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The International Cricket Council (ICC) has been having brainstorming virtual sessions with all stakeholders on resumption of cricket in the past months under the shadow of the Coronavirus pandemic. Till now the Council has not been able to take a final call on the main issue of contention: when to hold the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup. It’s very ironical that in a year which can also be termed as T20 the T20 mega event just cannot get underway that was originally scheduled in October, 2020 in Australia. Now, the Indian cricket board, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), has been eagerly waiting for the decision on the T20 World Cup, because since its postponement is almost final the ICC decision will give the BCCI a window during October-November to organize its favorite money-spinner, the Indian Premiere League (IPL), of course, without the noisy reveling crowds.

All the while the ICC has been busy framing new rules for the most popular game of the world, a craze in India. Indian spin bowling great Anil Kumble who was appointed as Chairman of the ICC’s Cricket Committee in 2012 had been assigned this job. Kumble has already made recommendations and the ICC approved most of these. The first of course is the obvious: ban on the use of saliva during play. We have seen over the decades how intensive had been the use of saliva of almost all the players fielding to keep the ball shining. Now, saliva is a direct trigger for COVID-19 spread and therefore its use has been banned forthwith. This is set to affect the pacers in particular very adversely, and perhaps the dry ball will be of help to the spinners. The suggestion of using external substances got rejected mainly because the international cricket bodies had been opposing this tooth and nail for decades. There is one more suggestion for allowing a new ball for every fifty overs in Test matches which is under consideration.

The ICC rule to have neutral umpires in international series has also been waived off to prevent extensive globe-trotting that the international umpires have had to embark upon. Home umpires will now do the job. Another very important recommendation that has been accepted is of allowing COVID substitutes in Test matches that go on for five days. Any player showing any symptoms of flu, cough or fever during this period will be out of the match and a substitute player will be allowed to take his/her place in the playing eleven like under the present concussion regulation. Naturally, this rule wouldn’t apply to the shorter formats of ODIs and T20Is.

The defined cricket new normal will obviously include various other demonstrative physical attributes of the game: the huddles by rival teams that we have witnessed increasingly in competitive cricket in recent years will no longer be allowed; display of physical excitement in group like in the case of a fall of a wicket or in a hat-trick or a superlative catch or scoring a ton will be gone and all sorts of hugging, shake-hands, pavilion or dressing-room celebrations and the like will no longer be there till Corona thinks otherwise. And, of course, there will be no spectators. Players will have to undergo all of the excitement on field in an empty stadium without supporting or singing or celebrating or flags-displaying cricket-loving crowds which would obviously be a daunting challenge to keep up the competitive spirit of the players. Unfortunately, there’s no other option available at the moment and cricketers will have to adapt so that the sport resumes.

It is huge development that the first instance of international cricket resumption has already begun. Except for three players the West Indies team had agreed to participate in a Test Series against England in England–one of the worst-hit countries in terms of COVID deaths. The West Indies team had already arrived in England, all players tested before departure and thoroughly tested after arrival. They will live and prepare there for three weeks before the first Test of the three-match series scheduled to start from July 8, 2020. Hope the great game of cricket would pass the unprecedented COVID test successfully and with full honors.

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Can Atlanta support an MLS franchise? That’s the question that Arthur Blank has asked Dick Sullivan, a former Home Depot executive who previously had been the Falcons’ Executive Vice President of Marketing.

Mr. Sullivan is on leave from that post to help Mr. Blank with some of his other special projects. One such project is a due diligence effort to discover what it will take to bring the MLS to Atlanta.

Atlanta, on the surface, would seem to be a logical market for expansion. The city is home to professional teams in American football, baseball, basketball, and hockey. Atlanta is home to tens of thousands of soccer players of all ages scattered across the Metro area playing in scores of youth and amateur leagues – making for a large and lucrative soccer literate population. Not too mention, at least anecdotally, soccer parents have money. So will Atlanta be able to capitalize on the biggest growth sport in the nation?

Let’s first have a look at the Silverbacks, Atlanta’s professional USL team. The Backs are relatively well supported by the local Atlanta soccer scene. They have a slowly evolving soccer specific stadium at REMAX Greater Atlanta Stadium. By the time the fourth phase of construction is complete, the stadium will have 15,000 seats. About 10,000 shy of MLS’s target, but still not a bad venue at all. But unless MLS and USL adopt a promotion / relegation system, despite what the US Open Cup teaches us, the USL will always play second fiddle.

The real challenge in my view: the Atlanta sports fan.

Atlanta sports fans are a notoriously fickle bunch.

Whether it’s the Falcons, the Braves, or the Hawks; unless they’re winning, Atlanta’s sports fans just don’t seem to show up. The effort is too great – the hassle outweighs the benefit.

In defense of Atlanta sports fans, part of the challenge is the fact that the «city» is actually a metro area spread over 28 counties. Arthur Blank knows that taking the time to find the right stadium location; a location that will provide enough convenience to make the trip worthwhile, is paramount to success.

Put a club in Gwinnett, and you probably lose Cobb. Put it in Cobb and you most likely lose Gwinnett. Put it in either and you probably lose all of the Southside. And the tradeoffs continue with just about every scenario.

So exactly what is the right mix? Can Atlanta support an MLS franchise? I think the answer is not as easy as it seems.

I have a crazy idea. I know it’s crazy and that I probably lose credibility based on my delusion; but…

Atlanta needs two teams. Yes, I said two teams. I told you it was crazy, but hear me out.

I see no reason why a metro area that’s roughly the size (in population) of Denmark, can’t support more than one professional football club. Two teams would not dilute Atlanta’s soccer population and in fact, my hypothesis is that two teams would actually strengthen fan commitment to their respective team! I have a theory that one of the two keys to true spectator success for soccer in America, is more teams in closer proximity (the other is promotion and relegation…but that’s a subject for another beer).

Stadiums, true Soccer Specific Stadiums (SSSs), are meant to be intimate. Atlanta will not be supporting a Wembley or Stamford Bridge anytime soon, but a couple of Craven Cottages are absolutely within reason! And without the benefit of a storied history, fan/player intimacy is a critical ingredient for fostering the kind of fan support and energy you find in football all over the world.

Two clubs in stadiums central to Northside vs. Southside or Eastside vs. Westside population centers could easily see Atlanta playing host to the first true derby series in American soccer. I know Texas claims a derby between F.C. Dallas and Houston Dynamo – but come on, New York City and Washington D.C. are closer than those two Texas giants.

My idea is auspicious sure. But not completely beyond reality. London supports 13 football clubs; five of which are in the Premiership! Most true fans I know, the guys who woke up at 2:00AM to watch the National Team in Korea, would love to kit up with scarves and paint, and head out to support THEIR team – a team with some local talent – with some home grown players who got picked up through THEIR local club systems, a team with players they might see on the weekend at a movie or at a restaurant somewhere. Atlanta’s sports fans – indeed most American sports fans, simply haven’t had access to this type of scenario.

Many Americans on the fringe, whose exposure to football is the occasional European Championship or World Cup match, just don’t understand the atmosphere – the commitment – the songs – the scarves – the standing – the unity – the fact that a hundred thousand people are at a match, to watch the match, with minimal distractions.

What many Americans may not realize is this same drama takes place every Saturday and Sunday in club leagues all over Europe, Africa, South America, and Asia.

Atlanta is missing this, and Atlantans are missing out on this. Now is the time to create this atmosphere in Atlanta. To destroy our collective apathy as sports fans…to create true clubs with the kind of atmosphere surrounding them that builds a deep fan base behind a true local team. Your team.

Get your scarves ready!

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It was a frustrating afternoon for Liverpool fans as the Reds were held to a goalless draw by Premier League new boys Stoke City.

Despite dominating proceedings from start to finish Liverpool were unable to convert any of numerous chances into a goal.

Yet it initially appeared things would pan out so differently, Steven Gerrard’s strike hitting the back of the net after just three minutes. The linesman appeared to flag for offside though, and the goal was dubiously disallowed.

Five minutes later Dirk Kuyt’s low cross was met by the Robbie Keane, with the goal at his mercy. The Irish hitman failed to deliver though, and his shot fell harmlessly to Thomas Sorensen.

Stoke had clearly come to Anfield for a point, and defended in numbers for the most part. The tactic seemed to be working, with Liverpool restricted to mainly speculative efforts from range, but they worked their way behind the defence on a couple of occasions, and but for some poor finishing and excellent last ditch challenges would have had the game dead and buried.

At the other end Liverpool had very little to worry about defensively, Rory Delap’s long throw being the sum total of Stoke’s attacking prowess, and even then the throw was dealt with comfortably by Pepe Reina.

As the halftime whistle went the Stoke fans could feel happy with their side’s resilient display, but with Liverpool dominating possession so much it seemed only a matter of time before the away side ran out of steam.

The second half began just as the first had, with Liverpool pushing forward whilst Stoke threw men behind the ball. It looked as though the deadlock would be broken on 52 minutes when Alvaro Arbeloa played a neat one-two with Kuyt before creating space for himself and crossing into the box. The ball fell to Keane, who must be wondering what he has to do to get a goal at the moment, and again his shot found it’s way safely into Sorensen’s arms.

Seconds later Fernando Torres rose above the Stoke defence to meet a superb Arbeloa cross, but the resulting header sailed narrowly wide.

It was Torres who had arguably the best opportunity to score for Liverpool, when the ball fell to him eight yards out, but the Spaniard somehow blasted the ball over when it seemed easier to score than miss, in what pretty much summed up Liverpool’s afternoon.

Next up was Kuyt, who’s low shot was saved by the in-form Sorensen. With time running out it seemed it was not to be Liverpool’s day.

As the final whistle approached Liverpool threw men forward, and for large parts of the closing stages every player on the pitch bar Reina was in the Stoke half. Try as they might though that elusive goal would not arrive, and after three minutes of stoppage time the ref blew up to confirm a result that whilst it sees Liverpool top of the league is unlikely to have many fans smiling.

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Football and controversy are best friends. And they continued to be friends throughout 2010. Here are the best seven football controversies we wrote about during the year:

1. Maradona Vs Pele: A Perennial Rivalry

When Argentina had beaten Nigeria and were about to take on South Korea, Maradona decided to stake everything on his team winning the World Cup. With the conviction of a man who already had the World Cup securely locked in his cupboard, Maradona decided to settle scores with Pele and Platini who had questioned his coaching skills. To begin with, he said that Pele belonged in a museum…

2. Are The Brazil Holland Match-Fixing Rumours True?

There are conspiracy theories doing the rounds, about the World Cup. A popular one is that the Brazil Holland quarter-final was ‘fixed’…

3. Lampard’s Disallowed Goal At FIFA World Cup 2010

Uruguayan referee, Larrionda, might have actually done the football world a favour with his disallowing of Lampard’s goal in the England-Germany match at the World Cup…

4. Holland Unhappy With Referee Webb

Holland coach Bert van Merwyjk spoke out against referee Howard Webb after his side’s 1-0 loss to Spain in the final of FIFA World Cup 2010…

5. Jambulani Ball: Adidas Lets Out The Secret

Adidas, the manufacturer of the Jambulani Ball, has revealed the real reason why teams who received the ball in February failed to get used to the Jambulani…

6. Referee Scores Winning Goal

Football referees are human too. Like us fans, they want to see goals scored in games. And like us, again, they are bored when they are forced to officiate in goalless draws.

7. Referee Beats Up Players

Everyone goes to a football game to watch a good fight. And the fight becomes even more interesting when it’s between players and referees.

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Liverpool are known to be a great force when it comes to matches against other Big 4 teams, Statistically speaking Chelsea have the edge in every aspect whether it’s the points or goals scores but Kenny Daglish could have something else in mind when he comes to Stamford. Here is a list of players that could serve to be decisive depending on how they perform in the match.

Fernando Torres – El-Nino failed to score last season against his former club with Ancelotti in charge and this will be his second chance to face former team-mates. Torres has shown signs of his possible return and will need to work his magic if he is wants to ensure his place as Chelsea’s first striker when Didier Drogba returns.

Jose Bosingwa will have a tough match as he will be required to attack against a performing right back like Jose Enrique and defend from Liverpool’s most versatile and fastest forward Luis Suarez. Unfortunately for Bosingwa he is known to lack defensively and this might cause him to be replaced by Ivanovic in the case that Andre Villas Boas decides to play it safe.

David Luiz – the Brazilian international is a possible candidate alongside John Terry and will be required to partner successfully with the Blues captain against a duo of Suarez and Carroll. Luiz is known for his decisive moments but can also prove to be disastrous and this can be seen in the last few matches where he gave away two penalties.

Daniel Sturridge – the young English forward is one of the latest Chelsea starts and will definitely be used by Boas if he plans on matching Liverpool’s pace. Kenny Daglish will surely aim for a win and this means that Chelsea need to be quick to counter-attack and this is where Daniel comes in.

John Terry – The Blues captain needs to get his priorities straight if he plans to stay captain for long, John was recently dismissed from England’s match against Spain and could possibly lose a spot if he doesn’t prepare himself mentally and physically against Liverpool. Although that is nearly impossible with the English media harassing him at every instance due to the QPR incident he needs to get it done.

Juan Mata – Chelsea’s best deal this season has stolen veteran Malouda’s spot and earned it well, the Spaniard showed his value by successfully scoring several decisive goals for Chelsea and creating many others. His speed and creativity will be needed against Liverpool’s defenders especially the likes of Jamie Carragher and Glenn Johnson.

Frank Lampard – Nominated «man of the match» four times so far Super frank will need to control the midfield alongside Ramires and contribute with his long and through passes to assist the strikers. Lampard has been under the spot light recently and he is not ready to be benched yet.

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