FIFA World Cup: Vuvuzelas for the Homeless, Refugees and Slumdogs
Indian Holocaust My fatehr`s Life and Time- Four Hundred and SEVENTEEN
Palash Biswas
http://indianholocaustmyfatherslifeandtime.blogspot.com/
Two new chapters in World Cup history will be written at Soccer City on Sunday.
Why do some people deny black people are very good at football/soccer?
Brazil are the best and they are mostly black or have black in them
Pele anyone remember him he remains the best ever!
E'to Henry, Ronaldinho do i need to go on.
France won the world cup with a majority black team
England has a race quatoar or suttin on the sly so they are only letting in a few black people but I know a full or mostly black team like France would make our chances better.
Soccer, the most widely played sport around the world, is quiet possibly the greatest sport of all time. Besides having the power to turn its participants into some of the worlds most conditioned athletes the sport of Soccer is also a symbol of friendship, unity and hope in many of the worlds most impoverished countries. Around the world, Soccer is viewed as a true team sport. Globally, it serves as a uniting factor between the old and the young, the rich and the poor. Athletically soccer players are constantly thinking and moving as a team.
Spain's meeting with Holland guarantees that a new name will be on the trophy by the end of the evening.
Changing lives through a movement called Zhopadpatti (Slum) football
Posted by Vijay Barse - 18/04/2008
I started with conducting matches for slums in our area, to keep them from bad habits. But today 7 years later it has reached a http://webmail.sify.com/mail/?AuthEventSource=SSO#drafts/129c2d59f2870a98national proportion. Our pilot project YOUNGSTARS has been well received with nearly children from 4 villages taking part. We provide them with training followed by milk and then we engage them in studies.
This year we will extending slum football tournament to nearly 20 states in India. Starting at city level, then state level and finishing of at National Level at which the national team is selected. We believe in reaching the last sportsperson, so we start at grassroot and take it to the top.
The rule is "Play the Game", at the local level there is no restriction on kits and shoes the ground measurement also varies. What does not change is the enthusiasm that oversweeps everyone around.
Every year our co-ordinators go to new cities and villages to encourage youth to take up this challenge, out of this youth select local representatives who represent their areas. The team of Krida Vikas Sanstha is ever expanding with new coordinators being added to the board.
Female players are especially encouraged to take part, an all female team is also in preparation and will soon feature at our national tournament.
Taking a cue from this we have also started a year round project especially targeting the rural young children. We take pride in saying that football has not only changed their lives but also the lives of their parent. The children are reporting better grades in their schools which has boosted parents interest in the game.
Every year, The Homeless World Cup showcases this sports awesome power to change the world. This annual, international football tournament gives teams of homeless athletes a once-in-a-lifetime chance to represent their countries and change their lives forever. Every year, an estimated 73% of these homeless athletes change their lives, and serve as real life role models for millions of other impoverished people, by coming off drugs and alcohol, attaining jobs, education, homes, training, reuniting with their families and even going on to become players and coaches for pro or semi-pro football teams.
And, with over one billion homeless people living all over the world today The Homeless World Cup has no shortage of participants or supporters. In fact, this international tournament is backed by such giants as UEFA, Nike, Manchester United, The United Nations, and international footballers Didier Drogba and Rio Ferdinand.
Today, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is confirmed as the host city for the 8th annual Homeless World Cup. On September 19th homeless soccer players from all 5 continents will gather in Copacabana beach to play ball and help better our world one goal at a time. Of course, both the people of Brazil and the officials of The Homeless world Cup are overjoyed. According to Mel Young, President of The Homeless World Cup, Rio is the perfect location to host the 2010 Homeless World Cup. Brazil is the home of football with many of its star players rising from the streets of Brazil to the global football stage.
The most famous team to enter The Homeless World Cup is the South African team. This team gained international exposure when it became the subject of Demetrius Wrens new documentary, Streetball. Martin Africa, a 31 year-old man from Cape Town became the main focus of this documentary and the face of The Homeless World Cup when he said to the documentary crew, I want to change my life. What I really want is just to have a house, have a job, and to have my son in my arms every day. Thats all. And I wont give up hope. If you give up hope you might as well die.
Homeless World Cup
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (October 2008) |
The Homeless World Cup is an international football tournament, where teams made up entirely of people who are homeless compete. The event has been held annually since 2003. The latest Homeless World Cup was held in Milan, Italy in September 2009.
Contents[hide] |
[edit] Origin
It was at the end of the 2001 International Network of Street Papers Conference in Cape Town, South Africa that Mel Young, co-founder of The Big Issue Scotland, and Harald Schmied, editor of Megaphon, a street paper in Austria, came up with the idea for the Homeless World Cup. Whilst searching for an international language to unite homeless people around the world, they realised one existed. Mel Young, and Harald Schmied decided to make it happen and 18 months later the first tournament took place in Graz, Austria. It was such a success, with a profound and visible impact on the players, never seen before, that they decided to do more.
[edit] History
[edit] 2003 Homeless World Cup
The first Homeless World Cup was held in Graz, Austria
- Fair Play Award: Switzerland
- Golden Shoe Award for best goalscorer: Tremayne Gomes (Template:Jamaica, 37 goals)
As a testament to its success, 31 of the 141 players from the 2003 tournament held regular jobs a year later.[1]
[edit] 2004 Homeless World Cup
The 2004 Homeless World Cup took place in Gothenburg, Sweden from 25 July to 1 August. The list of participants increased from 18 teams in 2003 to 29 teams in 2004. Italy beat defending champions Austria in the final, 4-0.
The top finishers were:
- Fair Play Award: Japan
- Best Goalkeeper Award: Kevin Wilson ( England)
- Golden Shoe Award for best goalscorer: Adamenko Yevgen ( Ukraine, 53 goals)
[edit] 2005 Homeless World Cup
The 2005 Homeless World Cup took place in Princes Street Gardens in the centre of Edinburgh, Scotland from 20 - 24 July and Italy managed to defend their title. 2005's initial host, New York, had to back out because of issues in obtaining visas for the homeless players. 32 teams and 250 players were due to participate in the event but five African teams were refused entry to the UK, leaving 27 nations to compete.[2]
The top finishers were:
- Fair Play Award: United States
- Best New Team: Australia
One year after the 2005 Homeless World Cup 77% of players have significantly changed their lives forever moving into jobs, education and training, coming off drugs and alcohol, finding homes and renewing relationships with their families.
[edit] 2006 Homeless World Cup
The host city in 2006 was Cape Town, South Africa. From 24-30 September, teams from 48 nations competed for the championship title. 496 players participated, scoring over 1800 goals in more than 300 matches.
The top finishers:
Several other titles were also awarded:
- City of Edinburgh Cup Winners: Ireland; runners up – Finland
- City of Cape Town Cup Winners: Zambia; runners up – Lithuania
- Big Issue Cape Town Cup Winners: Scotland; runners up – Slovakia
- INSP Trophy Winners: Burundi; runners up – Argentina
- Premier's Cup Winners: Kenya; runners up – Ukraine
- Best Fair Play Team: Slovakia
- Best Mixed Team: Paraguay
- Best Female Player: Lindsay Cooper, Scotland
- Best Male Player: Ronald Siame, Zambia
- Best Newcomer: Kazakhstan
- Best Goalkeeper: Elliott Clow, Canada
[edit] Kicking It Documentary
The 2006 Homeless World Cup was the subject of a documentary entitled Kicking It.[3][4] directed by Susan Koch and Jeff Werner focusing on the experiences of seven homeless people at the Homeless World Cup football (soccer) game. Featured in the documentary, narrated by actor Colin Farrell were residents of Afghanistan; Kenya; Dublin, Ireland; Charlotte, North Carolina; Madrid, Spain and St. Petersburg in Russia. The film premiered in January, 2008 at the Sundance Film Festival and is being distributed by Liberation Entertainment, Netflix and ESPN.
[edit] 2007 Homeless World Cup
The host city in 2007 was Copenhagen, Denmark. From 29 July - 4 August, teams from 48 nations competed for the championship title, with Scotland winning the title.[5]
The top finishers:
[edit] 2008 Homeless World Cup
The 2008 tournament was held in Melbourne, Australia, from 1-7 December, at two parks: Federation Square and Birrarung Marr.[6] It had a new record of participating projects. National Teams from 56 nations gathered in Melbourne. Amongst them, for the first time, eight all-female teams competed in the Homeless Women's World Cup.[7] Afghanistan won the men's title, defeating Russia 5-4 in the final.[8] Zambia won the inaugural Homeless Women's World Cup, defeating Liberia 7-1 in the final.[9]
The top finishers were:
[edit] 2009 Homeless World Cup
The 2009 tournament was held in Milan, Italy, from 6-13 September, at the Arena Civica, Sempione Park [10], and featured 500 players from 48 nations.
The top finishers were:
A series of additional cups were awarded as follows:
- Dignitary Cup Winners: Chile
- City Cup Winners: South Africa
- Host Cup Winners: Italy
- Community Cup Winners: Wales
- INSP Networking Trophy Winners: Belgium
[edit] 2010 Homeless World Cup
The 2010 tournament will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at Copacabana beach in September 19-26 2010[11].
[edit] 2011 Homeless World Cup
The 2011 tournament will be held in Paris, France, at a location near the Eiffel Tower[12].
[edit] The Tournament
[edit] Player Eligibility
Players must:
- Be male or female and at least 16 years old at the time of the tournament
- Have been homeless at some point after the previous year's World Cup OR
- Make their main living income as a streetpaper vendor OR
- Be asylum seekers (who have neither positive asylum status nor working permit)
Anyone can participate regardless of his or her ability.
[edit] Participants
A maximum of 4 players per team on the court:
- 3 outfield players,
- 1 goalkeeper,
- Plus 4 substitution players (rolling substitution allowed)
[edit] Tournament details
- The winning team gets 3 points. The losing team zero. If a match ends in a draw, it is decided by sudden-death penalty shootup.
In this case the winning team gets three points and the losing team gets one point.
- Games are 14 minutes long, in two seven-minute halves.
- The field is 22m (long) x 16m (wide).
[edit] References
- ^ "Homeless football cup under way". BBC News Online. 2004-07-26. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3926323.stm. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
- ^ "Kick off for Homeless World Cup". BBC News Online. 2005-07-20. http://news.bbc.co.uk/nolpda/ukfs_news/hi/newsid_4696000/4696999.stm. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
- ^ "Kicking It" documentary official website
- ^ Palmer, Nancy Doyle (2008-06-01). "Spotlight: Susan Koch". Washingtonian. http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/8004.html. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
- ^ "Scotland win Homeless World Cup". BBC News Online. 2007-08-05. http://news.bbc.co.uk/nolpda/ifs_news/hi/newsid_6931000/6931518.stm. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
- ^ "Melbourne 2008". HomelessWorldCup.org. http://www.homelessworldcup.org/content/melbourne-2008. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
- ^ "Homeless World Cup groups". HomelessWorldCup.org. http://www.homelessworldcup.org/groups. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
- ^ Cooke, Dewi (2008-12-08). "Afghanistan United: homeless soccer stars hold the cup aloft". The Age. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/12/07/1228584656812.html. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
- ^ Crawford, Fiona (2008-12-07). "Zambia takes the crown". HomelessWorldCup.org. http://www3.homelessworldcup.org/zine/news/zambia-takes-the-crown. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
- ^ "Milan 2009". HomelessWorldCup.org. http://www.homelessworldcup.org/content/milano-2009. Retrieved 2009-09-21.
- ^ "Joy as RIO and PARIS win 2010 and 2011 Homeless World Cup bids.". HomelessWorldCup.org. http://www.homelessworldcup.org/zine/news/joy-as-rio-and-paris-win-2010-and-2011-homeless-world-cup-bids-surprise-2013-win-for-poznan. Retrieved 2010-02-04.
- ^ "Joy as RIO and PARIS win 2010 and 2011 Homeless World Cup bids.". HomelessWorldCup.org. http://www.homelessworldcup.org/zine/news/joy-as-rio-and-paris-win-2010-and-2011-homeless-world-cup-bids-surprise-2013-win-for-poznan. Retrieved 2010-02-04.
[edit] External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Homeless World Cup |
Sunday, July 11, 2010
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- Mehbooba rebuffs PM on J&K all-party meet
- PDP President has rebuffed PM's request to attend the all-party meeting called on Monday by J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah
- • Maharashtra-Karnataka border row picks up steam
- • From Paharganj streets to Atlanta: A love story
- • 'Honour' killing is a global phenomenon
The 'Goalden' Finale!
http://in.msn.com/
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Download IE8
- Mehbooba rebuffs PM on J&K all-party meet
- PDP President has rebuffed PM's request to attend the all-party meeting called on Monday by J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah
- • Maharashtra-Karnataka border row picks up steam
- • From Paharganj streets to Atlanta: A love story
- • 'Honour' killing is a global phenomenon
The 'Goalden' Finale!
- Is Mani Ratnam a spent force?
- Why is Mani Ratnam repeating himself? Should Mani punish himself with rigorous forest schedules, when what matters is a polished script?
- • MSN's incisive dissection of 'Raavan'
- • Star Wars: 'Raavan' vs. 'Raavanan'
Wearing it again
Top 500bhp super-league cars
EDITOR'S PICKS
http://in.msn.com/RIL should bid to take over BP
11 Jul 2010, 0730 hrs IST,Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiyar,TNNTopics:
- India
- Mukesh Ambani
- united states
- BP
- British Petroleum
- Gulf of Mexico
- Mobil
- Macondo well
*
The share price of British Petroleum, the fourth largest company in the world, has halved after causing the greatest environmental disaster in history. Its out-of-control Macondo well is spewing thousands of barrels of oil daily into the Gulf of Mexico, killing birds and sea life and ruining tourist beaches and the livelihoods of fishermen. It has been obliged to suspend dividends and put $20 billion into an escrow account from which damages will be paid.
But disaster for some means opportunity for others. Mukesh Ambani suddenly has an opportunity to take over the fourth largest company in the world. Reliance is small compared with the global oil majors. Yet the stock market has driven down BP's market value to just $100 billion, not far above Reliance's $80 billion.
Mukesh could offer a merger in which two Reliance shares would be exchanged for every BP share, giving BP shareholders a substantial premium over their current market value. This would, however, carry the risk of sinking Reliance if BP itself is driven into bankruptcy by a failure to plug the Macondo well.
So Mukesh can explore a less risky option. BP seeks a big investment in its shares to lift market confidence, and has approached sovereign wealth funds and rich Arabs. But these investors burned their fingers when they bought into distressed US banks (notably Citibank) in 2008, and then suffered huge losses when the banks plunged into near-bankruptcy. Once bitten, twice shy.
Mukesh is not a passive investor. He wants control. So, he could buy a 10% to 15 % stake in BP, which at current prices would cost between $10 billion and $15 billion. This will give Mukesh a Board seat, not total control of BP. But he can increase his stake later and acquire control once the Macondo well is capped, limiting the damages BP will have to pay.
Borrowing $10 billion to $15 billion for this strategy will be easy for a company with a market value of $80 billion. Borrowing this sum will still leave Reliance with a very respectable debt-equity ratio of less than one. It has a strong balance sheet, with cash in hand of $5 billion. It will not suffer the mountainous debt-equity ratios that burdened Tata Steel in taking over Corus, or Hindalco in taking over Novellis.
Also Read
→ Reliance Power, RNRL merger ratio fixed at 1:4, deal in line with market rate of stocks
BP is well worth taking over, despite the risk. If the disaster costs BP $20 billion in damages, this will be paid out over several years, and will be well within the capacity of a company with a net profit of $21 billion in 2009. Even if damages ultimately cost between $40 billion and $50 billion, that will be affordable if spread over five to ten years, which is likely. President Obama has no desire to drive BP into bankruptcy; he wants it to remain viable and pay the damages.
Buying into BP carries risks, but is justified by the bargain share price. BP trades today at a price-earnings ratio of just 5.1, compared to 13.4 for Exxon-Mobil and 12.56 for Conoco-Philips, its two main US rivals. There remains some uncertainty whether BP will succeed in plugging the Macondo well. It is drilling two relief wells, giving itself two chances to drill into the cursed well and kill it. The technology is well-tested, and should work.
Reliance is not famous for taking big risks abroad.
It has long had a rule of thumb: all its projects in India should promise a return of at least 20%, and all foreign ventures should promise at least 30% (to compensate for higher risks abroad). Reliance's great comparative advantage in India has always been its ability to influence government policy, an advantage it lacks abroad. That is one reason why its foreign ventures to date have been so modest. It has gone for small oil exploration projects in Yemen, Iraq, Oman, Colombia and East Timor. It acquired Hoechst's polyester plant in Germany, but that failed and had to be closed. This showed how much more difficult operations were abroad.
What would Dhirubhai Ambani have done had he been alive? Some regard him as simply a master manipulator, but he was also a visionary. His vision of making telephone calls cheaper than postcards was achieved. His vision of building the largest oil refinery in the world was also achieved. I think Dhirubhai would have gone all out to take over BP. This is the fourth-largest company in the world. Along with Reliance's own sales, a BP takeover would put his company in a strong position to become world number one. That's the sort of goal Dhirubhai would have gone for.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/RIL-should-bid-to-take-over-BP/articleshow/6153447.cms
Fifa worldcup is CARNIVAL time for MNCs and India Incs which have generated Excellent Mileage in strategic Marketing! But it is something more than Sports and Business. Thus, I may not support the Dutch team fearing Resurgence of apartheid once again. Football reminds us Kieve Dynamo, Great Escape to Victory and the Robben Island. It reminds us, Hitler and his Fascism as well as General Franco and absolute Power.
Excitement built on Sunday ahead of a mouth-watering climax of Africa's first World Cup and Nelson Mandela's family said he would try to attend, a presence that would cap national joy over a successful tournament.
As orange and red clad Dutch and Spaniards roamed the streets and converged on the giant Soccer City stadium, Mandela's grandson Mandla told Reuters the much-loved father of post-apartheid South Africa wanted to greet the fans.
I have been a Fan of Dutch Total Football. Cruef, Gullit, Basten, Riecard, Cluivert, Davids, Overmars have always played very well. But there had been Black and white DIVIDE all the times which seems to be absent in almost White DutchTeam this time. I would have opted for Holland this time as I Never did favour Monopoly in any sphere of life. But the Dutch success is related to apartheid so much so, that I may not dare to indulge myself in the magic of Total football.
Mandla said Mandela, who is in frail health at the age of 91, would rest before deciding whether he could come for a while to greet fans at the final after a tournament that has boosted national pride and defied predictions of chaos and disaster.
Mandela, who led South Africa out of apartheid in 1994, missed the June 11 opening ceremony after his great grand-daughter was killed in a car accident the night before.
On the streets of Johannesburg, hordes of Dutch and Spanish fans tried to out-do each other with songs and the most outlandish outfits as locals gleefully joined the party, painting their faces and wearing the flag of their favorites.
I did put my stakes on African and Asian teams bypassing the favourite Latin american Argentina and Brazil, our Love, Romance and Passion! But our Asian and African brothers failed to qualify for Semi Finals. Then, the only Latin American team URUGUAY also failed to make it to the Finals. Despite the Devil`s hand in the dying moments of Quarterfinal match which GHANA should have won, URUGUAY played an Excellent Tournament Throughout after making to Semi Finals after Forty years. For me not the European stars, the Latin American FORLANS deserve to have the Gold Ball this time!
I loved sports and used to play Hockey as well as Football as Striker in my schooldays. I had been Science Addict also at the school level , but I discarded everything Romantic and scientific for my love for Literature and Activism. My friend KRISHNA at my village Basantipur was an all round Sports Personality who had NO Opportunity to shine at any level. He would play any thing! We constituted a Sports Club Naveen Sangha in Basantipur when Krishna returned form Bengal where he had gone to study in Bengali Medium. His father, the President of Basantipur land settlement Committee for lifetime, was against education in any medium other than Mother Tongue. Our village boasted to have run a Bengali school for long time until in late sixties it was made a government school. Unfortunately, Krishna landed in Bengal during Intense Food Crisis in Sixties. Being in Terai, we never felt the bite of Hunger. Krishan stayed with his maternal uncle in kolkata sub urban in Shyam Nagar, who were facing a very Rough time during the Food Movement of sixties.
Krishna returned Basantipur and despite being senior, he had to be admitted in Class Two once again as I was reading in Three. But he injected us with his sportsmanship and Club Culture imported from Bengal. basantipur had the first Sports Club in Terai refugee colonies while we were almost infants. Krishan was the President and I was General secretary. We got the Foot Ball from Rudrapur, now the head quarter of Udham Singh Nagar District in Uttarakhand and SIDCUL. But we had no Play Ground. We used the fields after and before harvesting and the Grazing Ground.
Krishna succumbed to Diabetese two years past. I am also Diabetic. I forgot my medicines today and sabita called on. I assured her that I would take it while I would Return Home after Mid Night and the Final Match would continue then.We haven't been able to build on gains in Kashmir: Army chief
In remarks that appear to be critical of the political leadership, Army Chief V K Singh has said that the prevailing tension in Kashmir was the result of the failure to build on the gains that had been made earlier and suggested that the Army had been called out in Srinagar last week because of "loss of confidence" on the part of the administration.
The Army Chief also felt that certain other initiatives should also have been taken to improve the situation.
"So far as the Army is concerned, I think as security forces, a lot of work has been done. The situation has been brought to a particular level when other initiatives should have started to make way for betterment," he said when asked about measures required to check the violence in the valley.
"The Kashmir situation has been tense for quite some time and the reasons are many. The basic reason being that we have not been able to build on the gains that have been made," Gen Singh told NDTV.
Elaborating on the steps required, he said, "First of all, there has to be concerted efforts to identify the miscreants... There are few. There are people who are passing instructions on phone. They have to be identified. There are people financing the protests. They must be identified.
"After that, starts how do we connect with the common man and build confidence in him so that he can stay away from all this. Now this is both an administrative measure as well as it depends on the elected leaders out there at various levels," the Army Chief said.
"And last but not the least, if you want to impose curfew or something for containing a particular area, it has to be total. You can't have a half-hearted measure," he said.
Asked whether the Army was deployed as a deterrent to curb the violence, he said, "I think there was a sort of loss of confidence and they thought that Army should be seen more prominently. Probably that is what...
"We said yes (to the deployment) as we are as much concerned as anyone else...Army is already there. It is already carrying out (operations) with the CRPF, with the police in conjunction with the state. So we are there for various things and we are helping them," he said.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had yesterday said that the Army, which was deployed in certain parts of Srinagar last week to assist the civil administration, may be withdrawn from the streets soon.
He said the state government was using the Army in the "extreme periphery" and the presence of the force was not more than six or eight columns (600-800 personnel).
Last month, the Army Chief had voiced his opposition to changes in the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act saying demands for dilution of the Act were being made for "narrow political gains".
Later, in a damage control exercise, the Army had sought to explain away Gen.Singh's comments by claiming that these had not been "understood in the correct perspective".
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has promised amendments to the Act that gives sweeping powers to the Army in Jammu and Kashmir and the North East, to make it more humane. Home Minister P Chidambaram is also known to be in favour of diluting some of the provisions of the Act.UK may cut foreign aid to 'rich' India
London Britain may scale down the 250 million-pound aid given to India annually, saying wealthy local people could do more to help their poor countrymen.
Andrew Mitchell, the International Development Secretary, signalled that the "250 million pounds of public money spent annually in nuclear armed India could be scaled back."
He said the rich NRI population of Britain could do more to help their countrymen.
Besides, the 40 million pounds spent by the Department for International Development (DFID) in Vietnam, now regarded as an Asian "tiger" economy, will be axed.
It follows the disclosure that development funding to China and Russia would be withdrawn.
Mitchell told The Sunday Times: "India is more complex and more difficult than China. But this is a (aid) programme I am looking at in detail.
Economic Times published a last Page Feature today which made me Nostalgic as we all know the slum Background of our Black Sports Persons and Music Icons very well.
FIFA World Cup: Vuvuzelas for the homeless
11 Jul 2010, 0024 hrs IST,Rakhi Mazumdar,ET Bureau
This evening a new King will be born, a new king of football. South Africa 2010 has gone luckless for many of the favourites. But it doesn't matter. Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, France, Italy or Germany can still have a fling at the World Cup—the next one that kicks off in a shade over two months on September 19 at Rio.
For Brazil where football is religion, a Romario-Rivaldo-Ronaldo-Robinho is made, they say, in the dirt on the streets. Copacabana beach, which is the venue for HWC 2010 may therefore throw up such talents all too casually, talents that are now homeless but by the time Fifa's World Cup 2014 comes along might become superstars themselves with millions in the bank !
While Brazil therefore will still have a chance to have a fling at the cup and knock out Ukraine the current world champions of 2009, what may be music to the millions of football fans here in India is that the National Tricolour will also fly at Rio this time!
In a telephone interview from HWC global headquarters at Edinburgh in UK, Katherine Byles, communication director told ET :"This year's competition, will bring together 640 players divided into 64 teams, including 16 national women's teams in competition in the Women's Cup. There is a team from India too."
Unknown perhaps to many is the fact that Team India had made its debut at this edition of the football world cup atleast 3 years ago. "Each national team at HWC is organised by our national partner. They run national trials, selections and tournaments to select their national team. Team India had made its HWC debut in 2007 at Copenhagen and was ranked 45th. In Melbourne (2008) and Milan (2009), the team had improved its position and is now ranked 39th," she said.
Nobody in India and nobody from Kolkata, which is reckoned as the Mecca of Indian soccer, has ever played the Fifa World Cup. However, come HWC 2010, Indian probables for the men's squad will be among others—Indrajeet, Akbar Ali and Sumit from Kolkata, Akhilesh Paul from Nagpur, Umesh Deshmukh from Bhandara in Maharashtra, Vicky Irpache from Madhya Pradesh and Noorbasha and Madhi from Chennai. Probables for the women's squad will be Priyanka Ragit from Gadchiroli in Maharashtra, Rubina Sheikh from Chandrapur, Shehnaz Quereshi and Khushaali Darbeshwar from Nagpur, Suryalakshmi and Shakti from Chennai, Trupti Gaidhane from Bhandara and a few more. The Homeless World Cup is, as its name suggests, meant for the homeless of the world. Global data, estimated by Action Aid as far back as 2003, suggested a world population of 78 million, which in 2005 swelled to 100 million.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/features/the-sunday-et/backpage/FIFA-World-Cup-Vuvuzelas-for-the-homeless/articleshow/6152830.cms The members of Team USA are selected from amongst homeless athletes participating in Street Soccer USA. Street Soccer USA, a branch of Help USA, a national homeless services provider, started in 2005 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Today, this 16-city network of soccer players helps those who are disconnected from the regular rhythm of life, due to reasons such as addiction, turn their lives around and find support, friendship, and purpose through soccer. Stephanie Johnson, who has now turned her life around and works as a food and beverage manager in Charlotte, North Carolina, joined the team when she had outstayed her welcome at the Salvation Army Women Shelter and was camping out in an abandoned building. At 45 years old Stephanie was not only the oldest player on the team, but one of just three women. Despite never having played soccer, she learned quickly and soon began teaching technique to new team members as well as counseling younger members of the team on how to roll with the punches that life throws.
The members of Team Mexico are selected from amongst homeless athletes participating in Street Soccer Mexico. Fundacin Telmex, Team Mexicos biggest supporter is collaborating with many organizations that serve vulnerable groups around the country to help organize tournaments and training sessions for the players living in shelters, recovery homes or marginalized communities. More than 30 tournaments are scheduled to take place all over the country before the final team is selected to represent Mexico.
With over 1,200 players starting at the trial stages, Team England is a force to be reckoned with. This powerhouse of a team is organized by The Big Issue in the North. Rigorous selection and training is provided to this team by Manchester United Football and its Community of coaching staff. Lee Jones, one of the members of team England had the following to say about the tournament, Football gives me strength and if it wasnt for that I dont know what I would have done. It gives you something to look forward to, to strive for. Hostels are draining; you are in with people you dont know and who have all sorts of problems its a terrible life. The Homeless World Cup highlights the fact that we arent all alcoholics who want to be homeless. A lot of homeless people want a chance to get on with life and if it takes football to get that into the average persons brain you have to support it 100 per cent.
Team Russia was initially organized in 2003 by Put Domoj (Journey Home), a St. Petersburg Street Paper. Four years later, this Russian team won the 2007 Homeless World Cup in Cape Town, South Africa and shined a positive light on the issue of homelessness in Russia. Today, because of this teams efforts the issue of homelessness is discussed openly in the Russian media.
Some of the other participating countries consist of Argentina, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Columbia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Haiti, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Nigeria, Palestine, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Sweden, Uganda, Ukraine and Zambia.
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BBC's recent report on football's state of affairs has turned up some interesting statistics (that lend themselves to controversial conclusions):
- Only 2 out of 92 league clubs in England have black managers
- Less than 1% of senior coaching staff at the 92 league clubs are black – even though more than 20% of players are
Is there really discrimination in football against black people, or is there some other explanation?
The study study also tells us that:
- Just two of the nine most highly-qualified black coaches in the country – all of whom have better qualifications than Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate – currently have jobs in the league.
- Since its inception in 1992, there has never been a black English manager in the Premiership – even though about 25% of its players are not white. Jean Tigana managed Fulham and Ruud Gullit was in charge at Chelsea and Newcastle, but there has not been an English black manager in the top flight.
This is understandably a very sensitive subject (not like the 'is Henry is a diver' posts), so I wont say much except that:
1) How many black captains are there in the Premiership? In the whole of 92 clubs?
2) As Gareth Crooks says:
"The view among black footballers used to be that they had to be much better than their white counterparts to get in the team. The same seems to be true of black managers now."
This seems plausible, but without being in the same environment myself I don't think I can comment with any authority on the subject.
What do you guys think?
Sources:
Focus: Football's black mark
Football 'excluding' black bosses
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Amitabh Bachchan to say 'Lock kiya jaaye' on Kaun Banega Crorepati again
Thursday, 08 July , 2010, 14:43
*"Sure, confident, lock kiya jaaye?" These words in Amitabh Bachchan's resounding voice will be heard on TV once again with the megastar all set to return with the fourth season of the popular game show Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC).
"I am glad to be back with Kaun Banega Crorepati. It is always a great pleasure to be associated with BIG Synergy," Amitabh said.
The show will air on Sony TV before the year ends.
Based on the British show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, Kaun Banega Crorepati created history when it was first launched on Star Plus in 2000 with Amitabh as the host. He returned with the second season in 2005, after which superstar Shah Rukh Khan took over the baton in 2007.
Now, Big B, as he is popularly known, is back to charm the audience.
"The language and the typical words that I used in the second season will be the same. There will be no changes in that regard," Amitabh said.
Channel officials, however, said there would be "many changes" in the format and process of the show, details of which would be divulged at a press conference later.
Said Ajit Thakur, business head of Sony TV: "The audition process will be more elaborate and this time the first 10 contestants will be chosen through an on-ground event where Amitabh-ji will engage in a video conference and ask questions."
The channel is confident that the audience will come back to see the show because they have "retained the three pillars of the show".
"The three pillars of Kaun Banega Crorepati are intact. The money - Rs.1 crore - is still a life changing amount for many common people, the knowledge on the show is still useful and of course, Amitabh Bachchan and his presence will always draw audiences. That's why people will still see Kaun Banega Crorepati," said Thakur.
The phone lines for the new season will open in August.
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Netherlands' fans demonstrate against 'Octopus Paul' in Kerala
Fans of the Netherlands team staged a protest in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, against the psychic 'Octopus Paul' for predicting their favourite team's defeat in the World Cup final.
Fans, on Saturday, carried placards and shouted slogans against the octopus.
Paul, who has become a global phenomenon after correctly predicting outcomes of the FIFA matches, has predicted that Spain would beat the Netherlands and win the World Cup 2010, while Germany and Uruguay shall be in third and fourth places respectively.
The two-year-old octopus, born in England and now living in a German aquarium, correctly predicted the results of the third place match, making it his seventh correct prediction in a row.
The octopus, considered by some to be the most intelligent of all invertebrates, got the choice of picking food from two different transparent containers lowered into his tank - one with a Dutch flag on it and one with Spain's flag, and wasted no time in making for the latter. (ANI)3D could be mainstream in homes in two years
Watching television in three dimensions at home could become mainstream in as little as two years as prices for 3D TV sets drop and events like the soccer World Cup raise awareness of the technology.
Although many believe that consumers will never want to wear 3D glasses at home, and 3D TVs have only been on sale for a matter of months, a combination of factors points to faster adoption of 3D than of previous new technologies.
Unlike high-definition video or the VHS-Betamax battle before it, where deployment was held up for years while movie studios and electronics makers supporting rival formats battled for dominance, 3D presents no such prospect of a format war.
Consumers need not fear splashing out on the wrong equipment, as the HDMI cables that connect set-top boxes to televisions or other screens can detect and support many different standards.
Often, new technology finds itself in a chicken-and-egg conundrum in which consumers do not buy new equipment until content is available, while media companies are not motivated to produce content until consumers buy the equipment to consume it.
But TVs are already on sale from Samsung that convert two-dimensional signals into 3D in real time, meaning that consumers can already start to enjoy images leaping out of the screen, even with little original 3D content yet available.
DSG, Europe's second-biggest electronics retailer, said TV sales rose 50 percent year on year in the run-up to the soccer World Cup currently nearing its finale in South Africa, with 3D creating a lot of buzz.
"It's still at the early-adopter phase at the moment, but the way they have been buying and continue to buy leaves us extremely confident about 3D sales," said a spokesman for DSG.
The technology is not yet perfect but could soon eliminate the need for equipment that studios use to upgrade 2D to 3D -- made by the likes of India's Prime Focus -- which many analysts consider potential choice investments.
Stu Lipoff, a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers -- the world's largest technical society -- said: "It's one of the most remarkable things I've seen in 30 years in engineering."
"The processing power is comparable to what five years ago you'd only find on a supercomputer in a university lab," he says of the technology, which is made by the likes of Texas Instruments, Broadcom and NXP.
EVERYONE'S INTERESTED
Samsung, which was first to market, is expected to sell the lion's share of 3D TVs this year, but Sony, Panasonic and LG Electronics are not far behind.
Samsung and Sony may be in discussions about a 3D alliance, and Sony hopes 3D models will make up 10 percent of the more than 25 million LCD TVs is aims to sell in the next fiscal year.
Technology research firm ISuppli expects 4.2 million 3D TV sets to be sold this year, or about 2 percent of all LCD TVs, rising to 78 million in 2015.
Interest in 3D has grown fast, both among experts and the general public.
Public enthusiasm for 3D has been driven by the blockbuster movie "Avatar", released at the end of 2009, which single-handedly raised awareness to 60 percent from 40 percent among U.S. consumers, according to TV analyst Stewart Clarke of research firm Informa.
Sports are also a fertile ground for 3D -- French media firms see sport and porn driving 3D adoption -- as the viewer feels the excitement of being placed in the middle of the action, instead of being a distant observer.
Walt Disney's sports broadcaster ESPN used the soccer World Cup to launch its first 3D channel, and ESPN's president told Reuters this week the network had had "off the charts" success with its coverage.
And in Britain, satellite broadcaster BSkyB and its major shareholder News Corp are making big bets on 3D. Sky plans to launch a 3D channel this year after whetting appetites with broadcasts in bars of Premier League soccer.
"It's absolutely incredible. It's fantastic. It's the biggest development since black and white," said Robert Kerr, a 27-year-old projects consultant, near London's Westfield mall.
Asked whether he would buy a 3D TV, he said: "Personally, I'd always wait for the price to come down. When it comes down to about 1,200 pounds ($1,820), I wouldn't hesitate. In 18 months, definitely."
Currently, 3D TVs cost about one-and-a-half times as much as equivalent 2D high-definition sets, but prices are falling.
In Britain, the first Samsung 3D TVs went on sale in March for about 1,800 pounds, plus 150 pounds for two pairs of active-shutter 3D glasses, which pick up alternate images for the left and right eyes.
Already, prices for some models have fallen below 1,000 pounds for complete kits including glasses.
GLASSES CONUNDRUM
Typically, new consumer technology is considered to reach a take-off point when 20 percent of the population has it.
In the past, consumers have kept TV sets for an average of about 11 years, but far faster replacement cycles for other consumer electronics such as cellphones are changing attitudes.
Informa believes 3D TV will take off only after the need to wear glasses has been removed, which it forecasts will happen some time after 2015. But the IEEE's Lipoff says it is not unreasonable to believe it could happen in two to four years.
LG has recently started offering 3D TV sets that can be viewed wearing so-called passive glasses that are far cheaper and lighter than battery-powered active-shutter glasses.
The televisions are more expensive because more of the work is done inside the set -- a 47-inch TV costs $2,200 in the United States -- but the glasses cost next to nothing.
Technology to view 3D without glasses does exist -- chipmaker Intel demonstrated a version at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas -- but is limited by only being viewable from certain angles.
As such, it is more likely to succeed on screens watched by a single viewer like computer and cellphone displays.
Sean McCarthy, a video and neurobiology expert at Motorola said: "Not wearing glasses could be more constraining than wearing glasses."
(Additional reporting by Ian Smith and Mark Potter, Editing by Sitaraman Shankar)
Googles license renewed: Chinese official
Googles license to operate in China has been renewed after it pledged to "abide by Chinese law", an official here said today, making it clear that American search engine has to "abide" by regulations that warranted intrusive censorship. An official of the Chinese Ministry of information told the state-run Xinhua news agency that the government had renewed the operation license of Beijing Guxiang Information Technology Co.
Ltd., the operator of Google''s China website after it pledged to abide the Chinese law.
"After our assessment, we decided that Guxiang had basically met the requirements. Guxiang''s license renewal application is approved," the official said.
In the application letter, Guxiang pledged to "abide by Chinese law," and "ensure the company provides no law-breaking content as stipulated in the 57th statement in China''s regulations concerning telecommunications." Guxiang also accepted that all content it provides is subject to supervision of government regulators, said the official.
A statement said that any organisation or individual is prohibited from using the Internet to spread any content that attempts to subvert state power, undermine national security, infringe on national reputation and interests, or that incites ethnic hatred and secession, transmits pornography or violence. Google announced on Friday that its licence had been renewed.
Earlier this year, Google braced for a direct confrontation with the Chinese government alleging "sophisticated" cyber attacks and intrusive censorship of information relating to Chinese dissidents. The company appears to have relented as China with over 400 million internet savy population was reluctant to forgo its 30 per cent market share established over the years.
The Chinese search engine Bidu controls 60 per cent of the market share. Though it shifted to Hong Kong, Google services were continued to be available in China through Google.Action-packed week for markets ahead, to open strong on China data
Indian equities markets could be in for a positive opening Monday in view of the strong export data from China allaying doubts about the global economic recovery, and hopes of robust corporate earnings in the first quarter of this fiscal.
Specific stocks, including IT bellwether Infosys, will be in the thick of action, with the results season kicking in Monday. Pharma major Pfizer and compact disc and IT hardware major Moser Baer will be among the first to divulge their last quarterly (April-June) performance.
Benchmark indices last week gained significantly. The 30-share sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) ended 2.13 percent or 372.59 points up at 17,833.54 points, while the broader S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) closed 2.2 percent higher at 5,352.45 points.
'The market has now resumed the upward trending move. The 5,200 should provide a significant support to the market,' said a note from brokerage firm Bonanza.
Investors around the world will take a sigh of relief after China's latest export data showed an almost 44 percent jump in June, negating fears of a slowdown.
Policy makers and punters alike will be awaiting the industrial production data for May, which will also be released Monday.
Data released on the production data by the six core industries, crude oil, petroleum, coal, electricity, cement and finished steel, in May showed a growth of 5 percent. The six sectors have a weightage of 26.7 percent on the index of industrial production, which grew by 17.6 percent in April.
The bulls at Indian stock markets will also be hoping that more positive news like the government mulling greater foreign direct investment in retail and aviation streaming in as the companies start announcing their results.
Markets will also have their ears to the ground on the Reserve Bank of India's decision on key interest rates. Deputy Governor Subir Gokarn will hold a customary meeting with top executives of banks to consider a change in monetary policy.
Other major Asian markets are also set for a firm opening Monday, following the rise in European and US markets Friday.
In the US, the Dow Jones closed 5.28 percent up Friday from its last weekly while the Nasdaq gained 5 percent. The S&P 500 too moved up 5.42 percent.
Among European markets, Britain's FTSE 100 was up 6.09 percent for the week ending June 9, while its German peer the DAX closed 3.96 percent higher.
The French CAC40 too was up 6.16 percent for the week.
Hours before the match, Dutch and Spanish fans kicked a ball in front of the cavernous stadium. "Tomorrow there will be a celebration so loud in Amsterdam you will hear it in Madrid!" crowed businessman Arno van der Heijden, 41.
The best World Cup games often come in the semi-finals but Spain and the Netherlands are seen as the pick of the bunch here technically, tactically and temperamentally.
It is a final of firsts in addition to the location. Neither side has won the World Cup despite their undoubted quality, and Europe will win its first trophy on another continent.
Huge crowds will watch the match at open air venues in their home countries with up to 100,000 expected in central Amsterdam, which is bedecked in orange flags and banners.
TELEVISION AUDIENCE
A worldwide television audience of more than 700 million is expected to watch, FIFA said.
Sunday's final is a first for Spain and a third for the Dutch, who were runners up in 1974 and 1978.
The final has raised spirits in two countries that badly needed cheering up. The Dutch went through polarizing elections in June that failed to produce a clear winner and Spain is torn by bitter political infighting over how to address Europe's highest unemployment and crippling debt.
The Spanish and the Dutch perfectly illustrate this World Cup's biggest lesson -- that the teams who play as units are superior to those that revolved around fallen pre-tournament favorites like Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney.
The successful tournament is triumph for South Africa which has confounded years of foreign reports that it would be a failure, ruined by violent crime, chaos and unfinished stadiums.
President Jacob Zuma thanked the nation, saying they were stars and champions for hosting a successful tournament and "opening up your country and your hearts to the world."
Despite being the first host nation eliminated at the group stage, locals have remained enthusiastic spectators, helping this World Cup to be the third best attended ever, with 3 million seats sold, behind the United States in 1994 and Germany in 2006.
Chief local organizer Danny Jordaan said the tournament had brought the races together and enabled South Africans to walk tall after being told for years they were inferior. "The nation has crossed a huge psychological barrier," he told reporters.
SLOW STARTERS
European champions Spain are the popular choice of many South Africans because of their stylish game, and easily topped an online international press poll.
But the Netherlands will be tough to beat, with a powerful trio of Dirk Kuyt, Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben to combat Xavi and Andres Iniesta leading Spain's masterful midfield.
Spain have tormented opponents with their talent for holding the ball and precise passing even under pressure, but have lacked killer instinct in front of the net with only seven goals from six matches.
The Dutch have been more prolific with 12 goals, but have also seemed to lack the killer instinct at crucial moments.
Spain's fans will be led at the final by Queen Sofia while the Dutch are backed by outgoing Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, among an array of VIPs.
Analysts say the tournament has rebranded South Africa and the whole continent and new business and capital is already flowing in on the back of the tournament.
Reuters reports
A worldwide television audience of more than 700 million is expected to watch the World Cup final between Netherlands and Spain on Sunday, FIFA said.
Soccer's world governing body added that record viewing figures were reported in Germany for Wednesday's semifinal with Spain, while the United States had reported a 50 percent increase in overall figures compared to 2006.
"I think the audience for the final will be bigger than 2006, when it was watched by 700 million people," Niclas Ericson, director of FIFA's TV division, told reporters.
He said that in Germany a record of nearly 32 million viewers had watched the semi-final, which Spain won 1-0 in Durban, for a market share of about 90 percent.
Spanish channel Telecinco reported 13.3 million for that match, nearly a third of the population and by far the highest audience for any programme in the last five years, FIFA said.
In the US, 19 million people watched the 2-1 second round defeat by Ghana, a record audience for a men's soccer match. "Overall figures in the US are up 50 percent," said Ericson.
There were also record viewing figures in the Middle East, even though Al Jazeera's signal was mysteriously blocked during the opener between South Africa and Mexico, which ended 1-1.
"If we find out who has done this, we will take appropriate measures," said Ericson.
Kashmir Valley calm, PDP backs out of all-party meet
The Kashmir Valley remained calm Sunday as a separatist shutdown closed markets and stopped public transport here, but the efforts to bring normalcy to the region received a setback with opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) choosing to stay away from an all-party meet called Monday by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah over the violence in the state.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti stood her ground and turned down Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's request to attend the all-party meeting.
'It was very kind of the prime minister to call me. I have deep regard for the PM. He advised us to attend the meeting. But it was painful to convey my inability to attend the meeting,' Mehbooba told reporters, a day after Manmohan Singh called her urging her to reconsider her refusal to attend the meeting.
She said the situation in the Kashmir Valley was 'so bad that nothing at the level of the state government, that has been discredited, will help... unless there is a bigger initiative which will be taken seriously by the people who are caught in a prison like situation'.
'I told the PM to excuse us. But we are looking forward to a bigger initiative from him,' she said, but didn't elaborate.
She alleged that the Omar Abdullah government was trying to hide its 'failures' by convening such a meeting after taking all the decisions that 'he shouldn't have taken'.
Meanwhile, the Valley was clam Sunday, although preventive restrictions were imposed in the old city areas of Srinagar, uptown Maisuma and Batmaloo localities after a 24-hour break.
'Curfew was also imposed in the main market area of Anantnag town, but lifted from other areas there,' a senior police officer said.
Road intersections were blocked with barricades and wire coils. Security forces patrolled the sensitive Batmaloo and Maisuma localities. Restrictions were also imposed in the two south Kashmir towns of Pulwama and Kakpore to maintain law and order.
'Curfew was relaxed from 11 a.m. in Sopore town and the relaxation continues there despite a stray incident of stone pelting in which the station house officer (SHO) Sopore suffered an injury on his head. Elsewhere in the valley, the situation was peaceful,' the officer said.
Restrictions apart, life in Srinagar and other towns was paralyzed due to a protest shutdown called by the hardline Hurriyat Conference group led by Syed Ali Geelani.
A joint meeting of the ruling National Conference (NC) and Congress legislators was chaired by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
Farooq Abdullah, the union minister for new and renewable sources of energy, and Congress leader Saif-ud-Din Soz also attended the meeting.
The meeting discussed ways and means to reach out to the people and address their grievances so that the present cycle of violence ends.
A statement issued at the end of the meeting said the legislature parties of both the NC and the Congress had expressed complete faith and confidence in the chief minister.
Authorities had relaxed curfew in the entire Kashmir Valley Friday evening to enable people to join the special prayers on the Muslim festival of Shab-e-Meraj (ascension of the Prophet to heaven).
During the relaxation, people thronged shops in various localities of the capital city and other towns to buy essential commodities.Pakistan did not oppose US-India n-deal: Zardari
Pakistan did not oppose the India-US civil nuclear deal and it expects similar pacts from other countries, President Asif Ali Zardari has said.
'When India was going with the civil nuclear deal with the US, we did not oppose it, so we did not mind that our friends have influence on other friends and we expect the same from others,' Zardari, who concluded his visit to China Saturday, said in an interview to China Centre Television.
After the suspension of India-Pakistan peace talks due to the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, he said the dialogue process between the two countries has come back on track and hopefully will go forward.
To a question about the Indian presence in Afghanistan, Zardari said Afghanistan is a sovereign country and it has sovereign policies.
'We always appreciate India's mature democracy and expects from their mature democracy to have its mature position,' he added
Asked about handing over the suspects of the Mumbai attack to India, Zardari said there was no treaty between the two countries to enable this. Pakistan was trying the suspects locally and hoped to bring them to justice, he added.Al Qaeda claims responsibility for Yemen attack
Al Qaeda's Yemeni wing Sunday claimed responsibility for last month's attack on the intelligence headquarters in Aden that left at least 11 people dead.
The Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), however, claimed that the attack left 24 people dead.
'The battalion of martyrs broke into the intelligence headquarters' building in Aden on early June 19 and successfully managed to kill at least 24 security officers, soldiers and police who were in the building at that time,' Xinhua reported, quoting a AQAP statement.
'We killed 15 high-ranking intelligence officers, six intelligence policewomen, all the security soldiers who were guarding the main gate of the building and one cleaning worker, set fire to all offices of the building - including offices of the intelligence director and his deputy and to two police cars, destroyed six other vehicles and looted Israeli-made automatic weapons,' the AQAP statement said.
'And we confirm that we had killed all security personnel who were serving that day in the building, we had murdered them one by one,' the statement said.
On June 19, attackers broke into the offices of the Political Security Agency in Tawahi in Aden and opened fire at the guards, killing seven police agents. Three women and a three-year-old boy were killed in adjacent houses, the official Saba news agency said.
Among the seven security personnel killed were two female police officers, officials said.
India-UK to enhance collaboration between 'judicial and legal systems
Union Law and Justice Minister Dr.M.Veerappa Moily has met British Secretary of State for Justice, Kenneth Clarke to enhance relationships between the two countries in all spheres, including the judicial system.
Moily said that his meeting with the Secretary of State on Wednesday was very warm, cordial and fruitful.
"Kenneth Clark told me about the high regard he has for our Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and how much he admires the transformation that has taken place in India, particularly in the Indian economy, under Dr. Singh's leadership," Moily said in a statement.
"Clark also acknowledged India's powerful regard for the rule of law and spoke of the challenges the Indian judicial system faces," he added.
He also had meetings with the Lord Chief Justice and the Attorney General.
Besides, he had Round Table discussions with the Bar Council of UK, Law Society of UK, Society of Asian Lawyers and the London Court of International Arbitration, which he said were "constructive and purposeful".
He also interacted with several UK law firms and the UK India Business Council, and visited the Supreme Court of UK to witness the proceedings and attended a reception at the House of Commons.
The objective of these discussions was to enhance collaboration between the judicial and legal systems of the two countries by sharing mutual experiences.
"My interactions with the UK authorities have helped me understand the functioning of the judicial system in the UK," Moily added. (ANI)
US, Russia complete massive spy swap
The US and Russia have completed arrangements for one of the largest spy swaps in history as 10 Russian spy suspects and four prisoners in Russian custody pleaded guilty to charges against them.
In New York, the 10 Russian spies, who included a Peruvian-born US citizen, pleaded guilty in federal court to lesser charges of acting as illegal agents of a foreign government, US justice officials confirmed Thursday. They were to be deported quickly.
In Moscow, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev early Friday pardoned four spies accused of giving top secret information to the West, Russian news agencies reported. The four men pleaded guilty in letters that asked Medvedev to pardon them.
Russian and US officials indicated that the deal, sealed in less than two weeks, was driven by increasingly close relations and a sense that too much was at stake to let the US arrests throw them off course.
In announcing the pardons, Moscow noted 'the new spirit of Russian-American relations and the high level of mutual understanding of the presidents of both countries.'
Senior US administration officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, noted there was 'a lot on the agenda with Russia.' Russia's immediate acknowledgement of the spies as working for Russia after their June 27 arrest 'says something about the progress we have made in our relationship' with Russia, they said.
The convictions of the Russian suspects in a federal courthouse in New York and the pending deportations will bring an end to one of the most famous US-Russia spy cases in history, and marks the largest spy swap since the 1980s - the days of the Cold War.
'This was an extraordinary case ... and the agreement we reached today provides a successful resolution for the US and its interests,' US Attorney General Eric Holder said.
The US and Russian governments had sought to keep the deal under tight wraps, refusing to discuss the swap until the convictions in New York. Analysts noted that a major motivation was to keep relations on the upswing after years of tension and suspicion.
'We have present day business that we are trying to conduct with the Russian Federation on a variety of fronts, and this episode (was) not helpful to those endeavours,' said Steven Aftergood, an intelligence and espionage expert at the Federation of American Scientists, a think tank in Washington.
Under the agreement, the 10 Russian spies are permanently barred from ever returning to the US unless with approval from the US Attorney General, US officials said.
The group included four married couples who had at least six children among them during the decade or more they were under observation by the FBI. But US officials said their fate was a matter for the parents to decide. Some of the children have reportedly
already been sent on to Russia after the parents were arrested.
The four couples also owned homes in wealthy Boston, Washington and New York suburbs. Under the plea agreement, they will forfeit all 'currency, bank accounts, houses and other property,' the US officials told reporters.
The FBI arrested the 10 suspects just days after a White House meeting between US President Barack Obama and Medvedev, who shared a meal at a local hamburger restaurant. Some had faced added charges of money laundering, which were dropped in the plea agreements.
None of the suspects are believed to have infiltrated in the government or obtained classified information. They were reportedly tasked with getting to know people and gain information about the US power structure, including on Wall Street.
The FBI had been investigating some of the spies for more than a decade. The fate of an 11th Russian suspect, Robert Christopher Metsos, was not clear after he was released on bail in Cyprus.
IOC, RIL among 8 Indian cos in Fortune 500 global list
Topics:- Motorola
- SBI
- US
- BP
- RIL
- Tata Motors
- ONGC
- Tata Steel
- ArcelorMittal
- Reliance Industries
- PepsiCo
- Toyota Motor
- Indira Nooyi
- Bharat Petroleum
- Hindustan Petroleum
- Sanjay Jha
* Corporate leaders' musings on power
The Power List of Top 100 CEOs
India Inc's most powerful CEOs
India Inc's most powerful women leaders
NEW YORK: Eight Indian companies, including oil major Indian Oil Corporation and Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries, have made the cut in the list of the world's 500 largest companies compiled by Fortune.
The league of 500 elite companies for 2010 is topped by US retailer Wal-Mart Stores, followed by oil giant Royal Dutch Shell and another oil major, Exxon Mobil, in that order.
Besides IOC and RIL, the other Indian companies in the list are steel-maker Tata Steel, auto company Tata Motors, oil entities Bharat Petroleum, Hindustan Petroleum and Oil & Natural Gas and public sector bank SBI.
Tata Motors has made an entry into the list for the first time this year, while seven other Indian entities, which were part of the list in the previous year as well, are also featured in this list.
The list also features Citigroup, ArcelorMittal, Pepsico and Motorola, four companies led by people with Indian roots.
Also Read
IOC has the highest rank of 125 among the featured Indian companies, followed by RIL at the 175th spot, SBI (282), BPCL (307), HPCL (354), Tata Steel (410), ONGC (413) and Tata Motors (442).
According to the magazine, IOC had revenues to the tune of USD 54.28 billion, RIL USD 41.08 billion, SBI USD 28.21 billion, BPCL USD 26.59 billion, HPCL USD 23.88 billion, Tata Steel USD 21.58 billion, ONGC USD 21.44 billion and Tata Motors USD 19.5 billion.
Vikram Pandit-led Citigroup is at 33rd place, with revenues of USD 108.78 billion, while NRI billionaire L N Mittal's ArcelorMittal bagged the 99th position with revenues worth USD 65.11 billion.
Pepsico, run by Indira Nooyi, was ranked at 171st place with revenues of USD 43.23 billion and Sanjay Jha's Motorola is at the 391st place, with USD 22.06 billion in revenues.
Interestingly, American companies have cornered 139 seats in the list, followed by Japan with 71, and then China, with 46 seats. This year, there are 12 Fortune Global 500 companies run by women, compared to 13 last year.
The magazine said that Wal-Mart Stores had revenues to the tune of USD 408. 21 billion, while Royal Dutch Shell and ExxonMobil raked in revenues worth USD 285.12 billion and USD 284.65 billion, respectively.
Others on the list include BP at fourth place, followed by Toyota Motor (5th), Japan Post Holdings (6th), Sinopec (7th), State Grid (8th), AXA (9th) and China National Petroleum (10th.)
Spain or Dutch: India Inc ready for Soccer Sunday
11 Jul 2010, 0644 hrs IST,Writankar Mukherjee & Sreeradha D Basu,ET Bureau
Topics:- Shah Rukh Khan
- world cup
- Shashi Tharoor
- Anand Mahindra
- Kris Gopalakrishnan
- Venugopal N Dhoot
*
KOLKATA: Anand Mahindra must have taken the decision to close down his football team, Mahindra United, with his heart in his boots as it still beats for the beautiful game. The managing director of the automobile major has been camping at Jo'burg for the finals of the World Cup and relishing each moment.
A self-proclaimed soccer fan, he has been uploading pictures and tweeting away about soccer right from Ground Zero. At times, the industrialist in him takes over the soccer-lover as he tweets after the semi-finals at Durban: "Durban was an eye-opener. New infrastructure, Miami-style beachfront, idyllic weather & entrepreneurial ppl. A new Mecca for Indian investment?"
Mr Mahindra will not bring the Cup home, but he and many others captains of India Inc have been cheerleading the playing teams, pass for pass, goal for goal. And Sunday night will be no different.
In Mumbai, Videocon group boss Venugopal N Dhoot is throwing a big bash on midnight Sunday when Spain and the Netherlands class for football glory. He has invited his top management team, fellow industrialists and Bollywood stars to the party that will go through the night.
"We will try to recreate the stadium mood and watch the finals on a big screen," says Mr Dhoot, who is betting on Spain for its consistent football.
Also Read
Cricket may still be the game for profit for many in the corporate world, but none can ignore the exhilaration that a 90-minute game of soccer kicks in, especially at the World Cup.
Will Spanish striker David Villa repeat his magic? Will Wesley Sneijder edge him out in the final countdown to win the Golden Boot? For once, discussions on marketshare, toplines and bottomlines have taken a backseat in the boardrooms, and it's just Paul the Octopus' uncanny predictions, the technique of the Spanish players or the attacking style of the Dutch that's doing the rounds.
India's PC czar and soccer aficionado Ajai Chowdhry, who started out with his full-blown support to Argentina, is placing his bets on Spain for the finals. The founder, chairman & CEO of HCL Infosystems plans to watch the game with his family and close friends.
"With all respect to the Dutch, I find Spain up a few notches with their extremely impressive strategy of ball possession and tactful passing exhibited in the match against the mighty Germans. Given the flavour of this world cup, Paul the Octopus predicting Spain in a match not involving Germany, it will be really exciting to see the result," Mr Chowdhry says.
IT bellwether Infosys's chief executive officer and managing director Kris Gopalakrishnan, however, feels the Dutch team will have the last laugh. Even though he is bogged down with preparations for Infy's quarterly results due on Tuesday, he plans to take some time out to watch the game with his family. "The match will be a tight and well-contested one between two contrasting styles," is his pre-match analysis.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Spain-or-Dutch-India-Inc-ready-for-Soccer-Sunday/articleshow/6153115.cms
News in pics: Flying Dutchman & more
The Flying Dutchman, an oversized pizza, a 'soleckshaw' are just some of the weird picturesSPORTS
Germany beat Uruguay 3-2
Goals from Muller, Jansen and Khedira helped Germany finish third in the World CupENTERTAINMENT
K'wood-T'wood babes on beach!
Rare shots of South Cinema's hottest shoreline spectacles...Click on!- Marchena: Our time has come
- Milla hits out at poor performance
- Platini released from hospital
- Martino set to remain Paraguay boss
- Leonardo would consider Brazil job
- De Jong expresses final relief
- Johnston wades into Jabulani debate
- Marchena: Our time has come
- Milla hits out at poor performance
- Platini released from hospital
- Martino set to remain Paraguay boss
- Leonardo would consider Brazil job
- De Jong expresses final relief
- Johnston wades into Jabulani debate
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Van Bronckhorst living the dream
RAF CASERT, AP - 7 hours ago
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JOHANNESBURG (AP) -- A veteran of hundreds of matches, Giovanni van Bronckhorst wants to live the boyhood dream of tens of millions of kids.The captain would lift the World Cup if the Netherlands beats Spain on Sunday.
"As a kid, you follow the World Cups. And when the cup is lifted, it is a very special moment," he said.
Once the final whistle blows, there is still much ceremony and celebration for the winners. Until the captain walks up, the last member of the winning team to get his medal and finally receive the cup, the party doesn't start for real in the winning nation.
It was Fabio Cannavaro four years ago for Italy who held the trophy, but the tradition goes back 80 years.
In his 35 years, left back Van Bronckhorst has his own favorites: Argentina's Diego Maradona in Mexico 1986, Brazil's Dunga in 1994 and Cafu in 2002. No surprise that Dunga was a defensive midfielder and Cafu a right back.
Van Bronckhorst fits right in that line.
"Only a precious few players can do that," he said. "So it is a dream for me to lift that cup."
And if a man is allowed to dream, Van Bronckhorst goes one better.
In his ideal world, he would receive the prize from Nelson Mandela.
"That would make it very special," he said. "It would be so beautiful if I could lift the cup if he is around."
Well, how much can a man ask for in his last competitive game? Van Bronckhorst already retired from club soccer and will make his 106th international match, spread over 14 years, his finale.
He really should not get too greedy. The semifinal already produced more than most defenders can hope for.
He helped get the Netherlands into the final for the first time in 32 years by scoring the first goal in a 3-2 win over Uruguay. It was with one of the best goals of the tournament.
Van Bronckhorst gave the Dutch the lead with a blistering 35-yard left-footed drive that sailed past Fernando Muslera and went in off the post, a goal which is a replay hit in the Netherlands and elsewhere.
In the same game, Van Bronckhorst made the biggest defensive play when he rushed back to head a dangerous ball out of the goalmouth with goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg out of position.
He has a knack for picking winning teams and has won league titles in Scotland, England and Spain. Van Bronckhorst also won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2006.
He earned the captain's armband only two years ago after Euros 2008 when goalie Edwin van der Sar retired from international play. He has made the most of it.
Soccer slums: The truth about African football
(As) Africa's first World Cup (kicks off), the spotlight will be on the continent's star players. The international popularity of Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto'o means that Ivory Coast and Cameroon aren't now always associated in the popular imagination with civil war – or presidents who forgot to leave office – but with goals scored and trophies lifted, too. (Daniel Howden, The Independent)
This summer's tournament will encourage millions of new Peters to start dreaming. What no one wants to dwell on for too long is the life that awaits those who fall short.
It's an everything-or-nothing situation.
Korogocho – where St John's plays – is the most notorious of Nairobi's 200 slums. The team is sponsored by the Church from which it takes its name and is part of a programme of youth projects run by the Catholic charity Cafod. Nearby, the church also runs a school, where the children have been encouraged to paint a mural of their area.
The slum, which is home to 120,000 people crammed into one square kilometre, is divided into villages – and each village has been depicted with its own characteristics. One has a hypodermic needle and some pills; another, a knife; and a third, a gun. It's a rough neighbourhood, to say the least.
Kevin Ofware, the goalkeeper for St John's, came up the hard way. As a child, he scavenged for rubbish on the Dandoro tip, an ocean of refuse that first gave birth to the slum. He scavenged for anything that wealthier Kenyans might have thrown away that could be recycled, climbing for hours over rotting garbage full of broken bottles and the occasional syringe.
FULL STORY
Soccer slums: The truth about African football (The Independent)
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http://www.cathnewsasia.com/2010/06/14/soccer-slums-the-truth-about-african-football/
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Escape to Victory
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2009)Escape to Victory Directed by John Huston
Robert RigerProduced by Mario Kassar
Gordon McLendon
Andrew G. VajnaWritten by Jeff Maguire
Djordje Milicevic
Yabo Yablonsky
Evan JonesStarring Sylvester Stallone
Michael Caine
Max Von Sydow
Pelé
Bobby MooreMusic by Bill Conti Cinematography Gerry Fisher Editing by Roberto Silvi Distributed by Paramount Pictures (theatrical release)
Warner Bros. (DVD)Release date(s) July 30, 1981 Running time 110 minutes. Language English Escape to Victory, known simply as Victory in North America, is a 1981 film about Allied prisoners of war who are interned in a German prison camp during World War II. The film was directed by John Huston and stars Michael Caine, Sylvester Stallone and Max von Sydow.
The film received great attention upon its theatrical release, as it also starred football superstars Bobby Moore, Osvaldo Ardiles, Kazimierz Deyna, Paul Van Himst and Pelé. Numerous Ipswich Town F.C. players were also in the film, including John Wark, Russell Osman, Laurie Sivell, Robin Turner and Kevin O'Callaghan. Further Ipswich Town players stood in for actors in the football scenes - Kevin Beattie for Michael Caine, and Paul Cooper for Sylvester Stallone. The script was written by Yabo Yablonsky.
Contents
[hide][edit] Plot
Association football plays an integral part of the film. The Allied prisoners of war (POWs), coached and represented by Englishman John Colby (Michael Caine), who was a professional footballer for West Ham United before the war, agree to play an exhibition match against a German team, only to find themselves involved in a German propaganda stunt. In the end, the POWs can leave the German camp only to play the match; they are to be imprisoned again following the match. Despite the match officials being heavily biased towards the Germans, and the German team causing several deliberate injuries to the Allied players, a draw is achieved after great performances from Luis Fernandez (portrayed by Pelé), Carlos Rey (portrayed by Osvaldo Ardiles) and Arthur Hayes (portrayed by John Wark). American POW Robert Hatch (Sylvester Stallone) plays goalkeeper, and makes excellent saves including one last save from a penalty kick as time expires to deny the Germans the win, drawing the game 4–4. Before the penalty kick the POWs had scored a goal which was disallowed by the referee, for a dubious offside decision, making the score 5–4 which prompted the crowd to shout "Victoire!"
Colby is the captain and essentially the manager of the team and thus chooses his squad of players. Hatch isn't initially chosen but makes his way onto the team by virtue of escaping and then being recaptured after making contact with the French Resistance. In order to accommodate him onto the team the existing goal keeper's arm is broken by his own team mates.
Some team members plan to escape at halftime (in an escape led by Hatch) but the rest of the team (led by Russell Osman saying "but we can win this") want to carry on with the game, despite being behind at halftime. They manage to escape at the end of the game, amidst the confusion caused by the crowd storming the field after Hatch preserves the draw.
V is used frequently in the film, particularly in the final match. This is a nod towards the title of the film (Escape to Victory, or simply Victory in some countries). As Pelé scores the fourth goal, equalising the match, his legs make a clear V-shape which is held in slow-motion. The V-shaped two-fingered salute of defiance popular in British culture is brandished by several spectators. The goal that is wrongly disallowed would have been the Allies' fourth, and would have given them five goals overall; in Roman Numerals this is a V.
[edit] Basis of the story
The movie is based on the 1961 Hungarian film drama Két félidő a pokolban ("Two half-times in Hell"), which was directed by Zoltán Fábri and won the critics' award at the 1962 Boston Cinema Festival.[1]
The film was inspired by the true story of Dynamo Kyiv's players, who defeated German soldiers while Ukraine was occupied by German troops in World War II. According to myth, as a result of their victory, the Ukrainians were all shot. The true story is considerably more complex, as the team played a series of matches against German teams, emerging victorious in all of them, before finally being sent to prison camps by the Gestapo. Most of the team were killed there, but a few survived.
[edit] Actors and footballers
Escape to Victory featured a great many professional footballers as both the POW team and the German team. Many of the footballers came from the Ipswich Town squad, who were at the time one of the most successful teams in Europe. Despite not appearing on screen, English World Cup-winning goalkeeper Gordon Banks was closely involved in the film, working with Sylvester Stallone on his goalkeeping scenes. Sports Illustrated magazine said "the game is marvelously photographed by Gerry Fisher, under second unit director Robert Riger.[2]
[edit] Selected cast
Actors Michael Caine Captain John Colby Sylvester Stallone Captain Robert Hatch Max von Sydow Major Karl von Steiner Anton Diffring Radio announcer Carole Laure Renée Gary Waldhorn Mueller Benoît Ferreux Jean Paul Clive Merrison The Forger Maurice Roëves Pyrie Michael Cochrane Farrell Zoltán Gera Victor Tim Pigott-Smith Rose Daniel Massey Colonel Waldron Jean-François Stévenin Claude Footballers Pelé Corporal Luis Fernandez Bobby Moore Terry Brady John Wark Arthur Hayes Osvaldo Ardiles Carlos Rey Kazimierz Deyna Paul Wolchek Søren Lindsted Erik Ball Paul Van Himst Michel Fileu Werner Roth Baumann (German team captain) Mike Summerbee Sid Harmor Hallvar Thoresen Gunnar Hilsson Russell Osman Doug Clure Kevin O'Callaghan Tony Lewis Co Prins Pieter Van Beck Laurie Sivell Schmidt (German goalkeeper) Robin Turner German Player Kevin Beattie Stand-in for Michael Caine Paul Cooper Stand-in for Sylvester Stallone Les Shannon, the ex-Burnley player, choreographed the actual game presented in the film. The movie also credits Pelé as the designer of plays. Gordon Banks, World Cup winning goalkeeper, coached Sylvester Stallone. The game was filmed in the Hidegkuti Nándor Stadium in Budapest, Hungary. In the film, Pelé plays a character from Trinidad and Tobago rather than his real-life native land of Brazil.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Escape to Victory at the Internet Movie Database
- Escape to Victory at Allmovie
- Escape to Victory - Greatest Football Film of all time
- Escape To Victory Website
- The Game of Death — Australian National Centre for History Education, concerning the events this film was based on.
- Escape To Victory - Photos
- "Victory" at Allmovieguide
Diego Maradona
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Diego Maradona Personal information Full name Diego Armando Maradona Date of birth 30 October 1960 Place of birth Lanús, Argentina Height 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) Playing position Attacking Midfielder/Second Striker Senior career* Years Team Apps† (Gls)† 1976–1981 Argentinos Juniors 167 (115) 1981–1982 Boca Juniors 40 (28) 1982–1984 Barcelona 36 (22) 1984–1991 Napoli 188 (81) 1992–1993 Sevilla 26 (5) 1993–1994 Newell's Old Boys 7 (0) 1995–1997 Boca Juniors 30 (7) Total 490 (311) National team 1977–1994 Argentina 91 (34) Teams managed 1994 Mandiyú de Corrientes 1995 Racing Club 2008– Argentina * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).Diego Armando Maradona (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈdjeɣo maɾaˈðona]; born 30 October 1960 in Lanús, Buenos Aires) is an Argentine former football player and the current manager of the Argentine national team. He is widely regarded as one of the best football players of all time. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys, setting world-record contract fees. In his international career, playing for Argentina, he earned 91 caps and scored 34 goals. He played in four FIFA World Cup tournaments, including the 1986 World Cup where he captained Argentina and led them to their victory over West Germany in the final, winning the Golden Ball award as the tournament's best player. In that same tournament's quarter-final round he scored two goals in a 2–1 victory over England that entered football history, though for two very different reasons. The first goal was an unpenalized handball known as the "Hand of God", while the second goal was a spectacular 60-metre weave through six England players, commonly referred to as "The Goal of the Century".
For various reasons, Maradona is considered one of the sport's most controversial and newsworthy figures. He was suspended from football for 15 months in 1991 after failing a doping test for cocaine in Italy, and he was sent home from the 1994 World Cup in the USA for testing positive for ephedrine.
After retiring from playing on his 37th birthday in 1997,[1] he gained weight and increasingly suffered ill health, not helped by ongoing cocaine abuse. In 2005 a stomach stapling operation helped control his weight gain. After overcoming his cocaine addiction, he became a popular TV host in Argentina.[2]
His outspoken manners have sometimes put him at odds with journalists and sport executives. Although he had little previous managerial experience, he became head coach of the Argentina national team in November 2008.
Contents
[hide]Early years
Maradona was born in Lanús, but raised in Villa Fiorito, a shantytown on the southern outskirts of Buenos Aires,[3] to a poor family that had moved from Corrientes Province. He was the first son after three daughters. He has two younger brothers, Hugo (el Turco) and Eduardo (Lalo), both of whom were also professional football players.
At age 10, Maradona was spotted by a talent scout while he was playing in his neighborhood club Estrella Roja. He became a staple of Los Cebollitas (The Little Onions), the junior team of Buenos Aires's Argentinos Juniors. As a 12-year-old ball boy, he amused spectators by showing his wizardry with the ball during the halftime intermissions of first division games.[4]
Club career
Argentinos Juniors and Boca Juniors
On 20 October 1976, Maradona made his professional debut with Argentinos Juniors, ten days before his sixteenth birthday.[1] He played there between 1976 and 1981, before his £1m transfer to Boca Juniors. Joining the squad midway through the 1981 season, Maradona played through 1982, and secured his first league winners' medal. Whilst playing for Argentinos Juniors, English club Sheffield United put in a bid of £180,000 for his services but the bid was rejected.
FC Barcelona
After the 1982 World Cup, in June, Maradona was transferred to Barcelona in Spain for a then world record £5m.[1] In 1983, under coach César Luis Menotti, Barcelona and Maradona won the Copa del Rey (Spain's annual national cup competition), beating Real Madrid, and the Spanish Super Cup, beating Athletic de Bilbao. However, Maradona had a difficult tenure in Barcelona.[5] First a bout with hepatitis, then a broken leg caused by an ill-timed tackle by Athletic's Andoni Goikoetxea jeopardized his career,[1] but Maradona's physical strength and willpower made it possible for him to soon be back on the pitch. At Barcelona, Maradona got into frequent disputes with the team's directors, especially club president Josep Lluís Núñez, culminating with a demand to be transferred out of Camp Nou in 1984. He was transferred to Napoli in Italy's Serie A for another record fee, £6.9m.
Napoli
At Napoli, Maradona reached the peak of his professional career. He quickly became an adored star among the club's fans, and in his time there he elevated the team to the most successful era in its history. Led by Maradona, Napoli won their only Serie A Italian Championships in 1986/87 and 1989/1990, placing second in the league twice, in 1987/88 and 1988/89. Other honors during the Maradona era at Napoli included the Coppa Italia in 1987, (second place in the Coppa Italia in 1989), the UEFA Cup in 1989 and the Italian Supercup in 1990. Maradona was the top scorer in Serie A in 1987/88.
During his time in Italy, Maradona's personal problems increased. His cocaine use continued, and he received US $70,000 in fines from his club for missing games and practices, ostensibly because of 'stress'.[6] He faced a scandal there regarding an illegitimate son; and he was also the object of some suspicion over an alleged friendship with the Camorra.[7][8][9][10][11]
Sevilla, Newell's Old Boys and Boca Juniors
After serving a 15-month ban for failing a drug test for cocaine, Maradona left Napoli in disgrace in 1992. By the time he joined his next team, Sevilla (1992–93), he had not played professional football for two years. In 1993 he played for Newell's Old Boys and in 1995 he returned to Boca Juniors for 2 years.[1]
Maradona also appeared for Tottenham Hotspur in a friendly match against Internazionale, shortly before the 1986 world cup. The match was Osvaldo Ardiles' testimonial, who insisted his friend Maradona played, which Tottenham won 2–1. He played alongside Glenn Hoddle, who gave up his number ten shirt for the Argentine. Maradona would go on to dribble past Hoddle during his "goal of the century" against England in the world cup that year.
International career
Along with his time at Napoli, international football is where Maradona found his fame. Playing for the Albicelestes of the Argentina national football team, he participated in four consecutive FIFA World Cup tournaments, leading Argentina to victory in 1986 and to second place in 1990.
He made his full international debut at age 16, against Hungary on 27 February 1977. At age 18, he played the World Youth Championship for Argentina, and was the star of the tournament, shining in their 3–1 final win over the Soviet Union. On 2 June 1979, Maradona scored his first senior international goal in a 3–1 win against Scotland at Hampden Park.[12]
1982 World Cup
Maradona played his first World Cup tournament in 1982. In the first round, Argentina, the defending champions, lost to Belgium. Although the team convincingly beat Hungary and El Salvador to progress to the second round, they were defeated in the second round by Brazil and by eventual winners Italy. Maradona played in all five matches without being substituted, scoring twice against Hungary, but was sent off with 5 minutes remaining in the game against Brazil for serious foul play.
1986 World Cup
Maradona captained the Argentine national team to victory in the 1986 FIFA World Cup, winning the final in Mexico against West Germany. Throughout the 1986 World Cup Maradona asserted his dominance and was the most dynamic player of the tournament. He played every minute of every Argentina game, scored 5 goals and made 5 assists. After scoring two goals in the 2–1 quarter-final win against England his legend was cemented.
This match was played with the background of the Falklands War between Argentina and the United Kingdom and emotions were still lingering in the air throughout the entire match. Replays showed that the first goal was scored by striking the ball with his hand. Maradona was coyly evasive, describing it as "a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God." It became known as the "Hand of God," or "la mano de Dios." Ultimately, on 22 August 2005 Maradona acknowledged on his television show that he had hit the ball with his hand purposely, and that he immediately knew the goal was illegitimate. The goal stood, much to the wrath of the English players.[13]
Maradona, turns like a little eel, he comes away from trouble, little squat man... comes inside Butcher and leaves him for dead, outside Fenwick and leaves him for dead, and puts the ball away... and that is why Maradona is the greatest player in the world.
""Maradona's second goal was later voted by FIFA as the greatest goal in the history of the World Cup. He received the ball in his own half, swivelled around, and with 11 touches ran more than half the length of the field, dribbling past five English outfield players (Peter Beardsley, Steve Hodge, Peter Reid, Terry Butcher, and Terry Fenwick) and goalkeeper Peter Shilton. This goal was voted "Goal of the Century" in a 2002 online poll conducted by FIFA.[15] Right after the goal occurred, it left the television commentator "sobbing in joy", and apologizing for his outburst.[16]
Maradona followed this with two more goals in the semi-final against Belgium, including another virtuoso dribbling display for the second goal. In the final, the opposing West German side attempted to contain him by double-marking, but he nevertheless found the space to give the final pass to Jorge Burruchaga for the winning goal. Argentina beat West Germany 3–2 in front of 115,000 spectators at the Azteca Stadium and Maradona lifted the World Cup trophy, ensuring that he would be remembered as one of the greatest names in football history. In a tribute to him, the Azteca Stadium authorities built a statue of him scoring the "goal of the century" and placed it at the entrance of the stadium.[17]
1990 World Cup
Maradona captained Argentina again in the 1990 FIFA World Cup. An ankle injury affected his overall performance, and he was much less dominant than four years earlier. Argentina was almost eliminated in the first round, only qualifying in third position from their group. In the round of 16 match against Brazil, Claudio Caniggia scored the only goal after being set up by Maradona.
In the quarter final, Argentina faced Yugoslavia, the match ending 0–0 after 120 minutes, and Argentina advancing on penalty kicks, despite Maradona missing one of the penalties in the shootout with a weak shot at the centre of the goal. The semifinal against the host nation Italy was also resolved on penalties after a 1–1 draw; this time, Maradona was successful with his effort, daringly placing the ball at the exact same spot as his missed penalty in the previous round. In the final, Argentina lost 1–0 to West Germany, the only goal being a penalty by Andreas Brehme in the 85th minute after a controversial foul on Rudi Völler.
1994 World Cup
At the 1994 FIFA World Cup Maradona played in only two games, scoring one goal against Greece, before being sent home after failing a drug test for ephedrine doping. In his autobiography, Maradona argued that the test result was due to his personal trainer giving him the power drink Rip Fuel. His claim was that the U.S. version, unlike the Argentine one, contained the chemical and that, having run out of his Argentinian dosage, his trainer unwittingly bought the U.S. formula. FIFA expelled him from USA '94 and Argentina were subsequently eliminated in the second round. Maradona has also separately claimed that he had an agreement with FIFA, on which the organization reneged, to allow him to use the drug for weight loss before the competition in order to be able to play.[18] According to Maradona, this was so that the World Cup would not lose prestige because of his absence. This allegation has never been proven.
Playing style
See also: Creole footballMaradona had a compact physique and could withstand physical pressure well. His strong legs and low center of gravity gave him an advantage in short sprints. His physical strengths were illustrated by his two goals against Belgium in the 1986 World Cup. Maradona was a strategist and a team player, as well as highly technical with the ball. He could manage himself effectively in limited spaces, and would attract defenders only to quickly dash out of the melee (as in the second 1986 goal against England),[19] or give an assist to a free teammate. Being short, but strong, he could hold the ball long enough with a defender on his back to wait for a teammate making a run or to find a gap for a quick shot.
One of Maradona's trademark moves was dribbling full-speed on the left wing, and on reaching the opponent's goal line, delivering accurate passes to his teammates. Another trademark was the Rabona, a reverse-cross pass shot behind the leg that holds all the weight. This maneuver led to several assists, such as the powerful cross for Ramón Díaz's header in the 1980 friendly against Switzerland. He was also a dangerous free kick taker.
Maradona was dominantly left-footed, often using his left foot even when the ball was positioned more suitably for a right-footed connection. His first goal against Belgium in the 1986 World Cup semi-final is a worthy indicator of such; he had run into the inside right channel to receive a pass but let the ball travel across to his left foot, requiring more technical ability. During his run past several England players in the previous round for the "Goal of the Century", he didn't use his right foot once, despite spending the whole movement on the right-hand side of the pitch. In the 1990 World Cup second round tie against Brazil, he did use his right foot to set up the winning goal for Caniggia due to two Brazilian markers forcing him into a position that made use of his left foot less practical.
Retirement and honours
Hounded for years by the press, Maradona once fired a compressed-air rifle at reporters who he claimed were invading his privacy. This quote from former teammate Jorge Valdano summarizes the feelings of many:
" He is someone many people want to emulate, a controversial figure, loved, hated, who stirs great upheaval, especially in Argentina... Stressing his personal life is a mistake. Maradona has no peers inside the pitch, but he has turned his life into a show, and is now living a personal ordeal that should not be imitated. [20] " In 2000, Maradona published his autobiography Yo Soy El Diego ("I am The Diego"), which became an instant bestseller[21] in his home country. Two years later, Maradona donated the Cuban royalties of his book to "the Cuban people and Fidel."[22]
FIFA conducted a fan poll on the Internet in 2000, to elect the Player of the Century. Maradona finished top of the poll with 53.6% of the vote. Subsequently, however, and contrary to the original announcement of how the award would be decided, FIFA appointed a "Football Family" committee of football experts that voted to award Pelé the title. Maradona protested at the change in procedure, and declared he would not attend the ceremony if Pelé replaced him. Eventually, two awards were made, one to each of the pair. Maradona accepted his prize, but left the ceremony without waiting to see Pelé receive his accolade.[23]
He finished first in an internet vote for the FIFA Player of the Century award, and he shared the award with Pelé. However, it should be mentioned that Pelé and numerous FIFA officials criticised the poll for a number of methodological shortcomings, most notably, for the 'recency effect'. In a separate survey conducted by the IFFHS, Maradona placed 5th best player of the century, behind fellow countryman Alfredo Di Stefano.[24][23][25]
In 2001, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) asked FIFA for authorization to retire the jersey number 10 for Maradona. FIFA did not grant the request, even though Argentine officials have maintained that FIFA hinted that it would.[26]
Maradona has won other fan polls, including a 2002 FIFA poll in which his second goal against England was chosen as the best goal ever scored in a World Cup; he also won the most votes in a poll to determine the All-Time Ultimate World Cup Team.
Argentinos Juniors named its stadium after Maradona on 26 December 2003.
On 22 June 2005, it was announced that Maradona would return to Boca Juniors as a sports vice president in charge of managing the First Division roster (after a disappointing 2004–05 season, which coincided with Boca's centenary).[27] His contract began 1 August 2005, and one of his first recommendations proved to be very effective: he was the one who decided to hire Alfio Basile as the new coach. With Maradona fostering a close relationship with the players, Boca went on to win the 2005 Apertura title, the 2006 Clausura title, the 2005 Copa Sudamericana and the 2005 Recopa Sudamericana.
On 15 August 2005, Maradona made his debut as host of a talk-variety show on Argentine television, La Noche del 10 ("The Night of the no. 10"). His main guest on opening night was Pelé; the two had a friendly chat, showing no signs of past differences. However, the show also included a cartoon villain with a clear physical resemblance to Pelé. In subsequent evenings, he led the ratings on all occasions but one. Most guests were drawn from the worlds of football and show business, including Zidane, Ronaldo and Hernán Crespo, but also included interviews with other notable personalities such as Fidel Castro and Mike Tyson.
On 26 August 2006, it was announced that Maradona was quitting his position in the club Boca Juniors because of disagreements with the AFA, who selected Basile to be the new coach of the Argentina National Football Team.[28]
The award-winning Serbian filmmaker Emir Kusturica made a documentary about Maradona's life, entitled Maradona.
In May 2006, Maradona agreed to take part in UK's Soccer Aid (a program to raise money for Unicef).[29] In September 2006, Maradona, in his famous blue and white number 10, was the captain for Argentina in a three-day World Cup of Indoor Football tournament in Spain.
Also in 2006, Diego Maradona was appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador of IIMSAM the Intergovernmental Institution for the use of Micro-algae Spirulina Against Malnutrition.[30]
On 22 March 2010, Maradona was chosen number 1 in The Greatest 10 World Cup players of all times by The Times,[31] a London based newspaper.
Managerial career
Club management
He attempted to work as a coach alongside former Argentinos Juniors midfield team mate Carlos Fren. The pair led Mandiyú of Corrientes (1994) and Racing Club (1995), but with little success.
International management
After the resignation of Argentina national football team coach Alfio Basile in 2008, Diego Maradona immediately proposed his candidacy for the vacant role. According to several press sources, his major challengers included Diego Simeone, Carlos Bianchi, Miguel Ángel Russo and Sergio Batista.
On October 29, 2008, AFA chairman Julio Grondona confirmed that Maradona would be the head coach of the national side from December 2008. On 19 November 2008, Diego Maradona managed Argentina for the first time when Argentina played against Scotland at Hampden Park in Glasgow which Argentina won 1–0.[32]
After winning his first three matches in charge of the national team, he oversaw a 6–1 defeat to Bolivia, equalling the team's worst ever margin of defeat. With two matches remaining in the qualification tournament for the 2010 World Cup, Argentina was in fifth place and faced the possibility of failing to qualify, but victory in the last two matches secured qualification for the finals.[33][34]
After Argentina's qualification, Maradona used abusive language at the live post-game press conference, telling members of the media to "suck it and keep on sucking it".[35] FIFA responded with a two month ban on all footballing activity, which expired on January 15, 2010, and a CHF 25,000 fine, with a warning as to his future conduct.[36] Argentina had one friendly match scheduled during the period of the ban, at home to the Czech Republic on December 15, but this was subsequently cancelled.
At the World Cup finals in June 2010, Argentina started by winning 1–0 against Nigeria, and then defeated South Korea by 4–1, with a hat-trick from Gonzalo Higuain.[37][38]. In the final match of the group stage Argentina won 2–0 against Greece to win their the group and advance to a second round meeting with Mexico.[39] After defeating the team 3–1, Argentina was in turn routed by Germany, 4–0 in the quarter finals.[40]
Personal life
Family
His parents are Diego Maradona Snr and Dalma Salvadore Franco. His father is of Mestizo extraction.[41][42] His maternal great-grandfather Mateo Kariolić was born in Korčula, Dalmatia, today's Croatia (possibly then in the Austrian Empire), and emigrated to Argentina, where Maradona's grandmother Salvadora was born.[citation needed] Salvadora named her daughter Dalma after the Croatian region, after whom Maradona named his eldest daughter.[citation needed]
Maradona married long-time fiancée Claudia Villafañe on November 7, 1989 in Buenos Aires, after the birth of their daughters, Dalma Nerea (born on April 2, 1987) and Giannina Dinorah (born on May 16, 1989), by whom he became a grandfather in 2009.[43] In his autobiography, Maradona admits he was not always faithful to Claudia, even though he refers to her as the love of his life.
Maradona and Villafañe divorced in 2004. Daughter Dalma has since asserted that the divorce was the best solution for all, as her parents remained on friendly terms. They traveled together to Napoli for a series of homages in June 2005[44] and were seen together on many other occasions, including the Argentina matches during 2006 FIFA World Cup.
During the divorce proceedings, Maradona admitted he was the father of Diego Sinagra (born in Naples on September 20, 1986). The Italian courts had already so ruled in 1993, after Maradona refused to undergo DNA tests for proving or disproving his paternity. Diego Jr. met Maradona for the first time in May 2003 after tricking his way onto a golf course in Italy where Maradona was playing.[45]
After the divorce, Claudia embarked on a career as a theatre producer, and Dalma is seeking an acting career; she has expressed her desire to attend the Actor's Studio in Los Angeles.[46][47]
His younger daughter, Giannina, is now engaged to Atletico Madrid striker Sergio Agüero. His son Diego Sinagra is a footballer in Italy [48]
Drug abuse and health issues
From the mid-1980s until 2004 Diego Maradona was addicted to cocaine. He allegedly began using the drug in Barcelona in 1983.[49] By the time he was playing for Napoli he had a regular addiction, which began to interfere with his ability to play football.[50]
Over the years following his retirement his health seriously deteriorated. On January 4, 2000, while vacationing in Punta del Este, Uruguay, Maradona had to be rushed to the emergency room of a local clinic. In a press conference, doctors stated that it was detected heart muscle damage due to "an underlying health issue". It was later known that traces of cocaine were found in his blood and Maradona had to explain the circumstances to the police. After this he left Argentina and went to Cuba in order to follow a drug rehab plan.
Maradona had a tendency to put on weight, and suffered increasingly from obesity from the end of his playing career until undergoing gastric bypass surgery in a clinic in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia on 6 March 2005.[51] When Maradona resumed public appearances shortly thereafter, he displayed a notably thinner figure.[52]
On 18 April 2004, doctors reported that Maradona had suffered a major myocardial infarction following a cocaine overdose; he was admitted to intensive care in a Buenos Aires hospital. Scores of fans gathered around the clinic. He was taken off the respirator on 23 April and remained in intensive care for several days before being discharged on 29 April. He tried to return to Cuba, where he had spent most of his time in the years leading up to the heart attack, but his family opposed, having filed a judicial petition to exercise his legal guardianship.
On 29 March 2007, Maradona was readmitted to a hospital in Buenos Aires. He was treated for hepatitis and effects of alcohol abuse, and was released on 11 April, but re-admitted two days later.[53] In the following days there were constant rumors about his health, including three false claims of his death within a month.[54] After transfer to a psychiatric clinic specialising in alcohol-related problems, he was discharged on May 7.[55]
On 8 May 2007, Maradona appeared on Argentine television and stated that he had quit drinking and had not used drugs in two and a half years.[56]
Political views
In recent years, Maradona has shown sympathy to left-wing ideologies. He became friends with Cuban leader Fidel Castro while receiving treatment on the island. He also has a portrait of Fidel Castro tattooed on his left leg and one of Fidel's second in command, fellow Argentine Che Guevara on his right arm.[57] In his autobiography 'El Diego' he dedicated the book to several people and groups of people including Fidel Castro, he wrote "To Fidel Castro and, through him, all the Cuban people".[58]
Maradona is also a supporter of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. In 2005 he visited Venezuela with the specific aim of meeting Chávez, who received him in Miraflores. After this meeting Maradona claimed that he had come with the aim of meeting a "great man" ("un grande" in Spanish) but he had met instead a gigantic man ("un gigante" in Spanish, meaning he was more than great).
"I believe in Chávez, I am Chavista. Everything Fidel does, everything Chávez does, for me is the best."[59]
He has declared his opposition to what he identifies as imperialism, notably during the 2005 Summit of the Americas in Mar del Plata, Argentina. There he protested George W. Bush's presence in Argentina, wearing a T-shirt labeled "STOP BUSH" and referring to Bush as "human garbage".[60][61]
In August 2007, Maradona went further, making an appearance on Chávez's weekly television show and saying: "I hate everything that comes from the United States. I hate it with all my strength." [62]
In December 2007, Maradona presented a signed shirt with a message of support to the people of Iran: it is to be displayed in the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs' museum.[63]
Financial problems
In March 2009 Italian officials announced that Maradona still owed the Italian government 37 million euros in taxes; 23.5 million euros of which was accrued interest on his original debt. They reported that thus far, Maradona has paid only 42,000 euros, two luxury watches and a set of earrings.[64][65]
In popular culture
To understand the gargantuan shadow Maradona casts over his soccer-mad homeland, one has to conjure up the athleticism of Michael Jordan, the power of Babe Ruth — and the human fallibility of Mike Tyson. Lump them together in a single barrel-chested man with shaggy black hair and you have El Diego, idol to the millions who call him D10S, a mashup of his playing number and the Spanish word for God.
Ever since 1986, it is common for Argentines abroad to hear Maradona's name as a token of recognition, even in remote places.[5] The Tartan Army sing a version of the Hokey Cokey in honour of the Hand of God goal against England.[66] In Argentina, Maradona is often talked about in terms reserved for legends. In the Argentine film El Hijo de la Novia ("Son of the Bride"), somebody who impersonates a Catholic priest says to a bar patron: "they idolized him and then crucified him". When a friend scolds him for taking the prank too far, the fake priest retorts: "But I was talking about Maradona". He's the subject of the film El Camino de San Diego, though he himself only appears in archive footage.
Maradona was included in many cameos in the Argentine comic book El Cazador de Aventuras. After the closing of it, the authors started a new short-lived comic book titled "El Die", using Maradona as the main character.
In Rosario, Argentina, fans organized the "Church of Maradona". Maradona's 43rd birthday in 2003 marked the start of the Year 43 D.D. – "Después de Diego" or After Diego – for its founding 200 members. Tens of thousands more[67] have become members via the church's official web site.
A television commercial[68] for Brazilian soft drink Guaraná Antarctica portrayed Maradona as a member of the Brazilian national football team, including wearing the yellow jersey and singing the Brazilian national anthem with Brazilian caps Kaká and Ronaldo. Later on in the commercial he wakes up realizing it was a nightmare after having drunk too much of the Brazilian soft drink. This generated some controversy in the Argentine media after its release (although the commercial was not supposed to air on the Argentine market, fans could see it via internet). Maradona replied that he has no problem in wearing the Brazilian national squad jersey, but that he would refuse to wear the shirt of River Plate, Boca Juniors' traditional rival.[69]
Career statistics
Club
- His overall average of goals scored per match in domestic club competitions is 0.526.
International
- Started in 21 consecutive matches for Argentina in four World Cups (1982, 1986, 1990, 1994)
- Appeared 16 times as captain of the national team, a World Cup-record.
- Scored 8 goals and made 8 assists in 21 World Cup appearances, including 5 goals and 5 assists in 1986
- Tied for second-highest goal-scorer from Argentina in World Cup finals (equaled Guillermo Stábile's mark in 1994; surpassed by Gabriel Batistuta in 1998)
Statistics
Player
Club performance League Cup Continental Total Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Argentina League Cup South America Total 1976 Argentinos Juniors Primera División 11 2 – – 11 2 1977 49 19 – – 49 19 1978 35 25 – – 35 25 1979 27 26 – – 27 26 1980 45 43 – – 45 43 1981 Boca Juniors 40 28 – – 40 28 Spain League Copa del Rey Europe Total 1982–83 Barcelona La Liga 20 11 11 7 4 5 35 23 1983–84 16 11 4 1 3 3 23 15 Italy League Coppa Italia Europe Total 1984–85 Napoli Serie A 30 14 6 3 – 36 17 1985–86 29 11 2 2 – 31 13 1986–87 29 10 10 7 2 0 41 17 1987–88 28 15 9 6 2 0 39 21 1988–89 26 9 12 7 12 3 50 19 1989–90 28 16 3 2 5 0 36 18 1990–91 18 6 3 2 4 2 25 10 Spain League Copa del Rey Europe Total 1992–93 Sevilla La Liga 26 5 3 3 – 29 8 Argentina League Cup South America Total 1993–94 Newell's Old Boys Primera División 7 0 – – 7 0 1995–96 Boca Juniors 11 3 – – 11 3 1996–97 13 2 – – 13 2 1997–98 6 2 – – 6 2 Total Argentina 244 150 – – 244 150 Spain 62 27 18 7 7 8 87 46 Italy 188 81 45 29 25 5 258 115 Career Total 494 258 63 36 32 13 589 311 Manager
Team Nat From To Record G W L D Win % Mandiyú de Corrientes 1994 12 1 6 5 8.33 Racing Club 1995 11 2 6 3 18.18 Argentina November 2008 Present 19 14 5 0 73.68 Honours
Club
- Primera División: 1981
- Copa del Rey: 1983
- Copa de la Liga: 1983
- Supercopa de España: 1983
Country
-
- FIFA World Youth Championship: 1979
- FIFA World Cup:
- Artemio Franchi Trophy: 1993
- 75th anniversary FIFA Cup: 1979
Individual
- Golden Ball for Best Player of the FIFA U-20 World Cup: 1979
- Argentine league Top Scorer: 1979, 1980, 1981
- Argentine Football Writers' Footballer of the Year: 1979, 1980, 1981, 1986
- South American Footballer of the Year (El Mundo, Caracas):1979, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1992
- Italian Guerin d'Oro: 1985
- Argentine Sports Writers' Sportsman of the Year: 1986
- Golden Ball for Best Player of the FIFA World Cup: 1986
- Best Footballer in the World Onze d'Or: 1986, 1987
- World Player of the Year (World Soccer Magazine): 1986
- Capocannoniere (Serie A top scorer): 1987–88
- Golden Ball for services to football (France Football): 1996
- Argentine Sports Writers' Sportsman of the Century: 1999
- "FIFA Goal of the Century" (1986 (2–1) v. England; second goal): 2002
- Argentine Senate "Domingo Faustino Sarmiento" recognition for lifetime achievement:
- FIFA Player of the Century
See also
References
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- ^ Five days with Diego Jason Bernard, news.bbc.co.uk, 30 April 2006. Retrieved 6 August 2006.
- ^ The greatest rags-to-riches stories ever James Dart, Paul Doyle and Jon Hill, 12 April 2006. Retrieved 18 August 2006.
- ^ The Hand of God. Retrieved 18 August 2006.
- ^ a b That's one hell of a diet, Diego 8 January 2006. Guardian Newspapers Limited. Retrieved 13 August 2006.
- ^ "SPORTS PEOPLE; Maradona Fined". The New York Times. 13 January 1991. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE3D6153EF930A25752C0A967958260. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
- ^ "Maradona's fall from grace". BBC News. 19 April 2004. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/3639425.stm. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
- ^ "After the fall: The World Cup dream is over for Diego Maradona, but there may be worse to come – a little matter of pounds 500,000-worth of smuggled cocaine, and the Naples mafia. Paul Greengrass and Toby Follett report". The Independent (London). 5 July 1994. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/after-the-fall-the-world-cup-dream-is-over-for-diego-maradona-but-there-may-be-worse-to-come--a-little-matter-of-pounds-500000worth-of-smuggled-cocaine-and-the-naples-mafia-paul-greengrass-and-toby-follett-report-1411755.html. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
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- ^ "At his best, Diego Maradona can be as graceful as Michael Jordan. At his worst, he can be as disgraceful as John McEnroe. The question is, which Maradona will show for the World Cup?". CNN. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/si_online/news/2002/01/14/prima_dona/. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
- ^ MacPherson, Graeme. Maradona to receive Hampden welcome, The Herald, 30 October 2008.
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- ^ Motson, John (2006). Motson's World Cup Extravaganza. p.103. Robson, 2006
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- ^ a b [Maradona puts his Legacy on the Line at the World Cup] by Jen Bensinger, The Houston Chronicle, June 8, 2010
- ^ Messi's Goal Better Than Maradona's Goal of the Century? worldrec.info. Retrieved 29–01–09.
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- ^ Interview with Jorge Valdano Last retrieved May 19, 2006
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- ^ a b CNNSI – "Split decision: Pelé, Maradona each win FIFA century awards after feud" Last retrieved May 30, 2006
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- ^ However, it should be mentioned that Pelé and numerous FIFA officials criticised the poll for a number of methodological shortcomings, most notably, for the 'recency effect'. In a separate survey conducted by the IFFHS, Maradona placed 5th best player of the century, behind fellow countryman Alfredo Di Stefano.
- ^ Argentina can't retire Maradona's shirt ESPNsoccernet.com, 26 May 2002. Retrieved 18 August 2006.
- ^ 'El Diez emprende dos nuevos desafíos', ESPN Deportes (July 28, 2005). Retrieved August 17, 2005.
- ^ 'El Diego quits his beloved Boca', FIFA News (August 26, 2006). Retrieved August 26, 2006.
- ^ "Maradona scores but England win UNICEF match", Yahoo-FIFA
- ^ "IIMSAM, Permanent Intergovernmental Observer to the United Nations ECOSOC". Iimsam.org. 2007-06-24. http://iimsam.org/csiri_isp_youth_programme.php. Retrieved 2010-06-12.
- ^ "The ten greatest World Cup playersbr No 1 Diego Maradona Argentina". The Times (London). 22 March 2010. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/international/article7070370.ece. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
- ^ "Scotland 0-1 Argentina". BBC Sport. 2008-11-19. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/7731484.stm. Retrieved 2010-07-07.
- ^ "Last-gasp Palermo wins it in the rain". ESPN. 2009-10-10. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=230075&cc=5739&league=FIFA.WORLDQ.CONMEBOL. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
- ^ "Late winner puts Argentina in World Cup finals". CNN. 2009-10-14. http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SPORT/football/10/14/football.samerica/index.html. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
- ^ World Cup 2010 (2009-10-15). "Diego Maradona Tells Press To 'Suck It' After Argentina Triumph Over Uruguay". Goal.com. http://www.goal.com/en/news/1863/world-cup-2010/2009/10/15/1562544/diego-maradona-tells-press-to-suck-it-after-argentina. Retrieved 2010-06-12.
- ^ "Maradona hit with two-month ban". London: BBC Sport. 15 November 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/8311013.stm. Retrieved 2009-11-15.
- ^ "Argentina 1–0 Nigeria". BBC Sport. 2010-06-12. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2010/matches/match_04/default.stm. Retrieved 2010-06-17.
- ^ "Argentina 4–1 South Korea". BBC Sport. 2010-06-17. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2010/matches/match_18/default.stm. Retrieved 2010-06-17.
- ^ "Maradona's men in top spot". ESPN Soccernet. 2009-06-22. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=264042&league=FIFA.WORLD&cc=5739&ver=global. Retrieved 2010-06-23.
- ^ "Germany Shows Its Strength". New York Times. 2010-06-03. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/04/sports/soccer/04germanygame.html?_r=1&scp=5&sq=Maradona&st=cse. Retrieved 2010-06-04.
- ^ "Hand of God: The Life of Diego Maradona, Soccer's Fallen Star". Globe Pequot. 3 July 2010. http://books.google.com/books?id=dHe12xX0J4EC&pg=PA63&lpg=PA63&dq=Diego+Maradona+is+italian+ancestry&source=bl&ots=3snPC8N8u2&sig=doCBsrJLTSApSv4B9MWbjDAxcT4&hl=en&ei=4uQvTN-bCoiDngf9jfmxAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CDMQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=indian%20italian%20mixed&f=false. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
- ^ "True Stories – Maradona 1/7". Youtube. 4 July 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYmJaXXj-7c&feature=related. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
- ^ La Liga (2009-02-19). "Diego Maradona Becomes A Grandfather As Sergio Aguero Junior Is Born". Goal.com. http://www.goal.com/en/news/722/la-liga/2009/02/19/1117562/diego-maradona-becomes-a-grandfather-as-sergio-aguero-junior-is-b. Retrieved 2010-06-12.
- ^ ESPN Deportes – "Llega en son de paz" Last retrieved 19 May 2006
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- ^ Clarin.com – "Había una vez... un elenco para la selección" Last retrieved 19 May 2006
- ^ Clarin.com – "Dalma Maradona: diario de una princesa" Last retrieved 19 May 2006
- ^ "Diego Sinagra". Resport.it. http://www.resport.it/leggi.asp?id=11196&idcat=5&t=n. Retrieved 2010-06-12.
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- ^ "The New York Times: SOCCER; Maradona Sentenced". 1991-19-09. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE5DE1F30F93AA2575AC0A967958260.
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- ^ Associated Press. "Maradona's gastric bypass inspires obese Colombians". ESPN.com. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=344144&cc=5901. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
- ^ "Maradona back in hospital" – Sky Sports
- ^ "Malas lenguas" – Diario Olé (Spanish)
- ^ "Maradona leaves alcoholism clinic". BBC News. 7 May 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6633391.stm. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
- ^ "Maradona says he no longer drinks" – ESPNsoccernet
- ^ Taylor, Chris (2005-11-06). "A big hand". London: The Observer. http://www.guardian.co.uk/argentina/story/0,,1635417,00.html. Retrieved 2006-06-19.
- ^ El Diego – Diego Maradona. ISBN 0244071904
- ^ Carroll, Rory (20 August 2007). "Maradona and Chávez laugh over 'hand of god' goal on chat show". London: The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/venezuela/story/0,,2152474,00.html. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
- ^ "Chávez and Maradona Lead Massive Rebuke of Bush". The Nation. 2005-11-05. http://www.thenation.com/doc/20051121/timerman. Retrieved 2006-06-20.
- ^ "Image of Maradona wearing the STOP BU卐H shirt". http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/images/1105-02.jpg. Retrieved 2010-06-12.
- ^ "Ex-soccer star Maradona tells Chavez he hates U.S.". Reuters. http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldFootballNews/idUKN1925170620070819. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
- ^ Naughton, Philippe (3 April 2008). "Diego Maradona makes a fan of President Ahmadinejad of Iran". The Sunday Times. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article3673860.ece. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
- ^ Police seize Maradona's earrings BBC News, September 19, 2009
- ^ Maradona Still Owes 37 million Euros Yahoo News, March 28, 2009
- ^ Shields, Tom. LET'S RAISE A GLASS TO MARADONA TOM SHIELDS SPORT DIARY, Sunday Herald, April 9, 2006.
- ^ Maradona in intensive care 28 April 2004. BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 August 2006.
- ^ http://www.archivo10.com/videos/maradona_videos07.html
- ^ "Maradona diz não se arrepender de usar camisa do Brasil na TV". AdNews. http://www.adnews.com.br/publicidade.php?id=28306. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Diego Maradona - Diego Maradona's home page
- ESPN Profile
- Complete List of International Appearances and Goals
- Video: Maradona's "Goal of the Century"
- Gary Lineker interviews Diego – BBC News 30 April 2006
- Diego admires Del Piero and Lavezzi
- Maradona Wants a Soccer Project to Return to Calcutta
Images
- Maradona: The Highs, the Lows – slideshow by Life magazine
- Photos: Diego Maradona's Quest for the World Cup – slideshow by Time magazine
- Diego Maradona's Greatest 2010 World Cup Moments – slideshow by The Huffington Post
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Indian ADRs gain $1 bn in a week; Wipro top gainer
Topics:- ADR
- American bourses
- Indian ADR
*
NEW YORK: Led by IT major Wipro, Indian stocks trading on American bourses added over $1 billion to their cumulative market capitalisation last week.
For the week ended July 9, the 16 Indian companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq together added $1.07 billion to their total market capitalisation, with Wipro alone accounting for $955 million to the total gain.
Private sector lenders HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank collectively witnessed a gain of $342 million. HDFC Bank's valuation rose by $181 million to $22.58 billion, while that of ICICI Bank grew by $161 million to a total of $20.91 billion.
Out of the 16 companies listed as American Depository Receipts (ADRs), 10 of them, including pharma major Dr Reddy's Laboratories and BPO company Genpact, saw a value erosion in their respective market capitalisation.
Also Read
During the week, Genpact came out as the biggest loser with $158 million vanishing from its market capitalisation of $3.4 billion. Genpact is followed by Dr Reddy's Laboratories whose valuation fell by $141 million to $5.28 billion.
Meanwhile IT behemoth Infosys Technologies' m-cap swelled by $153 million to $35.73 billion. Another firm that surged on the American bourses was telecom major Tata Communications, which climbed by $107 million to $1.69 billion.
Among other losers, IT major Patni Computer Systems and auto maker Tata Motors lost $82 million and $32 million respectively.
Also, valuations of Internet firms --Rediff.com and Sify Technologies, BPO companies --WNS Holdings and EXLService Holdings, telecom major Mahanagar Telephone Nigam and copper producer Sterlite Industries, declined in the range of $1-19 million.
However, valuation of IT firm -- Mahindra Satyam (earlier known as Satyam Computer Services) remain unchanged during the week at $3.45 billion.
On Friday, the US markets ended in the green, with Dow Jones Industrial Average rising by 59.04 points at 10,198.03 and S&P 500 going up by 7.71 points to 1,077.96.
Besides, tech heavy Nasdaq surged 21.05 points at 2,196.45.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/stocks/market-news/Indian-ADRs-gain-1-bn-in-a-week-Wipro-top-gainer/articleshow/6154490.cms
Europe could still suffer a meltdown: Swaminathan S A Aiyar
4 Jul 2010, 0932 hrs IST,Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiyar,TNN
Topics:- general motors
- europe
- meltdown
- Goldman Sachs
- Indian Markets
- AIG
- Morgan Stanley
- CitiBank
- Greek fiscal crisis
* Is it right time to take a plunge?
For those who think the Great Recession is over, I have disturbing news. I asked a top Wall Street manager last week what the chances were of a full-blooded European financial crisis. He replied, "100 per cent."
In February, the Greek fiscal crisis sent Indian markets crashing. This was the beginning of a European crisis that is not over. Wall Street experts believe it will get much worse. If so, the global financial system could freeze again, causing a double-dip recession.
Optimists say governments will surely rescue all large European banks. Very probably. But the US financial system froze despite government rescues of AIG, Citibank, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and General Motors. The British system froze despite rescues of Northern Rock and the Royal Bank of Scotland.
Rescues keep insolvent institutions alive, but only after imposing huge losses on shareholders, creditors and those having outstanding transactions. Citibank is alive, but its share price fell from $60 to $1 during the meltdown, and has edged up to just $ 3.70 today.
Nobody wants dealings with financial institutions that are tottering. When dealings freeze, credit freezes, and then all business freezes: the economic machinery cannot work without financial lubrication. The biggest Indian companies with the soundest balance sheets found credit cut off when global markets froze in 2008. A European meltdown may not be as bad, but will be troublesome.
Also Read
Banks have a small amount of their own equity and a pile of borrowings. Some European banks in 2008 had debt 50 times their equity. By borrowing 50 times their own money, they could magnify profits 50 times. But they magnified risks and potential losses too, and these wiped out some premier banks.
US institutions had unwisely borrowed to invest in mortgage-related securities. When housing prices collapsed, so did mortgage-related securities, bankrupting many US institutions. Most big European banks survived because, while many had borrowed heavily, they had invested in government bonds. These are called gilts, because they have traditionally been regarded as good as gold. Indeed, the international Basle rules provide that banks can treat gilts rated AAA as having zero risk.
Alas, Greece showed in February that even European governments could become incapable of honouring their debts. As panic spread, Greece, Portugal and later Spain lost their AAA rating. European banks that had virtuously invested in AAA gilts suddenly found themselves holding devalued securities. This fall in assets threatened to wipe out many top banks. To prevent this, European governments in June engineered a rescue package of 750 billion euros, covering not just Greece but all European nations.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opinion/columnists/swaminathan-s-a-aiyar/Europe-could-still-suffer-a-meltdown-Swaminathan-S-A-Aiyar/articleshow/6126597.cms
Ill-informed debate on oil decontrol
30 Jun 2010, 0526 hrs IST,Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiyar,ET Bureau
Topics:- Fuel price
- Kirit Parikh Committee
- Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiyar
- petroleum product prices
The government has finally hiked the prices of diesel, kerosene and LPG, though by less than recommended by the Kirit Parikh Committee. It has decontrolled petrol , and hopes to decontrol diesel in due course. But its timidity suggests that price controls will return if global oil prices shoot up again.
Financial TV channels had discussions clearly favouring decontrol. But politicians on news channels were overwhelmingly against any price rise. Their objections included exaggerations, halftruths and plain falsehoods.
They said this was a political issue affecting the common man, and could not be treated just as an economic matter. Yet, dozens of countries across the globe have no price controls.
The common man in Japan, the Philippines or the US treats changes in petrol and diesel prices as no more political than changes in the price of bananas or eggs. Only when governments impose price control do prices become political, and that's the best reason for avoiding controls. India had no oil price controls till 1973, and price changes were not seen as political then.
Indian politicians claim that the common man will be pushed into poverty and privation by the price hike, while farmers and agriculture will be ruined. That's plain wrong, and such claims have no basis either in other country experiences nor India's own past. The common man faces price changes up and down in any market system.
In a non-market communist system, all prices can indeed be controlled forever, but the collapse of the Soviet Union showed how myopic and bankrupt such an approach really was. Price controls can provide shortterm relief to consumers, but act as longer-term disincentives to production and efficiency, the cumulative impact of which toppled communism.
Deng Xiaoping in China moved towards the market fast enough to escape a Soviet-type collapse. Countries without price controls have far outperformed those with controls, in terms of poverty removal no less than GDP growth. Yet, Indian politicians on TV talk as though Soviet-style price controls are the only rational and humane way to manage economies.
Indian politicians claim that price decontrols will spur inflation. But despite price controls, India has 10% wholesale price inflation and 14% consumer price inflation.
By contrast, inflation is just 2-3 % in the US, Europe, Japan, the Philippines and other countries without price controls, where consumers are paying in full for the doubling of crude price from $40 to $80 a barrel over the last year. Inflation is caused by faulty fiscal , monetary and trade policies, not by price decontrol.
Diesel and petrol have gone up around 5%, which is hardly sensational. Yet Indian politicians say the back of the common man will be broken.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opinion/columnists/swaminathan-s-a-aiyar/Ill-informed-debate-on-oil-decontrol/articleshow/6108721.cms
Octopus Paul has nothing on African bones - Zuma
Reuters - 1 hour ago
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By Stella Mapenzauswa
JOHANNESBURG, July 11 (Reuters) - Forget Paul the octopus -- in Africa only animal bones can accurately predict the outcome of big matches like the World Cup final between Spain and the Netherlands, South African President Jacob Zuma said on Sunday.
Dutch fans have brushed off a prediction they will lose to Spain made by the oracle octopus who has earned worldwide celebrity status by accurately predicting the outcome of all seven of Germany's matches at the tournament.
"Don't listen to the octopus. Here in Africa we throw bones, it's the bones that talk, not octopuses," Zuma said, drawing laughter from African leaders in his country to watch the final.
Many South Africans swear by sangomas, or witchdoctors, who claim an ability to read into the hidden past, or the future, by scattering animal bones on the ground.
But some fans are placing their faith in Paul the octopus, who is based in Germany, or his rival Mani, a Singaporean parakeet credited with forecasting powers who has predicted a win for Netherlands at Soccer City later on Sunday.
"We will hear... which one is telling the truth," laughed Zuma.
(Reporting by Stella Mapenzauswa; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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