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Super Mario Balotelli, who scored on his debut for Man City in their Europa qualifying game, is bringing more than his wild disposition and playing potential to Cottonopolis. Let’s all say hello to his beauty queen girlfriend, Melissa Castagnoli.

It’s doubtful that the Inter Milan transfer will get 90 minutes against Liverpool come Monday, but at the very least his lady friend will add some flavo(u)r to the WAG section at the Eastlands. Of course, Balotelli will stir it up in his own fashion:

Jose Mourinho, a man who does not tolerate eccentric behaviour in anyone other than himself, had called Balotelli “unmanageable”; one performance he rated “close to zero”.

Says Balotelli, “I don’t want to talk about him, he is not my coach any more. Am I a bad boy? I don’t know and, really, I don’t care.”

News

Neymar Drama Ends

August 19, 2010 — by Sean

From Globo and the Federative Republic of Brazil, we bring you what should be the end of the Neymar transfer shimmy. Once again from our friend and neighbor to the south, Mark Gannon.

Neymar: “I hope I’ve been an example for other young players”
Forward says it’s not the right moment to go and play football in Europe, but admits that making the decision was quite difficult: “My head was like a cloverleaf”
By Adilson Barros, GloboEsporte.com, Santos

neymar & pele — Neymar carries the weight of Pelé.

There was a time when a young player, whenever asked about his greatest dream, would respond in the following way: “to be a starter on my club and reach the Seleção.” After football became a machine that moves unimaginable fortunes, with European clubs going down below the equator to take valuable and relatively cheap “merchandise,” the discourse changed: “My dream is to play in Europe.” But on Thursday, Neymar subverted what seemed to be the natural course of his career.

The Santos “gem” said no to Chelsea. He refused a salary of around €4MM (R$9MM) per year, plus a signing bonus, to stay at Santos. He wants to establish himself as a Santos idol, win titles, solidify his position on the Brazilian national team, and only after that, when he’s more mature, transfer to Europe. He hopes other promising youngsters follow his example.

“I think I stand out in a positive way in Brazilian football for having refused a very good offer. I hope to be an example for other players, that they’ll think carefully and stay more time with the clubs they love, that they’ll score more goals here, that they’ll develop.

Commentary News

Surprise!

August 19, 2010 — by Sean — 2

World Cup Stadiums Unfit for more Popular S.Africa National Sports

It will be no surprise that the rush to finish the stadiums and infrastructure upgrades before July’s World Cup opener left a rude wake. In a nutshell, the stadiums S. Africa built don’t look like they’ll easily accommodate rugby and cricket, two of the country’s more popular sports, though $1Billion dollars were spent along the way.

“When the event is over, we will still be poor.”

Commentary United States

How to Attend to a Soccer Game: A Beginner’s Guide

August 19, 2010 — by Sean

As I watched the nearly sold-out USA v Brazil game, I was reminded of thoughts I’d had while watching the sold-out Red Bulls v Galaxy matchup: New Yorkers don’t know how to get to a soccer game on time. It’s obvious when you tune in to watch on TV and see over half the stadium empty for the first 15-20 mins. But don’t blame the fans entirely. Baseball, (American) Football, Basketball—our homespun sports are very forgiving to the tardy and have surely created a mindset that simply isn’t applicable to the footy.

I can’t be bothered to look up the actual statistics, but I imagine baseball games average 3 hours. Football always seems to take four, but I’m usually watching at home (pre&post-game etc.). Basketball seems like it moves along more quickly, but there’s still plenty of breaks in play to get up and refresh a drink or grab a bite.

Soccer isn’t like this at all. You can’t be fifteen minutes late for soccer, because then you’ve missed nearly 17% of the game, and it’s not coming back. You can barely get up at halftime to grab a drink before the play is back on. And I don’t know about you, but unless I have a beer somewhere within reach I’m not completely enjoying myself at a professional sporting event.

Commentary News

What about Geovanni?

August 18, 2010 — by Sean

San Jose has added the Brazilian known simply as Geovanni to their squad, making him their first designated player in the club’s history. Another good grab in a DP slot, and while the 30-yr-old’s legs might not me as springy as they once were, he’s an excellent technical player who has a knack for showing up late in the box and latching on to a final pass.

He can run hot and cold, as I’ve seen him both intensely passionate and seemingly disinterested from week to week. His run at Man City never amounted to much, and the time he spent at Hull only saw them to relegation from the Prem. He is capable of great distribution, but speed isn’t his thing, and he doesn’t come off as a particularly motivational leader either. The slower pace of the MLS should suit him well, though one wonders how a player of his technical ability will get along in the Earthquakes’ system.

Exciting news regardless, as the MLS is definitely elevating play through such additions. Steady onward!

News

Santos Want to Keep Ganso & Neymar

August 17, 2010 — by Sean

Even more great stuff from Mark Gannon on the ground in Brazil. Following quickly from the Neymar news comes this next piece that also includes fretting over Ganso. Santos is bleeding offensive weapons, and are looking to staunch the flow. Follow the link for the original from Globo Esporte.

Mano and Zagallo advise Neymar and Ganso to stay in Brazil
Current and former coaches of the Seleção ran a sort of “Stay, Neymar and Ganso” campaign during an event on Monday
By Leandro Canônico and Marcelo Prado, São Paulo

Is Neymar going off to Europe? Is Ganso following the same path? If it depended on the opinions of Mano Menezes, coach of the Seleção, and Zagallo, four-time world champ with Brazil, the answers would be the same: no. On Monday afternoon, in an event held by a CBF sponsor (translator says: from the pics, it looks like it was Gillette), both defended the idea of the two Santos stars staying longer in “the football country.”

“I think it’s really early for a 17, 18, 19 year old player to leave Brazil. The base has to be built here. Obviously, the players always want to go for financial reasons, but in Neymar’s case, he would be going to an environment that isn’t good for his body type. He needs to gain more weight. So it’s better to wait and leave when he’s 21 or 22,” declared Zagallo, talking about Chelsea’s proposal to the player.On the same stage with Zagallo, the “Boys of the Vila” (young Santos stars) and world champs Cafu and Bebeto, coach Mano Menezes also spoke about the subject.

News

Neymar to Chelsea: Not So Fast

August 17, 2010 — by Sean

Fantastic stuff from Mark Gannon, our correspondent in Brazil. The papers are abuzz with the seemingly imminent move of Neymar to England, or will it be as smooth a transition as the European press would have us believe? Read on for Mark’s translations of the Brazilian angle (follow the links for the original articles).

Pelé, Robinho, and Sports Minister called upon to convince Neymar

The Fish” (Santos) sets up a task force to try to keep the prodigy in the Vila Belmiro. The King of Football has already made himself available to talk to the player’s father
By Adilson Barros, Santos

Santos is trying its last gambits to convince Neymar to reject Chelsea’s offer and stay in the Vila Belmiro. The club is setting up a task force that will include Pelé, Sports Minister Orlando Silva, and forward Robinho. According to two members of Santos president Luis Alvaro de Oliveira Ribeiro, the three offered to contact the young Santos star and his father, Neymar dos Santos Silva, to try to talk them out of the idea of leaving the country at this moment.

Commentary News

Reina Flubs It

August 15, 2010 — by Sean — 6

Barely a minute before the final whistle, Arsenal were gifted a goal in ludicrous fashion by up-’til-then standout Pepe Reina. The keeper was responsible for maintaing 10-men Liverpool’s advantage on more than one occasion, but his terrible mistake cost them two points. It remains to be seen what effect the draw will have over time, though you can be assured that this goal will be part of “Worst Goals Ever” compilations for many years to come.

What else did we learn watching today’s match? Arsenal aren’t going to win the league this year. Fabregas wasn’t playing, and Van Persie only had a short run around at the end, but Arshavin turned in a muted performance, Chamakh wasn’t finding any space, Nasri wasn’t seeing any passing lanes, and the delivery from the wings was consistently lobbed to the far post with no pace on the passes. Plus, they’re a bunch of pansies.

The bright spot in attack was Vermaelen. Yes, Arsenal’s center back was their most potent offensive weapon, and not just throwing himself at set pieces—the man likes to attack with the ball at his feet. Eboué tried to keep the play moving forward quickly, but lacked the precision needed to execute his intent. That’s about it for threats from the Londoners.

Liverpool had their typical hard-nosedness about them, and played resolutely a man down. Ngog’s blast right at the opening of the second half gave them the lead (4 goals in 3 games for him), and they didn’t look about to relinquish until the aforementioned slip by their keeper.

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