Another racism row flared up during the Seville derby on Sunday evening as 'supporters' (a loosely used term) of Betis turned on their own player, Paulao, apparently racially abusing the Brazilian centre-back. It is not the first time racism has been seen in Spanish football and it has been happening without sufficient punishment for too long. The incident at Betis needs to be Spain's watershed moment and the country should rally and appreciate that the issue of racism in football has to be addressed. … [Read more...]
How La Liga stars got on in the World Cup play-offs
The international break has shown its face for the last time until March (thank goodness!) with plenty of celebration for the La Liga contingent in the World Cup qualifiers. Victory was around in abundance, none more so than in the Portugal camp where Cristiano Ronaldo was once again the shining light, after his late goal in Lisbon he grabbed a hat-trick in the second leg in Stockholm sending Portugal to the World Cup finals in Brazil. Pepe and Ronaldo’s Real team-mate Fabio Coentrao also played a part in the thrilling match which finished 3 – 2, seeing Portugal victorious by a 4 – 2 … [Read more...]
Sevilla starlet Moreno a target for United and Chelsea
Chelsea and Manchester United are reportedly monitoring Sevilla full-back Alberto Moreno and planning a January swoop for the 21-year-old. Moreno has been in Sevilla's first team for only a few months but his impressive performances have seen him make his full Spanish debut and become a prime target for Europe's top clubs. Moreno is still eligible for the Champions League this season due to Sevilla not qualifying so a transfer in January would give both Chelsea and United extra depth for the knockout stages should they qualify. … [Read more...]
Cristiano Ronaldo reaches 200 Madrid goals – a visual representation
During Real Madrid's 6-2 thumping of Malaga last night Cristiano Ronaldo managed to reach 200 goals for the illustrious club with a neat goal from an indirect free-kick. The Portuguese striker managed to reach the total in just 197 games having joined the club just four seasons ago from Manchester United. Despite rumours linking Ronaldo with a move away from the Bernabeu back to Old Trafford, Madrid's number 7 will go down in history as one of the club's finest ever strikers. Here is a graphical representation of his 200 strikes. … [Read more...]
Medel’s Madness – Yet another red for ‘The Pitbull’
Gary Medel's dismissal during Friday night's Seville derby allowed Betis to complete a wonderful comeback late on to draw 3-3 despite being three goals down after half an hour. Medel's earlier error had marked the turning point in the match when Dorlan Pabon clipped the ball past Sevilla keeper Beto to make it 3-1 moments before half-time but the man nicknamed 'The Pitbull' gave Betis the chance to salvage a point after lashing out at Swansea bound midfielder Jose Canas. The red was the 13th of Medel's tumultuous career to date and his fourth dismissal of the season, making the likes of Roy … [Read more...]
One to Watch – Geoffrey Kondogbia
Sevilla have endured a desperately average season this year, rarely looking likely challengers for a European spot or candidates to go down. In 10th place, Sevilla sit exactly midway in the table during a season that has lacked European competition and general excitement so there hasn't been much to boast of as neighbours Malaga continue to stride on in the Champions League. One shining light of optimism comes from a player who has attracted Manchester City's attention recently - Geoffrey Kondogbia. … [Read more...]
Opening La Liga weekend in threat of strike action for second year in a row
A dispute between 13 La Liga clubs and their broadcasting partners is putting the first round of matches at risk. Should an agreement not be reached then strike action could postpone the opening round of fixtures for the second season in succession. Clubs are unhappy with a number of factors with 11pm kick-off times causing the greatest amount of fuss. Athletic Bilbao, Atletico Madrid, Betis, Celta Vigo, Espanyol, Getafe, Granada, Mallorca, Osasuna, Vallecano, Soceidad, Sevilla and Zaragoza all attended a meeting in Madrid today demanding changes to agreements between themselves and two media … [Read more...]
Sevilla Season Preview
Oh how tight the margins in football can be at times! Falling just short of Champions League qualification the previous season has setback Sevilla significantly and threatens to derail the perennial European challengers. Losing out to Villarreal meant Europa League football last season for the Andalucians but unexpectedly the club fell at the first hurdle. There's no shame in losing to Germans Hannover but failing to grasp the financial incentives which begin at the group stage proved to be the fatal loss. Consequently the exodus began. Zokora, Sanchez, … [Read more...]
Reyes Returns to Seville
Ex-Arsenal and Atletico Madrid winger Jose Antonio Reyes has finally rejoined his first club, Sevilla, in a 3 and a half year deal worth €3.5million. It comes after days of intense speculation in relation to his future at Madrid and desire to return to Andalucia. Reyes, 28, had a well documented public disagreement with former Atleti boss Gregorio Manzano but insists that had nothing to do with the transfer. “Sevilla have a great sporting project,” Reyes maintained. “I left there when I was very young and I think it’s time to return. … [Read more...]
Levante: The team that dare to dream
Just when you thought the La Liga title race couldn't get any more predictable and one-sided, the football gods throw us a much-needed curveball in the form of this season's over-achievers Levante - a side very much expected to face another relegation battle this season have had a miraculous turnaround in fortunes and after an impressive start, quite unbelievably sit in the lofty heights of 3rd place in the La Liga table after already claiming scalps off football powerhouses Real Madrid, Malaga and Villareal so far this campaign. … [Read more...]