Recent Posts
Joan Laporta, president of perennial Champions League giants FC Barcelona, will be subject to a vote of confidence on 6 July. The vote will determine whether Laporta remains at the helm of one of Europe's leading football clubs or is removed from the post.
The measure was prompted by a petition by club member Oriol Giralt in the wake of a downward turn in Barcelona's fortunes in past few seasons. Despite winning their domestic championship two years in a row in 2005 and 2006, the Catalan club finished just third in Spain's La Liga this season and were dumped out of the Champions League at the semi-final stage by eventual winners Manchester United.
In response to the recent poor form, Laporta has overseen a radical housecleaning at the club, dispatching manager Frank Rijkaard in favor of Barca legend Pep Guardiola and supporting Guardiola's plan to let go of superstars Ronaldinho, Deco and Samuel Eto'o. Despite these measures, Laporta will now need the support of at least a third of Barcelona club members or hope that fewer than ten percent attend the vote. If Giralt and his cohorts can convince enough members to turn out for a vote of no confidence, they will force an election that will almost certainly see Laporta evicted from the Nou Camp.
Update 7/7: Joan Laporta will remain the president of Barcelona after the no-confidence vote failed to achieve the two-thirds majority necessary to remove him. Laporta received support from 37.75% of voters, less than 5% more than the amount that would have seen him evicted from the club.
Despite the overwhelming show of disapproval from Barcelona supporters, Laporta has resolved to stay on at the club, and Oriol Giralt, the originator of the petition for a no-confidence vote, has stated that he will not continue to press for Laporta to step down. However, Laporta will have to hope that Barcelona's fortunes shift in a positive direction in order to take off some of the heat of this clear show of a lack of support at the club. With several new signings this summer and more on the way, Barcelona and its president may be poised for just such a shift in the upcoming season.
Shared on
At 12:00 CET today at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, the draw for the Champions League First and Second Qualifying Rounds marked the kick-off of the 2008/09 Champions League. Here are the match-ups for the first two rounds:
First Qualifying Round
Match 1: Linfield (NIR) v. Dinamo Zagreb (CRO)
Match 2: Valletta (MLT) v. Artmedia (SVK)
Match 3: Dinamo Tbilisi (GEO) v. NSI (FRO)
Match 4: Santa Coloma (AND) v. Kaunas (LTU)
Match 5: Murata (SMR) v. Goteborg (SWE)
Match 6: Llanelli (WAL) v. Ventspils (LVA)
Match 7: Anorthosis (CYP) v. Pyunik (ARM)
Match 8: Inter Baku (AZE) v. Rabotnicki (MKD)
Match 9: Tampere United (FIN) v. Buducnost Podgorica (MNE)
Match 10: Dudelange (LUX) v. Domzale (SVN)
Match 11: Dinamo Tirana (ALB) v. Modrica (BIH)
Match 12: Aktobe (KAZ) v. Sheriff (MDA)
Match 13: Drogheda (IRL) v. Levadia (EST)
Match 14: BATE (BLR) v. Valur (ISL)
Second Qualifying Round
Match 1: Rangers (SCO) v. Winners Match 4
Match 2: Brann (NOR) v. Winners Match 6
Match 3: Winners Match 8 v. Partizan (SRB)
Match 4: Winners Match 9 v. Winners Match 2
Match 5: Winners Match 7 v. Rapid Vienna (AUT)
Match 6: Winners Match 10 v. Winners Match 1
Match 7: Panathinaikos (GRC) v. Winners Match 3
Match 8: Winners Match 5 v. Basel (CHE)
Match 9: Winners Match 12 v. Sparta (CZE)
Match 10: Winners Match 13 v. Dynamo Kiev (UKR)
Match 11: Anderlecht (BEL) v. Winners Match 14
Match 12: Beitar Jerusalem (ISR) v. Wisla Krakow (POL)
Match 13: Fenerbahce (TUR) v. MTK (HUN)
Match 14: AaB (DNK) v. Winners Match 11
Shared on
Here's UEFA's calendar for the upcoming season of the Champions League:
First qualifying round - 1st leg: 15-16/07/2008
First qualifying round - 2nd leg: 22-23/07/2008
Second qualifying round - 1st leg: 29-30/07/2008
Second qualifying round - 2nd leg: 5-6/08/2008
Third qualifying round draw: 1/08/2008
Third qualifying round - 1st leg: 12-13/08/2008
Third qualifying round - 2nd leg: 26-27/08/2008
Group stage draw: 28/08/2008
Group stage, Matchday 1: 16-17/09/2008
Group stage, Matchday 2: 30/09-1/10/2008
Group stage, Matchday 3: 21-22/10/2008
Group stage, Matchday 4: 4-5/11/2008
Group stage, Matchday 5: 25-26/11/2008
Group stage, Matchday 6: 9-10/12/2008
First knockout round draw: 19/12/2008
First knockout round - 1st leg: 24-25/02/2009
First knockout round - 2nd leg: 10-11/03/2009
Quarter-, semifinals, final draw: 20/03/2009
Quarterfinals - 1st leg: 7-8/04/2009
Quarterfinals - 2nd leg: 14-15/04/2009
Semifinals - 1st leg: 28-29/04/2009
Semifinals - 2nd leg: 5-6/05/2009
Final (Rome, Italy): 27/05/2009
Shared on
Steaua Bucharest, the Romanian club whose owner was found guilty of bribery during their last domestic season, have followed in FC Porto's footsteps and been told they will be allowed to compete in the Champions League next season anyway.
Steaua's penalty arose from a Romanian league investigation that found that the club's owner, George Becali, attempted to bribe his way to a victory in the club's final match, which would have gifted them the league trophy. Becali was banned from the stadium for two years and the club was docked seven points. The points didn't affect Steaua's domestic rank, however, which qualified them for the Champions League Third Qualifying Round
[ Click here to read more ]
Shared on
The controversy that always seems ready to be resolved but never quite dies has taken one more gasp of air - Benfica have appealed Porto's inclusion in the 2008/09 Champions League to the Court for Arbitration of Sport. The international sporting body received the appeal from Benfica, who stand to participate in the Champions League if Porto are excluded, just a short time before announcing it. Thus, no details were released other than the fact that the decision has been appealed. Expect more information shortly about exactly what the CAS can and might do and how it will affect the Champions League competition for next year.
Update 28/6:
[ Click here to read more ]
Shared on
UEFA President Michel Platini has declared his disapproval of clubs who are in debt, comparing clubs going into debt to afford the best players to "cheating" and announcing that he would work to exclude debtors from European competition.
Platini sees the issue of debt among the top clubs as being one of the priorities of his administration at the head of UEFA and hopes to have the problem resolved in "four or five years". Two clubs with substantial debts that would be affected by such a ban are, of course, this year's Champions League finalists Manchester United and Chelsea. Platini mentioned both clubs by name, although he also insisted that he was speaking about all clubs and not just the English juggernauts
[ Click here to read more ]
Shared on
FC Twente, the Dutch club that beat Ajax in a playoff to grab a Champions League spot last season, have got themselves a new manager: former England and Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren. McClaren signed a two-year contract with the club from Enschede that will see him lead them into their first (and, with luck, second) ever season of competition in the UEFA Champions League.
McClaren will have his work cut out for him in Europe's top flight and in FC Twente's other competitions, as the club has not won a major domestic cup or league trophy since 2001 and their Intertoto Cup win in 2006 was the only international achievement in the club's history. However, with this historic foray into the 2008/09 Champions League tournament, Twente fans will be hoping that their club, and its new skipper, will be able to recreate the form of the 1970s, a period when FC Twente were genuine contenders in the Netherlands and abroad. They'll get their first crack at a return to glory under McClaren in their Champions League Third Qualifying Round match on 12 August.
Shared on
UEFA announced today that FC Porto are assured of a place in next season's Champions League. The investigation into the bribery activity that cost them 6 points in last season's SuperLiga standings will continue. However, any sanctions that result from that investigation will apply to a later season of European club competitions.
The announcement puts an end to speculation over Porto's participation in Europe's top league next season. The Portuguese club were originally banned from the Champions League due to the domestic bribery penalty, but that decision was overturned on appeal. The UEFA Control and Disciplinary Board will rehear Porto's case, but it does not have the time to do so before the final list of Champions League participants must be confirmed. Thus, whatever decision the board ultimately comes to will affect the next season of Champions League or UEFA Cup play that Porto qualifies for
[ Click here to read more ]
Shared on
UEFA's appeals board rejected the decision to ban Portuguese club FC Porto from next season's Champions League on Friday, sending the matter back to the disciplinary committee for a rehearing. The decision means that Porto will get another chance to state their case for inclusion in the 2008/09 competition next week.
While this is undoubtedly positive news for FC Porto, who captured Portugal's SuperLiga championship last season, it would appear from the limited details released by UEFA that the appeals ruling was based largely on protocol, not the merits of Porto's case. The decision may have hinged on little more than a technicality, namely the fact that representatives of Vitoria and Benfica, clubs that stand to benefit from Porto's exclusion from UEFA competition, were not properly involved in UEFA's deliberations. What new evidence the groups from Vitoria and Benfica will bring to the table, and whether or not this will be enough to sway the members of the control and disciplinary board when Porto's situation is reconsidered, is unknown
[ Click here to read more ]
Shared on
Steaua Bucharest, who finished second in Romania's Liga I this season, have been given a seven point deduction for bribery due to actions on the part of owner Gigi Becali.
Romanian officials announced the penalty in the wake of an investigation focused on the final match of the season. Steaua Bucharest were locked in a tight race this season with CFR Cluj, and Becali is accused of offering US$2.6 million to their opponents in their last match in return for victory and the Romanian championship. In the end, Steaua finished second to CFR Cluj, earning Romania's second spot in the Champions League
[ Click here to read more ]
Shared on
|
|
|
Add Comments
Comments (3)
Read More
It's just that they're the only team that I really couldn't reasonably rule out, since Totti does make such a big difference for them. I guess I could say the same thing about Ronaldinho and Barcelona. 
Comment by Kevin Lustig
on Champions League 2008/09 Begins
Champions League Watch
Same goes for Linfield. Even if they somehow get past Dinamo, can they possibly survive two more rounds? Luckily, the second round shouldn't be too hard for them if they can win their first two legs.
These kinds of scenarios are why I love the Champions League.