CORNER KICKS
Five things happenings around the world:
1. Of the 53 international matches to be played worldwide this weekend, the potentially most interesting is Italy’s Euro 2008 qualifying game against France in Milan on Saturday.
It is a repeat of last summer’s World Cup final in Berlin, which the French lost on penalty kicks after having midfielder Zinedine Zidane sent off for head-butting Marco Materazzi when the Italian defender made a less-than-complimentary remark about Zidane’s sister.
Zidane has since retired and Materazzi also will miss the match between the 1998 and 2006 world champions while recovering from surgery on an injured thigh.
This week, Materazzi launches a book, “Life of a Warrior,” in which he bemoans the “six stupid words” he used in provoking Zidane. “I made a mistake, but Zidane also made a mistake in reacting the way he did,” Materazzi wrote.
2. The United States plays Brazil in a friendly at Soldier Field in Chicago on Sunday, the most compelling part of which will be to see just how midfielders Pablo Mastroeni and Michael Bradley intend to contain the likes of Ronaldinho and Kaka.
Coach Bob Bradley’s roster includes two players who have never played for the full national team: forward Davy Arnaud of the Kansas City Wizards and goalkeeper Chris Seitz of Real Salt Lake.
3. The previously announced re-launch of a women’s professional soccer league in the U.S. has been postponed from 2008 to 2009. Los Angeles is one of seven cities scheduled to be part of the league, newly appointed Commissioner Tonya Antonucci said Tuesday.
4. Soccer teams in England spent a record $1 billion on new players during the off-season, according to a report released Tuesday by the financial firm of Deloitte and Touche.
The reports said 12 of the 20 Premier League clubs spent more than $40 million, led by Manchester United ($103 million), Liverpool ($101 million) and Tottenham Hotspur ($80 million).
5. Mexico Coach Hugo Sanchez has cracked the whip ahead of friendly matches against Panama and Brazil and said those selected to play for the Tricolor must fall in line.
“The players who are picked are not in the future going to dare say that they need holidays or are tired or are not feeling good emotionally,” Sanchez said. “This is not going to happen from now on, and everyone is aware of this.”
But Mexico defender Ricardo Osorio of German champion VfB Stuttgart told Mexico’s La Aficion newspaper that he doesn’t see it that way.
“People have to be aware that we are not children,” he said. “We’re adults, and they can’t do this. . . . Some directors think we have to give explanations, but, for my part, I don’t owe explanations. After all, it’s the club that pays me.”
