Soccer Fan Blog

No rivalry, however stoked to fever pitch by national events, should be allowed to descend into the darkness of stampedes, violence, stone-throwing and chasing opposing fans, leading to countless deaths from suffocation. So let the mourning begin and the inquiries follow suit discreetly.
Where were the police? Where were the security forces? The appalling loss of life in Port Said needs investigating by Fifa, not just by the local authorities. Somebody needs to cut through all the tense politics seizing Egypt, establishing exactly what happened and ensuring a repeat is prevented.

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In 1992, the English Football Association met the power brokers of the domestic game at their headquaters in Lancaster Gate, London. The meeting ended with an announcement that a historical deal had been struck, allowing the top teams to form a new tier of football called the Premier league.

With the new season scheduled to kick off in August of the same year, TV companies needed to move quickly to tie the Premier League clubs into a multi-million pound deal. In return for exclusive broadcast rights, the clubs would now get an unprecedented windfall, which would help them lure some of the best footballing talent to the Premier League.

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Milan wasted a chance to take the Serie A lead with an uninspired 2-0 loss at Lazio on Wednesday, while Diego Milito scored four goals in Internazionale’s 4-4 draw with Palermo in the snow at San Siro.

With the Italian league-leaders Juventus’ match with Parma on Tuesday postponed owing to snow, Milan needed only a point to go level at the top of the table.

Round-Up

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A year on from the Fernando Torres and Andy Carroll deals, ESPNsoccernet puts together a selection of some of the other Premier League transfers that, for one reason or another, will be remembered as dismal failures.

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Lionel Messi missed a penalty on Wednesday as Barcelona was held to a 1-1 draw at Valencia in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals.

Brazilian goalkeeper Diego Alves dived to his left to stop Messi’s 56th-minute spot kick after Barcelona midfielder Thiago Alcantara had been fouled inside the area.

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