Mario Balotelli would, in any other country, be seen as an exceptionally talented young footballer looking to break into the national side. In Italy, he has become the symbol of a nation that apparently refuses to accept a multi-ethnic society. The situation has been compounded as two of the most successful coaches in the footballing world, currently working in Italy, has dismissed the abuse directed at Balotelli.
Champions League-winning coach Jose Mourinho, who currently coaches Balotelli at Inter Milan along with World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi are the two esteemed men in question. Given their achievements and massive influence in the footballing world, one would assume the two would use their standing in the game to condemn this abuse and support a player who has the talent to lead Italian football for years to come. Instead, they have protected the racists and morons in the crowds by denying the abuse is racist. One explain why they have come to such conclusions through their respective characters.
After another calendar year of football, there have been some fantastic goals and LiberoFootball is back to look back on some of the best:
Martin Palermo – Best Header (04/10/09)
Before this goal, in a 3-2 win against Velez Sarsfield, Martin Palermo was most famous for missing a trio of penalties in a 1999 Copa America first round tie against Columbia in a 3-0 loss. He never wore the Argentina shirt until a call-up this year by a desperate Diego Maradona, where his last-gasp winner against Peru gave their faltering campaign a much needed boost.
Velez Sarsfield goalkeeper German Montoya came out of his box to clear the ball, which sailed harmlessly, at head height, towards the centre circle, where Palermo was standing, 38.9 metres from goal. The rest is history. The veteran striker said afterwards, “It always happens to me. When I look for similar stories of other players there aren’t any. Things happen to me that I can’t explain”.
Yet again, England is being placed as strong contenders for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. All after two giants of world football were dispatched in the Ukraine and Slovakia. Patrick Barclay, now of The Times, has claimed only Spain present a viable threat to England’s quest for global supremacy.
To return from Wembley late on Wednesday night, turn on the television and find Argentina being mangled by Bolivia was to be reminded of just how close England are to world supremacy.
This idea is flawed, with the closest contenders all masters of possession football – a style which England undoubtedly struggle against. Brazil, Argentina, Spain all play a ‘tiki-taka’ or ‘pass and move’ game, and even Lippi’s Italy can play fluid counter-attacking that can expose the holes in a static England. The Germans always perform on the big stage, while a number of other sides are also capable of defeating England in a one-off game and vice-versa. Holland, Russia, Turkey are also strong contenders and it would be logical to place England below that bracket currently, given the failure to qualify for Euro 2008 and the inability to play against sides who can starve England of the ball.
There is no doubt that a number of players from Brazil’s recent triumph at the South American U20 Championships will make the journey across the Atlantic and become successful players. Here are a few from that excellent crop of youngsters from the U20 Brazil side, and others who didn’t join it, but are equally promising.
Dentinho
Bruno Ferreira Bonfim, was ironically given the nickname ‘Dentinho’ meaning ‘little tooth’, as a youngster. In his first season at Corinthians, the striker scored 14 goals as the club regained a spot in the top flight. The youngster played on the left wing for Brazil in the U20 games, revealing his pace and trickery. He could have already arrived in Europe had proposals from Arsenal or Olympiakos not been rejected. A slight figure, his finishing abilities are similar to Henrik Larsson, while his pace and trickery is not unlike Robinho.
Don’t you just love deadline day? Brian Swanson and Dharmesh Seth repeatedly refer to their millions of sources and contacts around the footballing world and attempt to break news every other second. The obsession of the 24 hour media and its constant need for new news and exclusives is hilarious. The number of times Sky Sports News has contradicted itself over the past 72 hours is quite frankly disturbing. This is supposed to be a reliable source of news not a tabloid or the disgusting excuse for a website in tribalfootball.com
Take for instance, the ‘sagas’ of Robbie Keane and Andrei Arshavin. This morning we were told that Arshavin had arrived in London for talks if a fee was to be agreed. Then suddenly, the deal was off, as Arsenal and Zenit couldn’t agree a fee. Arshavin was supposedly off to the airport, despite all flights from Heathrow being cancelled.
The whole racism issue in Spain was apparently set to be eradicated after the initial furore about former Spain coach Luis Aragones calling Thierry Henry ‘a black s**t’ in a bid to motivate his then team-mate Jose Antonio Reyes. The measly fine awarded for the incident was a day’s wages in £2000. And the Spanish FA declined to take any action initially, before being forced by the Spanish anti-violence commission.
The Russian side has been the most vocal in the January transfer window, alongside Garry Cook and his failed attempt to sign Kaka and Adriano Gaillani’s desire to keep David Beckham. From the various voices at the club, vastly differing news has come out of St. Petersburg. Together with Andrei Arshavin’s talkative agent Dennis Lachter (the Guardian compiled evidence of his tendency to speak when a mike is put before him); the move of the Russian playmaker has led astray the media who appear to be changing the state of the move to Arsenal with every passing day until the February 2nd deadline.
If Liberofootball.com was an employee of BSkyB or ITV, it would be looking for every single angle to sensationalise yesterdays Champions League draw for the round of 16.
The Anglo-Italian ties have made the headlines as Claudio ‘Tinker-man’ Ranieri returns to Stamford Bridge to face his former side Chelsea with Juventus. The 54 year old Italian tactician has been heavily criticised for his moment of madness against Monaco in 2004: Hasselbaink on the right wing? Clearly the tabloids haven’t gotten over the fact that managers make mistakes.
If there was a Venn diagram to describe Luiz Felipe Scolari, it would involve Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger. The Brazilian coach has formed a side which encompasses parts of the ethoses of both the ex-Chelsea coach and the Arsenal manager. There were doubts of the manager’s credentials in club football, having never managed in Europe. Apparently winning a World Cup with a Brazil side that many have called the worst ever to do so is not enough.
Diego Maradona is one of three people to have deific status in Argentina. The other two are Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara and another catalyst of the Cuban revolution Fidel Castro. He is the only one to have won over the nation through sport and not political ambition. Yet with Maradona’s appointment as Argentina manager, one can argue that is not for his management skills that he has gained the top job but for the image and what Maradona represents that the Argentine Football Association has taken this decision.
Behind the myth of Diego the player is a management record that runs to only 23 games, with little success at either Racing Club or Deportivo Mandiyu. As for his powers of motivation and inspiration, there is little to suggest he can do so. Yes, he was captain in 1986, but the role of captain and manager are completely different. The role of lead cheerleader at the 2006 World Cup reveals his passion for Argentina but as we all know, football fans are fickle and easily frustrated. We know Maradona has a will to win at all costs, be it through illegal substances, or punching the ball into the net, or even an exquisite piece of skill.
