The Beautiful Game

When FIFA’s chairman of the Ethics Committee Hans-Joachim Eckert released the 42 page summary of Michael Garcia’s investigation into the bidding of the 2018 & 2022 World Cups it was no shock to anyone that Russia and Qatar hosts of the 2018 and 2022 editions of the World Cup were cleared of any wrongdoing. Eckert’s summary stated that Russia “made only a limited amount of documents available for review” as the computers which had been leased to the Russia Bid Committee had been returned to their original owner and subsequently destroyed in the meantime. The report cleared Russia of any wrongdoing stating “the evidence available is not sufficient to support any findings of misconduct by the Russia 2018 bid team”. However, the summary report attributed blame to the English and Australian bids stating both had “potentially problematic facts and circumstances" in their bids and stating that they had undermined the integrity of the bidding. Australia was heavily crit...

English Premier League outfit Reading have expressed serious interest in the Central Coast Mariners' young gun Thomas Rogic. The rumour comes as no surprise as only last year Rogic was close to finalising a deal with Reading until visa issues held back the deal. The "Nike Chance" graduate appears to have rekindled interest from international clubs after a string of strong performances in the A-League and carries an estimated transfer value in excess of $600,000.

Melbourne Victory's Gui Finkler has been ruled out of the remainder of the 2012-12 A-League season. Scans revealed Finkler will require a full knee reconstruction after being injured early on during Victory's 2-1 loss away to Western Sydney. The injury will no doubt hurt Victory's title chances and will require their under-performing marquee man, Marco Flores to step up.

News from Gosford has confirmed that the Central Coast Mariner's top two clash against Adelaide United is at risk with temperate in excess of 38 degrees predicted today. Proactive measures have been considered including possibly postponing the match. At temperatures above 35 degrees players are considered to be in danger of heat stroke and previous A-League matched played in similar conditions have seen drink breaks included at the midpoint of both halves. How should the A-League counter the problem? Comment below

Ange Postecoglou has taken proactive measures in rebuilding his new club signing young Australian players  Jason Geria and Jordan Brown on three year contracts The two youngsters join the Victory in the midst of a significant culture change for the Victorian clubs who have significantly adapted their recruiting mentality and overhauled their youth team in compliance with Ange Postecoglou's footballing philosophies. Jason Geria, 19, joins from fellow A-League outfit Brisbane Roar after captaining the club's Youth Side. Brown, a 16 year old Victorian has signed after a stint with the AIS. Brown has a strong connection with the Victory with his sister, W-League young player of the year, Ashley Brown having established herself as an integral member of the rapidly improving W-League side. What do you think of the Victory's new signing mentality? Comment below

Del Piero has helped to lift A-League TV ratings With the valuable addition of free to air broadcasting to the A-League's already growing media footprint it appears the war to win viewers has already begun. This ratings war is not against traditional Friday night ratings winners in the AFL, NRL or "Better Homes and Gardens" but in fact between A-League clubs themselves. Since the announcement of a FTA Friday night match to be televised on SBS from next season clubs have been queuing up to increase their own brand's exposure. Speaking on the issue, Melbourne Victory Chairman Anthony Di Pietro backed his clubs to be heavily involved in the FFA's free to air strategy. "We've got the highest ratings on the Friday night" Di Petro stated Melbourne Victory's case is strengthened by their prominence in the A-League's TV ratings records featuring in 10 of the top 10 highest rating matches ever up until the inclusion of Del Piero. It ap...

Sydney FC have signed ex-Socceroos coach Frank Farina on a deal that will see him take the reigns of the team for the remainder of the A-League season. Sydney FC Chairman Scott Barlow has welcomed Farina “Frank has coached at the highest l evel and has dealt with the demands of coaching a high profile team. He also brings with him a wealth of A-League coaching experience that will serve him well as he joins us part way through our season." “We believe Frank has the experience, leadership and coaching acumen to have a positive and immediate impact on Sydney FC.” With the recent resignation of former coach Ian Crook and a string of poor results blighted further by lack of on-field quality it appears Sydney FC will overhaul their squad and management staff to rekindle what seemed likely to be a promising season. With pressure from the media, namely SBS football analysis Craig Foster for Sydney to define its playing style it appears the club will prioritise coaching st...

It appears David Beckham has officially ended his stint in the USA after declaring he will not continue playing for the LA Galaxy after the end of the month when his contract expires "I've had an incredibly special time playing for the LA Galaxy, however, I wanted to experience one last challenge before the end of my playing career," Beckham said. Beckham's comments suggest that A-League clubs have a serious chance win his signiture with some reports suggesting Beckham be playing down under before New-Years. Who do you think Beckham will play for next? Let us know in the comments section.

After 7 years of nothing but subscription television coverage the A-League will find a new home next season with SBS signing on to televise one game a week live. The A-League’s latest television deal totals a $160 million dollar investment into the game over a four year period commencing in June 2013 and running through to June 2017. The A-League television and digital rights have been sold which may result in possible subscription access to games online. SBS will be broadcasting Friday night matches, a strategy implemented by the NRL that will lead nicely into  Foxtel’s weekend broadcast and is hoped to drive subscriptions and ratings. SBS will televise all A-League finals on a one hour delay. Socceroos World Cup Qualifiers will also be broadcast on SBS on a one hour delay with Foxtel to cover all Socceroos games live.

Even ADP wasn't enough to lift the Sky Blues After a week to forget Sydney FC were keen to bounce back with a win against the reigning Premiers. The Roar also found themselves in trouble languishing on the wrong side of the ladder. Keen to avoid the fate of Crook, Vidosic needed to somehow revitalise the Roar and prove that they could move on without An ge Postecoglou. Insanity is the repetition of the same act and expecting a different result and last night proed that Sydney should be institutionalised. Poor defending again put Sydney out of the contest as Brisbane scored at will converting four times in a night to forget for the Sky Blues. Brisbane opened the scoring when Broich's 40 metre free kick went untouched and slowly bounced into the back of the net. Brisbane built on the momentum just 3 minutes later with  Paartalu effortlessly beating Sydney's man marking and converting a rebound of Necevski's save. However Sydney's s...

The AAP are reporting on several of their major news websites that David Beckham has been approached by a number of a-league clubs and is interested in a move to the A-League. With the Englishmen's contract with LA Galaxy expiring in a month a guest stint in the A-League is a serious possibility for the high-profile footballer who has already given much time to promoting the game. A move to Australia would further increase interest both domestically and internationally in the A-League and would continue what appears to have become Beckham's mission. Current in the mix for Beckham's signature include Western Sydney, however a move to Melbourne is also a possibility. A 10-game guest stint appears the most likely A-League deal Beckham will commit to.

After months of waiting and curious thought the FFA have launched the much anticipated Western Sydney A-League franchise. The Wanderers will sport the name of the first football club of the area and a traditional red and black hooped shirt. Parramatta Stadium will become the home ground of the club and their first three signings Aaron Mooy, Tarek Elrich and Kwabena Appiah-Kubi. With the club now branded one question remains. How will Western Sydney's people respond?

Perth Glory have progressed through to the second round of elimination finals in a 3-0 victory against Melbourne Heart. The game started slowly and as the teams entered the half only a single shot was registered. But in a growing finals trend the game changed in the second half. Marquee man Shane Smeltz once again proved the hero for Perth scoring a hat-trick with goals in the 65' 72' and capping off the sensational performance in the 90'. The hat-trick means the Kiwi ha s scored 7 goals in the last two games and also means Smeltz becomes the first player to score the first player to score hat-tricks in consecutive Australian first class games since 1988! Over 12,500 fans witnessed Perth progress and they will get another chance to see their team with  The FFA confirming that the match between Perth Glory and Wellington Phoenix will be played on Saturday night, 5:30pm local at NIB Stadium. ___ Can Perth replicate their NSL success...

Wellington Phoenix have taken down Sydney FC in an epic 3-2 win at Westpac Stadium. In a frustrating first half for players an supporters, the teams entered the break without scoring a goal. The stalemate would not continue though, with Wellington firing quickly after the break though Tim Brown. Brown's retirement may be imminent but he appeared keen to prolong his career even by a game. Sigmund then went on to double the kiwis' lead in the 78th minute, the goal was the first in a frantic final 10 minutes of play. The 10,000 strong crowd then went on to witness one of the most entertaining finishes in A-League history. Sydney clawed back into the game through Chianese. The sky blue slotted home a quick brace with goals in the 70th and 82nd. Wellington had the last laugh though. An 87th minute penalty goal from crowd favourite Paul Ifill secured the win for Wellington. The 3-2 win puts Wellington through to the next round of finals where they will face either...

A gritty 3-2 win against Newcastle at the SFS has seen the Sydney FC qualify for the 2011-12 A-League finals. Sydney join Melbourne Heart, Perth Glory, Wellington Phoenix, reigning champions Brisbane Roar and of course newly crowned premiers the Central Coast Mariners in the A-League's finals series. The finals will unfold as follows: Wellington will host Sydney at Westpac Stadium this friday in the first elimination final. On Sunday Perth will host Melbourne Heart at Nib Stadium in the second elimination final. Brisbane and Central Coast will face off in a two legged Major Semi Final, played first in Brisbane this Saturday and then in Central Coast next Sunday.

The Central Coast Mariners have taken out the A-League Premiership with a solid 2-1 win against Wellington Phoenix. The Mariner’s sensational achievement comes following a turbulent season for the Mariners which saw the club face financial difficulty, the loss of several key players and intense competition against current champions Brisbane Roar. However despite off-field issues plaguing the club, with Graham Arnold at the helm, proved that on-field success was decided on field and displayed a tactical depth scarcely seen in Australia. The Mariners didn’t have the best start to the season, coming away with a single point from the first three games and seeing them sink to bottom of the ladder However in a pivotal game against Perth Matt Simon and Bernie Ibini-Isei scored to secure a much needed 2-1 win. The Mariners went on to go undefeated from November to January breaking a club record in the process of 15 games undefeated. Brisbane were always close behind the Gosford team howe...

Perth Glory owner Tony Sage is currently facing off with the FFA over the future of Perth Glory's W-League and National Youth League teams. Sage has recently come out saying that the future of the two teams is uncertain and that he may pull both out of official competition to reduce losses he has incurred during his time at Perth Glory. It is understood that Sage will stand to save up around $100,000 by cutting Perth's relatively unsuccessful w-league team. The FFA have since responded with a clear message to the Australian football public. “Football Federation Australia remains firmly committed to an elite pathway for women’s football in Australia and this includes the Westfield W-League,”  stated head of the A-League Lyall Gorman. Further comments from Perth captian support the idea that the W-League team is well placed in Perth. “Maybe some of his comments are to try and get FFA to help out a little in the way it’s run and for sure the travel costs are a bi...

Many punters tipped Adelaide to dominate the 2011-12 A-League season. However despite a strong new list and a defined playing style Adelaide's season has proved less then successful and resulted in the sacking of coach Rini Coolen. Ex-coach John Kosmina went on to replace the Dutchman and has apparently done enough to earn a contract extension. John Kosmina has reportedly signed a one season contract extension with an option for an additional year. It is also understood that the South-Australian will rebuild Adelaide's squad around his own football philosophies. Adelaide are currently competing in the AFC Champions League and Kosmina will be hoping to guide the club towards the knockout stages before preparing for the next A-League season.

Melbourne Victory have announced that Greek football giants Olympiacos will be coming down to Australia to play a one off match with the Victory. With over 300,000 Melbournians of Greek heritage the encounter is sure to draw a crowd and will see Australia's and Greece's biggest football clubs clash head to head following the completion of the Greek super league season. Olympiacos are Greece's most successive team having amassed 34 League titles and 28 Greek Cups. They also currently boast a membership of over 80,000 people. The match will be played at Etihad Stadium on Saturday the 19th of May. Tickets go on sale March 28.

Ben Buckley has come out saying a decision on Gold Coast United's future may be 3-4 weeks away. Will we see Western Sydney in the A-League next year? It is widely believed the FFA will hold a 10 team A-League next year, however the whereabouts of that 10th team appear to be disputed. Speaking to FoxSports on Tuesday Ben Buckley commented, "What we've said over the last three weeks is that we'd assess the future viability of Gold Coast United over the course of the remaining weeks towards the end of the season." Buckley made the FFA's intentions regarding weste rn Sydney quite clear, stating  "We've got a number of our staff working diligently on putting together a business plan for the club - a community engagement plan - to work very hard with the local community in the western part of Sydney, should we pursue that for next year or the year beyond."