Great Start for Chile in U20 World Cup

On the same day as the adult team was crushed 3-0 by Brazil at Copa America, Chile's U20 players raised the spirits of the fans as it demolished Canada in the Toronto National Stadium.

It was the first match of Group A and the South Americans showed no respect for the host nation as it controlled the run of play from the first minute to the last. Chile attacked constantly pinning Canada in its own half. Canada's players could only resist with hard tackling and many fouls that were strangely overlooked by the referee.

Mathias Vidangossy became the playmaker for Chile and his dangerous dribbling caused havoc in the Canadian area. Chile's ground level passing and constant pressure paid off as Nicholas Medina capitalized on a mistake by a Canadian defender and scored the first goal in the 25th minute.

The match continued as usual for most of the first half and it was only thanks to the many saves of the Canadian goalkeeper that Chile did not increase its lead.

In the second half, the Canadian coach made several replacements and did improve its play, at least finally managing to get near the Chilean area.

Canada's resistance ended in the 53rd minute as captain Carlos Carmona headed in Chile's second goal. The final result was sealed in the 81st minute with another header by Jaime Grondona, who had replaced Nicholas Medina only two minutes before.

After the match, midfielder Arturo Vidal, recently hired by Bayer Leverkusen of the German Bundesliga, declared, "If we keep playing like this no one can beat us." Most Chilean fans hope the U20 players can continue showing this form and keep their promise of winning the 2007 FIFA U20 World Cup.

The other South American teams did not do so well, since Brazil lost on June 30 to Poland by 1-0, Argentina drew with the Czech Republic by 0-0 and Uruguay drew with Spain 2-2.

Chile's next match is on Thursday against Congo Republic, current African U20 champions

FARC and Government blames each other for massacre

On June 30 , the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC in the spanish acronym) informed the relatives of eleven politicians killed recently in the southwestern province of Narino, on the border with Ecuador, that they will hand over the corpses only if the Colombian Army ceases all military activity in that area. It seems that the eleven men were shot on June 28, and it is still not clear how it happened. FARC claims that the hostages were killed during crossfire between its members and a Colombian Army rescue team while the President of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe, has accused FARC of having killed the hostages.
"The hostages were murdered in cold blood, no rebels or soldiers were killed, and this proves that there was no crossfire," said Uribe during a television interview. Uribe added that he had never ordered the Army to carry out a rescue operation since there was no information about the exact location of the hostages retained by FARC. Uribe has requested an international commission to establish the real causes of the massacre and to recover the bodies of the dead politicians that were kidnapped by FARC in 2002.
On June 30 FARC informed the relatives of the dead hostages that they will hand over the corpses only if the army ceases all military activity in the area.
According to the Colombian press, there are four possible reasons why the hostages were killed:
1) Constant flyovers by Army helicopters and movements by navy ships could have made the members of FARC think a rescue operation was underway, forcing them to kill the hostages.
2) A shootout may have occurred between members of FARC and the ELN, another left wing group that plans to take control of that jungle area.
3) A group of armed drug traffickers known as the "Rastrojos" may have wandered near to the place where the hostages were detained causing a gun battle with the FARC rebels.
4) A right wing paramilitary group that is also operating in the area may have clashed with the FARC.
This incident occurs just as the Colombian government and FARC are negotiating an exchange of 57 politicians and military personnel for 500 FARC prisoners. Among the group captured by FARC is Ingrid Betancourt, a member of the Colombian parliament that has been hostage for the past five years. Since Betancourt has dual French and Colombian nationality, the President of France, Nicholas Sarkozy has been acting as a mediator between President Uribe and FARC in order to secure the release of Betancourt and the other hostages. Recently Sarkozy convinced Uribe to free Rodrigo Granda, one of the main leaders of FARC, which was sent to Cuba. Also President Uribe has been in contact with President George Bush because there are three U.S. citizens among the group of 57 hostages that have been declared "negotiable" by FARC.

Brazil Stunned By Mexico in Copa America

Clash of favorites ends 2-0 for Aztecs

The second match of Group B faced Brazil (current champions of Copa America) against Mexico, that is not the pushover team that it was 20 years ago. Both countries have played each other 5 times in this tournament with four victories for the "yellow-greens" and one for Mexico in 2004. The first twenty minutes of the match were played at such a fast pace that even if play went from one end of the pitch to the other, there were no clear scoring chances for either of the teams. The deadlock was broken in the 21st minute with an amazing goal, similar to that scored by Pele for Brazil against Sweden in the final of the 1958 World Cup. Nery Castillo received a pass in the Brazil area and touched the ball over the head of a Brazil defender and then dribbled another before scoring for Mexico. But that would not be all as in the 29th minute Ramon Morales scored the second for Mexico with a precise left footed free kick from the right wing. Brazil was certainly surprised by what had happened and could not react during the remainder of the first half. However this situation would be corrected by coach Dunga , (that as a player was part of the Brazilian squad that won the 1994 World Cup in USA) as he made several replacements that left Brazil in total control of play under the command of Real Madrid star Robinho. But Brazil's many goal-scoring chances were all blocked by goalkeeper Ochoa that became one of the heroes for Mexico during this match. The Mexicans could only reply with the occasional but dangerous counterattack, that could have increased their lead at least twice more. If Castillo´s goal in the first half will be remembered as a masterpiece, his missed opportunity in the 93rd minute can only be classified as one of the biggest blunders in football history. Castillo received the ball near the halfway line and ran off toward the Brazilian goal , leaving a defender behind. Castillo was also able to evade goalkeeper Doni that tried to block him but with an open goal, the Mexican striker kicked the ball over the crossbar! Now Brazil must defeat Chile on Sunday to keep its chances of qualifying for the next round, while Mexico will also have a tough time against Ecuador, that desperately needs the three points after having lost 3-2 to Chile.

Starting lineups :

Brazil (0) : Doni, (gk) Gilberto, Elton, Maicon, Alex, Juan, Mineiro, Elano, G.Silva, Diego, Wagner Love, Robinho.
Coach: Dunga

Mexico (2) : G.Ochoa (gk), I.Castro, J. Magallon, R. Morales , R.Marquez, N.Castillo,J.Correa,F.Arce, J.C.Cacho R.Morales, F.Pinto.

Coach : Hugo Sanchez

June 28, Cachamay Stadium

Chile Fights Back to Defeat Ecuador

Amazing 3-2 win in Copa America

Chile played its first match of the 2007 "Copa America" on June 28 at the Cachamay Stadium in Puerto Ordaz. There had been a lot of uncertainty as to how the Chilean team would perform in its debut since due to the frequent tropical rainstorms it had been unable to train for the two previous days. This may have been the reason why Ecuador controlled the first half and opened up the score board in the 16th minute with a fast counterattack that was finished off by Antonio Valencia. However Chile struck back only 4 minutes later after a set of passes between captain Jorge Valdivia (Palmeiras,Brazil) and Humberto Suazo ended up with the latter player sending a high long range shot into Ecuador’s net. Chile was still showing a lot of distractions in its defense that was capitalized by Ecuador in the 22nd minute as Benitez headed in a loose ball in the area that Chilean goalkeeper Claudio Bravo was unable able to catch. Ten minutes before the end of the first half Ecuador could have increased its lead as a striker's shot rebounded against the left post.
At the start of the second half Chile´s Coach Nelson Acosta (whose job is on the line at this tournament) made some correct replacements and brought on midfielder Miguel Riffo and striker Juan Lorca for Matias Fernandez and Reinaldo Navia respectively. Also the goalkeeper Claudio Bravo improved his play and prevented Ecuador from scoring twice near the 60th minute. Acosta would make yet another crucial move in the 65th minute as he brought on attacking midfielder Carlos Villanueva and from then on Chile became another team and took control of play with its short ground level passing. In the 79th minute a good combination of passes ended with Suazo equalizing again with a close range shot in the Ecuador area. But the best was yet to come as in the 85th minute Valdivia was brought down just outside the Ecuador area and it was Carlos Villanueva that became the hero of the night as he scored the winning goal with a precise left footed free kick. As the match ended the crowd of 40,000 fans applauded Chile for its fighting spirit and hopefully the team will continue playing at this level since next Sunday its rival will be none other than Brazil.

Starting Lineups :

Chile (3) : Claudio Bravo (gk), Alvaro Ormeño, Pablo Contreras, Jorge Vargas, Mark González - Arturo Sanhueza, Rodrigo Meléndez (Carlos Villanueva, 73), Jorge Valdivia, Matías Fernández , Reinaldo Navia Humberto Suazo. Coach: Nelson Acosta.
Ecuador (2) : Cristian Mora (gk), Ulises de la Cruz, Iván Hurtado, Giovanni Espinoza, Oscar Bagui , Segundo Castillo, Edwin Tenorio, Antonio Valencia, Edison Méndez - Cristian Benítez , Carlos Tenorio. Coach : Luis Fernando Suarez.

Copa America 2007 Kicks Off in Venezuela

Many goals scored during match day 1



On Jun 26, the 42nd version of the world's oldest football tournament got off to an exciting start at 6:00 p.m. local time at the "Metropolitano" Stadium in the city of Merida. The first match of Group C ended in an unexpected 3-0 victory for Peru over Uruguay, since this last country has won the tournament on fourteen occasions.
Peru showed off its impressive forward line that includes Claudio Pizarro (recently transferred to Chelsea of the English Premier League), and Paolo Guerrero that plays for Hamburg in the German Bundesliga. Pizarro was in great form and tore the Uruguay defense apart with his dangerous runs into the area, a performance that he nearly topped off with a goal in the first half. It was a defender, Miguel Villalta, that scored the first goal of the Copa America with a close range header in the 26th minute. Uruguay tried to reply but its main striker, Diego Forlan (Villarreal, Spain) was completely ineffective. Peru was clearly in control of the match with the precise ground level passes made between its players. In the second
half, Peru proved that it was completely superior to Uruguay as it secured a valuable three point victory thanks to goals by Juan Carlos Marino and Paolo Guerrero in the 69th and 88th minute respectively.
However, the official opening ceremony was held at 8:00 p.m. local time in the city of San Cristobal before the match between the home team and Bolivia. As expected, President Hugo Chavez stole the show as he appeared on the middle of the pitch together with the president of Bolivia, Evo Morales and former Argentine football star, Diego Maradona. The three passed a ball among themselves and to the delight of more that 50,000 spectators it was Evo Morales that gave the "first kick" of the ball with a spectacular high shot into the air. The first match of Group A ended in a 2-2 draw between Venezuela and Bolivia.
On Jun. 24 the Venezuelan Football Federation (FVF in the Spanish acronym) declared that it would propose to the President of FIFA, Joseph Blatter, its willingness to organize the next editions of the U-17 and U-20 World Cups. There are good chances of this happening since the Chavez administration has spent nearly US$ 700 million to build nine new stadiums, that are now the most modern in South America. With these stadiums Venezuela also becomes a good candidate to host the 2014 World Cup as may be an ambition for Chavez that has described them as "having nothing to envy those stadiums seen in the Olympic Games, World Cup or other events."
The Copa America continues today with a two match fixture in Puerto Ordaz that features Chile against Ecuador followed by Brazil versus Mexico.

Violent shootout between Rio de Janeiro Drug Gangs and Police

The "Cariocas" (citizens of Rio de Janeiro) are becoming increasingly accustomed to constant episodes of intense violence, caused mainly by drug gangs that battle each other and against the local police for control of the "favelas" or shantytowns that spread all over the hills that surround the city. This is exactly what happened on April 17 at the Favela Mineira, located within short distance of the central business district, known by locals as "Centro". Ar 5:00 a.m. a large group of men belonging to the Comando Vermelho (Red Commando or CV in the Portuguese acronym) , Rio´s most powerful drug gang, attempted to take control of the Mineira. The men were armed with powerful automatic assault weapons, mostly AR-15 and UZIs, but were met with fierce resistance by members of the "Amigos dos Amigos" gang, (Friends of our Friends or ADA in the acronym)that control drug trafficking operations at the Mineira. Alerted by the loud noise caused by the shootout, the Rio de Janeiro police also deployed to the Mineira hill in an attempt to restore order.The members of the CV were rejected by the ADA and as they tried to retreat were also intercepted by the police officers that were reaching the area. According to the police, at this stage the officers killed four gansgters, while later on thirteen other corpses were found higher up the Mineira hill.
An ironic situation occured at 10:00 a.m. as some members of the CV attempted to flee through the nearby Catumbi cemetery. Many of the funerals that were taking place at this stage had to be cancelled abruptly as innoent people were caught in the crossfire between police officers and fleeing gangsters.
One of the gangsters jumped through a window into a chapel full of mourning relatives and hid under the coffin."For the love of God, please don´t tell the police where I am," said the panic stricken member of the CV. A local newspaper printed a photograph in its afternoon edition that showed a police officer shooting next to a coffin of a dead person.Due to its location, the shootout at the Favela Mineira cut the city in two, paralizing traffic from the poorer "North Zone" to the
more posh southern suburbs such as Copacabana and Ipanema. Several citizens that were caught in the crossfire were wounded by stray bullets that were fired from all directions.Such was the case of Jorge Henrique dos Santos, that at 8:00 a.m was travelling to work in a public bus when he was shot in the head. Luckily for Jorge it was only a superficial wound. Diego Felipe Lima, aged 22 was shot in the chest and abdomen, while Reginla da Silva was shot in the stomach.According to TV news reports, they were both recovering after emergency surgery at a nearby hospital. Ina separate incident that occurred at the "Centro" at lunchtime, two men were shot dead during a robbery.Carlos Alberto Mendes, a 55 year old accountant had just withdrawn a large sum of money from a bank when he was attacked by two robbers. mendes was shot in the back and died instantly but a passerby began to grapple with the robbers, took the gun from one of them and killed the robber with a shot in the back of the head. Other pedestrians nearly beat the other robber to death but were controlled by police officers.This fateful day occurs just as Sergio Cabral, the Governor of Rio de Janeiro had pleaded to President Lula da Silva to allow the Brazilian army to move in and pacify the city. Cabral is a first hand witness to the situation of insecurity since last week one of his bodyguards was shot dead after being identified by drug traffickers at at discoteque. The situation is close to becoming one of civil war since the gangsters do not hesitate when they have a chance to kill a police officer, such as in the case of Cabral´s bodyguard.
According to the local press, the Comando Vermelho is losing ground against the Amigos dos Amigos gang, that has expelled the CV from several profitable favelas. Also a newer organization called the "Terceiro Comando"(Third Commando)is becoming more powerful and has also taken control of several favelas in Rio de Janeiro.

Logging companies threaten Chile´s rainforest

In a recent report published by the World Wildlife Fund, the organization pinpoints the 19 most endangered areas in the planet and thatmust be protected within the next 50 years. In the list are such important zones such as the Amazon jungle that covers territory in Brazil,Colombia,Ecuador,Peru, Venezuela, and which contain huge reserves of what may be the most important commodity for future generations of human beings : water.
Another area on the WWF list that is in danger of dissapearing is the temperate rain forest in Valdivia, Chile. This forest(mostly found in southern Chile but also on Argentinean territory) has at present a total of 85 million acres and is protected to the east by the snowcapped Andes Mountains. The Valdivia forest contains the Chilean national tree, known as Araucaria (monkey puzzle tree) many of which are approximately 3,000 years old. The environmental crisis has also endangered the existence of species as rare as the Pudu, the world´s smallest variety of deer, with a legth of only 40 centimeters and a weight of 10 kilograms.The Pudu is extremely shy and only dares to wander around at night to search for its food, mostly grass and other herbs. As Chile becomes one of the world´s leading exporters of paper pulp and wood chips, the Valdivia forest has been targeted by the powerful logging companies that have already covered large stretches of land in central Chile with non-native pine and eucalyptus plantations. The Valdivia forest has been for thousands of years the traditional territory of the Pehuenche ethnic group, a subdivision of the Mapuche Nation, the largest native group in southern Chile and Argentina. The Pehuenche´s main source of subsistence is the collection of nuts from the Araucaria tree, which they use as their main food supply. In recent years a conflict has begun between the Mapuche Nation and the logging companies backed by the Chilean government and politicians, many of whom are shareholders in the companies or receive cash donations for their election campaigns from the conglomerates. The logging companies plan to expand their operations into the Valdivia area, threatening the livelihood of the Pehuenches and also the existence of the Araucarias. It must be noted that in Chile a pine tree takes 20 years to mature, compared to an average of 40 years in Europe.Also the pine trees and eucalyptus consume a large amount of water from the underground reserves, and in recent years have caused droughts that had until now been unknown in the areas where these non-native trees have been planted. The Mapuche Nation has reacted by forming an underground resistance movement known as the "Council of All the Lands" that carries out acts of sabotage against the logging companies such as ambushes against their employees and burning trucks that carry timber out of the area. Also several Mapuches that work for the logging companies or collaborate with the Chilean police have been murdered by militants of the "Council of All the Lands". The Chilean police and Mapuche militants have had violent clashes on many occasions and there is a constant state of tension in the area,as the Mapuches have also attacked and burnt down homes belonging to farmers of non-Mapuche descent. In March 2007, the Chilean police arrested the leader of the military wing of the "Council of All the Lands",Jose Huenchunao, that had been acting undercover for the past five years. In an ironic twist of fate, the Bachelet goverment used the "Anti-Terrorist Law" (created by General Augusto Pinochet) to press charges against Huenchunao, that is today in jail in a city in the south of Chile.