Free Republic

Entire Eritrean national football team has gone missing after failing to board a flight home following a match in Kenya. Only the squad's coach and one other official arrived back in Eritrea after the team was knocked out in the quarter finals of the CECAFA tournament for east and central Africa. The Eritrean national football team pose for a group photo before the start of the match against Tanzania, at the Nyayo National stadium in Nairobi The twelve players are believed to be hiding somewhere in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, where there are tens of thousands who have fled Eritrea's...

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq, Dec. 8, 2009 – Every night except Sunday, soldiers from America, international guardsmen from East Africa and translators from outside the gates play soccer on Camp Savage, Iraq. U.S. soldiers, African international guardsmen and Iraqi translators play soccer at Camp Savage, Iraq, Nov. 14, 2009. U.S. Army Photo by Pfc. J.P. Lawrence  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. They speak in a menagerie of tongues -- English, Ugandan, Swahili, Arabic. But this game -- soccer, football, koura el-khadim -- connects them. Camaraderie rings out in the multilingual sounds of the matches. Wild slides and jukes...

Maj. Tim Rustad, 49th Iraqi Army Brigade Military Transition Team, hands a soccer ball to an Iraqi child near Dibbis in Kirkuk province, Dec. 3. Soldiers from the MiTT began a soccer ball drive in November, receiving donations from friends and family in the States. Photo by Staff Sgt. Jason Douglas, 1st Cavalry Division. KIRKUK — Soccer is one of the most enduring and popular sports in Iraq. Children can be seen here kicking the ball around at any given time of the day on fields made of dirt. In support of this national pastime, Soldiers from the Military Transition...

Group A South Africa Mexico Uruguay France Group B Argentina Nigeria Korea Republic Greece Group C England USA Algeria Slovenia Group D Germany Australia Serbia Ghana Group E Netherlands Denmark Japan Cameroon Group F Italy Paraguay New Zealand Slovakia Group G Brazil Korea DPR Côte d'Ivoire Portugal Group H Spain Switzerland Honduras Chile

The star-studded draw, which will be televised worldwide -- including locally on ESPN2 and Univision beginning at 9 a.m. -- will determine the makeup of the eight four-nation groups for the first round of the quadrennial tournament, which will be played June 11through July 11 in nine South African cities. The U.S. and Mexico cannot be grouped together in the first round because they are members of the same federation, CONCACAF. Both countries will be placed in groups with one of the eight seeded teams, one European team and a fourth country from either Africa or South America. - The...

ZAGREB (AFP) - The Croatian first division match between Sibenik and Medjimurje Cakovec will be remembered for a cat which earned the visiting team's goalkeeper a yellow card, press reports said on Monday. Ivan Banovic was taken by surprise in the 20th minute of Saturday's match, played in the coastal town of Sibenik, when the cat walked on to the pitch near his goals, the Jutarnji List daily reported on its Internet site.

ZAGREB (AFP) - The Croatian first division match between Sibenik and Medjimurje Cakovec will be remembered for a cat which earned the visiting team's goalkeeper a yellow card, press reports said on Monday. Ivan Banovic was taken by surprise in the 20th minute of Saturday's match, played in the coastal town of Sibenik, when the cat walked on to the pitch near his goals, the Jutarnji List daily reported on its Internet site.

The Irish Justice Minister today demanded a rematch after a blatant handball by French striker Thierry Henry beat Ireland and put France through to the World Cup Finals. Dermot Ahern lashed out at governing body Fifa after the Republic of Ireland were cruelly beaten by the controversial extra-time goal. Dubbed 'Le Hand', Barcelona star Henry confessed to using his arm to control the ball before squaring for teammate William Gallas to finish. The Irish Justice Minister today demanded a rematch after a blatant handball by French striker Thierry Henry beat Ireland and put France through to the World Cup Finals....

REUTERS - Three players from Algeria’s national football team were slightly hurt on Thursday when youths stoned their bus as they arrived in Cairo for a World Cup qualifier against Egypt, Algerian state radio reported. Algeria’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement expressing its “consternation” at the attack, which came two days before the match to decide which of the two teams will take part in the World Cup finals in South Africa next year. A reporter for Algerian state radio said that about 200 young people appeared just as the bus arrived at the team hotel and launched a hail...

WORCESTER — An Austin Street man returned from New Jersey on a warrant charging him with murdering his roommate was ordered held without bail at his arraignment yesterday in Central District Court. Felix Garcia, also known as Javier Ramon Velez and Felix Delgado, 30, of 43 Austin St., is charged in the Oct. 25 fatal shooting of 26-year-old Juan Manuel Trejo Hernandez after what investigators said was an argument over a televised soccer game. Mr. Hernandez was shot twice in the back, according to an affidavit in support of a search warrant that police obtained for the second-floor apartment at...

BYU advances in MWC tournament despite multiple dirty plays from New Mexico's Elizabeth Lambert.

Female soccer match bet. Jordan and Palestine at al-Ram A Jordanian player(fully covered one in the air) clearing the ball out of goal area

Colombian Football Team 'Killed' By Will Grant BBC News, Caracas At least 10 bodies - believed to be those of a kidnapped Colombian football team - have been found across the border in Venezuela. The bodies, with multiple gunshot wounds, were found in Tachira. One of the team is reported to have survived. State authorities say they suspect a left-wing Colombian guerrilla group, the ELN, is to blame for the deaths. The team, kidnapped two weeks ago, was known as Los Maniceros or Peanut Men, as they sold nuts along the border. The Venezuelan authorities say they are still investigating...

'Southern Methodist University freshman Ryan Rosenbaum still has a lot of collegiate soccer ahead of him, but he'll be hard pressed to ever score as memorable a goal as he did Wednesday night. Up 2-1 against No. 16 Tulsa, SMU was on its heels trying to keep the Hurricanes from setting up the equalizer in the 63rd minute of their Conference USA game. Tulsa controlled possession, but an errant pass found the freshman Rosenbaum, who attempted to clear the ball downfield. Things ended up working out slightly better than expected'

Actually, I'll refrain from watering down the spirit of my headline (like a Liberal writer would've) - and turbo-charge it instead: I'm European and regardless of the fact that American football is an extremely physical game, it still isn't a true contact sport like Australian football or soccer is and compared to soccer, it is often pretty safe. Period. Which part of the world houses the toughest sport on Earth? The Far East? Karate, Kung Fu and such hobbies are widely regarded as "true contact". But, provided you really wish to injure an opponent, the runway is longer and the...

Belgrade police charged Serbian President Boris Tadic for allegedly violating anti-hooligan laws by opening a bottle of champagne to celebrate Serbia's World Cup qualification, they said today. Tadic and a number of other officials uncorked the champagne in a VIP lounge at Red Star Belgrade stadium last Saturday after Serbia's victory over Romania qualified them for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Police filed charges to a magistrate in Belgrade against Tadic, Serbia's Football Association chief Tomislav Karadzic, Sports Minister Snezana Markovic-Samardzic and other officials for "violating the law preventing violence and indecent behaviour at sports matches," the statement...

The Los Angeles Galaxy star came in the top ten of what one U.S. magazine called the biggest 'busts, choke artists'. U.S. based Maxim magazine said Beckham's move to the Los Angeles team was nothing short of a 'catastrophe'. After all the publicity about his £125m move, it said the former Manchester United star has failed miserably to make football - or soccer as it is called in the US - more attractive to fans.

USA USA USA!!!!

Looks like those little Honduran soccer guys are holding their own against the US in their World Cup qualifier tonight. 0-0 at the 1/4 point. No television coverage, you have to follow it on the USSoccer.com website's matchtracker. This could be a big night for both teams.

Iraqi soccer teams participate in a match at the Sports Complex in the eastern-Baghdad town of Jasr Diyala, Oct. 9. Eight Iraqi community's teams participated in the day-long tournament held across the vast Ma'dain region. Photo by Pvt. Jared N. Gehmann, 82nd Airborne Division. BAGHDAD — It wasn't the World Cup, but for eight Iraqi soccer teams pride was at stake during a day-long tournament held throughout the Ma'dain region here, Oct. 9. The small remote towns of Jasr Diyala, Narwan, and Village 10, located on the outskirts of eastern Baghdad, hosted the tournament matches.As normalcy returns to the country,...

Due to the fact that it's technically from the AP, I'll paraphrase the article's first paragraph: A gay soccer team from France cried "homophobia" when a Muslim team refused to play against them.

PARIS (AP) - A French gay soccer team says its members were victims of homophobia when a team of Muslim players refused to play a match against them. The Paris Foot Gay team says Tuesday it received an e-mail from the Creteil Bebel club canceling a match scheduled for last Sunday. "Because of the principles of our team, which is a team of devout Muslims, we can't play against you," the e-mail said, according to Paris Foot Gay. The e-mail received Saturday said, "Our convictions are much more important than a simple football match."

Chaos in Honduras has not created such safety risks as to force the movement of a scheduled World Cup qualifying match against the United States, FIFA officials said here Tuesday. Hours after Honduran officials protested any notion of moving their October 10 home qualifier against the US squad, FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke said the crisis would not force relocation of the crucial match. FIFA does reserve the right to revisit the issue should conditions change. The issue became a concern after Mexican side Toluca announced Monday it would not travel to Honduras for a CONCACAF Champions League match, citing...

Talk about moving the goalposts... Danish goalkeeper caught on camera making goal smaller during match By Sportsmail Reporter Last updated at 10:34 AM on 26th September 2009 Comments (0) Add to My Stories Talk about moving the goalposts. IFK Gothenburg goalkeeper Kim Christensen faces being banned for literally doing just that. The Dane was caught on camera kicking the flimsy posts closer together during his side's Swedish League clash with Orebro. Suspicions were raised when the referee spotted that the goal, which stands on top of the artificial turf, was standing inside the markings on the pitch that measure out...

Note: The following text is a quote: YOU ARE HERE: Home > Reports > Consular Affairs Bulletins > Report Warden Message: Belgrade Expatriates Experiencing Attacks CONSULAR AFFAIRS BULLETINS Europe - Serbia 25 Sep 2009 U.S. Embassy Belgrade issues the following Warden Message September 25: The U.S. Embassy wishes to alert American Citizens to a recent spate of crimes affecting the expatriate community in Belgrade. The Regional Security Office (RSO) states that trends involving physical assaults and gun violence remain a threat to foreigners. The RSO wishes to highlight the some recent criminal events: · On September 16, 2009, a British...

South African police will have a shoot to kill policy at next summer’s World Cup in a bid to cut gun crime. The war on weapons is called Operation Wanya Tsotsi, which translates as: “You will soil your pants, criminal.” Deputy minister of police Fikile Mbalula warned armed criminals that officers were entitled to open fire at them. He said: “If you are a criminal and you are gun-toting, our message to law enforcement officers is clear – shoot to kill.” “We say we are going toe to toe, tooth for tooth, nail for nail with the criminals. Street by...

Muslims are on the rampage against an old German soccer club song that includes the lyrics, “Mohammed was a prophet who knew nothing of football.” The German soccer club 'Schalke 04' responded that Mohammed lived long before soccer was invented and that it sees no problem with the song. The "White and Blue, How I Love You" song was written in 1924 and has been the official hymn of the club for decades, but the rising Muslim population in Europe has made it a more powerful force against anything that they consider offensive.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian soccer fans have been told to drink whisky on their trip to Wales for next month's World Cup qualifier to ward off the H1N1 swine flu virus, the head of the country's supporter association (VOB) said Monday. "We urge our fans to drink a lot of Welsh whisky as a form of disinfection," VOB head Alexander Shprygin told Reuters. "That should cure all symptoms of the disease." -snip-

An Iraqi Policeman gives a soccer ball to a young boy in Tarmiyah, north of Camp Taji, July 29. Photo by Maggie White, Multi-National Division - Baghdad. CAMP TAJI — More than 2,000 children from the Tarmiyah area received soccer balls and school supplies, July 29, thanks to a combined effort between the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team (Independence), Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and the Iraqi Ministry of Education. In the past, the Independence Brigade Soldiers and their ISF counterparts have facilitated many school drops under the Junior Hero program, but the Future Hero program took things to the next...

The president spoke with FIFA head Sepp Blatter in a meeting at the White House on Monday and stated his belief that hosting the event may help to promote the profile of soccer in the United States. Blatter said in a press conference that he has a duty to be impartial to all 11 contenders for the 2018 event -- but confirmed that Obama had appealed to him to "make another move toward United States soccer."

NEW YORK -- FIFA president Sepp Blatter has specific ideas on upgrading the popularity of soccer in the United States. He hopes he has an eager listener in President Barack Obama. Blatter plans to extend a personal invitation to Obama to attend the 2010 World Cup in South Africa when the two meet at the White House on Monday. In an interview with The Associated Press on Sunday, Blatter said the invitation has been extended and that he will "confirm it" at the meeting. "I know there are people around the president who are football fans, and that they will...

Soldiers of the 77th Armored Regiment "Steel Tigers" and an Iraqi Police security detail enjoy a friendly game of soccer recently in Dhi Qar province. Photo courtesy of Multi-National Division – South. COB ADDER — Leaders of the Dhi Qar Police Department and the 77th Armored Regiment "Steel Tigers" met here recently to discuss assistance efforts in Dhi Qar province. "The Policemen that work together on the various security projects have worked shoulder to shoulder with Coalition forces for a year now," said an Iraqi non-commissioned officer.Members of the Iraqi Army, the Iraqi Police and Coalition forces have been successful...

The Worst Football Dives Ever -- Ham Actors. Click link to watch video.

David Beckham received a rude welcome from disgruntled Galaxy fans in his return to Los Angeles, confronting one who leapt out of the stands at halftime of Galaxy's friendly against AC Milan. The English star, who missed the first half of the Major League Soccer season while on loan to AC Milan, was booed roundly during introductions, and again on his first several touches of the ball. Some of those who were angered by Beckham's stated desire to remain in Italy, and his belated return to his US club, made their feelings felt with banners and gestures such as holding...

BAGHDAD — The score did not matter so much — well, it mattered some. More important was that Iraq’s itinerant national soccer team, displaced for years by war, finally returned to Baghdad on Monday night to play a home match at home. In a dusty summer swelter, tens of thousands of Iraqis poured into Baghdad’s shabby Shaab Stadium and for the first time since 2002 filled it with a cacophony of clapping, clanging, chanting and cheering for the one thing that unifies Iraq more than any other. “Iraq! Iraq!” they chanted hours before the match, the stadium filled past capacity...

'Keep God out of football' - Fifa tells Brazil's soccer superstars DANIEL KING 12th July 2009 Football’s governing body has sparked controversy after disciplining the Brazilian team for overt displays of Christianity during a match. Stars including £56million Real Madrid forward Kaka and captain Lucio revealed T-shirts with devout slogans such as ‘I Belong to Jesus’ and ‘I Love God’ during the Confederations Cup final last month. Now Fifa has risked accusations of being ‘anti-religious’ by reminding Brazil of its guidelines banning players from making displays of a personal, religious or political nature on the football pitch. AC Milan star...

It's a brilliant day in Santa Barbara. But for Eric Frimpong, it feels like hell. He's in Superior Court, encircled by sheriff's deputies. This is his last stop on the outside for a while, a painful reminder of how far he has fallen. He left his native Ghana in 2005 to play soccer for UC Santa Barbara; a year later he became a campus hero while leading the Gauchos to their first-ever national championship. But in 2007, weeks after being selected by the Kansas City Wizards in the MLS draft, he was accused of raping another student on the beach...

Sorry, been meaning to say this for a couple of days. It’s not very fair that the Americans, who couldn’t give a fig about soccer, are getting really good at it. Meanwhile, dear old England, as far as I can see, have got tons of work to do before they become serious contenders for next year’s World Cup in South Africa. I’ve been saying since the World Cup was played in the US in 1994 and the hosts lost narrowly to Brazil, that the USA would win the trophy before England did so again. And I haven’t been proved wrong...

USA is winning the final of the Confederation CUP, shortly before half time 2-0!!

Confederations Cup USA vs Brazil

JOHANNESBURG—United States head coach Bob Bradley is normally an all-business type who always seems to answer media questions with a serious tone and rarely smiles in the public eye. How ironic, then, that two days before the most momentous match in his career—the Confederations Cup final against Brazil—Bradley was jocular, if not downright giddy, at his afternoon press conference. The good mood was apparent before even the first question had been asked. Bradley sat down at the dais with U.S. captain Carlos Bocanegra on his right. For some reason, the arrangement felt odd for Bradley and he asked Bocanegra to...

The reason why Paris Hilton ditched Cristiano Ronaldo after two nights of passion is apparently that the soccer ace is a “real cissy”. The hotel heiress had reportedly told her pals that she could never seriously romance the Real Madrid winker, because she likes her men to be macho, reports The Daily Star. Paris enjoyed a sizzling romp with the Portuguese ace in Los Angeles nightspot MyHouse as he celebrated his transfer from Manchester United. A Hollywood source said: “She likes her guys to be macho and as far as she’s concerned Ronaldo turned out to be a real cissy....

BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa (AP)—The world will surely take notice of this. The U.S. soccer team is in the final of the Confederations Cup, beating mighty Spain 2-0. Even more stunning, the Americans were on the verge of elimination and ready to head home last weekend before a reversal of fortune. On Wednesday, goals by Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey led to an upset of the planet’s top-ranked team. Call it a miracle on grass—maybe not the World Cup, but still an American soccer echo of the U.S. hockey team’s upset of the Soviet Union at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics....

The IMPOSSIBLE is happening. SPAIN..the leading # 1 team in the world, 35 game winning streak, they have shut out opponents in the series...and the soccer world already conceded that SPAIN is SUPPOSED TO WIN..YET HERRE THEY ARE SHOCKING THE FN SOCCER WORLD. Kiss my ass you America hating soccer fans...

Iranian authorities have told four players on the nation's soccer team to turn in their cleats after they wore green wristbands in a show of solidarity with the country's opposition leader, the Guardian reported, citing opposition newspapers in Iran. The players — including team captain Mehdi Mahdavikia and soccer star Ali Karimi — wore the wristbands in a June 17 match against South Korea in Seoul. Opposition newspapers reported that they were forced into retirement, along with Hosein Ka'abi, 24 and Vahid Hashemian, 32.

Weekend Trivia June 19th, 2009 | Afghanistan, Bin Laden, Uncategorized, art SNIPPET: "British soldiers found an Aston Villa tattoo on the body of a dead Taliban fighter in Afghanistan, British newspapers reported earlier this week."

At least five Iranian football players wore green bands around their wrists or arms during a World Cup qualifying match against South Korea on Wednesday in an apparent protest against a disputed election at home. The players, including captain Mehdi Mahdavikia, wore green - the signature color of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi - in an apparent show of support. Protesters at home who accuse the government of rigging Iran's June 12 election in favor of hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have been wearing similar green wristbands. One player, Ali Karimi, had green bands wrapped around both wrists. But by the...

The Azadi football Stadium was the only place in Tehran on Wednesday where the frantic waving of election campaign flags was officially banned. Yet as evening fell, the 100,000 seater stadium played host to what promised to be a crucial event in the run-up to Friday's election campaign - Iran's World Cup qualifier match against the United Arab Emirates. Seldom can the outcome of a game of football have had such potential geopolitical consequences: If Iran won, they were still in with a chance of qualifying for the tournament after last week's defeat in the "Axis of Evil" special against...

Costa Rica 3 USA 1 in World Cup Qualifier in San Jose, Costa Rica.

MANCHESTER United suffered Champions League heartbreak in Rome as Barcelona eased to victory at the Stadio Olimpico. Samuel Eto'o put Barca into an early lead before little Lionel Messi rose to head home Xavi's cross in the second half. The Reds struggled to contain Barcelona's midfield trio of Xavi, Messi and Andres Iniesta, with a flurry of early chances for Cristiano Ronaldo the best they could offer. Sir Alex Ferguson's side disappointingly fell well short of becoming true European legends and entering the Champions League Hall of Fame as their compelling dream to be the first European Cup winners in...