football (ˈfʊtˌbɔːl Pronunciation for football )
Definitions
noun
1. a. any of various games played with a round or oval ball and usually based on two teams competing to kick, head, carry, or otherwise propel the ball into each other's goal, territory, etc See association football, rugby, Australian Rules, American football, Gaelic football
b. (as modifier) ⇒ a football ground, a football supporter
2. the ball used in any of these games or their variants
3. a problem, issue, etc, that is continually passed from one group or person to another and treated as a pretext for argument instead of being resolved ⇒ he accused the government of using the strike as a political football
1. a. any of various games played with a round or oval ball and usually based on two teams competing to kick, head, carry, or otherwise propel the ball into each other's goal, territory, etc See association football, rugby, Australian Rules, American football, Gaelic football
b. (as modifier) ⇒ a football ground, a football supporter
2. the ball used in any of these games or their variants
3. a problem, issue, etc, that is continually passed from one group or person to another and treated as a pretext for argument instead of being resolved ⇒ he accused the government of using the strike as a political football
circus (ˈsɜːkəs Pronunciation for circus )
Definitions
noun
(plural) -cuses
1. a travelling company of entertainers such as acrobats, clowns, trapeze artistes, and trained animals
2. a public performance given by such a company
3. an oval or circular arena, usually tented and surrounded by tiers of seats, in which such a performance is held
4. a travelling group of professional sportsmen ⇒ a cricket circus
(in ancient Rome)
a. an open-air stadium, usually oval or oblong, for chariot races or public games
b. the games themselves
(British)
an open place, usually circular, in a town, where several streets converge
a. (capital when part of a name) ⇒ Piccadilly Circus
b. (informal) noisy or rowdy behaviour
(informal) a person or group of people whose behaviour is wild, disorganized, or (esp unintentionally) comic
(plural) -cuses
1. a travelling company of entertainers such as acrobats, clowns, trapeze artistes, and trained animals
2. a public performance given by such a company
3. an oval or circular arena, usually tented and surrounded by tiers of seats, in which such a performance is held
4. a travelling group of professional sportsmen ⇒ a cricket circus
(in ancient Rome)
a. an open-air stadium, usually oval or oblong, for chariot races or public games
b. the games themselves
(British)
an open place, usually circular, in a town, where several streets converge
a. (capital when part of a name) ⇒ Piccadilly Circus
b. (informal) noisy or rowdy behaviour
(informal) a person or group of people whose behaviour is wild, disorganized, or (esp unintentionally) comic
Ladies and gentlemen, they, according to the Collins English Dictionary, are the definitions of the words 'football' and 'circus'. Amalgamate the two and you will get an idea as to what we like to cover right here on this very blog, every week. This week in fact, we bring you the tale of the Samuel Eto'o-based tattoo bet, yet another South American brawl, Ronaldo and Ribery's contrasting weeks post Ballon d'Or ceremony and an alleged physical altercation between Robert Lewandowski and a teenage fan. So roll up, 'cause the Circus is back in town...
Hattrick for Eto'o means Tatto'o for Fan
On an almost weekly basis now we are regaled by the media with tales of idiotic bets resulting in embarrassing tattoos, such is the exposure provided to football fans by social media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook. This week, it was the turn of a certain 'Danny Does', a Chelsea fan who vowed prior to the Blues' encounter with Manchester United on Sunday, to get a tattoo of Samuel Eto'o's face (as seen in his tweet below).
Aaaaand low and behold, Eto'o scored a hattrick. His first in four years as it happens. So while Danny may have believed his tweet was a safe bet, Manchester United's defensive incompetence will have taught Mr. 'Does' the dos and don'ts of gambling.
Ronaldo Bags Another Award
Fresh from having being awarded the Ballon d'Or, Cristiano Ronaldo has now been named "Grand Officer of the Order of Prince Henry". The honour was bestowed by Portuguese president Cavaco Silva. The title is awarded for "exceptional and outstanding merits for Portugal and its culture". Given his global appeal and reputation and following his Ballon d'Or success, President Silva found Ronaldo to be a worthy recipient of the award.
Only three other Portuguese sports personalities have been awarded this title previously - Carlos Lopes, Aurora Cunha and the 'Special One' himself, Jose Mourinho. Ronaldo tweeted of the honour:
"Such an honour to receive the grade of Grand Officer of the Order of Prince Henry the Navigator".
The Real Madrid man will now hope for even more recognition in his home country as he seeks to lead them to success in this year's World Cup in Brazil.
...While Ribery Bemoans Ballon d'Or Decision
While Ronaldo basks in the glory of his Ballon d'Or victory, Franck Ribery has been a little less enthusiastic about it. Perhaps bitter about the decision to name Ronaldo as the winner, the Frenchman has had some unsavoury comments attributed to him this week, in the wake of his being named third on the Ballon d'Or list. Ribery has allegedly stated:
"I won everything I could win with Bayern and individually. Ronaldo on the other hand did not win anything.
"I am not sad that I missed out, but it does hurt a bit. I deserved to win the Ballon d’Or.
"It was clear that Ronaldo would win it. The voting deadline was extended by two weeks. This had never happened before. It wasn’t about football. It was a political decision".
Not just aggrieved about his own individual placing, Ribery was also upset about World XI that was named:
"There are only three Bayern players in there. That’s madness. Muller deserves to be there, and so do Alaba, Schweinsteiger and Robben. We won five titles and made history.
"And then there’s the absence of Borussia Dortmund players…Where are Gotze and Lewandowski? This is impossible".
Sounds to us like the decision has gone down like a lead ballon in the Ribery camp.
Footballer Shot Dead in Colombia
Colombian footballer Ferley Reyes was this week killed after a gunman opened fire at him and three of his Union Magdalena teammates. The players were in a hair salon in the city of Santa Marta when a gunman on a motorbike shot at them.
Reports say that the shooting was likely a case of mistaken identity.
Tragically, Reyes died immediately, while his teammate Luis Diaz Asprilla is in serious condition in hospital.
Union Magdalena's doctor, Edgar Sanchez said:
"The guys got here on January 7. They don't know anyone. I think they were just in the wrong place or someone confused them and shot them with the unfortunate result we know".
South American Brawl of the Week
It's a phenomenon that's almost as common as fans making bets involving tattoos - the South American football brawl. Last week we had a bust up during a practice match in Brazil, this week it's the turn of Uruguay, where Penarol and Nacional squared off and squared up in the Uruguayan 'Clasico'.
The trouble began around the 80th minute mark when a member of the Penarol team kicked out at a Nacional player. This sparked mass brawling between both sets of players and red cards were shown to four of the players.
The Uruguayan Minister for Sport Lilian Kechichian dubbed the fracas "shameful" and claimed "We were very concerned".
Nacional ran out 1-0 winners. However the goalscorer Ivan Alonso, rather than celebrate the victory, lamented the debacle, referring to it as an "embarrassing spectacle".
Lewandowski Betrays Dortmund, Beats Up Child
For shame, Robert Lewandowski. First you sign a contract with Bayern Munich, betraying your loyal Borussia Dortmund fans. Then you go and punch a seventeen year old in the face. Or so said seventeen year old would have the police believe.
Lewandowski, having recently announced he would be joining Bayern Munich when his current contract with Borussia Dortmund runs out, was bombarded by angry Dortmund fans when he arrived at training this week. Annoyed by the fans' abuse, he got out of his car and approached the mob. What happened next is a little unclear...
According to Lewandowski, things got a little heated and words were exchanged but nothing further developed. He returned to his car and proceeded to training.
One seventeen year old fan however, has claimed the Lewandowski, enraged by the fans' abuse, punched him in the face, such was his ire at their behaviour. The fan reported the alleged misdemeanor to the police and Lewandowski is now under investigation.
This will not be a pleasant last few months at BVB for the Pole.
New Camp Nou
Barcelona's Nou Camp is already one of the most impressive stadiums in world football, however the Catalan giants are not ones to rest on their laurels and have laid down plans to renovate. Ruling out the possibility of building a new stadium, Barca will splash out €600 million as they look to increase the capacity to 105,000. Should the plans be approved, the work should be complete by 2021.
(Note - Their plans are obviously based on the assumption that the Neymar 'project' controversy won't result in astronomical fines, bans and points deductions. What are we on about? Read about the cheeky Catalan scamps here http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11833/9130222/la-liga-barcelona-president-sando-rosell-steps-down, here http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/jan/23/sandro-rosell-resigns-barcelona-president-neymar and here http://www.marca.com/2014/01/23/en/football/barcelona/1390493431.html).
The following photos were posted on the club's official Twitter account:
What's Mad Mario Upto This Week?
Balotelli has been a busy boy this week. Not content to star in Puma's latest campaign for their 'Evopower' boot (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57Ri0HzqBlk), Balotelli has lead the charge to make new manager Clarence Seedorf's AC Milan renaissance a successful one.
Balo scored the only goal as Milan battled Cagliari at the San Siro on Sunday and was quick to dedicate the victory to his new boss.
Speaking to Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport before the game, Balotelli said of Seedorf:
"We spoke about the state of the team and how he sees my role on the pitch, and personally I’m happy. It’s normal that there will be a bit of upheaval when there’s a change of coach but he has won everything in his career and was still playing up until just the other day. When you have a great champion in front of you, you’re more likely to listen to what he has to say. You immediately trust him. His ideas are very clear and he’s very decisive and as far as I’m concerned things will go well. Let’s hope so.
"Seedorf was one of the best players in the world and I don’t think he needs coaching experience. He’ll do well".
The pair's apparent mutual faith in each other already seems to be paying dividends. Having scored in the Rossoneri's 1-0 home win, Balotelli told Sky Italia:
"We put ourselves in a tough situation and were forced to win this match. We organised it well and got the result.
"We had practically four forwards on the field and he told us to put the pressure on straight away. It worked, as we kept winning back possession in their own half. I think we played well".
Italian Football Story of the Week
- Stam to follow Seedorf back to Milan says Emanuelson
Following Clarence Seedorf's appointment as new AC Milan manager, Rossoneri full back-cum-winger Urby Emanuelson has claimed Jaap Stam will join the coaching staff, while Edgar Davids may also arrive.
Seedorf's side got off to winning ways on Sunday with their victory over Cagliari and after the game, Emanuelson, perhaps privy to such information as a Dutchman and more poignantly , a former Ajax player, told journalists:
Seedorf's side got off to winning ways on Sunday with their victory over Cagliari and after the game, Emanuelson, perhaps privy to such information as a Dutchman and more poignantly , a former Ajax player, told journalists:
"Stam will arrive, I don’t know about the others. Davids? Maybe next season".
Stam is currently assistant manager to Frank De Boer at Ajax. The day prior to Emanuelson making his comments, De Boer was quoted:
"I've heard the rumours that Milan is interested in Jaap Stam.
"But we don't want him to leave because we invested a lot in guys like him.
"But if Milan really wants him and Jaap wants to go, there is always a possibility he could. But we'd rather not lose him during the season. He also has a contract until 2016 at the club".
Whether Stam will make a return to the San Siro remains to be seen...
Artist's Impression of the Week
- Ronaldo Delight at Awards Honour
Football Recommendation of the Week
- Fantasy Premier League Community
Non Football Recommendation of the Week
- Mcvities Chocolate & Orange Digestives. Three words. Om. Nom. Nom. If Jaffa Cakes were biscuits, which they are, but if they were a more digestive-style biscuit, this is what they would be. Laptop recommended last week. Biscuits this week. You just never know what's going to be next on the Non Football Recommendation of the Week segment.
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