Left field
The Reuters global sports blog
Independiente’s barrabravas bristle at “no cash” pledge
Argentina’s soccer hooligans appear to warm up for a new championship just like their teams with Independiente’s ‘barrabravas’ threatening trouble at an off-season friendly after being told by the club’s new administration “there is no cash”.
The impoverished giants from Avellaneda, record seven-times South American champions, voted in new president Javier Cantero last month who at once confronted the hardcore fans and told them they would get no funds.
It is common practice in Argentina for barrabravas to demand and get match tickets and funding to travel to away matches under threat of violence in a never-ending cycle of impunity.
Independiente played San Lorenzo in a friendly on Thursday in Mar del Plata where the barrabravas made their discontent felt with insulting chants at the board and threats against club members and peaceful fans in adjacent stands.
After a meeting with Cantero right after his election victory, barrabrava leader Pablo “Bebote” (babe) Alvarez announced his resignation as leader as if he held an official position, though he is likely to re-emerge during the Clausura championship that kicks off next month.
Cantero called the barrabravas mercenaries, which drew an angry response at Thursday’s game, and told Alvarez the club was destitute and “there is no cash for anyone”.
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
Brazil look unbeatable but have they peaked too soon?
Ten wins in a row and unbeaten for eighteen games. The run includes 2-0 and 3-0 wins over Italy, 4-0 wins in Uruguay and Venezuela, 3-0 in Chile and, of course, Saturday's 3-1 demolition of Argentina, the first time Brazil's arch-rivals have lost at home for 16 years. Nothing, it seems, can stand in the way of Dunga's Brazil and and a sixth world title.
There's only one small problem: everyone was saying the same about Carlos Alberto Parreira's team four years ago after they won the Confederations Cup with a 4-1 win over Argentina in the final. Like Dunga's team, they were Copa America champions at the time and their so-called Magic Quarter of Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Kaka and Adriano looked unstoppable.
Instead, Brazil relaxed. They took the Confederations Cup too seriously, forgetting that the Argentine side they had beaten was a second-string line-up. Their pre-World Cup training camp in the small Swiss village of Weggis had a carnival atmosphere. Five thousand paying spectators packed a specially constructed arena to watch every single training session. A subdued World Cup campaign ended with a 1-0 defeat to France in the quarter-finals.
This time, the Brazilian confederation has vowed not to repeat the mistakes. Dunga, who shuns celebrity status for both himself and his players, is probably the last coach in the world who would accept such a set-up. But there are other things which could go wrong.
Brazil are heavily dependant on striker Luis Fabiano and goalkeeper Julio Cesar and a loss of form for either player would seriously weaken them.
Luis Fabiano has scored five goals at the Confederations Cup and nine in the World Cup qualifiers despite playing in only nine of their 15 games. They have looked fairly toothless when he has been absent .Julio Cesar has been in inspired form and has often made the difference.
Luck also comes into it and Brazil have been getting all the breaks recently. Their match away to Ecuador in March last June was an extraordinarily one-sided affair in which the hosts should have been several goals to the good by halftime. Instead, Brazil somehow sneaked a 1-1 draw.
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
Will Argentina be better off without Riquelme?
Even before this week's outburst and his decision to quit Argentina for the second time in three years, Juan Roman Riquelme's future with the national team had looked uncertain.
Riquelme missed their first two matches under Diego Maradona because of club commitments and, without him in midfield, Argentina shook off the apparent lethargy which had marked their last few displays under Alfio Basile.
There is much to admire about Riquelme's play. His elegant, languid style is a refreshing sight in the modern game, with its emphasis on speed and strength, and sadly he appears to belong to a dying breed.
But too often his temperament lets him down. Many feel he is over-sensitive to criticism and it took only a innocuous comment from Maradona in a television last week to dent his pride.
"We don't think the same way," said Riquelme with an expression resembling a sad puppy whose favourite bone has just been taken away.
"We don't share the same codes of ethics. While he is the coach of the national team, we can't work together."
The Great Juan Roman Riquelme is the best playmaker that Argentina has now.There’s no one like him left. Without him, Argentina will lose a lot. Who will take the free kiks? Who will slow the game down when everyone is up and down the field without having the mental capacity to read the game. Maradona needs to act like a coach and coaches don’t go and criticize their players over the media.
I hope Juan Roman does come back to the team. His football is the best in the planet. Everyone who loves good football would love to watch Riquelme. I hope to see in South Africa. Maradona and Riquelme need to sit down to resolve this childish situation.
For me, Riquelme cannot be replaced. After Zidane left the game, we only now have Riquelme.
