BREAKING: Dutch Soccer Stadium Collapse Kills 1, Injures 16

One person has died and 16 more have been hospitalized with injuries after one side of the FC Twente's Grolsch Stadium roof collapsed during off-season renovations.

Peter den Oudsten, mayor of the Dutch town of Enschede, says a total of 14 people were injured when the roof at the southern end of the stadium collapsed- cause unknown at present time. Three people were treated at the scene and released. The others were taken to hospital with varying injuries...

Here's a drive-by of the damage...
((HT: WouterNijland))


James Callow's story in the UK's Guardian has the injured up to 16 with all construction personnel accounted for.

From Callow...
Asked about the possibility of people still being trapped, the spokeswoman added: "Everyone is out to our knowledge. People are still searching with dogs and specialist camera teams, but that is as an extra precaution, a double-check."

The Guardian's video is hyah...

More when we know more...

Man City Takes Stoke's 148-Year Dream

((HT: youtube))

Stoke City hadn't been in an FA Cup final for 35 years, and hasn't won a title since the late-1800's. They had a chance to rectify that with a win over Man City.

Unfortunately, Man City got the best of them in the 74th minute

Here's the goal from Ya-Ya Toure


Let's hope for the sake of the Potters, it doesn't take another 35 before their next appearance... Man United clinched their 19th career Premier League title earlier in the day...

At Least It Wasn't The Crystal Football...

((HT: telemadrid/youtube))

Okay...

Your team wins the biggest trophy you can in your country...
You have a celebration...

Naturally, everyone is excited...
Maybe a little TOO excited...

Sergio Ramos certainly was celebrating the Copa Del Rey...
He dropped it from the top of the bus he was in...


Oops...

Your EPL Update Of The Day

((HT: Barclays Premier League/Impulse FilmsHD))

The HQ, only recently, has gotten hooked into european football...
We look at it as us American-types do college football...

The Tottenham-Arsenal match-up was an instant classic as a 3-3 draw...
Here's why...

Ibrahimovic Gets 3 Games

AC Milan forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been suspended for three games for punching Bari's Marco Rossi in the stomach and will miss the match against second-place Inter Milan on April 3rd.

Ibrahimovic was given a red card for hitting Rossi in the 73rd minute of last week's 1-1 tie.

Milan holds a five-point lead over Inter in the Italian league with nine matches remaining. Ibrahimovic also will miss matches against Palermo and Fiorentina.

Here's the punch...it's pretty sneaky...
((HT: Serie A/onetv1channel))

Soccer Streaker Gets His, Tackler Gets A Red

((HT: TopFootballCenter))

And for this, we take you to Jolly Ol' England...

A man wearing nothing but a bright green thong and a curly black wig ran onto the field during a low-level game in England acting the fool and not even looking like Borat in a game with Dorchester and an opponent called "Havant & Waterlooville."

Dorchester's player-manager Ashley Vickers tackled the guy, very Mike Curtis-like, and Vickers was the one who got the red card...

See if that makes any sense...
Here's the tackle... and it is awesome...


"The funny thing was the stewards actually thanked me for it," Vickers said afterwards. "But the ref decided to send me off."

Where's the justice in that...???

Dorchester, which plays in the sixth tier of English soccer, lost 3-1.

Once again, the HQ asks about the justice in that...

How Barca Stays Profitable In A Spanish Economy

((HT: Bloomberg TV))

In a crappy economy, FC Barcelona are like the Yankees when it comes to soccer these days. Their revenues are absolutely ridiculous...

Here's how they do it...

John Cookson is in Barcelona...

Liverpool Up For Sale

It's well known that George Gillett and Tom Hicks are hemorrhaging cash through their other ventures- Gillett with his disaster at RPM Motorsports and Tom Hicks with Liverpool, the Dallas Stars, and the Texas Rangers.

These two titans of industry have finally decided to put Liverpool up for sale and have named Martin Broughton, the head of British Airways, as their new Chairman. Gillett and Hicks have consulted with Barclays Financial to get this sale done quickly.

Broughton remains optimistic...
((HT: CantosTV/LFC-TV))

Messi's Outburst Is One For The Ages...

The HQ really doesn't put soccer on the front page a great deal, but when one of the world's best players goes absolutely off it has to be shown...

Yesterday, FC Barcelona's Lionel Messi was a one man gang against Arsenal in the Champions League quarterfinals...

Responsible for all four goals in the 4-1 blowout, this is now considered a performance for the ages...
((HT: 723FootballFilms))


And, yes, you heard the play-by-play guy invoke Allah and PlayStation after goal number two in the same sentence...

Aresenal's defense was flat awful and all need to be sent packing...
Here's postgame from ITN...


Okay, it's unanimous... he is PlayStation...

Zidane Admits He'll Never Apologize

((HT: FIFA/MT))

France soccer star Zinedine Zidane says he regrets headbutting Marco Materazzi during the 2006 World Cup final, but he'd rather die than apologize to the Italian player he used as a forehead wipe.

In an interview with leading Spanish daily El Pais, Zidane recalled what went down with some shame...

But... and this is a big "but..."

"After the game, I went into the dressing room and told them, 'Forgive me. This doesn't change anything, but sorry everyone,' " Zidane recalled after the game.

"But to him I can't. Never, never," Zidane added. "It would be to dishonor me. ... I'd rather die."

Materazzi recently told an Italian paper he was still waiting for Zidane to apologize, and that he was still so angry over the incident that he won't even watch this year's tournament in South Africa.

Right... whatever you say...especially during a Forza Azzuri match...

Here's what he'll never apologize for... ever...

Portsmouth Headed Back To Court

((HT: Bloomberg))

Portsmouth faces another court hearing tomorrow since the British government is contesting the Premier League club's right to legal protection from creditors.

The government's revenue and customs authority tried to shut down Portsmouth over unpaid taxes and is challenging the High Court's ruling last week that allowed the club to enter bankruptcy protection.

Just so you know, the revenue and customs authority is the last creditor in line to get any part of Pompey's debt.

Portsmouth is the first English Premier League team to enter administration, as the protection is known... think of it on this side of the pond as a team going bankrupt and being on the verge of getting liquidated, dissolved, or otherwise dropped off the planet in whatever league they're playing in...

Court-appointed administrator Andrew Andronikou has said he will cut costs in an effort to keep the club in business.

There's talk of players even being sold to other squads and being loaned back to Portsmouth to finish the season.

Ryan Chilcote is at stadium, live, and apparently getting rained on...

French Screws The Irish Out Of World Cup

((HT: RTE 2))

This compares with Maradona's Golden Hand...

France's Thierry Henry grabs a ball in the box, changes it's direction NOT ONCE BUT TWICE, flicks it to Gallas who scores in the 103rd minute for a 1-1 draw...

The hand ball, and the offsides call that wasn't made that started the play, both screwed the Irish out of a World Cup 2010 bid.

If this doesn't scream for instant replay or a goal judge review from upstairs, those of us at OSG HQ don't know what does...



Absolute joke of a ref non-call...

Chelsea Can't Pick Up A Player Until January 2011

((HT: BBC Sport))

Chelsea have been banned from signing any new players until January 2011 by football's governing body Fifa.

The Premier League club was found guilty of inducing French winger Gael Kakuta ((pictured, thanks Getty Images)), 18, to breach his contract with Lens when he joined in 2007.

"Chelsea is banned from registering any new players for the two next registration periods," a statement on Fifa's website read.

Chelsea can appeal against the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Fifa's dispute resolution chamber (DRC) ruled Kakuta must pay compensation of 780,000 euros (£682,000), for which Chelsea are "jointly and severally liable".

Lens lodged a complaint with world football's governing body after Chelsea had signed the winger two years ago.

Now the DRC has ruled Kakuta breached his contract with Lens and that Chelsea induced him to do so.


BBC Sport's James Pearce tries to explain the significance of the whole thing...

Those of us at OSG HQ want you to look at it this way... think of this as if the Yankees got busted for collusion and couldn't pick up a free agent for two seasons...

That's huge... and we know Roman Abramovich is steaming mad right now...
Yes, Chelsea is appealing...

Becks is Booed

It seems as though Major League Soccer's savior might need to be saved...from the league's fans. David Beckham's return to the MLS playing field in a friendly game against the team he's been playing for AC Milan was not quite received the way that most would have expected

The story from the Daily News here .

((Galaxy fans share there feelings/Courtesy: Djansazien/Getty Images))

Beckham was recently called out by teammate Landon Donovan in a book recently released about the Britsh Soccer legend's first season in the "States" for being a poor captain and generally not much of a teammate. The two have supposedly "kissed and made up", however it does not appear that the L.A. Galaxy fans are being quite so forgiving.

More from our friends at ITN News/You Tube:

FCB TCB In Champions League Final

((HT: AwfulAnnouncing/ESPN))

This, is probably, one of the few times during the year that we'll actually show futbol highlights.

Those of us at OSG HQ thought Puyol did yeoman's work from the back for Barca, but Messi and Eto'o got the ball in the back of the Ol' Onion Bag...

2-nil was your final as FCB took out ManUnited...
Bollocks!!!

Those Wacky Italians!

Full Moon in Italy

So, I came across this story on Yahoo sports...see the link here .

I don't really get the European Soccer thing very well, but I respect the popularity and the devotion of both the players and the fans. But...I guess that is why they are able to get away with Dropping Trou over there. Imagine say, in the NFL, the defense Dropping Trou before a kicker is getting ready for a potential Game Winning Field Goal...or in the NBA, players on the blocks, dropping right before a Free Throw.

((thanks AP for the photo))

Would it be funny as hell. Of course. Would a certain segment of the American population freak out if they saw it, your damn Skippy!