Chelsea have been hit with a ban by FIFA to sign any new players till January 2011 because they ‘induced’ Gael Kakuta to breach his contract at Lens.

French attacking midfielder Kakuta, 18, joined the Blues from Lens two years ago after which the French club lodged a complaint with FIFA.

FIFA’s dispute resolution chamber (DRC) have announced Chelsea will be banned from registering any new players for the next two transfer windows - effectively January 2011 will be the next time they can make a new signing unless they win an appeal.

A FIFA spokesman said: “This decision confirms our aim to ensure contractual stability. It is an important ruling for football in general.”

Chelsea have been ordered to pay £115,000 (130,000euros) training compensation to Lens, and are also liable for the £680,000 (780,000euros) compensation sum ordered against Kakuta himself, who is banned from playing any games for four months.

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Local based players will get the first chance to impress Bafana Bafana head coach Joel Santana in 2009 when the Brazilian names a squad comprises only Premier Soccer League players next week to play Zambia in the first friendly of the year at Atteridgeville’s Super Stadium on January 27.

As this friendly is a practice match, no caps will be awarded. But it is an important game for Santana as this will be the first opportunity for the coach to start fine tuning the squad ahead of the Confederations Cup in June where Bafana are in the group with European champions Spain, Asian kingpins Iraq, and Oceania champions New Zealand.

Santana will meet with his technical team on Thursday to prepare for the friendly and begin selecting players.

But this is an excellent opportunity for local players to impress against Zambia and catch the coach’s eye ahead of next month friendly against Chile for which caps will be awarded.” Bafana play Chile on February 17 in Polokwane on a Fifa sanctioned date.

Santana will use the core of PSL players he has used in recent matches such as Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune, crafty winger Siphiwe Tshabalala, Thanda Royal Zulu striker Bernard Parker - if he has not been transferred to Red Star Belgrade - Golden Arrows class midfield anchor Kagisho Dikgacoi, Orlando Pirates midfield maestro Teko Modise, plus Mamelodi Sundowns players Siboniso Gaxa, Robyn Johannes, Surprise Moriri and Lerato Chabangu as the backbone of his squad.

Santana, who returned from a holiday in Brazil on Monday is not able to call up any of his overseas based players as the match fall outside a Fifa sanctioned date.

Said Sanyane: “This gives the coach the perfect opportunity to get an early look at what is available in the PSL and reward players who are shaping well this season.”

With the Confederations Cup around the corner and the 2010 World Cup just 18 months away, every friendly game Bafana play will be taken seriously.

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The Portugal and Manchester United football star Christiano Ronaldo was named FIFA World Player of 2008 on Monday.

Ronaldo, who is also holder of the prestigious Ballon d’Or for the European Footballer of the Year, beat off competition from 2007 winner Kaka (Brazil), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Fernando Torres (Spain) and Xavi (Spain).

“It’s an overwhelming moment in my career and I’d like to dedicate this award to my family, friends and colleagues,” he said.

“Winning the Champions League for me was the most memorable moment of 2008,” added Ronaldo, who scored in the final but missed a penalty in the penalty shootout against Chelsea.

Ronaldo went out of his way to heap praise on United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, with whom relations became strained during last summer over whether he was going to leave the club for Real Madrid.

“It’s also true that the manager always has an important role to play,” said Ronaldo.

“It was a great season for me and for my club, and the coach was important for me because I learned a lot from him.

“His experience over so many years is of paramount importance - it’s a privilege to have such a great club manager.

“This is the climax of a fantastic era for me. I’m happy and proud about what has been done by my team and what we have won.

“I am lucky to be part of the history of a club like Manchester United.”

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The football legend David Beckham is set to make his debut for AC Milan on Tuesday against German side Hamburg.

“Speaking on Monday from Dubai, where the squad is at a training camp, Ancelotti said: “there has been a lot of curiosity surrounding David Beckham.

“And I can calmly say that he is available and that he can therefore play.”

Ancelotti added: “The past few days he (Beckham) has been working hard and I’ve noticed his commitment to showing that he wants to play for the team.”

Former Manchester United and Real Madrid star Beckham plays for Los Angeles Galaxy in the United States but has joined AC Milan on a short-term loan as he bids to extend his England career.

LA Galaxy resume competition in March.

AC Milan’s first official match of 2009 is Sunday’s Serie A league encounter against AS Roma.

However Ancelotti has indicated that Beckham, who plays as a creative midfielder, faces stiff competition from the likes of Andrea Pirlo, Clarence Seedorf, Ronaldinho and Kaka.

Beckham admitted he is thrilled to be playing with Milan and added, in an interview with Sky Sports, he is waiting patiently for the nod from Ancelotti.

“When I will play? I am always ready but it’s up to the coach to decide. Physically I know I have to work hard to reach 100 percent, I want to play well instead of just play,” he said.

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Cristiano Ronaldo shrugged off the frustration of picking up an injury against Sunderland by collecting the Ballon d’Or on Sunday.

The Portuguese winger romped to the award last week, seeing off his peers to grab the most prestigious individual honor in football.

Upon collecting the trophy, Ronny told French TV station TF1: “I’m very happy. I’ve always dreamed about winning it. I’m very moved and I’d like to take this opportunity to dedicate this trophy to my family, they’ve helped me get here.

“I thank my mother, my father… my close friends. I had a whole list of people I wanted to thank but it’s difficult, I can’t remember as it’s too emotional. The trophy is splendid, marvellous, very beautiful. I’ve waited for this.”

Flanked by Sir Alex Ferguson at a glitzy ceremony in Paris, Ronaldo was keen to pay tribute to those who had helped him win the award.

“I’m very touched,” he said. “But I’d like to thank my fellow professionals especially my team-mates without whom I wouldn’t have been able to win the Ballon d’Or.

“It’s also thanks to them that I have this award. I was 18 when I came to Manchester. I always had great hopes of becoming a great footballer, in Europe and the world and that’s what I’ve always tried to do - to improve year by year. It’s not been easy but I don’t regret anything that I’ve done to get here.”

Post written for Soccer Pitch by Jaco van Dyk

After watching Kaka for so long I decided that it was time to delve deeper into the story of the world’s current greatest player. I started finding stories on Kaka and slowly taking them in. What I found was nothing short of appropriate.

I was first told of Kaka by a Brazilian exchange student in 2002, the year of the Korea/Japan world cup. He went on to tell me that the next big thing would be the oddly named Sao Paolo star. I remember thinking that someone named Kaka is the next thing I need to keep an eye out for. That year the world cup was staged and the fresh faced Brazilian aged 20 collected his first piece of history, a world cup winner’s medal.

In this day and age you will struggle to find someone as complete on the football field as Ricky, the amazing thing is that he has adversity on top of adversity to overcome and has beaten odds most people would not. Before the age of 19 he was not known beyond his club. Fate as it seems scripted what happened next as he exploded on to the scene from the bench in the final of the 2001 Copa Rio for Sao Paulo scoring 2 brilliant goals. This however was his first game in over a year.

In the year 2000 Kaka smashed his head at the bottom of pool and Doctors informed him that he was extremely lucky as he was very close to being paralyzed. What happened from there could probably define the Superstar. Kaka rehabilitated and in the process told himself he would come back an even better player, studying footage and making himself a better player mentally. “It helped shape me, principally as a person, but as a player too. I learned that you have to be determined to give your best everyday, because the next day you might not be able to.” His attitude personified.

The fact that he did comeback a better player is inspiring. Football requires constant practice, improvement in match situations and Lots of on the field play, how then was this youngster confined to a year without the game able to comeback and begin his sparkling journey to the top of world football? I thought for ages and definitively came to the conclusion that football is so great because its not about ability or mentality alone, its about combining both to perform at your optimum level. Kaka might have always had the ability but when his life changed and his mentality shifted it was the starting point for his greatness.

As a young player Kaka’s ability was spotted early, he was however 2 years behind where he should have been in size due to a growth problem. Kaka was placed on a special diet form the age of 14 and told to work twice as hard in the gym, something he always did. His coaches have nothing but praise for his hard work. Despite his lack of physicality Kaka always held his own and had to develop his intelligence when he was thrown into age groups even above that of his own, A shrewd bit of coaching the first man to spot his talent Milton Cruz the famous Brazilian talent finder.

Kaka struggled in his own way and life was relatively easy going for him as a kid, he had no rags to riches tale and was nick named “Playboy” in training as he came from a relatively wealthy family. The nickname faded into obscurity when he started hosting any and all of his team mates in what many of them will refer to as their second homes. An open family they were always willing to help the underprivileged team mates who quite simply had nowhere else to go.

In 2003 Silvio Berlusconi paid the amazingly low fee of 5 million pounds to bring Kaka to Italy. 5 years have passed and you have to smile at what he has delivered. Milan love him, Brazil loves him and most importantly Football loves Kaka.

Fernando Gago

Real Madrid

22

Having watched Real Madrid beat Atletico Madrid this weekend, there was one young player (among many in both sides!) that stood out to me. That would be Gago! The youngster was an absolute beast and nothing short.

Gago patrolled the field as if he were possessed, it seemed he was always on hand to receive the ball and then stroke it to a team mate with ease. He was the complete opposite when Real were being attacked though. The timing, speed and sheer power he put into his tackles was phenomenal! I found myself trying to gauge the reactions from Atletico. You are 2-0 down in a derby that was supposed to be “Atleticos big chance” and here you have a young man stopping you before you have a chance to look up past the ball! Unbelievable stuff! Good on you young man!

Getting a lead is one thing, keeping it another. Gago is proving his class week in and out!

Attack is the best form of defence. Some teams have brilliant attacking individuals, good teams have 2 (Torres, Gerrard and no one) . The very best however employ 3. Last week I looked at the amazing Brazilian trio at AC Milan. Here are some of the best in club football.

Ruud, Raul, Robinho

Real Madrids long awaited return to glory has been nothing short of clinical. The 3 Rs have been on point in almost every game and when one is not scoring he is usually setting up. The three have found a formula that works and have deployed it accordingly! great to see Raul firing at his top level again.

Ruud will always be a threat in any team thanks to his fantastic ability to pretty much always score and Robinho has begun the fulfillment of all his early predictions to be one of Brazil’s best.

Ibrahimovic, Crespo, Cambiasso

Inter Milan are phenomenal! The last time they lost a game in the Serie A was April…. 2006! Crespo is your classic striker, still at the top of his game, clinical and powerful!

Cambiasso has come into this season with his guns blazing, knowing that Argentina has a huge talented squad. His form has been top drawer, marshaling the midfield and his distribution has been constant.

Zlatan is Slowly inching his way to the top of Europe, his attacking power is for me personally a cut above the rest. Zlatan is a Striker who offers so much to a team, Finishing from anywhere, holding the ball up for as long as he wants and silky skills are traits that are making pundits sit up and notice!

Iniesta, Dos Santos and Messi.

Forget the “Fantastic four” Henry has been average, Eto’o has been injured (again) and Ronaldinho…. well …. he has fallen well short of his capabilities…. well short!

Forget Deco and any other star studded attacking power Barca have, because this season belongs to the young stars with bright, bright futures! Iniesta is nothing short of brilliant, the young maestro is a joy to watch and is keeping many players out of the team. His quality has been well and truly exposed this season and his passing is of the highest quality in Europe.

Messi is a prodigy, not much need be said about the youngster because he was already a household name 2 years ago (at which point most of us would be completing high school!!!) The youngsters return from injury on the weekend was a warm welcome to a Barca team struggling to live up to their potential.

The success story however seems to be Rijkaards inclusion of young Giovanni in his regular first team. The current wunderkind is the next big thing and emerging nicely from a side oozing with pure talent. He is developing every game and a little more time will most likely see the youngster achieve worldwide acclaim.

Fabregas, Hleb and Adebayor

The little spanish genius named Cesc, fantastic player to watch. He may have slowed down a bit, but there is no doubting that the start of his season was magnificent whether he is scoring or assisting, one thing is for sure : Cesc is talented!

Hleb started the season under a cloud, many pundits doubted him and questioned his ability to perform even the basics of premiership football. Like so many times before Wenger persisted and came up trumps! Hlebby has refined the art of control and pass. His touches are fantastic and his vision is amazing!

Another success story this year has to be a certain Adebayor (yoh, yoh, yoh) The towering striker has stepped up and scored regularly and more often than not he scores with class, utilizing his tall frame, cutting speed and raw power.

Ronaldo, Tevez and Rooney

One has to wonder if there are managers out there who can week in week out tactically better Sir Alex. Wayne Rooney is a powerhouse, not quite the player he is hyped up to be in his native England, but a remarkable player none the less. Rooney hits form in bursts and when he does the young striker sets out to prove all his doubters wrong. Strong, clever and a shrek look-a-like.

Carlos Tevez has a work rate second to none. The Argentine sweeps the entire field until he is subbed or the ref ends the game. A slow starter at united, Tevez is now starting to show what talent married with dogged determination is possible of creating.

23 goals from midfield at the halfway point in the season…..Ladies and gentlemen Cristiano Ronaldo! Hate him if you must, The young man is special. Singling out one of his talents is very tough. If his football stays just the way it is then a solid Euro 2008 will see the him named player of the year, that you can put money on!

At 31, there are very very few people who can claim to have a trophy cabinet anywhere near as attractive as Ronaldo. An absolute striker, totally complete and technically brilliant.

The Brazilian started his first game in over 6 months and it was a great moment for world football as he had a formidable support structure around him namely Kaka and bright prospect Alex Pato who at 18 is setting the world alight after making his first full apearance. The trio have been aptly dubbed Ka-Pa-Ro and teams should take notice of the Brazillian trio.

Sporting a new mini afro and much trimmer physique, it was a long awaited return from injury for Ronaldo who has also endured plenty of speculation over his future. That speculation is however minuscule when you consider the amount of people that have written him off since the 2006 world cup. Horrible things have been said about him and like so many times before he let his football do the talking!

AC Milan had been unable to find a home win all season. Sorry I feel I need to repeat the words ‘all’ and ’season’ and while I am not saying that Ronaldo single handedly won them their first home game, I feel that his role was nothing short of pivotal. Alex Pato could not have chosen a better strike partner for his debut, Kaka finally had a striker capable of scoring more than one type of goal (Inzaghi, Gillardino) and Ronaldo not only scored 2 he also set Kaka up for his cracker.

Along with his 7 goals (6 of them absolute crackers) in a very limited amount of game time last season, Ronaldo is starting to show the kind of return that has made him the man he is today.

I am not necessarily saying that Ronaldo currently at 31 will be part of the Brazilian strike force in 2010…… but maybe I am!

Ronaldo and his ever long list of awards:

Country

• FIFA World Cup
  • All-Time World Cup Goalscorer - 15 Goals in 19 games in 3 World Cups
  • 2006 Bronze Boot - Third highest scorer (tied) - 3 goals and 1 assist
  • 2002 Golden Boot - Top scorer - 8 goals
  • 2002 Silver Ball - Second best player
  • 2002 Winner
  • 1998 Golden Ball - Best player
  • 1998 Bronze Boot - Third highest scorer - 4 goals 4 assists
  • 1998 Runner-up
  • 1994 Winner
• Confederations Cup: 1997
• Copa América: 1997, 1999
• Olympic Games: 1996 (3rd Place)

Club

Cruzeiro

• Brazilian Cup:1993

PSV Eindhoven

• Dutch Cup: 1996

FC Barcelona

• Cup Winners’ Cup: 1997
• Spanish Super Cup: 1996

Internazionale

• UEFA Cup: 1998

Real Madrid

• Intercontinental Cup: 2002
• La Liga - Primera División champions: 2002/2003
• Spanish Super Cup: 2003

Individual

• FIFA World Player of the Year: 1996 (youngest winner), 1997, 2002
• World Soccer Player of the Year: 1996 (youngest winner), 1997, 2002
• European Footballer of the Year (Ballon d’Or): 1997 (youngest winner), 2002
• Onze d’Or: 1997, 2002
• UEFA Most Valuable Player - 1998
• UEFA Club Football Awards: Best Forward - 1998
• FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1998, 2002
• European Golden Boot: 1997
• Copa América 1999: Top Scorer
• Spanish League Top Scorer: 1996-1997, 2003-2004
• Dutch League Top Scorer: 1994-1995
• Intercontinental Cup MVP: 2002
• BBC Sports Personality of the Year Overseas Personality: 2002
• GoldenFoot Award: 2006

As an avid footy player, I can testify that there are few feelings that beat the sheer jubilation of scoring a great goal. Running around like a zombie on ecstasy suits some, but the beautiful game has provided us with some absolutely amazing and memorable goal celebrations, here are my 10 favorites….. and my absolute worst one too.

Ivan Kaviedes dons a yellow Spiderman mask that he cleverly concealed in his shorts. A tribute to fallen team mate Otilino Tenorio. Ecuador beat a shell shocked Costa Rica 3-0 that day. A great tribute to a team mate, A great moment in footballing history.

Hand open, smile on face and running. Whether he scored and absolute cracker or a simple tap in, hell even a record breaking strike, Alan Shearer would celebrate in his usual manner. Always great to see the big guys consistency

Robbie Fowler pulls off one of the cheekiest celebrations ever! An image that does not need any description… unless of course you are totally unfamiliar with snorting dry paint, which clearly Fowler is not.

A living legend, harshly criticized of late. few players will ever reach the heights of the great Brazilian. Time and again he has be seen scoring beautiful goals and wagging his index finger as if to say “I told you so” with his return from injury imminent, I am willing to say that the 30 year olds’ finger still has a fair bit of wagging to do!

The young lad from Sporting might not score all that often, but when he does its usually worth watching a few times. His most recent rocket-goal against Middlesborough was matched by the youngsters “cool as you like” celebration. With the entire team rushing to cover him under a pile of bodies the youngster coolly asked the whole team to wait so that he could complete his tumbling routine consisting of a twisting backflip. Once he was done they proceeded to mob him.

The technically brilliant yet facially challenged Catalan legend could always be seen smiling and celebrating his goals with both hands showing and extended thumb and pinky finger. This particular goal however was a moment of pure brilliance, after running through a star studded AC Milan defence, he slammed home and absolute screamer from outside the box and proceeded to run at full pace to a section of delirious fans, tearing his shirt of in the process. Sheer jubilation, Ronaldinho at his best!

Obafemi Martins flips on with his teammates in hot pursuit, the powerful yet compact Nigerian striker is as acrobatic as they come and can score goals to match this series of perfectly executed flips.

Bebeto is joined by his team mates in a tribute to his newborn son Mattheus. Soppy yes but a great moment for the game of football. Brazil went on to win the 1994 world cup with Bebeto playing a major role.

An all to familiar sight for European defences. Kaka, full of emotion, acknowledges his inspiration. A celebration that has taken the world by storm. The golden boy cant put a foot wrong nowadays, is there anyone with a more recognizable celebration in football right now?

The very worst, what the hell were you thinking celebration ever!

How Rio Ferdinand managed to smile instead of a well kicked flying kick to the head of Peter Crouch I do not know. I do know, however that a tall skinny, goofy looking string bean like him should under no circumstances, not even in the shower attempt to do a robot dance.