Brazilian football’s Internacional springboard

“We all hope he hits the ground running and adds to what we think is a good blend of youth and experience in our squad.”

This was the reaction to Javier “Chicharito” Hernández’s arrival at Old Trafford from Manchester United number two Mike Phelan. No doubt Chicharito had a late night last week watching his old team torn apart by another enviable blend of youth of experience.

Chivas de Guadalajara , Chicharito’s former employees, failed in their attempt to become the first Mexican winners of the Copa Libertadores at the hands of Internacional of Brazil.

Progressive management off the pitch in recent years has seen Inter’s fan membership scheme exceed 100,000, making them the most popular club in South America. Partnerships with supporters and businesses have helped put Inter on a sound financial footing but these revenue streams are small fry compared with their work in the transfer window.

Read the rest of the article on The Independent's website

The South American Football Show 4.0

Fourth installment of your show, my show, everybody's South American Football Show.

Brazil
Inter de Porto Alegre's recipe for success.
Deco Returns
Invite Ronaldo to your Barbeques
Serie A
Copa Sudamericana from Brazillian eyes.1

Ale & Tim surf Copa Sudamericana action.

Ecuador
Reinaldo Rueda divides opinions
Youngsters to watch out for in Ecuador
Valle de Chota, hunger, needs and incredible football!


SAFS4 - by SAFS

Internacional superstars claim Copa Libertadores win

Brazil's Internacional fought off a spirited fight-back from Chivas de Guadalajara to win the 2010 Copa Libertadores.

After going down 2-1 in Mexico last week Chivas got themselves back on level terms in spectacular fashion. The visitors' dreams of leaving Brazil with the cup were then dashed by three second half strikes from Inter.

Read Tim's full match report in The Independent here

Copa Libertadores Stat Attack

A record breaking 40 clubs entered this year’s Copa Libertadores, now we are left with just two. Realistically though there’s just one and a half teams still in it with Chivas de Guadalajara already 2-1 down to Internacional before tonight’s trip to Brazil.

Ahead of tonight’s second leg of the final let’s have a look at the vital statistics of the 2010 Copa Libertadores. Each of the 137 games leading up to this point has had its fair share of talking points. On the first day of the competition Chile’s Universidad Católica were beaten 3-2 in Colón de Santa Fe’s “Cementerio de los Elefantes”. Colón’s Brigadier General Estanislao López stadium has earned it’s “Elephant Cemetery” tag as a result of previous giant killings.

One stadium yet to grow its own history is Chivas’ newly opened Estadio Omnilife. The first competitive match in the freshly built stadium saw the Mexican outfit lose their home leg of the Copa Libertadores final to Internacional. Tonight Chivas are in Porto Alegre hoping to overturn the 2-1 deficit and become the first Mexican side to win the prestigious tournament.

Crunching the numbers

Matches played: 137
Home wins: 73
Away wins: 27
Draws: 37
Goals: 324
Goal average per match: 2.36
Biggest win: Cruzeiro 7 - Real Potosi 0 (3rd February, Qualifying round)
Red cards: 73
Penalties awarded: 31 (23 scored)

Top Goalscorers
Thiago Ribeiro (Cruzeiro) 8
Kléber (Cruzeiro) 7
José Fernández (Alianza) 7
Luis Tejada (Juan Aurich) 6
Giuliano (Internacional) 5
Washington (Sao Paulo) 5
Rodolfo Gamarra (Libertad) 5
James Rodríguez (Banfield) 5
Mauro Boselli (Estudiantes) 4
Santiago Silva (Vélez) 4
Hernán López (Vélez) 4
Juan Morales (U. Católica) 4
Omar Bravo (Guadalajara) 4
Alecsandro (Internacional) 4

Los Millonarios struggling to afford Bolatti

Time is running out on any deal to bring Mario Bolatti to River Plate, unsurprisingly the major stubbling block is the player’s wage demands.

While River president Daniel Passarella believes “there is still time” to wrap up the transfer a text message from Bolatti to his agent Marcelo Simonian suggests the midfielder will not be heading home anytime soon.

Via SMS the Fiorentina player told Simonian “I’m not moving for that money.”

The Argentinian international currently picks up $1,200,000 a year in Italy but is willing to move to River if they can offer him a one million dollar paypacket.

The three year deal on the table from River nets Bolatti $550,000 in his first year, $600,000 in the second and $650,000 in the third. Bolatti’s basic salary at El Monumental would also be boosted by performance realted bonuses.

Daniel Passarella has said it is impossible to offer any more cash to reunite Bolatti with mentor Ángel Cappa in Núñez.

“If the player wants to be just a back-up at Fiorentina then there’s nothing we can do. If he comes here he will be our top paid player, earning more than Ortega.”

Meanwhile Los Millonarios hope their impressive start to the Apertura season will continue with Mariano Pavone fit for next weekend’s trip to Argentinos Juniors.

The only village to beat Wenger’s Arsenal, twice

The rocky landscape of Valle del Chota in northern Ecuador rarely gives the local fruit farmers much to cheer about. One bumper crop the region has been harvesting on a regular basis however is highly talented footballers.

Agustín Delgado and Édison Méndez grew up a stone’s throw from each other in the impoverished village of Chota. It was their goals which inflicted a brace of defeats on Wenger’s Arsenal while the Ecuadorian hitmen were at Southampton and PSV Eindhoven respectively.

Read the full article on Valle del Chota here...

The first three shows in one hot setlist!

The South American Football Show by SAFS

Two philosophies, one great match-up

Brazil's Inter de Porto Alegre and Mexico's Chivas de Guadalajara face off in this year's finals in Copa Libertadores. The mexicans will try for the second time to break Conmebol teams' natural reign over the cup: Cruz Azul lost it to Bianchi's Boca, even after winning in La bombonera. It's that hard to win a Copa Libertadores.

Will this be their year? The natural trend's ending by the hands of Chivas?

An interesting perspective comes from the fact that while Inter honors the team's name and mixes international players such as D'Alessandro and Guiñazú with local talent, Guadalajara's squad is purely mexican. A very international brazilian squad will face its counterpart in football and roster philosophy in Chivas Rayadas, alongside America, the most popular team in México.

If Chivas don't complain about the fact that even winning the cup they won't get a ticket to Fifa's Club World Championship, it may be because they are aware that to earn that right precedents have to be established. Either that or they just don't care and abide the rules that were laid out before joining the tournament. Concacaf has a place in that Club World Championship so in the end there is not much ground to talk about injustice.

The game will take place in Chivas' brand new stadium on wednesday night. Sold out already? Of course, very quickly.
Be sure to catch it, we will, and on this week's show we will address it properly, The South American Football Show Style.

For the greater good of tacos and mariachis!

Chivas de Guadalajara advances to Copa Libertadores finals after a personality-filled 2-0 victory in Santiago against U de Chile. The 'Chivas Rayadas' will host a leg of the finals in their brand new stadium, and will try to make it the first mexican team to win the South American cup, with the extra spice of making it with a strictly mexican player squad.

Looking forward to 2011's U20 World Cup

Colombia, who will be hosting next year's U20 World Cup, took a confident step in their squad preparations beating Argentina 1-0 in the final of a South American six nation tournament. Meanwhile, Colombia's Women's squad -only South American squad competing at the final stages- lost to South Korea and earned a fourth place finish in Germany's U-20' Women's World Cup.

Bright future for the Coffee growers? Let's hope so, for the sake of those who love coffee.