Spanning the Globe: A One-Finger Salute, Peace in Rome, an Angry Lyon

Chances are you probably don’t have the time to follow every football league in the world closely. Never fear. We are here to help. Here’s a quick and dirty rundown of some of the highlights and lowlights from the weekend that was.

Spain – No, Real Madrdi boss Fabio Capello was not showing David Beckham the middle finger in that picture. Instead Capello was showing his displeasure to a few fans following his team’s 1-0 win against Zaragoza. “Since the first day I arrived there have been two people who have continually offended me and today it went too far,” Capello said. “They are the same ones that were here 10 years ago because I recognize their voices.” Capello gave a salute of his own to Beckham telling the golden boy he won’t play for Real Madrid for the rest of the season. Becks is now trying to negotiate an early release so that he can help his wife find a bra in the States.

Real’s victory and Sevilla’s 2-1 loss to Mallorca left Madrid tied with Barcelona in second place just 2 points behind Sevilla in what is shaping up to be a great race in La Liga. Levante coach Juan Ramon Lopez Caro won’t be around to witness it though. After his team was thrashed 3-0 on Saturday by Valencia he was given his pink slip. Levante currently is in 17th place.

Italy - The big new out of Serie A is not that Inter Milan set a new record by winning their 12th match in a row, but that Roma captain Francesco Totti and his team-mate Mancini have kissed and made up after not speaking to each other for 18 months following a training grounds scuffle. “There’s peace between me and Totti, we’ve resolved everything,” Mancini said after the two came together to celebrate a goal in their 1-1 draw against Messina. Inter is now 9 points clear of Roma and unless they have their own training ground bust-up you might as well give them the trophy now.

Meanwhile, lower down the table Fiorentina coach Cesare Prandelli lambasted Sampdoria’s “disastrous pitch” following Sunday’s 0-0 draw between the two sides. This really is a disastrous pitch,” lamented Cesare Prandelli. “But we have adjusted well to a difficult, terrible surface and this is a very, and I mean very, important point.”

An important topic right up there with global hunger, world poverty and peace in the Middle East.

France – Leaders Lyon lost for only the second time in the past 50 years, falling 2-0 at Toulouse on Saturday. You have to feel sorry Le Mans. They get to face an angry Lyon side next. “Great teams never lose twice in a row,” Lyon goalkeeper Remy Vercoutre said. “What we have to do now is demonstrate against Le Mans that we are a great team.” That can’t be good for Le Mans. France Ligue 1 round-up.

England – If you are like me and are finding the Premiership this season to be about as exciting as a Tom Cruise Scientology lecture, you are not alone. Attendance is down at 10 the league’s 20 teams, which might have something to do with the costs of attending a match or with the fact it is a two-way race at the top between Manchester United and Chelsea. Both sides won this weekend, leaving at least one fan at another stadium looking like a defeated champ.

Antalya Cup – Turkish side Fenerbache defeated German club Energie Cottbus 4-3 in penalties to capture the Antalya Cup, a tournament that is so prestigious that I have never heard of it.

Asean championships – Singapore put an absolute hurting on Laos coming away with an 11-0 win thanks to Noh Alam Shah’s seven goals. Immediately after the game he was offered a contract by Chelsea, Manchester United, AC Milan, Real Madrid and LA Galaxy.

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Category: Asia, English Premier League, French Ligue 1, Spain La Liga, World Football