Messi helping a boy with pituitary dwarfism

Lionel Messi is not just a great footballer but he is a great man too. Barcelona's top striker since now is paying medical bills for 12-year-old boy suffering from pituitary dwarfism. It was the pituitary dwarfism that Leo was suffering from too and now he decided to help someone in a similar condition. Mesi came to Barcelona because it covered the cost of the bills for the growth hormone. The boy suffering from pituitary dwarfism is Kashasha Waleed, he is from Morocco and he dreamed to be a footballer but his family could not afford the hormonal therapy. Therefore, his mother decided to write a letter to Leo asking for help, and he decided to help the family paying 208 euros every two weeks for the growth hormone treatment for Kashasha (till the age of 18). Messi often engages in the UNICEF actions and has his own foundation.

photo by Christopher Johnson

Hartlepool United fans at their best

I wanted to write this one so much but I had no time, so it's finally here. Most of you have probably seen fans of Hartlepool supporting their club at Charlton this month, but for those who have not - stay a while and read!

The army of 171 Hartlepool supporters painted their faces blue and donned blue jumpers and white overalls, beards and hats to support their club on the final match of the season against Charlton in League One. The smurf invasion was quickly the talk of Twitter after photo of Hartlepool supporters descending an escalator at London’s Kings Cross Underground station was posted and was viewed more than 13,000 times in 24 hours. Some fans were also dressed up as super heroes. Organiser John 'Papa Smurf' Pearson said: 'It’s good craic and helps the day along" and the Hartlepool manager Neale Cooper stated: 'The fans were fantastic. I got a message on my phone saying, "The Smurfs are invading Charlton", and that was from someone in Scotland. Then I saw the pictures. The support on the day was brilliant.' At half-time, mid-table Hartlepool were leading 1-0 against League One champions Charlton but by the final whistle they were 3-2 down. Last time the Hartlepool supporters were dressed up as Oompa Loompas (Video on the bottom). 

Hartlepool itself is beginning to be one of the most creative clubs in the League One, and its supporters nickname is kinda funny too. The Monkey Hangers. According to local folklore, the term originates from an incident in which a monkey was hanged in Hartlepool. During the Napoleonic wars, a French ship was wrecked off the coast, and the only survivor was a monkey wearing a French uniform. After finding the monkey locals decided to hold an impromptu trial, but the monkey was unable to answer their questions and many locals were unaware of what a Frenchman may look like, they concluded that the monkey was a French spy. Later, the monkey was hanged from the mast of a boat. Hartlepool United FC's mascot is a monkey called H'Angus the Monkey. An interesting story, isnt it?

Carles Puyol will miss Euro 2012?

Spanish defender Carles Puyol will most probably miss out event in Poland and Ukraine because of a renewed knee injury that requires arthroscopic surgery and will be out of the game for around six weeks. It means that the coach of Spain National Team - Vicente del Bosque will have to succeed without the services of the best defender in his team. The 34-year-old featured for the full 90 minutes in Barcelona's 4-0 La Liga win over Espanyol at the weekend, but complained about knee problems after the game. He underwent a number of tests on Monday to determine the extent of the knock and as officially stated by Barcelona he will have to undergo knee surgery. The knee surgery will take place on Saturday May 12 and will be performed by doctor Ramon Cugat.

photo by Gerard Reyes from Reus, España

Fabrice Muamba to attend match between Bolton and Tottenham

Fabrice Muamba will attend Barclays Premier League match between Bolton and Tottenham at the Reebok Stadium this Wednesday. It will mark the first time Muamba hsa attended a game since his cardiac arrest in the match between Bolton and Tottenham at White Hart Lane on March 17. Bolton's midfielder has spent a month at the London Chest Hospital before being discharged on April 16. He started talking two days after his cardiac arrest and began walking just a night later but it is not yet known if he will be able to play professionall football ever again.  

photo by Struway

Bolton Wanderers manager Owen Coyle said: "We are absolutely delighted that we will be able to welcome Fabrice and his family back to the Reebok. It's fitting that the match is between these two clubs and that Fabrice is able to come along. I know Fabrice is very keen to show his appreciation to both sets of fans for their support."

You may want to read about the doctor that saved Fabrice's life here!

Pique's concussion

As stated by Catalunya Radio Gerard Pique doesn't remember the crash with Victor Valdes and he doesn't remember playing with Chelsea yesterday. After fast reaction of the physiotherapist Jaume Munilla and Dr Ricard Prune Gerard has been transported to the hospital. Gerard was able to play after the crash but he requested to be swapped with Dani Alves few minutes later. As said by Andoni Zubizaretta (Barcelona's director of football and years ago Barcelona's goalkeeper) Pique has already left the hospital. Examinations in the hospital indicated his brain concussion and because of his state he will not be able to play at least for one week.

Photo by PAP/EPA

One of the worst matches in the history

The ASEAN Football Championship (renamed now to AFF Suzuki Cup) tournament in 1998 will always be saved in the history of football as one of the worst tournaments. Why? Let me explain. It was one of the matches of this tournament that made it so infamous. Thailand faced Indonesia in semi-finals. The winners of this match would play Vietnam who was the host of the Cup that year and were in the greatest form since many years. The loser of the match would face Singapore that was much easier to play against. Also, facing Vietnam would mean moving training bases to Hanoi and none of the teams wanted to do that. So, what exactly happened that day?

Well, the thing that happened was that noone even tried to score until referees began giving out cautions. Players were just passing the ball around. Then both teams scored two goals without any emotions and celebrations or will to even save any goal. You may think, well, it didn't look that bad i bet. It was only getting worse. With the score 2-2 and only seconds remaining, Indonesia's defender Mursyid Effendi took the ball, turned and placed it in his own net. Indonesia was no longer scared of facing Vietnam, they were celebrating after their own goal because they could play against Singapore.

Mursyid Effendi

Ironically Thailand lost to Vietnam in semi-finals, but so did Indonesia with Singapore. Thailand had to counter Indonesia once again for the third-place playoff. Indonesia won by penalty shootout, and the winner of the Cup wasn't Vietnam, but surprisingly Singapore. After the tournament FIFA fined both teams for violating the spirit of the game, the entire Thailand management team resigned and Mursyif Effendi received a lifetime ban from international football. Both Thailand and Indonesia were suspended from playing for three months.

 You can watch the highlights of the match here:

Also, you should be able to see the Twitter Widget on the right, so feel free to add Lair of Football to subscriptions if you want to stay tuned! Have a nice weekend!

Fabrice Muamba left the hospital

Fabrice Muamba has been discharged from the London Chest Hospital one month after suffering a cardiac arrest. The Bolton midfielder was hospitalized after he collapsed during an FA Cup quarter-final match against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. Fabrice's heart stopped for 78 minutes during that day. An Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) has been inserted under his collarbone to protect him against another cardiac arrest.

Dr Andrew Deaner, Fabrice Muamba and Dr Sam Mohiddin

Muamba will be moved now 200 miles for ongoing treatment to the Alexandra Hospital in Cheadle, Greater Manchester. In a statement released by Bolton, Muamba said: "I am naturally very pleased to be discharged from hospital and would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to every single member of staff at The London Chest Hospital who have played a part in my care. Their dedication, professionalism and expertise is simply amazing and I will forever be in their debt. I also wish to say thank you to all the many well-wishers who have sent thousands of messages of support. Now I am out of hospital, I am looking forward to continuing my recovery and spending precious time with my family." 

More on the Fabrice's situation here.

Liver Transplantation of Eric Abidal finished

Sandro Rosell, the president of FC Barcelona said in the interview for Catalunya Radio that the liver transplantation of Eric Abidal was problem-free and Eric, same as his cousin Gerard are in good condition after the surgery which lasted nine hours. The French defender will be under observation in hospital for 48 hours. The medical team led by Juan Carlos Garcia Valdecasas which operated Eric Abidal will release a statement in the Wednesday morning to report the outcome of the surgery.

photo by AP/Manu Fernandez/wt

Pep Guardiola confirmed the news about Eric when he spoke to the press on the conference after 4-0 win over Getafe on Tuesday during which fans chanted the name of french defender in the 22nd minute of the match: "Before coming here I've been told that the operation has been finished, and we'll have to wait 48 hours to see his evolution. We have to be prudent. During the week we'll know more. The next days will be crucial to see how it goes. We've got plenty of faith in such a strong man." Guardiola dedicated this victory to Eric and his cousin Gerard. #animsAbidal!

Liver Transplantation of Eric Abidal started today

The liver transplantation of Eric Abidal started at 10 a.m. (GMT +1) and as planned should be finished after six to eight or nine hours. The person that donates part of the liver for Eric is his cousin Gerard and Eric is operated by Juan Carlos Garcia Valdecasas - the president of International Liver Transplant Society. After the transplantation Eric will remain hospitalized at least 10 days. After the surgery the club will broadcast a medical statement about (hopefully) the success of the operation. If the new part of the liver fits nicely to the body there is a small chance that Eric will be able to play soccer after long rehabilitation. I really hope he will get well as soon as possible. #animsAbidal!

 

Eric with his cousin Gerard

P.S. I am really sorry for the mistake about Milan president in "Frank Lampard in Diego Maradona's team?", I hope you will understand and forgive me, the common blogger :) .

 

Frank Lampard in Maradona's team?

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Al Wasl - the club led by Diego Maradona - wants to bring Frank Lampard to Dubai with a 6 million pounds per year contract. Chelsea midfielder was frustrated since the coming of Andre Villas-Boas and even the change of the manager did not help him with his frustration in the team. It can most probably be changed by the amount of money Diego Maradona is willing to pay him in his (maybe?) new club. It was said also that the contract would make Frank not pay any taxes for it.

photo by Aleksandr Mysyakin for Soccer.ru

Inter Mediolan already tried to gain Frank on their side in 2010 but the offer was rejected by Chelsea. The Nerazzuri reportedly made a bid of around 13 million pounds. This time it will not take that much time to secure a transfer due to Frank's age and just a year left on his contract.

Insurances for national teams

Often in international matches players were getting injured and because of their injuries were off for months. Many clubs already wanted any change to make players that play in national teams supported by UEFA when they are injured in matches like that and it is finally going to be started on Euro 2012 cup. FIFA's president, Sepp Blatter announced that they will pay insurances to all international players who will play at any official international match. "It is an insurance that covers all players, the clubs and national associations. It is important to take the players' interest into consideration." Players that play in friendly matches will be insured too.

photo by Marcello Casal Jr. / ABr

The decision of UEFA & FIFA is considered to be one of the most important changes in the football history as the insurances will not only cover the medical treatment cost of injured player but will also pay indemnity to the club the injured player plays for.

ECA President Karl-Heinz Rummenigge added:
"The agreement reflects a greater balance between both national teams and domestic clubs and it is a great achievement to the European football, I would like to honestly thank Michel Platini for his willingness in reaching an agreement. Not only ECA but also all the teams in Europe should be proud with this feat. We all hope to continue to construct, together with UEFA, a future for European football"

Real Madrid changes their crest

As noticed by spanish Marca Real Madrid has removed the cross from the crown in their logo (see photo). The reason behind it is building Real Madrid Resort Island on the Ras Al Khaimah island in United Arab Emirates. It will be officially open in 2015 and its purpose is to collect 150 millions of Real fans living in Asia. Florentino Perez wants to "avoid any confusion or misinterpretation" of his project being built in a largely Muslim region.

 

The cross has been a part of the crest because it was the part of King Alfonso XIII's crown. Alfonso XIII granted the club his royal patronage in 1920 and changed the club's name from Madrid Club de Futbol to Real Madrid. There is only one question. Was the change needed to not offend Muslims or to get big money?

Stilian Petrov diagnosed with leukemia

Aston Villa captain Stilian Petrov has been diagnosed with leukemia according to the club's statement which said: "We expect to learn more about Stilian's situation in due course and we have moved quickly to support him and his family. During this time we ask that Stilian's privacy is placed ahead of all inquiries and trust that we will share information as we receive it. Stilian is cherished by many and he will get from Villa every ounce of love and support that we have to help bring this to a positive conclusion." Leukemia was diagnosed after Petrov developed a fever last Saturday and in the last hours it has been sadly confirmed. Earlier he reported his low energy levels to club's medical staff and has been advised to rest for few days because everyone hoped it was just a virus. Wednesday's blood tests found the cause of his symptoms and fatigue. Stilian is 32 years old and moved to Aston Villa in 2006, when former manager Martin O'Neill brought him from Celtic.

photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

Petrov's former Celtic team-mate Neil Lennon, wrote on his Twitter: "Absolutely inconsolable here regarding Stilian.He will overcome this like all the other barriers he faced in his life." In the statement on Celtic's website, Lennon added: "We are all absolutely devastated to hear this news. As a member of the Celtic family, it is important for Stilian to know that he has our unequivocal support in battling against this disease. Knowing Stilian as I do, and the many obstacles he has overcome in his life to get to the peak of his career, he will overcome this one too. On behalf of the players and the backroom staff we send our support and best wishes to Stilian, Paulina and the family. We are there for them all and they will never walk alone."

Get well Stilian.

Cristiano Ronaldo in Manchester?

It has been said many times that Manchester City and the club's management are interested in getting Leo Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, or Kaka three years ago. Now, it looks like their plans are getting more serious. According to Goal.com sheiks will do everything to make Cristiano move to Manchester, they will offer much more than just 80 millions pounds for one of the best strikers in the world, and they're going to sell Edin Dzeko, Carlos Tevez, Nigel De Jong, Emmanuel Adebayor, Wayne Bridge and Roque Santa Cruz.

 photo by Addesolen

English media said that Real and Manchester City management had met lately but there is no known information what happened on the meeting. Ronaldo would earn 500 thousands pounds per week according to unofficial news. If the transfer succeeds then it will be absolute record in the history because of salary and transfer price.

Racist tweets toward Fabrice Muamba

21-year-old Liam Stacey, student from Wales will be in jail for 56 days because of racist tweets on his twitter, that said: "LOL, f*** Muamba, he's dead haha" and then many other racist insults toward random twitter users. Liam Stacey did this few hours after the tragic situation in the Tottenham - Bolton match, when cardiologist along with dr Deaner were fighting to save the young football player he decided to make fun on his private twitter. When student was illuminated that his post may lead him to the court he deleted it but it was too late. In the time police was investigating his reasons he said at first someone hacked his twitter account, and later changed his mind saying he was drunk when tweeting.

Fabrice Muamba. Photo by PA Wire/Press Association Images/EAST NEWS

Judge John Carles said to Stacey: "It was racist abuse via a social networking site instigated as a result of a vile and abhorrent comment about a young footballer who was fighting for his life. At that moment, not just the footballer's family, not just the footballing world but the whole world were literally praying for his life. Your comments aggravated this situation. I have no choice but to impose an immediate custodial sentence to reflect the public outrage at what you have done. You committed this offence while you were drunk and it is clear you immediately regretted it. But you must learn how to handle your alcohol better." Jail was not the only punishment for young welsh student, because he got banned from the rugby team he was playing in and he will be most probably punished in his university. Jim Brisbane (the prosecutor) commented on this situation saying that he hopes it will be successful warning for everyone commenting in the internet.

Check post related for more information about Muamba's heart attack:
http://www.lairoffootball.com/2012/03/doctor-that-saved-fabrices-muamba-life.html

Chile to host Copa America 2015

Chile will host the Copa America in 2015. Competitions were to be held in Brazil, but the largest country in South America resigned from the organization of the event because it already hosts too many sporting events in the coming years like the World Cup 2014 or Olympic Games in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. The tournament in 2015 will be the seventh Copa organized by Chile. Previously, Chile organized competitions in 1920, 1926, 1941, 1945, 1955 and 1991 when Argentina defeated Brazil in the final. In 43 tournaments, seven national teams have won the title. Uruguay is the current champion (Uruguay 3:0 Paraguay, last year in Argentina) and the most successful team in the tournament, having won it fifteen times. It is expected that Brazil will take Chile's schedule turn to host the tournament in 2019.

Doctor that saved Fabrice Muamba's life.

I bet everyone of you has already known most about Muamba's situation, when his heart stopped beating on Saturday when Bolton was countering Hotspur, so I'm not going to write down everything about it (personally I was really shocked, I was seeing Marc Vivien Foe all the time and I was scared nonetheless it's been nine years already and medicine level has increased MUCH), I'll write about one person that saved Fabrice from death. Although doctors aren’t sure what caused Fabrice to have an heart attack, some medical experts say vigorous exercise may have been the trigger.

“Exercise could be a trigger for a cardiac event,’’ said Dr William McKenna, director of inherited cardiac diseases at University College London. “If you have a known problem and push the system to the limit, it may fall apart.’’

It is said by other experts that Muamba's hearth problem was a genetic abnormality and it was not detected before by doctors. Yet another doctors say that it could've been a result of too much adrenaline in a player's body which led to cardiac arrest.

 Dr Andrew Deaner (brown jacket), photo by Facundo Arrizabalaga

The person I was talking about is Dr Andrew Deaner (Spurs fan), he is a heart specialist and works in King George Hospital in Cardiology. After Fabrice's heart attack he darted onto the pitch to offer his expertise in the fight to save his life. He made it with the team of specialists to the hospital he works and this way he avoided waiting in queues and saving young player's life, meanwhile providing him medical care all the time. Dr Graham Stuart, medical director of Sports Cardiology UK, said the quick work by Dr Deaner and the medical team at White Hart Lane had given Muamba the greatest possible chance of making a recovery. He has also been part of the team overseeing his treatment at the London Chest since his arrival there. According to a joint statement from Bolton and the hospital, Fabrice has been “able to recognise family members and respond to questions appropriately". I hope it will end good, he has the best cardiologists around and billions of fans in the world wishing him well. Get well soon Fabrice!

Second post on Fabrice Muamba:
http://www.lairoffootball.com/2012/03/racist-tweets-toward-fabrice-muamba.html

Google Chrome Live Sport

Hello everybody, I found this Google Chrome addon few days ago and I tought I would share it with you. Its main purpose is to show you actual live scores of many leagues, cups and national teams friendlies. Also, it gives you links to live streams of many live matches, which are downloaded from livescorehunter.com. As said on Google official site, you can set your addon to give you scores of football, basketball, volleyball, baseball, tennis and many more. It's really a great plugin, you should check it yourself.

You can get it here:

Google Live Sport

PS: Due to some issues I was forced to remove comments section. I'm really sorry about that, I hope to set a section where you will be able to post your feedback, meanwhile you can subscribe to RSS. Have a good weekend.

Liver Transplantion of Eric Abidal

Exactly one year passes today since Abidal's tumour has been discovered (the liver tumour), three days later he had a surgery to remove it. But it is not the end of health problems of french defender, official FC Barcelona website announced, that Eric Abidal is to undergo a liver transplantion:
"Over the coming weeks, the player will undergo a liver transplant" a Barcelona club statement confirmed. "The transplant was an option since the start of his treatment a year ago."

 photo by Mutari

Abidal was a first-team regular this season. He played in 20 league games, but he has not played since suffering a hip injury playing for France in their friendly win over Germany. He finally signed a one-year contract extension in January. It is another sad day for football, that a great man with a passion and talent suffers for no reason, I hope the liver transplantation will go well and we will see him on the pitch this season. And of course without any other injuries.

"Stones in the Road? Keep them all, one day you will build a castle. "# AnimsAbidal TeQueremos" - tweeted Thiago this morning, and David Villa, actually injured (tibia injury), tweeted: "All my strength for Abidal! You will get through it. You are very strong. We will all be by your side."

Also, Roberto Carlos finally stated that he is not going to retire this year, pretty cool, now when we made ourselves a little bit nostalgic we can watch him again in next season.

Retirement of Roberto Carlos

Since 1993 Roberto Carlos played 743 matches and scored 94 goals in his career. He played for Palmeiras, Corinthians, Inter Mediolan, FC Anzhi Makhachkala and Real Madrid where he has spent eleven years delivering the joy of football to every fan in the world. He was one of the best left defenders in the history of football but today it is the day it was confirmed he decided to retire. He has won Brazilian Championship twice, three Spanish Cups, Intercontinental Cup, European Super Cup, has been a champion of La Liga four times and with Real Madrid he has triumphed three times in the Champions League. In the national team of Brazil he has scored 11 goals in 125 games.

photo by Eurosport

He was connected with Anzhi to the summer of 2013 but he was allowed to retire in December 2011 already. Last Friday German Czistiakow confirmed that he will retire now. It is not known yet if Roberto Carlos will stay in the Russia but the Makhachkala owner - multibillionaire Suleiman Kerimov - wants to make him his advisor. According to russian media Carlos has been earning 5 mln euro for one season. For me it is a real loss for the football world because it is next player of the best generation of football to retire, I hope he will continue his soccer retirement as a coach. As a Blaugrana fan I will surely remember him as one of the greatest enemies that FC Barcelona had to counter playing versus los Blancos.