I was trying to watch yesterdays English Premier League game between Chelsea and Manchester United online via Abu Dhabi’s online offering. Its much more convenient and I wanted to get some things done during the game rather than  just focus what I thought would be a boring clash (boy was I wrong). Plus, I paid almost 20KD for it I might as well use it.

The problem was the service I paid for just didn’t want to work. I stared at the black box for a solid 3-5 minutes before giving up and switching the TV on. This isn’t the first time this has happened to me, it mostly happens during important/big games. It looks like that their servers cant handle the bandwidth required.

I kept the browser pointed at the games stream webpage and it started 8 minutes into the game but that wasn’t the end of it. The game didn’t run smoothly at all and was really stuttery throughout. It played for 15-20 seconds and then hangs for another 20-30 seconds. That wasn’t a fun experience.

The free streaming video that I got from a Russian website on the other hand played without a hitch. Which makes things even more frustrating.

This is going to be the final year I subscribe to the online portion of the EPL via Abu Dhabi. I had the same problem last year but was optimistic and thought they must have fixed what was broken.

Chris Kamara must be the funniest guy in football. The Soccer Saturday presenter usually on the field and has some funny moments.

Other Funny moments.

Kamara also provided commentary and basic motion capture for Chris Kamara’s Street Soccer released on the PlayStation back in 2000. It was one stupid game.

A back-heel kick from outside the penalty box is a bit excessive.

What Messi and Xavi are doing in real life is more amazing than some of the things that Captain Tsubasa did on his TV show.

At first I thought it was a joke, but then I saw the video.

Citizen defeated Sunray Cave JC Sun Hei by 3:2 in the bma First Division League held at Mongkok Stadium tonight (16 December, 2011). Citizen defender Baise Festus scored his own net with a unbelievable reverse scorpion kick.

Mario Balotelli is considered by a lot of people as the most “interesting” man in football if not the world. Here are some “interesting” fact about the Italian.

• Survived a usually fatal disease at birth
• £10,000 in parking fines
• Car impounded 27 times
• £300,000 fine for throwing darts at the youth team
• Won £25,000 in a casino, gave £1,000 to a tramp outside
• Rescued a child from bullying
• Threw tomatoes at some Serie A manager

Oh yes there’s more

• Threw water balloons at Serie A meeting
• Started a fight with 4 bouncers, after breaking the no touching rule at a strip club
• Thinks milk with tea is strange
• Bibotelli saga
• Had a £120,000 Audi R8 imported and wrote it off within a week
• Had his friends approach girls in clubs and say “Balotelli will see you now.”
• Sent to John Lewis by his mother to buy essentials for the house, like an ironing board Came back with a giant trampoline and a Vespa and Scalectrix
• Started fights with Kompany, Boateng and Tevez at training
• Was frequently seen at the AC Milan superstore while playing for inter
• Went on TV in an AC shirt with his name on while at inter
• U21s game for Italy, kicks a swedish player while he’s down and proceeds to just sit on the pitch ignoring the opposition and the referee for about a minute.
• Is then offended when he gets sent off and protests about it
• He winked at Ferdinand at the semi final of the FA cup and celebrate in front of the Man U fans.
• After the FA cup final, on live TV, says “This season I have been s***. Can I say that?”
• Was stopped by police driving round Hulme (a real craphole) in his maserati with £25,000 cash on the passenger seat. When asked why he said “because I’m rich”
• Had to go off at half time in a game in Ukraine due to an allergy to the pitch
• Had to be physically hauled away by Zanetti for refusing to let Samuel Eto’o take a penalty that he had won
• Once broke up with a girlfriend via text while she was presenting a live television show
• Slept with a model while his girlfriend was asleep downstairs
• mental chicken hat [link]
• When he won the European Golden Boy trophy, said he had never heard of Jack Wilshere
• Said he would find out who he was so he could remind Wilshere he came second
• Drove his car into a women’s prison so he could have a look around
• Swore on live TV after the FA cup final
• Attempted a roulette back heel shot against LA Galaxy and missed
• Connections with the Naples Mafia, he even testified in court at a Mafia trial
• Brought iPad to bench during International friendly.
• Set house on fire using fireworks
• Said only Messi is “a little stronger” than him, and he is better than all other players
• “Why always me?” shirt, made for him by City kitman Chappy
• Drove around Manchester high fiving city fans from his car the day after >1-6
• Became the face of a firework safety campaign days after setting his house on fire
• Hands £20 notes out to strangers when in Manchester
• Chanted Rooney! Rooney! at the prostitute who claimed to have slept with Wayne
• Italy were showing off their brand new home kit. After half time, Balotelli came out for the second half, having for no apparent reason changed into the old kit. Nobody else on the pitch had changed.
• Turned the landscaped back garden of his rented mansion in to a quad bike race track

Barcelona sticker David Villa broke his leg earlier today in his team 4-0 win over Qatari side Al-Sadd. Early report suggest that he might be out for 6 months.

Manchester United bowed out of the Champion’s League competition a little early this year after their 2-1 defeat to Basel yesterday.

The video above is from the post-match press conference after Sir Alex’s side drew 2-2 with Benfica. The interviewer asks him a question about the best teams in the premier league and why they are “struggling” in Europe. Ferguson after telling him to repeat the question, chuckles and responds with “are you serious?” and then says ” we are not struggling” and then just walks out of the interview.

But what you didn’t know, Sir Alex, the interviewer asked -what now seems- an absolutely legit question.

Audi put up an ad just in time for El Clasico next Saturday (midnight local time) promoting the A1 series.

It is a damn good advertisement.

Boateng’s goal was great in one of the best and most entertaining matches I’ve seen in a while.

The Algerian first football team was supposed to play Cameroon in a friendly yesterday but the Cameroonian team couldn’t make it. The Algerian football federation decided to play the first team against the reserves.

In the the first half, the first team was a head with a goal but that soon changed in the second half when the reserves scored 4 goals to win the match 4-1.

Will that make the coach change the reserves to be the first team?

Another week, another list of fabulous goals.

Link

Kevin-Prince Boateng sing happy birthday for Aljazeera Sport’s 8th anniversary along with Pato, Robino and Thiago.

Boateng should really quit football, especially because he has a good signing voice and also has Michael Jackson moves.

During a football match in Colombia, A canine decided to enter the pitch to show-off his moves. The dog outmaneuvered the players, officials and the staff on the field with some impressive display of skill. It took them over 3 minutes to get the dog off the pitch.

We all know that Neymar is a really skilled player, but how does his skill compare to one of the best football freestylers out there?

Manchester United suffered their worst defeat in 81 years yesterday, losing 6-1 from their neighbors Manchester City. Giving Sir Alex Ferguson a present before his 25th anniversary as Manchester United’s boss. With this win, Man City are now 5 points clear of Man Utd at the top of the table.

In an other match, Chelsea suffer a loss to newly promoted side QPR in a controversial match yesterday. Referee Chris Foy handed a soft penalty to QPR in the first 10 minutes. Also Bosingwa and Drogba were sent off in the first half. Chelsea (19 points) still retain 3rd position behind Man City (25 points) and Man Utd (20 points)

Man Utd vs Man City highlights here

QPR vs Chelsea highlights here

Arsenal vs Stock highlights here

In yesterday’s World Cup 2014 qualifier match between Iran and Bahrain, Rashed Al Hooti (Bahrain) was sent off after just 40 seconds of gameplay. Leaving his side playing with 10 men for the whole game. This might be the fastest sending off in history in an international match.

The fastest red card ever that I could find is for a Japanese player after just 4 seconds.

Kuwait managed to grab a point after Lebanon were awarded a penalty in the 85th minute. Kuwait’s second goal was scored just a minute after Lebanon’s Hassan Maatouk converted from the spot kick to get his second goal of the night. Musaad Nida scored Kuwait’s first equalizing goal inside of 5 minutes of the second half.

Group standing after 3 games:

S. Korea 7
Kuwait 5
Lebanon 4
UAE 0

Yesterday I came across the video above showing some bloopers in the Hyundai A-League (Australian League). And today while not even looking for it, I stumbled on last season’s top 10 goals in the A-League.

It Turns out that Mancini actually planned to play Tevez but he refused to warm-up and even play. The guy is refusing to do what he is paid for. What a disgrace.

Mark Hughes’s defense of Tevez is questionable as they both have the same agent.

I just hope this crap isn’t in the final version.

This year’s Manchester United’s squad is full of talent. The picture above shows the starting 11 and what is considered the 2nd 11. They cold play either 11 in the premier league and still would be contenders for the trophy.

The guy needed stiches on his right ankle after the game due to a harsh tackle.

Cristiano Ronaldo
"It’s important to have a good start in the Champions League. We are very happy with three points we took, but I’m not so satisfied with the refereeing. I hope we never have this referee again. People talk of fair-play, of protecting good players, but I never get any of that. I don’t understand a thing. I’m sad because I hear referees saying they will protect skillful players, but while some are untouchable it seems I can be mauled."

Via Real Madrid

I’ve only seen videos of Neymar diving and faking an injuries, but the guy legitimately looks like he got some serious talent. No wonder both Barcelona and Real Madrid are scrambling to sign him.

Struck By Lightning

In October of 1998 in South Africa, A premier league soccer match in Johannesburg was brought to an abrupt end when lightning struck the ground.

Half the players from both teams – the Jomo Cosmos and the Moroka Swallows – dropped to the turf.

Several writhed on the grass holding their ears and their eyes. Spectators and coaching staff ran onto the pitch to help. Fortunately no-one was killed.

[Link]

A similar incident occurred just a couple of days later in Congo were 11 players (all from the same team) died after being struck. The other team was accused of witchcraft. Couldn’t find the video of that incident.

All 11 members of a football team were killed by a bolt of lightning which left the other team unhurt, a Congolese newspaper has reported.

Thirty other people received burns at the match in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Kinshasa daily newspaper L’Avenir said local opinion – known to believe in charms and spells – was divided over whether someone had cursed the team.

The two sides were drawing 1-1 in the match in eastern Kasai Province when the lightning struck the visiting team.

"The athletes from [the home team] Basanga curiously came out of this catastrophe unscathed," the paper said.

There was no official confirmation of the report – a rebel war affects much of the east of the country.

[Link]

Blown Away

In 2007, Orlando Pirates and Black Leopards, two football teams from South Africa, are hard at play when nature turns violent. Watch as advertising boards wreak havoc on-field.

He’s still got it.

Thanks Ebraheem.