Who knew that kicking a penalty kick four time would make a player lose his marble the way Jose Pedroso did on Sunday in Chile.

The sentence was handed down by the presiding authority of the SIFUP (Professional Football Players Union) Angel Botto.  He also mentioned that the player will have to serve the suspension regardless of where he plays as the incident was mentioned in the match report and was brought up to FIFA.

The Chilean Football Federation (ANFP) will also have to report this incident to any team that will look to acquire the sevice of the Paraguayan defender.   

After the incident, the player resigned and went back to Paraguay in shame.  Even though the player is not with Rangers anymore, he will still be forced to sit out 27 matches.  Pedroso will not face any criminal charges as referee Marcelo Miranda decided not to follow through with any litigious claims after being assaulted. 

Suspension breakdown 

• 20 matches for aggression 
• five matches for previous attempt (considered seperate aggression by SIFUP)
• two matches for direct red

The Pedroso incident is just the cherry on top of the proverbial mess that is Rangers in the past year that saw the team go down to the Chilean second division after fielding an ineligible player in the final match of the season against Cobreloa.  The team would have points deducted, but they would do resort to the court system to be reinstated in that country's top flight . That move could have cost Chile a spot in the World Cup had the team from Talca follwed through.

Previous incidents
One of the incidents that comes to mind of the last few years was when former Colombian international Arley Betancur assaulted a referee during the Pan American games back that were held in Mar del Plata, Argentina in 1995.  After being booked by Costa Rican referee Ronald Gutierrez, he assaulted the authority on the field; dropkicking him in the face and breaking his nose in the process.  FIFA handed down a two-year ban on the player afterwards- up to this point the heftiest suspension put on a professional football player.

Pedroso gets 27-match ban for choking ref

The Great Tournament is less than 2 days away, lets begin the final group, Group H with the surprise team of South American qualifying, Chile.

OFFICIAL NAME: Federación de Fútbol de Chile



NICKNAME: La Roja

FIFA CONFEDERATION: CONMEBOL (South America)

FIFA CODE: CHI

HOW THEY QUALIFIED: 2nd place in CONMEBOL WC qualifying

WORLD CUP APPEARANCES (INCLUDING 2010): 8

BEST WC FINISH: 3rd Place, Chile 1962

WORLD CUP RECORD (MP: Wins - Draws - Losses): 25: 7W - 6D - 12L

HEAD COACH: Marcelo Bielsa

MOST CAPPED PLAYER (# of caps): Leonel Sánchez (84)

ALL-TIME GOAL SCORING LEADER (# of goals): Marcelo Salas (37)

BRIEF FOOTBALLING HISTORY:
The Chileans footballing history is one of close but not quite. Their best WC finish was 3rd place in 1962 when Chile hosted the tournament. La Roja have finished runners-up in the Copa America 4 times and finished 3rd place at the Copa America 5 times. This Chile side made history when they beat Argentina for the 1st time ever in CONMEBOL WC qualifying.

PLAYER TO WATCH:
The player to watch is Chile's most exciting young prospect since Marcelo Salas, this new Chilean star is Alexis Sánchez.
(REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado)
The 21-year old (pictured on the left) first started to get the football world's attention while playing for Argentine club, River Plate. He is known as "El Niño Maravilla" (The Wonder Boy) for his dribbling and playmaking skills. Sánchez is another rising star who could make a bigger name for himself if Chile advances and he plays well.

OUTLOOK:
The strength of this Chilean side is in attack. With Alexis Sánchez, Humberto Suazo, and Jorge Valdivia this team will terrorize defenses. Chile impressed in their World Cup qualifying campaign and with an excellent tactician like Marcelo Bielsa leading the team, Chile could make its deepest WC run since 1962.

FINAL 23-MAN WC ROSTER:
Goalkeepers: Claudio Bravo (Real Sociedad/Spain), Miguel Pinto (Universidad de Chile), Luis Marin (Union Espanola)

Defenders: Pablo Contreras (PAOK/Greece), Ismael Fuentes (Universidad Catolica), Mauricio Isla (Udinese/Italy), Gary Medel (Boca Juniors/Argentina), Gonzalo Jara (West Bromwich/England), Waldo Ponce (Universidad Catolica), Arturo Vidal (Bayer Leverkusen/Germany)

Midfielders: Carlos Carmona (Reggina/Italy), Marco Estrada (Universidad de Chile), Matias Fernandez (Sporting Lisbon/Portugal), Gonzalo Fierro (Flamengo/Brazil), Rodrigo Millar (Colo Colo), Rodrigo Tello (Besiktas/Turkey), Jorge Valdivia (Al-Ain/United Arab Emirates)

Strikers: Jean Beausejour (America/Mexico), Mark Gonzalez (CSKA Moscow/Russia), Fabian Orellana (Xerez/Spain), Esteban Paredes (Colo Colo), Alexis Sanchez (Udinese/Italy), Humberto Suazo (Real Zaragoza/Spain)

WC GROUP SCHEDULE:
June 16 vs. Honduras
June 21 vs. Switzerland
June 25 vs. Spain

Group H breakdowns continue with Honduras.

Chile - WC Team Breakdown

The Chilean national team has begun working with a possible starting lineup for their first group match against Honduras on June 16th. Head coach Marcelo Bielsa worked with Claudio Bravo in goal while Waldo Ponce, Gonzalo Jara, Gary Medel, and Arturo Vidal made up the defensive line. Carlos Carmona and Rodrigo Millar were placed as the holding midfielders and Jorge Valdivia was given the playmaking responsibilities. The most interesting aspect of the lineup is that Bielsa used three strikers in Tuesday’s practice. Alexis Sanchez, Esteban Paredes, and Jean Beausejour were in charge of scoring. However, Mark Sanchez and Matias Fernandez are also fighting for a starting job.

With regards to the injuries, Humberto Suazo continues to recover from his muscle injury. Suazo has been practicing lightly, but is not expected to play until Chile’s third group match against Spain.

Bielsa and his troops set up camp in the city of Nelspruit, which is very close to the border with Mozambique. They immediately got to work after their arrival to South Africa last Sunday. ‘La Roja’ will play their last tune-up match against New Zealand on Wednesday. Chile will make their debut against Honduras next week in Nelspruit and will play Switzerland on June 21st and Spain on June 25th.

BIELSA REVEALS POSSIBLE STARTING LINEUP

There is lots of expectation towards Chile. Their performance in the World Cup qualifiers peaked the interest of various pundits on both sides of the ocean. For many they are the team that could make some noise and possibly give Spain the most resistance.  They could also go pretty deep into the tournament. 

Coach Marcelo Bielsa gave his list of 30 players on Tuesday and there were some mild surprises for La Roja as Universidad de Chile goalkeeper Christopher Toselli was left out of the list. The goalkeeper seemed like a shoe-in for the national team especially with his recent form of play both domestically and internationally.

The youngster instead will represent the Andeans in the Toulon tournament this summer.

Universidad de Chile midfielder Edson Puch was also left out.

Real Zaragoza striker Humberto Suazo will be part of Bielsa's plans even though he underwent shoulder surgery to repair ligaments torn after he dislocated his shoulder over a month ago.

The biggest surprise was the inclusion of Colo Colo midfielder Charles Aránguiz. The Chilean international did not take part in the World Cup qualifiers but his current form has made him a must-have player for the Argentine coach.

Goalkeepers:
Claudio Bravo (Real Sociedad, ESP), Miguel Pinto (Universidad de Chile), Luis Marín (Unión Española)

Defenders:
Roberto Cereceda (Colo Colo), Pablo Contreras (PAOK, GRE)
Ismael Fuentes (Universidad Católica), Mauricio Isla (Udinese, ITA), Gonzalo Jara (West Bromwich, ENG), Gary Medel (Boca Juniors, ARG), Waldo Ponce (Universidad Católica), Arturo Vidal (Bayern Leverkusen, Alemania)

Midfielders:
Charles Aránguiz (Colo Colo), Carlos Carmona (Reggina, ITA), Marco Estrada (Universidad de Chile), Matías Fernández (Sporting Lisbon, POR),Gonzalo Fierro (Flamengo, BRA), José Pedro Fuenzalida (Colo Colo), Manuel Iturra (Universidad de Chile), Rodrigo Millar (Colo Colo), Pedro Morales (Dínamo Zagreb, CRO), Rodrigo Tello (Besiktas, TUR),Jorge Valdivia (Al-Ain, UAE), Jaime Valdés (Atalanta, ITA)

Forwards:
Jean Beausejour (Club América, MEX), Mark González (CSKA Moscow, RUS), Héctor Mancilla (Toluca, MEX), Fabián Orellana (Xérez, ESP), Esteban Paredes (Colo Colo)
Alexis Sánchez (Udinese, ITA), Humberto Suazo (Real Zaragoza, ESP)

Bielsa gives his 30 players for Chile

The Honduran international will not be part of the Catrachos trip to South Africa after suffering a bone fracture in his foot this past Thursday in Romania with club SC Vaslui.

According to team doctors, the injury will take up to six weeks to heal, preventing him from playing in the World Cup.

Costly was Honduras leading scorer during World Cup qualifiers as the Central Americans made it back to the big show after a 28-year absence.  He was also one of the most consistent performers in tournaments such as the Gold Cup as well.

Costly was looking to make history as his father, Allen Costly, was part of the Spain '82 side that last played in the biggest sporting event on the planet.  Head coach Reinaldo Rueda will give out the list of players later on Monday.

Honduras will play Spain, Chile, and Switzerland in World Cup group H.

Costly out of Honduras World Cup squad

Barcelona and Real Madrid are the dominant teams in Spain and they proved it by being the two teams that monopolized nearly half of the spots of La Furia's 30-man roster. Barcelona ended up on top as seven of their players earned call ups. There were some surprises in Vicente Del Bosque's list, but for the most part the players that were expected to be on, were.

The majority of the team that won the European championship two years ago and played in the Confederations Cup last summer will be back.

Barcelona's Victor Valdés will have at least a fighting chance to enter Del Bosque's 23-man roster as he was considered part of his 30-man list. Valdés will most likely win yet another Zamora trophy and was among the five goalkeepers called up by the Spanish coach. His level during the past two seasons have been worthy of recognition and should be on the fast track to be in South Africa.

None of Real Madrid's players were named Guti or Raúl as Albiol, Arbeloa, Ramos, Xabi Alonso will follow national team captain Iker Casillas to South Africa.

One of the big surprises was Atlético Madrid's young goalkeeper David De Gea who has become one of the revelations of the tournament. Another surprise call up was that of Osasuna defender César Azpilicueta. He has become a stalwart for the Rojillos. Sevilla's Jesús Navas also got some recognition from Del Bosque.

One player that was left off the squad was Getafe's Roberto Soldado. He was being considered to be a viable replacement for Fernando Torres. His 14 goals for the season have him in La Liga's top ten in scoring.

Some players that were left off the list were Sevilla goalkeeper Andrés Palop as well as Athletic counterpart Gorka Iraizoz. Barcelona forward Bojan Krkic, who decided to not go to Euro2008, was snubbed in favor of teammate Pedro Rodríguez who became one of the revelations of the tournament. Pedro was the first player in football history to score in all six competitions this season. He is also the team's third leading scorer behind Zlatan Ibrahimovic and soon-to-be Pichichi winner Lionel Messi.

Spain will be participating in Group H alongside Chile, Honduras, and Switzerland.


Goalkeepers:Iker Casillas(Real Madrid CF), David De Gea(Atlético Madrid),Diego López (Villarreal), Pepe Reina (Liverpool-ENG), Víctor Valdés (FC Barcelona)

Defenders
: Raúl Albiol (Real Madrid)
, Alvaro Arbeloa(Real Madrid),
 César Azpilicueta (Osasuna)
 Joan Capdevila (Villarreal)
, Carlos Marchena (Valencia),
 Gerard Piqué (FC Barcelona)
 Carles Puyol (FC Barcelona),
 Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid)

Midfielders:
 Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid)
 Sergio Busquets (FC Barcelona)
 Francesc Fabregas (Arsenal FC-ENG)
 Andrés Iniesta (FC Barcelona)
 Javi Martínez (Athletic)
 Marcos Senna (Villarreal)
 David Silva (Valencia)
 Xavier Hernández (FC Barcelona)

Forwards
: Santi Cazorla (Villarreal),
 Jesús Navas (Sevilla),
 Juan Mata (Valencia CF),
 Pedro (FC Barcelona)
, Dani Güiza (Fenerbache SK-TUR)
, Fernando Llorente (Athletic Club),
 Alvaro Negredo (Sevilla FC)
, Fernando Torres (Liverpool FC-ENG)
, David Villa (Valencia CF)


Callup by team
Barcelona- 7
Real Madrid- 5
Valencia- 4
Villarreal- 4
Athletic - 2
Liverpool- 2
Osasuna- 1
Atlético- 1
Arsenal- 1
Sevilla- 2
Fenerbahce-1

Del Bosque announces Spain's 30 players

The FIFA Executive Committee approved special funding for the football associations of Chile and Haiti to assist them in the reconstruction of their facilities following the natural disasters that recently hit the two countries. During the two-day meeting, the Executive Committee decided to donate 3 million USD to a special projects fund for Haiti in order to assist in the reconstruction of the football association’s headquarters, technical centers and regional youth facilities. FIFA had already provided emergency aid of 250,000 USD shortly after the earthquake.

In addition, the committee approved a decision from the Goal Bureau to allocate three Goal projects worth USD 1.2 million to assist the Chilean Football Association in the reconstruction of the football facilities in Chile. An immediate assistance fund of USD 250,000 had already been set up by FIFA following the recent earthquake and tsunami in the South American country.

The following decisions were also made taken by the Executive Committee:

• Azerbaijan will host of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2012
• Italy will host of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2011 once all pending documentation has been provided
• Tahiti will host of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2013
• Thailand will host of the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2012
• To postpone the decision on the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2012, in order to give more time to potential bidders to prepare their bids
• Informed the Indonesian Bidding Committee that they have lost their right to bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup™ after adequate governmental guarantees were not provided by Indonesia by the relevant deadlines
• Approved the new Regulations on the Organization of Refereeing in the Member Associations and the new Equipment Regulations
• Approved the dates of the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2010 (8 to 18 December 2010) and the prize money (USD 16.5 million)

FIFA Helps Haiti and Chile

Buenos Aires, Argentina
Sunday February 28, 2010



Chile was struck with a massive 8,8 earthquake on the richster scale. It is believed that it has already taken over 700 lives. Today we received the news that one of the victims was the sister of Gary Medel, midfielder of Boca Juniors and the Chilean National team. The other problem is that Gary has a 1 year old daughter, who is currently missing.

Our dearest condolences to Gary Medel and we wish him the best of luck in finding his daughter safely

Chilean International Gary Medel struck by tragedy

Help our Chilean brethren as they go pick up the pieces from one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded. As time goes by we will have more donations and drop off sites throughout the US.
------------------

Help Chile Now

When talking about Chilean football we all talk about the recent stars like Zamorano, Salas, Suazo, and a host of others. The one that is rarely mentioned by the younger generations is arguably the greatest player to have worn the red jersey- Elías Figueroa.

He was arguably one of the best defenders of the 60's and 70's as he anchored the Chilean backline in . Figueroa is mentioned in the same breath as contemporaries such as Franz Beckenbauer, Paul Breitner, Ruud Krol, Giacinto Facchetti, Bobby Moore, and Daniel Passarella as well as bar setters like Franco Baresi, and Paolo Maldini. He was also a proponent of coming out with elegance and with the ball under control in various situations instead of booting the ball into the 30th row.

His three World Cup appearances made him a very popular name being uttered by attackers all over the world, especially in the 1966 World Cup.

There was no wonder why he was called the "Great Red Wall". During his 16-year career he was the anchor for various defenses throughout South America and was the face of La Roja for well over a generation. His road to immortality and his image of being a strong, elegant leader was the end product of childhood that saw lots of sickness.

Elías was born in Valparaíso, Chile on October 24, 1946. Although he was sick as a child, his spirit never detracted him from what his goal actually was. He suffered from heart problems which manifested themselves in symptoms similar to asthma. He took up the sport at age eight when his family moved to Quipqué.

He began to stand out as and was given the opportunity to play with the big local club, Santiago Wanderers. After lack of playing time he would go on loan to Unión La Calera where he would receive the nickname "Don Elías" at just the tender age of 17.



Inter days
His arrival at Inter was one that saw him turn up into an idol. He played on a side that included a rising star named Falcão who would eventually become King of Rome. Figueroa shored the backfield while Falcão was a threat on the offensive end. His shining moment was in the final week of the 1975 tournament when he scored the legendary "Gol Iluminado" against Cruzeiro to assure the Porto Alegre side their first-ever league title.

"He's one of the greatest of all-time."- Franz Beckenbauer.

Build your own custom video playlist at embedr.com

A Strike-ing presence
After leaving Palestino, Figueroa decided to try his luck in the NASL where he would team up with Teófilo Cubillas, Gerd Müller, Jan van Beveren, and English midfielder Ray Hudson.

There he would help the South Florida side win the Southern division and reach the league semifinals. A great person to bring back as soon as the new NASL season begins in order to give the team a local boost.

World Cup Legends: Elías Figueroa

These were some factoids that I came across that show how tight CONMEBOL is and certain tendencies that are becoming present in this qualifier.


Uruguay vs. Brazil

- Brazil is team with least losses (1) and most draws (6)
- Brazil have not won at the Estadio Centenario since 1976.
- Uruguay is the highest scoring team with 21
- Brazil is the best defense on the road (4)


Argentina vs. Colombia
- Argentina have not lost at home in 32 matches. Last loss vs. Colombia in 1993.
- Colombia are the only CONMEBOL team to beat Argentina in Buenos Aires.
- Colombia have not scored a goal in Argentina since 1997. Carlos Valderrama.
- Colombia are winless in their last six away games.
- Colombia have not scored a goal on the road in 443 minutes.
- Colombia's last road win (November 2005 vs. Paraguay)
- Argentina lead series 3-1-1



- Paraguay has most wins (7) overall.

- Chile (2) and Venezuela (1) have least draws

- Chile (14) and Argentina (13) are the two teams presently qualified with the most goals scored on


- Colombia and Peru have only scored on goal on the road in six matches


- Chile is the highest scoring road team (10)


- Venezuela (8th) has conceded less goals on the road (9), than ARG who is currently in 4th (10)

- Uruguay (5th) have won the same amount of matches as Venezuela (8th)- 4

- Paraguay have won all home matches in qualifiers and have conceded only one goal

Tidbits, Tendencies of CONMEBOL Quallies

Erwin "Platini" Sánchez looks to build on their historic 6-1 victory against Argentina with this latest callup. UEFA Cup winner Marcelo Martins, from Shakhtar Donetsk, will lead the attack for the Bolivians when they face Venezuela at home and then travel to Santiago to face Chile. Although in ninth place, Bolivia are still mathematically alive and two positive results could put them back in the race for the final two CONMEBOL World Cup spots.

The biggest news of the callup was the absence of Bolivian all-time scorer Joaquín Botero who decided to exclude himself from the national team due to personal reasons. Sánchez also brings in seven players from abroad as well as U-17 Gilbert Álvarez.

Goalkeepers: Carlos Arias (Bolívar) y Carlos Lampe (Universitario).

Defenders: Abdón Reyes (Bolívar), Enrique Parada (San José), Ronald Raldes (Cruz Azul, Méx), Luis Gatty Ribeiro (Real Potosí), Ronald Rivero (Universitario), Luis Gutiérrez (Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona, Isr), Edemir Rodríguez (Real Potosí), Miguel Hoyos (Bolívar), Juan Manuel Peña (Celta, Esp).

Midfielders: Didí Torrico (Wilstermann), Julio César Hurtado (Aurora), Jaime Robles (Blooming), Ignacio García (Bolívar), Mauricio Saucedo (Universitario), Alex da Rosa (San José), Wálter Flores (Bolívar), Joselito Vaca (Oriente Petrolero), Leonel Reyes (Bolívar), Ronald García (Aris, Gre), Pablo Escóbar (Santo André, Bra).

Forwards: Gerardo Yacerotte (Real Potosí), Diego Cabrera (Independiente Medellín, Col), Marcelo Martins (Shaktar, Ucr), Gilbert Alvarez (Callejas).

Sánchez Makes Callup For Bolivia

The Uruguayan international decided to make this season his last with the four-time Chilean champs. "I thought that they wanted me to stay and expected a greater effort on their part," said El Cacique's leading scorer.

Club president Gabriel Ruiz-Tagle mentioned that they would not exercise his option to buy even though they are lacking in the forward position. Instead, Ruiz-Tagle made an offer for Deportes Concepción Daud Gazale, even though the latter gave them the thumbs-down.

According to Biscayzacú's agent, Washington Castro, his client has various offers abroad but hope that the Colo Colo brass change their mind prior to the end of the season.

Biscayzacú Parts Ways With Colo Colo