Tag Archives | Soccer

Remembering The Day UFOs Arrived At Italy’s Fiorentina Stadium

By on January 8, 2013 in News 1

No one has ever come up with a satisfactory explanation for the day on which an awe-inspiring fleet of UFOs brought a massive Italian soccer match to a halt in 1954. Via the BBC, witnesses describe it as transcendent:

It’s October 1954. A game between Fiorentina and nearby rivals Pistoiese is under way at the Stadio Artemio Franchi. A crowd of around 10,000 has gathered to watch. Among them is Fiorentina fan Gigi Boni. Now in his eighties Boni still has vivid memories of watching in disbelief as UFOs hovered above the stadium.

“I remember clearly seeing this incredible sight. They were moving very fast and then they just stopped. It all lasted a couple of minutes. I would like to describe them as being like Cuban cigars, in the way they looked.” The stadium fell silent as the players and fans stood transfixed, staring at these strange objects in the crisp blue autumn sky.

… Read the rest

Continue Reading · 1

Lionel Messi and the Anti-Syria Conspiracy

By on March 25, 2012 in News 5

He's the best, period - 24-365You definitely cannot make this stuff up. From Reuters:

Barcelona footballers don’t just have a slick passing game, they can also secretly indicate arms smuggling routes to Syria, a pro-government Syrian television channel claimed this week.

Without a hint of irony, Addounia TV superimposed a map of Syria on a screen to show how Lionel Messi and his team-mates, representing smugglers, had kicked a ball, representing a weapons shipment, into Syria from Lebanon.

The subtle signals to rebels were transmitted when Barcelona played Real Madrid in December, said the channel, which is owned by a cousin of President Bashar al-Assad. It did not trouble viewers by revealing Barcelona’s motives for the exploit.

“First we see how the guns are brought from Lebanon,” the presenter comments as one player passes the ball. “Then they cross into Homs and give the weapons to other terrorists in Abu Kamal,” he added, referring to rebel strongholds in Syria.

… Read the rest

Continue Reading · 5

Twitter Foils UK Celebrities’ Favorite Weapon: The Super-Injunction

By on May 27, 2011 in News 6
Ryan Giggs. Photo: Allison Pasciuto

Ryan Giggs. Photo: Allison Pasciuto

The worst kept secret in Britain has been completely undermined by an onslaught of tweets. Chris Gayomali reviews the Ryan Giggs affair for TIME:

Earlier this month Ryan Giggs, a professional soccer player who plays for the U.K.’s Manchester United, obtained a court-ordered injunction to keep secret the details of an extra-marital affair with British television personality Imogen Thomas. The short story is that he didn’t want the U.K. press writing about his misconducts.

The move appeared to backfire, however, when news of the injunction spread like wildfire through over 70,000 Twitter accounts, causing Mr. Giggs to take up legal action against “persons unknown” as well as the social network itself.

Legal experts assumed that gag orders breached on Twitter were protected because the website is outside of the British legal system’s jurisdiction.

However, in a surprising move, a senior executive from Twitter admitted to the Telegraph that it would turn user information over to the authorities if it were “legally required” to.

… Read the rest

Continue Reading · 6

Robotic Clouds Could Help Cool 2022 Qatar World Cup (Animation)

By on April 3, 2011 in News 12

Qatar 2022BBC Sport reports:

Scientists at Qatar University claim to have developed artificial clouds to provide shade for stadia and training grounds at the 2022 World Cup.

The fierce summer heat in the Gulf has led to concerns about conditions for players and fans at the tournament. Temperatures in June and July can reach up to 50 C.

Qatar were announced as hosts in December, and Fifa president Sepp Blatter initially said he expected the 2022 competition to be moved to winter.

But Blatter has since stated that he feels the tournament will go ahead as planned in the summer months. Qatar plan to air condition their World Cup stadia via solar power, and now scientists have designed the ‘clouds’, which can be produced at a cost of $500,000 (about £310,000) each.

Continue Reading · 12

Eric Cantona Foments A New French Revolution

By on November 18, 2010 in News 0

Eric Cantona first achieved fame playing soccer for Manchester United and France. He was an extremely talented striker, but perhaps is best known for his flying kung fu-style kick at a heckling fan. That’s all in the past though, and Cantona has a new career as a budding indie film star. Apparently he’s also quite conscious of the fact that there’s not much liberté, égalité or fraternité in France or the rest of the world these days, and he knows just how to bring about another revolution: everyone should go to their bank and withdraw all their cash. The system would crash and, voilà, la Révolution! Here he is in an October interview explaining how it works:

Continue Reading · 0

Those Damn Yanks! Are Americans Intent on Destroying Football Around the Globe?

By on October 13, 2010 in News 10

Liverpool F.C.If the U.S. earning a draw with England wasn’t bad enough for the Brits, here comes another blow. Another Yankee is trying to purchase one of their beloved football teams Liverpool. Alex Massie writes in the Daily Beast:

If Red Sox owner John Henry’s purchase of Liverpool soccer club goes through, he’ll have to clean up the mess left by its current owner, former Texas Rangers chief Tom Hicks.

This week, John Henry and the New England Sports Ventures consortium made great strides in their attempts to purchase Liverpool football club. For once, an American takeover of a great English institution is being welcomed — but only because it means running the previous American owners out of town. Better the wealthy Americans you don’t know than the ones you do.

That’s because owners of American sports teams have a history of running English football clubs into the ground. Liverpool, the most successful football team in English history, has $450 million in debt due on Friday and this season is off to its worst start in 57 years — thanks, in large part, to its current American owners, former Texas Rangers chief Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

… Read the rest

Continue Reading · 10

The Bolivian President’s Infamous Knee Strike Video

By on October 8, 2010 in News 2

Just in case anyone missed it (I know, you’re not all soccer fans), President Evo Morales of Bolivia caused a stir last weekend when he kneed a player on an opposing soccer team in the groin and had the misfortune of having his dirty deed caught on video tape:

Here’s what Morales had to say for himself:

“The player who kicked me started to insult me and offend me and I very much regret my reaction. I ask forgiveness to the sportsmen, to the players, to the player. But after kicking me, it was another insult, a reaction. Again, I ask for forgiveness. Sport is integration, but later I realized it was a trap.”

Continue Reading · 2

The World Cup Of Robot Soccer

By on September 7, 2010 in News 0

In addition to the World Cup, this summer featured RoboCup — an international tournament in which teams of soccer-playing robots square off. The level of play is low, and the game is often unsettling to watch, as when a fallen robot player struggles fruitlessly to right itself, limbs flailing. The hope, however, is that by 2050, a robot team skilled enough to compete against humans will be developed.

Continue Reading · 0

Germans Want To Throw Psychic Octopus Into Shark Tank

By on July 9, 2010 in News 22
Paul the Octopus in his aquarium tank next to a football shoe marked with the German flag colors. Photo: Tilla (CC)

Paul the Octopus in his aquarium tank next to a soccer shoe marked with the German flag colors. Photo: Tilla (CC)

You knew the psychic octopus was going to upset a lot of people in its homeland, Germany, if it predicted–correctly–a loss for their team. As AFP/The Local reports, the eight-legged wonder now needs all its supernatural powers to remain in good health:

It won’t come as much of a consolation to heartbroken German fans, but at least Paul, Germany’s now world-famous “Octopus oracle,” has maintained his perfect record predicting World Cup matches this summer…

The “psychic” creature has correctly predicted all six of Germany’s matches and, amid excruciating drama broadcast live on national television on Tuesday, plumped for Spain, causing anguish across the country.

The eight-legged soccer soothsayer was spot on Wednesday, as Carles Puyol’s semi-final header shattered Germany’s dreams of winning their fourth World Cup…

According to daily Der Westen, there have been “a host of comments on Facebook, Twitter … suggesting Paul should be fried, grilled or turned into a seafood salad or paella.

… Read the rest

Continue Reading · 22