F.C. Porto Reinstated into Champions League: Score One for Corruption

So how much do we figure F.C. Porto shelled out to UEFA to overturn its Champions League ban? Well if Porto stood to lose 13 million Euros from its suspension from next year's competition, not to mention the exodus of players that surely would have followed, you can bet it was a handsome sum.

Goal.com and many others reported the news yesterday. Apparently, UEFA was enamored by Porto's appeal, which excluded statements from Benfica and Guimaraes officials, that it turned the matter over to its Control and Disciplinary Body for further review. UEFA told news agency Lusa:

UEFA has now confirmed that FC Porto will indeed play this season's Champions League as it would be impossible to reach a conclusion on this matter before the start of the competition. "The case won't be analysed by the Portugese Federation's Justice Council before the start of the Champions League and won't thus be analysed by the UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body before the start of the competition."

What a joke. Talk about a bag-job! Apparently, the exclusion of Benfica and Guimaraes forced the case to be returned to the control board. That board doesn't meet until Aug. 1--after the Champions League draw. As a result, Porto is allowed back in. Amazing. Here's a thought: MOVE THE MEETING UP!

Here's an organization convicted of bribery charges, whose president is suspended for two years, whose levied an unprecedented punishment, especially considering Porto is a two-time champion of this tournament, and this is the end result. Come right on in boys, no waiting.

Benfica Upfront has an excellent analysis of the situation and spares nothing in hammering the Portuguese federation for its corrupt ways and how it managed to help wrangle Porto out of this mess. From his post today:

It's a f%*&ing disgrace and UEFA are guilty as well, having not given Benfica or Vitória de Guimarães a chance to prove what the FPF refused to. Just as it was looking as if Portuguese football had changed for the better, regrettably, it made a 180-degree turn and now continues on in the same direction.

Granted, Benfica has a stake here and will have to play in the UEFA Cup rather than the Champions League had the ban been upheld. But they have a legitimate gripe. Not only are they tossed into the lesser competition, but Porto is not penalized, keeps its players and likely wins the domestic title AGAIN next season with Sporting, Benfica etc. looking up again at the cheating Dragoes, relegated to playing for second place!

Portugal is a Mickey Mouse league run by corrupt little men who put out a shoddy product and live for the bottom line. Scumbags all.

Portugal Hosts Several Football Derbies

Someone has to explain how schedules are conceived in some countries. Not long ago, we had Grand Slam Sunday in England when United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal played each other on the same day.

Granted it's on a lesser scale, but Sunday in Portugal, you have the same type of scenario.

Sporting hosts Benfica--which for my money is a top 3 derby in European football--while Porto and Boavista tangle in a city of Porto showdown and Guimaraes and Braga tangle in another traditional northern Portgual war.

Huh? What gives?

Sure the schedule is random; just like the Euro and World Cup draws (not everyone wink at once).

No wonder smaller countries like Portugal and Holland and mired in domestic mediocrity when so many matches of great interest are contested on the same day.

Clearly, the Sporting-Benfica game is the most intriguing. Sporting hosts and must win to keep its slimming hopes for a Champions League spot alive; the title has long slipped away with Sporting 17 points back. Benfica, meanwhile, is 12 back of Porto in second place, five ahead of Sporting, and four on top of third place Guimaraes. A Benfica win closes the gap on Porto should the Dragoes slip, and essentially locks up second place and a spot in the Champions League group stage.

Porto, meanwhile, are runaway leaders and a win over Boavista and the inevitable tie in Lisbon pretty much locks up another championship for the former Mourinho Men.

Lots of intrigue and a spotlight on Portugal for one day--too bad it's one day only. Someone explain this logic to me, please!

Champions League Draw: Knockout Round-of-16

Now it gets good.

The Champions League round-of-16 draw is out and there are some juicy ties awaiting us in February. I'll do a separate post on England's teams. For now, here's a look at the rest of the draw:

Roma-Real Madrid: Roma is the team no one wants to face. Roma is cursed with some odd luck in terms of teams it draws. In Serie A, it's looking up at Inter Milan, which is running away with the Scudetto with 40 points and a seven-point lead over Roma. In its the group stage, Roma ran into Manchester United, which is on an absolute tear and has not lost a game in three months. Francesco Totti has seven goals this season and is among the leaders in Italy. This should be the tie to watch. Real leads La Liga by two points over Barcelona, whom it plays Sunday in the Spanish classico. Real has been nothing if not consistent this season and both teams figure to have their hands full in this tie.

Celtic-Barcelona: Ho-hum, Celtic leads the Scottish Premier League, what else is new? If you dont' follow Celtic or Rangers, what's the interest in Scottish football? Someone enlighten me, please? Either way, Celtic held off Benfica for second in its group and fell two points short of AC Milan. Barcelona may not have Leo Messi back in time for this tie, which could draw these two closer. Barcelona did not lose during the group stage and beat back Lyon to win by four points.

Schalke 04-F.C. Porto: How odd that Germany's best hope for European silverware, heck Germany's best team, is in the UEFA Cup? Schalke has the Bundesliga's top scorer in Kevin Kuranyi and is in fifth right now, six points back of Bayern Munich. Porto is a tall order indeed. Porto has not lost in Portugal and nicked Liverpool by a point to win its group. Porto has Lucho Gonzalez and Lisandro Lopez, a far cry from the Mourinho days, but still formidable.

Fenerbache-Sevilla: Sevilla, two-time UEFA Cup winners, are after the big prize in Europe this team. The Spanish side is strong right up the middle with Luis Fabiano the leading scorer in Spain, Sergio Duda in midfield and Morgan De Sanctis at stopper. Sevilla beat Arsenal in its group. The Turks, meanwhile, were second to Inter Milan and are realtive newcomers to the knockout stages.

Liverpool, FC Porto, Starting Eleven

Here's the starting eleven for Liverpool and FC Porto today:

25 Jose Reina (G)	(G) Helton 1
17 Alvaro Arbeloa (D)	(D) Bruno Alves 2
23 Jamie Carragher (D)	(D) Marek Cech 5
3 Steve Finnan (D)	(D) Milan Stepanov 4
4 Sami Hyypia (D)	(M) Paulo Assuncao 6
19 Ryan Babel (M)	(M) José Bosingwa 12
11 Yossi Benayoun (M)	(M) Mariano Gonzalez 11
8 Steven Gerrard (M)	(M) Luis González 8
20 Javier Mascherano (M)	(M) Przemyslaw Kazmierczak 25
9 Fernando Torres (F)	(M) Ricardo Quaresma 7
10 Andriy Voronin (F)	(F) Lisandro López 9