Archive for April, 2007

…and the winner is…Ukraine and Poland

{ April 19, 2007 @ 8:24 am } · { Euro 2012, Football, UEFA, men in tights }
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What does Uefa’s decision to send the 2012 European Championships to Poland and Ukraine mean for the two countries involved? What of the fact that the tournament was awarded to two former Soviet bloc countries at the expense of one of the heavyweights of western Europe in Italy? It would be tempting to say that the political balance of power is shifting in European football, but surely the major nations are not going to let go of any of their share of the pie anytime soon, no matter how disproportionately large that share might be. Certainly it indicates that the Uefa president, Michel Platini, himself from one of the so-called bigger countries, owes his current position in no small measure to the backing he received from eastern Europe. One of the more striking soundbites he generated during his campaign was his pledge to democratise the Champions League by taking away spaces from the dominant leagues to give to the rest. And it looks increasingly as though the Sheriff of Nottingham, an Italian citizen since the mid-20th century, (surely this must refer to pantomime villain Silvio Berlusconi) has had the wool pulled over his eyes by man in tights Platini.

On the domestic front, what will the effects be? It has been argued that Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko’s recent decree to dissolve parliament and hold early elections is tantamount to a coup sanctioned by the west. What will the effects be on countries trying to emerge the long shadow still cast to this day by the Soviet Union?

And what will the long term effects be on football in Poland and the Ukraine? Will this provide the spur two nations with a great love for the game need to lay the groundwork for successive generations of top class players? Will Poland and Ukraine be able to produce players with populations of over 38 and 47 million people respectively, surely the raw talent must be available in abundance. Let’s hope that in five years time, and in twenty-five years time, Andriy Shevchenko won’t still be the only genuinely globally recognisable star from the two countries.

Just another day at the office for Mr Platini

Messi the king (where’s my Spanish football?)

{ April 19, 2007 @ 7:53 am } · { Football, Messi }
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Those of you who can’t get coverage of Spanish football because you feel a second mortgage isn’t worth the pleasure, may think twice when you see this goal from Lionel Messi for Barcelona against Getafe in the King’s Cup. I for one am having second thoughts about paying for the subscription that would free up the funds for Rupert Murdoch to buy panda skin boots for half the presenters at Fox News. Those of us who like our football to be of the high octane variety often scoff that while Spain’s Primera Liga may be justly considered more technically proficient, it can’t offer the excitement of its English equivalent, but on this evidence a rethink may be in order.

eating my own words dept, vol 1

{ April 18, 2007 @ 2:26 am } · { English Premiership, Football, Michael Carrick, humble pie, premier league, premiership }
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In an entry I composed in response to Michael Carrick’s exorbitant transfer from Spurs to Manchester United I was perhaps a little critical of the former West Ham man. Certainly I believe that Man Utd paid over the top, but unlike some United players who have commanded fantasy fees in recent years (see Veron, Juan Sebastian and Ferdinand, Rio), Carrick has proved that he is a player of the highest quality. Two exquisite goals in the first and second halves against Roma have been the most eyecatching of his work as a Manchester United player thus far, but it is with a season of consistently outstanding performances moving the ball simply from defence to attack Carrick has answered critics that quick to condemn him for failing to fulfil the potential he showed as a junior. Clearly the time is well overdue to re-evaluate Carrick’s ability to control the flow of the game–especially in light of England’s dire performances in the qualification campaign for Euro 2008. Hopefully we’ll be seeing more of the man in an England shirt, especially if Frank Lampard can develop a convenient habit of injuring his hand before international fixtures.