Most of the headlines focus around Group G, the consensus "Group of Death" with Brazil, Portugal, Côte d'Ivoire, and North Korea, and the pairing of England and the United States in Group C. For Spain and manager Vicente del Bosque, privately they will be happy with their draw in Group H, the match schedule in […]

Well, you can't blame them for trying, two weeks after that hand ball incident and FIFA and UEFA being as patronising as possible, the Football Association of Ireland have asked to be included in the World Cup draw on Friday as a 33rd team.I've just had the misfortune of sitting through a Sepp Blatter press […]

UEFA has confirmed that it plans to investigate 40 cases of suspected match-fixing in the Champions League and UEFA Cup. Most of the cases were from Eastern Europe and involved games in the early qualifying rounds of the tournaments, according to Peter Limacher, UEFA's head of disciplinary services. Last year, the number of games being […]

Athletic Bilbao would have no problems with the proposed UEFA plan of mandating eight homegrown players in the squad of eighteen for every match or the theoretical 6 + 5 rule, where six players of the starting eleven would have to be eligible for the national team of their club's country. Athletic Bilbao refuses to […]

It seems like this is all coming out of nowhere. Any fan of the game knows that the "tapping-up" allegations have always been prominent but rarely has it been so harshly punished. From United's perspective, they were accused of tapping up Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney in the recent past and accused Real Madrid of […]

"Giggs looking to pick out Rooney... who's got there, is that a penalty kick?! What does Mike Dean say?! He says penalty!" This whole routine is getting a little old, isn't it? Screw diamonds, refereeing mistakes are forever. It's like the referees all convene and decide whose turn it is to make mistake and forbid […]

UEFA will fine both Arsenal and Manchester United £5,000 respectively for fan incidents during last years Champions League semifinals. An Arsenal fan hit Nemanja Vidic with a plastic bottle. A Manchester United supporter hurled a smoke bomb onto the pitch. The actions were potentially serious. The fines are not. UEFA functions like all bureaucracies. It […]

Why is it so hard to have a governing body with an ounce of common sense, UEFA just seem bereft of it every time it seems like they'll do the right thing. Are your matches blighted by neo-nazi's forming swastika shapes on the terrace? Here, have a fine of $3 and don't do it again. […]

With their typical class, Chelsea players and staff asserted their belief, following their 1-1 agg defeat to Barcelona, that UEFA conspired against them to prevent an all-English final in the Champions League. Players, such as Didier Drogba, displayed their sentiment by all but physically assaulting the referee as he left the pitch. Manager Guus Hiddink […]

With four games of the Premier League campaign left, Fulham are leading the 'race' for seventh place and for the Cottagers it will be a rare European adventure. This would of course be via the all singing, all dancing UEFA Europa League. This 'new' competition was created by reformatting and re-branding the ailing UEFA Cup. Normally to fans […]

If you consider yourself a political junkie on top of being an EPL newshound, then we certainly have quite the interview for you today. With FIFA’s proposed ‘6+5’ rule to place limits on the number of foreign-born players in domestic club teams rearing its ugly head in the press once again in recent weeks, we […]

Goal.com and SI.com's South American guy Greg Sica will chat with the guys about the upcoming CONMEBOL qualifiers as we as the most recent developments in Copa Libertadores play. Juan also interviewed former ESPN International play-by-play man Randall Álvarez to talk about the upcoming CONCACAF quallies as well as his latest project back in his […]

It didn't send boots aquaking in Catalunya, but it is a team to respect based on their precedent. If there is one demon they will have to overcome in order to get to that historic treble, they will have to do so against a side that they have never beaten. Never Beaten Bayern In four […]

Where does this idea of a European Super League keep coming from? Scratch that, WE know where the idea comes from, The European Club Association, the collective of 135 clubs dotted around Europe, keeps trying to push for this dreadful idea to come into fruition. I can't think of anything I'd rather watch less than […]

The question I am posing is looking purely at what the UEFA Cup means to clubs from the English Premier League. Judging by recent participants and how they have fared, it appears to feature very low on most Premiership clubs’ list of priorities. Before the profile of the European Cup was sufficiently raised and rebranded […]