Club v Player power

Newcastle United’s relegation into the Championship did not come as a surprise to many observers of football even if it may have been unexpected within the higher echelons of that Club. Why else would the management not insist on relegation wage-cut clauses in player contracts? Many of Toon’s players reportedly earn more than £50,000 a week and their combined wages of £74.6m make a healthy contribution to the Premier League’s £1.2 billion wage bill last season.[1]   Continue reading Club v Player power

Shakhtar Donetsk 2 Matuzalem 0

On Wednesday 20th May 2009, Shakhtar Donetsk won the UEFA Cup beating Werder Bremen 2-1 after extra time. It is the first time a Ukrainian team has won that particular competition and they will be the last team to win it before its makeover as the Europa League next season. There were five Brazilians in the victorious Shakhtar team. One Brazilian not playing for them was Matuzalem Francelino de Silva, their captain during the 2006-07 season. Continue reading Shakhtar Donetsk 2 Matuzalem 0