From the Spot of the Foul

When is a big lead not enough? When you play Brazil

The final of Confederations Cup, generally relegated to just a dress rehearsal for the host country for the following year’s World Cup, turned out to be an improbable matchup involving a USA squad that not only got out of their Group in the most improbable of circumstances, but shocked the world by defeating the number one ranked team in the world, Spain, in the semi-finals to advance to have the privilege of playing the world’s most successful team.

Is 5 > 3?

The Europa League gets underway next week, but when the competition moves into its Group Stage on Sept17, it will be more than just a new league – it will be the venue for the continuation of an officiating experiment: the use of two additional referee’s assistants.

The demise of Setanta

  

Toward the end of the 2008-09 European football season, Setanta’s financial situation was quickly deteriorating. Shareholders had failed to raise enough funds to give it a viable future. Setanta reportedly held talks with private equity firms that were thought to have offered an injection of millions, but British Sky Broadcasting rejected a request for a £50m interest free loan on a deal that would have seen Sky wholesale Setanta to its own subscribers.

The European sports programming network?

The Associated Press reported today that ESPN, a unit of the Walt Disney Co., will start sharing U.S. television rights to Spain's La Liga with GolTV. ESPN2 will televise about 20 matches per season, and ESPN Deportes two or three per weekend of league play for a total of at least 95. At least 114 matches per season will be available online on ESPN360. ESPN's networks will also share rights to Spain's Copa del Rey. The league's most-watched games, the two El Classico matchups between Barcelona and Real Madrid, likely will be simulcast by GolTV and ESPN.