It can be far too easy for people who aren’t directly affected by racism to dismiss it as a thing of the past. Over the last few years, both FIFA president Sepp Blatter and Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho have both denied the existence of racism in various aspects of football. But, in quick succession, a group of Chelsea fans in Paris and former Italy manager Arrigo Sacchi have provided crystal clear reminders of just how incredibly wrong that notion is at every level.
Australian defender scores own goal from 40 yards out
Central Coast Mariners defender Josh Rose scored one of the most excruciating own goals in recent memory when a misjudged backpass turned into an own goal from 40 yards out in the 89th minute of an AFC Champions League match against Guangzhou R&F.
Mariners keeper Liam Reddy was almost closer to Rose than he was to his own net when the 33-year-old defender attempted the pass in the 89th minute with R&F up 2-0. So Reddy had some distance to cover in his futile attempt to chase down the bouncing ball that made it 3-0.
The Australian club scored in added time, but losing 3-1 probably didn’t make them feel any better.
Bayern Munich fund 60 operations for children in Ukraine
Bayern Munich begin their Champions League round of 16 tie against Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday, but the first leg was moved to Lviv, a Ukrainian city 750 miles away from Donetsk. The decision to move the match came after Shakhtar’s Donbass Arena was damaged by artillery fire amidst the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Chelsea break a window trying to park the bus in Paris
When parking the bus goes wrong. Chelsea suffer a broken window driving into Parc des Princes… pic.twitter.com/pxk7XSNqrK
— AS English (@English_AS) February 17, 2015
PSG’s Twitter account invoked the Chelsea parking the bus meme last weekend (jinxing themselves in the process) and before the two sides began their Champions League round of 16 showdown, Chelsea fueled a new round of jokes by literally having trouble parking their bus.
David Luiz won’t celebrate if he scores against Chelsea, but he does call Mourinho and Blanc ugly
David Luiz is a man who likes to spread and express joy, but, sadly, he has chosen a profession where one man’s joy is too often interpreted as a personal insult to others. This is a result of the #RESPECT syndrome and football is currently being choked by its bitter self-importance.
Players are now expected to react as if they just watched the euthanization of their childhood pet when they score against their former club in order to satisfy the delicate sensibilities of far too many supporters and members of the press. So when David Luiz was asked what he would do if he scores against his old club when PSG face Chelsea in the Champions League round of 16, there was only one answer he was allowed to give.
The key differences between Olivier Giroud then and now
Olivier Giroud scored both of Arsenal’s goals in their 2-0 FA Cup win against Middlesbrough over a span of just two minutes, highlighting his noticeable improvement since he joined the club three years ago.
“I believe that he is a different player today than the guy who arrived here,” said Arsene Wenger of the French striker, who was widely mocked for having the shooting accuracy of a drunk lemur in his first season with Arsenal.
If we compare 2012 Olivier Giroud to 2015 Olivier Giroud, we can pinpoint exactly how he has improved himself.
New USA away kit looks like the printer ran out of blue ink just before finishing the job
Nike has unveiled the new away kit for both the U.S. men’s and women’s teams and it looks like their printer ran out of blue ink just as it reached the shoulders. But instead of going out and paying stupid money for more color ink cartridges, they decided to just go with it.
Marco Reus is clearly staying at Dortmund for the secret handshakes
Marco Reus recently signed a contract extension with Borussia Dortmund despite the club’s struggles this season and serious interest from bigger clubs abroad. Now we know why: because he doesn’t want to have to learn a whole new set of secret handshakes with new teammates somewhere else.
Following Dortmund’s win against Mainz, Reus carried out a series of handshakes and embraces that seemed to be specific to certain teammates (Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ilkay Gundogan, and Nuri Sahin). The smoothness and ease with which Reus carried out this ritual must have taken some practice, so the thought of starting over with other players who might not be as adept in the secret handshake game must have been upsetting.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s new tattoos actually part of campaign against world hunger
When Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored in PSG’s 2-2 draw against Caen on Saturday, he solemnly removed his shirt to reveal that his body appeared to be covered in more tattoos than usual. The new body art was all names and the sheer amount of them prompted jokes from some viewers. Others, meanwhile, scolded him for getting a yellow card for the seemingly frivolous offense, since it earned him a suspension from PSG’s upcoming match against Monaco for yellow card accumulation. But it turns out Zlatan did this for a good and selfless cause.
NBA commissioner says he’s “jealous” of European football and its support
NBA commissioner Adam Silver was interviewed by the BBC during the league’s All-Star weekend festivities and he took the opportunity to once again express his admiration for European football.