As Cesc Fabregas crafted a pass into Andres Iniesta, who took one touch before firing past Maarten Stekelenburg to win the World Cup in Soccer City, one couldn’t help but think it was a move crafted in La Masia, the Barcelona academy. Seven Barcelona players started the game, with Cesc Fabregas, a former academy player, coming on as a substitute near the end of normal time.

It is rare when one club dominates a national team so much, and the seven Barcelona representatives in the final beat the six Bayern Munich put forward in 1974 for West Germany. The tiki-taka philosophy has taken a pragmatic form during this tournament with the use of a second defensive midfielder.  Coupled with the defensive mentality of the opposition, they have accumulated the lowest tally for goals scored by a winner in history, with a measly eight.

Iniesta finally decided to shoot with no option to pass available, having refused to put his foot through the ball when clean through on two other occasions. The result this time brought Spain the World Cup trophy. The mercurial midfielder was also involved in the sending off of Johnny Heitinga, exaggerating contact by plunging to the ground to confirm the dismissal of the Everton man, who was the last defender.

While his general play was fantastic (excluding his previous refusal to shoot), the instances of thespian reactions to some Dutch tackling was embarrassing. The message underneath his shirt to Dani Jarque, the Espanyol captain who passed away tragically last summer, was, on the other hand, a very touching gesture.

Meanwhile at the BBC studio, Alan Hansen went on like a broken record about ‘touch and technique, pass and move’, (he somehow forgot to mention the tricolon of ‘power, pace and precision).  Later his analysis of Iniesta’s goal consisted of ‘touch, turn, hit’. One would think the Scotsman teaches a class on how to disguise alliteration and description as punditry. Hansen also gave the opinion that Mandela is “an absolute legend”. As the Guardian’s Scott Murray said: “Football cliches don’t really do service to decades of democratic struggle, do they?”

Lee Dixon, one of the few respectable pundits left on television lost much credibility, dismissing the foul on Elia in the build-up to Iniesta’s winner because ‘we don’t care’. There was no hint of impartiality in the BBC’s punditry, as Holland’s defence was essentially likened to some sort of gathering of Jeffrey Dahmer’s and Albert Fish’s. There were 14 bookings and a sending off overall, a record for the final.

This is a complete 180 degree turn to the stance adopted by Messrs Hansen, Shearer and co. in the Premier League when teams like Stoke and Bolton use thuggish means against opposition teams that play passing football like Arsenal. His disgusting hypocrisy took form in the following words: ‘Justice was served, I dont think there is any place in football for the way the Dutch set out to play here’. While Holland made several cynical fouls, they weren’t as bad as the BBC tended to portray them as (but they were pretty thuggish). (This blog stayed away from ITV’s coverage on the assumption it would be performing fellatio on itself over the selection of English match officials – and how they covered themselves in glory!)

The poor decision making in extra time by Brave Wise English Hero Howard Webb was barely mentioned as he struggled to make simple decisions once the game became more open. The fact that he was roundly booed when collecting his medals summed up his performance, given the obvious free-kick he denied Eljero Elia in the build-up to Iniesta’s goal. Webb was also given a rating of 0/10 in Spanish tabloid Marca’s ratings. The Spanish media bemoaned his selection as the World Cup Final referee after the opening game loss to Switzerland (also refereed by Webb), and one could argue the pressure they put on every decision with the despicable Sergio Busquets among others either writhing on the floor or waving his imaginary card.

Finally, in a very apt image, the legacy of South Africa’s World Cup can be epitomized by the action of Sepp Blatter to President Jacob Zuma in the trophy presentation. In what was supposed to be a joint-transfer of the trophy for Casillas to hold aloft, Blatter only allowed a token touch of the trophy to Zuma before handing to it a grateful Casillas. It was typical of a tournament where little has been given to South Africa in terms of a legacy concerning social and economic development but where FIFA have banked over £2bn in marketing revenues.

The victorious Euro 2008 tournament saw Spain classed as the most glamorous of football nations. The qualifying campaign of the European champions was flawless, but the start of the World Cup saw the implementation of a second defensive midfielder in a departure from the successful 4-4-2 that Luis Aragones implemented as Del Bosque has followed the increasingly defensive trend in football.

The decision to further protect the defence and hold onto possession seemed like a mistake in the shock 0-1 defeat to Switzerland in their opening Group H game, given that it caused a loss of presence in the final third. The side produced fewer of the incisive passing moves fans have become accustomed to, with Liverpool striker Fernando Torres struggling for form and new Barcelona signing David Villa shunted out to the left flank.

The introduction of the annoying Barcelona youngster Sergio Busquets alongside Xabi Alonso formed a decent shield which could be seen as an unnecessary precaution given how the Spanish side dominates possession and its expertise in manipulation of the ball. There now was a lack of speed and urgency in the Spanish play, with too many passers and not enough (or effective runners).

The 4-4-2 of Aragones saw Silva, Villa and an in-form Torres act as the runners to the playmaking of Xavi and Iniesta, while Villarreal’s Marcos Senna took up the holding role. Now with Torres ineffective, Villa reduced to a wide role (from where he has still held together Spain’s run with several key goals) and Silva dropped for the serial cheat Busquets, the Spanish attack lacked conviction.

The system saw a comfortable win against Honduras, but very tight games against Chile, Portugal and Paraguay where there was only a single goal to separate the sides. The introduction of another Barcelona youngster Pedro Rodriguez or Cesc Fabregas were likely to add some direct running to a team full of passers. The former started in place of Torres in the much-anticipated semi-final against Germany and was an improvement but the four passing midfielders behind him rarely made runs into the area to support now lone striker David Villa.

Xabi Alonso tried a few shots from distance but the break-through was once again a late one as Carlos Puyol headed in from a corner. Del Bosque has played the same seven players in defence and midfield in each of the games, and that consistency has been rewarded with a final place. The pressing game taken up by the side echoes that of Guardiola’s Barcelona and is most effective and stopped a confident young Germany side in their tracks that saw fine results in exploiting midfield weaknesses against England and Argentina.

Many observers have been keen to point out that seven Barcelona players took part in the semi-final in what amounted to a club side, given the familiarity of all the players with each other’s games. While the defending has been very impressive, the offensive game adopted by Del Bosque has not been spell-binding but effective nonetheless. On Sunday, Spain will come up against a Holland team also accused of pragmatism. One expects a similar game to the Germany semi-final, with Spain dominating possession and Holland forming attacks sporadically.

Spain played their best game of the tournament against Germany, given they faced an opponent not just trying to sit back and defend but actually try to win the game. There is a feeling that Spain will play better against bigger sides who will leave gaps to exploit when forging their own attacks. If Del Bosque wants a return to the traditional tiki-taka style rather than the efficient, often dull game his team currently play, perhaps the introduction of Cesc Fabregas for one of Alonso or (hopefully) Busquets would add a dimension that is missing to the Spanish side so far – the central midfield runner.

Whatever these criticisms may be, Spain have been the best side at this World Cup, with the relative impotence of their attacks linked to the deep defence and counter-attacking style of their opponents. Perhaps, a victory at Soccer City on Sunday will see to a future Spanish style with a greater sense of fantasy rather than the current one using a two-man defensive midfield shield in the future, relieved of the burden of having never won a World Cup.

After a fantastically attacking Euro 2008, football fans everywhere could have been forgiven for thinking that attacking football was back in business. After all, Spain’s win at the UEFA tournament was followed by an imperious Barcelona side (in 2008-09) that won the treble scoring well over a 100 goals in all competitions.

Then we saw an English Premier League season which was the highest-scoring in years, with an exciting three-team title race. But it appears the biggest indicator of the latest tactical trend was Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan, who won the treble in 09/10, with a re-working of the catenaccio style of Helenio Herrara’s Grande Inter.

The Portuguese tactician has perhaps brought back defence into fashion but we cannot really blame the self-styled ‘Special One’ for the lack of attacking intent in this tournament. The opening round of fixtures have seen only Argentina, South Korea, Germany, Chile show some form of style and pace. The pressure of not losing the opening game was huge and seems to have caused a dearth of goals.

In the 2002 World Cup, 161 goals were scored (2.52/game), while in Germany, four years later, there were only 147 goals scored (2.3/game). This time, however, the goal average for the games so far has been every low, with only 28 goals scored so far in 17 games (1.65/game).

Another reason is possibly the widely lambasted Jabulani ball, manufactured by Adidas. A lack of practise with the ball has caused many sides to struggle, except for Germany, whose domestic league used the ball all of last season. England manager Fabio Capello weighed in with the criticism:

“When you shoot you can see it is difficult. When you play on the floor it’s good but when you play the ball longer it’s more difficult. It is good when you play short passes but when you try to switch the ball it is really difficult to understand the trajectory. The big problem is that sometimes this ball is impossible to control. For me, it is the worst ball I’ve ever seen.”

The conservative tactics adopted by most sides means that any out-ball to relieve the defence of offensive pressure is generally a long ball. Consequently, the pass tends to be inaccurate and hopeful due to inexperience and the strange movement the ball is said to take by many players.

Teams who play with shorter passes, like Spain, dominated possession and moved the ball well, but not into dangerous areas. Surprisingly the pre-tournament favourites lost due to a well-organised Swiss side and a lack of luck. Perhaps such an upset is exactly what this World Cup needed to stop it from becoming the worst international tournament in recent memory.

In 2006, France were galvanised by the return of legends Zinedine Zidane and Claude Makelele to force a run to the final. At Euro 2008, there was no leader to run the team, only the tactically strange decisions of astrology-loving coach Raymond Domenech to cause a group-stage exit. Now, there are accusations of a rift in the side, players not passing to each other in addition to the predictably awful team selections.

The uninspiring draw with Uruguay showed a France side bereft of any incisive passing patterns as Arsenal’s Abou Diaby was the only player who provided direction in the attack. Anelka was an isolated figure, with his clever runs in behind the defence ignored in a pedestrian performance. Govou was a strange selection and did not spring any surprises on the right flank. Spectators wondered why Malouda did not start in his place (rumours suggest a bust-up with Domenech saw him benched).

The introduction of Gignac, Henry and Malouda saw a little more threat though Domenech insisted bizarrely that Toulouse striker Gignac play wide while winger Malouda played through the middle. Despite having many talented individuals, France aren’t a team and it seems difficult to see Les Bleus progress towards the latter stages.

There was a strange sight in Argentina’s opener against Greece as Argentina manager sported a suit. The 48 year-old was animated on the touchline, probably wanting to race onto the pitch and score the second goal against Nigeria that his players couldn’t force despite the brilliance of Lionel Messi.

Maradona’s insistence of playing winger Jonas Gutierrez at right-back could have cost the South Americans, with the Newcastle midfielder’s positional sense questionable at best. Argentina could have scored more had they not come across a goalkeeper (Vincent Enyeama) in such inspirational form.

The side still appear to be a work in progress and having left big names (like Javier Zanetti, Esteban Cambiasso and Lucho Gonzalez) out of the squad, the pressure will be massive on Maradona if Argentina fail to reach the final rounds of the tournament. Selecting six strikers but only one proper full-back and seven central defenders reflects the eccentricity of El Diego. It could be this imbalance in the squad of 23 that is the downfall of Argentina.

Like France, they don’t look like massive favourites. But with Lionel Messi, anything is possible. Another side with massive expectations are England, whose eternal national optimism took another blow as they drew to the United States, who capitalised on another spill disaster, this time after goalkeeper Robert Green spilled a tame Clint Dempsey shot into the net, overshadowing Steven Gerrard’s embarrassing attempt at closing down the Fulham midfielder where he was turned twice.

It has been a poor start with none of the second-tier favourites so far showing they are capable of challenging the likes of Brazil and Spain. It is down to Germany, Holland, Italy and Portugal to prove that there are other teams with the potential of winning the World Cup.

P.S Algeria goalkeeper Faouzi Chaouchi has done his best to make Robert Green feel better by making a fumbled effort to save Robert Koren’s curled effort, gifting Slovenia a 0-1 lead in a frankly horrific game. Sadly, Green’s mistake was still worse.

“Life is rhythm, football is rhythm and I feel the rhythm when I am in South Africa.” This was the rhetoric promoted by Sepp Blatter, the 74 year-old Swiss president of FIFA, on the awarding of the 2010 World Cup to South Africa. Such soundbites reflect on the idea that South Africa will benefit enormously in economic and social terms from the four week tournament between June and July.

Such a ‘love story’ (another Blatterism) is no doubt confirmed by the record £2.2bn FIFA have banked in media and marketing revenues. The financial aspects of this World Cup have come under much scrutiny as the positive impacts on the country appear small in relation to the profits of FIFA.

While several building jobs were created and each stadium construction worker was given a pair of tickets to a game, several of the locals have been priced out of attending the sporting event of the century in their homeland. The low price tickets are limited and the innovation of any local businessmen is being suppressed by FIFA’s desire to protect their product and remove any unlicensed World Cup products.

Accusations of nepotism rose when FIFA awarded the match hospitality rights for £75m to Match, a Zurich-based firm, coincidentally owned by the nephew of Sepp Blatter. This has caused issue with several hotels and accommodation services, while strict enforcement of licensing means the locals are forbidden to sell goods within a certain area around each stadium, thus losing a large number of potential customers.

Furthermore, FIFA’s stance of the host nation taking on all construction costs means South Africa have spent several billion rand to ready various stadia around the country, several of which will be unused after the stadium, causing several ‘white elephants’ to stick out. Some of these will have an annual running cost of 18 million rand. It is unlikely that any football teams will be able to attract crowds to sustainably use these stadia, given that the domestic league is secondary in terms of popularity to the English Premier League. Stadiums have been built in cities such as Durban when existing ones predominantly used for Rugby could have been renovated at a lower cost.

Promises of social and economic growth along with the stadium construction in various areas haven’t been fulfilled, with rises in living standards slow, and the majority of jobs created by the tournament are temporary by nature. Initial estimates of foreign fans have been cut by half from 850,000 fans due to reports of violent crime exaggerated by Western media outlets from German papers warning readers to buy bullet-proof vests to others reporting of rogue baboons annoying tourists.

FIFA’s promise of developing infrastructure seems paltry in relation to the profits the NGO will make, promising only £250,000 a year to each member country and a $9m investment for 20 ‘Football for Hope’ centres across the continent. Naturally, this is in relation to the billions Blatter and co. will make from the tournament.

Despite the widely cynical view held by this blog, the description of the World Cup as “an image makeover of the country and the continent” according to Danny Jordaan, the organising committee chief executive, is a very true one. Transport links have been modernised, and South Africa will retain a large portion of the ticket income.

However, Jordaan’s claim that it is the “world’s biggest ever free advert” is far more questionable, given the expenditure the Jacob Zuma’s government had to undertake to hold this World Cup. FIFA’s slogan ‘Celebrate Africa’s Humanity’ appears particularly patronizing, given the financial model adopted for the World Cup. FIFA’s model is just another of neo-colonialism in action.

LiberoFootball has a new signing. Greg Cross is a wonderful writer with an acerbic wit and has a fantastic take on the ‘British’ way of football management. Here is his take on Big Sam Allardyce’s diary (with a doffed cap to David Peace). (As imagined - so no need for legal action!):

(18/04/09) Training. Training my Blackburn squad. We’re pushing, pushing hard for 13th place. Big Sam. Our Phil from Hull. Phil. Wonderful Phil. And the new lad at Pompey. Us, three Musketeers. No. Too French. Three Amigos. No. Too Italian. Three crusaders. Better. Pushing for 13th. Tight. Too tight. I need signings. Signings like only Big Sam can make. British steel. British talent. Jay-Jay. Jussi. Ivan. Bernard. Stars. Stars, the lot of ‘em.

But Big Sam is angry. Big Sam is upset. Eight months. Eight months I’ve been looking. Looking for him. Looking for the one. The one who I signed on the dotted line for. The dotted line of Big Sam’s latest contract. The Blonde. The player that sums up Big Sam. Robbie. Robbie Savage. The player’s player. Eight months. Eight long, drawn out months. Searching, searching high and low. Calling. Coaxing. Is he in the showers? ‘No’ says El Hadji. Is he in the physio room? ‘No’ says Ryan. Is he out on t’pitches? Practising? Practising his free kicks. Practising his penalties. ‘No’ says Brett. Then, after eight months. Eight long, precious, Robbie-less months. Big Sam hears. ‘Brighton Gaffer!’ Brighton?! What’s Brighton? Who is Brighton? Where does he play? Sounds English. Our Craig is ready. Pen in hand. Calculator out. ‘No’ says Stephen. ‘Robbie’s at Brighton. It’s down south.’ Down south?! I’m sick. Physically sick. Our Craig – good lad my Craig – fetches my brown paper bag. I’m sick. I’m sick to my stomach. Robbie. My Robbie. My hope. My playmaker. Down south. There’s no hope. ‘Gays’ says our Craig. ‘Lots of gays down there in that there Brighton.’

Craig wakes me. Says I fainted.

The training goes well. Paul. England’s number one ‘keeper. Paul is a marvel. The lads. My lads. Big Sam’s lads. They’ve swapped the balls with Easter eggs. Easter eggs on sale at Asda. Paul is catching every one. England beckons. Blackburn’s Paul. Big Sam’s Paul. England’s number one again. Put on me Blue Tooth. Nike on Speed-Dial. Will they change the Premiership ball? Hook up with Cadbury? ‘No’. No says Nike. I spit. I spit out my gum. Foreigners. Scuppering England. My England. Fabio. At my desk. Should have been my desk. My gum. My last gum. Stuck on the floor. Stuck on the floor of a Portakabin in Blackburn. Irony. Irony they call it.

No more gum. I send our Craig to Mr Asiv’s round t’corner. Our Craig. Out on his own. I give him some petty cash from t’drawer. Let him keep his ten percent mind. Look after family. Disaster! Disaster strikes Big Sam. The flavour. My flavour. Big Sam’s flavour. Sold out! Our Phil has bought the last pack. Our Phil who came over to show off his Blue Tooth. He’s bought my gum. ‘No sour grape left Dad’ comes our Craig round t’corner, ‘It’s all gone.’ Disaster. I console the boy. Yes. Yes, you can keep that ten percent lad.

I phone Arsene Wenger. Arsene Wenger. Sat in that training ground. All curves and corners. Like Paris I dare say. Arsene puts me on hold. Talking to Gilles. Gilles?! Big Sam is angry. Angry at being on hold. Arsene, on his phone. Sat in his office. In his training ground. Probably sunny down there too. No good. Credit running low. Big Sam doesn’t need his advice. His sports’ nutrition advice. His advice is of no use to Big Sam now. I send our Craig back to Mr Asiv’s. Five pounds credit. Ten percent for our Craig.

I phone Sir Alex. I take notes. Knight of t’relm. Hero. Idol. Martyr. I note it down. Pining. Straining. I listen. I note. Hovis. Check. Dripping. Check. Vimto. Check. Done. Done and dusted. 13th is ours. I won’t tell our Phil mind. Phil has Kia-Ora. Kia-Ora. Too orangey for crows. Too orangey for crows apparently. I tell our Phil that he needs to cut down. Cut down on those tanning salons. Not right. Not at Bolton I told him then. No salons at Bolton. Met Robbie in a salon though. That’s when he left. My Phil. Gone. To Hull. Hurt. Sorrow. Reconciliation. The Kia-Ora is too orangey for crows. Right. Right I tell him. Crows. Crows, bleak, circling. Looking for the weak. The disabled. The dead. There’ll not find that here. Not at Big Sam’s Blackburn. We’re alive. We’re alive and well. We’ve got 13th to fight for.

Switch off lights. No change from t’meter. The phone hasn’t rung. The phone hasn’t rung again. The red phone our Craig installed. The red phone our Craig installed last year. The phone linked direct to t’FA. It’s not rung. It’s not rung again. That job were mine. Too big. Too big for t’job. Capello. Italian. Managing my England. Big Sam’s England. Not right is that.

Blue Tooth bleeps. Bleeping that Phil, our Phil is calling. Can he take me to see Kightly? Kightly. Big Mick’s lad, down t’road at Wolves. English. English lad. Next Beckham. Next English Beckham. ‘No’ says I. Big Sam is off. Big Sam is scouting with our Craig. Craig is next to me in t’car. A Rover. British. A British motor. A lovely big British motor. Our Craig is checking. Checking flights. Checking tickets. Checking passports. Checking he’s packed the scotch eggs. Checking for holes in t’roads. Four thousand. Four thousand holes in t’road they say. Flight’s booked. Bag’s packed. Ginster’s in glove compartment. Donetsk. Ukraine. Brazilian lad. Jadson. Do well. Do well up north. Have to move Dunny along though.

Every opposing coach has the same dilemma when facing Barcelona. How do you stop a player who has 72 goals in 89 games under Pep Guardiola along with a massive array of assists? Can you find a tactically disciplined player to man-mark him, or is it a joint effort? Here are some suggestions on how to stop the best player in the world.

Stop him from cutting inside

18 of Lionel Messi’s astonishing tally of 25 league goals have come from the Argentine’s left foot as he frequently turns his full-back inside out before shifting inside to slot home. If teams can force him down the line, the chances of him having an influence on the game diminish (although a very good full-back is required to stop Messi from dribbling around the outside of his marker into the box).

Deny him space

Barcelona’s biggest test last season came against Chelsea in the Champion’s League semi-final, who played an extremely conservative game in both legs, relying on counter-attacks and the physical prowess of Didier Drogba and Michael Essien. Messi’s influence was limited as Chelsea denied him space in behind by packing the defence. Even so, he assisted Iniesta’s dramatic winner in the 93^rd minute by playing the ball back across the 18 yard line instead attempting a probing pass. It was an unlucky night for Hiddink’s men, having been denied clear-cut penalty decisions by the hapless Tom Henning Ovrebo.

Stop the overlapping runs of Dani Alves

The Brazilian right-back’s dynamism complements the artistry of Messi very well, as the duo often double up and isolate opposing full-backs to create chances on goal. Teams could also play a high pressing game, as Stuttgart did, and deploy an attacking threat up against Alves to limit his forward forays. Stopping this link-up with Messi makes sense, as it would force Alves to defend, which is not his greatest strength, given his proclivity to make rash challenges.

Stop the supply

They call Gerard Pique ‘Piquenbauer’ these days at the Nou Camp, given his ability to pick out accurate passes from the back, starting several Barcelona attacks. Similarly, Xavi, Barcelona’s heartbeat, must be closed down as he dictates the majority of Pep Guardiola’s side’s passing patterns. The Spanish maestro has a tendency to arrive in pockets of space undetected, often playing killer passes inside the full-back for Messi or Dani Alves to run into. These two players must be pressed, because without the ball Messi is diminished.

Play at a high tempo

The majority of sides lack the intensity to worry Barcelona (Sevilla and Villarreal, the rare exceptions this season) but in Europe, Stuttgart genuinely worried the Catalans in a barn-storming first-leg performance (before being destroyed by Messi in the return leg on the expansive Nou Camp pitch). Rushing the tiki-taka philosophy instilled in Barcelona players is necessary to starve Messi of the ball. Arsenal players have high fitness levels and could perform such a job.

Use a quick full-back

Manchester United and Chelsea are two sides that have caused Messi to struggle over the years. It is no coincidence that the two Premier League sides employ two of the best full-backs in the game: Patrice Evra and Ashley Cole. Both have outstanding physical attributes but also mentally sharp enough to watch his runs and act accordingly. The ultimate compliment was afforded to Evra in last season’s Champions League final when Guardiola played Messi in the middle, switching him with Samuel Eto’o. While Gael Clichy is not in the same class as his Premier League counterparts, on form he can neutralise any opponent (so Arsenal must hope he doesn’t rush into a challenge and make simple errors).

The last resort of desperate men

Technically limited players could resort to wrestling Messi to the ground - still no mean feat given the outrageous balance the Argentine genius has. Tactical fouling in areas high up the pitch is another option, with players taking turns to foul Messi, reducing the risk of clocking up yellow cards. In addition to this, teams need massive amounts of luck to stop Messi from stamping his mark on the game. Chelsea played out a near-perfect game against Barcelona and Messi last season, but still lost.

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.

Mourinho’s narcissistic and solipsistic nature means he is always likely to attempt to feed his ego by gathering the support of a greater majority rather than take the morally correct option. For a tactician renowned for his excellent man-management skills, this is exceptionally poor form. As for Lippi, one can learn a lot about his qualities through his previous assertions in the media:

“In the current climate, two national team players could never be involved in an open relationship. This is not a question of culture but is more related to the fact that such a relation would create conflicts contrary to the interests of the dynamics of the group. Imagine how a homosexual couple in football would be perceived. Even if, socially, most people would support and understand such a situation it would nonetheless become magnified and eventually would be viewed negatively.”

Having moved over from defending homophobia to racism, Lippi has defended the fans of former club Juventus, whose minority of extremist fans have taken to two chants in particular, with ‘If you jump up and down, Balotelli dies’ and ‘A negro cannot be Italian’ explaining why it is predominantly Balotelli of all the Black footballers in Serie A that is targeted for abuse. The youngster was born to Ghanaian parents in Palermo, the Italian capital, abandoned and then adopted at the age of two by the Balotelli household from Brescia.

Those who argue that the abuse directed at ‘Super Mario’ is not racist but directed at his general attitude use the examples of other black Italians in Stefano Okaka Chuka and Fabiano Santacroce, both of whom have not suffered anywhere near the level of racism that Balotelli regularly receives from opposition fans, perhaps because his career has been far more successful, pushing him into the national spotlight.

The fact remains that using the term ‘Black’ in any chant where the intent is clearly derogatory is racist, irrespective of whether the abuse is individualised or general. Balotelli’s Inter team-mate Samuel Eto’o suffered similar abuse from opposition fans in Spain, during his time at Barcelona, yet fellow Black team-mates such as Ronaldinho were not. Here is where Mourinho and Lippi’s denials break down:

“If the problem was purely racist, I don’t see why they would not have shouted something at (Inter’s Sulley) Muntari and (Patrick) Vieira, who have exactly the same skin colour as Balotelli. Evidently there are other things. Turin has never been racist. There are chants against white footballers that are much worse than other chants. I don’t think there was racist intent on the part of those who did the chants, but a desire to offend someone for various reasons created within the context of the game.”

Balotelli’s nature has always been one of a confident, bold person and perhaps this adds to the abuse, but the underlying fact is fans have used his skin colour to attack arguably unappealing, often controversial character. This was again the case on Wednesday as fans of Chievo Verona abused the Italian youngster as he scored the winner in the day’s early kick-off. Balotelli’s frustration at the racism was evident after the game as he stated: “Every time I come to Verona, the city disgusts me even more.” What was worse was Mourinho dismissing his own player’s protestations, instead choosing to dwell on his own reaction to abuse in a self-congratulatory tone:

“Let’s not get too carried away by it. I also heard a few unsavoury things about myself, but I just ignore it.”

In addition to this clear lack of support from his own coach, Balotelli was also criticized by the Mayor of Verona, Flavio Tosi, a member of the ‘Liga Veneta-Lega Nord’ political party. Tosi has taken a clear anti-immigration policy, closing the gypsy camp of Boscomantico, while being found guilty of the instigation of racism in 2004 and the promotion of a hatred campaign in 2007, although he was belatedly deemed innocent of both, with the Italian Court of Cassation stating it is acceptable to discriminate against the Roma people on the grounds that they are thieves but that Tosi is prejudiced and not racist. Yet, it is clear what sort of man Tosi is through his political career and his comments in retaliation to a frustrated Balotelli’s outburst against racism in Verona:

“Balotelli is just a little kid who is immature and presuming. He will never be a champion. The real champions are those who show humility and have good sense. Balotelli doesn’t have these qualities. Taking things out on the Chievo fans, who are among the best in Italy, is a paradox. Poor Balotelli will never be a champion.”

While a significant proportion of the Italian population is not racist, the reaction to other Black Italians making significant strides in the spotlight will reveal whether the issue is widespread or not. Italy’s immigrant total is reaching close to 7% of the population. With football so prominent in the media spotlight, it must be used as a tool for positive social change and influential figures such as Lippi and Mourinho must not cover the issue but confront it. Lippi has called up Napoli defender Fabiano Santacroce, born to an Italian father and a Brazilian mother, to the national team squad, stating:

“We live in intolerant times. If the presence of Santacroce with the national team sends a message against racism, I am happy about that.”

Now, if only, he could condemn the abuse Mario Balotelli receives and even attempt to break the taboo against homosexual relationships in team sports, rather than conform to the social norm as he has done. He, along with Mourinho and other coaches also, is in a position to do, but it depends whether he has the cojones to do so. Italian football would be better for it.

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”.

Juninho Pernambucano – Best Free Kick (24/02/09)

In this first leg at the Stade Gerland, Lyon were facing ‘the best team in the world’ according to their manager Claude Puel. For all of Barcelona’s class, Lyon had one player capable of matching the class of the Catalans on this February night.

Widely acknowledged as the best free-kick taker in the world, with several techniques of taking a dead ball (and far more accomplished than others like Beckham), this Brazilian playmaker took a shot when most would think a cross is most sensible.

The ball took a frightening dip at the end of its flight, rendering Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes totally helpless. We’ve seen players like Ronaldo and Drogba take some fantastic free-kicks from distance, but this one was far more to do with technique than power.

Seydou Keita – Best Passing Move (14/04/09)

Barcelona had effectively killed off the tie in the first leg, but this tie in the Allianz Arena was more to do with maintaining that aura of invincibility. Franck Ribery took the lead for Bayern, but the passing football that the Catalans are so famous for provided the perfect response.

Seydou Keita, remoulded by Pep Guardiola from a defensive shield into a more attacking midfielder, added the final touch, after striking a lethal effort from 25 yards after a fantastic 19-pass move, evoking comparisons to Cambiasso’s goal after Argentina’s fantastic passing move in 2006.

Yoann Gourcuff  – Best Fred Astaire Impression (11/01/09)

This effort against PSG in a 4-0 win was voted Goal of the Year in Ligue Un, as Yoann Gourcuff confirmed what many were suggesting, as a successor Zinedine Zidane was found. 

Zidane’s former France team-mate Christophe Dugarry said of this stunning piece of balletic magic: “That goal was no accident. It showed there was something magical about him. I felt ill when Zidane retired. Watching Gourcuff has cured me. When I see players like him, I feel like a small boy again.”

Grafite  - Best Dribble (04/04/09)

This goal was the icing on the cake as Wolfsburg stormed to the Bundesliga title, as the Brazilian Grafite scored the fifth in the 5-1 thrashing of the reigning champions Bayern Munich. Grafite was the top scorer in the league, ably assisted by Edin Dzeko and Misimovic in the most potent triumvirate in the Bundesliga.

Cristiano Ronaldo  - Best Long Range Goal (15/04/09)

This goal just won the inaugural FIFA Goal of the Year award, and such a decision is difficult to argue with. Ronaldo fired in a bullet from 40 yards to score the only goal of the game against Porto in this quarter-final second leg, clinching a semi-final against Arsenal. In what would turn out to be his final season at Old Trafford, Ronaldo led Manchester United to a third consecutive league title and another European Cup final.

Michael Essien - Best Volley (06/05/09)

On his weaker foot, Michael Essien scored the sweetest volley of his career against Barcelona. It could have been the most important goal of his career too; for Essien’s stunning effort to open the scoring in this semi-final second leg was overshadowed by a little Spaniard in the very same game.

Andres Iniesta - Best Last Gasp goal (06/05/09)

This stunning injury time equaliser sent ten-man Barcelona into the final against Manchester United, where they would eventually prevail. It was the little Spaniard who was said to have a refusal to shoot, always preferring to lay on one more pass.

Desperate times call for desperate measures as Iniesta immersed himself in the moment and into the history books. Of course, the game was far from over, as Chelsea had a penalty appeal turned down, prompting Ballack and Drogba to have massive tantrums in the direction of referee Tom Henning Ovrebo.

The most important moment in a year where Barcelona won all available (six!) trophies, scored 105 league goals, dominated the Champions League final and were a pleasure to watch in general.

Eliran Atar - Best Overhead Kick  (07/02/09)

The Bnei Yehuda player scored this fantastic acrobatic effort in an Israeli league match against Maccabi Netania. We know little about the context but this was a brilliant technical effort. Enjoy it.

Federico Macheda - Best Debut goal (05/04/09)

This young Italian kept Manchester United’s title challenge on track with a fantastic late winner against a stubborn Aston Villa side, with the game ending 3-2. Macheda was drafted into the squad as a reward for scoring a hat-trick against Newcastle in the Reserve League, as Ferguson had another fine piece of management attributed to him. He scored another winner in a subsequent game at Sunderland, as United eventually won their third consecutive title.

UEFA have had massive publicity in the past week – mainly for the wrong reasons. Wednesday night’s Champions League qualifier at the Emirates Stadium was at the centre of the controversy. Eduardo dived after minimal contact from Arthur Boruc – that much is true. What followed is ridiculous.

Firstly, a charge was administered to the Brazil-born Croatian based on Article 10, paragraph 1c of their regulations which deals with ‘acting with the obvious intent to cause any match official to make an incorrect decision’. The prospect of a two-match ban is being mentioned for Eduardo, assuming he can be proven to have acted with intent and a desire to cheat and deceive the referee. While the player dived, there was minimal contact with Boruc. Can UEFA prove this clearly? It does seem unlikely.

It seems that UEFA have suddenly decided to pull out a rule barely referred to in the history of the Champions League. A cynic would argue this organisation is acting upon the media hysteria in Scotland and England. But that is exactly what is happening. The last time a player was banned for diving also involved a Scottish side. Lithuanian Saulius Mikoliunas did so against the national side. Of course the coincidence has led to Wenger claiming the Scottish influence at UEFA has led to the charge being administered. UEFA general secretary David Taylor, a Scot, said of Wenger’s comments:

“It’s our duty to apply the rules without fear or favour. We simply refer the matter to the disciplinary committee, which is independent.”

Wenger’s dismay at how UEFA informed Arsenal of the charge is understandable. A number of senior officials were in Monaco for the CL group stage draw and could have easily been informed by UEFA. Instead a fax was sent to the club, where it was only spotted by a junior worker, who informed Wenger of UEFA’s rash decision.

The retrospective ban has opened the door to a dangerous path for UEFA. When a player is caught simulating a tumble by the referee on the pitch, he is in most cases cautioned. Why the sudden increase in punishment if the action has been taken after the match? It makes little sense and lacks any consistency.

Now, every single decision by the referee could be undermined. Of course it won’t, because UEFA are only acting due to the media attention this particular dive has received. Was there an outcry when Tony Hibbert tried to buy a penalty as Everton lost to Burnley? Or when Ashley Young tumbled twice against Rapid Vienna? In fact, Sky Sports even reported the incident as legitimate when it clearly wasn’t. In fact Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard have done it also.

Except, when these England internationals do it, they are rarely called on it and their tumbles are euphemistically referred to. ‘He was light on his feet there’ is a particular favourite of commentators in Britain. It does seem that there is a media agenda to make sure the general consensus remains that English players are honest and it is only foreigners who have polluted the beautiful game with their cheating. And UEFA have fallen for it.

Perhaps it would have been different if Vienna had been eliminated due to such acts of simulation, but even then one doubts whether the voices of the Austrian side are deemed important enough for the executives at UEFA to even consider. Wenger asked for consistency and unsurprisingly he hasn’t got it. These quotes from Wenger were on Arsenal.com after the match, but subsequently edited from the match reaction article:

“UEFA you know has made the case with Eduardo. You watched the game last night. They will have to charge Messi for head butting last night or they will lose credibility. They’ve opened something there. Over the weekend, I’ll find you fifty situations where they can intervene, and if they don’t Eduardo will be singled out for being the wrong victim because Pedro of Barcelona dived as well last night. I don’t think that Eduardo’s case has any logic because you look again well at what happened; he was touched. We had clear proof from behind; he was touched on his right leg.”

Of course nothing is likely to be done because consistency is not a word Platini and co. wants to hear. A cynic might say this one incident may have been jumped on by UEFA to allow further publicity of Platini’s personal crusade to introduce more referees in each match. Of course, no-one will mention that only video technology could have been used to actually find the footage to allow them to charge Eduardo for diving.

Perhaps Platini’s blatant dislike for Wenger’s youth policy (which means that Arsenal have had a lack of home-grown youth players - although that may not be the case now) could be another reason as to why this particular incident has been targeted. Furthermore, Platini himself admitted that he has dived:

“I know why players do it - because I’ve dived myself. I did it because I knew the referee wouldn’t see me trying it on and also because there were no cameras either. If we thought we could get away with it, we would!”

After all, it was Platini’s personal intervention which led to this incident being looked into. The Scottish workers at the SFA or UEFA did not refer this case to be investigated into according to David Taylor, but Platini. While Wenger is refusing to admit his player dived, the majority of his arguments are very convincing against the laughable actions of UEFA.

He will receive one apology from the FA after being sent off for kicking a bottle in frustration after Arsenal failed to force an equaliser against Manchester United on Saturday in a 2-1 defeat. Mike Dean, under the advice of his 4^th official, sent the Arsenal manager to the stands. There was no way into the stands and Wenger ended up standing in the middle of the United fans with an expression perplexed at the farcical decision of the match officials.

Will Wenger receive another apology, this time from UEFA, for how his club have been treated in this incident? Don’t bet on it.

Group Stage draw excites

Kaka will return to the San Siro to face his former club AC Milan after a £56m move to Real Madrid earlier this summer. President Florentino Perez expects European success after such a massive transfer outlay in which Albiol, Benzema, Alonso, Granero, Arbeloa and Ronaldo were also acquired. Madrid has been knocked out in the Round of 16 for the past five years and will not want to make it six in a row, especially when the final will be held at the Bernabeu.

Meanwhile Samuel Eto’o and Zlatan Ibrahimovic will face their former clubs after Inter and Barcelona were drawn in the same group. Other possibly mouth-watering ties will occur in Group A, where Bayern Munich, powered by Robben and Ribery, with face Diego’s Juventus and Gourcuff’s Bordeaux. Elsewhere, Liverpool faces a rejuvenated Lyon side, led by the fiery Lisandro Lopez, and a decent Fiorentina side.

Manchester United face long trips to Turkey and Russia but should qualify with ease. Chelsea face an always tricky Atletico Madrid but have a decent draw overall, while Arsenal should top their group, although Standard Liege represent a big threat, having troubled Liverpool and Everton in recent years. The full draw is below:

Group A: Bayern Munich, Juventus, Bordeaux , Maccabi Haifa

Group B: Manchester United, CSKA Moscow, Besiktas, Wolfsburg

Group C: AC Milan, Real Madrid, Marseille, FC Zurich

Group D: Chelsea, Porto, Atletico Madrid, Apoel FC

Group E: Liverpool, Lyon, Fiorentina, Debreceni

Group F: Barcelona, Internazionale, Dynamo Kiev, FC Rubin Kazan

Group G: Sevilla, Rangers, VfB Stuttgart, Unirea Uriziceni

Group H: Arsenal, AZ Alkmaar, Olympiakos, Standard Liege.