Soccer Sorcery

A speed camera in Spain caught Michael Ballack going 131 mph (where the speed limit is 75 mph) with his Audi U7 in October and now he's trying to get his fine reduced because he's retired and has no income. From the Telegraph : At his initial court hearing the day after his arrest, his legal team were told that he faced a two-year driving ban and an 8,000 fine. But at a second hearing yesterday, which the 36 year-old did not have to attend because the offence does not lead to a potential jail term, his lawyer, Jess Gallego Rol, requested that the fine be cut to 800 because Ballack has no income since he was released by Bayer Leverkusen in the summer. "Just because he is a famous footballer doesn't mean he has any money coming in," said Rol, who also pointed out that driving at high speed is tolerated on German motorways. Ballack recently went through what was probably a rather costly divorce , but he was employed over the summer as an analyst for ESPN during Euro

Arsenal's comeback from 4-0 down to beat Reading 7-5 in extra time of their Capital One Cup match on Tuesday was guaranteed to be a tough act to follow, but Chelsea and Man United playing their second match at Stamford Bridge in four days gave it a good run. Chelsea came from behind three times, defying bad calls against both sides throughout and sending the match to extra time with a 94th-minute penalty. But that was just the start. Here are some of the best photos from anotherunbelievablematch... Man United fans arrived in high spirits and loud voice with banners referencing Chelsea's racial abuse charge against Sunday's referee, Mark Clattenburg . Who they decided to show mock support for him with a parody of Chelsea fans' John Terry banner because that will look good if he's found guilty. But nevermind that -- they were feeling confident after their first win at Stamford Bridge in a decade. Confidence that only grew when Ryan Giggs opened the scoring in the 22n

Wednesday's Ukrainian Cup game between Vorskla Poltava and Tavriya Simferopol was a tense affair, with vistors Tavriya taking a three-goal lead before the home side scrapped back and replied with two. After the final whistle, a conflict between Tavriya goalkeeper Serhiy Pohorilyi and Vorskla's Artem Hromov could not be resolved with words, so the gloves came off. Well, not literally, as the keeper kept his gloves on while delivering a solid left-hook to the midfielder's jaw. Even though the game was over, Pohorilyi received a red card. The best thing about this incident is Hromov's reaction. Instead of comically flying back through the air, rolling on the floor 17 times and convulsing like a cat that's just chewed through the mains supply, he looks completely unfazed, and almost disinterested by the fact that he's been smashed in the face in front of thousands of people. He'd never make it in the Premier League with stoicism like that. This has been the Dirt

Javier Hernandez celebrates his goal on Sunday Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez is ready to haunt Chelsea once again in the Capital One Cup tonight. The Halloween clash between the Premier Leagues top two couldnt be more fitting for Chicharito, who has become Chelseas very own bogeyman. The Little Pea ghosted into the six-yard box to fire the winner in Uniteds controversial 3-2 victory at Stamford Bridge last Sunday. And he is in line to have another go at Roberto Di Matteos European champions as Sir Alex Ferguson plans to ring the changes. United face Arsenal in another title six-pointer Saturday lunchtime so he is set to continue his squad rotation policy in the Capital One Cup. That could see Hernandez handed a starting role possibly alongside Danny Welbeck. And even if that means Chelsea could avoid coming up against Wayne Rooney or Robin van Persie, its still bad news for Di Matteos men. Hernandez strike on Sunday wa

To mark the 10th anniversary since Andres Iniesta's first team debut for Barcelona , he wore the captain's armband in their Copa del Rey match against Segunda Division B (the third tier of Spanish football) side Deportivo Alaves. In the 51st minute, with Barca already up 1-0 after David Villa opened the scoring, Iniesta casually lobbed a wonderful shot into the top corner for their second of three goals. But while Iniesta was reveling in his special moment, goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto was hit in the head with a sandwich. A number of objects showered down on Pinto from the stands and according to Marca , the referee later reported that Pinto was hit by "the remains of a sandwich." Since he is afforded so few chances to play, Pinto soldiered on through the pain and finished out the match. UPDATE: BeIN Sports' Phil Schoen informs us that in that shower of objects, Pinto was hit by a coin, which is a bit more painful than a sandwich ( which can be seen on the groun

To mark the 10th anniversary since Andres Iniesta's first team debut for Barcelona , he wore the captain's armband in their Copa del Rey match against Segunda Division B (the third tier of Spanish football) side Deportivo Alaves. In the 51st minute, with Barca already up 1-0 after David Villa opened the scoring, Iniesta casually lobbed a wonderful shot into the top corner for their second of three goals. But while Iniesta was reveling in his special moment, goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto was hit in the head with a sandwich. A number of objects showered down on Pinto from the stands and according to Marca , the referee later reported that Pinto was hit by "the remains of a sandwich." Since he is afforded so few chances to play, Pinto soldiered on through the pain and finished out the match.

All the stuff being covered outside the unfriendly confines of the award-winning Dirty Tackle... Before they almost beat the life out of a steward , Boca Juniors fans assembled for an impressive procession through the streets to the Estadio Monumental (skip ahead to about 1:10 into the video). Oh and Eric Cantona was there too. [ KCKRS ] Great story -- Luca Toni's unlikely return to Fiorentina. [ TFB ] 14 footballers with spooky Halloween names. [ Fitba Thatba ] Is anybody still enjoying this? [ Magic Spongers ] It's photos like this that get people arrested, Harry Kewell. [ Kickette ] One Livorno fan's lonely journey across Italy. [ WSC ] The U.S. soccer hall of fame is stuck in a North Carolina storage facility. [ TOW ] Tom Sermanni is the new U.S. women's team manager. [ TWG ] Facts get in the way of Steven Gerrard's argument. [ Independent ] We have a Facebook page with a "like" button. You should click it. [ DT Facebook ]

Down 4-0 at Reading in the Carling Coca-Cola Capital One Cup? An own goal from Laurent Koscielny? Arsenal fans singing "We want our Arsenal back" and walking out early? Everyone saying I obviously don't care about the competition because I put out a second-choice side? Yeah, cool story bro. First, Theo Walcott scores just before halftime -- but nobody pay attention to that. Just keep laughing and making your brilliant jokes. Hahahahahaha. Hahahahahaha. Meanwhile, in the dressing room, I deliver a team talk so profound that it brings the mighty beast -- the Gunnersaurus -- back from extinction. This is just the setup. In the 62nd minute I put in Olivier Giroud and before you can say, "Oh he's been so terrible what a waste of a substit-" Wabam! He scored in the 64th minute to make it 4-2. So what? It's still over. The game's passed old man Wenger by. He can't bring this team back from the dead. Especially when it's the 88th minute and it's

Aberdeen beat Dundee 2-0 in their Scottish Premier League match on Saturday, but Dundee's Kyle Benedictus and Declan Gallacher lost a bit more than their teammates. Both tried to head a ball that popped up off the foot of an Aberdeen player, but collided face to face instead. Bloodied by the Glasgow kiss they gave each other, Benedictus and Gallacher received treatment but would finish out the match. This has been the Dirty Tackle of the Day: a chronicling of unfortunate events. Video via 101gg

Artur Boruc made his home debut for Southampton in Sunday's 2-1 loss to Tottenham and now the club is investigating a report that he introduced himself to the crowd by throwing a water bottle into the stands . Here's the statement announcing the endeavor: "Southampton Football Club can confirm that it is investigating allegations of an incident involving Artur Boruc that occurred towards the end of the first half during Sunday's match against Tottenham Hotspur. "The club takes such allegations extremely seriously and will deal with the matter in the appropriate manner." According to the BBC, the incident occurred in the Chapel End (where home fans sit) of St. Mary's after Clint Dempsey scored Tottenham's second goal just before halftime. Since Spurs' two first half goals came after West Ham scored four in Boruc's first start, it would probably be reasonable to assume that Southampton fans were letting Boruc know how they felt about his poor fi

Scott Wootton will be hoping for a run out Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed he will ring the changes for their Capital One Cup clash against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The likes of Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand are set for a night off, while Michael Keane, Marnick Vermijl and Scott Wootton, who all started the win over Newcastle in the previous round, will be hopeful of a recall. Shinji Kagawa will be out for the next month with a knee injury, while this game has come to soon for defenders Chris Smalling (broken metatarsal) and Phil Jones (back and knee problems). Nemanja Vidic is still absent with a knee injury. Ferguson told MUTV: "Obviously we will make changes for the Wednesday game. "The squad that played against Newcastle will be in place again. "You don't want to lose down there and we want to continue in the cup. "Any game down there is going to be tough. There has been good progr

Real Madrid made easy work of Real Mallorca, winning 5-0 with two goals from Cristiano Ronaldo (and two more from Gonzalo Higuain plus one from Jose Callejon for good measure). That didn't quiet the home fans at the Iberostar Stadium though. Instead, they focused their ire on Cristiano Ronaldo, as most fans do in whichever town he visits. Ronaldo encouraged it too, but that only prompted Mallorca manager Joaquin Caparros to comment on his lack of humility and warn against his chances of winning the Ballon d'Or. Following Ronaldo's first goal in the 22nd minute, he urged the Mallorca supporters showering him with jeers to do it louder, gesturing towards his ear like the anti-Hulk Hogan as he walked up the pitch. So, one section of fans sang " Cristiano es una Barbie " to the festive tune of "Guantanamera." It seemed like all parties involved had a grand time with this back and forth -- especially since Cristiano thinks opposing fans jeer him because &quo

On his 20th birthday, Stephan El Shaarawy scored his sixth goal of the season for Milan to beat former club Genoa 1-0. He leads his suddenly budget-conscious club in scoring by a significant margin and, again, he only just turned 20 years old. So who is Stephan El Shaarawy? Here is all the information we assume to be true about him. -He was born in Savona, Italy. His father is Egyptian, his mother is Italian and his dance moves are from Toledo, Ohio. He has never used them, but takes comfort in knowing that he can. -His nickname is "Il Faraone" (The Pharaoh). His other, more sinister, nickname is Gnome Hat. -His hair is styled by a ice sculptor whose two favorite things are the early '90s and porcupines. Stephan saves all the hair shaved off the sides just in case he suffers from male pattern baldness later in life. -While on loan at Padova for the 2010-11 season, he scored nine goals and won the Serie B Best Player of the Year award. He was proud of this, but also kind o

Though the London Games are long over, U.S. women's national team strikers Alex Morgan and Sydney Leroux are keeping the Olympic spirit alive this Halloween by dressing up as gymnasts and fellow gold medalists McKayla Maroney and Gabby Douglas. Their leotards may have been different from the ones the Fierce Five wore, but unlike most everyone else dressing as Olympians for Halloween, their gold medals were the real deal thanks to their success at the women's football tournament in London. Plus, Alex Morgan seems to have perfected Maroney's " not impressed " expression, perhaps with help of the thousands ofmarriageproposals she hasreceivedfrom her most adoring and creepy fans. Of course, before going out to party with their U.S. teammates over the weekend, they swapped out the real gold medals for more party-safe dollar store versions. And finally, here they are with Top Gun Abby Wambach, '70s style Shannon Boxx and Sarah Huffman as...someone in a blonde wig. P

In support of Breast Cancer Awareness, Venezuelan Primera Division side Deportivo Tachira decided to swap their usual black and yellow stripes for a bright pink strip for their match against Atletico Venezuela. Aurinegro fans, however, were incensed by their club's attempts to try and make them aware of breast cancer, and duly staged a pitch invasion which led to the postponement of the match. Paraguayan newspaper ABC Color reports: The suspension of the game was ordered by representatives of the Venezuelan Football Federation (FVF) after fans refused to leave the field for 40 minutes, "to protest the pink shirts being worn in support of the fight against breast cancer, led by the Fundacin Senos Ayuda ". Club officials have blamed a "tiny number of fans" who were "defending the colors of they shirt they love." The FVF are now investigating the incident, and the club have promised to refund the tickets of those who supported the cause and could not enj

Everton captain Phil Neville put a damper on Everton manager David Moyes' decision to bemoan Luis Suarez's diving before the Merseyside derby by diving in the Merseyside derby. Neville was booked for his efforts on the way to a 2-2 draw, but his reaction after the match was quite different from your usualvillainousdiver. From The Mirror : "It was a stupid thing to do," said the Blues skipper. "I don't often find myself in that position and I thought Daniel Agger was going to take me out. "But I got a good kick up the backside at half-time as I couldn't commit to tackles in the second half. I'll take the rollicking and I won't do it again, that's for sure." Moyes refused to gloss over Neville's uncharacteristic moment of madness. "I said to him it's completely wrong, you don't do that," he said. Imagine that. A manager reprimands a diver instead of pretending it's just a problem with other players on other t

De Gea: The Spaniard almost droipped United in it at times but also kept them in it when the going got tough 8 Rafael: Was an adventurous ally to Valencia when Reds in top gear but found Hazard a tough opponent when Chelsea hgot going 6 Ferdinand: A mixed bag from the defender. At times he looked unflappable then he looked vulnerable 6 Evans: Like his sidekick he had periods when Chelsea could get no change from him then it became a struggle 6 Evra: The Frenchman was back to some of his steadiest efforts 6 Valencia: Started the game giving Cole a torrid time and ended it the same way but was absent in between 6 Carrick: When Chelseas engine room began to show their best qualities it became a hairy time for him 5 Cleverley: Started the game in lively mode but once Mata started firing he slipped out of it. Outjumped for equaliser 5 Young: Quite return

Manchester United beat Chelsea in a Premier League match at Stamford Bridge for the first time in a decade and yet, it was a rather quiet and uneventful match. Except, it was the exact opposite and included two red cards, an offside goal and accusations that the referee racially abused multiple players . So. Given all that, we almost have to ask "What if it continued?" Even if we don't really want to know the answer. 97' -- David De Gea's critics hope he stops making great saves so they can get back to slating him already. 102' -- Fernando Torres' match rating improves after being sent off. 110' -- Mark Clattenburg shows Ramires a red card just because he can. 113' -- Mark Clattenburg shows Petr Cech a red card because f*** that guy and his helmet. 115' --Mark Clattenburg shows Gary Cahill a red card because he wants to watch the world burn. 122' -- Enjoying this match more than any other he's witnessed since leaving Porto, Andre Villas

Dubious offside calls weren't limited to Everton's draw against Liverpool and Man United's win against Chelsea on Sunday, they also extended to Italy, where Juventus beat Catania 1-0 with some help form the linesmen. In a match that included eight yellow cards and a sending off for Catania's Giovanni Marchese in the 67th minute, the Sicilian side had a perfectly good goal ruled offside (image above) in the 25th minute while league-leading Juve got a 57th minute winner from Arturo Vidal, who actually was offside (image below). Catania's goal getting disallowed angered club president Antonino Pulvirenti so much that he ended up getting sent away from the bench. After the match, he wasn't much calmer.From Goal.com : "This is the third incident against us. It happened with Parma, then Inter, and now here today," Pulvirenti told Sky Sport Italia . "The linesman had given Bergessio's goal, then disallowed it after the protests from the Juventus b

Two questionable red cards and an offside goal helped Manchester United to their first win against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League since 2002. After an entertaining first half that began with a David Luiz own goal in the fourth minute, a Robin van Persie goal to put Man United up 2-0 in the 12th minute and a brilliant Juan Mata free kick just before halftime to give Chelsea an injection of confidence, referee Mark Clattenburg made himself the star of the match after a Ramires goal equalized for Chelsea in the 53rd minute. First, Clattenburg showed Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic a straight red when Ashley Young went down as he was breaking towards goal ( gif here ) in the 63rd minute. Just five minutes later, Clattenburg booked Fernando Torres for a second time for going down even though Jonny Evans caught Torres' shin with his boot (gif here). That got Torres sent off just as Chelsea were preparing to sub him out for Daniel Sturridge, leaving them with nine mi

Prior to Sunday's Merseyside derby, Everton manager David Moyes antagonized Liverpool's Luis Suarez, who has officially become The Only Player to Ever Dive in recent weeks, by saying he was concerned that the Uruguayan striker would fool the referee . But before Suarez could do that, he helped Leighton Baines score an own goal in the 14th minute and then added another goal himself in the 20th, which he celebrated by running over to the Everton bench and flopping on the ground right in front of Moyes ( gif here ). Suarez was quite pleased with himself as he did this, too. Have a look... And Brendan Rodgers enjoyed it as well... Apparently David Moyes found the humor in it too, describing Suarez's celebration choice as "great" after the match . Of course, Suarez wasn't in such a good mood when he had a winner disallowed at the death for an offside call that even Moyes admitted was wrong ( gif here ). And so ended another day in the eventful life of Luis Suarez.

In the 24th minute of last match of the regular season, San Jose's 29-year-old striker Chris Wondolowski scored his 27th goal of the season with a penalty kick, matching Roy Lassiter's MLS single-season record that has stood since the long-ago time of 1996. And as anti-climactic as doing it with a penalty may be, it was not without its moderate bit of controversy. The sequence of events that led to Wondolowski's goal started when Portland goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts came out of his box, but failed to reach the ball before San Jose's Steven Lenhart did. Lenhart then powered his way around Ricketts and into the box before tumbling down as Ricketts challenged for the ball. The camera angle isn't ideal, but Portland fans were obviously quite upset about the decision. Was it a soft penalty to help Wondolowski reach the record? Was it MLS refs being MLS refs? Or was it a good call? Whatever the case, MLS didn't really care as long as it got Wondolowski his 27th goal.

Boca Unidos' 39-year-old goalkeeper Gaston Sessa was shown a red card for kicking a ball at the ball boy's face during a second division match. Sessa, who has a reputation for being a "butcher" because of his history of violence, apparently wasn't pleased with the way the ball boy rolled a new ball to him. So, he kicked it back in the kid's face. The ball boy seemed to take it in stride, but as Sessa was about to take his goal kick, the boy went down in dramatic fashion. Sessa was not amused. He also wasn't on the pitch much longer. This has been the Dirty Tackle of the Day: a chronicling of unfortunate events. Video via 101gg

Saddled with misguided accusations of laziness and complacency throughout his career, Dimitar Berbatov always finds his goals (when given the chance to play) in just about every situation. During Fulham's match against Readying, he proved that ability while putting another dent in the criticisms of his style when he suffered a rib injury during the first half. He dealt with the pain though, and after a halftime injection he ended up scoring Fulham's third goal with a typically brilliant shot in the 85th minute, just three minutes after Reading made it 2-2. From Football 365 : Berbatov was seen holding his back during periods of the first half, and it was expected that the striker may be substituted at half-time. However, Berbatov had an injection during the interval, and was able to score Fulham's third goal before Reading equalised in injury-time. "It was difficult, because I think Berbatov broke his rib," Jol said. "We thought he may come off at half-time,

The place where the aeroplane crashed is about ten minutes from where we live here, explained the recently retired Bayern Munich goalkeeper Hans-Jorg Butt. The older people in Munich know the story, not so much the younger people. A simple memorial to the 23 people who died as a result of the 1958 Munich Air Disaster sits at the Manchesterplatz, at end of a residential avenue near what was once the Munich-Reim airport. United officials visit on any trip to Munich, while City sent a large representation to pay their respects before the Blues played Bayern Munich in September 2011. City lost, but won 2-0 in Manchester last December. That was my last European game, explained Butt. I was made captain and exchanged pennants with Vincent Kompany before the game. I played against Edin Dzeko again, as Id done many times in Germany. He was so strong in the air. Bayern were already through, City out. The Bavarians would reach the final and play Chelsea in thei

Following the 1-1 draw between Leeds and Sheffield Wednesday in which a Leeds fan invaded the pitch and shoved Wednesday keeper Chris Kirkland in the face , Leeds manager Neil Warnock underplayed the incident by accusing Kirkland of milking the incident and going down too easy. As Warnock writes in his column for the Independent , he did this without actually seeing the incident himself. But after he took his post-match shower and watched the footage, he realized his mistake, but by then Kirkland was already upset with him. And that's where we pick up Warnock's story -- with him half-naked and begging for forgiveness as the angry goalkeeper attacks. I thought I'd better get dressed and go and apologise to him. But as I was standing there in my briefs with a towel the door opened, a furious Chris Kirkland pushed his way in and grabbed hold of me. He's a big lad and but for the intervention of one or two of our staff he might have done something he regretted. But I honest

It's very difficult for young footballers to carve out long careers in their chosen field even/especially when they're at a big club like Barcelona, where pressure is high and chances are limited. So some choose to supplement their income wherever they can. And 21-year-old Barca defender allegedly did that by stealing a taxi driver's wallet on the way to the airport for Spain U-21 duty. From Marca : The taxi driver explained that, while driving the footballer and three others, who would have been his teammates Cristian Tello and Gerard Deulofeu, along with Doctor Jorge Guilln, the wallet he kept in the front seat of his taxi disappeared. "I told the player in the front seat that he had taken a wallet. Then they jumped out running and rushed into the T4 airport terminal building saying they were going to miss their plane", the taxi driver told Radio Marca. "When I was able to go in, because I couldn't leave the car there, I reported him to the police, but

The Napoli fans who traveled to Ukraine for their side's 3-1 Europa League loss to Dnipro were understandably upset after the match. Especially since they felt manager Walter Mazzerri doomed his side to failure by making it policy to focus on Serie A this season and give the reserves a run out in the Europa League. So after the match, the fans expressed their anger by refusing the player's sweaty gifts. From Football Italia : At the end of the 3-1 reverse at Dnipro, a number of players were ready to throw their shirts into the crowd as a gesture of thanks. However, the 160 Azzurri fans rejected the jerseys in protest at the performance and the club's Europa League policy. Napoli's headaches only begin there, though. On Friday, the club was charged with match fixing in a game against Sampdoria on the final day of the 2009/10 season, witch captain Paolo Cannavaro also being charged for failing to report the alleged fix.

Sir Alex Ferguson in the real Old Trafford dug-out Click on the YouTube video below to see footage of a Manchester United fan from Norway who takes supporting the Reds to a new level... Tweet

Emboldened by the announcement of their seven-year, 350 million ($559 million) shirt sponsorship deal with General Motors set to begin in 2014, Manchester United have bought back the training kit sponsorship rights they sold to DHL in 2010, cutting short a massive 40 million deal over four years. Again, that was 40 million over four years just to have the letters DHL on the club's training kits -- more than most Premier League clubs get for sponsorship of their actual match kits. And now it's not good enough. Man United now feel they can do better after their match kit sponsorship value went from 20 million a year in the last deal with Aon to one that will be worth about 50 million a year with GM. From the PA : "We have successfully negotiated an early buy-out of our training kit agreement with DHL effective 30 June 2013," the club said. "DHL will then continue as our global logistics sponsor. "The significantly increased value of agreements concluded since

After an embarrassing 3-1 defeat to Ajax that leaves Manchester City with just one point after three Champions League group stage matches, manager Roberto Mancini has sensationally claimed that winning the competition is "overrated." "Anyone who really knows football knows that the Champions League isn't important," Mancini told reporters while chewing gum in a loud and dismissive manner. "It's all about who has less money and does not reflect the modern game at all. Winning it probably feels terrible. It's overrated. Like green tea. And scoring goals." Though Mancini has won domestic cups and league titles with Sampdoria, Lazio, Inter and Man City, he has never guided any club beyond the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Mancini's latest disappointment in the competition came against a side that cost just 3.5 million to assemble -- 171.5 million less than his own. Which he says is just the problem. "Who wants a tournament where b

After an embarrassing 3-1 defeat to Ajax that leaves Manchester City with just one point after three Champions League group stage matches, manager Roberto Mancini has sensationally claimed that winning the competition is "overrated." "Anyone who really knows football knows that the Champions League isn't important," Mancini told reporters while chewing gum in a loud and dismissive manner. "It's all about who has less money and does not reflect the modern game at all. Winning it is overrated. Like green tea. And scoring goals." Though Mancini has won domestic cups and league titles with Sampdoria, Lazio, Inter and Man City, he has never guided any club beyond the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Mancini's latest disappointment in the competition came against a side that cost just 3.5 million to assemble -- 171.5 million less than his own. Which he says is just the problem. "Who wants a tournament where better tactics and actually tryi

Lazio traveled to Athens to play Panathinaikos in the Europa League on Thursday and it probably didn't expect the level of hospitality it received in the 25th minute of the match. Panathinaikos keeper Orestis Karnezis chased down an errant attempt to clear out on the far side of the box and passed to defender Giourkas Seitaridis. Seitaridis then passed it right back to his side's own goal, which proved to be a problem since Karnezis wasn't there to defend it and thus the ball rolled right in to give Lazio a 1-0 lead. Maybe Seitaridis spotted a phantom teammate or maybe he just forgot who passed him the ball, but the result was like some kind of glitch out of FIFA 13. Lazio took its gifted lead into halftime, which gave Seitaridis' teammates a good 15 minutes to repeatedly ask him what he was thinking. Video via 101gg

Lazio traveled to Athens to play Panathinaikos in the Europa League on Thursday and they probably didn't expect the level of hospitality they received in the 25th minute of the match. Panathinaikos keeper Orestis Karnezis chased down an errant attempt to clear out on the far side of the box and passed to defender Giourkas Seitaridis. Seitaridis then passed it right back to his side's own goal, which proved to be a problem since Karnezis wasn't there to defend it and thus the ball rolled right in to give Lazio a 1-0 lead. Maybe Seitaridis spotted a phantom teammate or maybe he just forgot who passed him the ball, but the result was like some kind of glitch out of FIFA 13. Lazio took their gifted lead into halftime, which gave Seitaridis' teammates a good 15 minutes to repeatedly ask him what he was thinking. Video via 101gg

Manchester United midfielder Ryan Giggs Manchester Unitedare looking to stave off a potential seven-point Chelsea lead by the end of Sundays showdown at Stamford Bridge. The European champions are currently four points better off than the Reds and with Premier League holders City at home to Swansea on Saturday evening the Blues could also pull away by three points in the title race before Sir Alex Fergusons side start in London. United travel to the Bridge with the mystifying problem of giving teams a head start in matches this season. Bragas two-goal Old Trafford lead on Tuesday in the Champions League was the eighth time this season an opponent has been given a start by the Reds. Last February, United were 3-0 down at Stamford Bridge before a revival saw them grab a point in a 3-3 draw. But such generosity on Sunday might be a Bridge too far. We recognise we cannot afford to let Chelsea get too far ahead in the title race, said Ryan Giggs. They are f

CONMEBOL announced plans to hold a special edition of the Copa America tournament in the United States in July 2016 to mark the South American confederation's 100th anniversary. Dubbed the Copa America Centennial, the special tournament will include the U.S. and Mexico as fixed participants along with four other CONCACAF teams, which will be decided through the Gold Cup, and 10 CONMEBOL teams. The Copa America Centennial take place between the already scheduled 2015 Copa America in Chile and 2019 tournament in Brazil and will mark the first time the tournament has been held outside of South America. As unique as this event will be, it's far from the first time CONCACAF teams have taken part. Costa Rica (best finish: quarterfinals in 2001 and 2004), Honduras (3rd in 2001), Mexico (2nd in 1993 and 2001) and the U.S. (4th in 1995) have all participated as invited nations in the past (Canada was invited in 2001 but withdrew). Costa Rica and Mexico both played in 2011, but failed t

Oh God, not this guy. What was his name again? Ralphie? Robbie? Roger? Rafa! Rafa Benitez. Wow, I thought they locked him up. Did he say he's a blogger now? That's just sad. And now he's trying to give me a dossier about how Alex Ferguson is the puppet master behind the Illuminati. This is making me uncomfortable. Did UEFA put him here as part of my punishment? We're losing to Schalke at home, I've got a touchline ban and Rafa Benitez won't stop talking about how much he misses conducting press conferences. This night could not possibly get any worse... ...I stand corrected. Roy Hodgson. In my ear. Right now. What is this, failed Liverpool managers night or something? All I want to do is watch the game, maybe throw a water bottle or two and not have to hear about Alex Ferguson putting floride in the world's drinking water or that Kenny Dalglish may or may not have an evil twin brother who stole his identity eight years ago. And to make it that much worse, hi

Diego Maradona is in Kannur, India for a promotional trip and his arrival has been treated like that of a visiting king. To celebrate his 52nd birthday on October 30th, they held a big outdoor party, which gave Maradona the chance to show off his suave dance moves with model Ranjini Haridas. Once he finished showing how he got his girlfriend pregnant , a 55-pound birthday cake was brought out and Maradona tried to sing Happy Birthday to himself. He then put on a little concert and cut his massive football pitch cake (topped with the ball from the 2006 World Cup, also made of cake). Here's video of all that...

Billy Sharp scored the first goal in Nottingham Forest's 2-2 draw at Blackpool -- an action that apparently made him a bit hungry. After scoring in the 25th minute, Sharp did a power slide towards a group of Forest supporters at Bloomfield Road. Some of the fans rushed up against the divider between the stand and the pitch and one of them was holding a hot dog. That hot dog caught Sharp's fancy, so he asked if he could have a bite and the fan handed it over. Sharp then took his bite and moved on, as the fan was presumably fine with losing the remainder of his hot dog if it meant helping to fuel the scorer for the rest of the match. Sharp's goal would remain the difference until Blackpool scored in the 70th and 75th minutes and substitute Dexter Blackstock saved a point for Forest by making it 2-2 in added time. Video via 101gg

JUST: Jonny Evans scores Manchester United's second goal against Braga Jonny Evans thought he had blown his chance of extending his Manchester United goalscoring streak at Old Trafford on Tuesday night. After taking 119 matches to net his first United goal against Wolves last season, the Northern Ireland defender was not expecting to get another in any great hurry. However, he scored at Newcastle just before the international break and in grabbing the second in United's 3-2 Champions League win over Braga, Evans has now scored two in three games, a better return over the same period than Robin van Persie. Yet, instead of the plaudits, Evans came close to taking the brickbats. For when Van Persie's second-half corner was flicked on by Michael Carrick, despite the ball dropping perfectly for the 25-year-old, he could only take a fresh air swipe at it. Only after Braga made a hash of trying to clear it did the opportunity come back a second time. And

Is anyone still watching this show? Regardless, Being: Liverpool rolls on with the same playwright in a pub fishing for gravitas at the opening, a tranquilizing over-reliance on slow-motion and Jamie Carragher speaking a language even he can't understand. Despite these now familiar elements all blending into each other to create a sterilized gruel, there are still some moments that shine through. Here they are (in chronological order)... 1. Brendan Rodgers trying to talk Andy Carroll out of playing Brendan Rodgers made no secret of the fact that he was less than enthusiastic about having Andy Carroll on his team from the start, but Carroll just wasn't getting the hint. With talk in the press of Rodgers' desire to ship the pricey striker out before the transfer deadline, Liverpool traveled to Hearts for a Europa League playoff. Carroll made the trip despite being bothered by a hamstring niggle, but at a training session before the game, the problem persisted. At one point, R