Welsh star calls for National Anthem to be respected at the Millennium Stadium

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When Great Britain faces Uruguay at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Welsh striker, Craig Bellamy has called for the British National Anthem to be respected by the supporters. When England played Wales, in March 2011, the anthem was booed by a hardcore of Welsh supporters.

This may seem slightly ironic as Bellamy and his fellow Welsh players, Ryan Giggs, Aeron Ramsey, Neil Taylor and Joe Allen, have not sung a word of the anthem while representing Great Britain in the Olympics. Bellamy, however, should be commended for his comments regarding the booing.

He says that no nation’s national anthem should be booed by opposing supporters. He says that all national anthems should be respected even that of your worst rivals. The Liverpool striker, who was born in Cardiff, adds that it is only for one or two minutes and that people who are not singing should remain silent.

He says that this should be the same everywhere and at every sporting occasion where anthems are sung. A lecturer in Modern Welsh and Sports history at Swansea University, Dr. Martin Jones, agrees but does not think that there will be any booing at the game during the national anthems.

Dr. Jones says that this is because most hardcore Welsh supporters will stay away and that the crowd will be much more diverse. He told BBC Radio Wales that he thinks that there will be a lot of English supporters at the game and that the crowd will also include a lot of families.

 

Brian Kennedy insists that his offer for Rangers is still valid

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Brian Kennedy reinforced that his offer to purchase the new Rangers is still good after its present owners spent a day claiming that the rumour was true and then stating that it was not. Charles Green the chief executive of Sevco denied that the owner of Sale Sharks had placed a bit on the team, despite the fact that earlier in the day he had said that the bid was real. Kennedy stated that he has officially submitted proof that his bid was real on the table and now the offer will remain good until it can be considered.

He explained that while he respects the fact that controlling investors have the right to reject or accept any bids that come in for the shares, he wants to make it a matter of public record that he is willing, ready, and financially able to support the Rangers Football Club in the future if his bid is accepted.

He added that his lawyers submitted the details of his original bid to Zeus Capital who are handling the sale of the football club. His solo bid failed, but he is hoping now that he could take a controlling arm of the shares with his new bid for 51% of the shares of the club.

The bid was rumoured to be about £5.6m and therefore quite intoxicating no doubt for the owners of the Rangers. Kennedy also stated that he has had several meetings over the past month with a man that represents the Sevco shareholders to discuss why he is interested in buying the club and what he would do with the football club if his offer is accepted. He added that the details from each meeting have been disclosed to club members so that full disclosure protocols are followed.

Kim Little pledges to do her best for Team GB, despite the SFA trying to scupper her inclusion

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Kim Little believes that she will not be a hindrance to the international football future of soccer in Scotland, but instead she will end up helping out Team GB in their football tournament and help the image of football overall.

The 22 year old midfielder decided to take her spot in the Olympic team despite the fact that the SFA asked her not to do so. This is due to a political battle that has brewed up over her inclusion on the Great Britain team given the fact that she plays for Scotland. However, Little is not worried about all of the politics of her inclusion and is instead focused on the game ahead of her. The SFA is worried that some players may threaten their home nation’s current FIFA independent status.

Little is one of the two Scottish women that will play for the Team GB women’s squad. Also on the team from Scotland is Ifeoma Dieke. According to Little, she plans to use what she learns while on the international team to help benefit her home team and help Scotland reach an international tournament finals competition. Scotland has not yet made it to an international final match.

The Scotland squad is hoping that next year they will be able to take it up a notch and reach the Sweden Uefa Women’s Euro finals. If they do not make it next year they may have a better chance coming up as the Canada World Cup scheduled for 2015 will mark the start of an increase in finalists with 24 teams allowed to compete for the final match privilege. Little went on to comment that it is Scotland’s target to get this far and the Olympics will only help Little and Ifoema bring it up to that level.

Five best Socceroos to play in the EPL

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It is the ultimate aim of any young Australian footballer to play in the English Premier League, given its truly global pull and the chance to play in magnificent stadiums in front of passionate crowds.  

Arguably the first Australian to create a stir in England’s top division was Craig Johnston, who became a crowd favourite at Liverpool between 1981 and 1988, famously scoring in the 1986 FA Cup final and winning the league no less than five times. No Aussie has won more trophies than Johnston, but he is perhaps not the best Australian to play in England – in addition, he played before the EPL formed in 1991.

So, in the 21 years since then, here are five of the best Australians to ply their trade in what is widely thought of as the toughest football league on the planet.

Harry Kewell

A native of Western Sydney, Kewell made his debut for Leeds United as a 17-year-old in 1997, and was part of a golden generation of players at Elland Road in the years following. He took the PFA Young Player of the Year award in 2000 and helped Leeds to the Champions League semi-finals the following year. He moved to Liverpool in 2003, where across five years he suffered several serious injuries along with some major highs – none more so than in 2005 when he started in the Champions League final against AC Milan, which the Reds won on penalties. He also played in the CL final against Milan in 2007, losing this time, and won the FA Cup in 2006. In 2008, he left English football to play for Galatasaray in Turkey.

Tim Cahill

Cahill first came to the attention of the wider English public when he was central in Millwall’s run to the FA Cup final of 2004 where the bookies would have had the lions at long shots all the way. On the back of that he moved to Everton, where he has been one of the Toffees’ most consistent players. A skilful and supremely fit goal-scoring midfielder, Cahill was Everton’s Player of the Season in his first season, and was even nominated for the Ballon d’Or in 2006. At his peak, Cahill remains among the Premier League’s best midfielders.

Mark Schwarzer

Goalkeeper Schwarzer is another Sydney boy whose durability and consistency is famous among English fans. He joined Middlesbrough from Bradford City in 1997, going on to make 445 appearances for the club. He won the League Cup in 2004 and was a UEFA Cup runner-up in 2006. He moved to Fulham in 2008, where he has been a vital cog behind their defence. He is the longest-serving foreigner with one club (Middlesbrough).

Mark Bosnich

Sometimes brilliant, sometimes controversial, never boring, Bosnich made his name with Aston Villa, who he played for between 1992 and 1999. In this time he became one of the league’s best goalkeepers, known for his agility. He won the League Cup with Villa in 1994 and 1996. In 1999 he left for Manchester United on a free transfer, where he won both the Premier League and the Toyota World Club Championship. A move to Chelsea in 2001 was less successful, ending his time in England’s top flight.

Mark Viduka

This Melbourne-born striker polarised opinion among soccer fans, but none can deny that on his day he was more than a handful for the best defences. Moving to Leeds from Celtic in 2000, he scored 22 goals in the 2002/2003 season, but was ultimately forced to move on from Elland Road due to Leeds’ financial woes. He ended up at Middlesbrough in 2004, where he generally played well despite injuries. A move to Newcastle United in 2007 proved less fruitful, Viduka leaving England upon Newcastle’s relegation in 2009.

Rangers set to be stripped of titles after secret document leaked

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A secret plan has been produced by football chiefs that will strip four Scottish Cups and five SPL titles from Rangers. The Daily Record saw the bombshell document after it was drafted following talks between the Scottish Football League, SFA, SPL and Sevco representatives.

A range of punishments are outlined in the plan for dodging Employment Benefit Trust tax, which the club did during Sir David Murray’s regime in order to pay players. If penalties are enforced they would be the harshest seen in football. They not only include stripping five league titles from the club and wiping out four Scottish Cup triumphs; but an a one-year transfer embargo will be upheld and Green’s newco will be forced to pay the clubs old football debts.

Clearly the plan has been drafted by the football authorities to force Rangers to drop to Division One in the SFL and protect the TV and marketing revenues of Scottish football. Chairmen from the SFL overwhelmingly voted to drop Rangers to Division Three last Friday, however it is understood that the punishments in the secret plan may be imposed at a later date.

On August 10 the SPL will decide whether or not Rangers broke rules by using ‘dual contracts’ and EBTs, the document simply shed light on what could be used as penalties for the club. An agreement on the document is yet to be reached, although it appears that Green’s firm would be willing to accept some of the draft

The list of penalties will horrify the club’s supporters, many believing that the document undermines the judicial process of the SFA. Possible the worst part in that the club could lose the status of Champion Club, which is defined in the rules of the Scottish Premier League.