News Roundup As Kaka (And Jesus) Take Home Another Award

By: Martha | December 17th, 2007

LOOK AT MY TOYZ! •Kaka is FIFA’s World Player of the Year. Try to control your shock.

•Is Luciano Moggi’s phone ever not being tapped these days? Another investigation has opened into his behavior because he continued to “influence” football after his banning. Well. I am shocked. SHOCKED! (He faces jail time if tried and convicted. Yeah, that’ll happen.) Also involved in this latest investigation are Claudio Lotito and Diego Della Valle.

•Since no one in the top four earned or lost any points in the last month, the Azzurri will end the year third in FIFA’s world rankings, still behind Argentina and Brazil, who are first and second respectively. (Only four points separate Italy from Brazil though. I think Donadoni dressing well for the next press conference might be enough to get them over the hump.)

•Now that Sebastian Giovinco is setting the bottom half of Serie A on fire, word on the street suggests Juve are suddenly considering getting him back during the winter transfer window, possibly in exchange for Sergio Almiron. Roberto and other Juve supporters — would he player regularly if he came back? Why not leave him there, if it a)is going to get him experience, and b)save Empoli, to boot?

•Now that he’s managed to find the back of the net, Rolando Bianchi wants to stay at Manchester City. Thanks for asking, though.

•It’s surgery time for keepers! Just a few days after Sebastian Frey went under the knife, Palermo’s Jimmy Fontana had arthroscopic surgery to clean up his right meniscus, and will miss the rest of the first half. He hopes to return for the match against Sampdoria on January 13.

•Fabio Capello held his first press conference as England coach today, and has promised to learn English in a month. If he does that and makes them good, the guy might deserve sainthood.

•Not to jinx it or anything, but it’s being reported that, despite having pipe-fitters in charge of his treatment, Alberto Aquilani may be fit to return to the Roma side this week. (Whether they’d actually risk him this close to the break is, of course, another thing entirely.)