Poor Paris Hilton … the heiress accustomed to the handcuffs by now thanks to her DUI’s in America can’t even catch a break in crime ridden South Africa. Apparently Paris and her friend, former Playmate of the Year Jennifer Rovero were outside the Nelson Mandela Bay stadium following the Brazil-Netherlands qarterfinal game when local cops smelled marijuana. Upon approaching Paris & Jennifer, it is alleged that a spliff was suspiciously dropped to the ground[smart thinking!!!] but they were taken into custody nonetheless. Paris Hilton is a celebrity and a legitimate heiress so naturally er charges were dropped after her friend Jennifer took the blame upon which the World Cup Special Court ordered Jennifer to pay $130 an leave South AFrica in 14 days. Well the Final’s are in a week so she’s good loll.

Popularity: unranked

The self-anointed “Special One” a.k.a. Jose Mourinho, currently of Inter Milan is taking his team to the pinnacle of club futbol success once again. Inter Milan are the clear favorites to advance to the Finals of the Champions League after humbling current holders Barcelona 3-1 in the first leg. I have always stated that should Inter Milan go on to win this tie over Barcelona, then it has to be credited to Jose MOurinho and his tactics. Players just seem to listen to him, except perhaps Mario Balotelli, the volatile forward who threw his jersey in disgust after the final whistle an who was later attacked in the tunnel by his own teammate Marco Materazzi. Yes the same Materazzi who is forever posterized as the victim of Zinedine Zidane’s head-butt during the World Cup Finals, wow what a small world. Well the second leg is to be played in Camp Nou, the majestical Barcelona stadium that holds 98,000 people. Knowing Jose MOurinho, he will opt to go with a three man attacking line in a 4-3-3 formation with Wesley Sneijder pulling the strings in the heart of the midfield that will keep Barcelona on edge throughout becuase they not only have to claw back the deficit but also ensure that Intre do not score.

In the other semi final featuring German Engineering i.e. Bayern Munich an French Club Olympic Lyonnais …. Bayern take a 1-0 lead to France an hope to progress through …. This game was a timid affair until Bayern went a man down as their star player Franck Ribery saw red within 35 minutes. However the game evened out as Lyon then saw their own player sent off for two yellow card offences. The game opened up then and Bayern took the lead with a superb Arjen Robben goal who now has scored in every round of the Champion league. Some might even call him the “Flying Dutchman”. Personaly I’d like to see Inter Milan and Bayern Munich in the finals on May 22. Jose Mourinho’s technicality Vs. swift German engineering …. you can’t go wrong although I hope UEFA allows Franck Ribery to play in the finals cause it stands right now he is not allowed to play following the straight red that he received.

Popularity: 7%

Reality t.v. has numbed our senses to the point that we don’t know what’s real an what isn’t. Whatever happened to the good ol’ days of scripted t.v. shows or politically incorrect reporters/newscasters?!?!? Then there is Chris Kamara, a veteran sportscaster from United Kingdom. Apparently he’s a legend in sportscasting but watch him make a serious gaffe during the Portsmouth game last week in the English Premier league where he is live on the soccer pitch smack dab in the middle of the game yet misses a pivotal point ….  A colorful character all in all ….

Popularity: 11%

Well they both got kicked out of the Champions League in the past one week failing to make it past the round of 16. Granted there were 6 other teams besides these two most notably AC Milan who were sent home packing but the fact that Chelsea an Real Madrid have spent millions of dollars to develop the squad with the sole purpose of winning trophies is comical. Real Madrid spent $340 million to assemble a squad that included superstars but yet failed to progress. For Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Xabi Alonso, Kaka’ there will not be any further Champions League soccer this year. As per Chelsea, their wage packet is ginormous to say the least having gone thru a galacticos transformation of themselves couple of years ago under the “Special One” Jose Mourinho. Now all what remains of Chelsea is squad full of pensioners milking the pockets of the owner. Their most promising upcoming youth from Chelsea academy consists of Daniel Sturridge & Mancienne. ahahahhahahahaa …. whereas on the other hand Arsenal & Manchester United have a conveyor belt of talent jus comin thru.

Speaking of whom, the teams that made it thru to the quaterfinals are from England: MAnchester United & Arsenal; from France: Lyon, Bordeaux; from Spain: Barcelona; from Italy: Inter Milan; from Russia: CSKA Moscow; from Germany: Bayern Munich. The draw takes place tomorrow for teh Quarterfinals.

Popularity: 5%

If you know soccer then by now you all should know that over the weekend England Superstar an global soccer icon David Beckham ruptured his Achilles Tendon whilst playing for Italian giants AC Milan. Now I don’t know what or how it feels to rupture an achilles tendon but apparently its severe enough to sideline him for four-six months atleast and that means Beckham will not be donning the England jersey at the world cup. Had he done so, he would have been the FIRST English player to appear at FOUR World Cups. As much as it is a loss for England who could certainly have used Beckham’s dead ball skills an his ability to pick out his teammates with his pin-point crosses, I think England is actually better off without Beckham. Yup I said it!!!

You see speed was never Beckham’s forte even at his peak an even now he was reduced to special appearances for the England squad. Coupled with the fact that the World Cup is being held in Africa with temperatures being high an fatigue quick to set in, Beckham would have looked out of sorts on teh pitch an at the biggest stage of all and in a win-or-go-home situation, a marauding  left-back from an opposing team would have had a field day with Beckham. Capello might be smiling behind closed doors at his fortune as BEckham ruled himself out. That being said, if Aaron Lennon, Shawn Wright Phillips, Adam Johnson, Thoe Walcott, Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor do not pull their act together, then an only then will Beckham be sorely missed. That;s my two cents!!!

Popularity: 5%

Yes that’s right … that was my initial reaction when I saw what had happened to Arsenal’s promising young midfielder Aaron Ramsey during the weekend game. He broke two bones in his leg courtesy of a tackle from an opposing player. He not only is a player of immense potential for Arsenal but also for his native country Wales where he is rated the most influential midfielder after Ryan Giggs. For all those who play recreational or even competitive football, please take into consideration the well being of opposing players when launching yourselves in a tackle. Arsenal, however did go on to win 3-1 thanks to heroics by Cesc Fabregas an close the gap on Chelsea at teh top to 3 points who in turn were pummeled by Manchester City 4-2. Manchester United are a point behind Chelsea. It’s goin to be a close race this year.

In the Spanish league .. Messi broke the deadlock to give Barcelona a 2-1 victory an move them to the top of the table although only 2 points separate them an Real Madrid who thrashed hapless Tenerife 5-1 an yes Cristiano Ronaldo did score although on a penalty.

Juventus is living up to their nickname as the “Old Lady” as they suffered another loss at home an now lie 5th in the league. Meanwhile AC Milan kept up pressure on Inter Milan as they won an have now closed teh gap to just 4 points.

Popularity: 4%

Yes yes I know that chelsea has a game in hand and that the season is not over but nothing you say is gonna knock the gunners fans tonight especially after coming back from two goals down. Determination & Grit an from a such a young team … priceless priceless …. well the acid test for Arsenal starts a week from now when they face Aston Villa an then welcome the champions Manchester United to the emirates on the last weekend of this month followed by a trip to stamford bridge to face Chelsea followed by a game with Liverpool. Yep thats the fixture list for Arsenal an lemme be the first one to say this that if the gunners come out on top following this horrid fixture list then there’s no stoppin us. Ohh by the liverpool beat tottenham to move upto sixth spot and just a point away from that coveted fourth spot. I’d rather see anyone in that spot other than tottenham or worse manchester city.

Popularity: 6%

Forget for a moment the fact that cops arrested a woman with 20 pounds of marijuana wrapped as christmas gift in Nevada, U.S.A. The true christmas present was delivered on Sunday, albeit belated, by Arsenal F.C as they hammered top-four hopefuls Aston Villa 3-0. It was beautiful I tell ya, so beautiful that I woke up at 0400 a.m. to watch the game. The game was highlighted by the fact that spain international an influential arsenal maestro Cesc Fabregas’s super-sub performance. 27 minutes played an two goals scored before being replaced. Icing on the cake would have to be league leaders Chelsea sputtering at Birmingham who by the way have a league leading 10 match unbeaten streak. Good, good for Birmingham an their fans. Manchester United won by a convincing margin as well as their crosstown rivals began life under a new coach by picking up a win as well. Tottenham drew their game over the weekend. This season’s league race is proving to be a very interesting one as it is sooo close an intriguing with sooo many teams performing at their best an as well as sputtering when least expected. Let’s hope the other half of the season is as good as the first one.

Rest of the leagues in Europe are on a holiday break. Yep that’s right the players get holidays ahahahhahaa whereas the English Premier League on the other hand play an increased amount of games. Maybe that’s why the EPL is the most watched league in the world. Its enteratainment, pure entertainment.

Popularity: 4%

yes its true, am in love all over again .. with the English Premier League that is after the latest round of soccer played this weekend. After years of predictability, the EPL is roaring back to life as a slew of clubs are having a go an no club is deemed invincible as evident by the thrashing Manchester United received this weekend. Chelsea too dropped points in what is beginning to look like a long an interesting battle this year. Celebrity sightings at the Chelsea game as comedian Russel Brand an singer Katy Perry were in the audience. Elsewhere Arsenal were victorious to keep up their pursuit. Tottenham, Manchester City, Aston Villa all won their games to keep up thier dogged pursuit for the lucrative Champions League spot. An oh yeah Manchester City fired their coach eventhough they won a thriller of a game 4-3 at home. Liverpool lost as well to the bottomest club in teh league ahahahhaha but who cares about them anymore loll.

In the Spanish League, Real Madrid won 6-0 an Ronaldo only scored one .. wow thats scary for their opponents. Imagine if Ronaldo gets going!!! In the Italian Serie A, powerhouses Juve as well as Inter Milan lost their games whereas AC Milan’s game was postponed.

Special mention goes to FC Barcelona for winning the Club World Cup an in doing so lifting an unprecedented sixth trophy of the year. WOW!!! They won all competitions that they entered. Spanish League, Copa Del Rey, King’s Cup, Champions League, European Super Cup an now the Club WOrld Cup. What should be noted is that Barcelona has a strong Spanish national team presence in their ranks an that should send out a signal to other countries appearing at the World Cup. Spain’s a team to watch out for.

Popularity: 3%

Yes yes what a beautiful weekend it was, made even more special after Arsenal’s victory over presumed top-four rivals Liverpool. It was decided once again by the diminutive playmaker Andrey Arshavin who scored an absolute belter yet again. It’s always a good feeling when your team wins an everyone else’s lose or draw an such was the case this weekend as the premier league table tightened at the top an we are in a long & interesting season if the second half of the season resembles anything like the first half. No team is unbeatable, every weekend springs a few surprises, more contenders for the “top four” title. United lost this weekend an so did Tottenham whereas Manchester City an Chelsea drew whereas Arsenal won their game thus making things a lot more interesting.

Elsewhere, Kaka & Ronaldo-less Real Madrid edged Valencia in a 5 goal thriller to win 3-2. An Ibrahimovic penalty gave Barcelona a slender 1-0 win over the weekend. Over in Italy, all the big teams dropped points as Inter Milan were held 1-1, AC Milan suffered a 2-0 loss at home, Juventus were humbled 3-0 by newly promoted Bari. In France, how the tables have turned as league leaders Bordeaux beat Lyon 1-0 to extend their lead the top an in Germany Bayern Munich won their game 5-1 to continue their fine form, however they still sit third in their league.

Also, special mention goes out to Maynor Figueroa of Wigan Athletic who scored from inside his own half, yes you read that right, inside his own half against stoke. Youtube it as they’re already calling it the goal of the season. Insane!!!

Popularity: 4%