News

Novel goal celebrations in FIFA 13, Newcastle sign controversial sponsorship deal and possibly the worst corner you will see all season.

By Declan Whooley

FIFA 13 – new improved goal celebrations

We have to hand it to the guys at FIFA, they seem to be making quality improvements every year. And thanks to Off the Post, it seems that the goal celebrations are taking on some of the more elaborate styles of some of our professional players.

This particular one shows that taunting is as much a part of FIFA as it is in the world of soccer itself. We can just picture Mario Balotelli enjoying this routine if he scored a goal in his typically understated style.

Newcastle happy to go down the Wonga road

After tying manager Alan Pardew down on a rather long-term contract last week, Newcastle United have announced that they have signed a four year sponsorship deal with digital finance company Wonga.com.

The deal has been met with a lot of criticism and Ian Lavery, Labour MP in Newcastle, is not happy with the deal as he believes it is a bad association for a club with such tradition.

“They (Wonga) are legal loan sharks who make millions of pounds on the back of people who are absolutely desperate in life for finances,” he said on Talksport radio in the UK. The fact that it seems they are to revert back to the St. James' Park name does not wash with Lavery.

Taking the moral high-ground when talking to Richard Keys of all people might not be the best tactic, however.

How not to take a corner

With all eyes fixed on El Clasico in Spain at the weekend, it could have been easier for Real Betis winger Juan Carlos to escape ridicule for one of the worst corners we have ever witnessed. Three cheers for YouTube then.

The 22 year-old was set to whip in a corner against Real Sociedad, but rather than kick the ball, the only connection he made was with the corner flag. He gave it quite a thump, smashing the pole into fragments, which he picked up before re-taking.

Not one of his finer moments.

Hat-tip to 101 Goals for the video.