G14 Looking To Double It's Numbers By 2008

Some of the names being kicked around for inclusion into the big kid's club include Chelsea (I can see it), Celtic and Rangers (borderline), and Red Star Belgrade and Galatasaray (you've got to be kidding). My favorite line out of the article:

One source told Reuters news agency that some clubs, most noteably Arsenal and Manchester United "felt uncomfortable with the idea" of Chelsea joining.

Uncomfortable? Will Chelsea get drunk and start telling dick jokes?

British trio linked to bigger G14 [BBC]

-ac

Oh Turkey, Really?

For those of you planning to do a little live-blogging in Turkey while catching the action in the country's Turkcell Super Lig, forget about posting YouTube highlights. The country has banned access to the video site. Here's the skinny:

For some reason, a Turkish court found it necessary to intervene in a video feud, of sorts, between Turkish and Greek posters on YouTube, by banning access to the site. The Greeks alleged that Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of the Turkish Republic, harbored homosexual proclivities. Patriotic Turks retorted that this was untrue, and that in fact the Greek nation itself bore these characteristics. Of course, they didn't use such high-falutin' language. The debate would be pretty familiar to any twelve-year-old, though. Those posting may actually still be in grade school, for all that anyone knows. With the global commons that is emerging online, however, governments prone to meddling with free speech no longer know what to leave on the kiddie table and what to treat as dangerous.

Why YouTube acquiesced to this, I don't know. Either way, at this rate, Turkey should be a member of the European Union any day now.

Thursday Video: Stop calling Ataturk gay, say Turks [Passport]

-ac

Oh, That's A Shame

I was in complete agreement with World Cup Blog about the way things have played out for SMiA's favorite filmmaker. It is immensely attractive to not have to put up a transfer fee when signing players during the mid-season transfer window. For that reason, all kinds of clubs have had their eye on PSG castoff Vikash Dhorasoo. Clubs from England, Italy, and Turkey have all been in the running for the ex-French international.

But that all might have changed in the last couple of days. According to today's broadcast of Sky Sports News and this article (second-to-last paragraph) from Reuters, through the Guardian, he definitely won't be playing for Fulham. In an interview with Sky, Chris Coleman revealed that Dhorasoo had injured himself minutes into his trial and therefore won't be joining the team. It remains to be seen how willing his other suitors might be in signing him now. At last count, those teams included Bolton, Portsmouth, Middlesbrough, Manchester City, Livorno, and Galatasaray.

At the present time, I can't seem to find anything about what kind of injury it is or how serious it might be. I've had plenty of laughs at Dhorasoo's expense lately, but this is just sad. I kind of feel bad for the guy.

Dhorasoo Teaches Us How To Be Really, Really Popular [World Cup Blog]
Fulham: no interest in Vikash Dhorasoo [Guardian Unlimited]

-ac