Main Report

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On this week’s main listening report we  catch up with the Bundesliga with Hans von Dietze our German correspondent. You can listen to the report by clicking on the link below, while vocabulary support appears at the foot of the report.

The Bundesliga – teams and players

After several weeks of Christmas, followed by training camps in warmer climates, the Bundesliga players have returned to the pitch and games have resumed for the second half of the season. So what do we have in store?

Firstly, it is crowded at the top of the table. Three teams are separated only by goal difference, with another just a point back, making this the closest title race in years. Of course Champions Dortmund are there, as are Bayern and Schalke, but surprisingly Borussia Moenchengladbach are also mixing it with them, having already claimed the double over Bayern. You might remember that Gladbach had to survive a tense relegation play off last season to survive the drop to the second Bundesliga. continue

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On this week’s main listening report we take a look at the FA Cup: the format, its history and the giant killing. There is a worksheet with this report and you can listen to the report by clicking on the link below, while vocabulary support appears at the foot of the report.

The FA Cup

The oldest football competition in the world is the English FA Cup, the Football Association Cup, which first started in 1872. The format of the tournament is very simple – it is a knock-out competition which means that the winner of each tie, or game, passes through to the next round while the loser is knocked-out and does not play again until the following season: it is a winner-takes-all format. To add to the excitement there is no form of seeding, which means that games are decided by an open draw and that one team can be drawn to play against any other side in the tournament. continue

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On this week’s main listening report we preview the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations Tournament being co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea that continues until 12 February. You can listen to the report by clicking on the link below, while vocabulary support appears at the foot of the report.

Group A

Co-hosts Equatorial Guinea are the lowest-ranked side in the tournament FIFA have placed them at 151 and though the debutants have lots of naturalised players they are seen as having little or no chance of making it through to the quarter-finals. Senegal, on the other hand, are favoured to make it through and are also seen as dark horses for the tournament. The Teranga Lions boast Newcastle striker Demba Ba in their ranks but such is the strength in depth of the squad that he may not even get a starting role in the side. It is simply remarkable that Libya have even made it to the finals after the Civil War that raged through the country last year. The fact that most of the players are semi-professional suggest that the Mediterranean Knights may not pose too much of a challenge for the other sides in the group. Zambia will be favoured to make it through and they will be hoping to equal or even better their 1974 and 1994 performances when they finished runners-up in the tournament. Predictions: Zambia and Senegal.
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On this week’s languagecaster main listening report we discuss the Football League Cup in England – it’s format, history, some statistics, and cracking matches.

Name and Format

Now, this knockout cup competition is known as the Carling Cup, but it has been called many things, such as the Milk Cup, the Littlewoods Cup, and the Worthington Cup depending on the sponsor. Next year, there is no sponsor, so the competition will return to its original name, the Football League Cup. It is also called the ‘fizzy-pop’ Cup a reference to when it was sponsored by Coca Cola and also to the fact that it is the least important of the three main domestic competitions in England – the other two being the League and the much more popular FA Cup. continue

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On this week’s main listening report we look back at some of the big stories from the football world in 2011. Part one will feature January to June while part two will focus on July to December. This report has a transcript below, as well as explanations of key vocabulary (in bold) can be found at the foot of the post, while other key phrases (in blue) also have meanings explained.

July-August

Two major international tournaments took place in July: the Women’s World Cup from Germany and the Copa America from Argentina. The big surprise package in the women’s World Cup was the Japanese team, nicknamed Nadeshiko, who managed to defeat the pre-tournament favourites the USA – though they did need penalties to do so. This was the first title for the Japanese who stunned Germany and Sweden in the knockout stages to claim their berth in the final before dedicating their title to those who lost their lives in the March earthquake.

July also saw Uruguay winning their record-breaking 15th Copa America title after thrashing Paraguay 3-0 in the final at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires. La Celeste, or the Sky Blues, had the player of the tournament in Luis Suarez, they did not lose a match and they also knocked-out hosts and favourites Argentina proving that their third place in the 2010 World Cup was no fluke at all. continue

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On this week’s main listening report we look back at some of the big stories from the football world in 2011. Part one will feature January to June while part two will focus on July to December. This report has a transcript below, as well as explanations of key vocabulary (in bold) can be found at the foot of the post, while other key phrases (in blue) also have meanings explained.

January-February

January was a fairly quiet month for football in Europe with most European leagues on a winter break and England suffering from heavy snow that caused havoc with the fixtures. However, the sun was shining in Qatar where the15th Asia Cup was taking place with Japan winning their 4th continental title by defeating Australia 1-0 in extra time. The Japanese side, under Italian coach Zaccheroni, showed impressive spirit throughout and were worthy winners though a special mention should also be made for outsiders Jordan who qualified for the knock-out stages by drawing with Japan and beating Saudi Arabia.

Two big stories dominated English football at the start of the year: first, two TV pundits in the UK were fired for making sexist comments about a female referee’s assistant, while the battle for the Olympic Stadium raged onwith West Ham finally winning the decision over Tottenham to move into the stadium in East London. Tottenham were faring better in the Champions League where they eliminated seven-time winners AC Milan in a tempestuous match that saw Milan captain Gattuso attack Spurs coach Joe Jordan.

February saw the retirement of one of the greatest strikers of this generation, O Fenômeno, Ronaldo. He finished his career in Brazil with Corinthians but it was his time in Europe that really made his name. He first came to prominence in Holland with PSV Eindhoven but moved to another level with Barcelona in Spain before really taking off in Italy with Inter Milan. Unfortunately his career was blighted by injuries but he sealed an amazing comeback with the national side in the 2002 World Cup when he scored the winning goals in the final to give him an amazing record-breaking 15 goalhaul in overall World Cups.
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As Christmas approaches, on this week’s main listening report, we take a look at football at Christmas through the years: folk football and rioting, a football game in the middle of war, and Boxing Day. This report has a transcript below, as well as explanations of key vocabulary (in bold) can be found at the foot of the post, while other key phrases (in blue) also have meanings explained.

This weekend will see Christmas celebrated around the world. It is of course a christian tradition, but many non-christians enjoy the holiday. There are many traditions associated with the celebration – Christmas trees, lights, the giving of presents, and so on, but what about association football? Well, football also has its Christmas traditions and stories.

Folk Football and Rioting

Before it became the game we recognize today, football was a very different and more violent pastime known as folk football, played by large groups continue

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In this week’s main listening report, we feature four of the best ever foreign imports to have played in the Premier League. Who do you think has been the best overseas player in the Premier League? This report has a transcript below, as well as explanations of key vocabulary (in bold) can be found at the foot of the post, while other key phrases (in blue) also have meanings explained.

Eric Cantona

When Leeds United sold Eric Cantona to rivals Manchester United in 1992 few could have predicted the impact that the mercurial Frenchman would have on Manchester United over the next five years. He helped United to their first title since 1967 and then won another three with the Red Devils, along with 2 FA Cups, while he was also Player of the Year on two occasions. Cantona was never far from controversy but his manager, team mates and fans were all sure that he was worth it. Cantona played 185 games for United scoring 85 goals including the winner of the 1997 FA Cup final. continue

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It’s FIFA’s showcase for club football this week – The Club World Cup. On this report, we take a look at the team in the competition and who will face who and which teams should get though each round.  There is a report with a transcript below, as well as explanations of key vocabulary (in bold) can be found at the foot of the post, while other key phrases (in blue) also have meanings explained.

Report

It is time for the Club World Cup, the competition that pits together the champions from the six football confederations – that’s from Europe, South America, Central and North America, Asia, Africa and Oceania – And it’s back in Japan after a two year break when the tournament took place in the United Arab Emirates.

The Club world Cup has had many guises and several host countries in its history. Before 2000 it was known as the Intercontinental Cup and played between the Copa Libertadores Cup and European Cup winners over two legs home and away. In 2000 it became the FIFA Club World Championship and was held in Brazil. 2004, and it was back to the Intercontinental Cup but played in Japan. 2005 saw a new name, the Club World Championship, before 2006 saw it settle on the name and format we have now – the Club World Cup. continue

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In this week’s main listening report, we feature the final game of the 2011 Brazilian season. Nothing has been decided with the title, Libertadores places and relegation all going down to the wire. This report has a transcript below, as well as explanations of key vocabulary (in bold) can be found at the foot of the post, while other key phrases (in blue) also have meanings explained.

Background

This weekend sees the final round of the 2011 Brazilian championship taking place and the Brazilian federation have decided that the best way to avoid any suspicion of teams ‘throwing games‘ is to schedule a host of derby matches. Rivalry among teams from the same city or area in Brazil is huge so in Rio de Janeiro Flamengo take on Vasco and Botafogo play last year’s champions Fluminense. In São Paulo, Corinthians host Palmeiras and Santos are at home to São Paulo, while Internacional take on Grêmio in the Porto Alegre derby and América (MG) face Belo Horizonte rivals Atletico MG. Nothing has been decided yet with the title, final Libertadores places and relegation spots; they’re all going down to the wire. continue