The Jesus Christ Superstar Of News

-ADDITION: As Maradawga predicted in the Comments section, the major announcement that needed a press conference in Kansas City was a big of a boon doggle. The real announcement was that the team is still for sale, with mulitple offers pending, but will not be sold in the very near future. So tickets will go on sale immediately for another season under the Hunt Sports Group ownership, and they will play at Arrowhead again. In other words: SOS. That's about it. Sadly.
-Rob Hughes writes about the founder of PSV Eindhoven, Frits Philips who passed away last week: A light goes out in heart of game (That's a pun, see, cuz the Philips company makes light bulbs among other things.)
-From the Houston Chronicle's Bernardo Fallas comes a preview of this weeks Mexican Laguilla Finals between Monterrey & Toluca.
-Also from the Chron is Glenn Davis's version of the story of the fall of Man U, and the papers Week In Review.
-Paulo Di'Canio plays for one of the most racist clubs in the world, Lazio. As he walks off the field he gives the supporters a Nazi salute. They give it back. They also bring large swastikas to the matches. What is wrong with these idiots? Now FIFA is going to go after Di'Canio, and this is his response: "I saluted my people with what for me is a sign of belonging to a group that holds true values, values of civility against the standardisation that this society imposes upon us. I'm proud to be able to count on such people and I will continue to salute them in this way. I expect a robust defence from my club and this time I'm not going to settle for anything less. I expect my president to defend me, just like presidents do in other clubs, otherwise I'm going to be really pissed off."
-Ives Galarcep of the North Jersey Herald reports on all kinds of potential crazy wheelings and dealings rumored to be going around MLS.
-College soccer's adaptation of the Player of the Year Award, the Hermann Trophy, will be handed out Jan 6 in St Louis by the Missouri Athletic Club. The 3 finalists for the award are Maryland's Jason Garey, Indiana's Brian Plotkin and New Mexico's Jeff Rowland. My guess says it goes to Garey.
-Phil Ball of Soccernet teaches us about a team that most of the world has forgotten, Real Betis: Death of a President?
-Les Ferdinand was awarded as a Member of the Order of the British Empire in London today. During his career he played for Queens Park Rangers, Brentford, Besiktas, Newcastle, Tottenham, West Ham, Leicester, Bolton and finishing last spring with Reading. But now he is back as player-coach with Watford.
-The guy who started the most prestigious youth soccer tournament in America, the Dallas Cup, finds himself in a nasty situation these days all stemming from a 1981 conviction for sexually molesting a 14 year old. Seeing as he is a British citizen, the USA is now trying to deport him. The Dallas Morning News has an indepth look at the story.
-Portmore United of Jamaica became the 7th team (of 8) to qualify for next years CONCACAF Champions Cup. They drew Club America in the first round. Portmore beat the excellently named SV Robinhood of Surinam 5-2 on aggregate to win the Caribbean Football Union and qualification. The last of the 8 spots will be filled by the winner of the current Mexican Laguilla, Monterrey or Toluca. Here's a full bracket for the tournament.
-Here are the leaders of the top leagues around Europe:
La Liga
Barcelona 34
Osasuna 34
Real Madrid 28
Villareal 26
Bundesliga
Bayern 41
Hamburg 37
Werder 35
Schalke 31
Premier League
Chelsea 43
Liverpool 31
Manchester United 31
Tottenham 30
Serie A
Juventus 42
Inter 32
Fiorentina 32
Milan 31
Eredivisie
AZ Alkmaar 35
Feyenoord 35
PSV 35
Nijmegen 27
Ligue Un
Lyon 44
Auxerre 32
Bordeaux 31
PSG 30