Tag: referee

Soccerdiva Soundbite…Heather O’Reilly

During the Olympic qualifiers, I had the pleasure of spending time with the USWNT. These women work so hard and are absolutely determined to win gold in London.

After an epic semi-final game at Old Trafford against Canada on Monday night, the USWNT once again showed their belief in each other and their flair for late drama. A superb cross from the skillful Heather O’Reilly to future superstar Alex Morgan broke Canadian hearts everywhere. And let’s not forget Megan Rapinoe, who undoubtedly had the game of her life! During camp, I was fortunate to chat with one of the heroes from tonight’s game, Heather O’ Reilly. She talks about what it means to play for her country, her love for Tim McGraw and her admiration for Lionel Messi. You will love her energy. Enjoy the Soccerdiva Soundbite.

The magicians of Merseyside strike…

218830-FBLiverpool beat their arch enemy Manchester United 2-0 at the weekend and this result is without doubt one of the sweetest for the scouse house in years. Nobody gave them a chance. The media ripped them to pieces. Benitez was ready for the chop. And even John Terry labeled them a two-man team. My how things can change so quickly in football. The magicians of Merseyside pulled the rabbit out of the hat big time with this victory and I believe they surprised us all!

With four losses in a row resulting in one of the worst runs of form in the club’s history, Liverpool appeared as though they were heading into some serious turmoil. As the owners continue to be at each others throats and key players suffer from injuries, the hopes of bringing the title home after so many years was slowly fading fast once again. The walls at Anfield were caving in and the claws were coming out thick and fast from all angles.

Even the Liverpool fans turned on manager Rafa Benitez. The fans have always been Rafa’s security blanket. They feel a sense of loyalty for the Champions League success he has brought to the club. The fans fell in love with Rafa when he secured the Champions League trophy. And then when he took them to another Champions League final, they fell in love with him all over again. And last year when Rafa couldn’t quite finish off United in the title race, the fans showed their support once again. But finally that loyalty was tested after a recent run of bad results, including a dismal loss to Sunderland last week.

Going into the United game, Liverpool football club was under an intense amount of pressure. Rafa Benitez was probably under the microscope more than ever before. Some say that a loss to United could have cost him his job, despite the recent vote of confidence from the board. The entire city needed to get behind the team. The manager needed to pull it together. And the players had to go out, perform heroics and get a result that nobody believed they could. Well somehow it all came together and Liverpool won one of the most important games in their recent history. A loss would have meant their Premier League hopes were all but over. And it could have spelled the end for Rafa. Instead he and his red army get to live and fight another day.

This is what makes the Premier League so exciting. Just when you think a team is down and out, they fight back and show their will to win the biggest prize in domestic football. Credit to Rafa and his team for the togetherness they showed and the team spirit they displayed to win the game over their most hated of rivals. Let’s not sugar coat this in any way. These two teams despise each other and Liverpool’s victory will leave a bitter taste in Manchester United’s mouth. The reigning champions were beaten fair and square. There is no referee to blame it on this time. Perhaps it’s Fergie and his Red Devils that face the pressure now.

How do you think Liverpool will do from here? Can they still win the title? How do you think United will bounce back from this loss? Do United have enough quality in their team to crowned champions again? Does anyone else agree it’s time for John Terry to shut-up?

Classless in Chelsea…

48343_newsChelsea might be based in one of London’s poshest areas, but some of their players certainly didn’t display any etiquette or class at the end of the Champions League game against Barcelona last night. There’s no question the referee made some horrible decisions. For Chelsea it must have been like a heavyweight title fight having to sustain one bad blow after the other. But if you are a professional footballer being paid six figures a week by a team like Chelsea, you need to behave better than that.

Referee Tom Henning Ovrebo will need a bodyguard next time he’s cruising down the King’s Road. And he better not run into Michael Ballack or Didier Drogba in a dark alley anytime soon. Drogba’s behaviour was disgusting. The world witnessed a foul-mouth attack by a player who has phoned-in his performances this season. When Scolari was manager he practically rolled over and gave-up. Despite his bad relationship with Scolari, he couldn’t even make the effort out on the pitch for his team mates. He let them down. And now he’s crying Blue tears. What a fake. Do you think he’ll play for Chelsea next season? Not likely…

Ballack’s display was no better. Following another controversial penalty decision by the muppet officials, Mr.Germany  chased the referee halfway down the pitch screaming his head off and spitting blood. It was pure venom and a lovely visual for every aspiring young soccer star and fan to see. He has been such a waste of valuable space this season. Chelsea would do well to get rid of this over-pampered, over-paid has been.

You know I’ve never been a big fan of John Terry, but on Wednesday night he won me over. Sure he questioned the referee, but he kept his head. Over the two legs he was a great leader. He was also the only Chelsea player to congratulate Barcelona for their victory. Terry went into their dressing room to shake their hand. Perhaps there is one player that can still walk down the King’s Road with his head held high.

As for the referee. You should be voted the worse referee in the history of the game. You stunk up Stamford Bridge with your obvious bad decisions. You gave football an ugly name last night. You made people think you were on the take. We hope you are not on the take. Perhaps people should be asking Monsieur Platini some serious questions…