La Liga Football Report

What’s going on in Italy?

By Mirko Corli, writing from Torino

If you are into Italian football you may be slightly confused nowadays. Why? Well, because everything looks so different from, let’s say, six/seven months ago.

Read More

Barcelona’s Sponsorship Deal: the End of an Era?

by Elizabeth Hanchett, writing from Toronto

FC Barcelona, after 111 years of not receiving any money from sponsors to display their company on their shirt, has decided to adopt a shirt sponsor.  The deal will be finalized and subsequently made official on Monday, when Barça’s president Sandro Rosell, the representatives of the sponsoring company, as well as the Spanish UNICEF representative will meet and sign the agreement.

Read More

Bologna’s crisis is only a financial one… for now

By Mirko Corli, writing from Torino

Bologna is now facing a huge financial crisis. The club has not been able to pay wages to the players since last August. According to the Italian regulations, after three months of unpaid salaries, the players have the right to put the club into administration.

Read More

Samir Nasri: a Tale of Two Goals

By Ulysse Pasquier, writing from Montreal

If you haven’t already, you should definitely listen to this week’s AFR Podcast in which our writers led a very interesting discussion. One question that was raised is whether Arsene Wenger should consider selling Cesc Fabregas in the light of very promising - and sometimes even match-winning - performances from Jack Wilshere and Samir Nasri.

 Read More

Hughton Relegated, Pardew Promoted

By Oliver Sparrow, writing from London

As discussed in our most recent AFR podcast, Newcastle United have this week parted company with their manager Chris Hughton after only sixteen games of the Premier League season after guiding them back to the top flight this year.

Read More

Imagine there’s no World Cup, it isn’t hard to do.

By Eric Beard, writing from Boston

The month-long celebration of the beautiful game clearly has a massive impact on football as a whole, but could the game still thrive without the world’s biggest competition in sport every four years?

Read More

Nominate A Football Report as the Best New Football Website!

The year is slowly but surely coming to a close and nominations for the annual awards for sites focused on football are now being accepted! It seems like it’s been ages, but AFR has only been around for a little over a year which is why we would absolutely love it if you could take a moment to nominate us in the 2010 Soccerlens Awards as the “Best New Football Site.”

While we like to think we are one of the best football sites out there, we would really like to be realistic and focus our efforts on this one particular category. We’ll go for a treble next year, but for now all we would like you to do is take two seconds to email nominate@soccerlensawards.com saying A Football Report is the Best New Football Site. When Saturday Comes is also accepting nominations, so if you want to ‘cc’ that email to webwatch@wsc.co.uk that would be fantastic! Now if you have more than two seconds you can also nominate other football sites for other categories.

These categories include: Best Football Website, Most Entertaining Football Website, Best Football Gear Website, Best Football Videos Website, Best Club Fansite, Best Football Podcast, Best Football Blogger, Best Football Journalist, Best Niche Website

We know we can always improve and we’ll undoubtedly be targeting the Best Football Website award in the future. But we’re sticking with modesty as we target the Best New Football Website award. But brace yourself for our own AFR Awards for 2010! It’s time to give recognition where it is due amongst the world of football bloggers. These awards will be announced shortly… Thanks once again for all the support!

(Source: cheekychip)

Idiot! Playstation Culture And How It’s Changing Football Fans For The Worse

Guest post by Marquis Escalier, writing from New York

He was a funny looking lad. Not really of the kind with an obvious oddity in his face, like big ears or large nostrils (that would just make one look and giggle quietly). No, this boy had a vibrant air of intrigue and oscillating daftness about him. And it was a pity because he probably wasn’t even 17 or 18 years old, and, failing serious facial reconstruction, faced the prospect of life filled with strange stares and muffled laughter.

Nevertheless, unfazed by the looks from the Sunday morning faithful he plodded his way to the bar and took a seat. The Arsenal kicked off against Man City nigh two minutes later, and I think for the most we forgot about him. 

Indulge me for a minute while I introduce you to the regulars. There’s Jack, who’s been following the Gunners since ‘81. John, from Islington, who’s held a season ticket every year before moving to New York. Jane and Sarah, who think Cesc is, um, Cescy. The lads from the supporters club. The lads from London. The lads from North Africa. The fat Frenchman who looks like an obese Robert Pires.  Big Arsenal fans all. Here every game. We sing about Wenger, we sing about Tottenham. We only drink Guinness and talk about life in the New World.

Read More

A wounded Manchester Derby: physically ill United face the mentally ill City

By Eric Beard

It’s not your typical Manchester derby is it? Neither Manchester United nor City supporters will be too happy to see this fixture on their calender as both prepare for the clash at the City of Manchester Stadium. Sure, United are on a good run of form while City still lack the confidence that should match the potential they have with such talented individuals.

In all honesty, United should have the edge here, however, fate has decided otherwise. According to The Guardian, “Manchester United have been hit with a virus ahead of tomorrow’s derby against City with Patrice Evra, Nemanja Vidic, Dimitar Berbatov and Paul Scholes all believed to be among the victims.” Ryan Giggs and Nani will also likely miss this match due to injury, and of course Rooney is doing something much more important at Nike’s headquarters in Oregon. 

 So who will provide the goals for Fergie? Well, responsibility will lie on the shoulders of Chicharito, Park Ji-Sung, and then probably Bebe and Gabriel Obertan as well. Not exactly a strike force you would bet your house on… And yet, the home side of the match are looking just as ill. Manchester is a tough place to live, considering the industrial setting and the anti-Argentine weather, and it seems the foreigners in the squad are finally starting to come to this realisation. Carlos Tevez, the heart and soul of this side, is suffering and misses his family in Buenos Aires. This unhappiness from the captain has been permeating throughout the whole team, with irrational acts coming from the likes of Mario Balotelli. If only City could just get on with their football…

That’s the real question mark isn’t it? It’s difficult to know which mindset Mancini’s men will come out with. Balotelli won’t be partaking because of his rash red card after his brilliant brace at the weekend against West Brom, but it’s plain to see that this club has enough firepower to sink the iceberg that sunk the Titanic. However, as Fergie put it, “City is an untapped well at the moment. But it is difficult to say whether it is inevitable they are going to win the league at some point. Obviously, in many people’s eyes, having the money is a lot better than not having it. But it is still a difficult league to win. City recognise that themselves.”

Read More