The sport of soccer is going through rough times. Every day, it seems, something happens to sully the reputation of what Pele liked to call the “beautiful game”. Lately, that game has had to deal with two ugly trends, the first of which is about money.

Huge amounts of money from television contracts for the big leagues in Europe pour into clubs, into the pockets of players, into the bank accounts of players’ agents, and then into the illegally-extended hands of club managers willing to grease the wheels on a player-transfer for a percentage—known as a “bung”—of the fees involved.

The back-hander used to be known as a bribe, but surely such an unpleasant term can’t be applied to sophisticated transactions in the developed world, can it? But let’s call it like it is, as Howard Cosell used to say. Bribery is corrupting the movement of players from one club to another, and administrators of the sport at the professional level have been slow to deal with it. The reluctance to face the problem of bribery probably doesn’t damage the game on the pitch, but the second ugly trend—racism—surely does.

During the World Cup in Germany I wrote about the odious Mr. Pen, a nationalist and racist politician from France. This slimy character thought that the contingent of black players on the national team didn’t represent the “true” France. I suppose he wanted “Les Bleus” to be “Les Blancs”, but when he made his opinions public, fans of the game in France let it be known that they would rather see Thierry Henry, Pascal Chimbonda and Claude Makelele than hear Mr. Pen. There are, however, racists on the pitch as well as in the stands.

The UEFA cup match a little more than a week ago between Wisla Krakow and Blackburn saw some ugly shouted scenes between defender Nikola Mijailovic of Wisla, and Blackburn’s South African striker Benni McCarthy. It might have seemed as though the two players were trying to wind each other up, much as many players do at all levels of the game. This time, however, it was worse—much worse.

For Mijailovic was making racial comments and sending racial insults to McCarthy, who is black. So incensed was the Blackburn striker by the tirade of abuse—and the referee’s inattention to it throughout the match, despite the fact that he was told about it at half-time—that he confronted his opponent at the final whistle. They squared off, but fortunately no fight ensued. What did follow was a complaint by Blackburn to UEFA and to the English FA.

Enough witnesses spoke up to compel UEFA to act. In a decision we should all praise and support, the powers-that-be suspended Mijailovic for five European games for the verbal abuse of McCarthy. That takes him out of the group stage of the competition, and potentially out of a knock-out game. Any players of color on teams in that competition must surely be pleased, and so should we, for the game—the beautiful game—wins with this decision.

You often hear it said that soccer is a simple game. And at first glance, it does seem to be: One group of players tries to kick a ball through a goal, and another group of players tries to stop them, while themselves trying to kick a ball through a goal at the other end of a field of grass. Nothing complicated there, right? Perhaps it is this very appearance of simplicity that draws commentary�including journalistic commentary�from anyone who watches, at the amateur, professional or international level.
Read the English press at the moment and you will see all sorts of opinions about whether Wayne Rooney should play on the left, in the center, alone up front or in tandem with another forward, or even if he should be playing at all, given that he seems to be in a bit of a slump. Read the American press about our own national team, and you will see opinions about hiring a foreign coach or looking at an American coach. You will see thoughts that all our best players should play in Europe, or that we should keep them here in MLS in order to strengthen the league.
On and on the opinions go, flying around like a flock of disturbed pigeons, as readers try to avoid the messy fall-out. Who can you believe? After all, soccer is such a simple game. . . . and anyone can be an expert. Anyone can make knowledgeable commentary. Take an example from last week.
In the game in the Premiership between Chelsea and Reading, two Chelsea goalkeepers were hurt by challenges they received from Reading attackers. Two in one match is unusual�so rare that few teams ever carry three goalkeepers into a match. The injuries�one skull fracture, one concussion�created a lot of discussion in the press, by writers who presumably were expert in the subtleties (and brutality) of the game, and could therefore explain all the nuances to their readers. Let�s take Sports Illustrated for example.
Gabriele Marcotti is no newcomer to writing about soccer. He is SI�s main European stringer, and a correspondent for several other newspapers and magazines in Europe. Based in London and fluent in several languages, he earned a master�s degree in journalism from Columbia University. And I must say that his attitude to the injuries to the two goalkeepers is exactly right: disgust, horror and a strong opinion that this kind of thing should be eliminated from the game.
But he missed what referees at that level should�must�know about the mind of professional players. Marcotti almost got it, when he referred to the well-known maxim of opponents, of �letting him know you�re there� early in the game, or to �rattle� a goalkeeper, in the hope he�ll make a mistake. We did that sort of thing in the amateur game; but at the professional level, there�s more to it than mere macho posturing. There is malice.
In both the incidents involving the Chelsea goalkeepers, which you can find and watch on YouTube�, neither forward had any chance of getting the ball. Cech dove for the ball and controlled it long before his opponent Hunt got there to foul him, and the replacement Cudicini had punched the ball away before Sonko hit him. In the latter case, the Reading player could not have reached the cross anyway. It was pure intimidation. And here�s the malice.
Players know that if you want to belt an opponent, you should do it as early as possible in a match. The reason? Because very few referees will send off a player in the first few minutes, knowing that he will by doing so have a profound effect on the game. The referee showed how valid that philosophy is when he did not even call a foul as Hunt�s knee crashed into Cech�s head, causing a depressed skull fracture that required surgery, and will cause the goalkeeper to miss the rest of the season. The plan was obvious: Foul Cech early, because he is central to Chelsea�s defending.
Marcotti wrote as an expert on the game, had an admirable attitude to the possibility of injury to players, but was unable to explain to his readers why these incidents happened. The referee chose to do nothing in the first minute, and this allowed a second incident to occur later in the game, causing a concussion of the reserve goalkeeper. That�s the real story of Chelsea versus Reading, and Sports Illustrated missed it.

If you have a social conscience of any kind, it is difficult to avoid the self-accusation that you may be wasting your time writing about sport. It�s only a game, for heaven�s sake! What is important about a bunch of blokes kicking a ball around a patch of grass? Can�t you do something more important? Haven�t you heard of Iraq, or Afghanistan? There are people dying in poverty and starvation every day, and you want to write about Wayne Rooney, who blows a million bucks gambling? Come on!

But consider the following. There is not a single country on Earth that does not play soccer, and more countries are members of FIFA than are members of the United Nations. When you travel for the sport, as I have done, you break barriers down by walking up to any pick-up game in Abu Dhabi, or Egypt, Indonesia, Nigeria, Turkey, anywhere, and trapping the stray ball that comes your way, and then knocking it back to the players.

Conversation starts; questions fly. The answers bring smiles, laughter even, as you share your experience with the kids in the pick-up game. They know the names. You saw Pele? Maradona? Eusebio? Beckham? Who is your favorite? You are pretty good for an old guy!

And then, in the comfort of Davis, California, my wife reminds me that something that engages the interest and passions of billions of people every single week of the year all over the planet is not trivial. She�s right, of course, but still there�s that nagging doubt: What good can come of it?

Well, here�s an example: The Homeless World Cup (HWC). Forget the thirty-six teams that competed in Germany. Forget the world-wide television broadcasts and the money that flowed to FIFA in Switzerland. Imagine teams of homeless people from forty-eight countries playing street soccer for the principal purpose of improving the lives of those who have no home.

The idea is that homeless participants�men and women�can improve their self-esteem by being part of a team, enjoying a sense of belonging and playing for their country. Started in 2001 by the International Network of Street Papers (INSP), the tournament aims to change lives for the better. Can a sport really do that?

Judging from the report of the 2005 Homeless World Cup in Edinburgh, Scotland, the answer is an emphatic Yes! Since taking part, more than 70 percent of the players secured employment, found housing, started an education or began treatment for drug or alcohol problems. Some became local organizers for homeless people, others went from selling street papers to regular employment, and still others found work in football itself, as coaches or even players.

The enthusiasm of the players from 2005 is evident. Dermot Haverty (24) of Ireland: �It helped me get my life together. I�m now more confident and secure. It�s the best thing that I�ve done.� �Sport and my participation in the HWC made me look at my life differently,� said Jaroslaw Jaworski (23) of Poland, �made me more self-disciplined and self-controlled.� Frantiek Horszicza (31) of Slovakia said it best: �..now I have the feeling that I am somebody and that I belong to society.�

The 2006 HWC was held in September in South Africa, and in the final, Russia beat Kazakhstan 1-0. The tournament attracted the attention of the President Mbeki of South Africa and no less a world figure than Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The former great Portuguese star Eusebio kicked off the cup, which produced more than 1800 goals on the small street pitches, involved 496 players, who consumed 10,000 bananas during the contest.

Can sport have a social influence? I’m pleased to know that soccer can!

In Buenos Aires these days, a merry little discussion is stirring up Argentinean soccer fans. It�s not about players or referees�the usual suspects�but of all things, a stadium, the home of Boca Juniors, one of the great clubs in South American soccer, and, some of you may remember, the original home of Diego Armando Maradona (�Dieguito�).

Built in 1940, the Alberto J. Armando stadium is a landmark in the area of Buenos Aires along the River Plate waterfront. Surrounded by homes in a neighborhood known as La Boca (�The mouth�), the 55,000 capacity arena has seen championship after championship�16 in all�for the home club. But sometime in the next several years, it may be torn down.

That is what has the fans stirred up. The home of Boca Juniors is known with great affection as �La Bombonera� (The �Chocolate Box�) because its sharply rectangular shape and steep terraces create the impression for the fans of being in a deep box. And in that deep box, sound reverberates back and forth and all around, in a way that intimidates Boca�s opponents. The home fans deliberately and enthusiastically create a boisterous atmosphere that lasts much longer than a match, and when stamping in unison they make the stadium vibrate. The fans don�t want to lose that fearsome home-field advantage unique to La Bombonera.

I was in Buenos Aires in 1981 after being given the good fortune of being sent to Argentina to talk to the government about their uranium deposits. For this soccer fan (and FIFA Referee at the time), to be sent to South America on full expenses almost convinced me that a god was looking out for me. I wasn�t far wrong; in fact, one afternoon in the exhilarating atmosphere in La Bombonera, I found myself looking at a soccer god�Diego Armando Maradona�at the height of his powers, a few months before his transfer to Barcelona for a world-record fee.

The scene and the sound as he and his teammates entered the field was unnerving. Ten thousand fans in one end of the stadium hurled their ticket-stubs skywards, and a blizzard of paper descended on their massed ranks. At the same time, the whole stadium roared for their heroes, as though they were chanting before some primeval battle. The stubby, diminutive figure in the number ten shirt waved in salutation. In such an atmosphere, how could their opponents not be unsettled? No wonder the diehard Boca fans don�t want to leave their stadium.

�I would never want to leave La Bombonera because it is the perfect stadium for soccer,� said Boca vice�president Pedro Pompilio, as reported by AP. But economic realities and changes in the regulations for soccer stadiums may force a departure. Soon all stadiums must have a seat for every spectator, and to convert the chocolate box would mean a loss of 25,000 fans per games. A new stadium could be designed from the beginning with 60,000 to 70,000 seats, and the club �..would have more revenue,� said Pompilio.

To the average Boca fan, it would be a shame. �This is a place where Boca has won many championship titles. But, well, if they have to move, I will follow them anywhere,� said Jorge Scalise, a taxi-driver. Not so the fans of their traditional enemies, cross-town rivals River Plate. For them, it would �..be great if River doesn�t have to play any more in that stadium,� said Ruben Moroni, who would not even mention the place by name.

The game has become so intensely commercial that it is unlikely that the fans of Boca Juniors will prevail in their wish to preserve La Bombonera. �I�ve been going � since I was fourteen years old,� said Jorge Zunino, an elderly fan, �It will be a sad day when the stadium is no more.� But that will leave a challenge for the builder of Boca�s new home: Can the architect put 60,000 seats in such a way as to simulate La Bombonera, preserving all its atmosphere and intensity?

You don�t have to have a doctorate in psychology to interpret Bruce Arena�s recent public comments as expressing a great deal of bitterness towards U.S. Soccer. His anger seethed off the pages I looked at, and I assumed that there must have been a lot more going on behind the scenes at the time of his firing.

Perhaps Arena had been deluding himself that after a reign of eight years and with some success in 2002 (however overstated that success was), the ignominious departure from the World Cup in Germany would not be reason for him to abdicate. But right after the final whistle of that 3-0 thumping in the opening game for the U.S. most observers I know anticipated his demise. He and the team had done the best they could, and it wasn�t nearly good enough. So his contract wasn�t renewed, and over a period of several weeks, Arena snarled and snapped out right and left, biting at the hands that had fed him for so long.

But not two days after the last of the public interviews appeared (on September 12), Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated comes home from a dinner engagement at 10:30 p.m. to find two voice-mail messages from Bruce Arena. From the tone of Arena�s voice, said Wahl, the coach wanted to get �..something off his chest�. Wahl obliged, and called him back despite the lateness of the hour.

Over the course of a fifteen-minute call, clearly wanting to use Wahl as his agent to make his sentiments public, Arena apologized for dissing U.S. Soccer and its president Sunil Gulati. This was something new for the listener, who in fourteen years of covering Arena as coach of club and country, had never heard �..what I would call an honest-sounding apology�. �In the past,� said Wahl, �Arena has sometimes blamed writers for the way his incendiary comments have been presented. Not this time.�

So was he genuine? Is this apology authentic? Or is Arena suddenly conscious that there is no going back over a burnt bridge? Grant Wahl is skeptical. After all, since Arena is a coach in a league under the jurisdiction of U.S. Soccer, he is now beholden to the man and the organization he just tore apart . . .

But there is a final irony to this outburst and apology by Bruce Arena. He criticized the organization as being run by people who don�t have the technical knowledge to get the job done in international soccer. He criticized the facilities, the youth coaching, and even called the academy from which Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley progressed to the pros �the Bradenton thing�.

In his new job, he has a contract with a well-financed organization in Red Bull New York that seems determined to give him what he wants to make the team a success. Arena will have facilities, money, a new stadium, everything a coach could want to develop young players into professional and perhaps even international talents. However much he may regret having damaged his legacy with U.S. Soccer, Bruce Arena is now in a position to show them how the game should be run.

* * * * *

On a sad note, this morning we learned that Glenn “Mooch” Myernick, assistant to Bruce Arena throughout the World Cup in Germany, and more recently a Sports Envoy for the United States in South Africa, died after never recovering from a coma induced by a heart-attack four days ago. For more information, and for my thoughts about knowing Mooch, read One of the good guys… at my other blog.

After being an observer and participant in professional soccer for thirty-five years or more, I�ve learned that you have to filter the information you get from players, coaches and administrators. You have to try to find the truth, or find the honest opinions, despite what you may hear in answer to your questions.
You have to understand that soccer is not like politics, where you know that you can believe every word that a politician utters. No, most players want to put on a brave face when they are playing badly, most coaches want you to believe that the team is about to turn the corner, and the team administrators can always blame a referee for their troubles. So how do you get at the truth?
That�s where the filter comes in. Or a good memory. Take some recent interviews of Bruce Arena, World Cup coach fired by the United States Soccer Federation after eight years and the failure of �..bumbling Team USA..� in Germany, as one journalist for The Guardian put it.
Bumbling or not, Bruce Arena did well out of it, being hired almost immediately to coach Red Bull New York in Major League Soccer at a reported salary of $1.4 million. The name of New York and soccer attract a lot of interest, because newspapers remember the glory days of the New York Cosmos. (For a tongue-in-cheek classic about that star-studded international team, read Sue Mott�s column in the Daily Telegraph.
Arena has a reputation for speaking bluntly, but in several interviews (New York Times, Sports Illustrated, Daily Telegraph) in September, he was particularly blunt. The problem is to determine whether he is being honest when he is being blunt. Here are some of the things he said during those interviews.
�One of the weaknesses in the whole system . . . not enough people who understand the technical side (of the game).�
We are �..very na�ve . .� about the international game. �We finished like we should have finished . . � in the World Cup. �And when you look at international soccer, we are among the top 30-40 countries in the world. If you think we�re in the top 10, you�re nuts.�
MLS �. . has got to get better.� �The league hasn�t gotten any better since I was at D.C.� �They need to get better players.� �They�ve got to get away from that fantasy-land professional sports league where there�s parity and nobody has competitive advantages.�
�There are too many people in decision-making positions who believe that they are the key to making it happen.�
Officials at U.S. Soccer �. . apparently don�t think that my knowledge is worth anything.�
About a foreign coach for the national team, �I don�t think (Sunil Gulati, the president of U.S. Soccer) knows. He has no idea. He�s never been involved at soccer at that level to understand that.�
�We don�t have world-class players in the United States.�
Arena expressed the opinion that Gulati is a �superfan� who is now president, adding �. . another micromanager to an organization that’s already micromanaged. .�, that the national training center is �an amusement park�, and �I don�t want to be around U.S. Soccer any more.�
Is he bitter or what?
But let�s take a look at some of those opinions and try to figure out if Arena has some genuine beefs with the system. Tomorrow: �Arena�s Remorse.�