Archive | April, 2012

Bee Swarm Attacks Brazilian Match

17 Apr



When I first saw this video I feared the worst having seen similar scenes last year when gunshots erupted outside a stadium in Mexico. But alas, this was nothing more than a bunch of grown men humping the ground and praying to avoid the wrath of one of the fiercest and most intimidating predators in the insect kingdom…bees. A massive swarm to be exact.

Players from Fluminense and Juazeirense hit the deck at the latter’s Adauto Moraes stadium in the Brazilian city of Juazeiro after a swarm of bees invaded the proceedings sending all those in attendance into a tizzy. Yet after viewing the video it’s hard to figure out how threatening the flying stingers truly were.

For one thing you can’t see them. Some players simply sit on the pitch while another can be seen walking around. And as some fans rush for cover under a large banner, a few remained in their seats exposed to the elements chewing the fat. The highlight comes at the 49 second mark when the referee, also laying prone on the ground, radios in for an air strike. His coordinates however proved faulty and the planes missed their desired target. Play would eventually resume and Fluminense escaped, sting-free, with a 1-0 victory.

The referee’s wish for a cameo appearance in the next version of Call of Duty ended as quickly as it began.

Cabanas Returns From Near-Death Shooting

17 Apr

This past weekend, football was secondary. Seeing 25 year-old Livorno midfielder Piermario Morosini collapse on the pitch put everything in perspective once again for the football world just weeks after Fabrice Muamba’s similar heart attack on the field against Tottenham. Only on Saturday, Morosini wasn’t as lucky and died en route to the hospital. And yet amid the shock and grief, something miraculous happened on the other side of the globe providing a small ray of light on such a dark weekend.

In the small Paraguayan city of Itauguá, 850 spectators witnessed the unthinkable. Salvador Cabanas trotted out of the tunnel triumphantly onto the pitch for the first time in over two years.

Back in January 2010, Cabanas was partying at a nightclub in Mexico City with some friends. After an altercation, Cabanas made his way to the bathroom where he was confronted and shot in the head. Somehow he avoided death by just an inch. Two years on after an unimaginable recovery process Cabanas returned (the bullet is still lodged in his head since removal would prove fatal).

Substituted after 41 minutes for his hometown Third Division club 12 de Octubre, the Paraguayan displayed a fighting spirit and unwavering determination which aptly characterized the former Paraguayan captain who had come so far in his battle for survival. Despite the sparse crowd, the magnitude of the moment was not lost on the entire country and region.

The world will mourn the untimely loss of Morosini and try to make sense of this terrible tragedy. But we must not lose sight of these two incredible developments – Cabanas and Muamba (just released from the hospital) stared death in the face and said no. They are with us today and hopefully for many years to come.

Photo courtesy of goal.com

New Arsenal Shirt Leaked

5 Apr

The 2012-13 Arsenal home shirt was leaked yesterday and no matter how you look at it, you cannot avoid the obvious fact: it looks very much like a Manchester United jersey. More specifically the away kit from 2010-11.

Perhaps this is a new strategy for Arsenal seeking a bit of luck in claiming their first piece of silverware since 2005. After all, their whopping outlay of transfer funds in that period on sub-standard talent has brought Arsenal to a very proud and consistent level of mediocrity (yes, losing to Birmingham City in the Carling Cup final and celebrating 4th place each year is a sign of mediocrity).

On the surface it seems like a good idea. Make yourselves look like the champs and maybe you’ll play like them. Maybe the players will enjoy court-ordered injunctions to keep their mistresses quiet, much like the United players have benefited from over the past decade. Or maybe it will simply anger Arsenal supporters. I vote on the latter.

Photo courtesy of arsenalnews.co.uk

Referee Suspended for In-Game Phone Call

3 Apr

It’s never easy refereeing young kids playing sports – uncoordinated, sloppy, and that one overweight kid who makes a fool of himself tripping over his own calf. Not to mention the parents who often treat such outings as a hall pass to act like immature college students looking for fights. So maybe Fathellah Dabhi figured nobody was paying any attention to the only guy on the field dressed in black towering over every player…or maybe he’s just an idiot.

Last week in Catalunya while officiating a match between Linyola and Guissona, Dabhi received a phone call and felt the need to answer it. While it’s hard to imagine what compelled him to pick up the phone, one must also consider why that phone was in his pocket in the first place!

As a result, the Catalan Football Association levied an 8 match suspension yesterday citing an act of disrespect and “a complete and utter contempt for participants in the match and the tournament itself,” as well as the potential “risk posed by introducing an alien element to the game such as a mobile phone.”

A more suitable punishment would have been allowing each player involved to smack him across the face for being a complete and utter moron.

Photo courtesy of mundodeportivo.com

Fox Soccer Channel Blunder

2 Apr

Another quality moment from America’s leading soccer network…

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