Over the years Frank Lampard has earned fan following around the world with his exceptional display on the field, be it for England or Chelsea. He is definitely one of the all time great midfielders to have played the game. He has been consistent throughout his career and has always been a delight to see him play. Even now when he is emotionally down he is playing and entertaining the fans. He has shown what a professional is all about. A play card displayed by a Chelsea supporter during the match against Liverpool, which said “Lampard you are a Legend”, summed it all up. No one even dreams about losing their parents or even their relatives. Lampard is facing one of the most dreaded happenings of life. No one wants to face this but unfortunately this is the way of life everything has to end. Players like Lampard make football a beautiful game they believe in the saying "The show must go on”. Once they enter the field they are ready to forget everything and give their 100 percent. Outside the field they might still be struggling to get over the tragedy. They might be lesser mortals like you and me trying to come to terms with what has happened. We the football fans should thank Pat Lampard for giving a son like Frank to the world of football and also pray for her soul to rest in peace.

FOOTBALL IN BHUTAN

Article:Saurabh Rai / Sonam Dhendup :Football is one of the most widely followed sport in Bhutan along with archery (which happens to be the national sport) and basketball, though Bhutan’s ranking in world football stands at lowly 198, the passion for the beautiful game is surely picking up in this Himalayan kingdom. It all started with the setting up of Bhutan Football Federation in 1983 which worked towards improving football infrastructure in the country under the Royal patronage and finally in 2000 the federation got FIFA’S affiliation which further boosted football’s popularity in the country. The game itself had started in Bhutan during the fifties when schools were first opened in Haa and Paro and the teachers who were recruited from outside the country introduced the beautiful game to Bhutan but the credit for taking football to the masses goes to the students who went out to study. They came back with the knowledge about football and popularized the game in the country. In 1968 a team from Bhutan comprising mostly of hired players competed in the Indian Independence cup in Kolkata then Calcutta. Bhutan’s connection with Kolkata doesn’t end there, Dasho Karma Dorji a reputed player from the country is said to have played for East Bengal club in the seventies. Bhutan had a strong national side from 1970 to 1984.Teams from the country participated in major tournaments outside and lifted many trophies. Bhutan reached the finals of ANFA cup (All Nepal Football Association), an international tournament four times. Teams from countries like China, Hong Kong, India, Korea, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka used to participate in this tournament. At present the national team is managed by Khare Basnett, a renowned footballer of his times. The A-division league is contested by eight teams namely Druk Pol (who have won the league four times) Transport United (3 times and are the current holders of the title) and other teams are Yeedzin FC, Druk Star FC, Royal Bhutan Army FC,Veterans FC,Chooden FC,Rigzhung FC.Transport United was Bhutan’s representative in the AFC President’s cup where they finished third in the group stage. The national team is selected from amongst the players in the A-division league. A state of the art football stadium is under construction at Changlimithang in Thimpu the capital city. When the construction is completed Bhutan will get its first international standard stadium. Football in Bhutan is definitely on the right course and the day is not far when Bhutan will become one of the major footballing nations in Asia.

Current Squad of Bhutan Football Team Goalkeepers:Puspalal Sharma,Jigme Singay,Tshering Chophel Defenders:Chengho Chengho,Pasang TsheringIrishna, SubbaKarma, YesheySonam ,TenzinThinlay Phuntsho Nangze, DorjiSonam, NorbuBhim, Kumar Chhetri Midfielders:Pema Chophel,Kinlay Dorji,Sonam Jamtsho,Cheni Yangdel,Nawang Dendup,Ugyen Dorji Pema PemaSonam, TobgayWangchuk Oh Forwards:Wangay Dorj,iYeshey Gyeltshen,Bikash Pradhan,Dorji Khandu,Hem Bahadur Tamang,Dinesh Chhetri ,Yeshey Nedup,Nobin Gurung

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2008 :WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY

Keshav Gurung

With the New Year comes the interesting prospect of transfers in the English Premier League. With high stakes, big transfers are bound to happen and with an invasion of foreign owners Premier league is definitely on the high. The League has become the most sought after competation in the world, where business tycoons from around the globe are putting their money. Just recently Indian business tycoon Lakshmi Niwas Mittal bought the lost champions Queens Park Rangers who are lying in the bottom three of the Coca Cola championships .they are for a revival and they would be more than happy with the transfer window being opened for a month when they can purchase players with Mittal providing the moolah. They can now even dream about being in the premier league. Clubs like Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City have been under the ownership of foreign invaders, Chelsea without Drogba,Michel Essien,Soloman Kalou and John Obi Mikel who will be taking part in the African Cup of Nations. This temporary exodus is also enough to prompt the blues to purchase a new striker probably Nicholas Anelka, who has a transfer tag of 10 million pounds on him which is not that big considering the recent trend in europeon football where clubs shell out crazy money to get the players they desire .Anelka also feels that he will get an opportunity of playing in the champion’s league which is a bit of an uphill task with his current club Bolton Wanderers. This two factors might combine to bring anelka to Stamford bridge. Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov is also on Chelsea’s wish list but Juande Ramos the manger of Tottenham Hotspurs has quoted a price tag of 30 million pounds which seems a big sum even for a club like Chelsea. Manchester United has also shown a keen interest on Berbatov although they don’t have any problem with their forwards, they might not want to miss out on an opportunity to buy a player of Bebatov’s caliber. Red devils have recently bought Angolian striker Manucho to strengthen their attack. Scottish defender Hutton is also on Sir Alex Ferguson’s radar. Manchester united might see off Wes Brown who didn’t renew his contract. Liverpool has been very quiet thus far regarding their intentions but they are in need of new recruits to lead the race for the premier league title. Rafa Benitez wants to buy a central back. But will he get funds from the owners? Only time will tell. These thirty days will give mangers sleepless nights and keep the viewers interested on the movement of the stars from one club to another. Transfers have always been followed with keen interest around the world for a simple reason the excitement they provide.

Kaka helps AC Milan end South American dominance over Club World Cup's

17.12.2007:Akhilesh Gurung :AC Milan became the first European club to win the Club World Cup when they comprehensively beat their South American counterparts Boca-Juniors 4-2 in the final. The seriousness and intent of AC Milan to win the tournament was evident when they came a week in advance to prepare for the showdown, unlike a lot of previous teams from Europe. The final had been branded as a re-match of the Intercontinental Cup (Toyota Cup) 2003. Milan took 21 minutes to get on the score sheet as Kaka made a run through the midfield and got into the box on the left. He tried to find Inzaghi in the middle of the box with a pass, but a Boca defender blocked the attempt. However, Kaka regained possession and was successful on his second try, slipping the ball to Inzaghi for an easy tap-in goal. Boca responded within two minutes, however, as a quickly taken corner kick caught the Milan defense off guard, allowing Rodrigo Palacio to slip in behind them for an easy header that leveled the match. The two teams entered halftime tied at 1-1, but Milan scored three goals in just over 20 minutes in the second half to put the game away. Andrea Pirlo's free kick from the right bounced off of a Milan player inside the area and fell nicely for Alessandro Nesta, who volleyed the ball into the top left corner of the net to put Milan in front. A welcome goal fro an unlikely source. Kaka then got on the score sheet 12 minutes later as he made a long run with the ball into the box and fired a shot from a tight angle that Boca goalkeeper Mauricio Ariel Caranta let slip through his legs. The Brazilian showing just why he is regarded as the best in the world today. Inzaghi notched his second goal of the game in the 71st minute as Clarence Seedorf found Kaka inside the box with a pass, and the Brazilian quickly slid the ball to Inzaghi for another easy finish to put the game out of reach. Things got physical in the late stages as Milan's Kakha Kaladze was sent off for a horrendous two footed tackle, while Boca also finished the match with 10 men after Pablo Ledesma was shown a red card for a hard challenge on Kaka. Boca would get a late consolation goal as Massimo Ambrosini scored an own goal to make it a two-goal game, but Milan was clearly the superior side and got the well-deserved win. Brazilian teams Sao Paulo and Internacional won the first two editions of the current Club World Cup, both times beating European Champions Barcelona in 2006 and Liverpool in 2005. The third place match played between Urawa Red Diamonds and Tunisian Club Etiole Sahel went right down to the wire with the Japanese outfit winning 4-2 on penalties. The tournament which started two weeks ago comprised of 6 teams from each of the 5 regions and one from the Japanese League. AC Milan representing Europe, Boca Juniors representing South America, Pachuca from Latin America, Waitakere from Oceania, Etiole Sahel from Africa and Urawa Red Diamonds from the Japanese League. An interesting sidenote of this year's Club World Cup is the testing of a revolutionary football embedded with a microchip, designed to end goal-scoring disputes by alerting the referee when it has crossed the line. Whether other Leagues and Tournaments will adopt the same technology is still anyone's after the new innovation received a mixed response. In a way Milan's victory also helped restore European pride. Brazilian teams have dominated the competition since it was merged from its predecessor (Intercontinental Cup). In the past, most European teams regard the Club World Cup as merely a bonus and did not accord enough respect to the competition - clinching the Champions League is already the pinnacle for them (in financial terms too), hence the uninspiring performances. The fact that the Cup is right smack in the middle of their already packed schedules also makes it an undesirable distraction . By bringing the trophy back to Europe, there is hopefully, a shift of emphasis and European teams may feel a greater impetus to win this event, more for honor than monetary incentives. The media can also help to elevate the Club World Cup by providing greater coverage and infusing glamour to spark the fans' interest. At least that is what FIFA and Sepp Blatter is looking for.

Nominees of 2007 and Past Winners List

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