The Mark Graham Sports Blog's posts tagged Soccer

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• Ronaldinho Lose Coca-Cola Endorsement After Pepsi Gaffe

  July 13, 2012

  

  While speaking at a pres conference with his new team, Atletico Mineiro, Brazilian soccer star Ronaldinho appeared to have drank from a can of Pepsi.

  Problem is he has, or had, an endorsement deal with Coca-Cola.

  After photos had surfaced of Ronaldinho with a can of Pepsi, Coca-Cola promptly dropped him. Ronaldinho was earning $750,000 from the deal with Coca-Cola.

  

  Coca-Cola said in a statement, "Coca Cola recognises the career and the value of Ronaldinho. However due to recent developments it has become impossible to continue the partnership."

  However according to Coca-Cola marketing chief, Marcelo Pontes, it appeared as if it was brewing for awhile.

  Pontes told O Estado de São Paulo, a Brazilian newspaper, "The fact that the player has appeared with a can of Pepsi was the straw that broke the camel's back."

  He continued to say that, "The sponsorship had become embarrassing."

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• UAE Team Fires Diego Maradona

  July 11, 2012

  

  Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona has been fired by the Dubai based team, Al Wasl.

  Maradona was fired after Al Wasl finished eighth out of the 12 team UAE Pro League. The team failed to win a second tier game this season.

  Maradona had one year left on hos contract with Al Wasl. The board of directors met on Tuesday and decided to ax the Argentinean. The club issued a statement, in short saying that it has "decided to terminate his services and his technical staff."

  Al Wasl hired Diego Maradona in May 2011 and signed him to a two year deal. Expectations were very high for Al Wasl and Maradona and helped put the little known United Arab Emirates soccer on the map, but the team failed to qualify for the Asian Champions League or win any domestic titles.

  The end of Maradona's tenure appeared near after his team lost the GCC Champions League after winning the first leg of the final against Al Muharraq, a Bahrain based team, 3-1.

  Al Muharraq won the second game 3-1 and the title in penalities, 5-4.

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• Indian Soccer Player Dies After Being refused Treatment

  July 10, 2012

  

  According to Indian media reports, a soccer player from India has died after being refused treatment after colliding with an opposing goalkeeper.

  Mahesh Thepa, 27, was refused treatment in three different hospitals because they claimed that no beds were available for him.

  He was transported to the different hospitals on motorcycle because no ambulance was available at the time of the collision. Thepa was playing for Raikatpara Sports Association at the time of his death.

  The All India Football Federation did not comment on Thepa's death.

  Thepa's death makes it the second soccer related death in India in the past four months.

  In March, D. Venkatesh died after suffering a cardiac arrest on the pitch. Again, no ambulance was available as he was taken to the hospital on a three wheeled auto rickshaw.

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• Chinese Soccer Fan Dies After 11 Days Without Sleep

  June 24, 2012

  A soccer fan from China has died after going 11 straight days without sleep to watch every single match in the Euro 2012.

  Jiang Xiaoshan died from exhaustion on June 19, after it was reported that he stayed up every night to watch Euro 2012 with his friends.

  After watching the Italy-Ireland game, Xiaoshan went home to take a shower, fell asleep and never woke up.

  Sources state that the combined effects of alcohol, tobacco, and lack of sleep was to blame for his death. His friends were shocked of his death and said that he was a relatively healthy person.

  Because of the time difference, the Euro 2012 matches are all played in the middle of night in China.

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• Dutch Hooligans Ruin Ukrainian Sports Segment

  June 18, 2012

  Yesterday, we brought you the drunken, allegedly, man who videobombed Webb Simpson's US Open trophy presentation. Now we bring you another fan interruption on a larger scale.

  A Ukrainian sports reporter was trying to report on the Euro 2012 tournament when a parade of Dutch soccer fans thought otherwise.

  She kept her cool considering some were trying to sexually assault her, case in point wheelchair guy. It could have been worse, it could have been drunken English hooligans.

  I'm not an expert on the field of television reporting, but maybe you shouldn't have had a reporter with a short skirt in front of fans who have had way too much Heineken.

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• Goalkeeper Goes One Round Versus Goalpost; Ends In Draw

  June 16, 2012

  During an African Cup of Nations qualifying match, goalkeeper for the Central African Republic, Geoffrey Lembet, briefly went insane and was seeing red.

  Lembet was receiving treatment for an injury when the referee said that he needed to leave the pitch so he could be examined. Lembet, needless to say, was none too pleased with the ref.

  Lembet started with a devastating left to the near goalpost. The goalpost was left unfazed, so Lembet went to the far goalpost and unleashed a flurry of hits, but the post would still not go down.

  After Lembet left, the Central African Republic scored twice to upset former US National Men's Soccer coach Bob Bradley's Egypt squad 3-2.

  Still no word on whether Bob Arum has contacted Lembet or the post for a rematch.

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