Football Thread!

[makalek]

Tomorrow Macedonia plays a crucial EURO 2012 encounter away to Ireland.

The manager Jonuz today announced the players that will start for Macedonia:

Nuredinoski

Sikov-Grncarov-Noveski-Popov

Sumulikoski-Tasevski-Demiri

Naumoski-Pandev-Trickovski

Ireland has some key players out with an injury including their goalkeeper Shay Given so I hope we can surprise them and pick up a much needed victory.

[Prolet]

Makalek, Its on espn2 live

I hope we can win this one.

[makalek]

We lost 2:1. The keeper Edin Nuredinoski made two huge blunders and Ireland had a quick 2:0 lead after 24 minutes. We had more of the possession and pulled one back when Ivan Trickovski scored a nice goal in the 45th minute after an assist by Pandev. We were much better in the 2nd half and turned up the pressure looking for the equalizer but it just didn't come. The best chance for Macedonia in the 2nd half again fell for Trickovski who was by far our best player but his shot was saved nicely by the Irish keeper. We deserved better as Ireland was not better than us but the two mistakes by the keeper Nuredinoski proved costly. With this loss, we can pretty much forget about qualifying for EURO 2012 in Poland/Ukraine.

[EgejskaMakedonia]

Nothing out of the norm. I don't understand why they are, and have been so shit over the years. How can Armenia possibly be 4 points ahead of Macedonia. What about Montenegro in Group G, equal on 10 points with England.

I saw parts of the game, including the shocking mistakes by Nuredinoski that cost us two cheap goals. The players lack intensity and are blatantly lazy. I played segments of the match in fast forward, and all we did was pass sideways and backwards, no opportunities were created in the last 1/3.

We can forget about Euro 2012, but then again, did we ever expect to make it even when all teams were equal on 0 points?

I honestly believe that the skill is there. There must be young talented players in Macedonia, but perhaps the opportunity isn't provided to them adequately.
One things for sure though, change is needed.

[Phoenix]

Nothing out of the norm. I don't understand why they are, and have been so shit over the years. How can Armenia possibly be 4 points ahead of Macedonia. What about Montenegro in Group G, equal on 10 points with England.

I saw parts of the game, including the shocking mistakes by Nuredinoski that cost us two cheap goals. The players lack intensity and are blatantly lazy. I played segments of the match in fast forward, and all we did was pass sideways and backwards, no opportunities were created in the last 1/3.

We can forget about Euro 2012, but then again, did we ever expect to make it even when all teams were equal on 0 points?

I honestly believe that the skill is there. There must be young talented players in Macedonia, but perhaps the opportunity isn't provided to them adequately.
One things for sure though, change is needed.

I think success is based on three components

1. Talent
2. Heart
3. Organization

Sadly, there's a serious shortfall in all three components in the national squad.

[makalek]

Here is video of the goals:

YouTube - Republic of Ireland 2-1 Macedonia EURO 2012

[Bill77]

YouTube - Republic of Ireland 2-1 Macedonia EURO 2012


Why the hell did they have Mr Bean keeping ?

Look at the time line 1:18 where there is a close up of our keeper and tell me he does not look like Bean. Well he plays like him anyway. lol

I think success is based on three components

1. Talent
2. Heart
3. Organization

Sadly, there's a serious shortfall in all three components in the national squad.

And Professionalism/Maturity. I am sick of our players spitting the dummy and bagging each other after the ball gets turned over instead of applying preasure trying to win the ball back.

Discipline is the word i was looking for

[EgejskaMakedonia]

Haha Bill, I was saying the same thing to my dad while we were watching the game. Spitting image of Mr Bean.
To me that was the highlight of the match.

[Bill77]

Haha Bill, I was saying the same thing to my dad while we were watching the game. Spitting image of Mr Bean.
To me that was the highlight of the match.

Oh good.....i thought it was just me that can see it

[I of Macedon]

Ivan Trickovski goal was an outstanding goal (top assist by Pandev also), though I wish it was a more common sight. Also Ivan Trickovski should be at a bigger European club, considering his talent displayed, bit of a mystery there.

[Prolet]

Harry Hadzi-Risteski to become candidate for president of FIFA

Friday, 01 April 2011 00:00 MacedonianFootball.com News - International

Harry Hadzi-RisteskiTo substitute FFM with FIFA: Harry Hadzi-RisteskiThe president of FFM will be candidate for a new president of FIFA after Sepp Blatter’s mandate will expire at the end of 2011.

Hadzi-Risteski’s excellent leadership of the Football Federation of Macedonia is enough evidence to push him into a huge international step. Being president of FIFA isn’t a joke and our hero surely can do the job if he gets the chance.

UEFA’s president and former star player Michel Platini is one of Hadzi-Risteski’s great allies. With Platini’s connections, the Macedonian will most probably get support from at least half of the 209 FIFA members. So far only the football federations of Paraguay, Thailand, Sudan, Turkmenistan, Northern Ireland, Wales and England have given negative thoughts towards the potential presidential candidate from Macedonia.

Haralampie Hadzi-Risteski has the facts on his side. A great leader, a modern Alexander the Great. His successful leadership of the football in Macedonia through the past years shows that this man is capable of achieving great things. Under him, the Macedonian football team managed to be among the best 100 teams on the FIFA ranking list! Some people will say that Macedonia still hasn’t qualified for a major championship, but it isn’t Harry’s fault that national team coach Mirsad Jonuz is a magnet for bad luck.

Here are some of his great success’ that happened to Macedonian football during his regime:
- Macedonia is among the best 100 national teams in the world
- Macedonia hosted the 2010 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship
- Goran Pandev transferred to Inter, won the Champions League and became champion of the world
- Stevica Ristić won the Asian Champion League
- A new stadium was build over the old Gradski stadium in Skopje with a capacity of more than 30.000
- He arranged a friendly against the European champion Spain in August 2009
- The national team was leading 2:0 on half-time against Spain
- Macedonia scored a goal in Dublin, something that former presidents of FFM failed to do on two occasions
- He fights against match fixing and therefore with FIFA and UEFA banned FK Pobeda for 8 years becoming the first club to be officially credited for match fixing by FIFA
- Growing of women’s football in Macedonia as many clubs are created and the national team managed to advance from the preliminary qualifications round
- The hooligans were banned from going to domestic away games
- A fee was introduced for the First and Second League
- England was hold to a draw on their own field, twice!
- Clubs in European cups were successful and managed to play against opponents such as Liverpool, Bolton, Lille, Basel etc.

With the facts and Platini being on his side, the popular Harry is surely going to make an impact on the FIFA presidential elections. Most probably, current FIFA president Joseph Blatter won’t be going after a fourth mandate and that leaves Harry Hadzi-Risteski with equal opponents and good chances for a win. According to the rumors, other candidates will be: Mohammed Bin Hammam (president of the Asian Football Confederation), Sebastian Bauzá (president of the Uruguayan Football Association) and Amos Adamu (president of the West African Football Union).

Meanwhile, from a source close to the president, we found out the Hadzi-Risteski is intensively learning English at a night school. Speaking a foreign language is the last condition that our candidate must fulfill so he can officially become presidential FIFA candidate.

http://www.macedonianfootball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2784%3Aharry-hadzi-risteski-to-become-candidate-for-president-of-fifa&catid=13%3Ainternational&Itemid=64

[The LION will ROAR]

Australia to get 2022 World Cup, FIFA descends into chaos

http://www.theroar.com.au/2011/04/01/australia-to-get-2022-world-cup-fifa-descends-into-chaos/

Australia will host the 2022 World Cup after all, with the tiny nation of Qatar’s successful bid set to be overturned by FIFA amidst a power struggle at the governing body’s highest level.

The move is expected to be made public within the next week, The Roar can reveal, after obtaining copies of correspondence between FIFA president Sepp Blatter, and a powerful Australian lobby group including Football Federation Australia chief Frank Lowy, former Opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull, and Channel Nine figurehead Eddie McGuire.

The unprecedented step of stripping a nation of its hosting rights is ostensibly due to revelations of corruption and misinformation in the Qatari bid.

But it comes at the same time as Qatari football head Mohammad bin Hammam has launched a move to topple Blatter from football’s top job.

Of the labyrinthine wrangling that went on as the bids were assessed, one of the most important deals was bin Hammam reportedly securing Blatter’s support in return for an agreement not to run for the presidency.

With the World Cup seemingly in the bag, bin Hammam reneged on the deal.

The turnaround left Blatter drained. But he’s now decided not to take it lying down.

The first rumblings began in February, when bin Hammam suggested an Asian candidate should take on the presidency. Nine days later, Blatter’s personal assistant wrote to Lowy.

In the light of “serious issues that are currently under investigation,” the message said, a back-up venue for the 2022 tournament needed to be chosen.

As the second-placed bid behind Qatar, the United States was the logical option, but talks with the USSF “were not able to progress beyond a preliminary level.”

It is understood that political considerations were key: given the current tension between the US and the Arab world, the country could ill afford to be seen to be taking a World Cup from a Middle Eastern nation.

In the meantime, bin Hammam stated that Blatter’s presidential nomination by the footballing powerhouse of Somalia made him a “pirate”.

Then on March 18, the Qatari officially announced his intention to challenge, and communication between Blatter and Lowy’s hastily-assembled war group skyrocketed.

On March 21, Lowy was informed that “investigations had been completed”, and that hosting of the Cup would be turned over to Australia if they could make financial and logistical guarantees.

Lowy had not been idle in the meantime, and could call on the likes of Turnbull, McGuire, and businessman Sir Rod Eddington to do just that.

Turnbull, wrote Lowy, was key, given that “a Turnbull-led Coalition government will be the strongest likely government in the coming decade.”

It is not clear whether unpopular leader Tony Abbot was aware of Turnbull’s involvement, nor whether approaches were made to current Labor figures.

McGuire had been enlisted to act as an intermediary between Lowy and AFL boss Andrew Demetriou. Within days he had drawn a commitment from Demetriou to cede priority access to any stadia required by the World Cup program.

While the Collingwood president seems an unlikely champion for Australian ‘soccer’, McGuire is understood to have been lured by the promotional opportunities that the World Cup will afford AFL.

As part of the stadium-access deal hammered out in a few desperate days, short NAB-Cup-style AFL matches will be played before World Cup games wherever possible on oval-shaped grounds.

Collingwood is understood to have a mortgage on the spot before the World Cup final, which to avoid wintry weather conditions has been brought forward two months to April 1, 2022.

For his part, Blatter confirmed on March 28 that overturning the Qatar decision was guaranteed, based on “deliberate and deceitful misconduct” on the part of bid organisers.

This included “clearly and wilfully” tampering with the feasibility studies on air-conditioning Qatar’s stadia, with the 50-degree desert heat previously considered the crucial stumbling block to the desert nation’s bid.

Subsequent enquiries had found that the data presented in the bid had been manipulated, and that even energy-rich Qatar did not have the technology to seal and cool such immense volumes, nor the power grid capability to support such an undertaking.

In order to strip Qatar of the bid, Blatter was to present to FIFA the evidence so far collected, and announce an investigation headed by former World Anti-Doping Agency chief Dick Pound. Blatter assured the FFA that this would be a formality.

“The evidence to hand is clear and compelling,” his message read.

Despite Blatter’s representations, it is hard to believe that this is a mission for justice, unrelated to the FIFA president’s need to see off a challenger. Vote-buying has been alleged for decades, yet this is the first instance in which delegates will be held to account.

In the meantime, it is now clear why Australia declined lobby group ChangeFIFA’s recent proposal to nominate a reformist challenger to Blatter and bin Hammam.

None of the parties mentioned were available or willing to comment yesterday. Just how this situation will play out remains to be seen, though it’s fairly certain that in the tangled world of FIFA, things will get uglier before they get better.

But with a particular island nation likely to end up with a World Cup out of it, one suspects that most Australians won’t really care.

[The LION will ROAR]

Sasa Ognenovski tells Fox Sports about his rise from state league amateur football to Socceroos star

http://www.foxsports.com.au/football/socceroos/sasa-ognenovskis-tells-fox-sports-about-his-meteoric-rise-from-state-league-amateur-to-socceroos-star/story-e6frf4l3-1226071860499

Socceroos defender Sasa Ognenovski might be one of the first names pencilled onto Holger Osieck's team sheet, but "The Og Monster" not so long ago considered giving up soccer to play AFL with his mates.

The burly centre-back’s rise has been nothing short of rapid since his Victoria Premier League coach, John Markovski, recommended him to then Brisbane Roar coach Miron Bleiberg.

The story, from there, is a fairytale

Ognenovski moved from Suncorp Stadium to Adelaide United before captaining Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma to victory in the AFC Champions League final.

Success has been a long time coming, but Ognenovski says it has been worth waiting. All the way to his Socceroos career.

Worth watching the interview of Sash and aslo they interview John Markovski

[George S.]

i allways said something good was going to come out of fifa & that is australia getting the cup here.

[Phoenix]

i allways said something good was going to come out of fifa & that is australia getting the cup here.

GS, WTF are you talking about...?