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Get the party started!
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Group A
Poland
Greece
Russia
Czech Republic
Group B
Holland
Denmark
Germany
Portugal
Group C
Spain
Italy
Republic of Ireland
Croatia
Group D
Ukraine
Sweden
France
England
When the bodies that control world football are so obviously corrupt it does make you wonder when you get a draw like Group A here...Comment
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can't wait!! we'll discuss this with a beer @ SteelPanther Sesh!Last edited by jero; 12-03-2011, 06:23 AM.Comment
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Shame.World football has lost its greatest thinker and Brazil - football's spiritual home - its brightest guiding light. With the money-spinning global circus of the World Cup heading there in two year's time, Brazil could have done with Socrates' voice of reason and his words of sanity.
And in the death of the drink-loving, chain-smoking Socrates, an entire generation of football lovers in India have lost a player who first made them fall under the spell of Brazilian artistry and skill; a spell that lies still unbroken even though perhaps the magic is missing. Eye-rubbing wonder at anything Brazilian is the everlasting impact of what Socrates and his men unleashed on us unsuspecting souls in the '80s. It is an infatuation that refuses to go away.
And this is precisely why, as one sits down to write on Socrates, under a torn and frayed poster of the man sourced from an 1986 edition of the Illustrated Weekly of India, one is compelled to finally fish out that long-hidden bottle of Brazilian cachaca, and celebrate the man like he once did life and his football, and embellished our memories.
"Being sensible isn't always the best thing. Who says that being sensible is a sign of quality?" he had said in an interview during the World Cup last year.
Socrates was a footballing aberration. He idolised not footballers but John Lennon and Che Guevara. The Brazilian is remembered for failure, yet he never regretted failing to win the 1982 World Cup.
"To win is not the most important thing, football is an art and should be showing creativity," was his maxim. And how he believed in it. The 1982 Brazilian squad is often considered football's most talented group not to win the top prize, yet when they - Socrates, Zico, Falcao, Cerezo, Junior and Eder -- are invoked, it is seldom to discuss that failing but to speak about the thrill and excitement of their game.
Today, there are traces of the same in Barcelona's game, but modern football has seldom experienced such an explosion of effortless skill and beauty as Brazil conjured up that summer in Spain.
Tall, faraway-eyed, Christ lookalike, this Left-leaning activist, musician and man of medicine also happened to play football. He strode upon the field, majestic and arrogant, full beard blowing in the wind.
And then that name. In a world of Lopezs, Hernandezs, now even Ronaldos, this guy answered to 'Socrates'. A philosopher in shorts. He usually wondered what the fuss was all about since his brothers were called Sophocles and Sosthenes, so named by their socalism-loving librarian father.
But Socrates' bearing was not one of intimidation - the proud Hristo Stoichkov was essentially a brawler, Eric Cantona needed an upturned shirt collar, his strut and his general disdain for authority to come across as regal. Socrates simply needed to step on to the field to do the same.
There are hardly any current-day footballers who readily come to mind similar to the Brazilian great. For his political posturing - a rarity in modern day sport - you could say Liliam Thuram comes close.
Like the Brazilian, Juan Roman Riquelme too walks on the field -- both men hardly even ran -- he even has that beautiful back-heel flick or lay-off that was once a Socrates trademark, yet he can never be the Brazilian. The search for today's Socrates continues - more so in Brazil, than anywhere else...
One of our players always tells the story of being exhausted after Brazil with Socrates beat us 4-1 at the 1982 world cup and having to go to give a urine sample for drugs after the game. Socrates was there and smoked about 10 cigarettes and drank 5 beers while they waited.
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wrong goal, but b e a u t i f u l
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England football captain John Terry to be charged with racially abusing Anton Ferdinand
The England and Chelsea captain John Terry will face criminal charges over allegations that he racially abused the Queen’s Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand during a recent Premier League game.
Terry is alleged to have been caught on camera calling Ferdinand, the brother of Terry’s England colleague Rio, a “black cunt” during the match in October.
It is believed this is the first time the captain of England has ever faced criminal charges.
Terry will appear at West London Magistrates’ Court on February 1 2012.
Alison Saunders, Chief Crown Prosecutor for London said: “I have today advised the Metropolitan Police Service that John Terry should be prosecuted for a racially aggravated public order offence following comments allegedly made during a Premier League football match between Queen’s Park Rangers and Chelsea on 23 October 2011.
“The decision was taken in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors and after careful consideration of all the evidence I am satisfied there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction and it is in the public interest to prosecute this case."
The England captain said he was "disappointed" and vowed to clear his name.
The investigation followed Chelsea’s acrimonious 1-0 defeat to Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road, during which Terry and Ferdinand were involved in a heated exchange of words as the visitors searched for an equaliser.
Terry has consistently denied racially abusing Ferdinand throughout the following investigation.
The England captain was seen on television shouting abusive words at Ferdinand, and he has admitted shouting the phrase “fucking black cunt’’.
He denies that the context was racist or intended to cause offence, and says he used the phrase in the context of denying that he had used the offensive term in a previous exchange with Ferdinand.
At the time Terry said: “I’m disappointed that people have leapt to the wrong conclusions about the context of what I was seen to be saying to Anton Ferdinand. I would never say such a thing, and I’m saddened that people would think so.
“I thought Anton was accusing me of using a racist slur against him. I responded aggressively that I never used that,” he said.
"I'm disappointed that people have leapt to the wrong conclusions about the context of what I was seen to be saying to Anton Ferdinand.
"I would never say such a thing, and I'm saddened that people would think so," he added.
Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas pledged his support to the defender shortly before the CPS made its announcement.
"The only thing I know is that I will be fully supportive of John Terry, whatever the outcome," he said.
"He has my full support, he has the club's full support. We know exactly his human values and personality. They are never in doubt."
Terry will appear before West London Magistrates’ Court on 1 February 2012.Last edited by Seshmeister; 12-21-2011, 11:05 AM.Comment
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Whatever came of this? I fuckin hate TerryComment
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Court appearance isn't until February. It's one of those funny situations where the court can only give him a fine of a few hundred but the Football Association will then give him a huge ban, kick him out of the England squad and he'll lose all his sponsorship costing him millions.
Hopefully, horrible person.Comment
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In the meantime, will he sleep with Ferdinand's girlfriend?Comment
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Decent win by Utd today over Arsenal. Boy does Arshavin suck. Overhyping this Utd team especially the commentators over here. Oh well, they will sure enjoy that Europa League victory!Comment
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fuck your fucking framingComment
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