soccer

Russian Soccer Fans Told To Stay Home, Or Drink Whisky

Filed under: Sports

Russian soccer fans are being some interesting advice to prevent swine flu. The Moscow Times says that chief sanitary doctor Gennady Onishchenko first said that Russian students should be banned from studying in Britain because of the swine flu outbreak and then later said that the ban should be extended to soccer fans. A 2010 World Cup series game between Russia and Wales is set to take place in Cardiff on September 9. Onishchenko called the trip "unnecessary" and said that shouting in the stadium could help spread the disease. Russian fans get a bit of relief from the ead of the All-Russia Union of Sports Fans, Alexander Shprygin, who said that fans who do travel to Wales shoud drink the local whisky to protect themselves from the swine flu. He went on to say that by doing this the Russian fans would also be saving the whisky industry because many have stopped drinking whisky in England. Some Russian sports fans have canceled planned trips because of swine flu fears.

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Tags: cardiff, russia, soccer, wales, whisky

New Dolce & Gabbana Designs for A.C. Milan

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Sports, Men's Style

Design duo Dolce & Gabbana has announced its latest designs for Italian football (soccer) team A.C. Milan for the upcoming 2009-2010 season. Dolce & Gabbana designed the team's official uniforms as well as the formal uniforms for the entire A.C. Milan Red and Black Club, as modeled by star players Gennaro Ivan Gattuso and Pato above. The team is traveling to the U.S. this month to compete against the Chelsea FC, Inter Milan, and Club America teams in matches taking place at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, and Gillette Stadium in Boston. "We are very happy to be able to once again link the name Dolce & Gabbana with A.C. Milan," state Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, "a team whose international prestige perfectly embodies our style and Italian excellence across the world." Milan have won a record 18 officially recognized international titles.

Gallery: Designer Football

A Manchester United blazer from the '50s.

Tags: dolce and gabbana, Dolce Gabbana, DolceAndGabbana, DolceGabbana, soccer

Ronaldo's Bentley & Mercedes Up for Sale

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Celebrity Shopping, Sports

Last month we reported that UK soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo had put his black-on-black Porsche 911 convertible on sale for at £69,995 or about $115,000. Now the super-rich star athlete, who was spotted canoodling with Paris Hilton, has listed his 2008 Bentley Continental GT Speed (above) and 2004 Mercedes C220CDI as well, the UK AutoTrader reports. The Bentley is being offered at £114,950 and the Mercedes for only £10,795. As we reported back in January, the champion athlete who is moving to Spain to play for Real Madrid after his club Manchester United accepted a record £80 million bid, totaled his Ferrari but walked away unscathed. He drove the Bentley when the Ferrari was scrapped. The London Telegraph reports that Ronaldo will probably also sell his sell his £4 million mansion in Alderley Edge, Cheshire.

Tags: Bentley, Cristiano Ronaldo, CristianoRonaldo, Mercedes, Mercedes-Benz, Paris Hilton, ParisHilton, soccer, sports star, SportsStar, UK

Soccer Star Ronaldo's Porsche for Sale

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Celebrity Shopping, Sports

Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo's black-on-black Porsche 911 convertible (above) is being offered for sale in the UK. As we reported back in January, the champion athlete who is set to play for Real Madrid after his club Manchester United accepted a record £80 million bid last week, totaled his Ferrari but walked away unscathed. The car on offer is a Porsche 911 Carrera 2 Tiptronic S which Ronaldo bought in 2007, the UK Auto Trader reports.

It's just one of a fleet of supercars which have been owned by the 24-year-old, who mainly drives a Bentley Continental GT Speed these days. The Porsche can accelerate from 0-62 mph in 5.4 seconds and reach a top speed of 177 mph. It has only 16,000 miles on it and is priced at £69,995 or about $115,000. Ronaldo was recently snapped canoodling with Paris Hilton in Las Vegas celebrating his new contract.

Tags: convertible, Cristiano Ronaldo, CristianoRonaldo, Ferrari, Manchester United, ManchesterUnited, Porsche, Porsche 911, Porsche911, soccer, sports star, SportsStar

Manchester United Seeks New Deep-Pocketed Sponsor

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Sports

Remember AIG's shirt deal with soccer team Manchester United? AIG had a four-year $100 million deal which runs until 2010 but will not be renewing, leaving the team with the prospect of finding a new sugar daddy and it's looking like it has set its sights on India. India's Sahara Group is in talks with Manchester United to become the new shirt sponsors. Sahara, an unlisted group with interests from financial services to real estate, sees it as a way to encourage Indian soccer players and fans. For the team, it represents a chance to expand their global fanbase. This seems to be a growing trend in sports, that a team has fans that spread far beyond the hometown, but nowhere is it more true in European football which, although not big in the U.S., truily is a global sport.

Reuters reports that another Indian conglomerate, Tata group also received a sponsorship proposal from Manchester United back in March. The Sahara deal will likely be similar to AIG's contract and in the same price range. Sahara's Subrata Roy is expected to be in London on June 5 to finalize the deal.

Tags: aig, india, manchester united, ManchesterUnited, sahara, soccer

Beckhams' Bid to Buy Milanese Castle Quashed

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Sports

If a new report out of Italy can be believed - and something may well have been lost in translation - David and Victoria Beckham have failed in a bid to buy part of Milan's famed Castello Sforzesco (above), a 15th century castle that now houses artworks by Michelangelo and Da Vinci. Apparently the mega-rich Beckhams have been house shopping in Milan as he expects to sign a soccer contract there. Victoria is said to have set her eye on the centrally located, historically significant and imposing edifice, but was firmly denied by the Milan City Council. There were also rumors that Victoria wanted to buy a whole floor of the Armani hotel which is being built in the city, though that scheme has also come to naught. Hey, anything's possible with those two.

Tags: Castello Sforzesco, CastelloSforzesco, castle, celebrity, David Beckham, DavidBeckham, Italy, Milan, soccer, Victoria Beckham, VictoriaBeckham

Manchester United Shirts Add To AIG Outrage

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Sports

Washington continues to express outrage over AIG's $165 million in bonuses but AIG has another bill to pay, for its contract with soccer team Manchester United. Like some companies which pay for naming rights for stadiums, AIG signed a contact in 2006 for a four-year deal with the British team to have AIG on their shirts. Cityfile reports that while the company has said they won't renew the deal, they haven't canceled the existing contract which means that Manchester United could get $28 million more from the team before the original contract ends in May 2010.

The deal was originally made by then Chief Executive Martin Sullivan who wanted AIG to be a name recognized worldwide by partnering with one of the world's most popular sports teams. BNET has a cheeky suggestion on what the American people should request from AIG in regards to this deal. They say that since we own 80 percent of AIG we could have the shirts changed to say "United States United" or even USA. Of course, BNET's Ed Leefeldt also says maybe it's time to give a name change to "Citi Field" which received millions from struggling Citigroup. Good luck with that.

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Tags: aig, manchester united, ManchesterUnited, soccer

Beckhams Borrow Clooney's Lake Como Villa

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Sports

George Clooney is quite a pal. According to Hello magazine, the movie star just lent his lavish $6 million villa on Italy's famed Lake Como (above) to soccer superstar David Beckham and his wife Victoria. Beckham, whose taste for the finer things in life has been often noted here, is being fought over by two soccer teams, the LA Galaxy and Italy's AC Milan. The Beckhams will take some relaxing time out at the villa while waiting to see the if LA Galaxy will release him from his contract and allow a transfer to AC Milan, the magazine reports. "George has really taken David under his wing since the transfer trouble started," they note.

The luxurious villa, which has played host to many of Clooney's superstar pals, is just half an hour away from the Beckhams' base in Milan. Clooney, 47, and Beckham, 33, became friends after being introduced by Giorgio Armani, (whose underwear ads the Beckhams star in), at the Met Ball in New York last May. Luxe Lake Como, where scenes from the last two James Bond movies were shot, has long been a favorite retreat for Italy's rich and famous and the international jetset. As we mentioned last month, the contents of late designer Gianni Versace's villa there are being auctioned off by Sotheby's in March.

Tags: Celebrity, David Beckham, DavidBeckham, George Clooney, GeorgeClooney, Gianni Versace, GianniVersace, Giorgio Armani, GiorgioArmani, Italy, James Bond, JamesBond, Lake Como, LakeComo, Milan, Soccer, Victoria Beckham, VictoriaBeckham

Nike's Carbon Footprint...Only 190 Grams!

by Tracy Chait (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Shoes, Sports

Nike's latest iteration of the Mercurial soccer shoe, the Vapor SL, is a real feat of engineering, and I like the color combo, too. The SL in the name stands for "Super Lite" -- the black shoe and its hot pink swoosh only weigh 190 grams.

Some ingredient called "Tepex" is all about maximum strength with minimal weight. I researched Tepex a little bit, and without an engineering degree, reached the conclusion that if it's good enough for the aerospace industry, it's probably good enough to wear on your feet.

Crafted almost entirely from carbon fiber, the sneaker retails for $400. Because a pair of these are so hard to come by -- Nike only made 2,508 pairs -- they're only truly available on eBay, starting at around $1,000.

[Thanks, Dave!]

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Tags: carbon fiber, carbon footprint, CarbonFiber, CarbonFootprint, ebay, nike, sneaker, soccer

Abramovich Decision Time: The Sports Team, The Yacht or Latvia?

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wealth

Oh what a week to be Roman Abramovich. As my colleague Jared Paul Stern reported, Abramovich had to cancel his Aspen New Year's Eve party. Now rumors are surfacing that Abramovich may be so crunched by the financial crisis he is looking at selling either his Chelsea soccer team or his megayacht Pelorus. It seems likely that he would be selling the yacht anyway if he is still going to be taking delivery of his planned $350 million megayacht but perhaps the economy has hastened that decision. No other Russian billionaire is as tempting a subject for speculation so it's hard to believe much of the news of his potential comings and goings without a listing or other proof.

Should Abramovich find himself with a bit of spare change, the country of Latvia has an interesting offer, they want him to buy them. For around $10.7 billion he could have an entire country at his disposal. Over 400 Lativans have signed a letter addressed to Abramovich touting the country's benefits of hard-working people, a clean environment and"plenty of space to dock your yacht."

Gallery: All Things Abramovich

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Tags: chelsea, football, latvia, pelorus, roman abramovich, RomanAbramovich, soccer, yacht

Beckham Picks Up Kids from School in $500K Rolls-Royce

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Flamboyant soccer star David Beckham has a five-year deal with the L.A. Galaxy worth $250 million, so it makes sense that he travels in style even when picking up the kids from school. Still, he caused quite a scene the other day by showing up there in a $500,000 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe (above) with a phalanx of bodyguards trailing behind in two big black SUVs, the London Daily Mail reports. Beckham, the world's second highest paid athlete after Tiger Woods, had the top down for his trip to the school so everyone could recognize him, but put it up to foil paparazzi after retrieving his boys, the paper reports.

Tags: Beverly Hills, BeverlyHills, David Beckham, DavidBeckham, L.A. Galaxy, L.a.Galaxy, Los Angeles, LosAngeles, Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe, Rolls-Royce, RollsRoycePhantomDropheadCoupe, Soccer

Dolce & Gabbana Tailors Italian Nat'l Soccer Team

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Sports, Men's Style

To celebrate the 2008 European Cup soccer tournament, dashing designers Dolce & Gabbana have created a stylish new wardrobe for the Italian National Football Team ("Nazionale"). Italy debuted today in the fiercely-competitive 16-nation tournament at the Stade de Suisse in Berne, Switzerland. Dolce & Gabbana custom-tailored natty narrow-lapeled one-button dark blue suits with the Nazionale badge embroidered on the breast pocket, classic white shirts and solid narrow blue silk ties for the team. Filling out their off-pitch wardrobe are blue single-breasted peak-lapel blazers, matching four-button vests, blue cotton and wool hooded track suit tops, blue cotton track suit bottoms with satin belts and sides, and black nylon padded parkas with multiple pockets and detachable hoods. The collaboration is the latest in a line of recent designer makeovers for famed European football (soccer) teams, including Giorgio Armani for the Chelsea F.C. and Paul Smith for Manchester United. See the gallery for more.

Gallery: Designer Football

Tags: Dolce Gabbana, DolceGabbana, European Cup, EuropeanCup, Giorgio Armani, GiorgioArmani, Italy, Manchester United, ManchesterUnited, Paul Smith, PaulSmith, Soccer

The Hattie B. Cooper Community Center, Charity of the Day

by Star Sutherland (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Events, Charity, Sports, Charity of the Day, Children, Big Givers

Charityfolks.com is auctioning off a chance to meet David Beckham at an LA Galaxy Game! Additional prize loot includes hotel and airfare, a meet-and-greet and photo op with David Beckham, a David Beckham autographed jersey, 2 VIP field seats to the game and a pregame tour of the stadium! The money earned from the auction benefits the Hattie B. Cooper Community Center. Located in one of Boston's poorest neighborhoods, the Cooper Community Center provides high-quality early education programs that encourage self-esteem, confidence, leadership and learning to at risk youth. Bidding is currently at $10,000 and is open until June 4th. What an amazing opportunity to help kids and attend a game in VIP style, I wonder if Posh will be there?

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Tags: attie B. Cooper Community Center, AttieB.CooperCommunityCenter, charity, charity auction, charity of the day, CharityAuction, charityevent, CharityOfTheDay, david beckham, DavidBeckham, la galaxy, LaGalaxy, soccer

David Beckham Plans Soccer Camp In Brazilian Resort

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Sports

Soccer star David Beckham may have a side gig as an Armani model but that isn't the only thing he has going on. He also has lent his name to a line of soccer training facilities. The third David Beckham soccer academy, the Beckham World of Sport in Brazil will be located in a soon-to-be-built luxury resort, the Cabo Sao Roque resort near the city of Natal. Beckham is a partner in the resort and will oversee the academy. His other academies are in London and in Carson, California where he currently plays for the Los Angeles Galaxy.

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Tags: brazil, cabo sao roque, david beckham, DavidBeckham, soccer

Expensive Designer Bedrooms for Children

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

What a dream for a little girl or boy to have a bedroom modeled after their favorite fairytale or movie! Of course the rich and famous can afford to give their kids whatever they want, and they aren't hesitating to do just that when it comes to bedroom design and decor. One designer says "if you can draw it we can make it," which is resulting in every creation you can imagine -- from a $47,000 pumpkin-shaped carriage bed (Cinderella) to a Tom Thumb room consisting entirely of over-sized furniture.

It's not unusual for these designer bedrooms to end up costing $50,000 to $100,000 by the time they're complete. Would you spend that much on your child's bedroom? Especially considering they'll probably grow out of the theme and want something new in a year or two?

Via Born Rich

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Tags: bedroom, bedrooms, child, children, cinderella, decorate, decorations, designer, football, interior design, InteriorDesign, kid, kids, most expensive, MostExpensive, room, rooms, soccer, theme, themed, tom thumb, TomThumb