Scandals, violence and, even worse... innocent people killed. This is the sad state of 21st century for Italian football.

Some 500 years ago, peasants, vagabonds, ill-mannered and uneducated, ignorant people began a movement which would evolve into the modern game. It seems like half a millennium later the same people are trying their best to end football, well at least for Italians anyway.

The shooting of a Lazio fan is the latest in a long list of shameful incidents which have plagued the Italian game. The Italian football authorities still try to cover up the mess which has seen Calcio being shunned and laughed upon by the world.

What the Italians have to realise is that World Cup and Champions League victories will not wipe away a tarnished image and replace it with a shiny one. Everyone associated with Calcio - the clubs, the authorities and the fans have to wake up and face the reality.

The president of the Italian F.A, Giancarlo Abete, described the tragic events on Sunday as “nothing to do with the sport.” It’s pig headed arrogance like this which explains why the Italian game will never manage to climb out of the cess pit.

When fans and policemen are killed because of football-related violence then it has everything to do with the sport but, of course, Abete will never admit to this. It is because of poor rules and regulations that incidents like this happen.

In April a new list of rules were implemented to help eradicate the “violenza negli stadi.” The new rules were made, after Italian policeman, Filippo Raciti, was killed during the Sicilian riots, back in Feburary.  Apart from the tragic shooting that day, the world witnessed the game between Atalanta and AC Milan being abandoned because the so called "Ultras" insisted the game should be called off in respect of the Lazio fan, Gabriele Sandri, a 26-year-old disc jockey, who was sadly killed.

Later in the evening there was chaos in Rome as property was destroyed and scores of vehicles burnt by hundreds of Roma and Lazio fans who wanted to show solidarity with Sandri.

One could argue that this is fair enough but it shows that really, the people who have the power in Italian football are the Ultras, and not Mr. Abete and the Italian football authorities.

One of the rules stated that clubs should break all ties with the Ultras, and violent fans would be banned from Italian stadiums - however every Sunday around Italy we see Ultras taking part – these are the people who are supposed to be banned from the stadia.

Yes there are people out there who don’t care about the game and are hell bent on causing trouble in grounds around Italy. But one asks the question: why are they still allowed in following decades of violence which continue to affect Calcio?

As we saw on Sunday the Ultras seem to be winning the Calcio battle. Sadly it seems as if they are the ones who have the powers which influence the Italian game, and this isn’t a new thing, it’s been like this for years.

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 Image: Both, players and security officials try to stop fans from breaking the glass barrier of the Stadio Atleti Azzuri d'Italia, during the Atalanta-Milan match.

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The sad reality is we will never see a trouble-free Calcio while the Ultras continue to dictate how football should be run in Italy.

In the end this will just cause people to stay indoors and watch football on the television. And who can blame them?

Here is a list of people who have died in the past 30 years in Italy due to domestic football violence, mostly involving Ultras:  

28, October 1979: Lazio fan Vincenzo Paparelli (33) died during the derby against AS Roma after being hit by a missile fired by a Roma Ultra. 

22, March 1982: Roma fan Andrea Vitone (14) died in a train fire after Roma Ultras had set a carriage on fire following a defeat to Bologna.

8, February 1984: After clashes between Udinese and Triestina supporters, Sandro Furlan was arrested and questioned by police. He was released but then fell into a coma and died three weeks later. 

30, September 1984: Milan fan Marco Fonghessi died after being stabbed by another Milan supporter. The murderer thought Fonghessi was a Cremonese fan. 

7, December 1986: Sambenedettese fan Giuseppe Tomasetti died after being stabbed with a knife.

9, October 1988: Ascoli fan Nazzareno Filippini, 32, died eight days after being attacked by four Inter Ultras.  

18, June 1989: Fiorentina Ultras throw a Molotov Cocktail into a car with travelling Bologna supporters. Nobody dies, but a 14-year-old is left with horrific and permanent facial disfigurement.  

10, January 1993: A 22-year-old throws himself off a train after being attacked by four Messina Ultras and dies. 

29, January 1995: Genoa fan Vincenzo Spagnolo (25) died after being stabbed by a Milan fan outside the Marassi-Stadium. The match was aborted at halftime. 

17, June 2001: Messina-Fan Antonio Curro died due to a self-made bomb that exploded during the Sicilian derby against Catania. 

20, September 2003: Napoli fan Sergio Ercolano (20) died during clashes in the derby match against Avellino. 

27, January 2007: Club-Manager Ermanno Licursi from Sammartinese died because during fan clashes. He died trying to divide both fan-groups. 

2, February 2007: Policeman Filippo Raciti (38) died after a blunt stone was thrown into his car during the derby between Catania Calcio and US Palermo. 

And now... 11, November 2007: Lazio-Fan Gabriele Sandri (26) dies.

When is all this violence and murder going to end and who can stop it? 

What are your views on this topic?

Ronald Koeman has agreed to become the new coach of Valencia and will officially sign a two-and-a-half year deal this week, according to reports in Spain.

The Dutchman has, reportedly, reached an agreement with Los Ché after a quick round of negotiations and will replace Quique Sánchez Flores at La Mestalla.

Valencia approached PSV about talking to Koeman, who had a contract with the Dutch giants until 2008, and were given permission to make their offer.

                    

After accepting the contract laid out by the Spaniards, Koeman will take over until the summer of 2010 with the remit of challenging for silverware and playing entertaining football.

Flores was sacked in the early hours of Monday morning after Valencia slumped to a 3-0 defeat against Sevilla, which followed a number of tepid displays already this term.

Speculation over his successor was rife with José Mourinho, Fabio Capello, Marcelo Lippi, Vicente Del Bosque, Didier Deschamps and Luiz Felipe Scolari, all being mentioned.

Koeman's name only cropped up in the press on Wednesday morning and by then talks between Valencia and the trainer were already close to a conclusion.

The other big names in the frame had almost all ruled themselves out, although it now appears doubtful that any of them were formally approached.

After working as Louis Van Gaal's assistant at Barcelona for 2 years, Koeman moved out on his own and guided Ajax to the Dutch Eredivisie title in 2002, along with the Dutch Super Cup, in the same year. Then, he went on to win the Dutch league again, in 2004. After that, he had moved to PSV Eindhoven and had won the championship last term.

                                             
 
He also won the Portuguese Super Cup during a brief stint as coach of Benfica.

This year, just like years past, the French magazine, France Football, has come up with a list of over 50 players. All of these players have a chance at winning the most prestigious (individual) award in Europe... the Ballon d'Or (Golden Ball). Internationally, France has the most nominees, with 11 Frenchmen making the cut. At club level, FC Barcelona and AC Milan both have the most, each with 6 players on the list. Out of all 50, who do you think deserves this award the most?

Click here to see all of the nominees.

There are many great rivalries throughout the world of football. Barcelona v. Real Madrid, Celtic v. Rangers, Arsenal v. Manchester United, etc. The list goes on and on and on. Most of the world's biggest and most popular, are in Europe, but there are many intense rivalries in South America, North America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania, as well. There are way too many rivalries and local derbies to name, so what I want to discuss is... which rivaly, throughout the world, is the biggest and most fierce? 

Click here to see ALL of the rivalries in club and international football.

Today, Wednesday, October 10th, 2007, a list of players have been released by FIFA. Over 30 players are on the list. Every single one of them, are up for the biggest award an individual footballer can win... the FIFA World Player of the Year award. Here is the list of the 30 players, that can win this glorious award:

Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus FC - Italy)
Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid CF - Italy)
Petr Čech (Chelsea FC - Czech Republic)
Deco (FC Barcelona - Portugal)
Didier Drogba  (Chelsea FC - Cote d'Iviore)
Michael Essien (Chelsea FC - Ghana)
Samuel Eto'o (FC Barcelona - Cameroon)
Gennaro Gattuso  (AC Milan - Italy)
Steven Gerrard (Liverpool FC - England)
Thierry Henry (FC Barcelona - France)
Juninho (Olympique Lyonnais - Brazil)
Kaká (AC Milan - Brazil)
Miroslav Klose (FC Bayern Munich - Germany)
Philipp Lahm (FC Bayern Munich - Germany)
Frank Lampard  (Chelsea FC - England)
Rafael Márquez (FC Barcelona - Mexico)
Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona - Argentina)
Alessandro Nesta (AC Milan - Italy)
Andrea Pirlo (AC Milan - Italy)
Franck Ribéry (FC Bayen Munich - France)
Juan Román Riquelme (Villarreal CF - Argentina)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United FC - Portugal)
Ronaldinho (FC Barcelona - Brazil)
Wayne Rooney (Manchester United FC - England)
John Terry  (Chelsea FC - England)
Carlos Tévez (Manchester United FC - Argentina)
Lilian Thuram (FC Barcelona - France)
Fernando Torres (Liverpool FC - Spain)
Ruud Van Nistelrooy (Real Madrid CF - Netherlands)
Patrick Vieira (FC Internazionale Milano - France)

What does managers, trainers, support personnel, 30+ leagues and 15,000 players have in common?

They are all part of the 20% extra you get in this year’s FIFA Soccer 2008. Don’t worry EA Sports FIFA Soccer 2008 is the American title. Basically, everywhere else, it will still be FIFA Football 2008. We all know there can be only one football!

The Shot

The FIFA series is improving with every release and it is no different this year. In the previous version we’ve seen an improvement in ball movement and player animation. The focus in 08 is - the shot. The difference between success and failure of a shot will depend on air resistance, backspin, player skill and the force you apply to the ball. Now you can expect to see different shots from the player’s foot depending on the situation. If you are dribbling at full speed it will be tougher to score if you just stop, turn and shoot the ball, where as a player that has a wide open straight lane to the net, will find it easier. The player dribbling at full speed will have his shooting meter fill up faster, than the player moving slowly, but again it all depends on the player’s skills. In other words - tougher shots will fill up the meter faster.

Be a Pro

A new feature in the series, is the “Be a Pro” mode. Some people might already know it from the NFL-series (Superstar mode). You will play the position of any one player from striker to sweeper during the entire match. You are responsible for his assignments and roles, with helpful arrows on the pitch, that shows you, your area of responsibility and which members of the opposite team you’re assigned to mark. The camera will follow you on the pitch, with the Gears of War-inspired chase cam, when you break into full sprint with the ball. At halftime you get feedback on your progress and you’ll be ranked at the end of the match depending on how much you contributed. This is tied in to the Xbox360 achievement system.

The “Be a Pro” mode is only available offline, but in a few years, it is EA Sports’ goal of having 11 different people, from anywhere in the world, play 11 different people from another part of the world, online!!

What else is new?

The trick system is improved. FIFA 08 has borrowed a bit from NBA Street HomeCourt, but do not expect any un-realistic double backflips and a scissor kick. As previously mentioned there is a new camera angle, inspired by the Gears-of-War’s chase cam, every time you sprint. Running at top speed will also make you less agile and skillful. Of course, the player detail is improved, yet again. In FIFA 07, Wayne Rooney looked more like Shrek, than what he does in real life. In 08, Wayne Rooney looks like Wayne Rooney.

Also, there are supposed to be 30 leagues confirmed in the game. In FIFA 07, there was only 27. The FAI Premier League of Ireland, has already been established in FIFA 08. So, what are the other three? Rumour has it, that the Australian A-league and Czech Gambrinus League will be the other two new ones. This has sparked a lively discussion on many forums, since a lot of FIFA fans believe their local league belongs in the FIFA series. Especially, the South Americans. They really hoped the Argentinian league would be featured in FIFA 08. They argue that the English Football League One and Two should be removed and replaced by the Argentinian and the Chilean football leagues.

But, as always expect FIFA 2008 to be out before Christmas. It is scheduled to be released this fall for all platforms, Xbox360, Nintendo Wii and DS, Playstation 2 and 3, PSP and PC.

If you want to know more, then please visit FIFA 2008 News to get the latest news.

      Most of you won't care about this, but my question to everyone is simple. It is not a big signing, but with Ludovic Giuly's departure from FC Barcelona of Spain to AS Roma of Italy, do you think that Giuly will be a great asset for the Romans and help them win more trophies OR do you feel that some other club in Europe will still put 7 (goals) on them again?

Ludovic Giuly, when he first arrived and was presented as a Barcelona player.

AS Roma Logo

          This seaon in the UEFA Champions League, we are bound to see some great match-ups between some of the best clubs in the world. With a fully reloaded Bayern Munich squad in the UEFA Cup, we will see teams such as, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Sevilla, Stuttgart, Celtic, and Manchester United, all competing to be the best team in Europe. But, only 2 teams, will make it to the Champions League Final, which will be played, for the first time, in Moscow, Russia. With all the big European clubs strengthening their squads for the upcoming seasons, there is no doubt that this will be one of the best European Cup tournaments in the history of UEFA.

           To give you an example, English Premier League champions, Manchester United have added players such as, Portuguese winger, Nani and Brazilian striker Anderson, both signing from FC Porto, while EPL runners-up, Chelsea have signed the frenchman, Florent Malouda from Olympique Lyonnais. Spanish Primera champions, Real Madrid, have strengthened their team with the signing of Christoph Metzelder from Borussia Dortmund and Argentina striker, Javier Saviola, coming in from their hated rivals, Barcelona.

          Probably the biggest transfers of the off-season, were made by Atletico Madrid, Liverpool, and Barcelona. The Atleti have added Uruguayan striker, Diego Forlan and Spanish striker, Luis Garcia (formally of Liverpool), to name a few. While 5 time European champs, Liverpool, have pumped up their team, by adding Andriy Voronin of the Ukraine, Ryan Babel of the Netherlands, and "The Child", Fernando Torres of Spain.

         But, the biggest shock signing of the summer, to me, goes to Barcelona. Their signing of the French phenom, Thierry Henry, shook the foundations of the footballing world and made all Arsenal fans look twice at the newspaper they were reading. Along with Henry, comes his French team-mate, defender, Eric Abidal, Argentine defender, Gabriel Milito, and Ivorian midfielder, Yaya Toure.

        With all the big changes to Europe's biggest and best clubs, this season's UEFA Champions League, promises to be one for the ages. The draw for the Champions League group stage, will be held on August 30th. And the first Matchday of the group stages will be played on either August, the 18th or the 19th. I certainly hope, that this will be a great Champions League season and that some beautiful football wil be played throughout the tournament.

       My dream match would be Barcelona v. Manchester United. How about you? What's your favorite dream match?