN_]

Terrible, terrible decision I'd say. The guy was doing a nice job, we were having terrific exhibitions, just because we got a 1-1 against pretty much the best Colombia ever, and because of a silver medal in the olympics. Now who's available for the job with less than 2 years to make a proper team for the World Cup? Felipão? Was pretty bad at Palmeiras. Guardiola? Not a chance.

Well you got Scolari... I love the guy but I would be pissed off to gigantic proportions for getting him when Pep Guardiola was talked to take the spot.

[Rafael]

The last team Scolari coached was relegated.

[Gazz]

AC Milan's new physio is giving me a groin strain...

[MJB]

My word.

She's even better than the Chelsea girl.

[Baddar]

Looks like a mix of Mila Kunis and the chick from Modern Family.

[GoN_]

The last team Scolari coached was relegated.

The last time Scolari coached a National Team they got their best results in History... And before that you know what he did.

[Lineker]

The death of a Paraguayan footballer owed months of back pay from his club in Indonesia has sparked outrage among fans and the global players' union.

Diego Mendieta, 32, is reported to have died on Monday from the cytomegalovirus - normally easily treatable with anti-viral medication.

It is thought he was owed $12,500 (£7,500) by his club, Persis Solo.

Fifpro, the global players' union, has said his death is a disgrace for Indonesian professional football.

The union has said that it will investigate the case and bring it to the attention of Fifa, the international football federation.

Mr Mendieta's club, Persis Solo, has reportedly now paid his widow the outstanding arrears.

The former manager of the club, Totok Supriyanto, told local media it had also failed to pay the salaries of other players, but stated that the club would prioritise this payment.

The striker was taken ill earlier this year and diagnosed with the cytomegalovirus. His fans say that he was overwhelmed by his financial burden, reports the BBC's Karishma Vaswani in Indonesia.

Reports say he wanted to return home but was unable to afford it.

"He always complained of being lonely," Guntur Hernawan, the head of the internal medicine division at Moewardi Hospital in Solo is quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.

"He said he wanted to go home because all of his relatives were in Paraguay," he added.

Although the virus is easily treatable with anti-viral medication, it can get worse if the patient's immune system deteriorates

On its twitter feed, the Indonesian football players' association has said the tragedy is a reflection of the sorry state of the sport in the country and should serve as a wake-up call for authorities.

Football is extremely popular in Indonesia but the league system is in crisis, because in 2011 several clubs formed an unofficial breakaway league to rival the official one.

However some clubs in this unofficial league, which includes Persis Solo, have encountered financial difficulties and that is partly why it was unable to pay some players.

According to the Indonesian Professional Footballers Association there are 21 clubs in the country with similar problems.

The current management of the Persis Solo club has not made a public statement.

[EddieG]

Chelsea? AC Milan?

Melbourne!

[MDK]

Blimey, you don't get many of them to the pound

[Lineker]

Back on the topic of football: Paolo di Canio is awesome.