Lionel Messi wins Fifa World Player of the Year award

Barcelona football Lionel Messi has been named Fifa World Footballer of the Year to complete a stunning 2009 for the Argentine forward.

The 22-year-old, who helped Barca win the Club World Cup on Saturday - their sixth trophy of the year - also won the Ballon d'Or award this year.

In a vote by captains and head coaches of the men's and women's national teams, Messi won 1,073 votes, Ronaldo 352, Xavi 196, Kaka 190 and Iniesta 134.

Messi becomes the first Argentine to win the award, which was inaugurated in 1991, and it completes a stunning year for the brilliant winger.

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FIFA 2010 World Cup Final Draw for South Africa Completed

England have been drawn to face the United States, Algeria and Slovenia in the group stage of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Five-time champions Brazil face Portugal, Ivory Coast and North Korea in arguably the strongest group.

Holders Italy were drawn with Slovakia, Paraguay and New Zealand and and three-time winners Germany will take on Serbia, Ghana and Australia.

FULL WORLD CUP 2010 GROUP STAGE DRAW

GROUP A
A1 SOUTH AFRICA
A2 MEXICO
A3 URUGUAY
A4 FRANCE

GROUP B
B1 ARGENTINA
B2 NIGERIA
B3 SOUTH KOREA
B4 GREECE

GROUP C
C1 ENGLAND
C2 USA
C3 ALGERIA
C4 SLOVENIA

GROUP D
D1 GERMANY
D2 AUSTRALIA
D3 SERBIA
D4 GHANA

GROUP E
E1 NETHERLANDS
E2 DENMARK
E3 JAPAN
E4 CAMEROON

GROUP F
F1 ITALY
F2 PARAGUAY
F3 NEW ZEALAND
F4 SLOVAKIA

GROUP G
G1 BRAZIL
G2 NORTH KOREA
G3 IVORY COAST
G4 PORTUGAL

GROUP H
H1 SPAIN
H2 SWITZERLAND
H3 HONDURAS
H4 CHILE

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France v Ireland handball - Ireland guilty of similar case in earlier qualifying

The France v Ireland playoff was a big game, and there is little doubt that the Theirry Henry handball incident was a foul. But does it really need to be added to the list of deadly sporting sins ?

You'd think so after the huge amount of righteous whining going on in the British and Irish media, and on the blogs and the forums ... by anyone and everyone with an axe to grind about Henry, France, Arsenal (who used to be Henry's club), and/or FIFA's unwillingness to have TV replay ...

(OK that last point about TV replays might actually be justified - but let's not derail the blog post this time)

I'm bored with all the ranting ... the xenophobic diatribe dished out by the tabloids who are simply trying to sell newspapers and the politicans who are trying distract from bigger problems ... so I'm going to try to short circuit this issue by demonstating that this Irish side were guilty of a similar thing in earlier qualifying.

From a match report of Ireland v Georgia : World Cup 2010 Qualifier - which Ireland won 2-1 after a very similar dodgy incident.

A long ball found its way to Robbie Keane who seemed to control the ball with his hand only for the referee to let play continue. The ball was then cleared but only as far as Kevin Doyle as it deflected off the Waterford man and into the path of Ucha Lobjanidze. The referee then gave a shrill blast of his whistle for what appeared to be an offside by Keane.

Instead to everyones surprise, Hyytia pointed to the penalty spot and deemed Lobjanidze to have handled the ball. Replays showed that Keane had handled the ball in the lead-up to this decision and that Keane was also offside as play continued.

Here is the video on YouTube where you can see the incident :
Did you find yourself shouting HANDBALL ! at all?

Pretty clear in the video isn't it? Does Mr Keane own up? Does he tell the referee? Does he bollocks!! He quickly accepts the penalty and stands and watches the demonstrations and then scores for Ireland from the spot ... becasue it's a vital incident and an important chance!

... ... sound of the penny dropping ... ...
... ... uncomfortable shuffling of feet ...
... ... oh dear oh dear oh dear ... ...

So WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE between this incident where Ireland benefit and the one with Henry? Nothing! And it's a vital stage in the game with Georgia hanging onto a 1-0 lead. It was a deliberate handball in the buildup to a goal and the player obviously knew it. The ref didn't see it. So nothing is given.

And don't give me the accidental handball claim some have tried. Robbie Keane is a top professional player who knew exactly what he was doing in trying to bring that ball down. This isn't pub football - it's an international match. It WAS Hand-bloody-ball ALRIGHT !

Was it a case of the big Irish bullies conspiring to beat little Georgia - using home advantage to influence a referee? No - It's just football. A handball call that is missed by a referee. This sort of sh!t happens all the time.

But ... I did not HEAR a big fuss after this game. No hoo-haa and demands for replays. In fact this event passed by without comment from mainstream UK and Irish press.

So although the situation at the Stade de France for the France v Ireland playoff it was dramatic and painful for Irish fans (this time) - it was hardly unique ...

So it's not about FIFA conspiracies. It's not about the cheating French. It's not about the fact the Theirry Henry used to play for Arsenal, or "Johnny Foreigner" always cheating (not like our lads) - or anything else ...

... it was just a refereeing error !

So would partisan Irish fans PLEAAAASSSSEEEE just get over it, and move on. And would a few tabloids please publish this story too?!

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Brazil retain world beach soccer crown beating Switzerland 10-5

The latest FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup ended in familiar fashion on Sunday, with Brazil seeing off Switzerland to collect the trophy for the fourth year running.

The Swiss battled bravely, but with their goalscorer-in-chief Dejan Stankovic having an off-day by his standards, they were unable to match the South Americans superior finishing power.

As Brazil eased off towards the end of the final, Switzerland took advantage to make the scoreline a little more respectable. The five goals they eventually scored were more than the Brazilians had ever conceded in the final before.

By way of consolation, however, the Swiss striker collected the adidas Golden Ball as the outstanding player of the tournament and also made off with the adidas Golden Shoe, awarded to the top scorer.

FINAL : Brazil 10-5 Switzerland
3rd/4th : Portugal 14:7 Uruguay

Visit FIFA's beach soccer mini-site for more

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FIFA Beach Soccer Final is Brazil v ... Switzerland ??

Brazil reached the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup final for the fourth year in succession after easily disposing of Portugal, and will now meet the tournament's surprise package Switzerland, who enjoyed a comfortable win over Uruguay in the other semi-final.

Brazil strolled into a 4-0 lead at the end of the first period before running out 8-2 winners over the Europeans.

In the other semi-final, Dejan Stankovic was again the key man for Switzerland, who scored four of the seven team goals against Uruguay, a team renowned for their defensive qualities.

The semi-final results
Portugal 2-8 Brazil
Switzerland 7-4 Uruguay

The final will be played on Sunday evening on the sands of Jumeirah Beach, Dubai, kicking off at 21:00 local time (5pm London)

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World Cup Playoff Betting Highlights at Eurobet

France v Ireland

Robbie Keane to shock the French?
Ireland face France in the 2nd Leg of their World Cup Play-Off. Ireland are 1-0 down after the 1st Leg & need a great effort to book their place in South Africa. Robbie Keane is 10.00 to score first.

Keane 10.00 BEST PRICE at Eurobet . Click to bet !

Slovenia v Russia

Arshavin to end Slovenian hopes?
Russia managed a 2-1 win in their World Cup Play-Off against Slovenia but now face a difficult away trip in the 2nd Leg. Andrei Arshavin is always a danger & he is 8.00 to be the first goalscorer.

Arshavin 8.00 BEST PRICE at Eurobet. Click to bet !

Bosnia - Portugal

Portugal will travel to Bosnia knowing that a ticket for the world cup is far from certain. The Iberians failed to establish a sizeable lead in the first leg as Bosnia produced a resilient performance

Click here for full match odds at Eurobet

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2009 FIFA Beach Soccer Finals in Dubai this week

From 16-22 November, Jumeirah Beach in Dubai will be the setting for the fifth FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.

France won the inaugural tournament, but since 2006 Brazil have won this annual tournament every year, and in Dubai, will be looking for their fourth consecutive title.

Brazil have not been beaten in the competition since their semi-final defeat to Portugal in 2005, where they lost on penalties after a 6-6 draw.

Switzerland have started the tournament with a 6-5 win over Bahrain, in a format where the traditional powers do not always have the same edge as in the 11-man game.

This was underlined in just the second game of the tournament when Oceania champions Solomon Islands beat Uruguay 7-6, after leading 7-2 with just six minutes to go.

Check out all the action on the beach soccer section of the FIFA website - and you can get bets on this event at Victor Chandler's sportsbook all week.

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New Zealand qualifies for 2010 World Cup in South Africa

New Zealand claimed a spot at next year's FIFA World Cup finals with a pulsating win over Bahrain today in the second leg of the Asia/Oceania play-off.

In front of a capacity crowd at Wellington's Westpac Stadium on Saturday night, New Zealand repeated the efforts of the national team of 1982.

The 35,194 fans, the largest crowd to watch a football match in New Zealand, made their presence felt with a continuous stream of noise and support that started well before the opening whistle and continued long after referee Jorge Larrionda blew for full-time.

Striker Rory Fallon powerfully headed home the only goal of the game from a corner in the 44th minute, while goalkeeper Mark Paston also saved a penalty to see the All Whites through to South Africa.

The All Whites held on for a 1-0 win on the night following the goalless draw in Manama on 10 October, to reach their second World Cup Finals.

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Ireland drawn against France in World Cup playoff - rated 11/5 outsiders

THE Republic of Ireland are 11/5 to qualify for the World Cup finals after being paired with France in yesterday's (Mon) play-off draw.

Giovanni Trapattoni's side are 1/3 to miss out ahead of their clash with the 1998 winners.

Ladbrokes spokesman, Nick Weinberg, said:

"The Republic of Ireland will go into the game full of confidence following their performance against Italy. They face a France side that has struggled at times in recent campaigns."

"France inevitably are the favourites, but the Irish will fancy their chances of springing a surprise."

LATEST BETTING ODDS AT LADBROKES

To qualify for 2010 World Cup
France 1/3
Rep of Ire 11/5

Portugal 1/6
Bosnia-H 7/2

Ukraine 5/6
Greece 5/6

Russia 1/6
Slovenia 7/2

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England beat Kazakhstan - now the world?

Patriotic punters are always a little strange but the rush to back England to win the 2010 World Cup after the 5-1 thrashing of "mighty" Kazakhstan seems hard to believe.

England are now as short as 8/1 to win the World Cup after they moved a step closer to qualification with the 5-1 victory over Kazakhstan at Wembley on Saturday, after being held to 0-0 at halftime.

A Rio Ferdinand header and an Alexandr Kuchma own goal put England in control. Zhambyl Kukeyev reduced the arrears, before Rooney's double blast and a late effort from Jermain Defoe gave a flattering look to the scoreline.

England range from 8/1 to a best price 10/1 (at bet365) to triumph in South Africa in 2010, with only three sides ahead of them in the betting.

South American giants Brazil and Argentina are the 5/1 joint favourites with Boylesports, with Euro 2008 winners Spain next best at 8/1 with Bet365.

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Beach Soccer : Brazil retain world title

Brazil retained their world beach soccer title with a 5-3 win over Italy in Marseille, France.

Brazil won the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in 2006 and 2007, both on the home sand of the famous Copacabana beach but were made to work harder this time around and Italy, Spain and Portugal attempted to close the gap.

The bronze medal went to Portugal who edged an close match duel with Spain 5-4 thanks to a hatrick of goals from Madjer (3), to return home with their heads held high.

Beach soccer tends to individual skills - and not surprisingly there were several awards made on the final day.

adidas Golden, Silver and Bronze Balls (Best Player)
----------------------------------------
adidas Golden Ball : Amarelle (ESP)
adidas Silver Ball : Benjamin (BRA)
adidas Bronze Ball : Belchior (POR)

adidas Golden, Silver and Bronze Shoes (Top Scorers)
----------------------------------------
adidas Golden Shoe: Madjer (POR) 13 goals
adidas Silver Shoe: Amarelle (ESP)
adidas Bronze Shoe: Belchior (POR)

adidas Golden Glove (Best Keeper)
----------------------------------------
Many goalkeepers shone during Marseille 2008 but according to members of the media, it was Spain's Roberto Valeiro, who pocketed the maiden adidas Golden Glove.

So Brazil's reign continues ... and they will be hoping to re-establish their dominance in Dubai next year, although they will have to do so without Junior Negao, who retired from the sport today with the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in his hands.

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South African violence escalates - Blatter's boys ignore it

A United Nations advisor on Sports warned the FIFA should consider moving the 2010 World Cup elsewhere after further outbreaks of violence against foreigners in South Africa this week.

At least 56 people died and up to 100,000 were displaced when mobs armed with clubs, knives and stones rampaged through shantytowns in Johannesburg, Cape Town and other parts of South Africa this month.

"The images from South Africa were horrible. They're putting an enormous strain on the soccer World Cup," Willi Lemke, the U.N. Special Advisor on Sport, told Reuters.

He said he hoped the incidents were a lone outbreak of violence. "But if the scenes repeat themselves, FIFA will rethink its decision in favour of South Africa and, if necessary, pull the plug," Lemke said.

Of course nothing could be further from the truth - as Sepp Blatter won re-election to the FIFA presidency on the strength of an African Bloc vote after ensuring that South Africa won the 2010 World Cup. He will railroad any discussion on fan safety and push ahead.

Blatter, who is currently in Australia lapping up a lifestyle of 5-star hotel luxury with the rest of the FIFA executive board said on Tuesday the violent incidents had been discussed by but they were confident the situation was under control.

They will experience South Africa in air-conditioned Limosine luxury, surrounded by a posse of body guards and declare everything fine and lovely in their secured compound.

Make no mistake - if the 2010 World Cup goes ahead in South Africa as the situation stands - the FIFA executive will have blood of fans on their hands.

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Sepp Blatters 6+5 barred again - but he blunders on.

Plans by the Fifa president Sepp Blatter to force football clubs to field a majority of their nationals in their starting line-ups were wrecked today when the European Commission denounced the scheme as illegal and discriminatory.

In a severe blow to Blatter's proposals ahead of a Fifa congress in Sydney on Friday, Vladimir Spidla, the European Commissioner for employment, said any EU country where the Blatter "6+5" formula was applied would face legal action.

"The Commission is showing the red card to the 6+5 rule," said Spidla. "Professional footballers are workers."

The announcement effectively kills off the Fifa proposal.

Blatter has been lobbying hard for support for his radical and controversial quotas scheme which could change the face of the modern game. The scheme would compel clubs to have six players from their home countries in their starting 11. But the plan appears unworkable if not applied in Europe.

Earlier this month the European parliament voted by a margin of more than 10-1 against Blatter's plan. Yesterday's statement from the Commission represented a pre-emptive strike against the Fifa boss ahead of the Sydney congress which is to vote on 6+5.

Blatter has been seeking backing for his proposal by complaining about the Premier League's domination of the Champions League this year, arguing that his scheme would create a more level playing pitch internationally as well as in domestic competition.

Spidla countered that EU regulations on free movement of labour and non-discrimination had to be observed, meaning that there could be no team quotas based on ethnicity.

Mr Blatter and his sycophantic cronies on the various FIFA executive are said to be "all in favour" which really translates to say that no-one feels strong enough within FIFA to oppose the autocratic Blatter who is significantly out of touch with 21st century fans.

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Blatter Bigotry blasted as EU votes against foreign quotas

The European parliament dealt a blow to the misguided rants of Fifa president Sepp Blatter who planned plans to curb the number of "foreigners" at clubs.

MEPs overwhelmingly rejected by 518 votes to 49 Blatter's "6+5 rule", which tried to restrict a club to no more than five foreign players to start a match.

The European parliment resolution said "The parliament calls on the member states and sports associations not to introduce new rules that create direct discrimination based on nationality, such as Fifa's 6+5".

"It calls on the Commission to recognise the legality of measures favouring the promotion of players who have come through training schemes, such as a minimum number of locally trained players, irrespective of their nationality."

Ivo Belet, the Belgian MEP and author of the parliament's report on the future of professional football, told the assembly: "Unfortunately the 6+5 rule is not compatible with the free movement of persons in the EU. The European Treaty is very clear on this point - discrimination on the basis of nationality is not allowed and this also counts for football."

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AC Milan 4-2 Boca Juniors

Milan win FIFA World Club Championship

Finally we had a football game worth talking about at the "World Club Championships" as an aging Milan team overcame an out-of-season Boca Juniors side in the "final".

Filippo Inzaghi scored twice as AC Milan beat Boca Juniors to win the Club World Cup in Japan. Inzaghi struck after a Kaka pass on 21 minutes but Boca equalised a minute later through Rodrigo Palacio's header.

Alessandro Nesta's volley, Kaka's solo run and finish and Inzaghi's second - all in the space of 10 minutes - settled the match in Milan's favour.

Kakha Kaladze saw red, as did Boca's Pablo Ledesma, while Milan's Massimo Ambrosini scored an own goal.

So well done and congratulations to AC Milan - who learned that Paulo Maldini will be retiring at the end of the season.

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GOONER BEER RANT :

But frankly the preliminary games are a bit of a farce - and even if an upset did happen so that we did not get a Europe v South America final all it would mean is another imbalanced game in the final.

This is one FIFA turkey that will not fly - no matter how much they dress it up. Either bring over a couple more top sides for the "tournament" or stop pretending that it's anything more than a one-game title.

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2010 World Cup : Asian Seeds

The AFC have announced the seeds for the third stage of 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification.

The seeding is based on results at the finals and qualifying stages of the 2006 FIFA World Cup and will be drawn in Durban, South Africa on Sunday.

(1) Australia, (2) Korea Republic, (3) Iran, (4) Japan, (5) Saudi Arabia,
Bahrain, Uzbekistan, Kuwait, DPR Korea, China
Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Oman, UAE
Qatar, Syria, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Singapore

These 20 teams will be drawn into five groups of four with the top two sides in each group advancing to the next qualification round.

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Kaka to be FIFA World Player of the Year ?

The bookmakers have been swamped with bets on Kaka to be named Fifa World Player of the Year.

Kaka was named FIFPro world player of the year last Friday in an award voted for by 45,000 members of the players' union, and is likely to make it a double.

But if you're thinking of having a punt then you'll find that you've missed the boat as Kaka is now at an almost unbackable 2/5 (1.40) at best.

Kaka started at 7/4 but the Brazilian player is still the only player customers want to back with the only other serious contender is Cristiano Ronaldo, who is priced at 11/2, but the Manchester United star would be the first ever Premier League player to win the award.

The men's list is dominated by players who play in Europe's four biggest leagues: England, Italy, Spain and Germany. Juninho, who plays for French champion Lyon, is the only exception.

The list is currently 30-strong but the names of the three finalists will be announced in early December and the FIFA award winners will be chosen from those finalists and presented with the awards at the Zurich Opera House on Dec. 17.

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