I just want to say FIFA will be the MOST USELESS ORGANISATION on the face of the earth if France goes to the World cup with that goal by Gallas. Ireland should protest to the highest level.
Thiery Henry was playing the ball with his hand for at least 1 second, 2 maybe, and then he managed to get it across to Gallas.
If this result stands, then FIFA is just so useless!
I mean I have seen Danish referee robbed Chelsea in favour of Barcelona in 2008. This one just shown by Thiery Henry is the height of the mockery of the game of football.
If that result is not annulled, FIFA is sending another bad signal to footballers-that it is ok to cheat.
Thiery Henry should be given a post-match red card and probably a ban that would put him out of football. He’s already planning his retirement before this shameful act.
This is so sad, another bad day for football.
If nothing is done about this nonsense, I repeat that FIFA will be the most useless organisation of all ages.
Jay Jay is arguably the best footballer ever from Nigeria. He is the most underrated player ever in the history of world football!!! No Nigerian or African living or dead displayed the same level of skills and techniques that Okocha gave to football. Okocha is one of the rare players who did in big matches what they would do on a training pitch. While at PSG in France, Brazil’s Ronadinho learnt so much from Okocha and he went on to display some of Okocha’s skills in big matches as well.
Okocha’s exploit at Bolton Wanderers are well documented and famous. For the Nigerian national team we are still looking for a replacement for the midfield tactician albeit a magician.
Okocha was a past winner of the BBC African footballer of the year. But Okocha was never recognised by CAF-The Confederation of African Football. This is a very serious indictment on CAF and the fact the Okocha is no longer active does not imply that CAF cannot make amends.
CAF must admit its error of judgment that Okocha never received the African Footballer of the Year award despite his popularity and contributions to the game in Africa and Europe. My advice to CAF is to use the World Cup in South Africa 2010 to make amends for this catastrophic error. There is nothing wrong if CAF institute an award or awards that will honour the likes of Okocha as part of the opening ceremony for the Mundial.
Even FIFA is not left out of this international scandal. If either David Beckham or Michael Owen has a quarter of Okocha’s skills and abilities, they would have won the award of World Footballers of the year at different times. It will remain one of the unsolved mysteries of this century that neither CAF nor FIFA gave Jay Jay Okocha the awards that he ought to have won, African and World Footballer of the year. Don’t ask me what year. Let them search their consciences.
That Liberian George Weah won the awards in the past is not enough for Africa. It shouldn’t be “symbolic” that an African had won it before. An African should win awards on merit.
Even the Nigerian sports establishments cannot be left out in this scandal. They didn’t do enough to presents Okocha’s peculiar case to the rest of the world. Austin Jay Jay Okocha remains a legend and should rank among the best 10 footballers of all time. I see him in the same rank as Maradona and Pele.
Switzerland U-17 wins Gold in Nigeria
Adeola Aderounmu
Switzerland has won the U-17 world cup in Nigeria. It was a happy ending for the Swiss who left no one in doubt about their mission in Nigeria right from the first game on 24th October when they defeated Mexico by 2 goals to Nothing. They also beat Japan 4-3 and pipped Brazil 1: 0.
In the rounds of 16 The Swiss beat Germany 4-3 after extra time. Italians were shown the way out in the quarter finals before they slammed Colombia with 4 un-replied goals in the semi. In the final match against host nation Nigeria, the Swiss won by a lone goal scored on the hour mark.
Nigeria played some beautiful football but it is the goals that counted and not the missed chances. Switzerland deserved to win this championship and they did. I am impressed with the tactical approach of the coach and the fact that he wasn’t screaming and threatening his players like his Nigerian counterpart. He stood and watched his boys made mistakes but never letting go of their defensive play and quick counter attack. It was the only way to neutralise the fluidity of the Nigerian style.
Congratulations Switzerland, we’ll see how this motivational victory influence the Swiss National team in South Africa 2010.
Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cameroun, Nigeria and Host South Africa are African representatives at the 2010 World Cup. Either Egypt or Algeria will join the list after the play off coming up in Sudan.
I didn’t believe that it was possible for the Tunisians to give up their lead to Nigeria in the final game when they lost to Mozambique in Maputo and Nigeria beat Kenya away from home. I mean, if Nigeria was the country on top before the last games I wouldn’t want her to slip. I still feel so sorry for the Tunisians: they blamed the heat in Maputo and the artificial surface.
Mozambique has a very strong home record plus the fact that they wanted to qualify for the Africa nations’ cup-Angola 2010. They took their destiny in their own hands because Nigeria could have lost to Kenya anyway. But Nigeria survived even to my own surprise beating Kenya 3 goals to 2. One of the goals seemed to me like it was scored from the offside position. Why the referee overlooked is best known to him or Fifa rules that lies somewhere. Yakubu Aiyegbeni appeared to be alone in the Kenya 6 yard box when he netted for Nigeria.
Congratulations to the Super Eagles of Nigeria. However they do know that they will need more than luck at the Mundial in 2010. It is up to the Nigerian Football Federation to put things in order even before the Nations Cup in Angola. Going to the world cup with a fire brigade approach, ineptitude and useless preparations will be catastrophic for Nigeria. Nigeria should start preparing for the World Cup in South Africa today.
A View From The Scandinavian 