FOOTY FAIR

Throwback Thursdays: Ajax Introduce the World to Total Football

2016-06-02T08:00:00.000-04:00

Exactly forty-five years ago today, Amsterdam powerhouse Ajax won the first of their eventual three straight European Cups by defeating Panathinaikos 2-0 at Wembley Stadium in London.

For Ajax it was their second trip to the final, following a 4-1 defeat to AC Milan in 1969.

Throughout much of their history Ajax had a tradition of playing exciting attacking football, but it would be after the appointment of former player Rinus Michels as manager in 1965 that the club would forge the identity that the Dutch giants are known for today.

Building upon Ajax's existing ethos for playing a passing game and adapting the ideas of Gusztáv Sebes, who had managed a flexible and exhilarating Hungarian national side in the 1950's, Michels implemented a system that would come to be coined "Total Football".

Although his side played in a basic 4-3-3 formation, the Ajax players were well drilled in picking up positions left vacated by a teammate making a run. The team shape and the spacing between players was never lost, as players rotated across the pitch.

In order to play this system, the player needed to be exceptionally fit and possess great spatial awareness, so they could easily pickup where they should move and where they should not in relation to their teammates and opponents.

Their opponents in the final were Athens side Panathinaikos, who are still the only Greek club to make it to the final of the European Cup.

Thanks to high scoring forward Antonis Antoniadis and under the watchful eye of manager Ferenc Puskás, the legendary former Hungarian striker, the Greek side had reached the final with impressive aggregate wins over Everton and Red Star Belgrade.

After taking a 5th-minute lead through Dick van Dijk it was Ajax's defense, rather than their much lauded attack, that came to the fore as they completely negated their opponents forwards.

Antoniadis struggled to get into the game, and the gig was up in the 87th minute when Arie Haan added a second for Ajax.

Despite Michels departure for Barcelona following this victory, over the next two seasons the Amsterdam club would go on to win two more European Cups, making it three in succession.

Football's Greatest Sides - Part 2 of 5: Ajax (1971 to 1973)

2016-03-27T09:25:00.000-04:00

As tributes were paid this week to Johan Cruyff, following his passing at age 68, reference was made to him being a 'total footballer' and the heart of a fantastic Ajax side, but perhaps few fans of the modern game know what he and that team have meant to the way football is now played.

Ajax of the early 1970's might not be the greatest team ever, but it's hard to argue that they aren't the most influential.

Prior to 1954, the Netherlands had been a minnow of European football with a national side that rarely won and a disorganized amateur league structure. But in 1954, professionalism came to Dutch football and with that came the impetus to improve the way the game was played by both clubs and country.

At the forefront of the Dutch football revolution was Ajax, who had a tradition for attractive passing football going all the way back to the First World War when they were under the helm of forward thinking English manager Jack Reynolds.

Reynolds set the club up so that all levels, from the first team all the way down to the youth sides. It's a tradition that Ajax has continued over a hundred years later. The revolutionary coach from Manchester would be associated with the Amsterdam club for 27 years and lead them to 8 League Championships.

Rinus Michels, a former pupil of Reynolds, had carved out a twelve year playing career for Ajax between 1946 and 1958 scoring 122 goals, but it was his appointment as manager in 1965 that would change the course of the club's history.

Bringing along youngsters such as Johan Neeskens and Johan Cruyff, Michels transformed a relegation threatened club into league champions within a year.

Building upon Ajax's existing ethos for playing a passing game and adapting the ideas of Gusztáv Sebes, who had managed a flexible and exhilarating Hungarian national side in the 1950's, Michels implemented a system that would come to be coined "Total Football".

Although his side played in a basic 4-3-3 formation, the Ajax players were well drilled in picking up positions left vacated by a teammate making a run. The team shape and the spacing between players was never lost, as players rotated across the pitch.

This required players that were tactical adept and very flexible. Of course the physical demands on the players was also high as they moved around the pitch plugging gaps and making intelligent runs.

The role of Ajax's star forward Cruyff was also key to this system, as he would roam across the front line or back into midfield causing damage all over the pitch. Spaces he left open in his side's structure though were quickly filled by a teammate.

Spatial awareness, in terms of where players should move and where they should not in relation to their teammates and their opponents was critical to this system.

The impact of Michel's new system saw an Ajax reach the European Cup Final in 1969 where they would get turned over 4-1 by AC Milan, but the experience of playing in such a match would stand them in good stead.

In 1971, Ajax defeated Panathinaikos 2-0 at Wembley to capture their first European title and cap a run that even survived the departure of Michels to Barcelona following this victory.

Under the less demanding, but more even more attack minded, Stefan Kovacs, Ajax accumulated a staggering 46-0-0 record at home in domestic football during 1971-1972 and 1972-1973, while also scooping up two more European Cups in those seasons with a 2-0 victory over Inter in 1972 and a 1-0 win over Juventus the following year.

This era of Ajax dominance would come to an end in 1973 with the departure of Cruyff to Barcelona.

Cruyff and Michels, reunited at club and country level, were able to bring their Total Football style over to the Dutch national side, as they strode to the World Cup Final in 1974.

Although there have been modifications down through the years, this style of play was at the heart of Pep Guardiola's Barcelona, who some consider the best club side ever. What former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson called their "carousel of passing" was only possible by controlling space and always giving each other passing options.

Whenever this side lost the ball, which was rare to begin with, they were setup to quickly win it back. Modern day Barcelona, still owe much to Michels and Cruyff and the ideas they put into practice over four decades ago.

Zlatan & Maxwell: 24 Trophies at 4 Different Clubs Together

2016-03-14T09:15:00.000-04:00

With Paris Saint-Germain winning the French league title over the weekend with 8 games remaining on the schedule, a few things became clear. First, of course there is no one in the French game that can compete with PSG's deep pockets. And secondly, the fact that forward Zlatan Ibrahimović and full-back Maxwell may just be one of the most interesting partnerships ever created on the football pitch.

Brazilian left-back Maxwell and Swedish international football icon Zlatan Ibrahimović have enjoyed illustrious careers, most of which they spent with the same clubs. In 2001 the duo joined Dutch side Ajax, each coming from their first domestic professional side. Fifteen years later and the two have shared four clubs, all while picking up a whopping twenty four trophies together.

Zlatan would go on to leave Ajax two seasons before Maxwell made his move to Italy with Internazionale. Nonetheless, before they would meet again at Inter they had already celebrated the Dutch Eredivisie title twice and the KNVB cup as well.

After two seasons with Italian club Juventus, Zlatan joined Inter in 2006, as did his old buddy Maxwell from Ajax. Together, the two would go on to win the Italian league title in three consecutive years between 2006 and 2009, along with two wins of the Supercoppa Italiana.

Both Zlatan and Maxwell would go on to sign with Barcelona in 2009, and just like at their time with Ajax, it would be Zlatan who left first, signing with AC Milan first on-loan just a year later, then on a permanent transfer a year after that. But despite such a short stint for the Swede, the two managed to collect more trophies than they managed together at any of their previous clubs. A total of five trophies included a La Liga title, two Spanish supercups, a UEFA Supercup and a FIFA Club World Cup championship.

In 2012 the two would meet again, this time at their current club Paris Saint-Germain. Since arriving in France less than four years ago, the two have enjoyed 10 additional titles by winning the French league four times, the French supercup (Trophée des champions) three times, League cup twice and the French Cup once.

Both Zlatan and Maxwell are now 34 years old and are nearing the end of their footballing careers. But if they were to move on from their current French club, would they meet again?

5 Times a Trophy Got the Worst of It

2016-01-31T08:00:00.000-05:00

Nothing beats seeing your club clinch a trophy, a feeling that some fans know a lot better than others.

Occasionally in the middle of the celebrations, or in the celebratory days that follow, mishaps can befell the trophy though.

The following are five times something unexpected happened to a football cup or trophy:

1.) Stan Bowles Becomes Enemy Number One in Sunderland

In 1973, then Second Division side Sunderland pulled off what is perhaps the greatest FA Cup Final upset ever, when they defeated Don Revie's mighty Leeds United 1-0 at Wembley. Four days after their triumph, Sunderland hosted QPR at Roker Park and with the Cup on a pitch side display table, the London side's maverick striker Stan Bowles thought he'd have some fun:

"There were a couple of us who had a bet on who could knock it off the table with the ball first," he recalls. "With the ball at my feet I tear off straight across the park. Everyone on the pitch is just staring at me - and then, bang! The FA Cup goes shooting up in the air.
"The whole ground knew that I'd done it on purpose - then the Sunderland fans go ape. They want my balls in their sandwiches. I wound up their fans even more by scoring a couple of goals and in the end there was a pitch invasion. At least I got my tenner, and my picture on News at Ten. And all because I was just having a bit of a laugh."

2.) Aston Villa Lose the Cup With the Big Ears

After upsetting Bayern Munich 1-0 in the final of the 1982 European Cup, Aston Villa kept the most prestigious prize in European club football in England for a sixth straight season following three titles by Liverpool and two by Nottingham Forest. But the cup would almost slip from their grasp off the pitch.

"We used to go out and take the European Cup where we could to show it to the fans and let them have their pictures taken with it," said Colin Gibson, who was out for the night at the Fox Inn near Tamworth with his team-mate Gordon Cowans. "Gordon and I had had a few drinks, and we were playing a competitive darts match, when someone turned round and said: 'The cup's gone, it's been stolen.'

"At the time you didn't really realise what was happening. All I can remember is dread and trying to block it out as if it didn't really happen." The trophy would turn up 100 miles away in a police station in Sheffield, where a mysterious Mr Sykes handed it to police officers. The Sheffield police, before informing Villa that they had the missing trophy, staged an impromptu kickabout between a few officers to decide which of them could hoist the famous cup.

3.) Sergio Ramos Destroys the Copa Del Rey

After Real Madrid won the Copa Del Rey in 2011, the club went on their traditional parade through the Spanish capital with their triumphant players on top of a bus. An excited Sergio Ramos showed why it was a good decision for him to not consider a career in goal in his youth when his butter fingers let the trophy slip off the bus and crash to the road. The bus drove over the cup and pretty much destroyed it.

4.) Anying Sergio Ramos Can Do, Maarten Stekelenburg Can Do Better

2011 was a bad year for trophies as Ajax celebrated their first Eredivisie title in six years, Maarten Stekelenburg did a Ramos in that he chucked the Dutch league trophy off of the team bus with it smashing on the road and being run over. The fact that Stekelenburg actually is a goalkeeper though doesn't inspire much confidence in his handling.

5.) Jan Vertonghen's Big Toe

With Ajax repeating as champions in 2012, Jan Vertonghen continued the team tradition of dropping the silverware as he let it clank down on his foot, hurting his big toe. Ouch!

Throwback Thursdays: 20 Years Ago Jean-Marc Bosman Changed Football Forever

2015-12-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

Twenty years ago this month a court ruling involving an unknown Belgian midfielder changed football as we know it.

Jean-Marc Bosman, a player for RC Liège, had seen his proposed transfer to French second-division side US Dunkerque in 1990 fall apart after the Belgian club had demanded a fee for the out of contract midfielder.

Although his deal with Liège had expired, the club still owned his playing rights and refused the transfer unless Dunkerque paid them a transfer fee of 1,200,000 Belgian francs. At the time there seemed nothing out of the ordinary with Liège's demands, but Bosman wasn't about to accept his fate.

After the French side refused to pay the transfer fee, Bosman initiated legal proceedings.

The concept of footballers being tied to a club even without a deal in place had long been a point of contention for players and their unions around the world. While these footballers cast an envious eye towards American sports leagues who had allowed Free Agency for out of contract players for several decades, they continued to have their own movement restricted.

Club owners on the other hand saw a situation where players could hold them to ransom for massive salaries, and there was a genuine fear that some clubs could go to the wall as a result of losing players without a transfer fee. Particularly for smaller sides, selling players on was how they stayed in business.

On 15 December 1995, the European Court of Justice issued its ruling that Liège's actions had constituted an illegal restraint of trade prohibited by Article 39(1) of the EC Treaty.

After five long years, Bosman had won his case as the ruling essentially meant that players who were out of contract could move between clubs in Europe without a transfer fee being paid out.

Within a year of the historic decision players began taking advantage of what became known as the "Bosman Ruling" and movement of players from club to club without a transfer fee involved became a reality.

The most significant move in the first few years after Bosman had gotten the go ahead from the courts, was that of Edgar Davids from Ajax to AC Milan in 1996. A year previous to that, Davids had been a major part of Louis van Gaal's Champions League winners and Ajax would have normally expected a sizeable fee for the ferocious midfielder.

A move involving Steve McManaman from Liverpool to Real Madrid in 1999 was another player moving clubs "on a Bosman" that had a major impact. It effectively ended the Anfield clubs "Spice Boy" era, for better or worse, and provided Madrid with a player who would help them win the Champions League in 2000 without having to pay a transfer fee for the shaggy haired midfielder.

In the years that followed it's arguable whether the Bosman ruling has directly contributed to the spiralling wages in professional football, but certainly the gap between Europe's elite clubs and everyone else increased as a result of the ruling.

One of the biggest impacts is that club's predictably wait now for players contracts to run down before making moves, either getting them at knockdown prices with only a year to run on their deals or landing them for free once they're out of contract.

As for Bosman himself, the ruling that has come to bare his name had little impact on him as he never got his career back on track again after the court battle. While millions of Pounds and Euros exchanged hands benefitting players thanks to his efforts, Bosman himself has suffered through financial hardships and legal troubles after retiring, spending a year in prison in 2013 for assaulting his girlfriend. A sad footnote for a man who changed the game.

Zlatan Ibrahimović to Play Against Boyhood Club Malmö FF in Champions League

2015-08-27T16:00:00.000-04:00

With the recent draw of the 2015-16 UEFA Champions League group stage, Sweden's star striker Zlatan Ibrahimović will face his first professional club Malmö FF with his French side Paris Saint-Germain (given of course he stays with the club through the transfer deadline).

Malmö will join a long list of clubs Zlatan has played both for and against in the Champions League. Last season with PSG Ibrahimović and his team were drawn into a group with two of Zlatan's previous clubs in Barcelona and AFC Ajax. Since leaving Dutch side Ajax Ibra has faced his former team in Champions League play with Juventus in 2004-05 and with Juventus in 2010-11.

Against former club Inter Ibra played both before and after joining the Italians. First, Zlatan faced Internazionale with Ajax in his first Champions League season in 2002-03, in the same CL season he would also face future club AC Milan in the quarterfinal of the tournament. Almost immediately after leaving Inter for Spanish side Barcelona the Swede would take on his former side both in the group stages and the semi-finals in the 2009-10 edition of the tournament, losing out to his former side who would eventually win the trophy.

Whether a side he would later join, or as his former club, in Champions League play Zlatan Ibrahimović has faced five of the seven clubs he had played for. Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain will (for now) remain the two clubs Zlatan hasn't tried to defeat with another club in the CL.

Umberto Gandini's Classy Letter to AFC Ajax After 1995 Champions League Final Defeat

2015-05-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

Having defeated Barcelona in the 1993-94 UEFA Champions League finals and just missing out the year before after a loss to Marseille, Italian club AC Milan was on a roll having qualified to their third consecutive UCL final in 1995. Their opposition, Dutch super-power AFC Ajax with the likes of Clarence Seedorf, Marc Overmars, Edgar Davids, Ronald de Boer, goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar and of course former Milan Dutchman Frank Rijkaard.

Milan would go on to lose the match by a final score of 1-0 after second-half substitute Patrick Kluivert slotted the ball into the back of Sebastiano Rossi's net with just 6 minutes remaining in the match. But being obviously crushed about losing their second Champions League final in three years did not stop AC Milan Director of Sports Umberto Gandini from penning a super classy letter (sent via fax) to AFC Ajax's Gerard Holsheimer.

The image of the scanned facsimile is below, together with a transcript of the letter for your reading comfort.

TELEFAX MESSAGE FOR: Mr. Gerard Holsheimer - Ajax F.C.

FROM: Mr. Umberto Gandini - Milan A.C.

Milan, May 26th, 1995

Dear Gerard,

May we congradulate you, your staff and all your club for the conquest of the Champions Cup in Vienna.

It has been a bitter sensation for us, as you imagine, but sincerely it was softer to lose with your club, because of the friendship among the Directors, among the players and for Frankie. (Referring to Frank Rijkaard)

We are glad for him, and I hope you will tell him, because he will always be something special for Milan, as well as Ajax.

Best wishes for the Champions League next year, and please remember to everybody who is Milan (did you see the T-shirt "Who the .... is Milan"?).

Sincerely yours,

Umberto Gandini

Milan A.C.

Ink: Ajax Amsterdam

2015-03-01T16:00:00.000-05:00

We continue our search for the most tattooed football fan-base in the world and this week we feature some ink from Amsterdam, in the form of supporters of the storied club AFC Ajax.

Don't forget that you can too contribute to what we here at FootyFair feature by submitting your ideas, or perhaps any club tattoos you may have by visiting out Upload and Share Page.

Trivia Sundays - 5 Faceless Players - Ajax Edition

2015-02-22T12:00:00.000-05:00

Dutch side AFC Ajax is one of the world's largest development centers for future football stars. This week on trivia we have 5 faceless players that are now, or have been in the past a part of this infamous organization.

1

2

3

4

5

Concepts: AFC Ajax Redesign

2015-01-13T08:00:00.000-05:00

Perhaps not so much a redesign as much as a modernization of the warrior on the badge, this concept by Japanese designer Yu Masuda has both positive and what I would consider "not so positive" aspects with this AFC Ajax project.

The first very noticeable aspect about this concept design is the obvious humanizing of the character so prominent on Ajax's badge for many years. This little change is a welcome one in my opinion because the previous line-art bearded warrior is quite primitive. The new design presents many elements and details which make the man a lot more sophisticated.

The element which I believe is a big a step back is the type. Almost unnecessarily "modernized" which makes the overall design look a bit uneven and busy. Perhaps the new graphics together with the old typeface would actually make for a great match.

The artist shows the progress of his design, which is a great touch to see the evolution from the old style to the new.

One color application is sometimes a very important aspect for identity design, which Masuda makes sure to highlight (above). And (below) the history of the badge, together with the new design at the center is a very nice touch.

Applying the badge to the existing kits is also something concept designer started doing very often with football designs; a great way to make it seem "real" for the viewer.

And an alternate design (below) is a great way to show a secondary concept to be used on merchandise.

Protest Banners (Gallery)

2014-12-30T20:00:00.000-05:00

Ajax fans protest the cost of their tickets for a Champions League match away to Manchester City

From rising ticket costs, clueless football associations, a seemingly crooked mob running FIFA, and the game being taken away from it's roots in some areas there are plenty of things to protest about at football these days.

The following are some of the more memorable banners from recent seasons that rail against some of the issues above, or simply vent supporters frustration at their club's management.

Crystal Palace fans hold up a banner opposing the proposed 38th Premier League game to be played abroad.

Manchester United fans continue to protest the controversial ownership of their club by the Glazer family.

Not everyone in Brazil welcomed FIFA this past summer.

Liverpool fans protest former owners Hicks and Gillette

Some Newcastle fans have been glad to see the back of Alan Pardew this week.

Birmingham City fans show their frustration of Carson Yeung's ownership of their club.

Legia react to UEFA's controversial decision to dump them out of the Champions League

PSV fans aren't impressed with the introduction of WIFI at their ground.

Ajax fans make a point about Manchester City's ownership.

5 Interesting Manager Facts - Ronald Koeman

2014-11-29T08:00:00.000-05:00

This week on 5 Interesting Manager Facts we take a look at Dutch footballing hero and current Southampton bench-boss Ronald Koeman. Here are 5 very interesting facts about the man who has got The Saints sitting in the second place in the EPL after 12 matches played.

Every club but his first

FC Groningen was the first professional football club Koeman ever played for. Nonetheless, after becoming manager the Dutch coach was able to find a managerial job in some capacity with every team he had once played for except for his first. Koeman was an assistant with both the Dutch national team and Barcelona and was the head coach for his former sides Ajax, PSV and Feyenoord. But the former Groningen youngster had never been appointed to the managerial staff of his very first professional side.

Half-half

It's hard to tell whether Koeman preferred playing with the national team on home soil or on the road. While part of the Dutch national outfit, Koeman scored 14 goals which were split right down the middle, scoring 7 in the Netherlands and the same amount while playing with the Oranje away from home.

Win or lose, he still wins

The only time Koeman recorded more losses than wins as a manager was during his stint with Spanish club Valencia. Regardless of the losing record however, Koeman's side was able to win the 2007-08 Copa del Rey.

The winning goal that saw England stay home

Leading up to the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Ronald Koeman essentially became the reason why The Three Lions would not travel to America. Prior to the second-last match of qualifying for both teams England was sitting one point clear of the Dutch in their qualifying group. When the two faced each other in the Netherlands it was free-kick specialist Koeman who would score the game-winning goal against the visitors in a 2-0 final. After both teams went on to win their final matches, the Dutch qualifyed for the tournament in second place, while England was eliminated in third.

The wipe

After the Netherlands' win in the semi-finals of the 1988 Euros against the Germans (which was also hosted in Germany), Ronald Koeman went on to pretend to wipe his ass with the jersey of German footballer Olaf Thon in front of the German crowd. Ronald's Dutch side would go on to defeat the Soviet Union in the finals and Koeman still says he does not regret the action when asked about his controversial gesture.

The Bizarre Genius of Henk Blansjaar (Gallery)

2014-11-21T20:00:00.000-05:00

VVV Venlo, 1963

The other day on Twitter, I came across a great account called Beyond the Last Man (@BeyondTLM) which specializes in retro football nostalgia.

They have some truly wonderful images and article on their site, that if you're like me and have a keen interest in football history you'll definitely want to check out at: http://beyondthelastman.com/

One of the recent features on their site was on a late Dutch photographer named Henk Blansjaar who through convention out the window when capturing images of Dutch sides in the 1960's.

His team photos were unlike anything I'd ever seen and fall under the category of "it's so crazy, it works".

Here are five of my favourite Blansjaar squad photos:

Groningen 1964

Roda JC, 1965

SV Limburgia 1963

WVV Wageningen 1964

Xerxes, 1964

Dutch Football Logos by Boyd Koers (Gallery)

2014-11-13T08:00:00.000-05:00

Boyd Koers designed a collection of illustrations representing simplified versions of all Dutch Premier League teams for the 2013-14 season.

If you would like to see more of his work you can check him out at http://boydkoers.tumblr.com/

New Camera Technology Brings Football to Life

2014-09-27T06:00:00.000-04:00

Television plays a huge role in the way sporting events will be viewed and enjoyed in the years to come. High Definition saw a huge rise and development in large part due to sports, and even the beginning of 3D broadcast was pushed forward due to the demand put in place by sports fans.

TV broadcasters are always looking at ways to push the envelope and give the home viewers a unique perspective of the game, and perhaps we have been given a glimpse at the future of football broadcast already.

Earlier in the week Ajax played Feyenoord and won 1-0 in what is one of the most intense rivalries in Dutch football, but the story was not the game or the result but rather the cameras used to broadcast the game to the home viewers. The game was recorded using a new revolutionary camera system called MOVI, which is believed to be worth 20,000 euros according to Dutch website AD.NL. The system allows the camera operators to record footage using sensors and motors while keeping the camera stable but moving at a very fast pace.

Here is a sample of the footage:

Only certain parts of the game were recorded using this new technology. Right now is not possible to record the match using this camera since it would require a camera man to be on the field of play, but perhaps in the future a solution can be found to surpass this obstacle.

Here is some more footage but from inside the control booth.

If this is the future of football on TV, I am getting myself a much larger TV for my living room.

Weekend Recap - Top 5 Matches (Highlights)

2014-08-26T12:00:00.000-04:00

This week on the weekend recap we bring you highlights from Turkey, Major League Soccer, England and the Netherlands.

#5 - Fenerbahce 0 - 0 Galatasaray (3 - 2 PK) (Turkish Super Cup)

Probably the most entertaining 0-0 draw I have seen in a long time. When these two meet it's always bound to be interesting. Fenerbahce enjoyed more chances in this affair, but with Galatasaray's Uruguayan goalkeeper on his game the match went to penalties. At the kick-spots, Galatasaray players managed to put two balls over the crossbar and although their keeper came to the rescure twice with two incredible saves, it was the blue and yellow who celebrated the first trophy of the season in Turkey.

#4 - Portland Timbers 2 - 4 Seattle Sounders (MLS)

We promised you this Cascadia derby would be interesting and it sure was. Obafemi Martins got on the score-sheet twice to give the visitors Seattle a 4-2 win.

#3 - Ajax 1 - 3 PSV (Eredivisie)

Another fixture from our Friday "5 Matches to Watch This Weekend" and this one did not disappoint as well. Ajax looked the stronger of the two playing in front of their home crowd. But even though they got off to a 1-0 lead, PSV capitalized on numerous defensive mistakes from the hosts in the second-half and concluded an important away affair in Amsterdam with a 3-1 win.

#2 - Everton - Arsenal (EPL)

It looked all but sealed for the Toffees when the led against London's Arsenal FC at home with just seven minuted remaining in regulation. But the Gunners had other ideas as they completed the comeback to tie the game at 2-2.

#1 - Philadelphia Union 4 - 2 San Jose Earthquake (MLS)

An unlikely choice for best match of the weekend, but this one had it all. The main spectacle in this one was the incredible goals (especially the third of the affair by San Jose midfielder Sam Cronin). After enjoying a 2-0 home lead, Philadelphia let San Jose back in the game, conceding twice. But it would be the hosts day to enjoy after all, as the Union managed to score twice more to win by a final score of 4-2.

De Klassieker - Football Rivalries - Ajax vs Feyenoord

2014-08-18T09:00:00.000-04:00

De Klassieker ("The Classic") between Ajax of Amsterdam and Feyenoord of Rotterdam is arguably the biggest and definitely the nasiest rivalry in the Netherlands.

The rivalry between these two great Dutch sides is often seen as the battle between the artists and intellectuals of Amsterdam against the working class fans from Rotterdam. In fact, a common saying amongst the people of Rotterdam is that “While Amsterdam dreams, Rotterdam works”.

Rotterdam is indisputably the industrial heartland of the Netherlands, whereas Amsterdam is more renown as a city for tourists. Feyenoord fans view their rivals from Ajax as arrogant and lazy, while the Amsterdam locals consider the Feyenoord faithful as knuckle dragging simpletons.

Violence between the two sets of fans from the 1970's up until recent years had been fierce, however a notorious incident in 1997 has resulted a major police crackdown whenever the sides meet up. That year the two sets of fans were involved in what has since become known as The Battle of Beverwijk. With Feyenoord's S.C.F. and Ajax's F-Side meeting up for a pre-arranged battle in a meadow off of the motorway near Beverwijk, the two groups tore into each other with baseball bats, knives, claw hammers, tasers, and iron bars in some of the worst football related violence the country had ever seen. During the fighting, Ajax hooligan Carlo Picornie was killed after taking a claw hammer to the head. S.C.F. member Leonardo P. Panton would later serve five years in prison for his murder.

On the football side, a rivalry of sorts had existed between the two sides since the 1920's, it didn't really reach a fever pitch until the 1960's. At the dawn of a great period for Dutch football, both sides emerged as not only the best sides in the Netherlands, but also two of the stronger sides in Europe.

In 1970, Feyenoord defeated heavily favoured Celtic 2-1 in the European Cup Final to signal a shift of the balance in power in European football. Not to be outdone, their great rivals from Ajax then won the next three European Cups in a row with the brilliant Johan Cruyff in their ranks.

The two clubs would go on to provide the bulk of the Netherlands side that finished as runners up at the 1974 World Cup.

Besides Ajax's three straight victories in the European Cup in the 1970's, they added another European title under Louis van Gaal in 1995, while Feyenoord have been unable to add to their solitary triumph. Domestically, Ajax has won an incredible 33 League Titles to Feyenoord's 14.

In the always tense meetings between the two sides, Ajax has won 78 matches over their rivals, with Feyenoord winning 55 and 42 of their matches ending in draws.

Although in recent decades PSV has emerged as another major force in Dutch football, there is still nothing quite like De Klassieker. With tickets to matches between the two clubs very hard to come by, and the fixtures often helping to determine the destiny of the title, it's a rivalry that every football fan should try to see live at least once in their lifetime.

5 Matches to Watch This Weekend

2014-08-15T12:00:00.000-04:00

With the English Premier League getting under way it will be an exciting weekend for many football fans around the world. With that in mind we have three EPL matches on our list along with two other fixtures that should be very worthwhile to check out.

#5 - West Ham United vs. Tottenham Hotspur (English Premier League - Saturday, August 16)

What better way to start the weekend than a little London derby action. Sure it ain't one of the "big" ones, but as far as supporters are concerned this is an important one, especially being the first match of the season.

#4 - AZ Alkmaar vs. Ajax (Eredivisie - Sunday, August 17)

After a disappointing eighth place finish last season, AZ will look to start the season strong after winning their first match. Going against last season's champions Ajax, new AZ manager Marco van Basten will look to defeat the club he spent six years with as player and a year as a coach.

#3 - CSKA Moscow vs. Spartak Moscow (Russian Premier League - Sunday, August 17)

Last week we recommended a Moscow derby between Spartak and Dinamo and it did not disappoint. This week there's another derby in the Russian capital and this one may be even more exciting as fouth place Spartak will be visitors at second place CSKA.

#2 - Liverpool vs. Southampton (English Premier League - Sunday, August 17)

With many questions surrounding both clubs, this first match-day meeting could perhaps answer some of them. Will Liverpool miss Suarez? or, will Southampton miss all the players they sold to Liverpool? What ever the answer, this one will be interesting to watch, if only for all the former "Saints" that will now be facing the same club they played for last season.

#1 - Newcastle United vs. Manchester City (English Premier League - Sunday, August 17)

In our number one ranked match to watch this coming weekend we select this affair between the Magpies from the North-East and the defending English champions the Sky Blues from Manchester for a few reasons. First of all, of course, Manchester City are the EPL champions and after their somewhat humiliating loss to Arsenal in the FA Community Shield last weekend, everyone is wondering how they will answer their critics. Newcastle on the other hand is probably the one least predictable club in this EPL season and although they enjoyed a pretty good preseason it is very hard to tell whether they would be able to crack the top 8, or fight relegation this coming year. Last season these two also met one another in the first match of the season with City winning convincingly by a 4-0 final score. Will this year bring the same kind of start for the Champions?

Enjoy the weekend!

Weekend Recap - Top 5 Matches

2014-08-05T12:00:00.000-04:00

A mixed list this Tuesday, from a super cup to friendlies to league play. There was lots of football on display this past weekend and here are the 5 matches that were just great to watch.

Schalke 04 1-3 Newcastle United (International Friendly)

Jamaican Born 18 year old Newcastle youth academy product Rolando Aarons was the unlikely hero in this one as he managed to assist on the Magpies first goal and then score the second. Newcastle United seem to put their only pre-season loss to Malaga behind them as they handed the hosts of the Schalke Tournament a 3-1 loss.

PEC Zwolle 1-0 AFC Ajax (Dutch Super Cup)

PEC Zwolle surprised many when they won the KNVB Cup this past season and they had another shock up their sleeves as they started the season off with another trophy, defeating league title holders Ajax in the domestic Super Cup.

Dinamo Moscow 7-3 FK Rostov (Russian Premier League)

Croatian national goalkeeper and Rostov's captain Stipe Pletikosa had a bad day at the office over the weekend. Hungarian midfielder Balázs Dzsudzsák, ex German international striker Kevin Kuranyi and even former Blackburn Rovers defender Christopher Samba all got on the score-sheet and combined with a hat-trick from Russian international Aleksandr Kokorin handed Rostov a 7-3 loss.

Manchester United 3-1 Liveprool (International Champions Cup - Final)

Bitter rivals Manchester United and Liverpool went against one another at the final match of the International Champions Cup in Miami. Steven Gerrard converted from the spot to give Liverpool a 1-0 lead, but van Gaal's side showcased their new form in style, winning by a final score of 3-1.

Arsenal 5-1 SL Benfica (International Friendly)

The emergence of young French Arsenal forward Yaya Sanogo was on display in this one as the 21 year old put 4 in the back of Benfica's net, with Arsenal securing a comfortable 5-1 pre-season victory over the champions of Portugal.

5 Matches to Watch This Weekend + A Few Others

2014-08-01T12:00:00.000-04:00

With some European football leagues already underway and many more about to kick-off over the next few weeks, this weekend offers a variety of action to watch. This week we featured the 5 matches that should be more competitive in nature, but also added a list of friendly fixtures you may not want to miss.

#5 - Montreal Impact vs. Toronto FC (MLS - Saturday, August 2)

For those of you that never watched Major League Soccer, this may just be the one you want to be your first. Perhaps not so much for the quality on the pitch as the one in the stands, because these two cities can't stand each other and the supporters come out extra strong for the meetings between these two. This rivalry goes well beyond football and it usually shows both on and off the playing field.

#4 - PEC Zwolle vs. Ajax (Dutch Super Cup - Sunday, August 3)

Last year's Eredivisie champions Ajax take on the KNVB Cup holders PEC Zwolle in a cup tie that officially kicks-off the Dutch season. The Super Cup is always special no matter which league it is for. The opportunity to win the first trophy of the season is always entertaining.

#3 - Manchester United vs. Real Madrid (International Champions Cup - Saturday, August 2)

A meeting of the giants. Manchester United will take on Real Madrid at the Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor in front of an estimated 107,000 full capacity crowd. What else is there to say really, aside from the fact that these two probably have the highest worldwide following and footballers on both squads that every man, woman and child want to see.

#2 - Paris Saint Germain vs. Guingamp (French Super Cup - Saturday, August 2)

French champions Paris Saint-German look to start off the season with a trophy win when they meet surprise 2014 Coupe de France winners Guingamp. Zlatan Ibrahimović who didn't have a chance to participate in this summer's World Cup will be on display as he will try to help his team equal or better their impressive form of last season.

#1 - International Champions Cup Final, Teams TBD (Monday, August 4)

It really doesn't matter which two squads make it to the final of this tournament because any combination would be exciting to watch. We know it won't be Real Madrid or AC Milan as they have already been eliminated from the competition. But chances are that the crowd at Sun Life Stadium in Miami will watch Manchester United take on city rivals City or bitter enemy Liverpool, in wither case this should be an excellent match for bragging rights. It could still be either AS Roma or Inter Milan that would move on to the finals instead of United, and although a match-up between say Liverpool and Inter would not seem as juicy as one with the Red Devils, whatever the scenario is, this match will feature two great clubs!

Other fixtures you don't want to miss

Today
Sporting CP vs. Lazio

Saturday

Metalist Kharkiv vs. Dynamo Kyiv
Valencia vs. Monaco
Tottenham Hotspur vs. Celtic
Arsenal vs. Benfica
Nice vs. Barcelona

Sunday
Benfica vs. Valencia
Everton vs. FC Porto
Werder Bremen vs. Chelsea

Arsenal vs. Monaco

5 Matches to Watch This Weekend

2014-07-25T12:00:00.000-04:00

As always we bring you the 5 matches we think are worth watching this weekend from around the world. This weekend our focus shifts mostly to the 2014 International Champions Cup, a tournament consisting of 8 high-profile European clubs competing in a preseason tournament hosted in North America. We will be keeping an eye on all four matches from that competition, plus one really juicy international friendly.

#5 - Benfica vs. Ajax (International Club Friendly - Saturday, July 26)

Although playing in different leagues, Benfica and Ajax have some history between the two clubs, having met in European competition previously. Obviously this will not be a heated affair as it is only a friendly, nonetheless, it would be great to catch a first glimpse of the two clubs that will be defending their domestic championship title this coming season.

2014 International Champions Cup:

#4 - AC Milan vs. Manchester City

AC Milan has already played their first match in this competition in a 3-0 loss to Greek side Olympiacos. It will be interesting however to see how Mario Balotelli does against his former team from Manchester. This match will be hosted in the American football venue Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.

#3 - Liverpool vs. Olympiacos

As mentioned above, Olympiacos won their first match in this tournament against AC Milan by a score of 3-0. A win against a revamped Liverpool squad would go a long way in the Greeks' attempt to secure top spot in their group, as it is the only place that advances to the final of this competition. This match will be played at Soldier Field in Chicago.

#2 - Manchester United vs. AS Roma

New Roma defender Ashley Cole knows English opposition very well, having spent his entire career in his native England before leaving Chelsea for the Italian capital this summer. With a new manager in Louis van Gaal, United will look to continue their already solid pre-season after a 7-0 win against the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer. This match will be played at the 76,000 capacity Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver.

#1 - Real Madrid vs. Inter Milan

Playing at the California Memorial Stadium, Real Madrid have made a number of high-profile signings already this summer and will be preparing for yet another tough season in La Liga, one they will surely look to finish as champions of Spain. Inter Milan has fallen from domestic title contention in their domestic league in recent years, but the profile of the club is still very big all around the world.

Chow Baby! Luis Suarez Receives a 9 Match & 4 Month Ban for Eating Italian

2014-06-26T11:30:00.000-04:00

This morning FIFA, football’s embattled governing body, handed down a record nine match ban and a four month general football ban to Uruguay’s Luis Suarez.

The talented striker, who plays his club football for Liverpool FC in the English Premier League, was found guilty of sinking his teeth into Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini during Uruguay’s match with the Azzurri on June 24.

Giving a whole new meaning to the phrase, “I could go for some Italian tonight”, the buck toothed Suarez saw fit to nibble on Chiellini’s shoulder, just prior to his side taking the lead that saw them through to the Round of 16. With Suarez’s Nosferatu act missed by the referee and his assistants, Chiellini reenacted a scene from the Twilight series when he pulled his shirt down to reveal Suarez’s love bite for the match officials to see. At least I think that’s what happened in Twilight, it’s not like I’ve actually watched any of those films.

As the referee hadn’t seen the initial incident, Chiellini’s protests were in vain though. From the referee’s perspective there was no way of him knowing whether or not the bite marks were actually from Suarez, or if Chiellini’s wife or girlfriend is a biter and the marks were already there. Uruguay, hilariously tried to use this excuse later and ignore the fact that there was actual footage of Suarez sinking his filthy incisors into the hopefully well seasoned Chiellini.

Although the incident wasn’t spotted by the referee or his assistants during the match, the footage quickly spread around the world and eventually found its way to the desk of FIFA’s disciplinary committee.

For Suarez, this was his third offense for biting a fellow professional and FIFA really had to act. No one sets a better example for kids on honesty and good behavior than Sepp Blatter and company, so faced with a media storm and public outrage they rumbled into action and handed out a hefty ban to the man with the fangs.

Besides biting Chiellini this week, Suarez also sampled a bit of Dutch when he chomped down on PSV's Otman Bakkal while playing for Ajax in 2010, and just last year he expanded his culinary horizons by sampling Serbia’s Branislav Ivanović during a match between Chelsea and Liverpool.

It’s not all flights of tasting fancy for Uruguay’s finest though. On a darker note he was also found guilty of racially abusing Manchester United’s Patrice Evra during a match in 2011. He showed no remorse for his actions and refused to apologize for his disgusting behaviour. Although he did receive a fine and an eight match ban, the outcry over his biting has been a lot more severe than it was over him racially abusing a fellow player. It’s funny how that works.

Besides Suarez’s backwards views on what’s acceptable to say to other players, and his love for human flesh, he also has a tendency to throw himself to the floor if a gust of wind hits him and can be a little nasty with his feet and elbows when the referee isn’t watching.

Despite being an absolutely despicable character, he is a very good footballer that will hopefully clean up his act one day. However, as a repeat offender the jury is very much out on that one.

The ban handed out today will see him miss a minimum of nine matches and he will miss four months of football related activities. The punishment also includes a stadium ban for Mr. Suarez as well, so supporters can breathe a sigh of relief in the knowledge that there’ll be one less person in the stands that’s likely going to bite them.

For his club side Liverpool FC, in which Suarez’s ban extends to, this may actually come as a blessing in disguise. With Suarez heavily rumoured to be the target of transfer bids from both Real Madrid and Barcelona, the likelihood of one of the Spanish giants coming in for him now is greatly reduced.

2014-15 Club Football Kits (Leaked & Official)

2014-06-14T14:00:00.000-04:00

This is the time of the year when clubs start to announce their new kits for the upcoming season.

We decided to take a look at some of the available kits and their release dates so you can start planning your shopping trip to the nearest football store.

Manchester City (Leaked)

Manchester United - Leaked

Real Madrid (Away & Home) - Official

Arsenal (Home & Away) - Official

Tottenham (All three kits) - Leaked

Chelsea FC (Home & Away) - Official

Liverpool (All three kits) - Official

Bayern Munich (All three kits) - Leaked

FC Porto (All three kits) - Official

Atletico Madrid (Home & Away) - Leaked

Barcelona (Home Kit) - Official

AC Milan (Home Kit) - Official

PSG (All three kits) - Leaked

AS Roma (Home & Away) - Official

SL Benfica (Home Kit) - Official

Ajax Amsterdam (Home & Away) - Leaked

Inter Milan (Home Kit) - Leaked

Juventus (Home Kit) - Leaked

The Puppet Masters (Part 3)

2014-06-07T09:00:00.000-04:00

In my last installment of this series we will be looking at Mino Raiola, one of today's most powerful FIFA agents.

Raiola is currently representing some of the biggest players in the world stage, the list includes Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Mario Balotelli, coach Martin Jol, Marek Hamsik, Paul Pogba among others. Raiola was born in the Salerno province of Italy. Being Italian it has given him an advantage in the Italian market and more specifically in the Seria A, with players represented by him playing at some of the bigger clubs.

His first big player transfer was Dennis Bergkamp move to Inter Milan, at that time he was working for Sports Promotions, but soon after he would leave them and start his own company and taking full ownership of player transfer and representation. His first big client was Pavel Nedved.

In the early 2000's he opened a branch of his company in Holland, more specifically in Amsterdam. He was looking at tapping into some of the young talent coming out of the Ajax academy.
He was able to secure Zlatan Ibrahimovic, a young Swedish striker, that was becoming a huge star with Ajax and demanding attention of some of Europe's largest clubs. He became the representative of Maxwell, Mido and Grygera.

In 2004, the last day of the summer transfer window, he orchestrated the transfer of Ibrahimovic from Ajax to Juventus for $16 million euros. Ajax has blamed him for also convincing his players, Maxwell and Grygera, to not renew their contracts with Ajax and dip into free agency. Following these deals Ajax banned Raiola from their facilities and refused to do business with him for several years.

His power in Italian football has been incredible, and he has managed to control some of the biggest transfer involving Italian teams even when the players are not represented by him. The club in which he has had the biggest influence is AC Milan.
He was directly involved with the transfers of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Robinho, Mark van Bommel, Emanuelson and Didac. Not all of these players were represented by Raiola at the time but he was the puppet master pulling the strings that allowed the players to be transferred.
The latest player he has recruited to the AC Milan lineup is Mario Balotelli. Balotelli is represented by Raiola, so it wasn't a surprise to anybody that is aware of his deals with Milan, that once Mario announced that he was leaving Manchester City the club that would be taking him would be AC Milan.

In 2008 he was investigated by the FIGC for transfer irregularities, but nothing was proven. He is in the opinion of most one of the top 10 most influential people in the footballing world, and with his dominance of the Italian market that influence will continue to grow for years to come.

15 Classic European Cup/Champions League Final Photos (Gallery)

2014-05-23T16:18:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow night, at the Estadio da Luz, Real Madrid will take on Atletico Madrid in the Champions League Final. On the eve of this all Spanish showdown, we've put together fifteen of our favourite photos from European Cup/UEFA Champions League Final's of the past. We hope that you enjoy them.

1960 - Ferenc Puskas scores Real Madrid's fifth goal against Eintracht Frankfurt en route to a famous 7-3 win.

1962 - Eusebio is held aloft following Benfica's 5-3 win over Real Madrid.

1968 - George Best puts Manchester United ahead in extra time as they go on to win 4-1 over Benfica.

1971 - Johan Cruyff in full flow against Panathinaikos during Ajax's 2-0 victory.

1975 - Gerd Muller celebrates Bayern Munich's 2-0 win over Leeds United.

1978 - Kenny Dalglish wakes up in bed with the Cup following Liverpool's 1-0 win the night before over Club Brugge.

1980 - Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest celebrate their unbelievable second European Cup win in a row, after beating Hamburg 1-0.

1986 - Helmuth Duckadam plucks the ball out of the air and goes onto save four penalty kicks in an incredible shootout, that was won 2-0 by Steaua București over Barcelona.

1989 - Dutch stars Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit lift the European Cup following AC Milan's 4-0 win over Steaua București.

1993 - Controversial French side Olympic Marseilles, who would later be found guilty of match fixing, celebrate their 1-0 win over AC Milan.

1996 - Gianluca Vialli lifts the Cup for Juventus following their 4-2 penalty shootout win over Ajax.

1999 - "And Solskjær has won it!" Ole Gunnar Solskjær scores the winner deep into injury time as Manchester United defeat Bayern Munich 2-1.

2004 - Jose Mourinho's Porto celebrate after beating fellow unlikely finalist Monaco 3-0.

2011 - Pep Guardiola gets tossed in the air following Barcelona's 3-1 win over Manchester United.

2012 - Didier Drogba ends his time at Chelsea in style, as he cancels out Muller's goal for Bayern Munich with only two minutes to go, and then scores the winning penalty kick in the shoot-out.