Equity in Football - The Pros & Cons of the Salary Cap Proposal

The gulf between rich and poor clubs has never been greater. The amount of money circulating in the game has never been greater. The amount of players instantly becoming multi millionaires and buying fast cars and large mansions have never been greater. However, more sadly, the amount of clubs, especially ones with a lot of prestige and history behind them, going under have never been greater.

There's always something wrong in seeing a football club, especially one which gets packed houses, struggle to break even and compete for a title. Just as the amount of money circulating has increased, the cost of staying in the game has increased as well.

Such large increases in wages put smaller, less rich clubs at a serious disadvantage in terms of challenging for titles and championships. As a result, many of these clubs have been forced to take financial gambles to be able to attract good enough players to remain competitive. This has backfired for some clubs such as Leeds United who in the space of 5 years went from being in the Champions League semi final to the English third division.

The question remains, can this wage spiral be controlled so that it no longer harms the smaller clubs? The answer is yes, and in football it's being used in just 2 countries in the world: the USA and Australia. Both Major League Soccer and A-League used what is known as a salary cap, which is a limit as to how much a club can spend on players' wages on a yearly basis.

The main advantage of such a system is that it ensures that each team is competitive despite their revenue and profits. It ensures parity and equity for the players and keeps the fans on the edge of their seats when it comes to challenging for the title as no one is shoo-in.

The major disadvantage of having a salary cap system in place is that it becomes very difficult for a club to retain its players. As a result, championship-winning teams rarely do stay together for another season. This is exactly what happened when Melbourne Victory won the 2006/07 in dominating fashion. The exodus of various players led to Victory having a disastrous season in 2007/08. The salary cap is an even greater disadvantage in football especially if other leagues do not have a salary cap themselves. As a result, the best players and talent will be taken away from leagues with salary caps, leaving fans with the leftovers.

Nevertheless, the risk of losing talent is not greater than the risk of losing clubs forever. While it may be a tragedy for clubs to lose star players due to a salary cap, it will surely ensure that fans still have a club to support.

Martin Sejas is the chief writer of [http://www.sportsnewsfootball.com], a leading sports news football [http://www.sportsnewsfootball.com] website known for its fearless and critical analysis of the major issues affecting the beloved game of football.

Short Biography of Famous Soccer Player - Juan Roman Riquelme

His full name is Juan Román Riquelme. He was born June 24, 1978 in San Fernando, Buenos Aires, an impoverished providence of Buenos Aires Argentina to a family of ten. He is an Argentine soccer player who now plays for Boca Juniors of the Argentine Primera División, and his position on the field is as an attacking midfielder.

In 1995 Riquelme began playing professional football with the Boca Juniors and seven seasons enjoyed with the club prior to being traded to Barcelona. Following a short and not successful stay with them, he moved to Villarreal, and became superstar there, winning a lot of honors. Presently Riquelme continues to play at both the national and international level, and lately won the MVP award at the Copa Libertados.

A longtime Argentine international, Riquelme is best acknowledged for his spells with Boca Juniors and Villarreal. A playmaker, his major assets are his passing and setting the tempo of play.

It was Boca Juniors the club that had it as foremost character, in those that reached three times the Argentinean championship, to be champion of the Cup Libertadores of America in two opportunities, and champion of the Intercontinental Cup of soccer, in the year 2000.

Juan Román Riquelme is considered as a talented player with outstanding field vision. As of 2005, Riquelme is frequently noted as the key factor in Villareal's explosive 2005 campaign.

Some of honours he received as log as his career are:
2004 UEFA Intertoto Cup (Villarreal CF)
2001 Copa Libertadores (Boca J.)
2000 Argentine Apertura Championship (Boca J.)
2000 Intercontinental Cup (Boca J.)
2000 Copa Libertadores (Boca J.)
1999 Argentine Clausura Championship (Boca J.)
1998 Argentine Apertura Championship (Boca J.)
1997 FIFA's Football World Youth Championship (under-20)

As concerned as some of his individual honors are Player of the Year of Argentina (2000, 2001, 2008) and Copa Libertadore's Most Valuable Player in 2007.

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The Top 10 Football Teams in London

There is much to see for those who are interested in football in London. Just to clarify for any readers of this article from outside the UK, football means the 'beautiful game', what is commonly referred to as Soccer around the world.

London has a proud tradition of famous football teams with much competition between them to be the top club. There are generally four or five London teams in the Premier League and there are many commentators who believe that this is one of the biggest obstacles to any one of them winning the league. A 'local derby' between two London football teams could produce an electric atmosphere and turn current form on its head they are so well contested.

Premier League tickets are sometimes difficult to obtain, but a bit of persistence often gets results. There are a number of ticket agencies that can get them for a price.

In the last decade, both Arsenal and Chelsea have each won the illustrious Premier League title twice and reached the final of the European Cup.

Here are some details about the top 10 football clubs in London and to avoid any accusations of being partisan, they are listed in alphabetical order:-

Arsenal

The Gunners, Arsenal have played in the top division of English football in consecutive seasons since the 1919-20 season. They have been champions on 13 occasions and achieved a unique record for modern times in 2003-04 season when they went the whole season without being beaten.

Arsenal have won the much coveted 'double' (league and cup winners in the same season) three times, in 1971, 1998 and 2002

In recent years they have moved to a new venue, The Emirates Stadium, with a 60,000 capacity. The Arsenal Museum is well worth a visit and is open every day.

Brentford

The Bees, Brentford Football Club are currently playing in Football League I. They were founded in 1889 and play their home games at Griffin Park their home stadium since 1904. Brentford's most successful spell came during the 1930s, when they achieved consecutive top six finishes in the First Division.

Since the War, they have spent most of their time in the third and fourth tiers of English football. Brentford have been FA Cup quarter-finalists on four occasions, and have twice been Football League Trophy runners-up.

Charlton Athletic

The Addicks, Charlton Athletic have seen better days. There halcyon days were in the 1930s and 40s. In recent years they have struggled after being relegated from the Premier League in 2005 and then from the Championship in 2008.

They play at The Valley just south of the River Thames in Greenwich. The club was founded in 1905.

Historically, Charlton's most successful period was the 1930s, when the club's highest league finishes were recorded, including runners-up of the league in 1937, and after World War II, when the club reached the FA Cup final twice, winning in 1947.

Chelsea

The Pensioners or the Blues, Chelsea Football Club was founded in 1905, and play in the Premier League. Chelsea have been champions three times (1955, 2005, 2006), and have won the FA Cup five times, the League Cup four times and the UEFA Cup Winners Cup twice. They reached the UEFA Champions League Final in 2008

Chelsea play at Stamford Bridge in West London and their ground capacity is 42,000.The Chelsea Museum is open most days and is well worth a visit for those interested in museums and football history.

Crystal Palace

The Eagles, Crystal Palace Football Club was formed in 1905. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where it has been based since 1924. The club is currently competing in the second tier, The Championship.

Crystal Palace's most recent successful period began in 1988-89, when the club finished third in the Second Division and were promoted to the First Division. Reaching the 1990 FA Cup Final only to lose the replay against Manchester United and finishing 3rd in the First Division in 1990-91.

Since then Palace have been relegated from and promoted to the FA Premier League on a number of occasions, their most recent relegation from the top flight was in the 2004-05 season. This is all despite the club being almost bankrupt in July 2000.

Fulham

The Cottagers, Fulham Football Club was founded in 1879, they celebrated their 125th anniversary in 2004, and are in the top tier of English football, the Premier League. Fulham are the oldest professional football team in London.

In 2009, Fulham had their highest-ever finish in the Premier League, coming 7th to qualify for Europe.

The club has produced many great British footballers including Johnny Haynes, George Cohen, Bobby Robson, Rodney Marsh and Alan Mullery and Jim Langley. They play at the historic Craven Cottage, their home since 1896, a riverside ground on the banks of the River Thames in Fulham.

Queens Park Rangers

The Hoops or just QPR, Queens Park Rangers Football Club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London. They currently play in the Football League Championship, and their honours include winning the League Cup in 1967, and being runners-up in the old First Division in 1975-76 and FA Cup in 1982.

Queens Park Rangers Football Club was founded in 1882, and its traditional colours are blue and white. Owing to its proximity to other West London clubs, QPR maintains long-standing rivalries with several other clubs in the area, the most notable of these being Chelsea, Brentford and Fulham with whom they contest what are known as West London derbies.

In 2007 QPR was taken over by Italian tycoon Flavio Briatore and rank among the top 10 richest sporting clubs in the world. Other major shareholders include Lakshmi Mittal & F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone. So watch this space!

Tottenham Hotspurs

The famous 'Spurs' side of 1961, is still reckoned by many football enthusiasts, to be one of the best football teams in English football history. They achieved the 'double' which had not been achieved at that time since Aston Villa won it in 1897.

This has given recent Spurs' teams a lot to live up to. But Spurs have a long tradition of playing good football so there are many exciting matches at White Hart Lane especially with their close North London rivals, Arsenal.

In 1963, Spurs became the first British club to win a major European trophy - the European Cup Winners' Cup. In the 1970s, they won the Football League Cup on two occasions and were the inaugural winners of the UEFA Cup in 1972. In the 1980s, Spurs won several trophies: the FA Cup twice, FA Community Shield and the UEFA Cup 1983-84. In the 1990s, they won the FA Cup and the Football League Cup and in 2008, they beat Chelsea in the final of the Football League Cup. This victory means that Tottenham have won a trophy in each of the last six decades - an achievement only matched by Manchester United.

Spurs have planned a new stadium to be completed by 2012 and it is expected to be one of the best stadiums in the UK.

Watford

The Hornets, Watford Football Club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. They play in the Championship. The club was founded in 1881, and played at several grounds before moving to a permanent location at Vicarage Road in 1922, where they remain to this day. Since 1997, they have shared the stadium with Saracens Rugby Club. Watford have a long-standing rivalry with Luton Town.

The club is best known for two spells under the management of former England manager Graham Taylor. The first lasted from 1977 to 1987, when the club rose to the old First Division from the Fourth Division. Once in the highest division of English football, Watford finished second in the league in 1983, reached the FA Cup final in 1984 and competed in the UEFA Cup in the 1984-85 season.

The second period spanned from 1997 to 2001, when Taylor took the club from the renamed Second Division to the Premier League in successive seasons. Taylor is currently a non-executive director of the club, and honorary life president alongside Sir Elton John who owned the club during both of these eras and has continued a long association with the club.

West Ham United

The Hammers, West Ham United Football Club have play at Upton Park (Boleyn Ground), in East London since 1904 having been formed in 1895.

They featured in the first FA Cup Final to be held at Wembley in 1923 against Bolton Wanderers. The club have won the FA Cup three times: in 1964, 1975 and 1980. They have also been runners-up twice, in 1923 and 2006.

In 1965, they won the European Cup Winners Cup, and in 1999 they won the InterToto Cup.

Their players are considered an important factor behind England's triumph in the 1966 World Cup, as England's captain at the time was West Ham's Bobby Moore, and both goalscorers Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters were West Ham players.

West Ham currently compete in the Premier League, their highest finish in the Premier League was 5th in 1998-99.

Alan Rivers was born and raised in London and now lives outside London but is a frequent visitor. His website Visit London Tips is for his own pleasure as well as for every other visitor. You may be able to obtain premier league tickets here

Short Biography of Famous Soccer Player - Lionel Messi

His full name is Lionel Andrés Messi. Messi who was born 24 June 1987 is an Argentine soccer player and now participates for La Liga's Barcelona and the Argentine national team. Messi is regarded as one of the best and famous soccer players of his generation, by the age of 21, has received several Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations.

Messi started playing soccer at very early age and his latent was rapidly acclaimed by Barcelona. Making his first appearance in the 2004-2005 season, he broke the La Liga record for the youngest soccer player to take part in a league game, and the youngest to make a league goal as well.

In 2005 he became the latest teen superstar of Argentine soccer. Lionel Messi was chosen as the player of the tournament at under-20 World Cup on the year; played his first game for the Argentine national team; and made his first goal with the professional team FC Barcelona.

Messi was almost immediately being compared to an earlier hero of Argentine soccer, Diego Maradona. He was a member of Argentina's 2006 World Cup team. He assisted Barcelona win an uncommon triple in 2009: the Copa del Rey, Spain's La Liga championship, and also the Champions League.

Lionel Messi has been given countless praised from Argentinean coach Diego Maradona in spite of their defeat to Spain. Maradona stated that he was pleased with the Barcelona striker performance on the field.

On the occasion, Maradona asserted, "The match wasn't brilliant but the team responded well against the champions of Europe. It works for me because the team reacted very well. "Messi played marvelously well, and little by little he is becoming the leader of the team. It is what I want and it is what I hope for."

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Flying Eagles of Nigeria Create Football History at Saudi Arabia 1989

At the 1989 World Youth Championship held in Saudi Arabia, Nigeria picked the Silver medal, after defeating USSR in the most pulsating semi final matches ever played in the history of the FIFA U-20 championship.

The Flying Eagles first game was against the host Country, and they defeated Saudi Arabia 2-1 with Midfielder Mutiu Adepoju and Striker Christopher Ohenhen getting the two vital goals for Nigeria. The next game was against Portugal, and it went against the expectation of the Coach Tunde Disu led Boys, who got whacked 1-0 by a strong Portuguese team. The Flying Eagles were however able to secure a quarterfinal ticket after securing a 1-1 draw against Czechoslovakia in their final group game. Christopher Ohenhen once again rescued a point for Nigeria by scoring the decisive equalizer in the 72nd minutes of play.

The quarterfinal game saw the Flying Eagles been paired with USSR.

The game was played in Dammam, and was later re-named "the miracle of Dammam".

This was a game that saw Nigeria trailing by 4-0 with few minutes to the end of the decisive quarterfinal match. Legendary Oleg Salenko of USSR was among the scorers in that memorable match. In the space of 30 minutes, Nigeria fought back to equalize 4-4 and take the match into penalty shoot-out. The comeback was started by star player- Christopher Ohenhen who scored a brace in the 61st and 75th minutes to bring scores to 4-2 with 15 minutes of play left in regulation time. Samuel Elijah, who was later nicknamed "Prophet" Samuel Elijah scored in the 83rd minutes of play reduce the tally to 4-3, before inspirational captain Nduka Ugbade came from nowhere to level score 4-4 with an incredible equalizer in the 84th minutes. The Russians were stunned beyond their imagination. The match had to go into penalties after the expiration of 90 minutes, and the Nigerians triumph 5-3, after Mirdjalal Kasimov missed his spot kick to bring the game to an anti climax. It was the greatest come back in the history of world football till date.

In the semi finals, the Flying Eagles narrowly defeated USA 2-1 after the game had to go into another extra time with the games tied at 1-1 in regulation time. Mutiu Adepoju who later became an integral part of the Super Eagles of Nigeria scored both goals that eliminated USA from the tournament. In goal for USA on that memorable day, was goalkeeper Kasey Keller who later became a household name in world football.

It was a tired looking Flying Eagles team that qualified for the Final of the 1989 FIFA World Youth Championship, after playing two successive games that went into penalty shoot-out. This was to prove decisive, as the Flying Eagles were defeated 2-0 by Portugal, who had earlier beaten them 1-0 at the group stage.

Clement Sadjere is an Author, a motivational speaker and an information product sales/ marketing expert. He can be reached via telephone on +2348052790262

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Bobby Charlton Soccer Legend

Acclaimed as one of the world's greatest soccer players ever and my personal soccer hero and certainly one of England's finest players ever.

Bobby Charlton came from humble beginnings. The son of a Northumberland miner, Bobby came from a background of football, three of his uncles played for Leeds United and his mother's cousin, was the famous Jackie Milburn super striker for Newcastle United.

But Bobby maintains that his mother was the biggest influence on his football career, it was, she who first recognized his talent but was adamant that he should also learn a trade.

It did not take him long to rise to national and world renown with Manchester United, as well as on the international soccer fields of Europe, through his repeated inclusion on the English world team.

He joined Manchester United after winning the England Schoolboy Inter- national honors award, during the time he played for the England Schoolboys he was spotted by Manchester United head talent scout Joe Armstrong, by which time Charlton at his mothers insistence had already embarked on an engineering apprenticeship. However, so great was his talent, that by the time he was just 17 in 1954 he had already turned professional.

He was a prolific goal scorer with an individualistic style of play, noted for his long runs and precision with a soccer ball. By the age of nineteen he had already played in the FA Cup Final, he was a midfield player with a powerful kick and a natural feel for soccer, a striker with great skill, accuracy and consistency.

He played as a forward for Manchester United from 1956 to 1973. After only two seasons he earned a regular place on the United first team; Charlton played 14 times for United in his first season. During his second season he was lucky to escape with his life, as he was one of only a few to walk away from the Munich air disaster of 1958. He suffered relatively minor injuries and was pulled from the planes wreckage by team-mate Harry Gregg, the crash claimed 23 lives, of which eight were Manchester United players.

In 1965 he helped United win the football league Championship. In 1966 he won a gold medal playing for the victorious English world soccer team and a second Football League title win with United the very next year. In 1968, he captained the Manchester United team that won the European Cup; he scored two goals in the final game, making his team Manchester United, the first English team to ever win the competition.

Until recently he had scored more goals for England and Manchester United than, any other player, his goal scoring records held and remained unchallenged for 35 years after the end of his professional playing career.

Only very recently on the 22nd May 2008, did Bobby Charlton's record for most games ever played by a single player(258) for the Manchester United football club, fall at the Champions League Final in Moscow to one of Manchester United's current players Ryan Giggs.

He retired from the England team in 1970; at which point he was England's most capped player, having played 106 times for his nation's first team. He left Manchester United in 1973, to become player-manager for Preston North End, taking Man United team member and personal friend Nobby Stiles with him as player-coach, after only one season he discovered he was not suited to management.

He then took on the role of director for Wigan Athletic FC. He spent a little time playing in South Africa; he started several business ventures and opened soccer schools in the UK, Canada, USA, China, and Australia. A few years later in 1984 he joined Manchester United's board of directors and as of May 2008 still remains one.

Charlton began to go bald at the beginning of the 1960s and for a long while refused to admit the fact, he grew the hair on one side of his head long and then combed it across the balding area in order to diminish the display of bald scalp. Famed for this hair do, that would often flop around when he was running and that he would have repeatedly recapture and push back over his head as he ran. This hair style even today is still referred to as "the Bobby Charlton Comb-Over"

He was made "Sir" Bobby Charlton in 1994, for his "services as an ambassador for English football" he was the first soccer player to receive the honor in over 30 years. He was inducted to the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002.

For the whole length of his professional career, he was not once sent off the soccer pitch. Twenty years after his last professional appearance as a player for United, "Sir Bobby" is still remembered and revered as a supreme sportsman and gentleman footballer.

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How Often is the World Cup of Soccer Held?

The World Cup is soccer's biggest stage - it is the championship of the most widely played sport in the all of the world. The talk, preparation and qualifying for each incarnation of the World Cup tournament seems to be going on all the time - but the final of soccer's biggest tournament only take place during a one month period every four years.

Many fans, clubs and organizations argue that the World Cup tournament itself, as well as the sport of soccer would benefit greatly from increasing the frequency of soccer's world championship tournament. Some present very valid points and cite that other major sporting events that hold tournaments on an international level are capable of organizing those tournaments once every year.

There is no doubt that the World Cup's allure wouldn't be hurt by holding the tournament every three or even every two years. It would probably increase soccer's international popularity and would certainly do well to increase the tournaments revenue potential - holding the tournament every two years would, in effect, double the amount of revenue created by the biggest international sports tournament. Reducing the number of years between World Cup tournaments would most likely also allow the qualifying team's players to be more recognizable to fans - the players would be in front of the fans and on a big stage potentially twice as many times during their careers. This could potentially make fans feel more connected and attached to the players on the World Cup teams and possibly even cause an increase in the amount of people who tune in to watch the World Cup finals.

Why Every Four Years?

World Cup purists argue that every four years is ideal for the tournament and it is relatively unlikely that any change in World Cup frequency will actually occur - at least within the near future. It does take quite a bit of preparation to get ready for a month long tournament which draws in teams from more than thirty countries and fans from probably more nations than that.

The host country is voted on and selected long before the tournament will actually be held and the lengths to which the organizers go to ensure that everything is not just prepared, but perfect for each World Cup tournament are truly exhaustive. Other major sports tournaments may host players and fans from all over the world but few, if any can match the sheer magnitude of the World Cup tournament.

More than 200 countries will vie for a spot in the final phase of the World Cup tournament in 2010 to be held in South Africa, and of those more than 200, only thirty one teams will make the cut to appear in the World Cup (the South African team receives an automatic bye to compete as the host nation, making the total team count an even thirty two.) Many believe that trying to cram all of the qualifying and all of the necessary preparation into a shorter time period would hurt the quality and the overall success of the tournament - and that could very well be true.

The only other sporting events that are truly comparable (even bigger than the World Cup), are the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, which are both also held once every four years due to all of the preparation of the destination and the athletes who are to be involved.

Holding the tournament only once every four years only adds to the majesty of the World Cup and contributes to the sheer desire and determination of the many teams involved to first make the cut to the finals and then compete for the prestigious title of World Cup Champion.

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A Short Biography of Famous Soccer Players - David Beckham

His full name is David Robert Joseph Beckham. But he has some nickname such as Dave, Becks, Golden Balls, and DB7. He was born in Leytonstone, London, England on 2 May 1975. His playing position in the field is as Midfielder. Beckham is an English soccer player who now plays for Los Angeles Galaxy.

Beckham is a reputable member of the national team of England as well. He has been an excellent goal maker and a main attraction for public. He is one of Britain's most iconic team members whose name is also an elite international advertising trademark. His skill to overtake the ball with pin-point accurateness and his brand free kicks have made him very well-liked amongst his friends.

During his career as professional soccer player, he ever played for some senior clubs such as Manchester United (1993-2003), Preston North End (1995 as a loan), Real Madrid (2003-2007), Los Angeles Galaxy (2007- ), Milan (2009 - as a loan).

On 1 September 1996, he made his debut for his national team in a World Cup qualifying game in opposition to Moldova. Beckham won the world's highest-paid soccer player in 2004 with regards to salary and advertising contracts. He was the first British soccer player to play 100 Champions League competitions. From 15 November 2000 until the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals, he was captain of England national team, during which Beckham participated 58 times.

Beckham was forced to fail to spot the 2010 FIFA World Cup as a soccer player due to his wound. It was proclaimed on 14 May 2010 that he will act as an arbitrator between management and the players.

Beckham collected many honors and awards during his career as a professional soccer player. Some of them are honors with his club and national team of England. And some of them are his personal honors. With the club of Manchester United he won Premier League (1995-1996, 1996-1997, 1998-1999, 1999-2000, 2000-2001, 2002-2003), FA Cup (1995-1996, 1998-1999), UEFA Champions League (1998-1999), Intercontinental Cup (1999), FA Community Shield (1993, 1994, 1996, 1997), and FA Youth Cup (1992). With Real Madrid he won La Liga (2006-2007), and Supercopa de España (2003). And with Los Angeles Galaxy, he won Western Conference (2009).

As an Individual, some of his honors are Premier League Player of the Month (August 1996), PFA Young Player of the Year (1996-1997), Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year (1996-1997), UEFA Club Footballer of the Year (1998-1999), UEFA Club Midfielder of the Year (1998-1999), Premier League 10 Seasons Awards (1992-1993 to 2001-2002), BBC Sports Personality of the Year (2001), FIFA 100, ESPY Award (Best Male Soccer Player: 2004), ESPY Award (Best MLS Player: 2008), and English Football Hall of Fame (2008).

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Spanish Soccer and the Art of Tiqui-Taca

If you are reading this you probably know that Spanish football, or soccer, as we call it in the States, is red hot. La Roja, the Spanish national team, are reigning FIFA 2010 World Cup champions after defeating the Netherlands in overtime 1-0 in South Africa.

You may also know that Spain's La Selección (another name for the national team) are the reigning UEFA 2008 European Cup champions, having defeated Germany in the final by 1-0.

Only West Germany (Euro Cup in 1972, World Cup 1974) and France (World Cup in 1998, Euro Cup in 2000) have held these two most important international trophies simultaneously. Spain has a chance to be the first soccer nation to win three consecutive major international trophies if it manages to defend its title and win the 2012 European Cup.

How have they been able to do it? By perfecting the possession, quick pass, often one-touch style of play that wears down a defense. What the Spanish media calls tiqui-taca.

It almost sounds like the name of a child's game, but right now, and for the past several years, there is no more deadly style of play in the world of international soccer.

Other teams have tried to practice this possession game, but against Spain no one has succeeded. The style requires highly skilled intelligent players who work and think as a team, rather than as individuals. The style requires immense patience, confidence, and a spirit of sacrifice. And this generation of Spanish footballers has many such players.

If you look at the rosters of both Spanish championship teams, you will notice there are no immense soccer names on the list, no Pelé, no Beckenbauer, no Maradona, no Zidane, no Messi.

But Spain does have excellent players, and great depth at most positions. Goalie Iker Casillas may be the best in the world between the posts, and David Villa, the historical leading goal scorer for La Roja, is a lethal player who performs his best when matches hang in the balance. Defenders Puyol, Ramos, Capdevila, and Piqué were almost unbeatable after the opening match loss to Switzerland in South Africa 2010.

But it is the little midfielders, Xavi Hernández and Andrés Iniesta, who are the blood of La Roja. Their playmaking makes it possible for strikers Villa and Fernando Torres or Fernando Llorente, to score goals. Or when needed, they themselves take on the responsibility. Who could forget Iniesta's championship-winning goal against the Dutch late in extra time?

Tiqui-taca has a funny, child-like sound to it, like something we shouldn't take all that seriously. Opponents of La Roja know better.

It is true the Spaniards have lost a pair of international friendlies since raising the World Cup, but when it has mattered most, they have called upon the focus, humility and spirit of sacrifice that has made them dual champions of Europe and the World.

It is noteworthy that they have won all of their group qualifying matches leading up to Euro Cup 2012 and they are a cinch to qualify for that tournament. They will be looking to not only defend their crown, but to continue their international soccer reign and become the first nation to win three consecutive major international championships.

The 2010 World and 2008 European champion Spanish national soccer team goes for an unprecedented third consecutive major international trophy in the 2012 European Cup. Visit Spain Soccer Team [http://spainsoccerteam.com/] for all the news about La Roja and the beautiful ball possession style of play the Spaniards have perfected, tiqui-taca [http://spainsoccerteam.com/spanish-football-and-tiqui-taca.html/].

French Soccer Players

The French soccer team is the most competitive soccer team in international football. France is a multi cultural country and the national team includes French soccer players of all origins and playing styles. The French soccer team is famous for their tradition playing style that includes strong defense and lot of common sense. The French soccer team won the FIFA world cup in 1998 and prestigious European Championship in 2000. Also, they reached the semi finals in 1958, 1982, and 1986.

The top six French soccer players of all times are Michel Platini, Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry, Eric Cantona, Fabien Barthez, and Didier Deschamps. The French soccer era can be divided into Platini age and Zidane age.

Michel Platini was born on June 21, 1955 in Joeuf. As a soccer player, he started his career at the age of 17. His remarkable performance in the club matches opened the gates for him in the national team in 1976. By 1977, Platini was known as the rising star in French soccer. Soon he was appointed as the captain of French soccer team and he managed to improve the French record in FIFA world cup. France finished fourth in 1982 and third in 1986. It was under his captaincy France managed to win Euro cup in 1984 and Olympic gold medal in Los Angeles. He was the top goal scorer and was declared as the best player of the tournament in 1984 Euro cup. Michel Platini is on the top of the list in French soccer players.

Zinedine Zidane was born on 23 June in 1972 in Marseille. He is best known as an attacking mid fielder and is regarded as one of the greatest players in the world. He is a true magician and is perhaps the best talented player after Pele. Zidane is regarded as a genius in French soccer players. It was the result of his perfect technique the French team won the world cup finals in 1998. The world champion Brazilian team were amazed by his game and stood effortless in the hands of Zidane. Also, they won the runner up trophy in 2006 world cup. Zidane was also a crucial member of world famous Spanish club, Real Madrid. The famous acrobatic goal in 2001 allowed his team to win the Champions League final.

Didier Deschamps was another excellent defensive midfielder in French line up. Thanks to Zidane, it was under his captaincy that the French team was declared as the world champions in 1998. Soon the same year French team managed to win the Euro cup, and hence this great player became the first captain in French soccer playersý history to win two major trophies in single year.

Eric Cantona was popular, compelling, and brilliant player in French line up. He played most of his career for Manchester United and nearly scored 64 goals in 140 matches. Thierry Henry is another rising star in French soccer players list. His technique, incredible speed, nasty shots has made him the best striker in French squad.

The list of French soccer players is long and never ending. As a soccer-playing nation, the team has good prospects in the future. The young players are hard working and committed to follow the footsteps of Zidane and Platini.

Candis Reade is an accomplished niche website developer and author. To learn more about French Soccer Players [http://greatsoccerplayers.info/french-soccer-players], please visit Great Soccer Players [http://greatsoccerplayers.info] for current articles and discussions.

Sriwijaya Football Club (Sfc), a Phenomenal Soccer Club

Sriwijaya Football Club or more popularly known as SFC is a perfect example of how a sports club can promote the city of its home base. SFC is a soccer club owned by PT Sriwijaya Optimis Mandiri (PT SOM) which derived its ownership from the Provincial Government of South Sumatra, Indonesia. The ownership was transferred to PT SOM because the current regulation in Indonesia regulates that the government fund is no longer allowed to be used to support a sport club. So, a sport club must live on its own fund. This regulation has caused many soccer clubs owned by local government in Indonesia to be inactive.

Prior to being taken over by South Sumatran Provincial Government, the club used to be owned by Eastern Jakarta's owner and known as Persijatim. It then moved its home base to Solo (a city in Central Java) and known as Persijatim Solo FC. This club found a better home base when Provincial Government of South Sumatra showed its interest to take over its ownership in 2004. The provincial government of South Sumatra had a good reason to take over this soccer club because Palembang as the Capital of South Sumatra Province had just succeeded in becoming a host of a biannual national sport event, namely the 16th PON of 2004.

In preparing itself to become the host province of this multi-sport event, the provincial government of South Sumatra built many internationally standardized sport venues for each game to be contested during the 16th PON of 2004. One of these facilities was Stadion Gelora Sriwijaya (also known as Stadion Jakabaring), a huge soccer stadium which could hold up to 40,000 spectators. It is now one of the best soccer stadiums in Indonesia and has been a venue to many international soccer matches in Asia. One of the biggest events taken place in this stadium was the opening and closing ceremony of the 26th SEA GAMES (Southeast Asian Games) of 2011 in which Indonesia became the host of this biannual event. This stadium must be utilized and taken care of in order to maintain its quality and usefulness. The best way is to keep this stadium alive all year long is by having a soccer club which makes it as its homebase stadium. The acquisition of Persijatim Solo FC by the South Sumatra Provincial Government in 2005 has been the best solution to keep this stadium alive.

As it changed ownership, Persijatim Solo FC also changed its name into Sriwijaya Football Club and more popularly known as SFC. Sriwijaya or Srivijaya used to be the name of a powerful ancient kingdom whose power spanned from Sumatra to Africa. The capital of this kingdom was believed to be located in the present-day Palembang, the Capital of South Sumatra Province. This is the reason why the name Sriwijaya is so identical with Palembang and South Sumatra. This name is also identical with Grandeur, Glory, and Success. Many organizations, companies, and a university in South Sumatra adopted this name.

Does SFC succeed in bearing this name? This question can easily be answered with a big "YES". It took only three years for SFC to gain it first trophy as the winner of Indonesian League (now known as ISL, Indonesian Super League) and in the same year (2007) it won another thropy called Piala Indonesia. This double winner status has amazed soccer fans throughout Indonesia and escalated the position of SFC as a soccer club in the nation. As the winner of the national league SFC was appointed to represent Indonesian soccer clubs to compete on international level of Asia in the Asian Champions League and Jakabaring Stadium became one of the soccer stadiums hosting this international competition. After winning its double titles in 2007 SFC succeeded in maintaining its positive records by winning the trophy of Piala Indonesia (Indonesian Cup) for three consecutive years: 2007, 2008-2009, and 2010. In 2011/2012 season, once again SFC won the title of the Champion of Indonesian Super League. Up to its 10th anniversary, SFC has won 10 trophies in total. It is an avarage of 1 trophy per year. Will anyone mind calling this soccer club a phenomenal club? Many professional soccer players in Indonesia call this club a champion club, because of its achievements since its bore the name Sriwijaya Football Club (SFC).

Majelis is a librarian, an English teacher, and a translator working at the Library of Graduate Program of Sriwijaya University (Pascasarjana Unsri) Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia. You can contact him via his website: http://www.pemburu-dolar.com

TOP 10 Moments in Football History

10. Luis Figo, a world famous football star, who played for FC Barcelona from 1995 till 2000. He was arguably the fans' most favorite player in FC Barcelona, until 2000. That's when "it" happened, Barcelona's biggest rivals, Real Madrid, decided to splash the cash and break the transfer list fees record by getting Luis to Real Madrid.

The move caused outrage among Barcelona fans, Madrid got him for a world record fee of 38 Million Pounds. And that's when the fun begins, during the match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, when Luis Figo stepped up to take the corner kick, a pig's head was thrown at him from Barcelona's side. Another incident took place during the 2004 EURO Cup Final between Greece and Portugal. A Portuguese fan ran out on the field, managed to outrun the police, and heading towards Luis threw a Barcelona jersey at him, as the whole world was watching.

9. 1996 - African Challenge.
1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, The most surprising gold medals went to the hands of Nigerian football stars after they overcame Brazil in thrilling semi-finals, with a 4-3 score. The finals was between Argentina and Nigeria, well over 2 billion people were watching it, of course most of them thought that Argentina will have no problems getting the gold medal, but most of them were wrong. Argentina was in the driver's seat after leading 1-0. The goal came on a 3rd minute, scored by Claudio Lopez, on the 28th minute Nigeria managed to equalize, as Babayaro scored a perfect finisher. So it was 1-1 on half-time. In the early second half Hernan Crespo gave Argentina the lead again and Argentina was on the way to get the gold medals, but "not so fast" said Amokachi as he scored the equalizing goal and again gave Nigeria hope. Match was almost over and everybody thought it was going to be decided by the penalty shoot out. 90th minute and Amunike gave the lead to Nigeria, it was a shock for Argentina, time was almost over, Argentina had no chance, so it ended with a final score 3-2. Nigeria won the gold medal, for the first time in Olympic Games history.

8. 1960, First ever UEFA European Football Championship (EURO) held in France. It was won by the USSR, beating Yugoslavia 2-1 in a tense final in Paris. It is however quite interesting to note that earlier in the competition Spain had withdrawn from its quarterfinal match against the USSR due to political reasons. As an interesting fact, USSR also scored the first goal in the EURO history, during the qualification games.

7. 1998/1999 English Premier League season, Manchester United got all trophies possible that season. They became the first ever team in football history to do so in one season. First they got the Premier League title, finishing first in the league table, then they took the F.A. Cup title by beating Newcastle United 2-0, and of course the most famous UEFA Champions League final, when United managed to come back from a 1-0 defeat, and score not one but two goals in an injury time beating Bayern Munich 2-1; it was considered to be one of the greatest comebacks ever witnessed.

6. 2002 World Cup, Korea/Japan. Korean fans will never forget that historic moment, when Guus Hiddink took them all the way to the Semi-Finals of 2002 World Cup. Korean national football team became the first ever Asian national football team to reach semi-finals of World Cup. Nobody expected the underdogs to go that far, as they beat Portugal 1-0 in a group stages, then a famous 2-1 win over Italy, drawing with Spain in a quarter-finals and then beating them 5-3 on penalties. In the end however they couldn't take on Germany in semi-finals, and they lost 1-0. In the game for the third place Korean team met Turkey, but again they lost. Eventually the Republic of Korea finished 4th in the 2002 World Cup, which was still a great success for the country's football team.

5. June 2003, Chelsea FC was bought by the Russian Billionaire Roman Abramovich for a record fee of 140 million pounds. Back then it was the biggest sale of an English Football club. Straight away Roman wanted to make Chelsea the best and strongest club in the world. He began buying players for a record braking transfer fees. First season with a new owner Chelsea FC finished as a runner-up. But next year, the 2004/2005 English premier league season, Chelsea became champions of England, for the first time since 1954/1955 season. 2005/2006 Season they took the premier league trophy again as they were crowned the champions of England for the second time in a row. These 2 seasons were the most successful 2 years in the club's history.

4. January 11th 2007. It was confirmed that David Beckham will be leaving Real Madrid to play for the United States "soccer" club, Los Angeles Galaxy. Beckham's decision was a shock to many, as one of the world's best football players moves to United States of America, where "soccer" is not that popular. He was the first big player to enter Major League Soccer.

3. 6th February 1958, the Munich air disaster. It was the darkest day in Manchester United Football Club history. On the board of the plane was Manchester United football team along with the club supporters and journalists. 23 of the 44 passengers on board died. Captain James Thain, the pilot tried to take off twice, but both attempts were aborted due to engine surging. When a third take off was attempted, the plane failed to gain adequate height and crashed into the fence surrounding the airport and then into a house. Now every year on this day Manchester United holds a memorial to the people who lost their lives in the Munich air disaster.

2. 2006 World Cup Final produced one of the most famous moments in football history, when Zidane's head-butted on Italian defender Marco Materazzi. It was Zidane's last international appearance for the French national team and 3 billion people around the world were watching it. The next day newspapers all over the world were not writing about how Italy won their 4th World Cup title, but they were writing about how Zidane pulled the "stunt" on Marco. Definitely that was one of the biggest moments in the history of football.

1. Edison Arantes do Nascimento, aka Pele, the world's most famous name in football. Football is probably the most famous sport in the world, and Pele is the man who made it what it is today. Pele made 669 appearances in club football, scoring 626 goals. He also made 92 appearances for Brazilian National football side and scored 77 goals. He made his first club appearance when he was just 15 years of age. He made his first international appearance for Brazil when he was 16, and won his first World Cup when he was just 17. Pele is hailed in Brazil as a national hero. The number one moment in football history is when Pele managed to score his first international goal for Brazil, just three month before his 17th birthday.

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