NFL Draft Spotlight by Team – #11 Pick by the Denver Broncos

Mock draft so far:

#1 – St. Louis – Sam Bradford – Oklahoma

#2 – Detroit Lions – Ndamukong Suh – Nebraska

#3 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Gerald McCoy – Oklahoma

#4 – Washington Redskins – Russel Okung – Oklahoma State

#5 – Kansas City Chiefs – Eric Berry – Tennessee

#6 – Seattle Seahawks – Bryan Bulaga – Iowa

#7 – Cleveland Browns – Jason Pierre-Paul – South Florida

#8 – Oakland Raiders – Bruce Campbell – Maryland

#9 – Buffalo Bills – Jimmy Clausen – Notre Dame

#10 – Jacksonville Jaguars – Earl Thomas – Texas

#11 – Denver Broncos – Dez Bryant – Oklahoma State

Denver has made a few additions over the offseason, most notably NT Jamal Williams and QB Brady Quinn. Quinn had the pedigree coming out of college, now we will be able to see if Josh McDaniels can develop him into a starter for 2011. Expect Kyle Orton to be the QB of 2010, but if he doesn’t make it to the playoffs, expect Brady Quinn to get a chance late in the season to make his case to start in 2011. The Broncos signed DT Justin Bannan as a DT from the Ravens and DE Jarvis Green from the Patriots. Combine those two new additions with NT Jamal Williams from the Chargers, and the Broncos will have a new front 3 in their 3-4 defense. Obviously, the Broncos were not happy with their front 3 in 2009 because they fell apart at the end of the year. Since they addressed that area and traded for a young QB, some help on offense makes the most sense.

QB Jay Cutler helped make Brandon Marshall into a true #1 receiver, but his best work was making WR Eddie Royal into a rookie of the year candidate. Royal had 91 catches for 980 yards in 2008, but dropped to 37 and 345 in year 2. He’s undersized and could fit into a slot receiver role if the Broncos draft Dez Bryant. Brandon Marshall seems to be the next Anquan Boldin who gets trade rumors for a few years, then finally will get dealt or let go during free agency. If the Broncos do let him go, it will be because they feel Bryant can be a #1 receiver. If Denver finds a way to resign Marshall, Bryant is only a #2 receiver.

Expect a bounce back year for the Broncos if their d-line can get some chemistry quickly and if Bryant has a good rookie year.

Camisetas REAL MADRID

World Cup 2006 Preview – Portugal

Outright Odds: 22/1

Group D Winners: 5/6

After a disastrous 2002 World Cup, in which they finished bottom of their group following defeats by both the United States and South Korea, Portugal will be looking to finally live up to their potential on the international stage.

Qualification was a breeze. They remained unbeaten in their group and finished seven points clear at the top. Portugal meant business in this group, putting 11 past Luxembourg across two legs and hammering second-favourites Russia 7-1 at home.

The charismatic Luiz Felipe Scolari, or «Big Phil» to his friends, has built a new team to replace the ageing or retired underachievers such as Rui Costa, Joao Pinto and others although Luis Figo, now entering «veteran» status and out of retirement, will be present in Germany. Despite guiding Portugal to the final of Euro 2004 and emphatic World Cup qualification, the public are still not convinced he is the man for the job.

The team’s core is based around four players who won the Champions League with FC Porto in 2004. Defenders Ricardo Carvalho and Paulo Ferreira and midfielder Maniche – now all at Chelsea and Costinha, now at Dinamo Moscow provide a solid base for the attack-minded stars to play around.

Attacking players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Simao Sabrosa and naturalised Brazilian Deco compliment the side perfectly and create numerous chances for striker Pauleta. The Paris St. Germain hitman overtook Eusebio’s record of 41 international goals with an impressive haul of 11 in qualifying, making him the European zone’s top goalscorer.

Manchester United winger Ronaldo could illuminate the finals with his skills and coveted step-overs. He weighed in with seven qualifying goals from midfield, raising his «Fantasy Football» stock considerably.

Portugal have all the makings of a World Cup winning side: a solid defence, exceptional quality and goalscoring potential from midfield and Europe’s deadliest striker in qualifying.

Their main downfall appears to be the goalkeeping position. Sporting Lisbon’s Ricardo and Quim from Benfica are both vying for the jersey although the supporter’s choice seems to be out-of-favour Vitor Baia. A veteran of the 2002 World Cup side, 36-year-old Baia was omitted from Scolari’s final 23 in the Euro 2004 squad.

Recommended Bet:

The underachieving squad from the past have almost all been replaced by a brand new crop of young talent. Old stagers Luis Figo and Pauleta will look for a final swansong, with the latter a sound each-way bet for top goalscorer status.

Portugal to win Group D @ 5/6

E/W Pauleta as top goalscorer @ 40/1

Camisetas PARIS ST. GERMAIN

Want to Be a Better Soccer Player Or Football Coach?

Soccer Coaching is the best way to learn how to play soccer if you’re a player, or teach how to play soccer if you’re a coach or manager. Maybe you’ve always wanted to play football at a higher level, and want to see if you could make it as a professional footballer. Perhaps you want to see if you could improve your coaching methods to make your players and teams more successful. In order to improve as a player, you’ll need to follow the advice of your coach, and as a coach, you’ll expect to see your players improve.

As a player, you’ll want to make sure that you know as much about the game as you can, so that you can absorb all the influences into your game. You will support a team, and have your own favourite players, and maybe you’ll get to watch your team on a regular basis. This will help to see some of your coach’s ideas put into practice first hand.

For coaches, soccer coaching involves making sure that all players have the skills and abilities needed. Different players need to have different qualities. A striker will need a different sort of awareness to a midfielder, and a goalkeeper will have to have high levels of concentration. Also, the tactics needed to play against different opposition are important too. As a coach, do you have different tactics, depending on the score or the opposition?

As a coach you may also be involved in looking for new players. How do you go about this? What do you look for? What is natural ability, and what can be taught? Is speed or stamina more important than ability? What about the striker that gets in the right positions, but misses more chances than s/he scores? Do you sign them or reject them?

As a player or coach you will also need to work on fitness and stamina. For players this is essential if you want to be able to last 90 minutes plus injury, or even extra time. By improving your fitness and eating healthily you are more likely to be able to last the whole game on a regular basis. As a coach, you will be impressed with the players who work hard to improve their fitness levels.

The increased availability of soccer drills, and online soccer coaching courses has made soccer coaching methods accessible to more and more people. In addition, the internet has brought about football coaching clips and videos so that more and more people can have access to top quality coaching.

If you’re looking for a football coaching course, want to find out more about soccer drills or how to play soccer, then why not see how online Soccer Coaching can help you improve as a player or a coach?

Camisetas COPA MÉXICO

European Premier League Football Tops – Perfect for Football Fans

When it comes to supporting your favourite football team, you already know that there is no better way to go about it than to make sure that you have the best tops that show off your football allegiance. For many people, however, this is out of the question. Sure, they might keep one top or two, but they don’t go out and buy the tops they really want. The reason for this is simply that they don’t have the money. This might sound strange, but if you have seen the prices of tops in the stores and at the big matches, you realize that buying more than one top can be an investment. No one wants to spend this kind of money. The good news is that you don’t need to spend this kind of money. Now you can use the power of the internet to get low priced, high quality European premier league football tops.

When you are looking online for European premier league football shirts, you will want to make sure first of all that you can get any kind of top you want. In other words, you are going to want an online service that will do for you what you want. This is all about deciding on a way to show your allegiance with your favourite football club. When you are in the pub watching a game or having a party with friends, you are going to want to show off your new top. You will want to look the best in exactly the kind of football top that you have requested. You can even get it custom designed so that no one else will have the same exact top.

If you are looking for gifts, the European premier league football shirts from the best online service will be a great idea. Once you use this service, you are going to realize how easy and affordable it is, and you are going to have no problem going back for gifts for your friends. When it comes to birthdays, there is no better gift for an avid football fan than that perfect top that truly shows where his or her allegiance is. You can get tops for French clubs, Spanish clubs, and even African and South African teams. The choice is yours.

If you are looking for the best European premier league football shirts service, you are going to want to make sure that they will do whatever you want to that top. You will appreciate the control you have when you are shopping for the tops online. You will also appreciate the convenience of not having to fight crowds in the stores.

Camisetas CAMISETAS SIN MANGAS

Ronaldinho Biography

Ronaldo de Assis Moreira is a famous Brazilian football player who is better known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho. His name Ronaldinho was used to distinguish him from a fellow Brazilian football celebrity whose name is also Ronaldo. Gaúcho was used when the existing Ronaldo was also known as Ronaldinho.

He was born on March 21, 1980 in Porto Alegre, Brazil. He is the youngest among the three siblings. Miguelina, his mother, was a sales woman who soon decided to take up nursing. João, his father was a worker in the shipyard and a football player for Cruzeiro. He died due to a heart attack when Ronaldinho was at the age of 8. Ronaldinho’s brother Roberto was also a professional football player for Grêmio. But his career ended too soon due to his injuries. And now he manages Ronaldinho. His sister, Deisi, is his press manager.

During Ronaldinho’s childhood days, his interest in football was already evident. He started playing futsal and beach football which later lead into his passion for a more established football game. His character as a football player developed in his early years.

His career as a skilled football player started when he joined the youth team in Porto Alegre club Grêmio. His extraordinary ball control and capability to score was rapidly displayed which lead him to fame. Many clubs from all over the world attempted to get him to be part of their teams. Eventually Ronaldinho signed a 5-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain which he joined at the start of the new season.

During his years with PSG, there were still much larger offers from different clubs, but he opted to stay with the team. But after some time he decided to leave the team after their many unsuccessful attempts to qualify for any European competitions. This caused a bidding war among the many clubs. Finally, the bidding ended up with FC Barcelona as the winning club for Ronaldinho’s services. They acquired him for £18 million. He was a very high paid player in Barcelona. He has had his terrible times in his career but his many achievements was far more overflowing than that. He had also joined the Brazilan National team.

Ronaldinho is one of the most successful football players in the world. He had so many achievements in his arena which includes the FIFA World Player of the Year wherein he was awarded in 2 consecutive years (2004-2005), the European Footballer of the Year award and the FIFPro World Player of the Year award which was also awarded to him in 2 successive years (2005-2006).

Camisetas PARIS ST. GERMAIN

Why US Men’s Soccer Is Yet to Build an International Competitive Team

An argument could be made that the United States has produced the best male athletes the sports world has ever seen. From Michael Jordan to Michael Phelps and Tiger Woods to Muhammad Ali, the U.S. has produced top athletes in almost every sport that has ever been played. There seems to be just one sport that Americans have never been able to dominate: the biggest sport in the world, soccer. In the men’s category, the US has won a gold medal or world championship competition for every major sport including basketball, hockey, baseball, tennis, golf, swimming, boxing, gymnastics among others and they have dominated the Olympic medal count in almost every edition of the Olympics. Apart from all of this, the biggest and most important sports leagues in the world are in the US including the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL and PGA Tour.

It may seem odd that a country with such a culture of sports has never succeeded in the most popular sport in the world. A big part of the American population argues that soccer is a boring sport because of the low amount of goals scored in games when compared to any other major sport. The truth is that since the 1994 world cup, which was hosted in American soil for the first time, and the creation of the Major League Soccer in 1993 soccer has been growing in a very big way. The US soccer federation seemed to be on the right track to make soccer a major sport. More and more kids across the country started to play the sport and it is now starting to become part of the American culture, teams were investing large amounts of money in building their stadiums and developing players, and they also invested in developing future talents in every teams youth academy.

So what is the problem? The problem is that soccer is not a sport for just any kind of athlete. When talking about how good a player is in American culture, the experts like to talk about how high the player is, or how tall he is, how strong he is and how fast he can be. These are all categories that can certainly predict how good of an athlete a person can be in any major contact sport like basketball or football and so-called experts in US soccer have tried to use these categories to identify future prospects, the biggest mistake they can make. In the MLS combine held every year, potential MLS players are put through a set of tests that are supposed to showcase their ability. There is a Speed test consisting of a 30-meter dash, an Agility test where their times on a 5-10-5 shuffle are measured and then a Power test that includes a measurement of their vertical jump. What people need to understand is that these tests can mount up to mean absolutely nothing at all. Soccer is an art of its own and it can’t be reduced to these four categories. There is so much more to soccer than what these four number tests try to show. One of the best players of this generation, Andrea Pirlo, would probably be on the bottom of the table in all three of these categories. Pirlo is 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 150 pounds, he was never fast, never jumped high and was not the most agile player but he was an artist with the ball and possessed the highest level of talent one can find. The same could be said about Lionel Messi, arguably the best soccer player ever to play the game.

Although Messi is indeed very quick and agile, he is measured at 5 feet 7 inches and he got there thanks to a growth hormone treatment that was supplied to him by FC Barcelona in order for him to be able to grow. When Messi was fifteen years old he was measured at just under 5 feet 4 inches and weighed 136 pounds. It is sad but true that if Leo Messi would have been born and developed in the US, he would have probably never made it to anything because no team in America would have given him a chance. Scouts and coaches in the youth systems across the country need to focus more on attracting raw talent to develop it rather than tall, strong and fast athletes into their academies if they want to change the narrative and become a leader in the only sport they have not been able to conquer.

Camisetas VILLARREAL

Ain’t It Funny How Time Slips Away Part 2

This is Part 2 of the Porto and Monaco sides that met in the champions’ league final just 4 years ago.

Substitutes

Nuno is still at the club as a substitute goalkeeper. Pedro Emanuel is 1 of the captains of the club presently. Ricardo Costa is currently at Wolfsburg. Edgaras Jankauskas has left to play for a number of clubs including Hearts and is currently at Os Belenenses in Portugal. Dmitri Alenichev is currently playing at Dynamo Moscow. Jose Bosingwa is still at the club. Benni McCarthy is now at Blackburn.

Monaco

Starting XI

Flavio Roma is the current captain. Hugo Ibarra is now at Boca Juniors having also played for Espanyol. Patrice Evra is now at Manchester United. Akis Zikos is currently at AEK Athens. Julien Rodriguez is currently at Marseilles having also played for Glasgow Rangers. Edouard Cisse is at Beskitas. Lucas Bernadi is still at the club. Gael Givet is currently at Marseilles. Ludovic Guily is now at Roma having also played for Barcelona. Jerome Rothen is now at PSG. Fernando Morientes is now at Valencia having also played for Liverpool.

Manager

Didier Deschamps left to become manager of Juventus but is currently unemployed.

Substitutes

Tony Silva is currently at Lille. Jaroslav Plasil is at Osasuna. Dado Prso is currently retired having played for Glasgow Rangers. Shabani Nonda is currently playing for Galatasaray having also played for Roma and Blackburn Rovers. Sebastien Squillaci is currently at Lyon.

Emmanuel Adebayor is now at Arsenal.

Hassan El-Fakiri is currently playing for SK Brann in Norway having also played for Rosenborg and Borrusia Mochengladbach

Of the 36 players that took part for both sides only 5 players are still there in just under 4 years.

Camisetas RETRO

C Ronaldo – Pros and Cons

Though C.Ronaldo MAY look unbeatable right now but there is or may be even are, downsides with his style of play. So cutting all the crap in trying to compare him to L.Messi lets have a look shall we at C.Ronaldo. Basically Ronaldo has (or can have):PRO

PROS

  • Tremendous pace. Some people call C.Ronaldo a «speed demon» and I am one of those people.
  • Can craft things out of nothing against teams that don’t come with a specific plan on how to tackle him, which is usually the case in EPL.
  • Is very very fit, which means he can run all day long. This quality in particular comes in handy when his side receives a red card or something. He can take that extra load on himself.
  • Can Shoot with both feet, though his left foot strike is nothing more than a swinger. Doesn’t really try to control the ball, just whacks it towards the goal.
  • Can take ridiculous free kicks. Which curve, bend, accelerate at the same time and change directions multiple times.
  • Has got individual skill which enables him to go past defenders at ease by two methods. Either he dribbles past them with skill or he just goes for route one and runs them out of competition.
  • Can head the ball really well for someone who has so much skill in his boots.
  • Has got every trick in the book and some more that aren’t in the book.
  • Entertaining to the fans, most people pay just to watch him train very unlike players like Gattuso or Giggs for that matter.
  • Has a good footballing brain, though not the best. Sometimes makes awful decisions.
  • Nippy feet enable him to maneuver the ball in very tight spaces.
  • His name is Ronaldo. When a defender reads that name on the back of C.Ronaldo’s shirt, he usually starts trembling and that is the reason most defenders perform poorly against C.Ronaldo because of the sheer presence of his name not even himself which is a huge plus.
  • For the past 3 seasons, he has been in astonishing scoring form. The numbers are astounding 23 in 53 games in 2006-2007 and 42 in 49 games in 2007-2008. These numbers are scary even for a striker and C.Ronaldo is just a winger. Though, he is not a pure winger, he is more of a winger striker.

CONS

  • Take speed out of his game and you have a garbage bag that is C.Ronaldo.
  • He has a huge attitude.
  • Show boats alot.
  • Over does his dribbles.
  • Doesn’t like to pass, he does pass it now that he knows Ferguson would not tolerate otherwise.
  • His crosses aren’t the best in the world.
  • Not really traditional winger.
  • Is, by no means, a big match player.
  • Doesn’t handle pressure very well.
  • Can’t live up with tight marking.
  • Plays for Fame and Glory rather than for passion and for country (Or club).
  • Loyalty is something Ronaldo hasn’t come across in his life YET, or at least it looks so. As he just wanted to jump out of Manchester United when Real Madrid came searching for him with their millions.

Don’t get me wrong but this is my CANDID opinion about him. But now, he has been in awesome scoring form. I mean, come on, 40 goals a season. I don’t care how much a player sucks. If that player can score 40 goals, in any league, let alone EPL, that is enough for him to be playing at Real Madrid.

Camisetas ESPANYOL

Lionel Messi V Cristiano Ronaldo – Who Is the Greatest?

Last night saw yet another epic El Classico where Lionel Messi and Cristano Ronaldo continued their ongoing battle for World supremacy. Barcelona and Real Madrid played out a spectacular 2-2 draw with Ronaldo and his arch nemesis Messi scoring all of the goals. These two players are taking the art of a footballer to whole new levels, but whilst there is no denying that they are the stand-out talents of their generation, and perhaps of all-time, the ongoing question is ‘who of the two is the greatest?’ Whilst there is no definitive correct answer to this, the widely held view over recent years has been that Messi is the King and Ronaldo the very talented Prince. However, the gap between the magical Argentinean and the Portuguese adonis appears to be closing, with some feeling that Ronaldo now deserves the crown of ‘World’s Best Player’.

Despite often playing just behind the main striker, Messi seems to be able to score from anywhere and everywhere. Last season, at the age of only 24, he became Barcelona’s all-time leading scorer. In addition to that he also broke the 39 year old record which was set my German super striker Gerd Muller for most goals in a single European season. Amazingly, Ronaldo has managed a similar record to Messi and their overall ‘goals to games’ ratio since 2009 is almost identical. Despite starting his career as a winger, Ronaldo’s ‘eye for goal’ became apparent under Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. His trademark ‘dipping’ free-kicks and solo goals prompted Real Madrid to break the World transfer record to bring the Old Trafford hero to the Bernabeu. Just as Messi can often be found collecting the ball in his own half, Ronaldo often drifts back in search of possession, and is also found in wide positions tormenting the opposing left and right backs. Given the fact that neither player is what is referred to as a ‘goal poacher’ makes their records even more unbelievable.

With regard to awards, both team based and personal, Messi is the clear winner at present. He has won the Ballon d’Or three years running (much to the obvious dismay of Ronaldo!), and his La Liga and Champions League silverware outweigh Ronaldo’s.

In conclusion it is evident that both Lionel Messi and Cristano Ronaldo are head and shoulders above any other current players in World football and there are no signs of this changing any time soon. Given their relatively young ages there is every possibility that they will go down as the two greatest players in the history of the sport. For all the achievements of Pele, Maradona, Eusebio etc, there is already a case to be made that Messi and Ronaldo have matched and surpassed them all. The fact that two such players are present in the same era, playing in the same league and at almost the same ages makes the comparison slightly easier, so here goes…

Lionel Messi is currently the ‘World Greatest Footballer’ with Cristano Ronaldo an extremely close second. The fact that Lionel Messi has been officially awarded this title three years running with the Ballon d’Or adds weight to the argument. That along with minor points such as his superior assists record, the fact that he has consistently made more appearances than Ronaldo and that his all-round team-play is slightly better just edges it for the Argentinean genius at present. In Ronaldo’s defence he is the faster / stronger physical specimen, has better heading ability and does not have a Xavi or Iniesta to link up with, but this just doesn’t quite level it – for now!!!

Camisetas REAL MADRID

The Club World Cup Has Lost Its Purpose

The FIFA Club World Cup is no longer a proper measure to decide the best club team in the world.

Because of huge investments in European soccer in the last decade the European clubs (UEFA) have a big money advantage over the rest of the world and can buy the best players which gives them a big advantage over the other confederations. Moreover, the format of the tournament is set to favor UEFA and South America (Conmebol) which is unfair to the other teams.

The problem is that the competition has failed to keep up with changes in the game and has therefore lost its relevance and purpose.

PURPOSE OF THE TOURNAMENT

The competition was started in 2000 (when it absorbed its predecessor the Intercontinental Cup) and was formed as a yearly competition to showcase the best local talent from the various confederations. The idea was that the winners in each continental tournament would compete against each other and the winner crowned as the best club team in the world. This was the theory but in practice it has turned out differently.

Previously the best non-European players pursued their careers in their home countries and were unknown to foreign audiences. The Club World Cup gave these players a chance to showcase their skills on the world stage and at that time there was parity between clubs in Europe and South America.

Conmebol teams won the trophy in the first three years of the competition but after that the European teams dominated and the balance of power shifted to Europe.

DAVID vs GOLIATH

The beginning of European domination coincided in the early part of the current century with a massive influx of investment in UEFA soccer at club level. The fallout from this is that today there is a great disparity of income between European clubs and the other confederations.

The winner of the European Champions League earns much more money than the other continental tournaments combined. Real Madrid made $70.1 million last season for winning the UEFA Champions League. In contrast San Lorenzo made $6.1 million for winning Copa Libertadores (Conmebol), ES Setie made $1.8 million for winning the African (CAF) Champions League and in Asia Western Sydney Wanderers made about the same for defeating Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal over two legs (YAHOO SPORTS – Why does the Club World Cup still struggle for relevance?; by Peter Staunton, December 12, 2014).

With such money on hand, the best talent that money can buy are in Europe’s major leagues, lured by the lucrative contracts that these leagues have to offer. This means that Europe has at its disposal its own talent and whatever the rest of the world has.

The biggest losers in the exodus of soccer talent to Europe are Brazil and Argentina which are the leading exporters of players, so what is Europe’s gain is South America’s loss.

Accordingly, every other side at the Club World Cup is at a disadvantage in comparison with Europe’s Champions League holder. The tournament has evolved from being a rivalry into a battle of David versus Goliath, between European clubs represented by what is tantamount to a World eleven made up mostly of the best international players and the minnows, comprising what is left over after the best of their talent have been siphoned off by the big UEFA clubs.

The current champion, Real Madrid, is a combination of some of the most expensive and best international players coming from Spain (Casillas and Sergio Ramos), France (Benzema and Varane), Portugal (Ronaldo and Pepe), Germany (Kroos), Brazil (Marcelo), Colombia (Rodriquez), Wales (Bale) and Mexico (Chicharito). This assembly of players is hardly representative of the local game in Spain. For three players, namely, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and James Rodriquez the club paid $367.8 million. Only twelve clubs in the world possess a squad of players whose market value is worth more than the total cost of these three.

Compare that to Auckland City FC one of its competitors in this year’s Club World Cup which is a team of mere amateurs having full-time occupations outside of soccer.

A look at some of the previous champions reveals the heavy foreign component of their squads. In 2010 when Inter Milan (Italy) won the cup, only 5 players in their squad of 23 were Italians while the rest were mostly from South America. Even the television commentators failed to keep up with the changes as they still referred to the Inter team as ‘the Italians’.

In 2011 Barcelona won the cup and 10 of their 23-man squad were from overseas.

BIZARRE FORMAT

Another big problem with the tournament is that teams from UEFA and South America are given a bye to the semi-finals and start playing even after some of the sides are eliminated. This is intentionally done so that only the biggest clubs face off in the final. So far only teams from those two continents have won and only one team from outside has made it to the final, namely, last year’s surprise finalist TP Mazembe, a Congolese side.

Given the money advantage enjoyed by UEFA and the bizarre format that is currently in place, the Club World Cup can hardly be called the fairest of competitions and the winner cannot legitimately be called ‘the best in the world’ anymore than the winners of the former Intercontinental Cup which was limited to UEFA and Conmebol. The tournament has lost its importance and is hardly bragworthy. Some years ago I won a dancing contest but the other contestants couldn’t dance, so was my victory something to brag about?

Some parity needs to be restored to the competition. Brazil and Argentina have started to raise wages in their local leagues to entice their players to remain at home. That is a start but in addition to that, FIFA must limit the number of foreign players available to each team to, say, two and change the format so that all competing teams play the same number of qualifying matches. Failing this, it is pointless to continue the competition in its present form.

Victor A. Dixon

December 23, 2014

Camisetas ATLETICO MADRID