My grandmother’s house is on the other side of the street from the Stadio Dino Manuzzi in Cesena, Italy. Every weekend she hears the screams of the fans, cheering their team on. But none of the weekly shouts could compare to the celebrations, screams of joy, and frenetic honking of horns on the night of Sunday, May 30th, 2010.

You’ve probably never heard of Cesena. It is a city on the Italian Adriatic Coast with 95,909 inhabitants. It’s football team is called AC Cesena, has black and white colors, and its symbol is a seahorse.

Its been a tough 19 years for Cesena fans. Since dropping down from the Serie A in 1991, they almost went back up in 1994, but failed in the play-offs final. They were relegated to Serie C1, the third tier of Italian football, in 1997, and, although they went straight back up in 1998, they were back in the third division from 2000 to 2004. In the 2005-06 season, they were surprise promotion contenders, but failed once more. They then languished in 2006-07 and were finally relegated in 2007-08. In 2008-09, they easily thrashed all their third division opponents and achieved a flawless immediate promotion from Serie C1.

Which brings us to this season. Cesena started the season as favorites for mid-table mediocrity or for a relegation dogfight. Instead, they played scintillatingly to stay in second place for most of the season, clinching a historic double promotion and their first Serie A promotion in 19 years with a 1-0 away win to Piacenza last sunday.

The repercussions of this will be enormous. Although Cesena is a part of the bigger Emilia-Romagna region, Emilia and Romagna are two distinct cultural areas. Emilia is home to powerhouses Bologna and Parma, as well as Serie B clubs Piacenza, Modena, and Sassuolo. Romagna contains Cesena, ex-Serie B and current Serie C1 team Ravenna, and ex-Serie B team and Serie A promotion contender but current Serie C1 team Rimini. Cesena and Rimini have long been the biggest clubs in Romagna, but neither has ever made an impact and it has been a long time since any of them has been in the Serie A.

Although there is a massively fierce rivalry between Cesena, Rimini  and Ravenna, the three clubs from the three major cities in Romagna, all Romagnoli will be cheering on AC Cesena to make an impact in the Serie A and beat their bitter rivals Bologna, their hated cousins from Emilia.

Whether they will make a big splash next season is doubtable, but with the volatility of Serie A and its split from Serie B to become more like the English Premier League, Cesena will do all it can to make its fans and ‘countrymen’ proud. They made it this year having virtually sold all their best players, and living off of youth prospects, cheap foreigners, and unwanted loanees. But manager Pierpaolo Bisoli has worked a real miracle in Cesena these past two years. Who’s to say he won’t do it again?

Good luck, seahorses. Your fans are behind you, forever.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

It’s been four years since the fateful days when Juventus’s world exploded. Relegated to the Serie B, fined, stripped of their titles and of their star players, La Vecchia Signora had to start from scratch. But now information is emerging. Information that suggests a completely different reality.

A conspiracy theory has always existed among the Juventus faithful: this because of favoritism towards Inter and because of Inter’s deep involvement in the prosecution following the 2006 scandal. But recent confessions from disgraced Luciano Moggi and ex-Inter player Christian Vieri, along with comments exchanged between then-Inter manager Roberto Mancini and Luciano Moggi in early 2006, have rocked public opinion on the scandal.

The conspiracy is that Inter, frustrated with their little success despite spending millions in new players, used their connections with Telecom Italia (the Italian national telecommunications company) and staged phone tappings and a supposed match-fixing scandal. There is evidence that points this to being a fact. Jean-Claude Blanc, chief executive of Juventus, also believes that one day the truth of what really happened will be revealed.

Several months before Calciopoli, Moggi made some remarks about Mancini’s personality. Mancini responded by saying ‘I won’t answer Moggi. But he knows that he will have to answer when the time comes.” This, so long before the scandal erupted, is extremely suspicious and suggests that Mancini knew about the scandal long before it came to light.

Guido Rossi was an executive at Inter at the time of the scandal. In May 2006, he was named emergency head of the FIGC (Italian football federation) to organize the various punishments from the scandal. Marco Tronchetti Provera was also an Inter executive at the time, as well as being the president of Telecom Italia, the Italian telecommunications company. He was the one who first came out with the phone tappings. The fact that these two men were so pivotal in the uncovering of the facts, and that they were high-ranking execs in Inter, is incredibly suspicious.

Christian Vieri came out with his allegations last November, when he retired from football. His allegations, if true, are damning evidence to this theory. He states that Massimo Moratti, president of Inter, hatched a plan with Telecom Italia to eliminate all competition so Inter could become successful again. He goes on to say that the players were bound to secrecy by a contract, and that his contract was paid 70% by Inter and 30% by Telecom Italia. He says he has documents that prove this, and his lawyer is prepared to take legal action.

If all this is true, Italian football will be revolutionized. Juventus will need hefty compensation for money lost by being demoted to Serie B and for selling all their star players, as well as serious defamation. AC Milan, Fiorentina, and the others implicated in the scandal would also take serious legal action. Inter would implode. The 2004-05 and 2005-06 titles would return to Juventus, as well as, probably the 2007-08 and 2008-09, where Juventus was always the second best. 2006-07 would go to AS Roma.

The implications this would have are so tremendous that I fail to imagine how different the world of Italian football would be. More evidence is that Juventus players were very successful at international level at the time of the scandal, as were the club in European competition. Those international and European games were not staged, therefore the talent was real. Also, Alvaro Recoba, who was a major attacking force for Inter in 2005-06, was using a fake passport, thus rendering him ineligible. Inter were never penalized for this.

The truth will come out. Justice will be served. Calciopoli will end, once and for all.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

The long, two-year road to South Africa has finally come to a conclusion. So far, 23 teams, including host South Africa, have qualified for the World Cup (here’s a list of 2010 world cup teams).

Four will be known after the Nov. 14 matches, while the remaining five will be known after Nov. 18. Let’s take a look at all the remaining qualifiers, including the situation in Africa.

European Qualifiers

Republic of Ireland v France

France have never come this close to not making the World Cup- and a failure to appear in South Africa next summer would spell the long-overdue end of Raymond Domenech’s job and a virtual apocalypse for Les Bleus. On the other hand, Giovanni Trapattoni’s squad have nothing to lose- making it this far is an incredible achievement in itself. This contest might seem tight, but if you look at the team-sheet it looks overwhelmingly in favor of France. But as we have seen before Domenech’s France is unpredictable, for the good or the bad.

I predict France to win it, flat out.

Portugal v Bosnia & Herzegovina

Portugal had a rickety qualifying campaign, and only a brilliant run of form towards the end of campaign allowed them to salvage a qualifying spot ahead of Hungary and Sweden. Manager Miroslav Blazevic has pulled off an amazing feat by uniting a country which is traditionally divided under ethnic lines and creating a national identity through a strong, cohesive, national football team.

The  Bosnia of Edin Dzeko, Vedad Ibisevic, Sejad Salihovic, and Zvjezdan Misimovic is brilliant- but let’s not forget that Portugal, although missing Cristiano Ronaldo, can boast the considerable talent of Miguel Veloso, Joao Moutinho, Simao, Nani, the in-form Hugo Almeida, and defensive lynchpin Pepe.

My prediction? Portugal to edge it.

Greece v Ukraine

Greece have fallen a lot since their spectacular EURO 2004 victory in Portugal. They failed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, interestingly at the hands of current play-off opponents Ukraine, and had a miserable outing at EURO 2008, where they finished bottom of their group with 0 points. Ukraine, although they didn’t make it to EURO 2008, reached the quarter-finals in 2006 and have since been winning matches, including a 1-0 defeat of England that snapped the Three Lions’ perfect record.

This will be the tightest of them all- but most factors indicate a narrow win for Ukraine.

Russia v Slovenia

The facts speak for themselves: Guus Hiddink has never failed to qualify a team for a major finals. And by looking at Russia’s opponents, it doesn’t seem like that is going to change. Although Slovenia played admirably to make it this far, they have very little credible talent compared to a Russia boasting Roman Pavlyuchenko, Pavel Pogrebnyak, Andrey Arshavin, Alan Dzagoev, and Yuri Zhirkov.

Expect Slovenia to fight hard and to the death, but Russia will make it through.

Intercontinental Qualifiers

New Zealand v Bahrain

The first leg was played in the last round of qualifiers, and it ended 0-0 in Bahrain. Bahrain want this more than ever, as they came this close four years ago. New Zealand have only qualified once for the World Cup, in 1982. But the All Whites were horrific this summer in the Confederations Cup, outplayed by all their opponents. Bahrain are far more tenacious and this spot matters more to them, but New Zealand have more experience and talent.

Nonetheless, I believe that Bahrain will make it on away goals.

Costa Rica v Uruguay

Costa Rica are insulted at the prospect of having to go through a two-legged play-off to get to a tournament in which they have qualified easily for in the past. As for Uruguay, the two-time world champions were brilliant in the qualifiers, only just missing out on the last automatic place to Diego Maradona’s Argentina. Uruguay came this far four years ago, only to be beaten by Australia. Uruguay are more talented than Costa Rica at the moment, and deserve this play-off more.

Uruguay to win it.

African Qualifiers

Africa enters its last round of qualifiers on Nov. 14, with one meaningless match to be played out on Nov. 15. I will do a prediction of groups rather than individual matches.

Group A

Cameroon are one point ahead of second-placed Gabon, with a +5 goal difference compared to Gabon’s +3. Cameroon are away to Morocco, who, despite possessing talented players, are yet to win a match in this group, while Gabon play away to Togo. Cameroon will have little problem disposing with Morocco, but the same can be said of Gabon.

My prediction: Cameroon

Group B

Tunisia are two points clear of Nigeria, and both teams have the same goal difference. Nigeria are away to Kenya while Tunisia travel to Mozambique, who are unbeaten at home. Unfortunately, it seems like the Golden Eagles’ World Cup drought will continue unabated.

My prediction: Tunisia

Group C

Algeria are a comfortable three points clear of rivals Egypt, and have a +7 goal difference compared to Egypt’s +3. The two face off in Cairo, and the match will be on fire. Egypt and Algeria are traditionally rivals, and tensions reached boiling point in 1989 when there was the same situation as there is now, only it was for the 1990 World Cup in Italy. Egypt won the match 1-0, allowing them to go through.

But this time, if they win 1-0, Algeria will still make it through. Algeria just have to draw, win, or lose 1-0, whereas Egypt have to win by three or more goals to qualify automatically. In the off chance that it ends 2-0 in Egypt’s favor, a one-off match will be played in Sudan on Nov. 18 to decide which team makes it. Algeria have waited far too long for this.

My prediction: Algeria

So there you have it: a comprehensive preview to the final round of FIFA World Cup 2010 qualifiers. Make sure you also read Alex Stamp’s excellent article on famous world cup play-off ties.

France v Republic of Ireland
Bosnia & Herzegovina v Portugal
Russia v Slovenia
Greece v Ukraine

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

The timing could never had been better. Precisely ten years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, another barrier in Europe is being taken down: the wall between the strong and the weak of European football; between the Champions League and the Europa League; between the Big Four and the Little 16.

Just by glancing at this year’s UCL group stage line up, you could tell that a storm was brewing. Wolfsburg? Rubin Kazan? Debrecen? New blood is being pumped into a competition that desperately needs some more excitement. And doubters of the re-branded Europa League were silenced as they were stunned by the surprising efficiency of the spanking new, and smoother group stage, as Europe’s so-called ‘second-tier’ teams managed to put up an entertaining show.

But let’s look at the situation in specific countries, starting with the Premier League.

English Premier League

A hurricane was unleashed on Britain when Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez packed their bags, the latter joining city rivals Manchester City and their Arab millions. Liverpool wheeled and dealed, while Chelsea prepared for a new era under a Carlo Ancelotti sick of Berlusconi’s hegemony. And let’s not forget a relatively quiet Arsenal, a downright silenced Tottenham, a free-spending Everton, and dark horses Aston Villa.

All of this pointed to a season of much-needed change, which, after eleven matches, is what we have.

Chelsea are first, as expected, but only two points ahead of a reborn and spectacular Arsenal and a surprisingly tenacious Man United. Ever-underachievers Tottenham are instead a resurgent team this season, as they occupy a startling fourth spot. Aston Villa, despite losing superstar Gareth Barry to the Citizens, are holding tight on fifth, while an exciting City side are currently in sixth, two points ahead of a disappointing Liverpool. And what of Everton? David Moyes’s miscalculated summer spree sees them sitting in the far below-par position of 14th.

My prediction: 1. Chelsea 2. Manchester United 3. Arsenal 4. Manchester City 5. Tottenham Hotspur 6. Liverpool

La Liga

La Liga was always going to be Barca-Madrid, a tale of Perez vs. Laporta, CR9 vs. Messi, Merengues vs. Blaugrana. But that did not rule out the possibility for change, and, after ten games, it is showing just that. Both teams surged into impressive season starts, before Barca were halted by an incredible Rubin Kazan in the UCL, while Madrid were massacred 4-0 by lowly Alcorcon in the Copa del Rey.

But perhaps the most surprising fact is the return of Deportivo. Ever since their successive UCL qualifications in 2002-03 and 2003-04, and their La Liga crown in 1999-00, Deportivo have become a mediocre, mid-table team. But this year, with the fall of Atletico Madrid and Villarreal, Deportivo have risen to the challenge and now sit fourth, one point ahead of a resilient yet heavily debt-laden Valencia.

Atletico are languishing in 18th, perhaps due to their lacklustre transfer campaign, perhaps due to their inexperienced goalkeepers, perhaps just because the time is right. Villarreal are 14th, back from bottom due to Giuseppe Rossi’s skills. Zaragoza are back after their shocking and undeserved relegation in 07-08, but are now in a disappointing 12th place.

My prediction: 1. FC Barcelona 2. Real Madrid 3. Deportivo 4. Sevilla 5. Valencia 6. Villarreal

Ligue 1

French football imploded last season when Bordeaux burst Lyon’s precious bubble. The damage had been done; Lyon would never dominate again. But Les Gones had something to say about that, and embarked on a vengeful shopping spree in the summer, although losing iconic striker Karim Benzema to Real in the process. Bordeaux kept Chamakh and Gourcuff, Marseille splashed their cash.

After twelve games, Bordeaux sit atop Ligue 1′s Eiffel Tower, just two ahead of a Lyon still licking their wounds and early-season surprises Auxerre. Ex-giants Monaco are savouring their comeback in a comfortable 4th spot, while Marseille are struggling to pick themselves up from 8th. PSG and Toulouse, despite keeping their best players, are in thirteenth and fourteenth position respectively.

My prediction: 1. Bordeaux 2. Lyon 3. Monaco 4. Marseille 5. Paris-Saint Germain 6. Auxerre

Serie A

Serie A has exploded onto the world stage this season, with the current level of excitement a slap in the face to Italy’s many doubters. Juventus were tipped to trouble Inter this season, but what we have seen instead is a flurry of about 8 teams challenging for the coveted Scudetto.

Sampdoria burst onto the scene, with Pazzini and Cassano forming a lethal duo up-front. Napoli crashed, before Walter Mazzarri brought them roaring back. Milan, despite early predictions, are holding on quite well, while traditional giants Roma are done and dusted. Palermo and Genoa, touted as potential troubles, are living up to their tags, while sleeping giants Parma are slowly but surely erupting once more. Udinese are faltering, but still have promise, while a Lazio missing De Silvestri, Pandev, and Ledesma, is being destroyed.

After eleven games, Inter have a narrow four point lead on Juventus in 1st, Sampdoria sit a further three behind the Old Lady in 3rd, Milan are holding on with the skin of their teeth in 4th, just one point ahead of Fiorentina and Napoli.

My prediction: 1. Juventus 2. Inter 3. Napoli 4. Sampdoria 5. Genoa 6. Milan

Bundesliga

Ah, Germany, Germany. Hoffenheim, Wolfsburg, Hertha, and a host of other hard-to-pronounce names set the stage alight last season when the Bundesliga officially became the most entertaining league on earth.

This season, little has changed; with a Bayern shaken by problems, a deflated Hertha, and a troubled Stuttgart in freefall. Leverkusen sit undefeated in first position. They have produced stunning results to get to where they are now, a comfortable four points ahead of a new-look, young Werder, a more solid Hamburg, and a Magath-powered Schalke. Just one point behind sit defending champions Wolfsburg and newcomers FSV Mainz.

Bayern are in turmoil over the Mario Gomez-Toni-striker affair, and are badly in need of fullbacks and of a consistent goalkeeper. After twelve matches, they are eighth. Hoffenheim are still finding their feet, and are seventh. Hertha, having lost the only decent players they had, are relegation candidates in 20th.

My prediction: 1. Bayer Leverkusen 2. Schalke 3. Hamburg 4. Bayern Munich 5. Werder Bremen 6. Wolfsburg

Rest of Europe

What’s the situation in the other leagues? In Holland, Twente rule supreme despite losing virtually all their talent, while PSV are enjoying their return and AZ are positively dead. In Portugal, Braga are top, with traditional giants Porto in a relatively disappointing third, Benfica are second, and Sporting are in dire need of CPR in 7th spot.

In Turkey Fenerbahce, after 2-3 seasons of underachivement, are back on their throne, while Galatasaray are back in second, and recent champions Besiktas are third. Sivasspor have exploded, their remains in 18th spot. Nothing has changed in Greece, where Olympiacos are still first, but this season has seen the return of PAOK and the emergence of Kavala. In Russia‘s 2009 league, which is coming to an end, last year’s winners and UCL surprises Rubin Kazan are top. Spartak are second, CSKA fifth, Zenit fourth, and FC Moscow third.

And what of continental competition? In the Champions League, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Marseille, Barcelona, and Stuttgart are all in serious danger of being eliminated, more specifically Liverpool and Bayern. Atletico, on the other hand, have already been eliminated, while Bordeaux, Rubin Kazan, AC Milan, and Fiorentina have all surprised. Sevilla, Chelsea, and Porto have all qualified, while Man Utd, Lyon, Juventus, Bordeaux, and Arsenal are well on track.

My prediction: Juventus, Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Chelsea (Semi-finals).

In the Europa League, Ajax, Anderlecht, Hapoel, Hamburg, Sporting, Basel, Galatasaray, Panathinaikos, Red Bull, Fenerbahce, Twente, Benfica, Everton, Shakhtar, Brugge, PSV, Sparta, Werder, and Bilbao are all set to go through. Meanwhile, the door is wide open for Valencia, Genoa, Hertha, Heerenveen, Roma, Fulham, Villarreal, and Lazio. AEK Athens and Celtic are the two most high-profile teams to be in serious danger of elimination.

My prediction: Shakhtar, Fenerbahce, Hamburg, Valencia (Semi-finals).

Is Michel Platini football’s Mikhail Gorbachev? No. Platini had a very small part to play in this footballing toppling of the Soviet regime. Times change, and so does football: the time has come for the new era.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

What a tumultuous ten weeks it has been. When the season kicked off, even the most Italian-friendly pundits were predicting that this season, dubbed ‘Year Zero’ by the AC Milan fans, would be the dullest season in Italian history.

But it is now clear how wrong that prediction was. In the first two games of the season, most predictions were proven true as AC Milan were pummelled 4-0 by rivals Inter Milan, while Roma slumped to two successive defeats and Genoa and Juve both played with style.

However, Napoli, who were meant to be dark horses this season, were first defeated by fellow European hopefuls Palermo 2-1, and were then thrashed 4-1 by Genoa two matches later. In the shadow of Napoli and AC Milan, one team rose, scoring and playing their way to the top: Sampdoria.

Sampdoria’s feat is, in many ways, incredible. They had a disappointing summer, losing influential defender Hugo Armando Campagnaro to Napoli, and making few significant signings. But Sampdoria silenced their critics by winning their first four games before losing to Fiorentina 2-0. But the Sampdoria bubbled had not been burst. In their next match, they brilliantly defeated league favorites Inter Milan, before tearing Bologna to shreds 4-1 three matches later. Their only notable summer signing, midfielder Daniele Mannini from Napoli, has so far been a key performer for Doria.

Meanwhile, Juve had lost their early form and were succumbing to several embarassing draws, including one to lowly Bologna, and a 2-0 defeat to an impressive Palermo side. They slowly picked themselves up, drawing to Fiorentina and defeating Siena. Their next test was a home match against a brilliant Sampdoria, a match which few expected to be boring. But Juve regained their great form, shutting up their doubters and massacring a hapless Sampdoria 5-1.

Fiorentina and Udinese, two other teams expected to challenge for the two vacant UCL places, had a mixed start, both teams failing to impress after disappointing transfer windows, even with Udinese managing to retain mercurial midfielder Gaetano D’Agostino from the clutches of Juventus and Real Madrid. Fiorentina replaced Felipe Melo with Marco Marchionni and Cristiano Zanetti, hardly star buys, and failed to fix their defensive problems.

Newly-promoted Parma had made an impressive summer signing spree, keeping free-scoring striker Alberto Paloschi, getting Valeri Bojinov on loan, and securing Christian Panucci and Christian Zaccardo in defense. Despite losing influential midfielder Luca Cigarini, the Ducati were still expected to do well. And well they did.

They collected four points in their first two games, then succumbing to a loss to Inter but bouncing back with an impressive 1-0 defeat of Palermo. They followed that with a victory over Lazio, and proceeded to perform exceedingly well with only two losses; a shock 2-0 home loss to Cagliari and a painful 3-1 away defeat by Atalanta.

So far, the 2009-10 Serie A season has been the most exciting to date, with several teams troubling the hegemony of Jose Mourinho’s Inter. Expect a completely different table at the end of the season, with Sampdoria, Parma, Milan, Genoa, Palermo, Fiorentina, Udinese, Roma, and Napoli definitely all in with a shot at Europe, and maybe even at rattling the current big 2: Juve and Inter. And it is not so sure that Mourinho will have such an easy job this time around: many people have said that the smart money is with the Old Lady this season. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

This live report was completely compiled by the Non-FIFA news agency (http://non-fifa-news-agency.netau.net/). I give all redit to them, I am maerely bringing it over to soccerlens and making some grammatical corrections.

It’s all over, a one-side match. Congratulations to Padania, two-time VIVA World Cup champions!

85′: It will be a deserved trophy for Padania. They were the only team that tried to win the match.

79′: Both Padania and Kurdistan make a substitution.

75′: Kurdistan’s style choice is pretty understandable. In two attacking matches they scored 10 goals, while against Padania they played defensively and lost twice.

74′: It’s all over for Kurdistan. 2 goals in 2 minutes for Padania, it will be practically impossible to come back in 15 minutes. A second title is close for Padania!

74′: GOAL! Substitute Andrea Casse scores for Padania

73′: GOAL! Andrea D’Alessandro scores for Padania!

72′: Yellow card to Othman (Kurdistan) for time-wasting.

71′: Substitution for Kurdistan: Abdulla out, Aziz Mohammed in.

66′: Ligarotti tries a header but it’s not successful.

65′: Substitution for Padania: Pedersoli out, Casse in. Padania have switched to a more versatile 4-3-3.

58′: Substitution for Padania: Ferrari out, Ligarotti in. Ligarotti has been a prolific goalscorer in the past for Padania.

56′: Free kick to Padania but it goes wide.

53′: Padania are going all-out attack this half, and it’s hard on the Kurdish defenders.

48′: Padania almost score, a daugerous opportunity that hits the crossbar!

We’re back, we expect a better second half as both teams need a goal to win the tournament.

45′: Half-time: 0-0. Padania has more ball possession but are not creating enough chances.

38′: Yellow card to Abdulla (Kurdistan).

37′: Shot by Abdulrida but it goes wide.

36′: Yellow card To Galimberti (Padania)! Free kick from 20m for Kurdistan.

36′: Another Padania attempt on goal, but it is again stopped by the Kurdish goalkeeper.

30′: Padania are attacking through the right wing, but all the crosses are of poor quality.

28′: Free kick from Gentilini, but easily saved by Othman.

25′: Kurdistan stay on the defensive, trying to explore some possible counter-attacking strategies.

23′: Second attempt from Padanian player Ferrari but it goes wide, no problem for Kurdistan.

18′: Another Padanian attempt but the ball ends in the hands of Kurdistan goalkeeper Othman.

15′: Padania has more ball possession but they are not creating chances.

10′: Another cross from Padania and D’Alessandro hits the crossbar!

08′: First venture into opponent’s area by Padania, but the cross goes wide

04′: A very leveled match with both teams carefully studying each other.

00′: First chance for Kurdistan to score, but the Kurdish player missed the target.

Kick-off: the match has started!

There are about 4.000 spectators at the Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi, Verona, to watch the final.

Both teams will play with a 4-4-2 formation.

Time to play the “national” anthems.

The teams are entering in the field.

The start of the match has been delayed.

Hello everyone! Ten minutes to start the match, as long as it is not delayed (two matches have already been delayed this tournament).

The teams have already faced each other during this tournament. It was on matchday 3, where, with both teams having already qualified for the semi-finals, Padania won 2-1 against Kurdistan with a last-gasp penalty that left everyone with big doubts.

Welcome to the live report of the 2009 VIVA World Cup final between Padania and Kurdistan.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

You may have never heard of the VIVA World Cup. I don’t blame you; it’s quite a low-key affair. But let me explain to you exactly what this obscure competition is.

Every year (previously every two years), the unrecognised peoples of the world compete for the right to be called world champion. In 2006 in Occitania (southern France), Sápmi (Lapland), Monaco, and Occitania competed, with Sápmi defeating Monaco 21-1 in the final in Hyères. Two years later, in 2008, in Sápmi, six teams took part: Sápmi, Padania (northern Italy), Provence (southern France), Iraqi Kurdistan, and Arameans Survoye (a team representing the Assyrian minority in Sweden). Padania were tehe eventual victors, defeating Arameans Survoye 2-0 in Gällivare.

Now this summer, in Padania, a record number of six teams will face off for the Nelson Mandela Cup: defending champions and hosts Padania, 2006 champions Sápmi, 2006 hosts Occitania, 2008 debutants Iraqi Kurdistan and Provence, and newcomers Gozo (island off Malta).

2009 VIVA World Cup Venues

There are four host cities for the World Cup:

Varese
Stadio Franco Ossola (9,926). Home to Serie C2 side AS Varese.

Brescia
Stadio Mario Rigamonti (27,547). Home to Serie B side Brescia Calcio.

Novara
Stadio Silvio Piola (8,810). Home to Serie C1 Side Novara Calcio.

Verona
Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi (39,211). Home to Serie A side Chievo Verona and Serie C1 side Hellas Verona.

2009 VIVA World Cup Predictions

Rules: 3 teams in each group, each team plays eachother once, the top two in each progress to a semi final stage. The winners go on to the final, the losers to the 3rd/4th place final, and the two teams who finish bottom in the group to the 5th/6th place final.

Group A: Padania, Occitania, Iraqi Kurdistan.

Group B: Sápmi, Provence, Gozo.

I believe that in Group A, Padania will record comfortable wins and finish top, with Iraqi Kurdistan coming second. Occitania were woeful in 2006, and haven’t improved since. Iraqi Kurdistan were decent last year, so they should easily finish second.

In Group B, 2006 champions Sápmi will definitely finish first. Gozo are an unknown quantity, but I expect them to finish second because of Provence. Provence were horrible last year, losing all of their matches by two goals or more.

Semifinal 1: Group A winner vs. Group B runner-up
Semifinal 2: Group B winner vs. group B runner-up

Predicted Semifinals: Padania vs. Gozo and Sápmi vs. Iraqi Kurdistan.

Predicted Final: I strongly believe that the final will be Padania vs. Sápmi. They are easily the best out of the six teams. Although I think Padania are stronger than Sápmi, the 2006 champions can not and should not be written off.

Schedule:

Monday June 22nd:

Stadio Silvio Piola, Novara
17:00 Gozo-Provence
21:00 Padania-Occitania

Tuesday June 23rd

Stadio Franco Ossola, Varese
17:00 Provence-Sápmi
21:00 Occitania-Iraqi Kurdistan

Wednesday June 24th

Stadio Mario Rigamonti, Brescia
17:00 Sápmi-Gozo
21:00 Iraqi Kurdistan-Padania

Thursday June 25th

Stadio Franco Ossola, Varese
17:00 Semifinal 1
21:00 Semifinal 2

Friday June 26th

Stadio Mario Rigamonti, Brescia
17:00 5th/6th Place Final
21:00 3rd/4th Place Final

Saturday June 27th

Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi, Verona
17:00 Final

What are your predictions?

Also See: The 2009 VIVA World Cup Preview.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

The transfer window hasn’t even started yet, and some of the most anticipated signings have already been finalised.

Kaka will be unveiled for Real Madrid next Thursday in a sensational move. Cristiano Ronaldo announced that the UCL final in Rome would be his last match for Man U, before going to Real Madrid. Bayern Munich signed Mario Gomez from Stuttgart. Genoa shocked most Inter fans when they managed to sign Quaresma on a dual ownership deal from Inter.

But one club has, more than any other, made the richest of billionaires count their bills and the most talented of footballers practice even more, raising the eyes of many the onlooker: Juventus.

In little over a month, the Old Lady re-signed ex-defender Fabio Cannavaro from Real Madrid on a free, and finalized the long-awaited signing of Diego from Werder Bremen for an estimated £21 million.

But it’s not over yet.

Shortly after sacking underperforming coach Claudio Ranieri, the team, under the guidance of caretaker manager Ciro Ferrara, thrashed Siena 3-0 away from home. And, with more money in Juve President Cobolli Gigli’s pockets yet to be spent, Juventus look set to rise from the ashes of the not so far away Calciopoli, and once again become one of the strongest teams in Europe, and the world. Except this time, there will be no bribing involved.

This is not to say that it will be easy: of course it won’t. A new Galacticos, masterminded by Florentino Perez and Manuel Pellegrini and spearheaded by Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka, will definitely not be easy to overcome. A narrowly defeated Bayern Munich, with the likes of Mario Gomez, Miroslav Klose, and Franck Ribery, and managed by Louis van Gaal, will not be easy.

A rejuvenated Chelsea, under the helm of Carlo Ancelotti and overhauled by Abramovich’s millions, will not be easy. A new, all-conquering Inter chock-full of talented Portuguese recruits and headed by their compatriot, Jose Mourinho, will not be easy. A Kaka-less, but nonetheless menacing, Milan coached by van Basten will not be easy. Arsenal are very, very dangerous with Arshavin; Liverpool have shown what they are capable of; and Barcelona are Barcelona.

Manchester United will find it hard to replace Cristiano Ronaldo, and may well find themselves in the same position of AC Milan. Along with a plethora of more talented teams, among these Wolfsburg, Bordeaux, and AZ Alkmaar, the new, and improved Juve will rise.

Now to the transfer targets. There are always the usual suspects: Diego Lugano, some Valencia player, etc. But there are some tantalizing prospects. Stuttgart’s Serdar Tasci has already penned a deal with Juventus, but will be arriving at the end of the 2009/10 season, and will therefore only play in 2010/11.

Napoli’s Marek Hamsik, eager to escape the clutches of a Europe-less Neapolitan team, has a clause in his contract and may well sign for Juve; negotiations have already commenced. Napoli teammate Ezequiel Lavezzi is in a similar position. Although long-time target Quagliarella was snapped up by Napoli, Partizan’s promising left back Ivan Obradovic has been strongly linked to the Turin club.

Lilian Thuram, perhaps influenced by Fabio Cannavaro, has also hinted he might be considering going out of retirement to rejoin Juve and reunite with the Old Guard: Buffon, Cannavaro, Camoranesi, Del Piero, Trezeguet, and Nedved. Goran Pandev is also a target, but Lazio want big money and Milan are also reportedly in the chase. And of course there is the manager: Antonio Conte, ex-Juve player and director, currently manager of promoted Serie B side Bari, has agreed to become manager. Conte could well be Juve’s Guardiola, as he guided an underachieving Bari team to historic promotion.

An already strong Juve team will be joined by several world-class players, and Europe is trembling, a prelude to the white-and-black-striped earthquake that is about to come. As the famed rapper Kanye West once said, Juventus will come back harder, better, faster, stronger.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

With ten matches left, the title race is heating up in the Italian Serie A. The only real contenders left that can still tame the Inter lion and triumph are Juventus.

With a game in hand, Inter are just 4 points ahead of Juventus after Juventus’s 4-1 demolition of Bologna at home in Turin. Inter’s next opponents are Fiorentina, who sit in 5th place on 46 points. Fiorentina will be looking for a win to jump ahead of 4th placed Genoa, who have already played their match this weekend. If Fiorentina win, then the title race will be wide open and the Champions League race will begin again. If it’s Inter who wins, then Juventus will face an uphill struggle to stop the ‘Special One’ from winning the Serie A title.

This is the table right now:

You might be asking, what happened to last year’s second-placed finishers Roma? What happened to the supposedly in-form Milan? Well, Milan, following their exit from the UEFA Cup, have seemed demoralized. Their next match is away at Siena, who are currently sitting in 15th, seven points from the relegation zone. Milan do have a game in hand, and, if they win, will see themselves rise to 54 pts, and would then be five points behind Juventus and nine behind Inter.

Meanwhile, Roma have been steadily recovering from their legendary slump during the first half of the season. They are 6th, three points off a Champions League place. They face Antonio Cassano’s underperforming Sampdoria side away in Genoa. Sampdoria have been underwhelming throughout the season, and are 14th, seven points from relegation.

At the beginning of the season, the Serie A was succulent and entertaining, with Napoli, Udinese, Lazio, Milan, Juventus, Inter, Roma, Palermo, and Genoa all in with a shot. But Napoli soon fell away, and manager Edy Reja was just replaced by former Italy coach Roberto Donadoni. Udinese held out for longer, but they too could not stand the heat. Palermo were never fully in it, and that showed as they plunged to mid-table mediocrity. Lazio slowly went down alongside Roma, and are now one spot behind their rivals in 7th. That leaves the usual suspects: Inter, Juventus and Milan. Milan dazzled, but a shocking UEFA Cup exit left them empty-handed and unable to perform in the Serie A, as they fell behind into 3rd and are 12 points off. 

Now, Juventus are the only ones left who have the ability to end Inter’s stranglehold on the Serie A. Not to be biased, but Forza Juve!

One interesting fact for you: Jose Mourinho and Claudio Ranieri, managers of Inter and Juve managers, used to manage Chelsea. Coincidence? I think not.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

If you haven’t heard of the VIVA World Cup, don’t worry, you’re in the majority. Started in 2006, the event was first planned to be held every two years, but things changed this year as the New Football Federation-Board decided to run the event on a yearly basis. The tournament allows nations unaffiliated with FIFA to play in a World Cup of their own.

Ladies and gentlemen, behold. The III Viva World Cup Padania 2009 is just a mere three months away. Following Padania’s spectacular win last year in Sapmi, the NF-Board (New Football Federation-Board, a Federation that represents nations that are not recognized as sovereign states) decided to host the tournament every year and gave the 2009 edition to Padania, a region in Northern Italy.

So far, fifteen teams have submitted applications to participate, and, if all 15 participate, this will be by far the largest World Cup in the VIVA World Cup’s short history. The venues have not yet been announced, but stadiums in major Italian cities like Brescia, Bergamo, Varese, Lecco, and Verona as well as the San Siro Stadium in Milan have been seriously considered as venues, compared to the miniature stadiums used in previous VIVA World Cups in Occitania and Sapmi.

Here are previews of all the teams:

Sapmi

Last year’s hosts and winners of the 2006 VIVA World Cup in Occitania. Managed only a disappointing third place last year in their home country, but are still one of the most powerful and dangerous teams out there.
Prediction: Third

Iraqi Kurdistan

Made their first appearance at Sapmi 2008, and achieved a respectable fourth place finish overall, and third in the group. Good. but not great, and are not expected to go too far, but could be a dark horse if they punch above their weight.
Prediction: Quarterfinals

Provence

Appeared for the first time last year in Sapmi, and were horrible, losing all of their matches, including a 6-1 loss to eventual champions Padania. Don’t seem to have improved too much since last summer. Rivals of Occitania.
Prediction: Group Stage

Arameans Survoye

Finished a surprising second in their maiden appearance at the VIVA World Cup last year in Sapmi. To achieve the same result, they must prove that last year was no flash in the pan and that they are here to stay.
Prediction: Fourth

Padania

One of the strongest teams in the tournament by far. Were very impressive in their debut last year in Sapmi, winning the tournament, and have home advantage here in Padania. Expect them to be virtually unbeatable.
Prediction: First

Monaco

One of the only internationally recognized countries without a FIFA football team, along with the Vatican City. They finished a respectable second in 2006. but suffered humiliating 14-1 and 21-1 losses to eventual victors Sapmi, and missed last year’s edition.
Prediction: Group Stage

Northern Cyprus

The most menacing team and one of the favorites, along with Padania. Did not participate in the last two World Cups due to disputes with the NF-Board. They have proven time and time again to be very, very powerful and they will show it once again this summer.
Prediction: Second

Gozo

The national team has only played one match, a 4-3 victory over Malta in 1997, but Gozo FC, a professional Maltese team, has basically the same squad and is currently mid-table in the third tier of the Maltese football pyramid. Could be a surprise.
Prediction: Group Stage

Biafra

Little is known about the West African ‘nation’. However, they come from Nigeria, a nation which has produced world-class footballers, so they could be dangerous.
Prediction: Group Stage

Wallonia

Represent the French-speaking Walloon region of Belgium. Although most of the Belgian team is Flemish, Walloon players such as Axel Witsel have made an international impression. Watch out for this team.
Prediction: Quarterfinals

Rijeka

Are one of the many new entries this time around. Have never played a competitive football match, and are therefore an unknown quantity at this point. Very hard to guess how they might be.
Prediction: Group Stage

Occitania

Came third at home in the first ever World Cup in 2006, but only because Southern Cameroons withdrew at the last minute. Never seemed to impressive in their competitive matches, and it doesn’t seem like that’s going to change this summer.
Prediction: Group Stage

Two Sicilies

Formed recently by the Two Sicilies independence movement, they could be incredibly dangerous. Similar to Padania with Northern Italian players, any Italian player from the Southern regions would be eligible to play for them, like Fabio Cannavaro or Morgan De Sanctis.
Prediction: Quarterfinals

Quebec

One of the more prominent teams interested in Padania 2009, Quebec could well be a team to watch out for. Quebec-born Canadian national team players like Andre Hainault are eligible for Quebec.
Prediction: Quarterfinals

Chagos Islands

Representing the British Indian Ocean Territory, they are a full member of NF-Board but have not played a match to date. With no experience whatsoever, they could be easily crushed by more experienced campaigners.
Prediction: Group Stage

Final Prediction:

1st: Padania
2nd: Northern Cyprus
3rd: Sapmi
4th: Arameans Survoye
Quarterfinals: Quebec, Two Sicilies, Wallonia, Iraqi Kurdistan
Group Stage: Chagos Islands, Occitania, Rijeka, Biafra, Gozo, Monaco, Provence

So there you have it: the 2009 VIVA World Cup Padania!

You can find more information on the VIVA World Cup by visiting the homepage.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News