Puebla FC is a professional football club. It is based in Mexico. USMNT player Herculez Gomez played for them. Currently, DeMarcus Beasley plays for them. In the US, teams go belly up and enter bankruptcy. In the UK, they enter administration. In Mexico, things are a bit more gun ho – due to a recent tax dispute between the state and federal government, the Mexican Federal Government seized Puebla’s stadium, equipment, and even their coach bus.

The Federalis even went so far as to mark the bus with the dreaded SAT sticker of death. As somebody who has personally been excluded and marked by vicious, clicky, and sticker-loving grade school children, my heart goes out to the Puebla FC fans. Read all about it with your Google Translator here.

And you thought Harry Redknapp had tax problems.

Regular blogging, if such a thing exists, shall resume in a week or so. Until then, enjoy this Kaka-related guest post of mine at the excellent Fisted Away.

(Via Reddit & DeMarcus Beasley)

Get the Best of Futfanatico 2011 for only $1 here.

Remember a few months ago when you donated $10 to a nascent sports website? Remember the glorious promises of chip-clips that would forever change your life and add up to 1.73 days of longevity to the standard lifespan of a conventionally sized (not super large) bag of Frito Lays? Me too. Lift your head and glance into the sky – the day is soon at hand.

The teases at the Classical are doing some preview articles, just to wet your appetite for crisp potato chips & even crispier sports writing. Eric Freeman has christened this site with a glorious preview article/column/post/tumble/extended-character tweet. The topic? A mysterious Youtube video of an even more mysterious Cuban baseball prospect. Yoenis Cespedes bravely escaped from Cuba with one dream in mind – no, not playing professional baseball, but rather uploading a poorly conceived and edited highlight video that makes Rocky look like Citizen Kane. Check out the hysterical cyber baseball scuttlebutt here.

If you enjoy soccer, then Fredorrarci penned a piece on the tensions of the international break – do you see it as a lull in Super League action or still harbor nationalistic love for your ever so quaint place of birth? Will it be abolished? Are the super clubs about to sprint down a trail that mirrors the Pilgrim’s progress to isolation & ultimately damnation? Let’s hope so not so much and then throw our hands up in the air, confused. Read here.

In totally unrelated news, we now have some soccer Spanish trivia for football eBook aficionados at Goodreads. Test your mad Spanish skillz with some trivia if you are a GR member here. If you are not a part of GR yet, then try out the super fun quiz here.

We somewhat superficially addressed the topic of trafficking in soccer at Run of Play a few months back. Luckily, as the video of the trailer for Soka Afrika suggests, some pretty good filmmakers have tackled the topic head-on. The film, which has a twitter handle as well, follows the stories of two young African soccer talents: one a promising thorough-bred who goes the traditional route, the other a talented youngster who gets swindled by an “agent”

Eric of A Football Report did a splendid full review of the film here. However, both the film and my post at RoP brim with observations but are short on potential solutions. It’s super cool that a non-profit in France is attempting to help stranded African footy-dreamers, but I’m going to speculate on some more carrots & sticks ideas.

I begin with a contentious but important presupposition – the potential footballers, normally teenage adolescents with limited education, are the victim. It’s very easy to blame the trafficked person in any context for getting swindled, not being suspicious, etc. But the economic pressures on many youth, coupled with doses of confidence and immaturity, make them the least guilty of the group. Can you blame them for dreaming? Can we outlaw dreams? No. I think that expanded education and outreach campaigns could help, especially in “source” countries. In “destination” countries, non-profits and government agencies need to improve identify, response, and rescue options.

A brief note. I know that not everybody views economic migrants in a favorable light. If you loved the US alleged immigration “reform” act of 1996 and approved of the recent Arizona state law, then feel free to have your comments waste away in my spam filters. Like a debt ceiling debate, I refuse to let ideologues from the opposite end hold debate hostage by using policy arguments to make fundamental philosophical chasms. If you view economic migrants as to be blamed, then go to a Lou Dobbs forum or something. I respect your fundamental value choice that is the opposite of mine and invite you to stop reading this post. Moving on.

Second, and this is the most contentious and complex issue, is how to attack the fraudulent shadow actors who circle around prized clubs and leagues. I refer to the fake agents, the people with just enough contacts to get a try-out and arrange airfare, but little else. On the one hand, one could attempt a whac-a-mole approach. Countries could pass laws, enforce fraud statutes, etc, and shadow agents could get convicted of crimes, get fines, etc. However, as long as money entices, I don’t think that attempts to reign in the transient & elusive shadow characters will get much done. Aside from maybe a few media headlines for criminal prosecutions.

My proposal is to disgorge the financial profits of clubs that associate with these characters. I think that whistle blower laws & independent audits, combined with a player registration system, are essential. Basically, clubs would have to certify that for every player in their association (roster, academy), they did not pay any referral fees or make contacts with any unregistered FIFA agent.

I am still chewing on this idea and invite you to help me work through nuts & bolts. I am aware that bits and pieces are already in place, albeit lacking in teeth and political will. The fines would have to be high enough to be more than a slap on the wrist, the law would need to have retaliation provisions for whistle blowers, etc. etc. But I think the idea is a decent one. Clubs have a financial incentive to associate with sleazebags – they may bring them a cheap diamond in the rough. Until that incentive changes, shadow agents will stalk the dark continent and other corners of the world.

So chew on that. And in the meantime, catch Soka Afrika if you can.

I may be late to the show, but the “Sucker for Soccer” images on the Behance Network are beyond fantastic. Special thanks to PRC, the lady who designed my site’s wicked header, for sending me the link. And for those of you who are especially dense, like things repeated three times, or prefer a link at the end of a sentence, you can check out these wonderful pics right here.

And that’s not all.

On a related footy image smorgasbord note, Jason Davis at kckrs found some amazing pics from a Brazilian picture book on informal soccer fields.

The book, by Joachim Schmid, is available here. This gem was originally unearthed by the Wong Wong blog, which I’m sad to say for kickette fans is not a Gareth Bale-wet & white shorts- contest-tumblr. 

It’s summer, you’re bored, your favorite blogger isn’t posting as frequently, and he has not yet published his magnum opus that will forever change your life. What do you do?

Rest easy – we have some recommendations to make this June, July, and August bearable. Or, rather, adorable kitten LMAO-able.

First and foremost, the Blizzard Issue One is excellent. For those not in the know, a collection of talented footy writers have formed a sort of spiritual “super ninja dojo” that is dedicated to the irreverent. This positive energy has materially manifested in a quarterly publication on such odd topics as the Israeli national teams’ first few games, the tragedy of Greece’s greatest player you never heard of, and the alternately coherent and rambling ramblings of Pep Guardiola’s mentor. And you choose the price. Read it. Now.

The WSJ took potshots at bare-knuckles sports journalism, in which guys or gals with mics crowd a locker room after games to get recycled soundbites. The Blizzard offers a resounding answer to these criticisms. It has interviews, but the writers ask tough questions and the persons interviewed give honest and refreshing answers. In that sense, they combine the access of ESPN with the targeted wit of Deadspin. I repeat – read it. Now.

Second, Jennifer Doyle of From a Left Wing is doing a series on her experience in trying to organize an Adult Soccer League in inner city LA. The series is titled “Soccer in the City of Angels” and offers a refreshingly candid view of race, gender, and socioeconomic relations through the prism of sport.

Already, the series has dealt with how once open expressions of prejudice now manifest themselves in subtle biases (similar to my Balotelli racialism bias post). For example, a well educated lawyer telling a professor that she “doesn’t belong” in an inner city neighborhood? Deliciously ironic and devilishly dastardly. Another example: one of the linesman walked out of a game because he felt “pressure” during a game for a bad call. Isn’t that the definition of the job? But when you are in the “inner city”, you interpret the same verbal frustration of players differently. But should you?

The series is candid, illuminating, and offers delightful prose. Read the first entry here.

Third, Chris from Studs-Up, Michael from Zonal Marking, Jason from MatchFitUSA, and some other people I don’t know very well have formed a new soccer site called KCKRS. I have little clue where the editorial direction of this site will lead, but the post on the history of Athletic Bilbao’s jersey was delightful. Even if the headline used the phrase “Curious case” for the 1,000,000th time in the history of sports writing (FYI I am also guilty). As long as the site doesn’t turn into a shiny portal for kit and boot press releases, the sky’s the limit with the talent on board.

Bill Simmons, the Sports Guy, has launched his own website named Grantland. If you can get past Simmons’  crass “guys only trip to Vegas” jokes, then you can find some really honest and insightful takes on sport and fandom. My own site owes so much to the Sports Guy and his role in the media shift from a player-focus to the fan-experience, that I can’t judge too harshly.

If anything, Bill has been blogging at ESPN for the last decade, it was just disguised in website/column form. I am glad to see him in his natural habitat. One of the early posts, about watching a Cubs baseball game from a nearby rooftop, captured the essence of Wrigley Field from afar. Once again, I’m not sure about the editorial direction, but let’s hope they stay the course. Brian wrote a tennis piece for Grantland about Roger Federer and tigers and king cobras, which is a pretty good sign. Also, the Chris Ryan article on the good-natured, libation consuming ambiance outside of Wembley was pretty entertaining. Keep rowing!

If you are in the mood to turn back the clock, Attempting Thought has a nice summary of the infamous Preston squabble of 1884 – when money first started to filter into the amateur game and corrupt it. It’s nice to know that as my beloved United signs Ashley Young and tosses suitcases of cash at Nasri, we can all blame the true culprits for capitalism in sport: Preston North End, not Manchester United. Bastards.

At the other end of the capitalism spectrum, the excellent Swiss Ramble has the lowdown on the finances at Real Madrid. And it’s not as bad as you think. Madrid has decent and diversified profits. Whew. But the more democratic 2015 TV deal just may toss a wrench in the green-making-machine. Until then, try not to hurt your head when diving into a pool of golden coins ala Scrooge McDuck.

In the middle east, the Arab spring also has sadly sown a summer of despair in Bahrain. Mohammed Hubail, a member of the Bahrain national team, has been sentenced to two years in jail for his participation in protests. The terms “closed door proceedings,” “special security court,” and “martial law” should send a shiver down your spine. James Dorsey at TWMES has more interesting details on the striker and the situation. And in an odd twist, it’s kinda FIFA to the rescue. The Swiss freedom-fighters are investigating to possibly suspend the Bahrain FA due to the government’s “political interference in sport.” We can only hope that relations remain acrimonious and these two democratically-deficient organizations don’t start exchanging ideas.

In South America, once proud and great Argentine club River Plate stared relegation in the eye for the first time ever in its 100 plus year history. They lost the first leg of the promocion playoffs and held onto the primera by a thread. HEGS had all the podtastic insight beforehand. As for the second leg game, River led 1-0 at the half, but coughed up a fluky goal to dig their own grave. They did get a penalty kick, which forward Pavone shot directly at the goalie’s feet. And, for the first time in its history, River is now a second division club. Some Boca fans were sad in a super-villain died sorta way, but many are simply ecstatic.

Lastly, if you can get over your Duke prejudices from college basketball, then Soccer Politics should be in your Google Reader. A Gold Cup post by Laurent on the Chicharito chasm between Mexican and American casual sports fans brilliantly details a rift that will take decades to merge. If ever. Of course, most Mexicans don’t know who Tom Brady or Peyton Manning are. But I blame the NFL lockout.

As you may have noticed, I am not wading in the transfer-rumor mill, which was analyzed quite well by Brian in a Slate piece last year and recently by Brooks of DT fame for Life’s a Pitch. Basically, I spend 9 months out of the year making weird crap up that loosely revolves around soccer, and summer is when people steal my thunder. Thus, I opt to avoid the crowded beaches until late August, perhaps early September.

In the meantime, stay tuned for our July 4th announcement of the book contest winners and perhaps a PDF teaser. And a word to the wise: be careful when eating chicken.

I won’t bore you with another mega-post detailing this FIFA crap. Just remember two things: 1) As long as FIFA gets (practically) free labor from players and shifts the burden of hosting to countries, then they will be a money-grubbing gang of crooks with no incentive to change. 2) FIFA is not a dictatorship, it is a 21st century kleptocracy ala Latin America where the forces of capital hollow out democratic mechanisms.

Now let’s look at what some smart people have to say. And, lastly, an idea.

Jennifer of From a Left Wing painted a picture of contrasts. On the one hand, Barcelona played an almost perfect game to defeat Manchester United. The Red Devils did not resort to hack-a-Xavi tactics, instead attempting an open game but getting ran over. In contrast to this defeated spirit of fair play, FIFA’s “internal investigation” of corruption reeks of a desperate political power play. It appears that Sepp Blatter only instituted this inquiry to run off his opponent and get his friends to clear his name. I doubt the suspensions of Warner and MBH will lead to expulsions. Pathetic. But fully expected.

The English FA recognized this election for an utter farce and is not voting in protest. MBH criticized the English FA for not voting. Then, he withdraw his candidacy after the corruption probe. Why? Well, as noted in that CNS article, the last man to challenge Sepp Blatter, IssaHayatou in 2002, at least retained his job and allegedly received a delightful $1.5 million bung to vote for Qatar recently. If MBH seriously challenged Blatter, he may lose his current perch….and the related graft. Can you blame him?

Granted, England’s abstaining from voting was more symbolic than functional. When you don’t vote in an election, you obviously lose your ability to influence it in a miniscule way. But given that MBH has withdrawn his candidacy, the no-vote was arguably even more symbolically powerful. It’s a nice little finger to Sepp Blatter and his era of briefcases full of cash.

Ian from 200 Percent detailed the “Warner allegations” and rightly points out – corruption is but a question of degree, not “if.” Ian points us rightly to ChangeFifa, a website with some good ideas for corporate government reforms. But how can we ever achieve reform with such a rotten center? There is hope. Just follow the trail of cash.

Brian from Sportingnews did some great leg work to track down and contact the corporate sponsors of FIFA. Some of them were willing to give a direct comment, but then came retractions. Still, for your records, they are ADIDAS, VISA, EMIRATES, and COCA-COLA. Since Brian’s article, Adidas and Coke have released statements expressing concern. So did the Emirates. But was that just PR? It seems so. But I also see an opening.

Here’s my idea: a consumer preference power play/boycott. In my last post on human trafficking in youth soccer, people rightly asked: what is the nuts & bolts solution? My vague response was “don’t settle for the superficial best product/cheapest price.” I’m still chewing, folks. But the FIFA dilemma has a simple response.

In Jennifer’s excellent aforementioned piece, she cites a concept called “interpassivity” made famous by Slavoj Zizek. Basically, everyday we make consumption choices with nary a thought. These choices add up big time. Corporations fight to turn us into amoral and unthinking zombies who consume. Hence, marketing. So I recommend some “inter-action.” In what form, you rightly ask?

While ChangeFifa has started a facebook and twitter to propose concrete reforms for FIFA, we also need to hit them where it hurts: sponsorships. Sponsors associate with an entity to sell products and establish good will with the public – we must flip this association on its head. And the marketplace offers plenty of lovely non-FIFA sponsor alternatives. Thus, here are a few general principles….

Instead of using VISA, prefer MASTERCARD. If you apply for a credit card or choose which one to use, choose the latter.

Instead of using COCA-COLA products, use PEPSI. If you drink carbonated beverages, opt for Pepsi.

Instead of using ADIDAS, opt for NIKE. If you are buying a new soccer ball, jersey, or cleats, then purchase Nike or Pumas.

And so on. This is basically a Fifa Sponsors Pledge.

Note: you could also simply not use credit cards, consume carbonated beverages, or buy sporting equipment.

I really don’t have the tech savvy or traffic to start a decent online petition. This is also more of a piggyback to changeFifa. Thus, if you know about online petitions and/or run a behemoth soccer site and like the idea, please spread the word. If enough people slightly tweak their consumer preferences, then these companies will take a major hit. And if there’s a Facebook page explaining why, then all the better. And if not, then at least no FIFA dollars-for-Sepp-diamonds will stain your next soccer shoe purchase.

Thus, I, for one, am going to heroically use my Discover card to buy a new pair of Nike cleats. And no more rum & cokes. Only rum & Pepsi. Viva La Revolucion!

It’s been ages since the soccer-news-media apparatus hummed along at such an accelerated pace. In light of this supernova of information, I have been forced into a stream-of-conscious absorption of facts, opinions, and dallyhoo. True, I am also working on a quasi-secret book. How secret? Well, I can only reveal two facts: it involves feet. And a ball. The rest shall remain with your imagination until June 1st. Then, on June 1st, when my third version of the MS is still not good enough, I will vent to you.

But back to the news of today, not tomorrow. Let’s begin.

Colombia has numerous badges of dishonor in the soccer world: they had a World Cup yanked away in the 1980′s and also shot one of their players after the ’94 World Cup. Sadly, the homicide and economic futility were but a precursor to this crowning act of owlicide. [ALERT - this video is not suitable for children under the age of 20]

The culprit? Panamanian soccer player Luis Moreno. The location: Colombia. The victim? An owl, the mascot for Atletico Junior. I regret to say that the owl died shortly after the incident. The punishment: two game ban and $560 fine. Will Colombia ever be the same?

Sadly, this incident comes just as Colombia appear poised for a stunning economic recovery. I fully anticipate that decades from now, respected Colombian economists will pinpoint this moment as the “niksput” – the time when an otherworldly tragedy undermined the fragile confidence of the private sector, thereby triggering a massive depression.

We will not forget about this incident in a matter of weeks. You do not have the attention span of a gnat with ADD. You have been taking your adderall.

Moving on to the next earth-shattering news event of the past week, we realize that violence it not just a problem in Latin America. Apparently, Ashley Cole shot an intern at Chelsea with an air gun. How on Earth could such a stupid thing occur, you ask? Well, here’s a pretty accurate animated remake:

Unlike the owl, the intern appears to have very strong vital signs. He is expected to make a full recovery. And as for Cashley? The police are investigating. This basically means a fine and a slap on the wrist. I suspect a disagreement over a Phil Collins song may have sparked the altercation, but my memory has been known to blur and mix and mash.

Some good has come of the incident, though. In an attempt to defend the rights of the accused by fostering empathy, a website allows you to spend a day in Cashley’s shoes and see the world through his eyes. Check it out here. Try not to cheat on Cheryl Cole for that one day.

I reiterate. We will not forget about this incident in a matter of weeks. You do not have the attention span of a gnat with ADD. You have been taking your adderall.

In related world-changing news, the horrors of violence continue to scar our beloved beautiful game. This time, man’s best friend turned into our own worst enemy.  As a midfielder in the Brazilian league prepared to launch a cross, he got busted by a canine cop for smuggling over 100 pounds of cocaine inside the ball. Well, maybe that last part has yet to be confirmed, but the crowd was impressed by the defending.

Of course, conservative American TV pundits respected the dog’s badge but voiced their frustration at this stewardship of the public’s tax dollars. Playing soccer while on the job? What’s next, “paid vacation”? Lush Rimbaugh attributed the lax and low productivity canine culture to long entrenched (and abused) canine collective bargaining rights. Which must be destroyed.

I repeat. We will not forget about this incident in a matter of weeks. You do not have the attention span of a gnat with ADD. You have been taking your adderall.

Lastly, South Africa took a hit to the piggybank to host the last World Cup, but don’t worry about Sepp Blatter & FIFA. They held a few bake sales, sold some old desks, sublet office space, and managed to scrape together $6 billion in profit over the last four years, including pocket change under the cushions in the official FIFA couch. Barely enough to get by, right?

But here’s the conspiracy: FIFA announces their profits early in the week, and later in the week ban snoods. Coincidence? I think not. FIFA derives their profits from lucrative sponsorship agreements. And what would upset current sponsors more than an upstart fashion garment that wasn’t under their collective corporate clutches? This is the only plausible explanation.

FIFA’s pretext for banning snoods only raises more red flags. The safety of the players? Their health? Players are mere commodities to play at FIFA tournaments without pay so that FIFA can generate enormous revenue. If FIFA cared about their health, they would reduce the number of games. This Sepp quote from 1995 is hysterically ironic. Oh, and unlike goal-line tech, FIFA did not conduct even a single snood-health study. Suspicious!

Thus, only one explanation makes sense: Snoodgate.

Unlike the other news stories, this one most definitely will have repercussions for future generations of snood wearing children, children whose dreams have been forever crushed. Somewhere, the next Samir Nasri cries into his snood, throws away his cleats, and takes up racquetball in disgust.

No, the title is not an upcoming project from MGM. Rather, it is an approximation of the “Chila” fake identity scandal that is rocking Ecuadorian futbol at the moment. One of the top teams, Liga Universitaria, apparently coerced a player into letting another use his identity for over two years. When a journalist started to snoop around, he was kidnapped. When the opposition clubs found out, they demanded that Article 19 of the local rules be enforced – effectively preventing Liga Universitaria from winning the title. The irony? These same clubs have been caught doing the same thing with minimal punishment.

So either brush of your English-Spanish dictionary or hum up the Google Translator, and head over to Futbol y Asociados for a balanced and detailed take on the issue. Click here.

So, two of my favorite bloggers, Roswitha and Roberticus, have been active in the tweet world but tread softly in the blogosphere. Until now. I blame google reader hijinks, but somehow Roswirtha avoided my detection and wrote a wonderful piece on football-as-development in the poor outskirts of Indian cities. You must read it. Here. Roberticus, the original king of the tactics, wrote an epic post on tactical variations for the upcoming Clasico. You must also read it. Here.

It has been a long time since I did one of these, so, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I offer a buffet of delightful links and articles from the soccer blogosphere. Some may be a bit old, but rest assured, they are worth your read.

First, Ryan Babel. Okay, stop snickering. Apparently, unlike every single LFC fan who looks back at Rafa with partial memory loss and loving eyes, he does not exhibit the bias of Ted Bundy’s mom. Rather, he displays his own egotistical streak, tweeting about how he was not allowed extra-training sessions. Poor baby. (The Spoiler)

Second, Andrei Arshavin. His form for Arsenal has been far from supreme, despite some nice assists. However, he has returned to the world wide web with a delightful round of questions and answers. His responses range from tactful avoidance to abrasively sardonic. You shall enjoy them. (Dirty Tackle)

Third, Richard Whittall has continued his meta-love for blogging about soccer blogging. Granted, we may never see him incorporate his suggestions and conclusions into his own blog, because that would require blogging about soccer, not blogging about blogging about soccer. Of course, this very paragraph is me blogging about blogging about blogging about soccer, so I’m just as guilty if not more so. Confused? Good. Richard thinks among MLS blogs there are too many boxes of wine, not enough bottles. Read here. (A More Splendid Life). The site re-design is also gorrrrrrrrrrgeous.

Fourth, if you are not already reading In Bed With Maradona, then that’s okay – just like the horseless carriage and coldbox-for-food, it’s a recent contraption that will soon go out of fashion like the suit and tie. In the meantime, enjoy their article on the complex questions presented by asylum seekers in the UK that are modestly talented at footy. (In Bed With Maradona)

Fifth, continuing the theme with soccer as a tool of social justice, guest writer Fernando Romero penned this gem about pick-up soccer & day labor organizing in Los Angeles. Is every jornalero at his heart a futbolista? And how is soccer, a unique game with 22 simultaneous moving individuals, capable of uniting this at times disjointed and aloof low income community? (From A Left Wing)

Lastly, though Futfanatico was sadly not named for any of the more mainstream blogger awards, we remind you that we are very much in contention for the annual, prestigious “Best Soccer Blog with Futfanatico in the URL” award. However, right now we are only beating Soccerlens by two votes!

Vote below. Please.