hallenfuss

Football

This section is part of something like a blog. To contact me or comment on this, see my email page.

World Cup

From the "well that was always gonna happen" department: Cristiano Ronaldo up for auction on the web. Shipping: anywhere but Manchester.

Hallenfußball and the FA Cup

England's football fans had the pleasure of random football scores last weekend: the FA Cup. Why is there so much expectation of upsets? I think it's partly because the match is at an ideal time to help level things out, especially if it's at a non-league ground:

League clubs

usually full-time
4 or 5 games over the holidays
mostly still negotiating new players
some of their players seem to expect it to be easy
usually play on expensive, well-kept pitches

Non-league clubs

often part-time
3 games over the holidays
often introduce new players in the cup match
many of their players relish playing a top club
probably have a pitch more damaged by winter

Meanwhile, the German Bundesliga closed before Christmas for a winter break until the end of January. During the break, Bundesliga teams take part in indoor football tournaments, some of which can be seen on DSF. It developed independently on demand and so the rules are a bit different to 5-a-side, powerleague or futsal. I still don't understand them all, but it plays like a cross between ice hockey and football. I found a bit about its history in a discontinued Bundesliga FAQ. Once the Bundesliga restarts, I expect it'll be back on Sgorio.

Finally, watch English league cup (which isn't FA Cup) semi-finals free-to-air on German DSF...

Comments

Dave Briggs on Frank Clark's view of cup upsets
Different kinds of football equipment are out there depending on your needs. +

To index.