Sunday, February 24, 2008

Nicknames of football teams and players

A lot of football teams and players around the world nave nicknames and few of them are even more known by their nicknames than their real names. For example, one of the best players of all times was Edson Arantes do Nascimento, but he was wide known as Pele. “Pele” came from the wrong pronunciation of Bile’ (which meant goalkeeper those days). Actually Pele wanted to become goalkeeper in his early days and that’s why he called himself Bile’.
One of his teammates in the national team of Brazil and in the same time one of the best players in the world was Manoel dos Santos, but very, very much known as Garincha. Garincha is a small bird that lives in Brazil and Manoel used to hunt this kind of birds when he was a little boy.

So, national teams, clubs, fan clubs and players have their nicknames. Some of the team nicknames are given because of their club colors like NT of Italy – Azzurri which means Blues, France national team is also called “Les Bleus” because of their club colors, “Oranje” is the nickname of Netherlands team and Spanish national squad is called La Furia Roja (The red fury).
Often named by their club colors are some Italian teams like: A.C. Milan – Rossoneri, Inter – Neroazzurri. Juventus are called Bianconeri but also “La Vecchia Signora” which means old lady. You may ask why lady, but not gentleman. That’s because "Juventus" (Youth) is a Latin word of feminine gender and “old” because it’s one of the oldest clubs in Italy, of course. Roma are called Wolves because of the legend of Rome.
In Spain most popular club nicknames are “Los Merengues” – for Real Madrid and “Blaugrana” for Barcelona. Blaugrana in Spanish means blue and deep red color and Merengue is a delicious and very expensive dessert in Spain and only the wealthiest can afford it. In the era of Figo, Zidane, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos and Beckham, Real Madrid was also called “Los Galacticos” because of their big names and all the fame around them. You can find somewhere “Los Blancos” which refers on Real Madrid too because of their all white uniforms. Atletico Madrid’s nickname is “Colchoneros”, name given because of their red and white stripes which reminds of the old-fashioned mattresses. Villareal is “The Yellow Submarine” coz of their yellow shirts and their mascot “Groguet” who is dressed all yellow and has submarine head. Racing Santander are “MontaƱeses” which means highlanders.
English clubs has their nicknames too. Manchester United is often called Red Devils for their red shirts and their city rivals Manchester City are called simply The Citizens. Arsenal nickname is Gunners and Newcastle’s nickname Magpies is about their black shirts. Tottenham Hotspur is simply called Spurs and Chelsea is called London Blues, of course, because of their all blue uniforms.
From the other popular nicknames of the famous clubs we can mention Bayern Munich who were called F.C. Hollywood in the “90s coz the club was full of stars. Monaco is sometimes called The Princes because Monaco is not a part of French republic and it’s constituted as principality.

Some famous football player’s nicknames:
Zinedine Zidane – Zizou
Paul Gascoigne – Gazza
Kevin Keegan – Mighty Mouse
Ruud Gullit – "Il Tulipo Nero" (The black tulip)
Eusebio – The Black Panther
Ferenc Puskas – The Galloping Major
Alfredo di Stefano – "La Saeta Rubia" (The Blond Arrow)
Gerd Muller – Bomber
Franz Beckenbauer – Der Kaiser
Lev Yashin - The Black Spider (a goalkeeper with fantastic anticipation)
Del Piero – Pinturicchio
Di Livio – Little Soldier
Batistuta – Bati-goal
Ruud van Nistelrooy – Ruud van Goal
Dragan Stojkovic - Piksi

So if you know any other nicknames, please put a comment with it.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Football quotes

Those guys sometimes can be very funny! Some of them said:


“We lost because we didn't win.” - Ronaldo

“I'd like to play for an Italian club, like Barcelona.” - Mark Draper

“I'm as happy as I can be - but I have been happier.” - Ugo Ehiogu

“I was watching the Blackburn game on TV on Sunday when it flashed on the screen that George Ndah had scored in the first minute at Birmingham. My first reaction was to ring him up. Then I remembered he was out there playing.” - Ade Akinbiyi

“The opening ceremony was good, although I missed it.” - Graeme Le Saux

“It was like the ref had a brand new yellow card and wanted to see if it worked.” - Richard Rufus

“I couldn't settle in Italy - it was like living in a foreign country.” - Ian Rush

"Italy cannot beat you but you can lose to Italy." - Johan Cruijff

“I would not be bothered if we lost every game as long as we won the league.” - Mark Viduka

"The philosophy of a lot of European teams, even in home matches, is not to give a goal away." -Sir Alex Ferguson

“The Brazilians were South America, and the Ukranians will be more European.” - Phil Neville

“Sometimes in football you have to score goals.” - Thierry Henry

“I've had 14 bookings this season - 8 of which were my fault, but 7 of which were disputable.”
- Paul Gascoigne

"I think that France, Germany, Spain, Holland and England will join Brazil in the semi-finals." - Pele

"I've never wanted to leave. I'm here for the rest of my life, and hopefully after that as well." -Alan Shearer

"In 1969 I gave up women and alcohol; it was the worst 20 minutes of my life." – George Best

“My parents have been there for me, ever since I was about 7.” - David Beckham

“Winning doesn't really matter as long as you win.” - Vinny Jones

“I always used to put my right boot on first, and then obviously my right sock.” - Barry Venison

"As we say in Portugal, they brought the bus and they left the bus in front of the goal. I would have been frustrated if I had been a supporter who paid £50 to watch this game because Spurs came to defend. There was only one team looking to win, they only came not to concede - it’s not fair for the football we played." – Jose Mourinho

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Car football

Football is a game mainly played by people using their leg, head, chest and sometimes their hands. But this video will show you that football can be played even with cars. Look at this funny video:

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Funny pictures

Who do they look like? Are some pictures of the people around football funny?


Italian referee Pierluigi Colina and Hartbeat's little helper Morph

English coach Martin Jol and Don Tony from Sopranos



Peter Crouch & Timmy from South Park


Carlos Tevez & America Ferrera (TV star from the Ugly Betty)


Phil Neville and Addams family’s Uncle Fester


Fabio Capello & Craig David from Bo Selecta
:))

Monday, February 11, 2008

The 2006 Serie A scandal - "Calciopoli"

So, how many titles Juventus won? 28? Nope. Juventus actually won 29 Scudettos but in the 2006 Serie A scandal they lost two of them.

So, officially Juventus are holders of 27 Calcio Serie A titles what makes them still the leaders of this competition. A. C. Milan is second with 17 and Inter third with 15 titles.

Well, Juvents won the Scudetto in 2004/05 and 2005/06 season but in the “Calciopoli” scandal in 2006 they lost those 2 titles and were relegated to Serie B plus starting with 9 points negative. And what was Calciopoli all about?

In May 2006 Italian police exposed evidence for match fixing in the professional football league Serie A. Teams involved were Juventus, Fiorentina, Lazio, Milan and Reggina. The police intercepted calls between officials of those teams and the referees who were appointed to their matches. The process begun immediately and the prosecutor demanded relegation “lower than Serie B” (what means C1) for Juventus and relegation to Serie B for the rest of the teams.
At the end of the trial drama, Italian Football Federation came up with these decisions:
- Juventus - Relegated to Serie B and starting with 9 points negative in the next (2006/07) season. Their 2005 and 2006 title taken off (last one given to Inter F.C.)
- A.C. Milan – Brought down on the table from 2nd to 3rd place (enough to qualify for the next season’s Champions League) and starting with only 8 points negative in the 2006/07 season.
- Fiorentina – Lowered from 4th to 9th place and 15 points negative for the next season.
- Lazio – Inclined from 6th to 16th place and starting with only 3 points less.

Other consequences: Inter earned 2005/06 Scudetto on the “green table” and Roma made their way to the Champions League.

See the full table

Juventus, champion’s team led by Capello due to relegation to Serie B was crashed! The team lost their coach and some of their best players like Cannavaro (FIFA World Player of the year), Ibrahimovic, Emerson, Zambrotta, Vieira, Thuram and others. Yes! They deserved it!
Milan did not enter the Champions League directly, but they qualified for it however.
Fiorentina and Lazio avoided relegation.
What is the most curious Italy became World Champion the same year!

See club punishments

So, what you think? Did everybody involved in this drama get what deserved?
Is match fixing in the world’s top leagues OK by you?

Well, this is what I think:
According to the football laws, everything is OK and the justice came up in front! Juventus, the team with most charges got relegated one level lower. The rest of the teams dropped few places lower on the table and started with negative points next season.
But!
If Italian Football Federation took off 5 more points to Milan they wouldn’t qualify for the CL (Remember: Milan won this competition next season). Four points less to Lazio and they wouldn’t see Serie A matches for next season etc…
Oh, I forgot to mention that Inter got Scudetto for free :)
And where those cheater clubs should be?
They ALL should be out of Serie A!
Match fixers! Cheaters! Out!

Many people will disagree with me. They will say: Who I’m gonna watch in Serie A? Catania, Monza, AlbinoLeffe?
I will say yes! Better lower-quality but “clean” team, rather than cheaters!

Feel free to leave me comments on this story, your point of view etc. There’s no captcha code or registration!
Thanks for reading this story!

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Amazing football facts

Did you know… (part II)


In 1950 India withdrew form the World Cup because FIFA refused to let their team play barefoot.

In 1954 Turkey knocked out Spain from during a World Cup qualifier by drawing straws. Blindfolded Italian boy Luigi Franco Gemma picked the straws to decide the winner.

There was a game in 1945, while Arsenal was playing Moscow a dense fog suddenly rolled onto the field. The referee didn’t want to reschedule the game because visiting team came from a very far distance. The game soon got out of hand. A player from the Russian team was sent off the field, but snuck back on the field and wasn't spotted in the fog. The Russian's were suspected of having 15 players on instead of 11. The goalie from the Russian team ran into the goal post and was knocked unconscious. A spectator ran onto the field and filled in for the rest of the game.

In 1996 George Weah paid for his teammates uniforms and expenses so that Liberia could enter the African Nations Cup.

Football goalies didn't have to wear different colored shirts from their teammates until 1913.

Jean Langenus of Belgium wore a suit jacket, golfing plus fours and a red striped tie when he refereed the 1930 World Cup final.

In the 1938 World Cup semifinal, Giuseppe Meazza of Italy's shorts fell down as he was taking a penalty shot. He held his shorts up and calmly scored past Brazil's Valter.

In 1998 English referee Martin Sylvester sent himself off after punching a player during a game in the Andover and District Sunday League.

Luigi Riva once broke the arm of a spectator with one of his powerful shots.

Under Herbert Chapman, The Arsenal changed their name to simply Arsenal in order to appear at the top of the alphabetical list of old Division One clubs.

In 1999 Leganes coach Enrique Martin received a ten game ban for running down an opposition player who was clean through on goal.

On soccer field in Brazil there was a small bird (called a lap wig). The bird was flying over the field and reflected the winning shot with 3 minutes left in the game.

Manchester United was first known as Newton Heath. They changed their name in 1902.

In 1997 Nigerian international Celestine Babayaro broke his leg while celebrating a goal in his Chelsea debut during a preseason game.

Non-flying Dutchman Dennis Bergkamp's fear of flying caused him to miss many international and European games for Arsenal.

When Fernando d'Ercoli (team Pianta) was given a red card in a game, he became so mad that he snatched the card from the referee and ate it.

When Mike Bagley (of Bristol) was written up for swearing, he got so mad at the referee that he took his notebook and ripped out the page, and ate it!

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

50 Years after the tragedy


On 6 February 6, 1958, one of the most tragic accidents in football happened. British European Airways Flight 609 carrying Manchester United team, crashed near Munich. Twenty-three of the 44 passengers died. Nine of the victims were players of the famous Man. Utd. generation known as Busby Babes…
Manchester was playing a second leg Champions Cup game against Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade. Next day they were coming back in England after qualifying for the semi finals of the competition. The plane landed in Munich for refueling. After 2 unsuccessful attempts to take-off, the pilot made his last, fatal attempt. The frozen runway lowered the speed of the plane and it crashed near after the taking-off.
The team that was destined to conquer Europe was destroyed... Their families left with their hearts full of pain…

Read more

Wikipedia article about the accident

Sunday, February 3, 2008

Records and achievements

Did you know ...

The first televised game was an Arsenal practice match at the Highbury ground in 1937.

The largest attendance for a football match ever was 199,854 people - Brazil vs. Uruguay in the World Cup at the Maracana Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, July 1950.

The most goals scored by one player in a single football match was 16 - Stephan Stanis (France) playing for Racing Club de Lens in December 1942.

Based on video evidence, one of the fastest ever scored was in 2.8 seconds by Ricardo Olivera (Uruguay) in December 1998.

Diego Maradona was only 16 when he made his debut for Argentina.

Chris Woods once went 1196 minutes without conceding a goal while at Rangers, from between November 26 1986 and January 31 1987.

The biggest victory ever in a World Cup football match was between Yugoslavia and Zaire 9-0.

20 red cards were shown during a 1993 game between Sportivo Ameliano and General Caballero in Paraguay.

Goalkeeper Arthur Wharton was the first black professional football player. He was born in Ghana (then Gold Coast) and played for English League team Rotherham United in 1889.

In 1957 with only 30 minutes remaining, Charlton Athletic game back from a 5-1 deficit to defeat Huddersfield Town 7-6.

Madagascan team Stade Olympique L'Emryne scored 149 own goals against champions AS Adema in 2002. They repeatedly scored own goals in protest of a refereeing decision in their previous game.

Sir Stanley Matthews never received a booking in his 33 year long career.

Michael Laudrup appeared for Real Madrid in a 5-0 win over Barcelona and also Barcelona when they beat Real Madrid 5-0.

Mexico was the first country to host the World Cup twice.

Friday, February 1, 2008

Ballon d'Or

At the end of every calendar year, the French magazine “France Football” gives their award Ballon d’Or to the best player in Europe, and it’s one of the most prestigious awards worldwide.
In December, this prize was won by the Brazilian maestro Kaka for his performances playing for the European champion AC Milan. Kaka won the prize with 444 votes. But we all ask: Was Kaka the best? This award is always followed with controversy by people who watch football, football analyzers, coaches and reporters.
Runner-up for 2007 was C. Ronaldo with 277 votes, followed by Messi with 255 and Drogba who won 108 votes.

View all candidates

The magazine gives their award traditionally every year since 1956. Stanley Matthews form Blackpool was the first winner, back in “56
In 2006 Fabio Cannavaro won this prize and it was, unfortunately, one of the most controversial victories.
Historically, Juventus and Milan (its players) are leading with most victories among the clubs with 8 prizes, followed by Real Madrid (6), Bayern M. (5) and Barcelona(4), and Nederland and Germany are most winning nations, both with 7 titles. Johan Cruijff, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten are players who won Ballon d’Or three times in their career.

See all winners