FIFA president Sepp Blatter has confirmed that world football's governing body will discuss the use of goal-line technology, following the controversy of Frank Lampard's 'goal' in the World Cup loss to Germany.
With England trailing 2-1, Lampard's superb chip beat goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and bounced down well over the line, but the match officials failed to spot the incident correctly and play continued.
Germany went on to secure a comfortable 4-1 victory, while later on that same day, Argentina's 3-1 win over Mexico was marred by Carlos Tevez opening the scoring for a clearly offside position.
Blatter told a media briefing in South Africa:"It is obvious that after the experience so far in this World Cup, it would be a nonsense to not reopen the file of technology at the business meeting of the International FA Board in July.
"Personally I deplore it when you see evident referee mistakes, but it's not the end of a competition or the end of football, this can happen.
"The only thing I can do is yesterday I have spoken to the two federations (England and Mexico) directly concerned by referees mistakes.
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"I have expressed to them apologies and I understand they are not happy and that people are criticising.
"We will naturally take on board the discussion on technology and have first opportunity in July at the business meeting."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Departing striker Eduardo has thanked the Arsenal medical staff who nursed him back to full-fitness following a career-threatening injury.
Eduardo joined Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday in a £6million deal after three years with the Gunners.
During his time at the Emirates Stadium, the Croatia international spent 12 months on the sidelines after suffering a horrific broken leg and dislocated ankle injury during a Premier League game against Birmingham City in February 2008.
"The past few days have been very emotional for me," he told the club's official website.
"Although I am excited about the challenge ahead with my new club Shakhtar Donetsk, I am so sad to be leaving my home for the past three years.
"Arsenal is a very special football club and I will miss so many people – my team-mates, all the staff and, of course, the wonderful Arsenal supporters.
"When I first came to England, I could not speak the language and knew nobody, but as soon as I arrived I was made to feel at home and part of this big family.
"I had some very difficult times with my injury, but Arsenal was always there for me – the medical staff, the management, the players and the supporters. Thank you everybody.
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"Although I have now left the club, Arsenal will always be in my heart.
"I will always look for the Arsenal results and of course, I wish Arsene Wenger and the great players at the club well for next season and the future."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Stoke City boss Tony Pulis has revealed he missed out on the signing of Craig Bellamy.
Bellamy joined hometown club Cardiff City on a season-long loan from Manchester City on Tuesday.
The Wales striker cited his desire to be closer to his family after deciding to make the drop from the Premier League to the Championship.
“We inquired about Craig but unfortunately for us his main concern was getting back to Wales to be close to his young family,” revealed Pulis.
“Cardiff is also his hometown club, so it all fitted for him to make that move instead of the other offers on the table for him.
“Craig is 31 now and has done a hell of a lot of moving over the years when you look at all the clubs he has played for.
“It would have been nice if we could have sorted something out because we all know what an asset he can be as a player.
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“He brings skill and energy to any team and is a born winner full of passion which inspires those around him.”
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Since arriving at St James Park almost three years ago, football fans have seen it all from Joey Barton. Assaults, injury anguish, rows, suspensions and even jail but perhaps his biggest crime of all is not repaying the unconditional loyalty shown to him by Newcastle’s infamous Toon Army.
By his own frank admission he “owes Newcastle United” and what better time to reimburse the fans as they gear up for a challenging Premier League season.
Some people would suggest that football should have longed turned its back on Barton due to his mindless thuggery both off and sometimes on the pitch and whilst I do not condone his list of crimes perhaps this is the year he will rehabilitate a career we all know holds so much talent.
The growth of his comical moustache to build team spirit at Newcastle does not hide his previous sins but it shows a willingness to sacrifice his “hard man” image in order to aid Newcastle’s fight for survival next season. The midfielder sported the facial hair as he helped the Geordies to a penalty shoot-out win against Deportivo La Coruna in the Riazor Stadium and lift the ‘prestigious’ Trofeo Teresa Herrera Cup.
Bushy Barton has done his bit in pre-season and he was also a huge part of Newcastle’s promotion from the Championship last year. The free-kick against Peterborough was wonderful and his pass for Routledge to bag a memorable goal was undoubtedly Premier League class and if Chris Hughton can coax Barton back into the player he was at Man City it will be very much like a “new signing.”
The player himself will hope that in perhaps what is his last chance, the monotonous regularity of his behaviour will be clouded out by a good season on the pitch and build up a rapport with the fans.
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He recently insisted he is “as good as anybody in this country” whilst adding “If I can sustain fitness for a long period of time, I’m very confident of finding the form that got me in the England squad”.
In this case however, given his troubled past, talk, and unless spoken on the pitch is cheap. Newcastle United will hope that he has finally turned a corner that seemed so far away and that he will cast aside the demons which are scrutinised so much more in the Premier League than in the Championship.
Roque Santa Cruz hopes he will now get the chance to impress Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini after a proposed loan switch to Lazio fell through on transfer deadline day.
The former Paraguay international had been expected to leave Eastlands after Mancini told him he would not be part of his first-team plans this season.
However, Santa Cruz hopes that Robinho's permanent move to AC Milan, which was confirmed on Tuesday, will give him a chance to shine.
Lazio had wanted to sign the 29-year-old on a season's loan with a view to a £6.5million permanent move, but Santa Cruz told the Manchester Evening News:"They were there right until the end but they didn't come to an agreement with the club.
"I have heard from the manager he won't be counting on me too much. I heard that a week before the season started and I had time to see if I could arrange a move.
"But in the end the club were happy to keep me and they weren't happy with anything that came through.
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"Now I'll try and prove myself in training and I'm looking forward to taking my chances."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
From the 3 to 7 September 2010, FIFA held its Fair Play Days, for the 14th time. The annual event that encourages fair play, discipline and respect on and off the pitch, coincided with the International match days. “I expect players, officials and fans to set a perfect example of fair play” explained FIFA President Sepp Blatter.
Following my latest Sunday roast, I settled down to watch a mouthwatering afternoon of football. Manchester United V Liverpool. Chelsea V Blackpool. And Athletico Madrid V Barcelona. Unfortunately, it wasn’t so much Rooney’s, Drogba’s and Messi’s football ability that attracted my attention.
During the second half of the Manchester United match, Nani decided to perform two poetic dives. One of which was in the box, aiming to win a penalty, and the other indefinitely halted a promising Liverpool attack. Hardly an example of fair play towards players, officials and fans, from such a talented footballer. Don’t get me wrong, I know he’s not the first, and he certainly won’t be the last.
Was Nani booked? No. Was he punished after the game? No. So where exactly does this leave Sepp Blatter and his comments?
For a moment, the mesmerizing football of Barcelona took my mind off Nani’s actions. Lionel Messi was elegantly running rings around defenders, as he does almost every week. Right up until another incident of note. In the 92nd minute, Tomas Ujfalusi took it upon himself to blatantly kick the World Player of the Year out of the game. A straight red was awarded for Ujfalusi, and an ankle injury to Messi. Again, a kick in the teeth to Blatter’s respect campaign.
All this before I have even mentioned Lee Bowyer’s argument with a fan, Arsene Wenger’s choice of words towards the fourth official, or Marouane Fellaini’s elbow purposely being hurled in the direction of Mike Williamson’s head. And that’s just this weekend.
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So considering the above-mentioned events, you would expect FIFA to step in, on the grounds of disrespect. Nothing. Not a peep from FIFA on any incident. So can somebody please tell me the point in the respect campaign? If nobody adheres to it, then why bother continuing?
Personally, I think the respect campaigns are a superb idea, as long as they’re acted upon. At the moment, the campaign just seems to go as far as a ‘respect’ armband on the referee, and a handshake before the match. Once on the pitch, it appears irrelevant. Address it or ditch it please, Mr Blatter.
Victor Obinna has settled nicely into life in the English Premier League. Scoring once and providing three assists in only six appearances, Obinna’s emergence in the West Ham starting line-up has coincided with an upturn in fortunes for the east London club, with Obinna having tasted defeat only once in claret and blue, on debut, against reigning champions Chelsea, in a 3-1 home defeat.
But with Obinna only on a season-long loan from Italian giants Inter Milan, should the Hammers move swiftly to secure the striker on a more permanent basis? Obinna himself has stated he is enjoying life in England having been snapped up by West Ham in late August and feels his game is suited to the Premier League, stating; “The football is really fast and that’s the kind of football I’m hoping to play. I’ve been trying to adapt and it hasn’t been that difficult for me”. He also noted; “I’m settled now and I’m enjoying myself” adding “This is the kind of football I really wanted to play and I’m really happy to be here”.
So with the striker settled, happy and feeling himself to be a perfect fit for both club and division, is there anything stopping West Ham swooping to secure a permanent deal, or at least an extension to his season-long loan? The only obstacles in West Ham’s way are price and whether Inter Milan are willing to allow the 23 year-old to move on. But having only appeared 9 times for the San Siro club since his move from Chievo in 2008, and having been shipped out on a season-long loan to Malaga before his journey to Upton Park, I am not sure either Obinna or Inter see each other in their respective futures, leaving the door open for the east Londoners.
Obinna’s youth, ambition and footballing ability should make him the perfect candidate for the struggling club, but the Hammers have had their fingers burnt before by burgeoning young talent hailing from the San Siro. Not 12 months previously, Luis Jiménez, a 25 year-old Chilean international, signed from Inter Milan on a season long, was flattering to deceive with his performances in the Premier League, before a dip in form, combined with falling out of favour at West Ham, meant his contract was terminated early by mutual consent, allowing Jiménez to join Parma until the end of the season. Issuing a parting shot that his “experience in the Premier League ha[d] not gone as [he] wanted”, Jiménez has since returned to Chile to ply his trade, and although he is a player that will not live long in the memory at Upton Park, the Jiménez experience will have left the Irons cautious over jumping too quickly to conclusions.
But with Obinna appearing far more settled and involved at the club, already matching Jiménez’s goal tally for the Hammers, and maintaining a first team spot with far more regularity than the Chilean international known in his native country as ‘The Wizard’, Obinna seems to be a far better fit.
If Obinna’s scintillating form continues, there will be far more clubs than just West Ham interested in the 23 year-old, so it is imperative the Irons strike while the proverbial iron is hot, sealing the signature of the Nigerian, in what would be an investment for the club’s future.
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Real Madrid maestro Cristiano Ronaldo has backed former Manchester United team-mate Wayne Rooney to return to top form in the not-too-distant future.
Twenty-five-year-old Rooney, who is currently sidelined with an ankle injury, has scored just once for United this season, while he recently hit the headlines by asking to leave Old Trafford before sensationally signing a new five-year contract.
Ronaldo told The Sun:"Wayne has not started this season very well, but he is still a fantastic player and I know that very soon he will be back to show that.
"He has made his decision to stay with United and sign a new contract and we must all respect that. It's not my position to give him advice on that, but I know that things can change very quickly indeed.
"I didn't start this season very well, either. But it is difficult to play at the highest level all the time.
"I just stayed calm, worked hard and did my job for the team and suddenly I scored a few goals and everything changed.
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"Football is like that. Sometimes we play bad and then you score a goal and everyone thinks differently about you. That will happen for Wayne."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Blackburn Rovers supporters have been told to expect a prudent approach from their prospective new Indian owners.
Venky's, an Indian poultry giant, expect to complete a £45million takeover at Ewood Park in the coming days and will wipe of the club's debt, which reportedly stands at around £16million.
However, they are unlikely to go down the route of some foreign owners of Premier League outfits who have bankrolled their club to record-breaking levels.
Reports claim manager Sam Allardyce will be given just £5million to spend on new players in January.
"We will pump in whatever is needed but the main thing is to get the club back into good shape," Venky's chairperson Anuradha J Desai told the Economic Times.
"This is an investment and it will grow on its own strength.
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"We won't need to buy expensive players, we can always lease (loan) them.
"We don't expect to be in the top five of the Premier League. We will be happy to be in the top 10-12."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Blackburn Rovers midfielder Morten Gamst Pedersen has spoken up in defence of Newcastle United's Joey Barton, after the pair clashed at St James' Park just over a week ago.
Barton was eventually handed a three-match suspension for punching Pedersen in the stomach, but the Norwegian has since received a personal apology from his fellow player and is happy to let the matter lie.
He told the Lancashire Evening Telegraph:"I couldn't answer the phone at that moment, but he left a nice message on my answering machine and I called him up the minute we had finished our team meeting.
"Joey shows that there is more to him than what came out on the pitch the other day, and I really appreciate it.
"It's not everyone who has the courage to call to apologise after such an episode, but Joey did without hesitation.
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"Both me and Joey are professional and fully agree to put this behind us and that we can laugh about the whole thing next time we meet."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email