Village Football President Banned by the FFF after Audacious Bid For Lionel Messi

The President of a French village side has been suspended for six months by the French Football Federation after he launched an incredible bid to bring none other than Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi to his club!

Cedric Enjolras, otherwise known as President Buch, decided to make the audacious bid for the little Argentinean after a few drinks with friends one evening. The President, who describes himself as handsome as a god, mounted like a horse, as smart as Einstein and a hero like Messi, obviously thought that the FFF would see the funny side.

Unfortunately, they did not and promptly banned him for six months.

Hristo Stoichkov: The Bulgarian Messiah

"There are only two Christ’s; one plays for Barcelona, the other is in heaven," so said Hristo Stoichkov before collecting his award for European Footballer of the Year in 1994.

With Hristo directly translating as Christ, you could be forgiven for thinking he was joking and that it was a play on words...but you'd be wrong. Stoichkov had three massive elements to his person, a God-given skill, a God-sized ego, and a Devil of a temperament.

Starting his career as a mere 16-year-old with local team Hebros, Stoickov quickly became the bright young star of Bulgarian football. Even then, his technical skills stood out.

As a left-sided winger, he terrorised teams with his pace and precision and it came as no surprise to see CSKA Sofia, the biggest team in the country, come in for the young prodigy.

Within a year of signing for CSKA, they began to realise that this precocious talent also had a wild temper, and in 1985 he instigated a brawl in the Bulgarian Cup Final against Levski Spartak.

The game had become a wild affair with both sets of players guilty of X-rated assaults.

Although CSKA Sofia won 2-1, Stoichkov and six other players were suspended for three months each and both teams were formally disbanded in disgrace after the game.

CSKA Sofia had their name changed to CFKA Sredets and our young Stoichkov returned to action a couple of games into the next season.

He came back in imperious form and began to add goals to his game with Sredets now  employing him as a left-sided forward in their new 4-3-3 formation.

Around the same time, a Golden generation of player were beginning to come of age and none summed this up more than Stoichkov. Players like Yordan Letchkov, Illian Kiriakov, Krassimir Balakov, and the goal scoring machine of Emil Kostadinov were all starting to shine and European football was starting to realise that a new force was emerging.

With Stoichkov as the focal point, Sredets swept all aside in Bulgaria on their way to yet their third title in a row. Our prodigy was finally beginning to fulfil his promise and scored an incredible 38 goals in 30 games as he won the European Golden Boot.

Although it really wasn't until Sredets made a run in the European Cup Winners Cup that people outside Bulgaria finally realised just how ridiculously talented Stoichkov was.

During the journey to the semi finals, Sredets knocked out Panathinikos and Roda JC, before coming face-to-face with Johann Cruyff's "Dream Team" at Barcelona.

La Blaugrana won the two legged affair to progress to the final but it was Stoichkov who stole the show. Cruyff put in a bid immediately and snapped the young star up for the following season.

However, Stoichkov's fragile temper was to get the better of him. In his debut season at the Camp Nou he disagreed with a refereeing decision and starting shouting at the official before stamping on his foot, leaving the ref injured!

He was given a two-month suspension and Cruyff's decision to bring the volatile Bulgarian to the club was questioned at all levels. Despite the suspension, Stoichkov still managed to score 20 goals from midfield that season and the inquisition relented.

But not before Stoichkov questioned Barcelona's director's parentage...live on television!

The signing was to be the inspiration behind Barcelona's best-ever period. With Stoichkov pulling the strings from the left side of midfield, Cruyff's Barca went on to win the league for the next four seasons (91, 92, 93, 94), the European Cup (92), the European Super-Cup (92), the Copa Del Rey (90), the Super Copa de Espana (91, 92, 94).

The name "Dream Team" was truly deserved with players like Ronald Koeman, Bakero, Salinas, Michael Laudrup, Nadal, and current manager Josep Guardiola, not to mention Gheorghe Hagi, Romario, and Stoichkov himself, as Barcelona played some of the best football ever seen in Europe.

Hristo had come of age; he orchestrated every Barca attack with the skill of a composer.

His rapier-like attacks, slicing though every opposition, his technical skill unsurpassed, his dribbling sheer perfection, his passing impeccable, and his shooting laser perfect. Stoichkov deservedly won the European Footballer of the Year award in 1994.

During his time at Barca, he regularly clashed with his idol, Cruyff where the relationship between the two could be described as fractious at best. After one massive argument with Cruyff and the press, Stoichkov told them "I am not talking to any of you bastards until November!"

Cruyff’s response? Another argument!

It would be unfair to say that Stoichkov was a volcano constantly on the verge of eruption. In 1992, he paid for the 1992 European Cup Finals broadcasting rights for Bulgaria after the National broadcaster could not afford the fee and his amazing acts of benevolence have become the stuff of legend back home.

But something else was happening in Bulgarian football. Stoichkov, its undoubted star, now had ample support. Most of the country's best players had been exported to the top leagues in Europe and as the World Cup in America came around Bulgarian football was at an all-time high.

Stoichkov may have been part of the Dream Team at Barca, but he was also the centrepiece of Bulgaria's Golden Generation.

Without a World Cup win in their country's history, Stoichkov led a quietly confident Bulgaria team to USA ’94 but few gave them any chance of progressing after drawing Nigeria, Greece and Argentina in the group stage.

Their lack of experience showed in the first game when they froze against Nigeria who swept them aside with a comprehensive 3-0 win. With Greece up next before Argentina, a win was the minimum that Bulgaria needed to progress.

With Nigeria registering a big win against them and with Argentina destroying Greece 4-0, goal difference was always going to be a factor in deciding this group.

Bulgaria took to the pitch against Greece like men possessed and hammered them 4-0, with Stoichkov bagging two. Argentina beat Nigeria 2-1 to set the group up on a knife edge going into the last game.
Mathematicians all over the world still suffer headaches with this one.

As we entered the last group game, Argentina were top of the group with 6 points and a goal difference of +5, Nigeria had 3 points and +2, and Bulgaria had 3 points and +1. Depending on the result any team could go out as it would come down to a head to head battle.

The cut and thrust of it meant that Bulgaria had to win by two clear goals.

Their cause was helped by Diego Maradona's disqualification from the tournament after cocaine was found in his urine sample, something he strenuously denies to this day.

With Argentina reeling from the loss of their prime inspiration, Stoichkov missed out on the chance of a master vs. master battle that so many had looked forward to.

But he was not going to let Maradona's absence spoil his World Cup.

The game was a tight affair, with Argentina spoiling throughout, and Bulgaria found it hard to find a rhythm. Despite Stoichkov being under close attention from Argentinian defenders he was still the best player on the pitch.

In the 61st minute, Stoichkov and Bulgaria got the moment they had been waiting for. Balakov intercepted a cross from Caniggia and headed the ball wide to Kostadinov whose perfect pass sent Stoichkov racing through three Argentina defenders. As the keeper came out, he was coolness personified as he passed the ball into the back of the net to give Bulgaria a fighting chance.

Argentina packed out their defence and Bulgaria crashed upon their wall time and time again as they searched for that elusive goal.

As the game headed into injury time Argentina were actually top of the group but all that changed in the 92nd minute as Sirakov pounced to break Argentinian hearts and send Bulgaria through.

Argentina also went through as the best third-place team, but the damage had been done and they crashed out to a Hagi-inspired Romania in the next round.

Bulgaria's opponents in the Last-16 were Mexico who had topped a group containing Ireland and Italy. Once again Stoichkov was on the mark, scoring his country's only goal in the 1-1 draw. Bulgaria eventually progressing after they won the penalty shootout 3-1.

Germany were next up and in a match regarded by many as being the best of the tournament, Bulgaria won 2-1.

Lothar Matthaus had given Germany the lead right on the stroke of half time, but two goals in the space of three minutes from Stoichkov and Letchkov gave Bulgaria a memorable win.

After becoming the fans favourite because of their beautiful expansive football, Bulgaria found themselves paired in the semi finals with Italy.

Of all the teams remaining, Bulgaria were the only total footballing side left in the tournament. Italy and Brazil had been grinding results out from the start and Sweden were a tough well organised team, so Bulgaria found themselves as the people’s favourites.

As the pressure grew Italy produced their best performance of the competition. Roberto Baggio scored twice before Stoickov replied, but there was to be no way back and Bulgaria went out of the World Cup at the semi final stage.

It was a glorious defeat as Stoichkov won the Golden Boot, and was heralded as one of the world's greatest players.

Two years later, he left Barca for high-flying Parma in Italy. With Stoichkov gone Johann Cruyff's team failed to live up to the heights they had set and he was sacked the following year.

His time in Italy was an unhappy one, marked tightly by overzealous defenders, Stoichkov and his volatile temperament found it a difficult place to play.

Defenders constantly wound him up, and their "agricultural" play frustrated him deeply as he only managed to score five goals in an injury-plagued 23 games.

In 1996 Bobby Robson, seeking a leader and an inspiration for his Barcelona team, brought an aging Stoichkov back to the Nou Camp.

Although he could not inspire Barca to the league title, Barca did manage to win the UEFA Cup, the Copa Del Rey, and the European Super Cup in his two seasons there.

By the time the 1998 season rolled around, an injury hit 32-year-old Stoichkov was on the wane, and he went back to Bulgaria and CSKA Sofia to try to inspire the next generation.

Frustrated with his lack of game time, he decided to earn his coaching badges, and travelled the world for the next five years, gaining experience at lower levels.

The biggest impact he had during this time was when he smashed a student's leg apart while playing for DC United in the MLS; he was sued for this horrendous challenge and eventually settled out of court.

In 2004, he took over as manager of the Bulgarian national team and over the next three years they failed to make any kind of progress until he was sacked in 2007.

One of the best players ever to play in Europe was also one of the most volatile, but was also one of the most generous.

Stoichkov played like a God, lived like a God...and fought like a Devil.

World Football: Heroes of 2010

The highs and lows of 2010 have been extreme to put it mildly. From gun toting separatists in Africa last January to an Octopus called Paul in June and possibly the greatest team of all time in November, 2010 has been a year to remember, or forget depending upon which team you follow.


Here, we look at some of the heroes of the last 12 months. Some stories have been covered by every media outlet under the sun and some have just slipped past their mighty radars.

However, each and every one is just as important as each other as they thread a careful weave through the labyrinthine tapestry that is the footballing year of 2010.

January’s Hero: Andres Iniesta

Most people on the list are there because of instances in 2010’s calendar year, not Andres Iniesta though.
Nine months on from Iniesta firing Barcelona into the Champions League final with a late winner against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge we have what is now known in the Catalan capital as “The Iniesta Generation.”

To put it mildly, Iniesta’s goal seemed to the main catalyst for a month of “celebrating.” The strike on May 2 was the first magical moment of a month that will last in many a Barca fans dreams…

They then went on to win La Liga and the Champions League.

While little Lionel Messi may have been the inspiration behind an incredible season, it would seem that Iniesta has become the inspiration for something entirely different…

A survey in the Catalan capital has revealed that birth rates are currently experiencing a 45 percent increase.
And strangely enough, it was around nine months since those monumental games took place…

February’s Hero: Glen Whelan

The vibrations from Ryan Shawcross’ bone juddering tackle on Aaron Ramsey still linger. Indeed, the promising midfielder has only just returned to action in a loan move to Nottingham Forest and as we stand it remains unclear as to whether he will get back into the Arsenal team in the near future.

On the night in question, Shawcross dived in recklessly and prematurely ended the Welsh youngster’s season. It was obvious to everyone watching that Ramsey was in some distress, some of his team mates namely captain Cesc Fabregas and the experienced Sol Campbell just roared at the referee, some even vomited, some just became involved in handbags type pushing with Stoke players.

The only man on the pitch to keep his cool during the entire maelstrom that followed was Stoke’s Glen Whelan.

The Irish midfielder immediately went over to Ramsey and comforted him while the medical team ran on.
It made a big impact on the budding Arsenal star as he singled Whelan out for special praise a few days later.

March’s Hero: Gergely Rudolf

Gergely Rudolf recently signed a four year deal with Genoa after leaving Debrechen on a free transfer. The highly rated 25-year-old striker was scouted by many teams from major leagues and could have gone for a lucrative transfer fee that his club could barely afford to do without.

April’s Hero: Jose Mourinho

April was the month that “the interpreter” came back to haunt his old club.
Over the two legs of their Champions League Semi Final tie against Barcelona, Inter Milan and Jose Mourinho showed that organisation and superb defence can and will out shine flamboyant superstars if given half a chance.

Inter raced into a 3-1 lead after the first leg in Milan with a supreme performance where they attacked and defended at precisely the right moments throughout the match. Then in the return leg in Barcelona they were cruelly reduced to ten men when Thiago Motta was wrongly adjudged to have elbowed Segi Busquets.
The resulting ten men behind the ball was a lesson in defending for the ages.

In the end it was a night where the right team went through but the aftermath of the game left a distinctly bad taste in the mouth.

May’s Hero: Shane Duffy

The 18-year-old Everton centre half was playing for an Irish developmental side when he clashed with the opposing goalkeeper following a corner.

Unbeknownst to anyone watching, Duffy had severely lacerated his kidney and was mere moments away from death. The FAI’s team surgeon came on expecting to treat the player for being winded but noticed that his blood pressure was dangerously low and immediately called an ambulance.

Duffy had lost over half of his body’s blood through the injury.

Following a number of operations, Duffy was expected to be out of action for over a year as his body recovered and few thought that he would ever return to the game.

However, the prodigious defender played a friendly for Everton against Sligo Rovers in August, just three months after incurring an injury that few people ever fully recover from.

The incident was described as “a freak injury and one we might never see in another 100 years of medicine…”

June’s Hero: Diego Maradona

You either loved him or you hated him but there is little doubt that Argentina were one of the great, if not only, entertaining teams of the early stages of the World Cup in South Africa.

Be he running over reporters that he did not see or cursing at television interviewers the entire football world tuned in to see Diego self destruct.

Instead, Argentina were good. They entertained and Maradona kicked every ball on the side line like he was playing the very match himself.

In the end his wild exuberance was overcome and cruelly exposed by German tactics but up until that stage they were almost everybody’s favourite team.

July’s Hero: Andres Iniesta

Two mentions in one year and neither for his phenomenal exploits on the football pitch!
Andres Iniesta gets a second mention in the 2010 hero list for his beautiful gesture following his World Cup winning goal.

On scoring, he wheeled away and took off his shirt revealing a message to the friends and family of Daniel Jarque, “Dani Jarque is always with us.”

Jarque, Iniesta’s best friend, died in August 2009 of Sudden Death Syndrome while training with Espanyol in Italy.

The goal was a just ending to a match that was almost destroyed by Holland’s shameful tactics and it was fitting that it was scored by Iniesta.

Augusts’ Hero: Craig Bellamy

The much maligned Welsh striker has had his fair share of ups and downs in football but even he must have been shocked at the speed he was drummed out at Manchester City at.

Particularly when you consider that he was easily the Citizen’s most influential player in the 2009/10 season.
City refused to do business with clubs that wanted him (Spurs, Villa, and Everton) and so poor Craig found himself being loaned out to Championship side Cardiff City.

On his first press conference for Dave Jones side, every journalist waited with baited breath to hear the fireworks go off.

But a very dignified Bellamy chose his words carefully and said that he understood what City had done and that his time at the club was an enjoyable one and that he had no ill feeling towards Roberto Mancini.

September’s Hero: The Champions League

The Cup with the big ears returned with a bang in September and washed away all those bad memories of the World Cup in one fell swoop.

Attacking football was the name of the day as teams actually went out to beat each other, unlike in South Africa.

During the first round of games in the World Cup group stages in South Africa, only 25 goals were scored across 16 matches.

Compare this to the Champions League this week, where an astonishing 44 goals were scored across 16 games.

Overall, there were 145 goals scored in the entire World Cup of 64 matches, an average of 2.26 goals per game.

The Champions League average sits at 2.75 goals per game at the moment, only half a goal per game in the difference.

But in terms of entertainment, enjoyment, and sheer enterprise, the club competition outstrips its senior counterpart in every way.

October’s Hero: Gareth Bale

Another Welshman and another flyer. The Tottenham Hotspur left sided midfielder has had an incredible 2010.

He only broke into the Spurs first XI in January because Benoit Assou-Ekotto was suspended and since then he hasn’t looked back.

His superb season probably hit its highest point in October when he scored a fantastic hat trick against Inter Milan at the San Siro in what was certainly one of the best individual performances of the calendar year.

He followed that impressive performance up two weeks later at White Hart Lane as the Champions League’s most exciting team literally tore Inter Milan apart.

November’s Hero: Barcelona

Pep Guardiola’s current Barcelona side are now what many people are calling the greatest team of all time.
Most certainly there has never been a team that play as attractive a brand of football.
 
November was an incredible month for football lovers everywhere, but particularly Barcelona football lovers.
The month didn’t start in the greatest of fashion as La Blaugrana eked out a 1-1 draw away to FC Copenhagen in the Champions League, but from there they did not look back.

Over the next 22 days they beat: Getafe 3-1 (a), Cueta 5-1 (h), Villareal 3-1 (h), Almeria 8-0 (a), Panathinikos 3-0 (a) before they destroyed their long time rivals Real Madrid 5-0 at the Nou Camp in what many feel is the greatest team performance of all time.

December’s Hero: Juan Roman Riquelme

At one stage in his career, Juan Roman Riquelme was regarded by many as the world’s best midfielder. Every team of stature in the game either tracked him or offered him riches beyond imagination to tempt him away from his beloved Villareal.

Now, at 32, the playmaker known as “the Lazy Magician” has returned to his homeland to play for Boca Juniors.

Since 2007 he has easily been the standout player in South America, guiding Boca to the Copa Libertadores in 2007, the Argentinian Primera Division Title in 2008, and the Recopa Sudamerica in 2008. He has also claimed individual honours during the same period so it came as no surprise to see big European sides begin to hover around Riquelme as 2009 drew to an end.

To fend off obvious bids for afar, Boca made Riquelme one of their highest paid players and gave him a new four year deal worth $5 million.

Then Riquelme got injured.

This season he only played one and a half games in the Apetura as he was out injured and in a show of good faith to Boca Juniors he refused to accept payment while he was out injured.

A nice touch from one of the games great professionals.

Barcelona Move For Cesc Fabregas and David Villa Leaving The Door Open For Arsenal To Move For Ibrahimovic or Toure

Barcelona are on the verge of a sensational double signing after the Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas told Arsene Wenger that he wanted to return to his spiritual home. The Catalan side have now opened talks with the adviser's of Fabregas and David Villa over proposed moves to the Nou Camp, while Barca also made it known that Zlatan Ibrahimovic has an escape clause in his contract if an English Premier League team places a bid for him.

The highly ambitious move to sign two of Spain's best players came mere hours after Barca claimed their 20th La Liga title with a record 99 points. It is believed the transfers were sparked byLa Blaugrana's exit from the Champions League at the hands of Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan side.

Ibrahimovic was widely criticised for his lack of effort in the Champions League games against Arsenal and Inter Milan where statisticians were able to point out that at the Emirates he ran for only 450m when the average is over 10,000m and that against Inter Milan Victor Valdes, the Barca 'keeper, actually ran further than the striker.

From then on, the giant Swede found himself on the bench and was little more than a spectator as La Blaugrana closed in on the title.

Ibrahimovic was supposed to be "Plan B" if their fluid passing game did not work. However, his shocking performances against Inter Milan left Pep Guardiola, Barcelona's manager, highly unhappy, especially as he had paid Samuel Eto'o plus £47 million for his strikers services.

This defeat to Inter has caused Guardiola to move quickly in an effort at re-building his team with winning the Champions League in mind.

When their backs were against the wall against the 10-men of Inter Milan Barcelona struggled to create anything of real note. Having been robbed of the sublime Andres Iniesta through injury all Inter Milan had to do was shut Xavi out of the game, with the Spanish international in shackles the supply route to Lionel Messi was effectively shut off.

Cesc Fabregas' signing would repair this immediately. The Arsenal midfielder weighed in with a highly impressive 19 goals and 19 assists before his season was ended with injury, somewhat ironically against Barcelona which could turn out to have been his last game in the red and white of the Gunners .

The ties between Fabregas and the Catalan side are well known and it is generally accepted that it is only a matter of time before he returns to the team where he began his career. Such is Fabregas' stock in Catalunia that the youth side he played for is still referred to as the dream team or class of '87.

Gerard Pique and Lionel Messi who have progressed to the first team are also noteworthy graduates from the conveyor belt at La Masia.

David Villa's move to the Camp Nou makes a lot of sense when you realise that Zlatan Ibrahimovic is unwanted by Guardiola. He is probably the best striker in the world at the moment and is one of the first names on the team sheet for Spain.

He was on the verge of a move away from Valencia last year but chose to stay and help the Mestalla based team to finish a highly impressive third in La Liga this season, and in effect has secured the financial future of the club.

The 28 year old has been in blistering form for Valencia over the last five seasons, scoring 108 goals in just 168 league games and is only moving into his prime now. At a believed £30 million he would be a far cheaper and better option than Barcelona's Plan B, the injury prone £50m rated Fernando Torres.

His signing will prompt Barca to offload Ibrahimovic. La Blaugrana have just announced that the Swede has an escape clause in his contract whereby he can be sold to a team in the English Premier League if they agree to pay a certain fee for the player, clubs in Italy or Germany would have to pay far more.

With that in mind, Ibrahimovic could become a pawn in the transfer of Fabregas if Barcelona can convince Arsene Wenger to take the striker.

It could be a good option for the Gunners who really struggled for goals when the injury prone Robin van Persie missed almost half the season with ankle problems.

The Dutch striker only averages 25 games a season at the Emirates and Wenger could look at the extra options Ibrahimovic could bring.

Marouane Chamakh will join the club on a free transfer from Bourdeaux, but he is more a right sided forward than the central figure the club require. Van Persie naturally drifts out to the left so a triumvirate with Ibrahimovic at it's centre could be highly attractive to Le Prof, especially if he is also given another £20million to £30 million for Fabregas. This would enable him to replace his captain immediately and with a player at almost the same standard.

However, the most likely situation to occur will be Barcelona offering Yaya Toure plus money for Fabregas' signature, but that could depend upon whether the Ivorian wants to leave or not.

The next couple of weeks will be crucial to Fabregas and Villa. Outgoing President Joan Laporta has told the fans he wishes to leave them a parting gift; Fabregas? The incoming candidates have all focused on either Villa or Torres as the centre piece of their campaigns and with Real Madrid expected to bring in a new manager, possibly Rafael Benitez , and spend another fortune La Blaugrana have made the first move.

The World Cup has yet to start and already the summer is shaping up to be one to remember.

Jose Mourinho Guides Inter Past Barcelona On A Bad Night For Football

Jose Mourinho, the man so laughably dismissed as little more than "an interpreter" by Barcelona has guided Inter Milan through to the Final of the UEFA Champions League after they beat La Blaugrana 3-2 on aggregate.

Following Inter Milan's superb performance last week when they beat Barcelona 3-1, Jose Mourinho brough his troops to battle in the cauldron that is the Camp Nou. In front of 100,000 baying fans, Inter produced one of the best defensive performances seen in years to deny Barca a place in the final.

Barcelona, Bunyodkor, Uzbekistan, and UNICEF

Amidst little fanfare in 2008, Barcelona announced a cooperative link up with an obscure team in Uzbekistan, Kuruvchi FC. It is a deal that has definitely benefited both clubs, but the commercial partnership has raised questions. Not least because the Uzbeki government has one of the worst records in the world for human rights violations, and that Barcelona are sponsored by UNICEF.

Initially the link up was on footballing grounds, with Kuruvchi players being allowed to train with and be trained by Barcelona players at Miniestadi during their winter break. The two clubs would then play a lucrative friendly before March 2010. Also, players such as Samuel Eto'o, Carles Puyol, and Andres Iniesta would travel to Tashkent, the capital, to cement the deal in the eyes of the media.



But who are Kuruvchi?

It might be news to many, but the club are now one of the world's richest teams, and are a powerhouse in Asian football, despite only being created in July 2005.

Initially when the club were created they were called Neftgazmontaj-Quruvchi, which was then shortened to Kuruvchi, which means "creator" in the Uzbek language. By 2008, The Swallows had won promotion twice and were playing in the highest league possible in Uzbekistan, the Uzbek Oliy League. In their first season in the Uzbek Premier League they won the double.

Shortly after the club changed their name to Bunyodkor and then announced a renewable yearly partnership deal with Barcelona. That season the club who had not existed a mere three years before made it to the semifinals of the Asian Champions League where they were eventually beaten by Australian outfit Adelaide United.

Bunyodkor then began to build a massive 15,000-seat stadium, where Barcelona President Joan Laporta planted the first brick in a huge PR exercise. Less than 18 months later and the club are on the verge of building a $150 million stadium, despite their 'old' stadium being only one year old.

With money being no obstacle, Bunyodkor began to attract some of the world's best players to enhance their growing reputation. Barcelona players Carles Puyol, Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, and Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas all received €1 million each to perform at a PR training school and to wear the Bunyodkor jersey for further publicity.

Not happy with just being linked with the games top stars through PR purposes, the club made an audacious bid to sign Samuel Eto'o and offered the Cameroonian star €25 million to play for club for just three months. He turned the deal down and chose to link up with Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan.

The club then moved to sign Rivaldo from AEK Athens . The 36-year-old will take home a reported $14 million for two years worth of his services. Zico then joined his fellow countryman for four months before he too was replaced with yet another wandering Brazilian, one Luiz Felipe Scolari . The World Cup winner had just been sacked by Chelsea and was looking for a new club.



Money Matters

How did a team rise from complete non-existence five years ago to become one of the richest clubs on the planet?

For this we have to go back to the name change of the club. When Kuruvchi were initially created they were representative of the local area. Seeing a glorious chance for international PR they changed their name, mid-season and without prior acknowledgement to anyone, to Bunyodkor, citing the main reason for this change as the club were no longer regional but national representatives.

The vice-president explained the economic expediency of the move this way:

“The number of sponsors and partners of the club has grown: it was four (official founders are Neftegezmontaj, UzGazOil , Gissarneftgaz and Kokdumalakgaz ), whereas now it has grown to 12. All these companies are involved in the creative sector of the country’s economy.”

That is why the club’s name was changed from “builder” to “creator”.

The badge of the club was changed during this stage too, to one almost identical to that of Barcelona's.

According to sources in Russia and Uzbekistan, the main money-men behind the club are Zeromax , and their alleged owner Gulnara Karimova . (wiki)

Gulnara Karimova is the daughter of Uzbekistan's President for life, Islam Karimov. Under his rule for the past 20 years, Uzbekistan has become one of the world's worst black-spots for human rights violations.



Human Rights

As recently as March 26 2010, Human Rights Watch found Uzbekistan's current record as being abysmal by international standards. During their study of the country, it was found that people were detained with impunity, that journalists and NGO's were regularly arrested simply because of their profession, and the use of torture and ill treatment was rampant.

The committee also raised the issue of child labour which is seen as being widespread throughout the country.

UNICEF , are the worlds leading child protection agency, and Barcelona's sponsor are heavily engaged in trying to bring about change in Uzbekistan.

During their studies on Uzbekistan it was found that unemployment is rife, almost 40 percent, and that the rate of children being left in orphanages to care for them is on the rise. Of these children roughly 10 percent are used for child labour like intensive cotton harvesting, while cases of child trafficking and child prostitution has also been reported.

It was also found during these studies by UNICEF and Human Rights Watch that the government were very lax when it came to applying international law for child labour.

Which brings us back to Bunyodkor and their alleged links with a government with a terrible human rights record.

There are many opponents to the regime in Uzbekistan. In 2009, Freedom House deemed Uzbekistan as being "the worst of the worst" in terms of civil rights abuses. While long time anti-Karimov campaigner Craig Murray has launched many scathing attacks on Uzbekistan's human rights abuses.

Murray was the British Ambassador to Uzbekistan between 2002 and 2004, before he was removed from his post after exposing civil rights abuses by the US funded Karimov government. His book Murder in Samarkand documented his two years in Tashkent and how the abuses and double standards employed by the British and American governments changed his beliefs and outlook on life. It will be released as a film in 2011.

In 2007, Murray wrote an article linking Alisher Usmanov with the Karimov government in Uzbekistan, and that he was the money behind both them and Gulnara. Since then "the hard man of Russia" has taken over a 25 percent stake in Arsenal FC.

When asked about Budyonkor's and Gulnara Karimova's rise, Murray had this to say.

"It's part of a campaign by the president to win popularity for his daughter. I hear that she will eventually replace him as president. The regime is trying to win popularity by the old-fashioned bread-and-circuses method."

To many political commentators she is seen as the only possible heir to her father, as she will be the only one able to protect both her and her father's assets and cronies.

Through pumping money into Bunyodkor, she has begun to change the face of the family and is seen as using the clubs supporters to gain credence for the governing political party that she is destined to take over.

The link up with Barcelona has certainly put Bunyodkor on the map.

It is somewhat ironic that Gulnara Karimova is now Uzbekistan's Ambassador to Spain, and this has fueled the speculation that she is considering buying RCD Mallorca.

Recently she held an auction with the donations set for various charities. During the sale she declared that she was representing UNICEF, something the organisation fiercely deny.

“UNICEF does not have any projects with Ms Karimova. We do not have any relations with Chopard,” the spokesperson said.

This did not put Karimova off, as she continued to declare UNICEF as her main sponsor.

In another event she enticed Sting to play in Uzbekistan for £1 million. When the British press found out about the event the singer was embarrassed into making an excuse. He used UNICEF as his shield. Something the organisation vehemently denied.

Gulnara also used Elton John for publicity during a visit to Los Angeles. The gay activist and AIDS campaigner was probably unaware that he was standing beside a representative of a government that would have jailed him for his sexuality and beliefs.

In 2006, Barcelona chose the moral high ground by letting UNICEF become the sponsor of their famous jersey. It was the first time in over 107 years that the club had allowed an emblem on their jersey.

At the time many cynical commentators alluded to Barcelona trying to tap into a new market by allowing the well known children's rights organisation sit proudly on their jersey.

"For the first time in our more than 107 years of history, our main soccer team will wear an emblem on the front of its shirt," said Joan Laporta the Barcelona president at a UNICEF executive committee meeting . "It will not be the brand name of a corporation.

"It will not be a commercial to promote some kind of business. It will be the logo of 'Unicef'. Through UNICEF, we, the people of FC Barcelona, the people of 'Barça', are very proud to donate our shirt to the children of the world who are our present, but especially are our future."

Barcelona have become involved with a team backed by an allegedly corrupt government, and one that has been accused of gross injustices, for a reported £5 million a year. While wearing the UNICEF logo, it would seem that Los Cules have many questions to answer.

Real Madrid and Barcelona Head Football's Rich List, Arsenal Up To Fifth

Manchester United have dropped out of the top two richest teams in the world for the first time as Spanish giants, Real Madrid and Barcelona, have established themselves as the new dominant financial forces in football.

Seven of the top 20 richest teams in the world are based in the English Premier League, but it now looks as if La Liga is where the real power lies.

Over the last 18 months, La Liga has seen itself attract some of the best talent in the world, some of it from the EPL, and become the new dominant league in Europe, and the world.

Rising tax rates in Britain combined with an ailing currency have become a vital ingredient in seeing Spain become the destination of choice for footballers.

Currently the high tax rate in Britain is 50 percent, meaning that half of everything a player earns goes directly to the government. While this has been going on in England, the Spanish government has reduced the tax rate for "foreign executives" down to an amazing 24 percent.

This in turn enables Spanish teams to attract bigger names and pay bigger wages. This then returns to the clubs through advertising and merchandise revenue streams making Spanish teams winners on every angle.

English football also has another cross to bear.

The current amount of debt the Premiership owes is £3.5billion.

Incredibly, that is 56 percent of all the debt owed by football teams in the whole of Europe. And £2billion of that total is owed by just four teams, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, and Liverpool.

Barcelona's rise on the list is due to their phenomenal success on the pitch over the last two seasons, and last year in particular.

In the 2009/10 season, Barcelona entered six competitions, and won every single trophy available. Something no other team in world football has ever matched before.

This has sent their annual income soaring above previous high levels.

Alan Switzer, director of Deloitte's sports business group, warned: "Real Madrid and Barcelona have created a clear revenue gap between themselves and their main competitors.

"They look set to contest the top two positions in the money league for the foreseeable future, particularly if the pound doesn't strengthen against the euro."

Dan Jones, a partner in Deloitte's sports business group, added: "Just like it was in Rome last May, Barcelona just proved too strong for United. Like other English clubs, United were impacted by the continued depreciation of sterling - and the scale of this is shown by the fact that, if exchange rates remained at their June 2007 level, they would be top of the money league table."

Real, whose new class of Galacticos include the £80million Cristiano Ronaldo, became the first club to generate more than €400 million of revenue in 2008-09.

Despite the drop seen by most Premiership clubs, Arsenal have replaced Chelsea as the fifth richest club in world football. Returning the favour for the Pensioners taking their place over the last couple of years.

This is quite remarkable especially when you consider that the Gunners are trophy-less for the past five seasons.

A prudent financial footing and a huge revenue creating stadium the main reasons why Arsenal have moved back up. However, the Gunners do have large debts hanging over them, although they look well placed to deal with them if they continue with their current policies.

In recent times speculation has begun to mount about an American consortium being interested in acquiring Arsenal. This rumour spread after Liam Brady resigned from his post as Assistant Manager to Giovani Trappatoni, the Irish national team manager.

Speculation is rife that Arsene Wenger was happy to let Brady double job, the Irishman is in an extremely important job at Arsenal as "Head of Youth Development", but that he was put under pressure by the board to resign as they did not want to be seen to be allowing an important member of staff to take his eye of the main job at hand.

Despite the top fours empires being built on massive debt, Jones believes leading English clubs are still well-placed to survive.

With speculation arising that the EPL will sign a £1 billion TV deal, Jones said: "While there has been much recent comment on the finances of English clubs, we believe problems are experienced at the very highest level are more likely to be a result of mismanagement, weak cost control or a lack of credit than any problems with revenue generation."

How will Premier League teams survive their massive debt strains and still be competitive in Europe is something that will occupy the minds of many owners and chairmen over the next couple of years.

Already, the league has proposed a "39th game" which would be played outside England in the hope of each Premiership team being allowed to generate millions as cities bid to have certain teams play there.

That idea was scrapped but another has surfaced in it's place. A set of playoffs between the four teams who finished from fourth to seventh, allowing the winner to play in the Champions League.

As these playoffs would be outside a normal season they could be brought abroad to the highest bidder...

Either way, the EPL has some way to go to gain on La Liga, whilst Serie A is in real danger of becoming a mid-tier league in Europe.

The pressure is on for all European teams in Serie A. The league faces losing it's coveted fourth Champions League place next year unless an Italian team wins in Europa and every German team gets knocked out in the current rounds of competition.

Given the strong cases being built by Bundesliga teams, that looks a distant prospect.

The power in football is currently residing in Spain, it will stay there for some time until it finds a new lover, expect the new mistress in the coming years to speak German, the Bundesliga is a league on the up.



The Top 20 Rich List:

Position Club Revenue (£m)

1 (1) Real Madrid 341.9

2 (3) FC Barcelona 311.7

3 (2) Manchester United 278.5

4 (4) Bayern Munich 246.6

5 (6) Arsenal 224.0

6 (5) Chelsea 206.4

7 (8) Liverpool 184.8

8 (11) Juventus 173.1

9 (10) Internazionale 167.4

10 (7) AC Milan 167.4

11 (15) Hamburger SV 124.9

12 (9) AS Roma 124.7

13 (12) Olympique Lyonnais 118.9

14 (16) Olympique de Marseille 113.5

15 (14) Tottenham Hotspur 113.0

16 (13) Schalke 04 106.0

17 (n/a) Werder Bremen 97.7

18 (20) Borussia Dortmund 88.1

19 (n/a) Manchester City 87.0

20 (17) Newcastle United 86.0

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