Arsenal player Eduardo da Silva has been banned for two Champions League matches for cheating and getting a penalty kick in a qualifying match against Celtic.
He pretended that the goalkeeper grab his foot but the picture shows us what really happened.
The Gunners win 3-1 on that night.
This article is about bone tests for football players
Of course you are wondering, bone test for players ?! But why.
The Bone tests will be performed on soccer players at the Under-17 World Cup in Nigeria to catch teams with over-age players.
Soccer’s governing body said the MRI tests will “protect the integrity of the tournament” and serve “the spirit of fair play”.
The decision follows reports from Nigeria that the host nation intended to select older players for the Oct. 24-Nov. 15 tournament.
FIFA said MRI tests on wrist bones have been developed by its medical research center.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a test that uses a magnetic field and pulses of radio wave energy to make pictures of organs and structures inside the body.
“MRI of the wrist can identify players who are definitely above 17 years,” FIFA said in a statement. “It is reliable, evidence-based and safe for the player”.
FIFA said it encouraged the 24 teams to conduct their own tests to ensure all players comply with the age rule. Tournament regulations state players must be born on or after Jan. 1, 1992.
Group A: Bayern Munich, Juventus, Bordeaux, Maccabi Haifa
Group B: Manchester United, CSKA Moscow, Besiktas, Wolfsburg
Group C: AC MIlan, Real Madrid, Marseille, FC Zurich
Group D: Chelsea, Porto, Atletico Madrid, Apoel Nicosia
Group E: Liverpool, Lyon, Fiorentina, Debrecen
Group F: Barcelona, Inter Milan, Dynamo Kiev, Rubin Kazan
Group G: Sevilla, Rangers, Stuttgart, Unirea Urziceni
Group H: Arsenal, AZ Alkmaar, Olympiakos, Standard Liege
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Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill has promised a bold approach to try and overturn the first-leg deficit against Rapid Vienna in Thursday night's Europa League tie.
Villa lost last week's clash in Vienna 1-0 - conceding the goal after just 16 seconds. It has left them with it all to do in front of their own fans at Villa Park - especially as they know that conceding a goal would mean them having to score three to get past the Austrians.
O'Neill said: "Obviously we are at a disadvantage. We will have to go with all guns blazing in the game mindful of the fact that then we might end up having to score three to win. It is a game to be careful about but by the same token not to be too cautious.
"Vienna will present difficulties to us. But the confidence we got from the win over Liverpool on Monday will stand us in good stead.
"It could happen that we might well concede an early goal but we have shown in the past that we can come back from a deficit."
Villa's bid to score the goals they need to get past Vienna could be boosted by the return of striker John Carew who has missed the first three games of the season through injury and illness. Winger Ashley Young also hopes to recover from a knee problem that he suffered during the 3-1 win at Liverpool on Monday.
After such a high-tempo performance at Anfield, O'Neill admits he may have to make changes to his side but accepts that will not be easy.
He added: "We will have another look at the team. It is a difficult balance trying to change the side around without losing cohesion and still trying to win competitive games. But there will be one or two after the exertions of Monday night I will have a look to see how they are.
"Ashley Young, for instance, came off at the end. He is still uncomfortable but is feeling better than right after the Liverpool game."
Villa defender Habib Beye thinks that the momentum built up by the success at Anfield could hold the key to seeing off the challenge of Vienna.
Beye, who joined Villa in a £2.5m deal from Newcastle United last month, said: "The way we played at Liverpool we showed our quality and how we can fight with the top four. We do need to do it week and week out as it is of no use doing it just for one game.
"It will be a tough game against Vienna because when we played away it was difficult. They have a strong team and scored an important early goal which made us chase the game. But I feel we have the quality to win the game and progress into the qualifying stage."
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We look at some of the key battles between Arsenal and Celtic in their Champions League clash.
EDUARDO v GARY CALDWELL
Croatia striker Eduardo is likely to be handed a start should Arsene Wenger rest Robin van Persie. The striker has returned looking sharp following the best part of a year out with a broken leg. Eduardo opened his account for the season in the 6-1 victory at Everton, and Celtic will be all too aware of his prowess in the six-yard box.
Scotland international Caldwell did not enjoy the best of nights in the first leg at Celtic Park, when he put through his own net to gift the Gunners a crucial second away goal. However, the centre-back is made of stern stuff and will be looking to prove a point at the Emirates Stadium tomorrow - where a clean sheet is vital to Celtic's slim hopes of progress.
ALEX SONG v AIDEN McGEADY
With Gunners captain Cesc Fabregas sidelined by a slight hamstring problem, Cameroon international Song looks set to play an even more important role in breaking down Celtic's attacks and feeding the Arsenal front line. The 21-year-old has impressed so far this season, and shown he can more than mix it with the best.
McGeady has enjoyed a new lease of life under Tony Mowbray after suffering under the stifling tactics of Gordon Strachan, scoring a brace in the Hoops' opening league game at Aberdeen. Much of Celtic's positive play goes through him, and the Ireland winger will enjoy any extra space on the Emirates Stadium flanks.
THOMAS VERMAELEN v MARC-ANTOINE FORTUNE
Gunners boss Wenger looks to have unearthed another gem in the former Ajax captain. Belgian centre-back Vermaelen has settled in quickly alongside William Gallas. Displayed his great recovery skills in some fine saving tackles during the first leg and is also a danger at set-pieces.
Frenchman Fortune, who was with Mowbray at West Brom, netted twice in the 5-2 win over St Johnstone to stake his claim for a place in the side tomorrow night. Started the first leg on the bench, but looks set to partner Australian forward Scott McDonald as the Bhoys go in search of goals.
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What is a football club? In countries that operate a franchise system, the answer is relatively simple: it is the legal right to be a member of a league. It's the same in baseball where the Dodgers remain the Dodgers wherever they happen to play, even if it doesn't quite feel like it to fans in Brooklyn, who saw their team uprooted to Los Angeles in 1958.
Where the league structure is organic, the situation is rather more complex, as the case of Wimbledon has proved. Everything about AFC Wimbledon suggests that they are a continuation of the old Wimbledon – they have a similar name, they wear a similar kit, the programme for their game against Luton last week included a feature on the 1988 FA Cup semi-final between Wimbledon and Luton, while various historical artefacts and trademarks associated with Wimbledon were ceded by MK Dons in 2006 – and yet it is MK Dons who remain the league club.
History, geography and the feelings of supporters – at least in the case of AFC Wimbledon, and they appear to have popular sympathy among British fans – combine to form a nebulous entity that is somehow that club's soul and it is that, rather than any legal stricture, that seems to define a club's identity. But if the case of Wimbledon seems complicated, consider that of FC Timisoara who, after overcoming the Uefa Cup winners Shakhtar Donetsk, face Stuttgart in a Champions League play-off tonight.
Timisoara is a proud university city in the west of Romania. In 1921, students there established a football club, Politehnica 1921 Stiinta Timisoara – or Poli, as they were more popularly known. They were never giants, but they did reach six Romanian Cup finals, winning the competition in 1958 and 1980.
Then, in 2000, their owner, the Italian entrepreneur Claudio Zambon, decided to relocate the club to a suburb of Bucharest, seemingly reasoning he would attract larger crowds in the capital. He was wrong, and Politehnica Timisoara now play in the 600-capacity Comprest GIM Stadium in the Bucharest Municipal League, in the fourth tier of the Romanian pyramid.
That left a vacancy in Timisoara, which was filled two years later when the top-flight AEK Bucharest moved west. AEK themselves had not long before been the southern Romanian team Fulgerul Bragadiru. In a similar quest for fans, they had been moved to the capital by their owner Anton Dobos, who then changed the name of the club to ensure nobody forgot that he had once been a good enough player to turn out for AEK Athens.
In Timisoara, he changed the name of the club again, to Politehnica AEK Timisoara, and altered the badge and the kit to reflect the original Poli's violet and white colours. Effectively there were two Politehnica Timisoaras: the "real" one who played in a regional league in Bucharest, and the ersatz one, who played top-flight football in Timisoara. Most local fans, not surprisingly, adopted the ersatz Poli, regarding them as a continuation of the old Poli. They did, after all, play in the same place, wear the same kit with the same badge and have a very similar name.
The situation was not quite as bad as that in South Africa in 1986, when two completely separate squads of players, each purporting to represent Orlando Pirates, walked out for the opening game of the season against Jomo Cosmos, representatives of one stabbing the owner of the other live on national television, but it was absurd enough.
Zambon sued the new Poli, and won, so the Timisoara-based Poli were forced to relinquish all claim to the history of the old Poli, and were ordered to change both their crest and their kit. Accordingly, they ditched the violet-and-white striped badge for a quasi-heraldic design featuring a black helmet with horses rampant, and added black to their kit.
Last year, though, the Court of Arbitration in Sport ruled that "there is barely a hint of black" on their shirts and that "violet remains the predominant colour", and ordered the Romanian FA to dock them six points. FC Timisoara's owner, Marian Iancu, protested and threatened to withdraw the side from the league, but eventually switched to an all-white kit – appropriately, perhaps, for a club that now appears as a tabula rasa on which anybody can write whatever history they choose. They did though retain the web address www.poli.tm.ro, which features splashes of provocative purple, and appealed against the points deduction.
It was overturned on 11 June, catapulting Timisoara above Dinamo Bucharest and into second place in the table, thus securing them a place in the Champions League qualifiers, and consigning Dinamo to the Europa League. They have taken full advantage, two goals from Gheorghe Bucur earned them a 2-2 draw in Donetsk that was enough for an away goals victory over Shakhtar.
It is his partnership with the Costa Rica international Winston Parks that offers Timisoara greatest hope, although the full-back-cum-holding midfielder Stelian Stancu has begun the season well, as have the Armenian Karamyan twins, Artavazd and Arman. The goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon was impressive against Shakhtar, while Alex Bourceanu, nicknamed "the Romanian Gattuso", adds bite in midfield.
The 32,000-capacity Stadionul Dan Paltisanu is likely to be full tonight, leaving little doubt that the locals have fully embraced the new incarnation of their team. Just don't ask why their ground is named after a defender who used to play for a club now based 350 miles away.
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I was shocked to see that Lee Cattermole has today joined Sunderland for an initial fee of just £6 million, the fee will rise to £10 million based on appearances and international caps etc;.
The England under-21 international was strongly linked with a move to the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool in recent weeks, however it is Steve Bruce who has today won the race.
I don’t really know why I admire Cattermole so much, but I do.
He is just 20-years of age and he has already captained a Premier League club at Wigan. He has that bull-dog like approach which, for a midfield player, is vital. He is certainly not afraid of a tackle, although he does sometime mis-calculate his challenges.
I personally feel he has the potential to become the best midfielder in the country and I would be extremely surprised if one of the so-called, bigger clubs doesn’t come in for him in a year or two. In fact, I’m surprised none of the big 4 made a move for him this summer.
There have already been some cracking signings this summer, including Manchester City’s pruchase of Gareth Barry for just £12 million, however I firmly believe that Sunderland have today completed the signing of the summer in Cattermole.
I’m keen to hear what you have to say. Is Cattermole really the signing of the summer or was it someone else? Leave your comments below.
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Carlos Tevez just won't shut up about his now former club Manchester United.
Speaking about his former manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, the Argentine striker had this to say :
"He thinks I will return. But I know what I want and I know that Ferguson did not respect me as a player. Before Berbatov arrived in Manchester, Ferguson told me, ‘You will still be the starting striker, so be cool’. But he lied to me!
That is why I know I will not return to United. What I want to do next season is score against United. I promise I will not celebrate in front of the United fans but I will shout in Ferguson’s face. You can be sure of that - and it will be one of the most beautiful things I have done in football."
Although I am a Manchester City fan, I really think Tevez should just keep his mouth shut. To put it bluntly, he's acting like an immature teenager. On the other hand, wouldn't it be hilarious to see how Ferguson would react if Tevez was shouting in his face.
What do you think? Comments below please.
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I know it's that time of the year, when strange rumours begin emanating in the media, however I have never seen a stranger rumour than the one which can be found in today's Daily Star.
The paper has today claimed that Aston Villa are set to make a move for Wigan defender Titus Bramble. As you can probably tell from the headline, I'm not a massive fan of Bramble's, in fact, I think he's one of the worst players to ever play in the Premier League.
So why on earth would Villa manager Martin O'Neill want to sign the one and only Titus Bramble? Comments below please.
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It's funny, I remember back to middle of January, when Manchester City made that astonishing £107 million bid for Kaka. It seemed as though everyone in the football world had something negative to say about City's audacious bid to sign the former FIFA World Player of the Year.
Michel Platini was threatening to ban City from entering any European competitions if they were just going to spend ridiculous sums of money on players. Platini's doesn't seem to be threatening to ban Real Madrid from entering European competitions even though they are now the ones actually spending the ridiculous sums on big name players.
I don't know why this gets my so annoyed, but it does. Maybe it's because I have been a City fan for quite some time and I hate to see my team criticised. I understand that City are bound to be criticised for spending £30 million plus on players, however I don't understand why Real Madrid aren't criticised for spending £50 million plus on players.
So those who say that Manchester City are ruining the transfer market are just plain idiots because City haven't even spent £30 million this summer. Real have spent £180 million.
What do you think? Comments below please.
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Arsenal have today revealed their new 3rd kit for the 09/10 Premier League campaign. I quite like the new jersey, but I'm keen to hear what you Gunners fans and indeed any football fans feel about the new kit.
You can find several Arsenal jerseys over at myfootballkits.co.uk.
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It's official, Cristiano Ronaldo is a Real Madrid player after spending six years with the Premier League Champions Manchester United.
Love him or loath him, there's no denying he was one of the best players the Premier League has ever seen. In total, Ronaldo scored an incredible 118 goals in all competitions for the Red Devils establashing himself as a firm favourite amongst the Old Trafford faithful.
Football Corner wants you to sum up Ronaldo's time at United in just three words. Whenever we do the "Three words to sum up" we always get a good response from you, the readers, so let's do the same again. If I had to use three words to sum up Ronaldo's career at United, I would say he was : simply the best.
Leave your comments below and as always, make them funny.
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