What do you think of when you think of Brazil? Samba football? Some of the best players in history? Possibly the best national side in history? Well this week's Football Circus looks at some other Brazilian football related matters: Dead fans and Adriano (were not sure which of the two have brighter futures). We also look at what is possibly the longest football ban ever, Mario Balotelli's downward spiral and Marcelo Lippi's retirement.
Football Circus Clown Quote of the Week
"He's a very old and adventurous young left back".
- Clive Tyldesley.
Corinthians Dead Serious about Marketing with Fan Cemetary
Stadium builds or redevelopments are often headline grabbers, but we've never heard of a stadium built for the dead...until now. Brazilian side Corinthians last week made something of a shock announcement when they confirmed plans to build a cemetary for their fans, complete with a full size replica of the Arena Corinthians, the club's stadium.
The cemetary is to be named the "Corinthians Forever Cemetery" and will hold an incredible 70,000 hardcore, albeit dead, fans. The catch? A grave comes at a price. The prices range depending on the area of the cemetary in which you wish to be buried. The aforementioned replica pitch will be in the centre of the cemetary and a grave on the 'pitch' of the stadium alongside some then-to-be-deceased Corinthians players, will be more expensive than a grave elsewhere in the cemetary.
Corinthians death-marketing doesn't end there though. Not only are they offering fans places in their cemetary, they are also advertising Corinthians funerals complete with blag and white flowers, a Corinthians flag-covered coffin and a choir who will sing you off to the Corinthians anthem. Only for the diehards.
Adriano Relaunches Career...Again
You may recall in February this year, we reported on Adriano relaunching his faltering career at Brazilian side Atletico Paranaense (http://football-circus.blogspot.ie/2014/02/whos-gonna-drive-you-home.html). You may also recall us then having reported in April that Adriano had been released from Ateltico Paranaense for clubbing the night before training (http://football-circus.blogspot.ie/2014/04/papas-brothers-and-significant-others.html). Well, he's back again, this time with French second division club Le Havre, who in their infinite wisdom have rewarded the striker with a short term contract.
Le Havre president Christophe Maillol announced to the press:
"Adriano is seeking to launch himself again. He will be free and Le Havre will give him some visibility in Europe".
The club also tweeted about the 32 year olds imminient arrival.
We would strongly advise you take a trip to the bookies and lump your mortgage on this man not lasting the duration of his contract.
Swiss Player Handed Fifty Year Ban!
Amateur Swiss player Ricardo Ferreira has been handed down an incredible fifty year ban after he kicked a ball at a referee's face before proceeding to squirt water at him. The 28 year old Portugal FC player committed the offense following his side's 1-0 defeat by SC Worb.
Shockingly, Ferreira hadn't even played in the match and the incident took place in the tunnel after the game. The league took a dim view of the player's actions, to say the least and have deemed the behaviour worthy of a ban that will mean Ferreira won't play again until he is 78!
Upset and astounded by the ban, Ferreira had the following to say on the matter:
"I had expected one or two years maximum. But 50 years? Football’s my life".
However a lawyer for the Swiss amateur league, Robert Breiter, was unequivocal in his statement about the case:
"We do not want such a player in our league.
"Unfortunately we encounter such cases about once a year".
Ferreira is not a first time offender. He had previously accumulated suspensions totalling 45 games for past indiscretions which include knocking a whistle out of a referee's mouth!
What's Mad Mario Upto this Week?
Another fruitless week for Super Mario, as Liverpool were defeated both 1-0 by both Newcastle and Real Madrid in the past week. Balo failed to even feature in the Champions League fixture and was an unused sub.
However, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti believes Balotelli is not the problem for Liverpool. Ahead of the clash in Madrid, Ancelotti said:
"Balotelli is spoken of a lot, maybe too much.
"He has quality and is at a side where they are not playing well.
"They have lost Suarez who scored a lot and they need another solution. But I don’t think all of Livepool’s problems are about Balotelli. He needs to do his work for the side, that’s all that can be asked of him. The coach needs to find the right system with the new players".
And while Balo has not been hitting the target during matches, he has shown this week that he is capable of producing on the training ground.
A Youtube video showing a deft back-flick goal by Balotelli did the rounds this week and must have his manager Brendan Rodgers scratching his head as to why Balo can't do it when it counts.
Italian Football Story of the Week
- Lippi Retires
Marcelo Lippi, who managed Italy to World Cup victory in 2006, has retired from club management. The 66 year old had been coaching Chinese side Guangzhou Evergrande, but will not be returning next season.
In an interview with Tuttomercatoweb, Lippi announced:
"I’m done with club football.
"I’m done with training sessions and the tensions of every day management, but I haven’t closed the door to national teams.
"We’ll see if I’ll sign a new contract with Guangzhou when my current one expires, but a major international project could tempt me in the future.
"I’m an old man now! But seriously, in spite of my date of birth I’d go forward ready to Coach, but I was feeling a bit of mental fatigue in recent months.
"Guangzhou asked me to renew my deal about six or seven months ago, but I feel very far from home and it was getting too much for me. That’s why I took the decision".
Artist's Impression of the Week
- 'Rest in Pitch'; New fad begins as fans to be buried in cemetary stadiums.
Football Recommendation of the Week
- Football Manager 2015; Released on November 7th, we can already confirm via the demo that the latest edition of Football Manager series will massively consume your free and even not so free time. So much so that this week's Football Circus almost never was!
Non Football Recommendation of the Week
- Kavinsky - Nightcall; Seen during the opening credits of the film Drive and somewhat reminiscent of Daft Punk in their heyday, we've had this electro tune on repeat all week.
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