Culture Clash

Fact: top level sport thrives on bitter rivalries. Tension creates drama, and drama in turn creates entertainment. And few modern day sporting rivalries can claim to be as acrimonious as that between the Indian and Australian cricket teams.

It is a contest that matches the Ashes in terms of significance, controversy and pure white-knuckle style entertainment. However to truly understand the depth of feeling it is important to understand both the history of the match-up and the context of it.

Throughout the last decade India have been the only team to consistently challenge the all-conquering Australians in both forms of the game. Despite the fact that India have only occasionally occupied the no. 2 spot in the official world rankings, the superstars in the Indian line up (Tendulkar, Laxman, Dravid etc.) have always been able to rise to the challenge of confronting the Australians. Beyond the closeness of the games, there have been numerous sub-plots that have added an extra layer of intrigue to the contest, though not all of these asides have reflected well on the game of cricket.

In the most recent series held in Australia at the turn of this year, there were accusations made against spin bowler Habajan Singh, alleging that he had racially abused Andrew Symonds. The charges brought against Singh were eventually dropped after the Indians had threatened to withdraw from the tour; the incident almost caused a diplomatic crisis. Since that time the two sets of players have continued to trade insults through the media and there is a very real danger that the tension could spill over when they face off in the 1^st Test.

Beyond the purely sporting, on-field acrimony there exists an off-field tension that has creates an interesting back-drop for the series. Both countries occupy unique positions in world cricket: Australia is the dominant force in the game whilst Indian is the commercial powerhouse.

So when MS Dhoni and Ricky Ponting walk out for the coin toss later this week prepare yourself for another predictably unpredictable contest.

Patience is a Virtue

Talk about hastily drawing conclusions. Barely three games into Dimiter Berbatov’s Manchester United’s career and the temperamental Bulgarian is already being whispered about as another of Sir Alex Ferguson’s white elephants.

The number 9 has thus far been a noticeably ineffectual force for his new club; appearing unfit and unable to link up with United’s other forwards. Writing in his weekly column in The Daily Mirror Stan Collymore, a man who should know a thing-or-two about squandered talent, remarked that: “… unless (Berbatov) bucks his ideas up, he could find himself on the bench for Manchester United.”

However such a judgement seems astonishingly ill-considered given that Berbatov has proven international and domestic pedigree. In 63 international appearances for Bulgaria the forward, who also captains his national team, has scored an impressive 41 goals and in his two years at Tottenham he achieved similarly impressive results. Indeed given that Berbatov only appeared in a few of Spur’s pre-season games his lack of form and fitness can hardly be considered a surprise.

Sir Alex Ferguson has reluctantly admitted that his latest signing is still searching for his best form but he remains justifiably confident that Berbatov will flourish. Ferguson said: “When we understand how good he is in terms of his movement and ability to lead the line, then we’ll get the best use out of him.” On Saturday afternoon in United’s match against Bolton the football-public were treated to a taste of just what a United team, with Berbatov in tow, are capable of. The introduction of Wayne Rooney in the last few minutes of the match seemed to inspire Berbatov to produce the kind of elegant, effortless football that persuaded Manchester United to invest £30 odd million pounds in his talent.

Although Berba could never be described as the missing piece in United’s jigsaw given that last season they won a European Cup and Premier League double. It is fair to suggest that his sheer size and physicality makes him unique to United’s two other senior centre forwards- Carlos Tevez and Wayne Rooney. At 6 foot 2 inches Berbatov is able to act as a reference point for all of United’s attacks and he is also able to perform equally competently as the front man in a 4-5-1 formation.

Whilst physical limitations may continue to restrict his influence in the immediate future, there should be little doubt that Berbatov will eventually make a significant impact at Old Trafford. His whole persona is suited to everything that comes with playing for Manchester United and as he showed briefly on Saturday afternoon whatever happens, it is guaranteed to be entertaining.

Selling Out

Saturday 6th October 2007 was both a remarkable and historic date in the history of English football. The date will not be remembered for any particularly astonishing results or incidents, but for the fact that only one game kicked off at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon.

Of course the big wigs at the Premier League protested that games had to be re-arranged because of the involvement of English teams in the UEFA Cup, and there is a certain degree of truth in that argument. However, there can be no escaping the fact that Television schedules are dictating kick-off times: football has become a product, and perhaps more disconcertingly, supporters have become customers.

"This is a matter of great concern," said Malcolm Clarke, chairman of the Football Supporters' Federation. He added that: “It's symbolic of the way things are going but the views of the match-going fan seem to be bottom of the list of priorities.”

When the Premier League was launched it was supposed to serve multiple purposes: to improve the performance of the English national team, to attract a new audience to the game, to glamorize the sport and generally give English football the kind of makeover that it desperately needed. The game in this country had its reputation badly tarnished by hooligan problems and an obsession with the long ball tactic. The Premier League was promoted as the antidote to all of footballs ills.

And to an extent it has been the antidote; problems with racism and hooliganism have decreased, there has been an influx of the best foreign talent and the perception of the English game on the continent has certainly improved. However televisions belated realisation that football could be a serious money maker has forever changed the sport, and the FA Premier League, or the “greed is good league” as it has been known, is leading the way.

Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe acknowledges that the commercialisation of the game is coming at the cost of your average match going supporter. He said that football authorities should be more willing to listen to views of the fans: “The Saturday three o'clock kick-off is a great tradition of English football and one that supporters, myself included, would like to see continue.”

Sutcliffe added that a better balance needs to be found between maximising profit and rewarding the loyalty of supporters. “While TV rights have contributed to the success of the Premier League- money from which is now filtering down to lower league and community football- fans concerns’ need to be listened to when fixtures are drawn up,” he said.

This commercialisation has manifested itself in a number of different ways, unfortunately none of which appear to serve the best interests of the supporters or the traditions of the game.

The advent of the Premier League coincided with flotation of a number of top-flight sides on the stock market: proof, if any were needed, that football is officially a business. Consequently an enormous financial chasm has developed between teams at the top of the pyramid and the teams at the bottom. Fixtures have become uncompetitive and the outcomes are often predictable.

The grim reality of the situation is that the game of football has sold itself out.

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It's Just Not Cricket

It is somewhat ironic that the game of cricket has been Americanized by a group of wealthy Indian bussinessmen. But the glitz and glamour, not to mention the vast wealth, of the Indian Premier League has totally turned the cricket world up side down.

The IPL, which is an inter-city Twenty20 competition which lasts for roughly two months, has overshadowed the beginning of the English county season and dominated the cricket agenda. The worlds best best players have been attracted to the competition by huge sums of money and the unquenchable thirst for the game in India. And whilst the tournament has not been a totally unqualified success, it has succeeded in laying the foundations for a competition which threatens the future of the world game.

The IPL has attracted substantial and long term sponsership deals with internationally recognised brands and the broadcasting rights have been sold for more than $1 billion in total. Amongst the current list of contracted players are Ricky Ponting, Shane Warne, Sachin Tendulkar, Shoaib Ahktar, Jacques Kallis, Daniel Vettori, Glenn McGrath and Ramnaresh Sarwan. Also the IPL are actively looking to recruit more star players for next years competition, and are especially keen to speak to memembers of the current England team including Andrew Flintoff.

Presently only one player currently in the England setup- Dimitri Mascheranas- has agreed to sign up for the competition, but others including star batsmen Kevin Pietersen have expressed an interest. The ICC and the ECB both worry that the money offered by the IPL could lead to the sports best players retiring early from the international game to exploit their commercial value in India.

Also the county game could be deprived of the best overseas talent because of the lure of the IPL, which would in turn damage the overall quality of the English domestic game. Clearly cricket has reached a cross-roads and for the games governing bodies there appears to be no obvious solution.

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The Golden Boy

Having disposed of Stevie "2 pound" Forbes, 35 year old Oscar De La Hoya finds himself two laps from the finish line, two wins from greatness. 'The Golden Boy' had hand-picked Forbes because of his similarity to Floyd Mayweather Jr, and as tune-up fights go this was an impressive display.

In front of 27,000 fans in the Home Depot Centre and millions watching on HBO, De La Hoya showed the kind of dominant jab and good footwork he will need to defeat Mayweather in their September 20th rematch. The stinging left jab of De La Hoya dominated the fight from the outset and in truth this was something of a miss-match as all three judges awarded the fight to the California native.

However Forbes, despite being schooled by memebers of the Mayweather clan, is no Floyd. When De La Hoya stepts in the ring in Las Vagas on Spetember 20th, he will need more than a sharp jab to defeat the 'Pretty Boy.' At 35, and with his best years most definately behind him, De La Hoya recognizes that he needs the performance of his life to record the most significant victory of his distinguished career.

"This is how I plan to fight Mayweather. Straight up. On the balls of my feet. Using my jab. This is the way I wanted this fight to go. This is the same style I'm going to use to beat Mayweather because I know I can. Now that I've been in there with Floyd this is personal. I'm going to beat him. You watch. It's about having the perfect game plan. Have to take your time, be on your topes, pop, pop, pop. We'll get it down. This is very personal. You watch. I'm going to beat the best.''

Despite having recorded victories against the likes of Pernell Whitaker and Julio Cesar Chavez, it is generally believed that the Olympic gold medalist of 1992 requires victories in his last two fights to be remembered as a genuine great. De La Hoya is easily the most marketable name in the sport but his current record of 39-5 falls fractionally short of greatness. Victory over the undeated, pound-for-pound king would unquestionably propel him back amongst the elite and cement his place in boxing history.

Mayweather justifiably remains favourite for the contest and outside of the De La Hoya camp few experts forsee anything other than another "L" being added to Oscar's record. Mayweather's hand speed, accuracy and defensive technique led him to victory in the first bout, and at just 31 it is difficult to imagine these skills have diminished any.

Following the re-match with 'money Mayweather' Oscar has stated that he will fight once more in his home state of California. Although an opponent has yet to be named, and one suspects it may depend on the outcome of the September 20th contest, there are rumours suggesting he could fight either Miguel Cotto or Felix Trinidad. Cotto is an exciting up-and-comming Champion who would pose a real threat to 'The Golden Boy,' whereas a rematch with Trinidad would be a paper per view smash.

Whatever the outcome of his final fights boxing fans should just cheerish a champion performer who has done nothing but good for the image of the sport.

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Hicks and Gillette Set to Sell

George Gillettt (right) and Tom Hicks bought Livepool FC for £435 million in February 2007. (Christopher Furlong/ Getty Images)

It was a relationship that began pleasantly enough, indeed to those of us on the outside it bordered on a cringe-worthy love-in. Yet just over a year down the road it is remarkable to recall the friendly welcome that was afforded to George Gillett and Tom Hicks after they had just purchased Liverpool football club.

The North American businessmen were instantly hailed as the antidote to all of the clubs ills. With billionaire owners backing the team Liverpool fans, who have not witnessed their side win the domestic championship in the Premier League era, convinced themselves that their club could once again compete with the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United.

Although both men admitted, albeit rather reluctantly, that they knew very little about the sport of soccer they understood exactly what the fans wanted to hear: they were prepared to invest in the playing staff, they would support manager Rafael Benetiz and they both had the utmost respect for the traditions of Liverpool FC. At the press conference, which was hastily arranged to announce the agreement of the £435 million pound deal, the pair spoke with warmth about the history of the club, the passion of the fans and their determination to see the team reach the peaks it once scaled. During the press conference the men also announced that they were not going to saddle the club with the cost of the buyout, and that they themselves would foot the bill. The charm offensive appeared to be working.

However when the official documentation of the deal emerged, it became clear that they had borrowed money to complete the purchase. In fact the majority of the money, £298 million, was being lent form the Royal Bank of Scotland at extortionate rates of interest.

Controversies

In the summer of 2007 Hicks and Gillett delivered spectacularly on two of their key assurances. Impressive plans were drawn up for the creation of a new 60,000 seated stadium in Stanley Park and almost £50 million pounds was spent in the transfer market on the likes of Fernando Torres and Ryan Babel. Understandably, Liverpool fans felt optimistic about their prospects for the current season.

However, by the Christmas period the team were struggling in the league and were on the verge of elimination in the UEFA Champions League. This mini-slump became an all-out crisis when co-owner Tom Hicks admitted to the Liverpool Echo that he had talked to Jurgen Klinsmann about the “possibility” of him replacing Rafael Benitez. This controversy fused with the unease that the fans felt about the borrowings caused irreconcilable differences to emerge between the supporters and the ownership team.

An artists impression of the proposed 60,000 seated stadium in Stanley Park.

The Future?

It would seem that the only plausible solution to the situation is for Hicks and Gillett to both sell there share in the team to an outside buyer. The men, whose own relationship has suffered as a consequence of the ownership saga, stand to make a considerably healthy profit on their initial investment.

Liverpool Chief Executive Rick Parry recently remarked on the ownership issue: “There is no question that to succeed you need unity at the top, unity at the club, and everyone pulling in the same direction. Without that, it is extremely difficult to progress and it is clear from George has said the unity is not there.”

Currently there appear to be only two groups prepared to rescue the business partners. The first is Dubai International Capital (DIC) who have been courting the club since before the Hicks-Gillett takeover. The group is the “investment arm” of the Dubai government and have a history of success in the field of sports ownership. Yet there remain fears amongst fans that DIC do not have a true appreciation of what the club represents to the community and that they view it purely as an investment opportunity.

The alternative, which is perhaps even more intriguing, is Share Liverpool. This is a group of committed supporters who want to buy the club for £500 million, through 100,000 fans each paying £5,000 for a share. If successful, the team would become a community-owned asset, operated by elected fans whose sole motivation is to achieve on-field success rather than profit.

Whatever transpires Liverpool fans everywhere will be hoping for a happy ending to this sad story which has tarnished the image of their club.

This map illustrates Liverpool's current ground (Anfield) in relation to the site of their proposed new stadium in Stanley Park.


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Share Liverpool

Dr Rogan Taylor is not your typical Premier League Chairman. In fact at this moment in time he is not a Premier League Chairman, but the lecturer at the University of Liverpool and Kop season holder of more than forty years could soon be operating Britain’s most successful club.

Taylor is the founder and spokesman of the newly formed Liverpool Football Club supporters group Share Liverpool. This group comprises of thousands of loyal Liverpool supporters, whose ambition is to reclaim the club from its current owners and end an 18-year cycle of relative mediocrity. The idea, which has been hastily created in response to the current boardroom battles, is for 100,000 Liverpool supporters to each pay £5,000 each for a single share in the club. “Its certainly ambitious, but it is very possible,” says Taylor.

The supporters group has only existed for a matter of months, but they hope and believe they can raise £500 million to first buy the club from its American owners and then fund the construction of a new 60,000 seated stadium in Stanley Park. "Thousands of Liverpool fans have already demonstrated their dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs… In such a case, why not simply buy the club yourselves?" Rogan Taylor asks.

The ownership model proposed by Share Liverpool mirrors that of FC Barcelona. The team from the Catalan capital is run via a “member-share” scheme whereby the clubs 150,000 members each vote every fourth year to decide which member should be the President. The position of President carries the same responsibilities of your ordinary Premier League Chairman, only the President is answerable to his members. Dr Taylor explains: "In Germany and Spain, most top-level football clubs are simply not for sale. They are owned by many thousands of 'member fans'.”

Initial Interest

Supporters who are interested in the scheme are being encouraged to visit the Share Liverpool website at http://www.shareliverpool.co.uk/. When the website was first launched in January, Taylor admits to being unsure as to how popular he thought it would be. However within an hour of the websites launch it crashed because there were so many thousands of people trying to access the site.

Thus far the group claim to have raised almost £80 million, but they are still huge distance away from their ultimate ambition of £500 million. “We have a solid core of 9,500 people pledging £5,000 each – and another 9,000 who are interested but need more information,” says Taylor. Consequently the site has been re-launched in Chinese to attract interest from the clubs huge, and equally loyal support in the Far-East.

Significant Supporters

Broadly speaking the idea of a group of football supporters organizing themselves to purchase one of sports most valuable global brands would seem to be wholly unrealistic, yet it is not so easy to dismiss the credibility of Share Liverpool.

Rogan Taylor is a specialist on the issue of football economics, while advice has been offered by fan-trust body Supporters Direct, and lawyer Kevin Jaquiss - an expert in launching co-operatives. “We have brought together the different skill-sets in areas such finance, law and marketing that are needed if we are to succeed in this venture,” says Taylor.

Also support has been offered by some of Liverpool’s great former players such as John Aldridge, Jan Molby and European Cup winning Captain Phil Thompson. Thompson, who was also the Assistant Manager during Gerard Houllier’s reign, is actively encouraging supporters to get involved with the project: “Liverpool Football Club has always needed its fans; now more than ever. Not if but when our current owners decide to sell, we as fans need to be in a position to help.”

Former centre-forward Aldridge believes that Share Liverpool could spark a mini revolution in British football: “This is a fantastic opportunity for the fans who dearly love the Club to own it themselves - and also to set the standard for other fans to follow. It would terrific if it led to other fans owning their own clubs too.”



Victory or Defeat?

Despite an impressive amount of support amongst your casual match-going fan, it remains to be seen whether Share Liverpool will ever succeed in buying out the clubs current owners. However, one can not help but admire the passion and commitment these people share for their club.

Share Liverpool, and other such groups, serves to remind the figures at the top of football that the supporters are the lifeblood of the game. Fan involvement can only be a positive move for the sport, and a football club, that has diluted its traditions in search of commercial gain.

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Too Nice?

Is it possble to have too much of a good thing?

Well according to blogger Patricia Davis it is. When watching the recent game between Lindsay Davenport and Ana Ivanovic on television Davis observed that there was something tangible lacking in the Serbs game. It is what seperates the good players from the genuingly great champions: steel.

Ivanovic's game is notable for its style and elegence, however there remains a suspision that she is mentally weak. She is in effect too nice.

In her blog Patricia Davis draws a rather obvious parralel between Ivanovic and Maria Sharapova:

"To borrow from movie heroines, I think Ana is too much into being a Mary Pickford, America’s Sweetheart. I for one would rather see her morph into an Anton Chigurrh type, the blood-curdling hit man Javier Bardem played in No Country For Old Men."

To all tennis followers it is blindindly obvious that Ivanovic possesses the skill to become a grand-slam champion, but her own mentallity may prevent her from fulfilling the potential.

It's time for the lamb to become the wolf.

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Roddick Finally Beats Federer

2003. That's the last time Andy Roddick managed to beat his great rival Roger Federer before his relatively comprehensive triumph in the Sony Ericson Open. And despite an 11 game losing run against the world no. 1 there were no wild celebrations, but simply a polite handshake at the net. It was almost as if Roddick was overcome with suprise.

“I came in knowing that nobody has beaten me 12 times in a row,” Roddick told the delighted capacity crowd afterward. “So I had that on my side.” “I figure I was due,” Roddick said. “He hadn’t missed a ball in a crucial moment for about six years against me. I figured the law of statistics had to come my way eventually.”

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Federer Reveals Illness

According to the New York Post world no. 1 Roger Federer has been suffering from mononucleosis, an energy-sapping virus. He was diagnosed in February and was told he may have had the virus since December 2007.

According to the report Federer only disclosed the illness now "because he did not want to detract from victories by Djokovic or Murray."

If you wish to read the full article click HERE.

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Gruesome Match, Nice Outfits

Whilst most tennis fans have a kind a perverse interest in matches between the Williams sisters, as they represent a kind of public family feud, most fans agree that they rarely make great viewing. The power game that both girls employ; their heavy serving and reluctance to come to the net, means that generally the sister who makes the fewest errors as opposed to the most winners triumphs.

For the record Serena currently leads the head-to-head.

This lack of quality displayed when the sisters are paired with each other has left some viewers searching for other, more quirky ways to keep themselves entertained. "Tennisservedfresh.com" has therefore decided to concentrate on the on-court fashion sense of the girls, both of whom are noted for their risk-taking outfits.

"It’s a given that a match between the Williams sisters won’t produce great tennis," says the website adding that:"Thankfully, they can keep me entertained with their clothes."

"Serena wears the Nike Bloom Tunic from the Nike Cruise collection. She throws in some New Blue with her bandana and shorts," the blogger remarks about Serena's latest makeover.

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Monica Seles Retires

Tennis fans are this week reflecting on the premature retirement of the once great Monica Seles. The American who burst onto the scene in the early 1990's has finally called time on her professional career after five years of inactivity.

Bloggers have been reminiscing about her first few years on tour when her power game dominated the womens scene and have been asking to what extent did her stabbing by a insane fan in 1993 deny Seles a place in history.

"At the time Seles ruled the court she was tragically brought down to earth by a crazed Steffi Graf fan who climbed out of the stands and stabbed Seles in the back. This took place in Hamburg, Germany in April 1993. Seles had started the year well with an Australian Open title and would have been aiming for a fourth consecutive French Open. Who knows she may have even won Wimbledon to complete a career grand slam" said Tennis-Fantic.com.

Others including Savannah's World.Blogspot.com hail Seles as more than a terrific player, but also as a pioneer in the womens game. "We all remember the giggly screeching phenomenon who burst on the scene at the tender age of 15 with a game that revolutionized women's tennis and ushered in the Big Babe era in the women's game." Seles' style influenced the likes of the Williams sisters, Sharapova, Clijsters and so on.

But perhaps to the casual tennis follower Seles will be best remembered for her impressive on court grunting something which is still, to many peoples annoyance, part of the womens game today.

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From Centre Court to Crown Court

Tennis' governing body the ATP have claimed that they plan to tackle corruption in the game, in light of the match fixing allegations surrounding Nikolay Davydenko. The Russian, who is widely regarded as one of the better players on the tour, is suspected of fixing a game between himself and Martin Vassello last year.

The ATP have announced that an investigation will be conducted after the Davydenko-Vassello game in August 2007 was the subject of irregular betting patterns. "This incident raised the profile and made us all really look at this issue," ATP Chairman Etienne de Villiers told BBC Sport. He added that: "It raised the issue in the players' minds and galvanized the sport to move faster than we were moving."

The issue was pushed further up the agenda as a consequence of British no. 1 Andrew Murray's claim that "everyone knows" that match fixing is prominent on the tour. However, much like bungs in football, there appears to be little or no evidence to prosecute. Whilst the intentions of the ATP are admirable, the truth of the matter is that unless a senior figure on the tour puts their head above the parapet and comes forward with substantial evidence, then the investigation will have been an expensive waste of time.

Whilst most in the game accept that these types of underhand activities go on, it is virtually impossible to prove it.

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