[EURO 2012 QUALIFYING] An embarrassment on and off the field at the 2010 World Cup, France suffered further humiliation as it fell to Belarus, 1-0, at home inits opening game of Euro 2012 qualifying. Sergei Kislyak scored in the 86th minute to sink the French. While the crowd of 77,000 atthe Stade de France cheered […]
european championship
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Welcome to Big Friday
[TELEVISION WATCH] Soccer fans will have to get used to new viewing days as Friday’s opening day of play in Euro 2010 qualifying marks the new Tuesday-Fridaydays for international matches during double-fixture windows. The new Tuesday game days are intended to allow players to get home to their clubs a day earlier, and the Friday […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Five on the comeback trail
[EURO 2010] Qualifying for Euro 2012 begins on Friday, and several major national teams have recalled stars who missed the 2010 World Cup. Here’s a look at fiveplayers on the comeback trail … ANTONIO CASSANO (Italy). The bad boy of Italian soccer was overlooked by MarcelloLippi for the World Cup but he’ll start up front […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Vuvuzelas verboten in European competitions
UEFA followed the lead of such organizations as diverse as the English Premier League, Little League and FIBA, the world basketball organization, and has banned banned fans from bringing vuvuzelasinto stadiums for UEFA’s national team and club competition games. The South African plastic trumpets were made famous — and notorious — at the World Cup. […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
World champs begin new quest at tiny Liechtenstein
[SPAIN] Less than two months after winning the World Cup, Spain begins a new challenge Friday when it opens Euro 2012 qualifying at Liechtenstein, a countrywhose population is less than half the number of fans that watched Coach Vicente Del Bosque‘s team win the final over the Netherlands in overtime. For Spain’s first competitive match […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Capello and England start their new cycle
Like many of the World Cup coaches, the tenure of Fabio Capello had seemed done once England went out in the round of 16. But with two moreyears on his contract, thanks to an extension offered by the English Football Association and accepted by Capello prior to the World Cup, and two years of internationals […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
National teams call up 27 players
[MLS] On the first FIFA double fixture date since the 2010 World Cup, the U.S. national team is idle, but that doesn’t mean MLS clubs will be at full strengthon Labor Day weekend. A total of 27 MLS players have been recalled by their national teams for games as close as friendlies in Los Angeles, […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
French coach Blanc criticizes form of player suspensions
New French national team coach Laurent Blanc criticized the different sanctions that were imposed on five players in the aftermath of the Bleus’ mutiny atthe World Cup. “Only when people bring me evidence that those five players played a much more important role than the others, will I understand why different sanctions were imposed,”Blanc said. […]
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
Was it the Volcano? Or Jose Mourinho?
By Paul Gardner It could be that, as far as the soccer world is concerned, 2010 will be remembered as the Year of the Volcano. The year that a volcanic eruption inIceland greatly disturbed air travel, and meant that Barcelona had to travel by road — in luxury buses — to Milan for their UEFA […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Platini warns Ukraine and Poland about Euro 2012 delays
Preparations for Euro 2012 in Ukraine and Poland are falling further behind schedule because of economic problems, a severe winter and political tensions, and UEFA president Michel Platini warned that he won’t allow more delays and decisions must be made soon.