SPAIN HINTS AT ITS STARTING 11 AGAINST TURKEY THIS WEDNESFDAY. PLUS TERIM TO SEVILLA FC ?

(photo:AS)

Looks like this starting 11 against Turkey last Saturday will change.

According to Spanish media (“AS” for example) who are following the
Spanish National Team in Istanbul for the World Cup 2010 qualifier this
Wednesday night against TURKEY, Spanish Coach Del Bosque may have
given a hint of the official line-up. In today’s training session at the “Ali Sami
Yen” stadium Coach Del Bosque rehearsed with the following line-up:

Casillas; Sergio Ramos, Marchena, Piqué, Capdevila; Senna, Xabi Alonso;
Silva, Xavi, Riera; & Fernando Torres.

If this is finally the starting 11, there are notable changes from the team that
defeated Turkey last Saturday 1-0 here in Madrid. Firstly, Valencia CF defender
MARCHENA comes in for team-mate Albiol, secondly Spain will play with
wingers SILVA & Liverpool FC player RIERA, with Spain having only one
true forward who will be FERNANDO TORRES.

(photo: AS)

Spain is expecting a totally different Turkish side that will go out as if this
game is a final. The Turks must win to keep at bay Bosnia who is surprisingly
second on the Group 5 table & thus endangering the second place for Turkey
that keeps open the chance for World Cup qualification. The home crowd will
do all their best to create a hostile atmosphere for Spain who also look to seal
the Group with a win, a victory were they will have to overcome a very stiff
& motivated opponent who would have learnt from last Saturday & have

already shown that they are not to be taken lightly. Least tomorrow.

What is certain is that we are all in for a mighty match tomorrow that promises
to have us all biting our nails until the last minute. Can’t wait!

(Photo:AS)

By the way, while we are at it, news from Turkish daily “Milliyet” claim that
National Coach Fatih Terim has an offer from SEVILLA FC. Terim answered
media when asked if there was any truth to this news with …” we will see…
now I have Turkey on my mind…”. Mysterious reply, don´t you think?

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VILLAREAL & REAL MADRID SEND SCOUTS TO WATCH SERBIAN DANIJEL ALESKSIC

VILLAREAL & REAL MADRID have sent scouts to Serbia to “spy” on
one of the members of the Serbian U/19 National side. DANIJEL ALESKSIC
the young pearl of Serbian Football who will be in action this afternoon against
Germany. This news comes from Serbian media “Sportske Novosti” who also
add that the German Clubs Hamburgo, Hertha Berlín y Hoffenheim have also
shown serious signs of interest.
















Alesksic has been playing since 2007 with the 1ºst Division Serbian Club FK
Vojvodina & has already made his debut with the Serbian “A” National
Team under Coach Radomir Antic in a friendly against Poland. As the news
says the mentioned Spanish teams are going to check the boy out. Here is a
video of the "kid" in action:



If anyone who knows more about this player gives us a comment! Tweet

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REAL MADRID TRANSFER NEWS 2009: RUMOUR, SPECULATIONS & LIES...

SFS echoed the rumoured interest of REAL MADRID (via its "shadowy" ex
President Florentino Perez) in INTER MILAN 27 year old defensive
right-back MAICON a few days back. Now his representative, Antonio
Caliendo,has confirmed the interest on Telelombardía , a TV channel that
covers Milan & Northern Italy. The player´s representative added that someone
(like this) contacted in the name of Real Madrid to ask about this player´s
situation …Mr.Perez, perhaps?

(photo courtesy from"AS")

SFS "Hollywood Insiders" have passed a super secret video of a proyect

currently beginning done on the powerful Spanish businessman Florentino
Perez & whether he is behind all these rumours of transfers & returning
to "clean -up" the Club & bring back the glory days, etc in the upcoming
June 2009 Real Madrid elections. Watch the trailer:

Staying with Real Madrid from England rumours have been hot in reference
to two player:GABRIEL HEINZE & FABIO CANNAVARO. The former is
said to be on the list of players desired by TOTTENHAM HOTSPURS, while
the latter has interest from TOTTENHAM, MANCHESTER CITY &
CHELSEA FC according to “AS” who is following the English news.

Lastly, REAL MADRID Dutch player RAFAEL VAN DER VAART rejects
claims that he wishes to leave to CHELSEA FC as published in “Marca” a
couple of days back & echoed here on SFS. However, the player said that he
will meditate on his future at the end of the season. Two things here: 1. He
realized it’s not a got idea to voice that you wish to leave if you want to play
2. It’s an orchestrated press story to level the field for a departure, that is, that
the Club & not the player wish to place him elsewhere.

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"EL MUNDANO DEPORTIVO": REAL MADRID - NO TO CR7, VALDANO & WENGER

El Mundano Deportivo, Adrian Vogel (the Real Madrid "insider"), is back
with his bi-monthly collaboration with his views on the cuurent REAL
MADRID. Today Adrian examines yesterdays Club Extraordinary General
Assembly & has some sharp words in reference to rumours of the coming of
Florentino Perez, Cristiano Ronaldo, Jorge Valdano & the possibility of Arsene
Wegner.This post is perhaps his most controversial post up to date that may
move the internal fires of some Real Madrid fans, or may in fact fine some
allies. What’s your opinion?

Take note to the “insider” investigative ground work. In this case, we have
an exclusive, as Adrian spoke to one of the“Horses” from the famous saying…
"straight from the horse’s mouth”.

Adrian has his own popular blog “El Mundano” written in Spanish.

Striker
__________________________________________
(photo Boluda: El Pais - Alvaro Garcia)

















Unfortunately for Real Madrid we’ve been on the News for all the wrong
reasons,like our Institutional Crisis.But after yesterdays General Extraordinary
Assembly, Mr. Boluda “The Pacifier” has moved the Club back into the right
direction & the embarrassing December 7th General Assembly is now part of
the Clubs past history (which doesn’t necessary mean we should forget it).

Vicente Boluda, the interim President named after Ramon Calderon’s forced
resignation, was ratified giving him the moral edge to move ahead and modify
the mail voting system. There lies the origin of most the troubles.
Mr. Calderon failed in his attempts because of fierce opposition coming from
Florentino Perez loyalists. Precisely Mr. Perez departure and his change of the
voting procedures were key issues in the subsequent mess we’ve been facing.
Yesterday – after rejecting the Florentino´s voting system - we can rest assured
that we’ll have clean elections this coming summer.

So far only Eugenio Martinez Bravo has confirmed his running intentions.
Other names that were hinted in the past months have not appeared so far.
Everybody is expecting to hear from Florentino Perez announce his candidacy
after Easter. His former board member Ramon Calderon – and penultimate
Real Madrid President - has dropped the hint that “I’m going to run. I may
not have any chance to win but I want to make noise and confront
Florentino in a TV debate”.

As you & all intelligent readers may have noticed, everything turns around
Florentino Perez (pictured above), the man that took over the team who was
a Champions League winner and left with Barcelona winning it. That’s his
power and strength. Everybody’s talking and his campaign is probably one
of the best pre-promotional efforts we’ve witnessed. Some factors boil in his
magic pot: starving journalists looking for a job in the “Perez galaxy”, sports
media aware of the expectations that Real Madrid wakes up, plus skilful name
dropping. This last point is exactly the reason for this post title.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Cesc, Ancelotti, Kaká, Xabi Alonso, Arsene Wenger
and Jorge Valdano are the most repeated names. When a couple of days ago
I confronted one of Florentino Perez closest associates (his former
Communications Director who was recruited from the SER Network and
currently runs a government friendly TV network) he was surprised by my
refusal of CR7, Valdano and Wegner. And I explained him what you are about
to read next, if you’ve had the patience to follow me and are still interested.
The conversation:

-Who’s going to finance the new video scoreboard so that Cristiano
Ronaldo can admire himself? (Adrian)

- That’s not true.

- I’ve seen him looking over and over, and even your Jorge Valdano
( also a Football commentator on the mentioned TV channel) mentioned it
on TV. And his attitude last summer with his arrival or not caused great
harm to the Club. And please jump on board with Florentino. Because if
not you’ll be held responsible for Valdano’s arrival. (Adrian)

- I can’t. I’m currently committed with other projects.

- Remember he’s the one that brought Queiroz as a Ccoach and Ramón
Martinez as head of the technical staff, the same Valdano that let go Hierro,
Redondo, Del Bosque and Makelele among others (Adrian)

(Valdano)

My negativism to Valdano is not new. I admired him as a player. That’s it. As
a Coach we won 1 Liga in spite of him because of two players, Amavisca and
Zamorano, whom he wanted to transfer during the pre season. During his
tenure we lost Luis Enrique to Barcelona due to his lack of confidence in this
excellent player. His major fiasco was when we were eliminated from the
Champions League by a minor Danish team and we were fined for undue
alignment (he had no knowledge that only three foreign players were allowed).
A feat he repeated when coaching Valencia and later as Real Madrid’s
General Manager under Florentino’s presidency, & subsequently lead to Eto’o
departure to Barcelona (he didn’t’ have a clue that his signing Walter Samuel
was married to a Spaniard, like himself) because there were three other extra
communitarian EC players in the team. Someone had to leave: the chosen was
the young & promising Samuel Eto’o!

Who is Arsene Wenger? How many European titles has he won? Does he know
the teams and players of the Liga? If you ask him what is "El Sadar" would he
know the answer and its new name? In my conversation I was told that the
Frenchman’s reputation came from the way Arsenal played and his great work
with young players. To which I replied that if they are so good how come they
don’t win as often. Two Premier League’s in how many years? His job in
discovering young players? Not from Arsenal’s ranks but from teams across
Europe and Africa. Which is not what we expect at Real Madrid? Real is
accustomed to players developed in their junior teams. Spain’s Clubs are full
of players Real raised & formed. Is it the same in England with young Arsenal
players?

Back to the conversation:

- Who do you suggest? - he asked.
- The one we have, Mijatovic, is fine with me. He did in a couple of months
what it took your Valdano one season and a half to do.

Plus I don’t advise opponents for free and above all I’m loyal to SFS and
its readers…

ADRIAN VOGEL - El Mundano

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MOTOGP REVS UP IN JEREZ (SPAIN) FOR 2009.

(pictures courtesy of Marca)

The Spanish city of Jerez & its emblematic circuit played host to the traditional
preliminary big test of MotoGp before the season kicks of in serious in a couple
of weeks time at QATAR. It is the big dress rehearsal in front of a huge crowd
of “mad” Spanish motorheads with the prize being a BMW car to the pilot with
the quickest time. The winner was Australian CASEY STONER who ripped up
the asphalt, followed by current World Champ Rossi, third Capirossi &
Spaniard LORENZO with the fourth best time.

Check this video out of the mayhem caused by the Spanish fans. Firstly, someone
attempts to grab Valentino Rossi´s hat for a souvenir & pisses Rossi right off.
Secondly, Lorenzo goes accidentally into the female toilets to avoid the crowds.
Mad Spaniards …:-)

Before the racing took place, all of the MotoGp raiders got together for their
traditional new season photo with four Spanish riders in this seasons
competition: Jorge Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa (absent injuried), Toni Elias &
comeback rider Sete Gibernau. SFS thought that the fans may appreciate this
photo for their collection.

Can’t wait for this new season to start – 12 April!

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ATLETICO DE MADRID WINS LEAGUE TITLE (JUNIOR)

The ATLETICO DE MADRID junior side proclaimed themselves
CHAMPIONS of the junior “Honour Division” Group 5 that gathers
teams from the Madrid region. The 1-2 victory over Rayo Vallecano & the
fact that Real Madrid drew, gave Atletico the title with 2 games still left.
A title they last won in the 2004 – 2005 season.

The highest junior level in Spanish Football is divided in regional groups, at
the end of the “normal” season, the winners of each meet up to play-off for
the National title.This is precisely want Atletico will now do & aim to win,
along with the Spanish Cup in which 16 teams play ( 1st of group, 2nd of
group & the two best 3rd of groups).

This Atletico junior side is illustrating to be one of the Clubs best in History.
Their goalies Alex Campos & Hortal have only received 23 goals all season
& upfront their two strikers – Borja (22) & Pacheco (20) - have 42 goals
between them.

Perhaps the Atletico de Madrid junior team can replace the senior & play
the rest of the season? Why not, SFS is sure they’ll do better ;-)

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FORMULA 1 2009: ALONSO FINISHES 6TH IN MELBOURNE

The Formula 1 season kicked off in Melbourne AUSTRALIA (see the photo of
the 2009 drivers above), the result & the message of the race were that there
is a “new sheriff” in town, the F1 town. The Ross Brawn team (the phoenix that
rises from the Honda ashes) has a technological advantage (KERS?) that has
literally left the rest of the F1 teams smelling their fumes. Lastly, speaking of
teams, Toyota will be giving a serious fight as they too have done their
homework.

(Winner - Jenson Button)

The Brawn team got off to a dream start doing the “double”; finishing first
& second, that is, Jenson Button & Ruben Barrichello. The rest memorized the
backend of the controversial Brawn cars, they where Hamilton (McLaren) who
finished third & put in a superb Champions race - quiet incredible, & T.Glock

who ended fourth place.

(Near miss!)

Spanish two times World Champ FERNANDO ALONSO pulled out of 10th
place on pole, survived a near crash in the first lap & made good work to
eventually finish in 5th place. The Renault team has some work to do still as the
good times in the off season practice was encouraging but not “real”.

Next race – Malaysia – Sepang: 03/04/2009

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WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFIERS: SPAIN WINS 1-0 A HARD TURKEY TEAM (SEE VIDEO)

The current European Champions SPAIN knew beforehand that this would
be a tough match as part of its Group V World Cup 2010 qualifying rounds.
TURKEY was a semi-finalist in the last Euro 2008 tournament & are a class
act, & it showed tonight in the way they set up their strategy & game plan.
However, Spain is a finely tuned machine & managed to tire & open up the
Turks in one of the few chances that they had to score the only goal of the
game & win 1-0.

The 1st half saw Turkey apply what it had learnt from studying Spain on video;
a tight defence, a midfield well organized to pressure Spain’s play makers Xavi
Hernandez & Xabi Alonso, to then open up the wings for the counter-attacks.
The plan nearly paid off early as Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas had to make
two vital saves in the first 10 minutes that if the ball had gone in SFS maybe
writing about something totally different. The Spanish team were uncomfortable
without the ball & Turkish players Senturk, Nihat & Tuncay were causing
headaches. But Spain with its experience & patience held out the first half
knowing that the next 45 min were still up for grabs if they stayed loyal to their
playing philosophy.

(Pique scores 60th min)

It was just this, the beginning of the 2nd half that saw Spain regain control
of the ball thanks to the extreme physical effort put in by the Turks that
opened up spaces. In an individual play by Fernando Torres, that had to be
fouled, the free kick was to give its fruit. Xavi took & placed it in the way of
Sergio Ramos alone behind the defence who knocked it into the path of
PIQUE who scored his first International goal & the winner in the 60th min.

This changed everything, as now Turkey had to chase the ball while Spain
played around in its usual brilliant & skilful manner unnerving the opposition.
The gaps appeared & Spain continued dominating. With the next game on
Wednesday in mind Spain made substitutes changing Villa for debutant
MATA, Carzorla for SILVA & Torres for LLORENTE. More chances came
Spain’s way with a special mention to an incredible save by the Turkish
goalie from a Xabi Alonso crack-shot.

A great & hard fought win to Spain who were pushed by a competent &
serious Turkish side that deserve a mention & same of its players who were
outstanding: Aurelio, Tuncay, Sentuk & Nihat who was tiredless. Spain went
from average to good to very good with special mention to Pique, Albiol,
Ramos, Xabi & Xavi Hernandez would is/was a true reference point. Lastly,
although he didn’t score Fernando Torres was outstanding with what he
does OFF the ball that wins SFS attention. His “unseen” movements open
spaces & gives paths to his team-mates that are valuable & vital in these sorts
of games. Well done!

Next clash in Istanbul Turkey next Wednesday, were another win here for
Spain would virtually guarantee them the pass to the next World Cup. But
they must be careful as Turkey on home soil has the ability to surprise as
they nearly did tonight away.

Here is the VIDEO of the highlights - thanks Rafa!! Lets hope Youtube

does´nt withdraw it later ;-):

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REAL MADRID: FUTURE UP IN THE AIR FOR CANNAVARO & VAN DER VAART

Latest news from England & picked up here locally by “AS” is that
MANCHESTER CITY, TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR & AC MILAN have
shown interest in gaining the services of Italian International Captain &
REAL MADRID central defender FABIO CANNAVARO. The Italian ends
contract with the Spanish Club the 30 of June & although he wishes to
continue, Real has halted all renewal talks due to their upcoming Presidential
elections. However, the tipped winner is ex-President Florentino Perez &
although he hasn’t formally pronounced his candidacy Cannavaro appears in
the media as one of his possible discards.

The attraction is clear, free to negotiate with other Clubs & free of transfer
fees, Cannavaro just needs to be paid a negotiated salary, a salary that is
5M€ per season at Real of which the Italian may decided to lower if the Club
& project appeals . But Cannavaro´s agent Enrico Fedele hasn’t shut the
doors to Real being the clever professional that he is, the agent has commented
that if Real is not renegotiating its because the Club is immersed in an electoral
process & is willing to wait. That maybe the case, but as we can see there are
options & plenty for the Italian.
(AS)























Another news piece from England (Daily Mail) publishes that REAL MADRID
Dutch midfielder RAFAEL VAN DER VAART has decided to leave the
Spanish Club & take up the supposed interest from CHELSEA FC. Apparently
the story is that if Guus Hiddink continues as Chelsea Coach next season the
Real Madrid player would enter into his plans.
(AS)

Van Der Vaart is not withstanding well the bench warming time under Coach
Juande Ramos as he sees himself frustrated not getting playing time, time he
needs to secure his place in the Dutch National team & his ticket for next
years World Cup in South Africa next year.

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MILESTONES & POSSIBLE RECORDS TONIGHT FOR SPAIN AGAINST TURKEY

Milestone for the goalkeeper many say is the “Best Goalkeeper in the World”
at this moment, REAL MADRID 27 year old & Spanish International Team
Captain IKER CASILLAS. Tonight he will play his 90th International for
Spain against Turkey & overtakes Fernando Hierro (ex-Real Madrid Capitan
& defender) who has 89, now ahead of Casillas is only Raul & another
goalie Zubizarreta.

Milestone tonight for DAVID VILLA as well who is about to overtake the 26
goals by another Spanish great, Emilio Butregeño if he gets onto the score
sheet against Turkey. From here Villa can set his sights on reaching Fernando
Morientes (27), Fernando Hierro (29) & if he has his boots on fire, Raul (44)
who is the historical top goal scorer for Spain at this moment.

But it does not stop here, Spain is unbeaten in 29 games & if it can avoid losing
its next two games against Turkey (tonight & next Wednesday) it will equal the
31 games of ex-Coach Javier Clemente. Lastly, Spain has maintained the Nº1
FIFA ranking for the last 9 months & if things go as they have up it now, there
maybe 10th month.

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U/21 FRIENDLY: SPAIN 1 - IRELAND 2

The Spanish U/21 National team were defeated yesterday night 1-2 by Ireland
in a friendly preparation International match before the September Euro 2011
qualifiers. The Spanish Coach Lopez Caro put on a totally new & experimental
side to test out the upcoming youngsters before settling for his final squad
for next Septembers official qualifiers.

The novelty & the lack of playing between the new members showed as two
woeful defensive errors (first goalie Miño & second a defensive mishap)
allowed Ireland to capitalise & transform their two goals. Spain dominated
the ball & were not given a hand ball in the area which was a penalty,
& managed to pull one but via IVAN BOLADO.

(Hand ball not given when Ireland ahead 0-1)


















However, Ireland played smarter & knew how to defend its two goal lead, while
the anxiety to score by Spain affected their efficiency & eventually their ability
to equalize. Let’s hope the “A” TEAM tonight against TURKEY in its World
Cup 2010 qualifier have more luck & do better.

Here is a brief technical summary:

2 - Ireland: Redmond; Coleman, Nolan, Dennehy, Moloney; Gleeson, Garvan,
Meyler, Judge; O'Shea & Sheridan. Also played Genderson (ps), Carey,
O'Toole & Fagon

1 - Spain: Miño; Azpilicueta, Kiko, San José, José Angel; Jeffren, Crossas,
Camacho, Jordi Alba; Parejo & Iván Bolado. Also played Edu, Aaron &
Michel

Goals: 1-0: m. 38, O'Shea. 2-0: m. 57, Judge. 2-1: m. 62, Iván Bolado Tweet

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PRE MATCH DETAILS: SPAIN & TURKEY REVEAL STARTING LINE-UPS

The Spanish National Team Photo: Who will replace Iniesta?

It seems both Spain & Turkey have showed their playing cards for tomorrow
nights World Cup 2010 Group 5 qualifying match in Madrid. According to
local media SANTIAGO CAZORLA (pictured) is the man chosen over
David Silva to substitute injured Andres Iniesta in the starting line-up. The
Spanish team would look like this:

Casillas, Ramos, Piqué, Albiol,Capdevila, Xabi Alonso,Senna, Xavi,
Cazorla,Torres & Villa

As we can see, it seems David Villa has recovered in time from his knee
problem to join Fernando Torres upfront.

The Turkish Coach also let known his team according to media after their
training session this afternoon, with both Spanish based players Mehmet
Aurelio (Betis) & Nihat ( Villareal) in the starting line-up. The Turkish team
would look like this:

Volkan Demirel, Gokhan Gonul, Emre Asik, Ibrahim, Hakan Kadir Balta,
Tuncay Sanli, Mehmet Aurelio, Emre Belozoglu, Arda Turan, Nihat &
Semih Senturk.

Good side that should push the European Champions. Don´t miss it, 22.00
local Sp time & you can surf into SFS at the end for images & result.

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SERGIO AGUERO..."I Have Told Club Directives That I Wish To Continue"

SERGIO AGÜERO has answered rumours from Buenos Aires (Argentina) concerning his immediate future after the World press speculated on whether the fact that his representative José Segui in Milan was to meet up with Inter Milan President Moratti to discuss a possible transfer to the Italian Club.

(Photo: RTRPIX)

Aguero spoke to Argentine media “TyC Sports” after he found a moment free from his obligations & preparations with the Argentine National Team. His words, translated to English, were:

“The Club (ref Atletico) has treated me very well & I have told Club Directives that I wish to continue. Later we will see”.

Comforting words for Atletico fans, but not definitive if we put our eyes on the final sentence.

What’s your thoughts on the ongoing Aguero case. Will he stay?

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REAL MADRID NEWS: FLORENTINO EYES MAICON & HIS PLANNED "REVOLUTION"

More news on the speculated presentation of ex – REAL MADRID President
Florentino Perez to the upcoming Presidential Club elections in a few months.
The daily “As” publish that Perez continues working on his planned signings
for the new look & “revolutionary” Real Madrid. The new name to pop up is
INTER MILAN right back defender MAICON, which if true & feasible,
would push Sergio Ramos to the Central Defender position alongside Pepe.

The 28 year old Brazilian is having an outstanding season & it is thought
(by Perez) that Inter may accept a good offer, seeing that Inter would
welcome the extra funds & has already a young 18 year old talent Santon
as a replacement.

SFS remains you that the name of Maicon joins the other big names list:
Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Xabi Alonso, Villa, Benzema, Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas
…bla , bla, bla…of which its obvious NOT all will end up at Real, & Perez
hasn’t, SFS insists, said a single word on whether he will present himself or
not!

MORE on Florentino Perez

Continuing with the speculations, Spanish TV Channel “Cuarto” in its news
sports section transmitted this piece 2 days ago which is titled “The Secrets
of Florentino Perez”. It’s a run down of who (based on journalistic
sources that are not backed up) will be dropped, put on the transfer list &
saved of the current 27 player team list of Real Madrid. It´s in Spanish &
SFS will give a brief summary to help you follow the video clip:

If Florentino Perez presents himself & is elected President of Real Madrid
those DROPPED will be: Codina, Dudek, Salgado, Saviola, Javi Garcia,
Diarra, Drenthe, Metzelder & Faubel

TRANSFERABLE if buyer & at a good price: Heinze, Cannavaro, Torres,
Guti, Sneijder, Van de Vaart & Robben

SAVED: Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Lassana Diarra, Higuaín, Gago,
Huntelaar, Marcelo, Van Nistelrooy & Raul. This last one – Raul – is being
speculated today that may fall of the "saved" list.

SEE VIDEO:


Stay tuned folks!

Note: It is all pure speculation!!

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FC BARCELONA NEWS: KEIRRISION & THIERRY HENRY

Barcelona based daily “Sport” announce ( it´s on their front cover) that FC
BARCELONA has come to an initial agreement with 20 year old Brazilian
youngster KEIRRISON de Souza Carneiro, currently playing for Brazilian
team PALMEIRAS. The young player is the “pearl” of Brazilian Football at
the moment with 57 goals in the last 16 months & has other Clubs hovering
as well like Liverpool, Real Madrid & Valencia CF. The estimate price for
Keirrison is said to be around 15M€ which usually ends up rising with
negotiations. Stay tuned to see if their is any real substance to this story!

More news from “Sport” & this time on THIERRY HENRY , is that FC
BARCELONA is talking with the Frenchmen to extend his current contract
3 years more. The French International has recovered his form & is seen
happier after his hard adaptation to Spanish Football & is again scoring lots
of goals. SFS reminds as well that stories from the UK say that Manchester
City is interested in Henry & are preparing an offer to get him over for next
season.

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SPAIN TESTS WITH ALTERNATIVES IN CASE VILLA DOES NOT MAKE IT.

SFS thought it give a brief post on how things are going for SPAIN in the
run up to the important World Cup 2010 Group qualifier against TURKEY
this Saturday in Madrid. This idea took weight after SFS received a few
good comments & emails from readers asking SFS thoughts about the possible
midfield combinations & what tactics maybe used by Spain on Saturday.

(photo:elmundo)

Spain has an injury worry that is DAVID VILLA who is carrying a knee
problem which may cause him to stay on the bench. With this in mind, Spanish
Coach Del Bosque is experimenting with alternatives in case Villa does not
arrive in time 100% fit. During today’s training Del Bosque tested the following
combination: Marcos Senna, Xabi Alonso, Silva & Riera both as wingers, with
Fernando Torres as the solitary forward. This tactic is the same that former
coach Luis Aragones used when Villa was injuried in the European
Championships that gave such good results.

Having said all this Spain could be trying to deflect attention & confuse
the opposition with this system of a solitary forward upfront. We still have
two days & Villa could be fit enough, rearing to go & start.

Whats your thoughts on Del Bosques alternative emergency set up?

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JOHAN CRUYFF SLAMS REAL MADRID & FLORENTINO PEREZ

Johan Cruyff is much more than a FC BARCELONA ex-player & Coach.
Apart from being considered one of the “Greats” as a player he is one of
the most influential opinion makers within Camp Barça. The man is sometimes
thought of as the “Darth Vader” of Barcelona as he lurks in the shadows
exercising his power within the Club. He is the “spiritual” figure & guide to
President Laporta & Coach Guardiola, just like the Dalai Lama but without
the transcendental philosophy & with a Barça shirt.

(photo:AS)

Yesterday, Johan Cruyff made some stiff comments aimed at REAL MADRID
& to its ex-President Florentino Perez who is speculated – not by him as he
hasn’t said a word – will present his candidacy for the upcoming Real Madrid
Presidential elections were it is assumed he will win via a landslide result.
The words, published by AS, say that Cruyff mentioned … “I don’t know
about construction & Florentino knows nothing about Football”, but
continued with … “He hasn’t sufficient Football knowledge to make
decisions...." in reference to being a Football Club President. This of course
is the root of all problems for the White Club as organization is a top level
thing & not from the bottom, the grass roots.

Interesting words directed to someone ,as already mentioned above, who
hasn’t said a single word on whether he will present his candidacy, in fact its
all media speculation & rumour. However, let’s assume for arguement sake
that Perez runs & wins to become once again Real Madrid President: does
Barça President Laporta know a lot about Football? Does any Club President
know about Football? SFS will say that the grand majority are business men
with economic & political interests who surround themselves with professionals
who do know about Football. Is this why Johan Cruyff advises Barça President
Laporta? Perhaps Cruyff forgets that today’s Football & their Clubs have
nothing to do about passing a ball around but more to do about money &
making more of it.

It’s the ongoing eternal teasing & public relations “War” between both Clubs.
It’s like when you go to the pub for a few beers a run into your mate who
follows the opposition team, its fun to dig into each other. At the higher level
it sells newspapers, keeps the “sheep” happy & with something to talk about,
plus reinforces to the World that effectively Johan Cruyff is an opinion maker
& stakeholder that has power at Barça & within the Football World. May the
FORCE be with you…

What’s your thought, do you think it’s vital for a President to be an expert
on Football?

SFS hidden CCTV camaras caught this sequence of Cruyff talking secretly &
receiving orders from President Laporta. They seem very worried that Florentino
Perez, the heritor of the great Santiago Bernabeu may return & REAL MADRID
make a comeback ( & win the Liga?):


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INTER MILAN - SERGIO AGUERO RUMOURS, AGAIN!

ATLETICO DE MADRID President Cerezo has said numerous times that
SERGIO AGÜERO is not for sale, that the Club has´nt any offers & that if
José Segui – representative of Aguero – is currently in Milan it is because he
enjoys spaghettis. That maybe the case, further more the man could be
stocking up on suits from the Spring/Summer collection, but Italian press think
differently. According to “Corriere dello Sport” Mr. Segui could be about to
meet up in person with INTER MILAN President Massimo Moratti, the
former comments that he is in Italy – in Turin NOT Milan - to discuss his other
player DAVID SILVA (Valencia CF) with JUVENTUS who are interested,
but Italian media insist that he will take advantage of synergies & “kill two
birds with one stone”.

Independently if we believe the Italian press/Mr. Segui or not, the fact is
that the Inter Milan – Aguero connexion returns to the front page of the
Sports daily’s, an ongoing “affair” that finds no end. The Argentine
International has a 55M€ contract release clause that Inter could pay & would
just only need the approval of Aguero to see him catch a plane over to Italy.
SFS believes that the probabilities of Aguero leaving are real & high as long
as Atletico continues not living up to the expectations of being a Top level
European Club. The Spanish team falls short continuously of reaching its
own placed objectives ( Champions League knock out & next years
participation in danger) & while this is the case, its inevitable that the
incentives to remain disappear in favour for guarantees elsewhere.

In a nutshell, if Atletico de Madrid fail to finish in the Champions League
classification positions this season, Aguero may well decide to secure his
participation at Inter Milan next season, & if not & the Spanish team again
fails, the following will be his goodbye from the Club. This is the nature of
things in Football.

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THE ROAD TO THE WORLD CUP 2010: SPAIN vs TURKEY - A PRE-HYPE VIDEO

Found this while surfing “YouTube”. It’s a pre-hype video elaborated by a
guy called Sabit who is from Sydney Australia. A lot of work has gone into
the 3min clip & one can see the TLC with a balanced treatment given to both
teams. Well done mate!

Check it out, thought I’d post it on SFS to build up the atmosphere a bit as
a way to countdown what will be the Spanish National side first real serious
test of its World Cup 2010 qualifying Group matches. Turkey is a team to be
respected with a line-up of talented players that can give Spain a surprise if
they let down their guard.

A big game which will be played this upcoming Saturday the 28th at the
mythical “Santiago Bernabeu Stadium” in Madrid in front of a crowd of 95,000
& watched throughout the World. It will be the first of a double clash with
Turkey when they again meet the following Wednesday away.

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SPANISH 1ºST DIVISION CLUBS ACCUMULATE A 2,086 M€ DEBT

Here is another interesting study that comes to SFS attention via “Futebol
Finance”.

According to the “Diario de Mallorca”, the Spanish 1º Division Clubs have
a combined debt of 2,086M€. The bulk of the debt is due to owed tax payments
(627M€) & Social Security payments still to be transferred. Only three teams
are debt free: Sevilla FC, Almeria & Recreativo de Huelva.

The current economic crisis is also hitting Clubs hard due to lower
sponsorships, income from tickets & merchandising, plus some badly turned
property speculative deals that have gone sour (eg Valencia CF new stadium)

in their attempts to cancel debt. Today’s modern Football has all sorts of
existing market distortions which are common throughout most European
Leagues; from huge player salaries, extravagant transfer fees & commission
for intermediates & so on, this has made UEFA think about including a series
of new measures to halt the spending & speculations, measures most big Clubs
naturally reject. Take a look of the debt figures given from the cited source
for the 1ºst Division Clubs:

1.Valencia - 550 million Euros
2.Real Madrid - 400 million Euros
3.Atlético Madrid - 300 million Euros
4.FC Barcelona - 189 million Euros
5.Deportivo La Coruna - 160 million Euros
6.Villareal - 150 million Euros
7.Betis - 55 million Euros
8.Espanyol - 45 million Euros
9.Mallorca - 40 million Euros
10.Osasuna - 35 million Euros
11.Athletic Bilbao - 35 million Euros
12.Racing Santander - 35 million Euros
13.Valladolid - 30 million Euros
14.Getafe - 25 million Euros
15.Sporting Gijon - 18 million Euros
16.Malaga - 16 million Euros
17.Numancia - 3 million Euros

Amazing? Bear this in mind. Football Clubs are powerful social mobilisation
instruments that give political power to their owners & their social members.
These Sporting institutions are often utilized by their owners as political
platforms in order to gain popularity, reap the voting numbers & move masses
for their own political ends. The ties between the Football World & the
political elite are strong & close, each using each other for their own gains.
Thus, these huge debt figures are tolerated & given flexibility way beyond what
would be allowed for most other institutions. Unfair? SFS does´nt wish to go

beyond the explained, suffice to say that Football is a religion here & in most
European Nations.

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ENZO ZIDANE: VIDEO OF SON OF ZINEDINE

Here is a VIDEO of ENZO ZIDANE, son of Zinedine in action for the REAL
MADRID youth team:



Yes, he looks like his father. He has nice footwork & has been called up
to the U/15 Spain Squad. But lets not ruin the kid before he can get started.

Remember Jordi Cruyff , son of Johan Cruyff, ended short of the expectations
& wondered from Club to Club. The pressure of comparisons "killed" his
Football career & we don´t wish to impose this on this young boy.

Zinedine Zidane, father of Enzo, put the mark soooo high that few players
will be able to put their shadow on it & even less equal it. Tweet

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CARLO ANCELOTTI HAS AN AGREEMENT WITH PEREZ & REAL MADRID?

I know, I know, you have read all this before.

More pieces from the Florentino Perez puzzle (see post below), according to
Italian media “Tuttosport” the ex - REAL MADRID President had dinner
with current AC MILAN Coach CARLO ANCELOTTI in Geneva last week.
There they discussed the possibility of have the Italian on the Florentino Perez
“ticket” for the upcoming Real Madrid Presidential elections as the teams
Coach for next season.

According to the source, & picked up here by local newspapers, Ancelotti
was offered a 3 year contract at a salary of 5 M€/season ( i.e. 15 M€ for
three years). The meeting took place at the Floortwo Grill at the Grand
Hotel Kempinski (ex Noga Hilton) & the outcome could have finished in
a verbal agreement between both parties.

This goes against other stories that place Ancelotti at Chelsea FC, but the
Real Madrid "angle" has a historical background & has been sounding for
quiet awhile. Meanwhile, everyone is awaiting Florentino Perez to announce
that he will present himself as a candidate, something he has yet to do.

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THE GLOBAL FOOTBALL AMBASSADOR ZINEDINE ZIDANE RETURNS TO PLAY WITH REAL MADRID

Lets hold our horse, SFS "sneakily" used a title that would attract most
Global Football fans, but it is not incorrect. One of World Footballs greats
& ex Real Madrid player ZINEDINE ZIDANE did play again Football &
with a Real Madrid shirt this afternoon here in Madrid.

The occasion was the REAL MADRID veteran team who played a game
against a team made of prisoners from the “Soto el Real” Penitentiary Centre.
The Real veterans complied with ex stars such as Esnáider, Velasco, Alfonso,
Dani, Vallina, etc won 8-1 over their hosts. The public relations act
highlighted that the French master still maintains his excellent touch control
skills & apparently delighted everyone.

(Photo:Alejandro González / RealMadrid.com)

Beyond this story there are some interesting “behind the scenes” indicators
that we can speculate upon with relative security. Zidane is appearing a lot
more in the local media & taking on much more charity, public relations &
“ambassador” roles in recent months. This maybe the prelude to the
rumoured role that Zinedine Zidane may impart for Real Madrid if ex- Club
President Florentino Perez decides to present his candidacy & wins the
upcoming Real Madrid Presidential elections. A role that is rumoured will
be as the Clubs Global Ambassador & public image, which quiet frankly
would be a sure winner with everyone.

(photo:Marca/Real Madrid.com)

Florentino Perez hasn’t made any public announcement as yet if he will
present himself, all the news are “leaks” & speculations. However, all
the pieces that are part of the Perez jigsaw puzzle are “quite surprisingly”
moving into position, which gives added strength to the idea the its all
true & a done deal.

Nice to see you back Zidane, & more so in the future it all seems!

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IS CRISTIANO RONALDO CLEARING THE FIELD FOR HIS DEPARTURE TO REAL MADRID?

Is CRISTIANO RONALDO along with his representative & his PR machine
beginning to lay down the groundwork & clear the field for his suspected
departure from MANCHESTER UNITED at the end of this season?

(photo: AS)

It is speculated that Cristiano Ronaldo signed a pre-contract with REAL
MADRID & agreed to stay one more year at Manchester United if the Club
agreed beforehand to accept his departure at the end of this season 2008/2009.
More news from England, concretely from the English paper “Daily Mail”
publishes that the Portuguese star is tired of English Football after being
questioned as a “penalty area diver”, an “actor” & the hard tackles being
received from defenders that are not being sanctioned by the referees. Ronaldo
feels that he is more protected overseas were the game is prized with free
flow instead of stop start tactics systematically applied in England by

the oppostion teams.

Some analyst have even brought up the observation that Cristiano Ronaldo´s
game has changed & has become much more conservative, with the word
precaution standing out as the keyword. Those same observers say that
Ronaldo passes the ball much more in order to avoid receiving the hard
tackles of defenders & thus avoid serious injury that may hamper his move
to Real Madrid. SFS doesn’t wish to believe that a professional of this calibre
would not render 100%, but it is food for thought & it does raise the question.

What’s your thought?

It’s perfectly reasonable to think that these press stories & the various leaks
could be part of a marketing plan to lessen fan base backlash for when the
moment arrives that both Manchester United allow & sell their star player
& Ronaldo puts on the white shirt.

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