Sahara India and AirAsia for Manchester United Shirts?

As we know the insurance company AIG has officially confirmed it will not be renewing its shirt sponsorship of the club when the deal expires. The American company also said in a statement that it was “in active discussions” with United regarding the current contract which ends in May 2010. Speaking on the matter, a United spokesperson stated:

"The club is in dialogue with a select number of top companies worldwide and has so far received sufficient interest to be confident it can improve on its current £19m annual partnership with AIG"

Among the companies that linked to Manchester United shirt's sponsor are Sahara India and AirAsia. Sahara India’s head of Corporate Communications Abhijit Sarkar confirmed that the business group has received a sponsorship proposal from the Old Trafford outfit. The Sahara India Pariwar logo and name is a common sight amongst national cricket team shirts, though if this deal goes ahead with United, it will be the company’s first sponsorship agreement involving a football club

Meanwhile, AirAsia chief executive officer Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes revealed that AirAsia Bhd has been approached by Manchester United to sponsor their jersey. Tony stated:

"Manchester United have just approached me on whether AirAsia would be interested in becoming their shirt sponsor"

Manchetser United, who are now leading in the English Premier League, have also announced that Malaysia would be one of their destinations in the club's Asian tour this year. Their match against a Malaysian selection is scheduled for July 26

Top 5 Bling Football Boot Players

1. David Beckham - King of Bling

It cost around £600 per pair for his boots and he wears a new pair every game. Adidas have made only 723 pairs and only in his size. He has even had feng shui symbols sewn into his football boots in a bid to improve his football performance. The design which he helped with, is strongly based on David’s interest in Eastern mystic culture, saying “I’m very proud to wear these football boots because they represent the idea of yin and yang.” They are personalized with stitching of the names of his three children, his initials, his favored number 23 and Beckham’s printed signature for the ultimate Bling factor. Beckham put the Bling-Bling into football boots as no one has done before and he reigns supreme as the King of Bling

2. Ronldinho - Prince of Bling

Ronaldinho had two special pairs of football boots containing eight ounces of 24-carat gold with real 24-carat gold applied to the Nike logo. The football boots feature a gold embroidered letter “R” and number 10, the shirt Ronaldinho wears for Barcelona, while the heel of the football boot is embossed with five gold stars in honour of Brazil’s five FIFA World Cup wins

3. Francesco Totti - Signor Bling

After the World Cup finals, Diadora produced the Maximus Italia Gold Special Limited Edition football boot, an all-gold football boot for the World Cup Winner which when worn, needs to be viewed behind sunglasses to avoid the excessive glare and shine

4. Frank Lampard - Bling Kong

Wears personalised Adidas Predator boots with his name and team number stitched into them. Unconfirmed reports claim this is so Lampard knows which football boots belongs to him

5. Djibril Cissé - A Bling of Many Colours

Mis-firing striker Cisse when playing for Liverpool, once came out in odd coloured boots. He changed after half time into a matching pair but into lime green football boots. Known to change his hair colour as easily as his football boot colour

How Badly Do You Want To Be A Footballer?

Nike ads featuring Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez, Cesc Fabregas, Wesley Schneider, Van Nistelrooy and many more

Top 10 EPL Entertainers

1 - George Best

Best loved nothing better than scoring on and off the pitch. The Northern Irishman was untouchable with the ball at his feet and was adored away from the game. His lifestyle was often criticized but Manchester United would not be the club they are today without him. Quite simply, he set the standard for everyone to follow

2 - Gianfranco Zola

Zola’s love of the game was clear to see from the moment he arrived at Stamford Bridge. The Italian was a free-kick expert but there was far more to his game than the ability to curl a ball. Zola scored breathtaking goals and was one of the main reasons Chelsea lifted trophies under both Ruud Gullit and Gianluca Vialli

3 - Paul Gascoigne

While Gazza can best be described as daft as a brush, the midfielder could do it all with the ball at his feet. A troubled genius he may be, but the former Newcastle and Tottenham ace was one of the few Englishmen to conquer Serie A

4 - Eric Cantona

When he wasn’t kung-fu kicking fans or talking about seagulls, Cantona did the business on the pitch as Manchester United won trophy after trophy. The Frenchman was as mad as they come but truly gifted. He stunned United fans by hanging up his boots in 1997 to pursue an acting career

5 - Cristiano Ronaldo

In years to come, Ronaldo is sure to feature higher in lists like this. The Portuguese Winker may not be popular with anyone outside of Manchester but he has cemented his reputation as one of the world’s greatest players. Under the guidance of Alex Ferguson, Ron has developed into the best goalscoring winger around

6 - Glenn Hoddle

Hoddle was one of the classiest midfielders around. His range of passing was phenomenal and, most importantly, the Tottenham legend knew how to score a goal. To put it simply, this man could do it all. After proving himself in France with Monaco, he enjoyed spells as player-boss at Swindon and Chelsea

7 - Ryan Giggs

The wing wizard seems to have been around forever and he’s still going strong. The only thing you can say against Giggsy is that he is one of the best Englishman never to play for his country. Instead of choosing the Three Lions, the Manchester United ace opted for Wales. While international success has eluded him, Giggs has won the lot with United

8 - Thierry Henry

Henry is the best player to ever pull on an Arsenal shirt. The striker’s sublime skills made him the club’s highest goalscorer but his time in London ended without what he coveted most glory in the Champions League. The Frenchman, who started his career as a winger, is one of the greatest foreign players to grace the Premier League

9 - Peter Beardsley

There are few players who can be described as legends but Beardsley fits the bill perfectly. He picked up 59 caps for England, forming a devastating strike force with Gary Lineker. But he is best remembered for spells with Newcastle, Liverpool and Everton. Pure and simple, Beardsley played for the love of the game

10 - Matt Le Tissier

It’s safe to say Le God is one of the greatest players to never win a major trophy. The talented striker hammered home long-range stunners for fun and was Southampton through and through. Despite opportunities to join bigger clubs, Le Tissier spent his entire career with the Saints

Top 10 Foreign Managers Flops In EPL

By Sandy Macaskill

Luis Felipe Scolari is not the first foreign manager to fail in England and probably not the last

1 - Juande Ramos, Tottenham Hotspur, 2007-08

The Spaniard won the Carling Cup, so he cannot be called a complete failure. But having sold Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane saw Ramos take Tottenham to their worst ever start to a league campaign

2 - Alain Perrin, Portsmouth, 2005

Perrin replaced Zajec in April 2005, and was immediately nicknamed "Reggie" by the media and Pompey fans after the character Reginald Perrin from "The Fall and Rise of Reginard Perrin". He succeeded in keeping the club in the top flight, but was sacked the next season, just eight months into the job after achieving only 4 wins from 20 games

3 - Velimir Zejic, Portsmouth, 2004-05

Zejec arrived at Portsmouth in 2004 as an executive director, but the Croat was forced to take over temporary control of team affairs in November when Harry Redknapp resigned. Five months later he reverted to his intended director's role, following the arrival of Alain Perrin, but that was not an end to the troubles. He resigned from his position at Fratton Park on October 2005 due to personal reasons

4 - Jacques Santini, Tottenham Hotspur, 2004

Santini was one of the lucky ones, as he resigned rather than being pushed. Nevertheless, the Frenchman 's time at the club, which spanned just 13 games, must still considered a flop

5 - Gianluca Vialli, Watford, 2001-02

Having made wholesale changes to the club's coaching staff and made a number of signings which broke the club's wage structure, his team lost 19 of their 46 games and finished 14th. Vialli was sacked, and he ended up suing the club over the payment of the remainder of his contract

6 - Egil Olsen, Wimbledon, 1999-00

It was under this Norwegian's aegis that Wimbledon's 15-years in England top-flight ended. Olsen was sacked in May 2000, a decision that outraged Vinnie Jones - who bear in mind never ever played under the Norwegian because "I never got a chance to chin him"

7 - Attilio Lombardo / Brolin, Crystal Palace, 1998

Despite having no coaching experience, Lombardo was appointed joint player-manager in 1998 with fellow player Tomas Brolin and they presided over the club's relegation that season. Lombardo might have been one of the club's most skillful players ever, but promotion to coach was like being "run over by a lorry"

8 - Christian Gross, Tottenham Hotspur, 1997-98

Gross found it difficult at Spurs from the word go. Arriving into Heathrow Airport, the Swiss had to rely on the Tube to get to his first press conference as manager. A 6-1 defeat to Chelsea on his home debut, however set the tone for his tenure. And when Spurs lost two of their opening three matches of the 1998-99 season, Chairman Alan Sugar ended Gross's contract, blooming the media for destroying his reputation

9 - Ossie Ardiles, Newcastle, 1991-92 and Tottenham Hotspur, 1993-94

The Argentine lasted 12 months at St James' Park before being sacked, leaving Newcastle at the bottom of the second division. Ardiles joined Spurs in 1993, but despite the bringing in Jurgen Klinsmann, Ilie Dumitrescu and Gheorghe Popescu in summer 1994, he was sacked in October with Tottenham battling relegation

10 - Jozef Venglos , Aston Villa, 1990-91

The Slovakian manager was the first manager not from Britain or Ireland to take charge of a top-flight club in England, although he did not last long. His record of 18 different clubs in a career spanning 32 years reveals that he has not lasted long wherever he has gone

Real Madrid The Richest Football Club (2009)

Spanish Real Madrid have retained the number one spot on the World's wealthiest clubs by revenue list for the fourth year in a row

1. Real Madrid £365.8 mil
2. Manchester United £324.8 mil
3. FC Barcelona £308.8 mil
4. Bayern Munich £295.3 mil
5. Chelsea £268.9 mil
6. Arsenal £264.4 mil
7. Liverpool £210.9 mil
8. AC Milan £209.5 mil
9. AS Roma £175.4 mil
10. Internazionale £172.9 mil

10 Top Earning Players

No. 1
David Beckham
Age: 33
Nationality: English
Club: Los Angeles Galaxy
Earnings (m): $48.9, 24.4 pounds, 35.7 euros

No. 2
Ronaldinho
Age: 28
Nationality: Brazilian
Club: AC Milan
Earnings (m): $32.6, 16.3 pounds, 23.8 euros

No. 3
Thierry Henry
Age: 31
Nationality: French
Club: Barcelona
Earnings (m): $25.1, 12.5 pounds, 18.3 euros

No. 4
Ronaldo
Age: 32
Nationality: Brazilian
Club: Corinthians
Earnings (m): $21.2, 10.6 pounds, 15.5 euros

No. 5
Cristiano Ronaldo
Age: 24
Nationality: Portuguese
Club: Manchester United
Earnings (m): $18.5, 9.2 pounds, 13.5 euros

No. 6
Kaka
Age: 26
Nationality: Brazilian
Club: AC Milan
Earnings (m): $17.7, 8.8 pounds, 12.9 euros

No. 7
Fabio Cannavaro
Age: 35
Nationality: Italian
Club: Real Madrid
Earnings (m): $17.5, 8.7 pounds, 12.8 euros

No. 8
Andriy Shevchenko
Age: 32
Nationality: Ukranian
Club: AC Milan
Earnings (m): $17.5, 8.7 pounds, 12.8 euros

No. 9
Steven Gerrard
Age: 28
Nationality: English
Club: Liverpool
Earnings (m): $17.1, 8.5 pounds, 12.5 euros

No. 10
John Terry
Age: 27
Nationality: English
Club: Chelsea
Earnings (m): $17.0, 8.5 pounds, 12.4 euros

Learn From The Pros

Nike ads featuring football superstars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Cecs Fabregas and more

Top 10 Most Expensive Football Transfers (2009)

1. Zinedine Zidane - Juventus to Real Madrid - £45.62m (2001)
2. Luis Figo - Barcelona to Real Madrid - £37m (2000)
3. Hernan Crespo - Parma to Lazio - £35.5m (2000)
4. Gianluifi Buffon - Parma to Juventus - £32.6m (2001)
5. Robinho - Real Madrid to Manchester City - £32.5m (2008)
6. Christian Vieri - Lazio to Inter Milan - £32m (1999)
7. Andriy Shevchenko - AC Milan to Chelsea - £30.8m (2006)
8. Dimitar Berbatov - Tottenham Hotspur to Manchester United - £30.75m (2008)
9. Rio Ferdinand - Leeds United to Manchester United - £29.1m (2002)
10. Gaizka Mendieta - Valencia to Lazio - £29m (2001)

10 Fundamental Football Facts

1. Did you know that the power of your shoot is not determined by your muscles? Instead, having good technique is the most important thing
2. Being a master on free styling will not necessary increase your performance on the field
3. Football is about 90% thinking and 10% physical
4. Learning how to kick the ball by using your both feet may increase your performance by 50%
5. The position of your non-kicking leg will determine the direction of the ball
6. Carbohydrates is your most important food while playing football
7. If you want to be a dribbling master you will need to perform your moves without looking at the ball
8. It is easier to perform difficult dribbling moves while having your knees slightly bent
9. Juggling is a great way for improving your overall football skills
10. While defending, don’t keep your focus on the ball too much. Instead, monitor the movement of your opponent and don’t let him receive the ball and do something useful with it

History of Football

By Mirsad Hasic

The history of soccer can be said as old as recorded history. The game has been played in varying forms. A game resembling soccer was played by the ancient roman and had 27 players at each side. But the game was said to be so violent that most of the players had to be given medical treatment and suffered many injuries in which both major and minor types are included. Still not much record is available for sports related activities as historians at that time were not so interested in them

Soccer also had to face difficulties in growing up as well. First it was not given too much attention and was played by people at a small scale. The 14th century also gave soccer some tuff time. King Edward passed laws against the soccer in the early 14th century. Anyone who was found playing soccer openly was imprisoned

The king said that the game makes a lot of noise through the people watching it and also by the players playing the game. Though it may be said as a completely senseless decision but considering the time, too much noise may not be liked by the people or the kings at least. But the game was living inside the people and they didn't seem to give up on the game. The game again saw a boom and public support from the start of the 19th century and again started to gain popularity among the masses

There was no official governing party so the game events were held by individual clubs and small group of people who were willing to keep the game alive. But the games usually didn't seem to end peacefully. Some injuries could be seen during the game and some maybe after the game during some quarrel lings between groups of people supporting different teams. Broken legs and busted heads could be heard and seen in the games and some minor injuries as well

Still there was no official rule book for the sports. Later in the mid 19th centuries, many colleges and small groups started making their own rules and the matches arranged by them had to be played in accordance to their rules. But a little later, Cambridge University introduced some rules which were called Cambridge laws, were then followed by many groups and colleges and many matches had started to be played within those rules and regulations. Then an association named Football Association was formed and only a single college and other small groups and people joined the association

In the year 1863, a number of meetings were held by this association and a few round of meetings between October and December 1863 proved successful and the first group of agreeable rules and regulations were decided. At first many groups decided to leave the association's governance because they were not happy with a number of laws

One of these laws was that the ball cannot be carried by the player in the hand and tripping (known as hacking) was not allowed and was considered a foul and the opponents were given due advantage for the foul. These and some others were not preferred by some so they decided to leave. But after some time, the football association was changed into Federation Internatinale de Football Association also known as (aka) FIFA in the early 20th century

The FIFA was also not given a welcoming hand at first but later people decided to accept it and the groups seeing this fame, joined it and this body is still governing the official matches held internationally and between clubs