RealClearSports
Advertisement

RealClearSports World Soccer

Tevez Apology Is an Empty Gesture

Ian Chadband, Telegraph

'Team Great Britain' for Olympics a Farce

Clemente Lisi, RealClearSports

Can Barca Snap Out of Its Crisis?

Theodore Furchtgott, RealClearSports

Sorry always seems to be the hardest word. It took Carlos Tévez 147 days to spit it out but eventually he did soon Tuesday night after all those long, tiresome winter weeks ...(full article)

Andre Villas-Boas could be facing last-chance saloon when Chelsea face Napoli on Tuesday evening, so maybe it is time for his players to stop moaning, end the factions and perform ...(full article)

Rooting for one’s homeland is the best part of international soccer. But what if your country didn’t have a team? That is exactly the problem the United Kingdom has encountered...(full article)

Barcelona is in a crisis, but for some reason, nobody wants to admit it. The club’s fans, along with the pro-Barcelona Catalan sports press, are always the first ones to po...(full article)

There have been some indignities visited upon Arsene Wenger this season, not least those eight goals conceded at Old Trafford, but being annihilated by Milan at the San Siro las...(full article)

More Recent Articles

Brighton's Errors Benefit Liverpool

A hat-trick of own goals from Brighton in a game where the worst tackle arrived from a middle-aged male streaker in stoppage time enabled Liverpool to move serenely into the FA C...

Chelsea Expected to Drop Torres

André Villas-Boas is expected to drop Fernando Torres for Chelsea's Champions League tie at Napoli after warning the striker he will not alter the team's shape or strateg...

Messi Scores 4 as Barca Cruises

Barcelona extended the gap between itself and Valencia to 11 points in La Liga with an impressive 5-1 victory over Unai Emery's side at Camp Nou this evening thanks to an unbel...

Chelsea Faces Turmoil After Draw

A defiant André Villas-Boas claimed Roman Abramovich's support was "unconditional" despite Chelsea being held to an insipid 1–1 draw by Birmingham City in the FA Cup f...

2 Cup Losses in Week for Arsenal

Arsène Wenger was in dignified yet defiant mode as he found himself caught in the eye of a gathering storm at the end of one of his worst weeks as Arsenal's manager. Three...

Arsenal Considers Major Shake-Up

Wenger was genuinely shocked by Wednesday’s match and, having publicly savaged the performance of his team, there was also a 'clear the air’ meeting at Arsenal's tr...

Wenger, Arsenal Living in the Past

Arsène Wenger should really have consigned to history the brilliant victory scored in San Siro back when Cesc Fabregas was still the young presiding genius. So much has ...

Man City Shouldn't Forgive Tevez

Now that the Suarez affair has dragged football into ultimate ignominy – the worry of a bank that its image is being tarnished by association with Liverpool Football Club ...

Rangers Teetering on Brink

In these days of financial fair play, we're accustomed to reading about the threat of administration for small, struggling clubs such as Portsmouth, the one Harry Redknapp, your ...

Tevez Takes Swipe at Mancini

Manchester City officials are ready to forgive Carlos Tevez for his misdemeanours and begin the process of integrating him back into Roberto Mancini's squad when he returns from A...

Liverpool Owners Have Clipped Dalglish's Wings

The spiritual grandeur of the Shankly years preceded the Bob Paisley-Joe Fagan era in which Dalglish achieved immortality as a player. If this template was still in his head...

Wolverhampton Fires McCarthy

Wolverhampton Wanderers fired manager Mick McCarthy on Monday, a day after a humiliating drubbing by its local rival left the club fighting to preserve its English Premier League...

10 MLS Preseason Storylines

Major League Soccer teams once scattered across the continents to optimize preseason training. But new facilities and tournaments in Florida and Arizona are providing the goods n...

Zambia's Emotional Path to Victory

Some things are meant to be. After Sunday night turned into Monday morning, and Zambia was crowned the champion of African soccer, the team’s coach, Hervé Renard, had...

Soccer Still More Than a Game in Egypt

The violence that took more than 70 lives at a recent soccer match in Port Said, Egypt, between local team Al-Masry and top-of-the-table rival Al-Ahly sadly demonstrates that ten...

History, Emotion Mark Zambia's African Cup Title

On a rainy afternoon in Libreville, Gabon, the Chipolopolo had some demons to exorcise. Playing just miles from the spot where what is generally considered Zambia's best soccer s...

Old Rivalry Reignites in Serie A

With three months left in the Italian soccer season, two of the country’s most-popular clubs – Juventus and AC Milan – are the ones vying for the title. Traditional foes, t...

Apology Only a Start for Suarez, Liverpool

When finally it did come yesterday, the apology from Luis Suarez was not directed to Patrice Evra in person but was offered rather more for the manner in which his actions befor...

Suarez's Liverpool Future in Doubt

Luis Suárez's future at Liverpool has been placed in doubt after the contrition the club has been accused of lacking throughout his dispute with Patrice Evra emerged in an ...

Man U's Stirring Win Marred by Handshake Flap

Sir Alex Ferguson branded Luis Suárez "a disgrace to Liverpool Football Club" and said he should never be allowed to play for them again after a toxic 2-1 win for Manchester Unite...

Man City Back on Top of EPL

Manchester City returned to the top of the Premier League table thanks to a Joleon Lescott goal as it defeated Aston Villa 1-0 at Villa Park.Lescott was left unmarked in the six-...

Zambia Wins African Cup on PKs

Zambia won the African Cup of Nations Sunday, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a nerve-racking final at Stade de l'Amitie. Stophira Sunzu scored th...

Ronaldo's Hat Trick Sparks Madrid

Cristiano Ronaldo's hat trick edged Real Madrid closer to the Primera Division title after his heroics helped the league leader to a 4-2 victory over Levante, and opened up a 10-po...

Klinsmann Remaking Soccer the American Way

He could easily lean back in his seat, relax and let the film speak for itself. It is a documentary about the Panama Canal, its history and construction -- a project the Americans...

Morgan's 2 Goals Lift U.S. Women

Alex Morgan tied it in the 88th minute and added the winner just before the final whistle in stoppage time to give the U.S. women's soccer team a dramatic 2-1 victory...

Who Should Be Next English Manager?

Now what? The Football Association, English soccer’s governing body, has a dilemma. On Friday, it appointed Stuart Pearce, the Under-21 coach, as caretaker manager. But finding...

Global Sponsorships Flow to Soccer

Soccer attracts more corporate money than any other sport on the planet in a growing global sponsorship market worth more than $40 billion a year. “It's a no-brainer,&rdqu...

African Cup to End Compellingly

Whichever country captures the African Cup of Nations in Libreville, Gabon, this weekend, the human story will be remarkable, even by African standards. If Zambia, the complete o...

Henry WIns It in EPL Finale

Arsenal legend Thierry Henry bade farewell to the Premier League in fairytale fashion with a 90th minute winner as the Gunners came from behind to beat Sunderland 2-1. Substitute H...

Man U Tops Liverpool, Now in 1st

On a day when a pre-match handshake took on the form of a two-fingered salute, Manchester United reclaiming top spot of the Premier League courtesy of a Wayne Rooney double ...

Bradley Stands in Unison With Egyptians

It was nearly 1 a.m. Cairo time last Friday when Bob Bradley called. If you're the Egyptian national soccer coach, as Bradley has been since last September, lack of sleep is unde...

Is Major League Soccer Falling Behind?

When the Los Angeles Galaxy won the 2011 Major League Soccer Cup, many experts predicted it was the beginning of a new era for the league. The club's three Designated Players - ...

Man U Must Be Wary of Kuyt

It is in keeping with much of his Anfield career that Kuyt is seen as playing a supporting role in someone else’s narrative, but he is just as likely to assume centre ...

February Unkind to Ibrahimovic

Any purchase of Zlatan Ibrahimovic comes with two guarantees: one, your team will win the league, and two, he will hit an awful patch of form in February. The Swede has won eight...

Redknapp Favorite for England Job

Harry Redknapp is the overwhelming favourite to replace Fabio Capello as England's next manager after the Italian resigned because of the breakdown in his relationship with the F...

Capello Never Really Got English Football

Fabio Capello never bothered to learn much English, or much about England. His £6m a year was not enough to interest him greatly in the culture of the country whose national gam...

Riots May Have Revived Revolution in Egypt

There are no words for the horror that took place in Port Said, Egypt last week. A soccer match became a killing field, with at least seventy-four spectators dead, and as man...

Soccer Dissolving Into Inhumanity

For the past few weeks in this space I have been wondering why there is such a lack of human decency and lack of care for the human condition within our damaged sport. I have lar...

England Dissolving into Dysfunction Yet Again

Those of us who celebrated so enthusiastically the appointment of Fabio Capello had one moment of sadly fleeting vindication. It came in Zagreb when it was as though the authori...

5 Candidates for England Captaincy

Gerrard is the clear-cut favorite to replace Terry as England's newest captain. Currently Liverpool's leader and main inspiration, Gerrard is the perfect choice to take the armba...

Suarez Earns Yellow Card

"Por fin llegó el día" was the message Luis Suárez had posted on his Twitter account. "Finally the day came," it translated. This was his first game back sin...

FA Wrong to Meddle in Terry Affair

John Terry, who is almost as adept at dodging controversy as England is at winning the World Cup, has been stripped of his captaincy of the English national team for racially abusi...

Suarez Must Let His Game Do the Talking

At Anfield, Suárez is a hero and, as such, he will be afforded a hero’s welcome if he plays against Tottenham. But away from home, the opposition supporters will single hi...

African Soccer's Week of Elation, Sorrow

Over the past few weeks we’ve witnessed the good and bad side of African soccer. The good side has been the African Cup of Nations, a riveting tournament loaded with shock resu...

Ghana, Ivory Coast Set to Collide

Thoughts on the winners from the African Cup of Nations quarterfinals: 1. Ivory Coast (beat Equatorial Guinea 3-0). Ivory Coast, meanwhile, continues a progress that has come to se...

3rd-Party Ploy Making Soccer Squirm

They call it third-party ownership, and to its proponents, it's no more harmful than owning a share in a thoroughbred or any other company. You pay a certain amount here and now ...

Ferguson: City, Spurs Our Rivals

Sir Alex Ferguson is used to new challenges. In Manchester United's two decades at the top he has experienced intense title rivalry with Arsenal and then Chelsea, though now it ap...

Senegal's Cisse Lifts Newcastle

Papiss Demba Cisse announced his arrival in English football with a stunning debut goal as Newcastle edged past Aston Villa.   The 26-year-old Senegal striker thumped a 71st-m...

Man City Shuts Out Fulham

Manchester City continued its 100 percent Premier League record at the Etihad Stadium this season, recording a comfortable 3-0 win over Fulham.A Sergio Aguero penalty and Chris Ba...

Super Bowl Parallels on the Pitch

Chelsea takes on Manchester United in a massive Barclays Premier League clash airing live on FOX before the Super Bowl (check your local listings; the national telecast begins at...

Arsenal Steamrolls Blackburn

Mutiny? What mutiny? For a change, Arsène Wenger was surrounded by nothing but jovial faces as his team, and their supporters, remembered what it is like to thoroughly enj...

Rooney, Man U Rally, Tie Chelsea

Wayne Rooney claimed Manchester United's stunning late comeback at Chelsea could have yielded the unlikely point that wins them the Premier League title. United, already behind to...

Soccer Tragedy Hits Ex-U.S. Coach Hard

Bob Bradley was a history major at Princeton and intrigued by international relations, so part of the appeal of taking over as head coach of the Egyptian national soccer team las...

Transfer Window: Much Ado About Nothing

This year’s January transfer window looks set to become the sporting non-event of the year, with a series of failed deals and botched negotiations becoming a celebration of the...

Capello 'Furious' Over Terry Decision

The end came at 10am yesterday morning when David Bernstein, chairman of the Football Association, rang John Terry to inform him he was being stripped of the England captaincy. ...

FIFA Must Act to Prevent Future Violence

No rivalry, however stoked to fever pitch by national events, should be allowed to descend into the darkness of stampedes, violence, stone-throwing and chasing opposing fans...

Many Blame Military for Egypt Soccer Riots

The riot refocused attention on the failure of the transitional government to re-establish a sense of order and stability in the streets and threatened to provoke a new crisis fo...

Riots Put Bradley in Tough Spot

Bob Bradley, the former U.S. national team coach who is blazing a unique trail as the manager of Egypt’s national team, attended a Thursday rally in Cairo with his wife, Li...

Violence Erupts After Egyptian Soccer Match

Egypt deployed troops in the northern city of Port Said after deadly clashes following a football match killed 74 people. "Egypt's army has deployed troops in Port Said to prevent ...

Donovan's Hot Streak Continues

Landon Donovan’s remarkable run at Everton continued Tuesday as he set up the only goal in a 1-0 triumph over English Premier League leaders Manchester City. The assist was...

Arsenal's Wenger Undeserving of Criticism

Write this date down, folks. You won’t read many columns like this from me. Just not my style. Right now though, some words have to be said and they’re going to be, a...

Dalglish Denies Rift With Carroll

Kenny Dalglish has denied Liverpool's interest in Carlos Tevez has created a problem between the club and Andy Carroll and said his faith in the squad means there should be no repe...

Terry to Remain as Chelsea Captain

John Terry will captain Chelsea against Swansea City on Tuesday, despite facing a magistrates' hearing on Wednesday into allegations he racially abused Anton Ferdinand. The Eng...

AC Milan Shuts Out Cagliari

The Rossoneri earned a valuable three points as they overcame an impotent Rossoblu side at home in a 3-0 triumph.Zlatan Ibrahimovic opened the scoring with a wonderfully struck fr...

Man City Nixes Carroll-Tevez Swap

Liverpool have made a remarkable bid to swap Andy Carroll with Carlos Tevez and move on their club-record £35m signing not even a year after signing him from Newcastle United...

Carroll Wants to Stay With Liverpool

Andy Carroll has said he has no desire to leave Liverpool after the club tried to exchange him for Manchester City's Carlos Tevez only a year after his £35m arrival from Newc...

Van Persie, Arsenal Top Aston Villa

So now we know. If you wish to substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, you do it with two minutes to go, with your team in the lead, and you bring on Thierry Henry. Signal joyou...

Man U Eliminated From FA Cup

Liverpool edged past Manchester United 2-1 to secure a place in the fifth round of the FA Cup thanks to Dirk Kuyt's late winning goal.Daniel Agger opened the scoring for the Reds,...

Will Ferguson Fix What Ails Man U?

England’s most famous and passionate rivalry will be reignited this weekend when Liverpool hosts Manchester United. It is the contest between England’s two most successful te...

Olympic-Bound U.S. Women Breathe Easily

It was halftime of the United States-Costa Rica Olympic qualifying match Friday night at B.C. Place, a game that the Americans could not lose if they wanted to reach this summer'...

Pressure Building for Klinsmann, U.S.

Jurgen Klinsmann couldn't have been more relaxed as he sat poolside in the warm Central American sun speaking with the three traveling reporters who made the journey to cover the...

International Players Starring in EPL

There is a new breed of star in the EPL these days. He's a combination of strength, determination and technical ability. He's smart, willing and leaves it all out on the field. ...

Fox Sports Making Big Push in Soccer Market

This spring, negotiations will start on one of the most coveted sports properties in the world. It will involve broadcast networks across the globe, and will result in the exchan...

U.S. Women Avenge Soccer Loss to Mexico

Whew, that was close. Well, relatively speaking, that is. After routing the Dominican Republic and Guatemala by a combined 27-0 tally, the U.S. women beat Mexico by a mere 4-0 sc...

Tevez's Defiance Proves Costly

Carlos Tevez's defiance has cost the Manchester City striker more than £9m in wages, fines and lost bonuses. The club have not paid their one-time captain since the end of...

Depth an Issue for U.S. in Victory

Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando, who was brilliant in the first half, and some poor finishing by the hosts saved the United States, which reached 4-4-1 under Klinsmann. Th...

Balotelli Faces 4-Game Ban

Mario Balotelli could miss the Carling Cup semi-final and three league games for Manchester City after he was charged with violent conduct for kicking Scott Parker on the head duri...

Top 10 Most Hyped Foreign Players

The Texas Rangers just spent over $100 million to land pitcher Yu Darvish, first winning a bidding war and then signing him to a six-year contract. They're investing a good chunk...

Wenger to Blame as Man U Tops Arsenal

Arsenal’s top-four hopes hit the skids in a big way on Sunday as Manchester United pulled out yet another win against the struggling Gunners. It wasn’t as grave as the 8-2 thum...

Before Tebow, There Was Kaka

Before Tim Tebow became a topic of conversation and national debate, there was another great athlete who constantly thanked God for his skills. That man was Brazilian soccer star...

Bradley a Man on a Mission in Egypt

Describing what life is like as Egypt's head coach, Bob Bradley points to a typical day of walking the streets in Cairo. It could be any street in the massive historical city, but...

Aging Beckham Is Risky Investment

David Beckham, a member of the L.A. Galaxy once again, might find out over the next two years that David Beckham is a pretty tough act to follow. The first David Beckham is, afte...

African Cup Could Be Full of Surprises

The 2012 Africa Cup of Nations kicks off this weekend in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea in a peaceful atmosphere, thankfully. Nothing beats having a team getting attacked by terrori...

Why Is Rivaldo Now In Angola?

It's not a mystery why Rivaldo, FIFA's 1999 World Player of the Year, is still playing soccer a few months shy of his 40th birthday. As long as you love the game—and your b...

Faith Drives Soccer Star to Angola

It's not a mystery why Rivaldo, FIFA's 1999 World Player of the Year, is still playing soccer a few months shy of his 40th birthday. As long as you love the game—and your body ...

Videos