Van Basten: I Didn't Think Suarez Could Play For Barcelona

Netherlands legend Marco van Basten has admitted that he did not believe that Luis Suarez could make it at Barcelona.

The Uruguayan moved to Camp Nou last summer from Liverpool and, after a slow start to life in Spain, has scored 24 goals in all competitions.

However, his fellow former Ajax striker believed that he would have been better suited to a career in Serie A to La Liga.

"I was expecting him to be a really good player but I didn't think of him playing for a team like Barcelona," he is quoted as saying by Sport.

"I felt he'd be more suited to a team like Juventus or Inter because the football in Italy is a bit different to the football they play at Barcelona.

"Barca play a really clever type of football, close together with everyone at a high level technically. I think he is more of an opportunistic forward who should just go forward and see what happens.

"He does that in a marvellous way but it's not the way he plays at Barcelona."

'We will see what happens' - David De Gea coy over Manchester United future

David De Gea has admitted his future is up in the air as the Manchester United goalkeeper continues to be linked with a move to Real Madrid.

United fans fear the 24-year-old has already agreed to join the Spanish giants this summer having refused to sign a new contract at Old Trafford.

But De Gea is not willing to confirm just yet whether he will push to leave Louis van Gaal’s side.

"We will see what happens regarding my future," De Gea said to Spanish sports newspaper AS. "Right now I'm on holiday."

De Gea, who has a year left on his contract at Old Trafford, is currently in Spain and was named on Sunday as the "adopted son" of the Castilla La Mancha region in Madrid, where he grew up.

"I'm delighted for this recognition," he said.

De Gea joined United from Atletico Madrid in a £17.8million deal in 2011 and has made 133 appearances for the Premier League side.

Real, meanwhile, have yet to announce who will be their coach for the new season despite strong suggestions - including an off-hand comment from vice-president Eduardo Fernandez de Blas - that outgoing Napoli boss Rafa Benitez will be named as Carlo Ancelotti's successor.

Transfer Rumours And Paper Review –Monday June

Manchester United are trying to hijack Arsenal’s move for Southampton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin. Gunners boss Arsene Wenger wants to build Arsenal’s Premier League title challenge around £25m rated Schneiderlin but Louis van Gaal is lining up a rival bid for the France World Cup star. (Daily Mirror)

Hugo Lloris has no intention of leaving Tottenham to join Manchester United. The France captain, 28, has been touted as a possible replacement for current United NO.1 David De Gea, who is reportedly on the verge of joining Spanish giants Real Madrid, but has no interest in leaving White Hart Lane. (Daily Star)

Liverpool are in talks with Lyon to complete the transfer of Alexandre Lacazette. France international striker Lacazette, 24, has had a blistering season in front of goal, netting 31 times in all competitions for the Ligue 1 outfit and the Reds will have to spend around £35million to secure a deal. (Metro)

Tim Sherwood will try to convince Christian Benteke to stay at Aston Villa by offering him a new contract that smashes the club’s current ceiling on wages. Benteke, who has a £32.5million release clause, is wanted by Liverpool but Villa are determined to keep the striker and will offer him wages of around £75,000 per week. (Daily Mail)

But Aston Villa are making plans for Benteke’s exit, with Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson seen as the man to replace the big Belgian. (Daily Mirror)

Theo Walcott is confident his Arsenal future will be resolved but had warned "it will take time". The England international has just a year to run on his current contract. (Independent)

Chelsea are keen on defender Toby Alderweireld. The 26-year-old Belgium star, whose year-long loan at Southampton from Atletico Madrid has ended, impressed at St Mary’s this season. (Daily Mirror)

Ghana Join Cameroon On Olympics Scrapheap

Ghana joined Cameroon on the 2016 Olympic Games qualifying scrapheap at the weekend after a second-round penalty shootout defeat in Congo Brazzaville.

Sylvain Ganvoula scored a first-half goal at Stade Municipal in oil port Pointe-Noire to give the Congolese a 1-0 victory and cancel a first-leg loss by the same score in Accra.

Congo then converted all five spot-kicks, but Emmanuel Nti Mensah missed the third for Ghana and the hosts won 5-4 on penalties.

Success was especially sweet for veteran France-born Congo coach Claude le Roy, who dreams of taking a team to the Olympics for the first time.

He became embroiled in a post-first leg war of words with Ghana coach, 70-year-old Malik Jabir, accusing the west Africans of fielding over-age footballers in the under-23 competition.

Le Roy has been to the World Cup with Cameroon, and collected gold and silver medals with Cameroon and bronze with Ghana as an Africa Cup of Nations coach.

The reward for Congo is a third-round date with Nigeria, one of three African countries to bag Olympic football medals.

Nigeria won the 1996 Atlanta Olympics tournament and Cameroon achieved a similar feat in Sydney four years later after Ghana had finished third at the 1992 Barcelona Games.

Olympics elimination completed a disastrous week for Ghana with an all-local senior national side stunned by Madagascar and routed by Zambia when competing as southern Africa championship 'guests'.

Cameroon were shocked by Sierra Leone, losing on the away-goal rule after a 1-1 draw at Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo in Yaounde.

Zimbabwe dodged the embarrassment of defeat by minnows Swaziland as they came from behind twice to draw 2-2 in Lobamba and squeeze through on away goals.

Mxolisi Mkhontfo converted a late first-half penalty for the Swazis at Somhlolo Stadium and substitute Philana Kadewere levelled just before the hour.

Swaziland regained the lead almost immediately through Muzi Dlamini only to have hopes of a rare international success dashed nine minutes from time when Ronald Pfumbidzai scored off another spot-kick.

The next opponents for Zimbabwe will be South Africa, one of eight countries who received second-round byes.

A couple of early second-half goals from Ronald Kampamba and Kelvin Mubanga earned Zambia a 2-0 victory over Botswana at Nkoloma Stadium in Lusaka following a drawn first leg.

Much-improved Tunisia triumphed 2-0 away to Sudan in central city El-Obeid having snatched a first-leg advantage through a last-minute goal.

Ghailane Chaalali and Yassine Meriah scored for the visitors, who missed a penalty, while Sudan had Athar Al-Tahir red-carded.

The seven third-round winners will join hosts Senegal at a November 28-December 12 tournament from which the top three finishers secure places at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.

Ready Or Not, U.S. Heads To Women's World Cup After 0-0 Draw With South Korea

 It's a quadrennial ritual. Suddenly, as if on command, the country begins paying attention to its national women's soccer team again, after having tuned out sometime between the end of the last Women's World Cup and the Olympic final the following year.

[Women's World Cup: Biggest threat to USA's title chances?]

Ads for the upcoming World Cup begin filtering into our lives. The pack of reporters covering the team swells from a hardy few to a few hundred. Players start appearing in all manner of magazines and talk shows. We learn the new names that have broken into the team, taking up spots between the old ones we half-remember. We talk about how long it's been since the women won their second World Cup – how they're overdue for a third, how those routine gold medals at the Summer Games just won't do.

[Women's World Cup: American players who must step up]

A send-off series, so called, is put on to intersperse a succession of camps with friendlies around the country. Heaving masses of little girls in jerseys and headbands bound to the stadiums, trailed by their indulging parents. Eardrum-assaulting cabals of shrieks pierce the late-spring air as the American players' names are announced before the games. It's the same in every town, the same every four years.

[Women's World Cup: United States' unusual advantage in Canada]

The last such World Cup tune-up, before the tournament starts anew in Canada on June 6, was played here on Saturday. After the habitual rites, fans hoisted a banner, covering two tiers of Red Bull Arena's South Ward. "BRING IT HOME," it read, above and below a Women's World Cup trophy. The United States will open its World Cup in Winnipeg against Australia on June 8.

But, absent injured striker Alex Morgan and midfielder Megan Rapinoe, the USA labored through an insipid and mirthless 0-0 stalemate with South Korea. On a muggy afternoon, the Americans dominated possession but didn't get a sufficient return for their efforts. They pinned the Koreans back with their high pressure but resorted to direct play when they transitioned into attack, pelting hopeful balls up to Abby Wambach or Sydney Leroux. That ploy doesn't often yield much anymore, and it didn't this day either.

The U.S.'s dominance seemed to come stripped of urgency and efficiency. The Americans had plenty of the ball, but little of it in front of goal. In the first half, they mustered a few speculative long shots – some attempts from tricky angles – with an occasional promising attack in the final third not quite seen out to its conclusion. But none of it was terribly dangerous.

Early on in the second act, Wambach laid off a ball for Leroux in the box, but she put her finish right at goalkeeper Kim Jungmi. Ali Krieger then popped a shot just wide. South Korea's Kim Sooyun, meanwhile, almost caught Hope Solo off guard with a very long shot that threatened to sail over her, but the otherwise little-tested U.S. goalkeeper interfered in time. Thereafter, it took almost 40 minutes for the Americans to produce another real chance. At length, Heather O'Reilly beat Kim with a header in injury time but watched her effort loop just over. Solo's late save preserved the deadlock.

"I'm obviously disappointed in the score line," U.S. head coach Jill Ellis said. "But I think what I've tried to do, and what the players have, is to put this in perspective. Because of the week we've had, and mentally some of them perhaps already [being] in Canada."

Certainly, the week has been long. The Americans' schedule was draining, between the travel, practices ramping up toward the big tournament and an endless slate of media responsibilities during a multi-day blitz of New York City.

"We played a good team today in a great atmosphere," Ellis continued. "We stayed healthy, a lot of positives, got a lot of players in [the game]. So for me in terms of it serving what it needed to serve it did its purpose."

View photo
.Carli Lloyd reacts after a missed shot against South Korea. (Getty Images)
Carli Lloyd reacts after a missed shot against South Korea. (Getty Images)
The team's veterans were all quick to play down what had, frankly, been a flat performance in the attacking half. "A tie is a loss in my book," midfielder Carli Lloyd said. "But at the end of the day, you've got to move on from this game. It's just a tune-up game. And our focus is now on Australia."

They argued that the result mattered little and that progress is still being made. "We're putting pieces together," O'Reilly said. "I think this team is feeling confident, healthy, ready to go. I think it's just about fixing some things in the final third. We're right there, we're knocking on the door."

"They understand what we're trying to do," Ellis added. "They understand the opponents. Right now, it's about us being in a good place. I think they are. Mentally, they're ready. They were ready to be out of here a week ago."

The women of the U.S. national team have been called the Girls of Summer. As of Saturday, just nine days separated them from their World Cup opener.

Whether they're ready or not, summer is coming.

Rafael Benitez: Real Madrid Chief Suggests Appointment Close

A Real Madrid vice-president has given the strongest indication yet that Rafael Benitez is to be appointed head coach at the Spanish club.

Benitez, who steps down as Napoli boss after Sunday's last game of the season, is expected to replace Carlo Ancelotti.

Speaking at a Madrid fans' meeting on Saturday, Eduardo Fernandez de Bla said: "Carlo Ancelotti is a phenomenon.

"He was the best coach in the world, just as Jose Mourinho was two years ago and, from this week, Benitez will be."

Madrid sacked Ancelotti after he only won the Club World Cup this year, despite the Italian having led the club to a 10th European Cup and the Copa del Rey last term.

Chelsea boss Mourinho was sacked by Real in 2013 after winning one league title and one Spanish Cup during three seasons in charge.

Spaniard Benitez, 55, led Liverpool to the Champions League title in 2005 and won the Europa League with Chelsea in 2013 before joining Serie A club Napoli, where he won the Coppa Italia in 2014.

Victory against Lazio in Naples on Sunday would see Napoli leapfrog their opponents into third and Serie A's final Champions League qualification spot.

Benitez also won two La Liga titles and the Uefa Cup with Valencia between 2001 and 2004, and coached Madrid's reserve side from 1993 to 1995.

Benitez led Liverpool to the Champions League in 2005 - beating AC Milan on penalties in Istanbul

sourcehttp://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/32951798

Did Theo Walcott Just Solve Arsenal's Long-Standing Striker Problem?

It’s been years since fans and pundits were content with Arsenal’s striker situation.

Arsene Wenger has been a different story.

The Arsenal manager has either staunchly defended or publicly criticized his strikers over the past couple seasons, but he hasn’t made a huge splash in the transfer market to fix the problem.

In any case, Theo Walcott may have just provided a solution.

Walcott scored the first goal of Arsenal’s 4-0 outclassing of Aston Villa in the FA Cup final on Saturday, a gorgeous left-footed half-volley that was born out of determination. There was a spring in his step all afternoon, understandably so after his hat trick last weekend against West Brom in the final Premier League fixture of the season.

His last two seasons have been ransacked by injuries, and Walcott’s apparent brittleness cannot be ignored. An abdominal injury suffered in August 2013 kept him on the sideline for three months, and a few weeks later, he ruptured his left ACL and didn’t return to action until this past November. His injury history before these setbacks wasn’t exactly spotless, either.

Still only 26 years old, Walcott spent most of this season on the bench, lost in Arsenal’s crowd of smaller but pacey attacking options. He’s made the most of his starts, however, and after his showing on Saturday, perhaps Wenger should give strong consideration to similar tactics next season.

As a veritable false nine, Walcott played slightly above the potent duo of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil but was allowed to roam across the front line where he saw fit. He generated chances and was a constant threat to the Aston Villa goal.

Villa countered by trying to use its size and physicality to push around this smaller lineup. While the strategy failed, there’s no doubt other Premier League teams are better equipped to bruise the Gunners’ attack.

Still, this approach diminishes Walcott’s injury risk, and thoughts of Walcott and his teammates running circles around the leaden-footed center halves of the Premier League has to entice Arsenal fans. The squad’s inability to break down defenses at home this season proved costly against the league’s elite, as Chelsea and Manchester City both earned a point at the Emirates while Manchester United won outright with a severely depleted side in November. Another win or two, combined with Wenger’s renewed pragmatism away from home, might have made the league title race a bit more interesting.

Perhaps the best argument for Walcott’s deployment is that Wenger seems unlikely to bring in a world-class striker in the summer. Wenger did spend £16 million on Welbeck last September, but that’s a far cry from the £32 million Chelsea spent on Diego Costa, or the £48.6 million Barcelona spent on Neymar, or even the £40,000,001 Wenger bid just to activate talks with Luis Suarez before the Uruguayan star made his way to Barcelona for almost twice that amount.

Wenger offered a reminder of his transfer tenets recently. After years of loan spells and development within the club, Francis Coquelin has emerged to fill a glaring hole at defensive midfielder for the Gunners, providing courage and steel in the center of the pitch.

Coquelin wasn’t a flashy summer signing. He was just a member of the squad who found new life.

“I am sorry he didn’t cost any money,” Wenger said. “He is still a good player.”

Could this apply to Walcott next?

Source

Who Wins 2015 English FA Cup?

THE UNIQUE SPORTS  Make-Up

Kayode  Oyeshile                   - Editor

Oriyomi Oyediran                   - Deputy Editor

Abiodun Adedoyin                  - PRO/Marketing

Joshua Oguntan                     - Information Technology

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Azeez Ajayi                            - Production

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The Football Association Challenge Cup, known worldwide as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout cup competition in English football; it is the oldest association football competition in the world.^[1] The FA Cup is organised by and named after the Football Association. A concurrent women's tournament is also held, known as the FA Women's Cup.
The FA Cup was first held in 1871–72. Entry is open to all teams who compete in the Premier League, the Football League and in Steps 1 to 5 of the FA National League System, as well as selected teams in Step 6.^[2] This means that clubs of all standards compete, from the largest clubs in England and Wales down to amateur village teams. The tournament has become known for the possibility for "minnows" from the lower divisions to become "giant-killers" by eliminating top clubs from the tournament and even theoretically winning the Cup, although lower division teams rarely progress beyond the early stages. The qualification rounds and a system of byes mean that the very smallest and very biggest teams almost never meet.

Arsenal are the current holders, having beaten Hull City 3–2 after extra time in the 2014 final. Their 11th FA Cup title, this brought Arsenal level with Manchester United for the greatest number of title victories in the history of the competition.

The record for most wins of the tournament by a club is 11, held jointly by Arsenal and Manchester United.

Three clubs have won consecutive FA Cups on more than one occasion: Wanderers (1872, 1873 and 1876, 1877, 1878), Blackburn Rovers (1884, 1885, 1886 and 1890, 1891), and Tottenham Hotspur (1961, 1962 and 1981, 1982).

Seven clubs have won the FA Cup as part of a League and Cup double, namely Preston North End (1889), Aston Villa (1897), Tottenham Hotspur (1961), Arsenal (1971, 1998, 2002), Liverpool (1986), Manchester United (1994, 1996, 1999) and Chelsea (2010).

The FA Cup winners list since the English competition was formed in 1872.

2012 Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool
2011 Manchester City 1-0 Stoke City
2010 Chelsea 1-0 Portsmouth
2009 Chelsea 2-1 Everton
2008 Portsmouth 1-0 Cardiff City
2007 Chelsea 1-0 Manchester United
2006 Liverpool 3-3 West Ham United
2005 Arsenal 0-0 Manchester United
2004 Manchester United 3-0 Millwall
2003 Arsenal 1-0 Southampton
2002 Arsenal 2-0 Chelsea
2001 Liverpool 2-1 Arsenal
2000 Chelsea 1-0 Aston Villa
1999 Manchester United 2-0 Newcastle United
1998 Arsenal 2-0 Newcastle United
1997 Chelsea 2-0 Middlesbrough
1996 Manchester United 1-0 Liverpool
1995 Everton 1-0 Manchester United
1994 Chelsea 4-0 Manchester United
1993 Arsenal 2-1 Sheffield Wednesday
1992 Liverpool 2-0 Sunderland
1991 Tottenham 2-1 Nottingham Forest
1990 Manchester United 1-0 Crystal Palace
1989 Liverpool 3-2 Everton
1988 Wimbledon 1-0 Liverpool
1987 Coventry City 3-2 Tottenham Hotspur
1986 Liverpool 3-1 Everton
1985 Manchester United 1-0 Everton
1984 Everton 2-0 Watford
1983 Manchester United 4-0 Brighton & Hove Albion
1982 Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Queens Park Rangers
1981 Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 Manchester City
1980 West Ham United 1-0 Arsenal
1979 Arsenal 3-2 Manchester United
1978 Ipswich Town 1-0 Arsenal
1977 Manchester United 2-1 Liverpool
1976 Southampton 1-0 Manchester United
1975 West Ham United 2-0 Fulham
1974 Liverpool 3-0 Newcastle United
1973 Sunderland 1-0 Leeds United
1972 Leeds United 1-0 Arsenal
1971 Arsenal 2-1 Liverpool
1970 Chelsea 2-1 Leeds United
1969 Manchester City 1-0 Leicester City
1968 West Bromwich Albion 1-0 Everton
1967 Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Chelsea
1966 Everton 3-2 Sheffield Wednesday
1965 Liverpool 2-1 Leeds United
1964 West Ham United 3-2 Preston North End
1963 Manchester United 3-1 Leicester City
1962 Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Burnley
1961 Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Leicester City
1960 Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-0 Blackburn Rovers
1959 Nottingham Forest 2-1 Luton Town
1958 Bolton Wanderers 2-0 Manchester United
1957 Aston Villa 2-1 Manchester United
1956 Manchester City 3-1 Birmingham City
1955 Newcastle United 3-1 Manchester City
1954 West Bromwich Albion 3-2 Preston North End
1953 Blackpool 4-3 Bolton Wanderers
1952 Newcastle United 1-0 Arsenal
1951 Newcastle United 2-0 Blackpool
1950 Arsenal 2-0 Liverpool
1949 Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-1 Leicester City
1948 Manchester United 4-2 Blackpool
1947 Charlton Athletic 1-0 Burnley
1946 Derby County 4-1 Charlton Athetic
1939 Portsmouth 4-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
1938 Preston North End 1-0 Huddersfield Town
1937 Sunderland 3-1 Preston North End
1936 Arsenal 1-0 Sheffield United
1935 Sheffield Wednesday 4-2 West Bromwich Albion
1934 Manchester City 2-1 Portsmouth
1933 Everton 3-0 Manchester City
1932 Newcastle United 2-1 Arsenal
1931 West Bromwich Albion 2-1 Birmingham
1930 Arsenal 2-0 Huddersfield
1929 Bolton Wanderers 2-0 Portsmouth
1928 Blackburn Rovers 3-1 Huddersfield Town
1927 Cardiff City 1-0 Arsenal
1926 Bolton Wanderers 1-0 Manchester City
1925 Sheffield United 1-0 Cardiff City
1924 Newcastle United 2-0 Aston Villa
1923 Bolton Wanderers 2-0 West Ham United
1922 Huddersfield Town 1-0 Preston North End
1921 Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers
1920 Aston Villa 1-0 Huddersfield Town
1915 Sheffield United 3-0 Chelsea
1914 Burnley 1-0 Liverpool
1913 Aston Villa 1-0 Sunderland
1912 Barnsley 1-0 West Bromwich Albion
1910 Newcastle United 2-0 Barnsley
1909 Manchester United 1-0 Bristol City
1908 Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-1 Newcastle United
1907 The Wednesday 2-1 Everton
1906 Everton 1-0 Newcastle United
1905 Aston Villa 2-0 Newcastle United
1904 Manchester City 1-0 Bolton Wanderers
1903 Bury 6-0 Derby County
1902 Sheffield United 2-1 Southampton
1901 Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Sheffield United
1900 Bury 4-0 Southampton
1899 Sheffield United 4-1 Derby County
1898 Nottingham Forest 3-1 Derby County
1897 Aston Villa 3-2 Everton
1896 The Wednesday 2-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
1895 Aston Villa 1-0 West Bromwich Albion
1894 Notts County 4-1 Bolton Wanderers
1893 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 Everton
1892 West Bromwich Albion 3-0 Aston Villa
1891 Blackburn Rovers 3-1 Notts County
1890 Blackburn Rovers 6-1 The Wednesday
1889 Preston North End 3-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
1888 West Bromwich Albion 2-1 Preston North End
1887 Aston Villa 2-0 West Bromwich Albion
1886 Blackburn Rovers 2-0 West Bromwich Albion
1885 Blackburn Rovers 2-0 Queen’s Park
1884 Blackburn Rovers 2-1 Queen’s Park
1883 Blackburn Olympic 2-1 Old Etonians
1882 Old Etonians 1-0 Blackburn Rovers
1881 Old Carthusians 3–0 Old Etonians
1880 Clapham Rovers 1–0 Oxford University
1879 Old Etonians 1–0 Clapham Rovers
1878 Wanderers 3–1 Royal Engineers
1877 Wanderers 2–1 Oxford University
1876 Wanderers 3–0 Old Etonians
1875 Royal Engineers 2–0 Old Etonians
1874 Oxford University 2–0 Royal Engineers
1873 Wanderers 2–0 Oxford University
1872 Wanderers 1–0 Royal Engineers

Cups Won

11 Manchester United
10 Arsenal
8 Tottenham Hotspur
7 Liverpool
Chelsea
Aston Villa
6 Newcastle United
Blackburn Rovers
5 Everton
West Bromwich Albion
Manchester City
Wanderers

       4

 Wolverhamptpn Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers
Sheffield United
         3

Sheffield Wednesday
West Ham United
      2

Preston North End
Old Etonians
Portsmouth
Sunderland
Nottingham Forest
Bury

      1
Huddersfield Town
Southampton
1 Leeds United
1 Derby County
1 Royal Engineers
1 Oxford University
1 Blackpool
1 Cardiff City
1 Burnley
1 Charlton Athletic
1 Barnsley
1 Notts County
1 Clapham Rovers
1 Wimbledon
1 Coventry City
1 Ipswich Town
1 Bradford City
1 Blackburn Olympic
1 Old Carthusians

Ashley Cole has won a record seven FA Cup Finals

In 1993, Arsenal became the first side to win both the FA Cup and the League Cup in the same season when they beat Sheffield Wednesday 2–1 in both finals. Liverpool (in 2001) and Chelsea (in 2007) have since repeated this feat. In 2012, Chelsea accomplished a different cup double consisting of the FA Cup and the 2012 Champions League. In 1998–99, Manchester United added the 1999 Champions League title to their league and cup double to complete a unique Treble. Two years later, in 2000–01, Liverpool won the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup to complete a cup treble.

Portsmouth have the curious accolade of holding the FA Cup for the longest unbroken period of time; having won the Cup in 1939, the next final was not contested until 1946, due to the outbreak of the Second World War.

The FA Cup has only been won by a non-English team once. Cardiff City achieved this in 1927 when they beat Arsenal in the final at Wembley. They had previously made it to the final only to lose to Sheffield United in 1925 and lost another final to Portsmouth in 2008. Cardiff City is also the only team to win the national cups of two different countries in the same season, having also won the Welsh Cup in 1927. The Scottish team Queen's Park reached and lost the final in both 1884 and 1885.

Ashley Cole holds the record for most FA Cup winner's medals, with seven: three for Arsenal (2002, 2003 and 2005) and four for Chelsea (2007, 2009, 2010 and 2012).^[35]

Winners from outside the top division[edit]

Since the foundation of the Football League, Tottenham Hotspur in 1901 have been the only non-league winners of the FA Cup. They were then playing in the Southern League and were elected to the Football League only in 1908. At that time the Football League consisted of two 18-team divisions.

In the history of the FA Cup, only eight teams who were playing outside the top level of English football have gone on to win the competition, the most recent being West Ham United, who beat Arsenal in 1980. With the exception of Tottenham in 1901, these clubs were all playing in the old Second Division. No other Third Division or lower side has won the trophy or even reached the final since the Football League was founded.

One of the most notable upsets in the final occurred when Sunderland beat Leeds United 1–0 in 1973. That season, Leeds finished third in the First Division, while Sunderland were in the Second Division.^[36] Three years later, Second Division Southampton also won the Cup, when they beat First Division Manchester United by the same 1–0 scoreline. The other Second Division winners of the FA Cup are Notts County in 1894; Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1908; Barnsley in 1912; and West Bromwich Albion in 1931. West Bromwich Albion are the only team to have won the FA Cup and promotion from the Second Division in the same season.

The FA Cup final has never been contested by two teams from outside the top division. Uniquely, in 2007–08 three of the four semi-finalists (Barnsley, Cardiff City and West Bromwich Albion), were from outside the top division, although the single Premier League team remaining, Portsmouth, went on to win the competition that year.^[37]

Ashley Cole has won a record seven

FA Cup Finals

Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger ‘Very Proud’ After Making History With Sixth FA Cup Win

Arsene Wenger was “very proud” to have his name written in English football history books after guiding Arsenal to another FA Cup title in emphatic style.

The Gunners ran riot against a dreadful Aston Villa side, as goals from Theo Walcott, Alexis Sanchez, Per Mertesacker and Olivier Giroud sealed an utterly dominant 4-0 victory.

It was a record breaking day for the north Londoners, who claimed the 12th FA Cup win in their history, as well as their manager, who claimed his sixth as Gunners boss – moving level with legendary Villa manager George Ramsey.

“I’m very proud to make history in English football,” said the Frenchman.
“Where I come from you can never dream of that as a kid. I’m very proud and happy because it’s a competition I love and today it’s another example of how great the game is here.

“This game was created in England and you could see that today; before, during and after the game.”

'Football Has Lost' - Figo Hits Out At Blatter Re-Election

Luis Figo says "football has lost" after Sepp Blatter was re-elected as Fifa president on Friday and again called for him to quit his post.

The 79-year-old beat off competition from Jordan's Prince Ali to hold on to his position, which will see him serve a fifth term as the head of the game's governing body.

Blatter polled 133 votes to his rival's 73, which would have been enough to take the contest into a second round of voting, but Ali opted to withdraw.

His victory comes as Fifa is embroiled in a major investigation that began earlier this week, which saw US authorities make seven arrests and charge 14 senior executives on suspicion of bribery and corruption.

Figo - who originally intended to run for presidency before withdrawing in a bid not to split the vote and aid Blatter's campaign - said he was devastated by the result.

"Today was another dark day in Zurich," said the Portugal legend. "Fifa has lost, but above everything, football has lost and everyone who truly cares about it has lost too.

"Mr. Blatter had a very cynical reaction when he said that he couldn't control everyone. It offends everyone's intelligence. These persons, whom Mr. Blatter has promoted through years, turned, with him, Fifa in to a decadent organisation.

"If Mr. Blatter were minimally concerned about football, he would have given up of the re-election. If he has a minimal of decency, he will resign in the next few days."