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It's odd to see more than half of the season played before the winter break, but that's only one bit of the strange character the championship has taken on this year. From a failing Anzhi to a rising Dynamo and slippery Zenit, nobody could have predicted the surprises that came with the 2013-14 Russian Premier League.

Amkar, the Unlikely Stunners
One of the best defensive sides, Amkar are also the only team that has not lost a single game at home thus far. The Red-and-Blacks were one of the dark horses that gave Zenit a run for their money with a 1:1 draw, with defender Thomas Phibel opening the score, and Zenit striker Danny putting in the equalizer in the first half after a poor clearance by Semyonov. They may not have made too many chances themselves, but Amkar held off the St Petersburg side for the entire 2nd half. Keeper Narubin fended off Luciano Spalletti's goal-hungry team, causing moments of frustration for Hulk and Kerzhakov. The Perm side have also beaten Spartak, Dynamo and Kuban.

Best Away Team - Lokomotiv Moscow
The Railroaders have the best away record. They're 7-2-2 and have scored the second-most goals as visitors (22). With last season's 9th place finish and a lack in managerial stability since 2005, it was hard to picture Lokomotiv as a serious title contender. That all changed when Leonid Kuchuk took to the managerial helm. The former Kuban manager extended his 12-match unbeaten streak to two more games with the Railroaders before they fell 1:2 to CSKA in the Moscow derby. They also seemed to have trouble against Spalletti's side. Kuchuk's men more than made up for their faults, however, by beating Spartak, as well as getting two wins each against Dynamo and Kuchuk's former side, Kuban. Lokomotiv are currently tied with league-toppers Zenit and will be looking to extend their 3-game unbeaten run next year.

The Enigmatic Rostov

Hulk vies for the ball in Rostov's 2:0 win against Zenit. Photo: RFPL

They may have slowed down after an amazing start to the season, but Miodrag Bozovic's side still managed to shock us all before the winter break with their 2-0 triumph over league leaders Zenit. Striker Artyom Dzyuba, on loan from Spartak, has proven to be a great addition to the team, netting in 12 goals in 19 games and vying for the top goalscorer spot with Spartak's Yura Movsisyan. Rostov is one of the most diverse sides, with first team players from 13 different countries. One of their strong suits has been manager Bozovic, who is renowned for rebuilding teams from the bottom up. They've also got seasoned goalkeeper Croatia international Stipe Pletikosa in the mix. Despite their assets, however, the most Rostov could hope for is a solid, 6th place finish. It's a tight race, but not for the top 5. A 10-point gap separates the team from 5th-place CSKA.

FC Ural
Despite being second to last in the league table, Ural have shown they've got some pretty skilled players, like defender Chisamba Lungu. They're held back by having gone through too many changes in too short a time span. They've changed managers 5 times in the past 2 years, while 16 players left the club in the last transfer window. Along with Anzhi, Ural are the only team to not have won a single home game. They've also conceded the most goals at home (25) of any team, and, along with Volga, have conceded the most goals overall (37 in 19 games). With the impending onslaught from teams in the top and middle of the table, getting out of the relegation zone is highly unlikely.

Rubin Kazan
Despite retaining their status as the best defensive side in the PL, Rubin seemed to have forgotten about the other half of the equation. With 24 points after 19 games, they're in a 4-way tie with Krylya, Kuban and Rostov. Their challenge: balancing their Europa League efforts (they were unbeaten in the group stage) with the domestic championship.

Predicted end-of-season finish: 9th

CSKA Moscow
If anything, the first half of the season showcased both the strong and weak points of the Army Men. They can be creative without a striker, incorporating the midfield and defensive players, but that strategy is by no means a universal solution against any opponent. You can get a slew of set pieces against a defensive side, but an attacking team that forces the Army Men to leave behind too much space by pushing the whole team forward wreaks havoc. With Vagner Love in China and Doumbia's difficulty in recovering from last season's injury, Leonid Slutsky's side will continue to lose points and any hope in a top 4 finish if not for some shopping in the winter transfer window.

Predicted finish: 4th

Terek Grozny
3rd from last in the relegation zone, Terek failed to follow up their amazing run last season (they ended in 8th, the best result in the club's history). Things began to go downhill after manager Stanislav Cherchesov left to Amkar Perm, currently 7th in the league compared with 14th-place Terek. The difference is quite noticeable: along with Anzhi, Terek are the only other side that have not won a single away game this season. With so much more competition this time around, it's highly unlikely they'll make it higher than 10th.

Dynamo Moscow

Dynamo players celebrate their goal against Zenit. Photo: RFPL

The Moscovites appear to have plenty of highly-skilled players after the last transfer spree, yet continue to lack quality in the attack. Petrescu will be faced with the reality of not only noticing but using the younger talent. The ever-successful reserves offer a few interesting options, as do young players that are currently on loan. Only 5 points separate the Moscovites from leaders Zenit, but the former tend to lose points against the bigger sides, as evidenced by their poor performances against city rivals Spartak and Lokomotiv. Dynamo lost a handful of points in an odd series of draws, sometimes conceding late equalizers or coming back from a 1-goal deficit.

Predicted finish: 4th or 5th

Anzhi
The only team to have not won a single game (0-8-11), it's almost impossible to fathom that this team finished 3rd last season. With more than half the team gone after the last transfer window and two managerial changes, Anzhi are starting from scratch in mid-season. Eventually, the management decided that fifth time's a charm and invited former Krylya manager Gadzhi Gadzhiev to take over from Rene Muelensteen. The familiar route may be just what Anzhi need to step it up next season, but they'll have to duke it out in the relegation playoffs first.

Zenit St Petersburg

Hulk leads Zenit past CSKA. Photo: RFPL

Currently top of the league, Zenit seem to be going strong. But as Shakespeare's Hamlet put it, "I know not 'seems'". Spalletti's side have had a slew of problems within the club, leading to an uncoordinated style of play on the pitch. As a result, they run the risk of falling apart when it's least expected. As the only RPL side left in the Champions League, they'll have the added pressure of attempting to survive the knockout round. Yet Spalletti has kept his side surprisingly consistent. As long as they have their secret weapons in the form of Hulk and Danny and make good use of the transfer window, it's improbable that too many a side will pose a threat to Zenit's domination.

Spartak Moscow
The red-and-whites finished 4th last season, and are currently title contenders thanks to Valeri Karpin. Away games against the bigger sides, however, seem to be Spartak's achilles heel. Of the few games they've lost so far this season, their biggest was the 4:2 defeat away against Zenit (ironically, Karpin's men beat Spalletti's with the same score in the 16th round). They've had a similar issue against CSKA, whom they beat 3:0 and later lost 1:0 against. The only two teams Karpin's men haven't beaten or drawn against? Amkar and Lokomotiv.

Krasnodar
The better of the Kransodar sides, FC Krasnodar have shown considerable progress under new manager Oleg Kononov. Despite a good record at home, they did manage to get a 0:1 win against Rubin at Kazan. A solid mid-table team, they left for the winter break on a high note, beating CSKA 1:0 at home.

Tom Tomsk
Tom Tomsk was one of the teams that looked promising after the last transfer window, having acquired 19 new players, mostly from other RPL sides. Unfortunately, the club failed to extend the contract of then-manager Sergei Perednya, who led the team to 2nd place and promotion to the Premier League just one season after their 15th-place finish in the First Division. So far, Tomsk have lost 12 out of 19 games, the most of any team this season.

Volga
One of the other interesting mid-table teams, Volga caused quite a few problems for Dynamo in the opening game of the season, leading 0:2 for 25 minutes away at Arena Khimki and having to deal with a draw. Unfortunately, the rest of the season was a series of defeats and small victories against their less-savvy opponents. They lost their last two games before the break, one of which was a devastating 6:1 defeat at Spartak. Volga will need to step it up in 2014 to avoid the relegation spots. The transfer window provides a perfect opportunity to strengthen both the defense and the attack.

Krylya Sovetov Samara
Along with Rubin, Krylya are the ultimate mid-table team, having drawn the most games (9 out of 19) since the season began. Having survived last season's relegation playoffs for another shot at the PL, the ever-unstable Krylya now find themselves in a 3-way tie with Kuban and Rostov, but are unlikely to finish above either side.

FC Kuban
Kuban Krasnodar are a formidable side in the attack, and they made it known in their draws against Zenit and Spartak. They have goalkeeper and team captain Belenov to thank for much of their success as well. Kuban will likely remain near the middle of the table at the end of the season.

Predicted end-of-season table:

1 Zenit*
2 Spartak
3 Lokomotiv
4 CSKA
5 Dynamo
6 Krasnodar
7 Rostov
8 Amkar
9 Rubin
10 Kuban
11 Krylya
12 Volga
13 Terek
14 Ural
15 Tomsk
16 Anzhi

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World Cup Qualifying in Sheepshead Bay

Second from left: 1962 WC participant Viktor Kanevskyi © Aleks V 2013

Why the anti-Brazil campaign should take it easy

With the biggest football tournament just one summer away, many have questioned the ethics of the host nation spending tens of billions of dollars on a sporting event while millions struggle with poverty, unemployment, and the ever-rising prices of public transportation. There's also the added danger of violent protesters who erroneously think that burning everything from tires to buses will do something about changing the costs of public transportation. When it comes to a large international tournament, however, it's highly doubtful there won't be increased security.

Every World Cup has a series of long-lasting effects on the host nation that will certainly be ignored and diminished in value by the pessimist, who will only note the obvious problems that arise with the tournament and add on to already-existing issues - the dirty streets, the traffic jams, increased hooliganism...What such a person fails to see is the true impact that the beautiful game has on a nation.

While stadiums may not directly improve the life quality of the population, they will continue to be used for football games long after the tournament is over, growing the sport and allowing more people to pursue their athletic dreams. More athletes means more opportunities for scholarships, and thus education.

"People are dying due to lack of infrastructure", says the boycott supporter, completely disregarding that this problem exists in many other nations, including those that have previously hosted large-scale tournaments. One could just as easily criticize supporters of bringing the Cup to the United States, where 36 percent of deaths in 2000 were due to social deprivation. Two years ago, almost 16 percent of the U.S. population had income below poverty level, a number that continues to rise as more and more workers are laid off in attempts to balance budgets. The poverty levels in Brazil have actually decreased tremendously as those of the U.S. have continued to linger.

Before the 2010 World Cup, South Africa struggled to meet its economic goals, in part due to a lack of much-needed infrastructure, such as public transportation. Hosting the WC pushed the government to take action and make significant improvements that last well beyond the duration of the tournament. That does not change the fact that people continue to die due to insufficient care in hospitals, but who's to say that a tournament should or must be the solution to this problem, or that the government is incapable of working towards solving such issues while simultaneously contributing to other aspects of the country's economy and culture?

An anti-World Cup post that was popular on tumblr.

"Violence against regular civilians" happens everywhere. Keeping up to date with the news in the United States shows just how many innocent people are cruelly gunned over the years down due to un-professionalism and carelessness of "law-enforcement".

The World Cup not only brings nations together, but bridges the gap between all corners of the world. People come together from across the many continents and bodies of water to enjoy the same passion they all share. Does that not make a great opportunity for some of these people to also volunteer and help when they are not going to games? Instead of protesting against hosting the tournament, why not rally the thousands of tourists to support the local populations and help out however they can?

Would you rather host the Cup in an overly-wealthy nation like Qatar, or in a nation where proceeds from tickets, souvenirs, hotels, and restaurants may provide a boost for its economy, all while entertaining the masses? Not all the money earned goes to FIFA, unless football's governing body happens to own all of the aforementioned services.

Football is also an outlet for creativity, much like the cinema or fine arts. Regardless of a nation's issues, would you protest any government investing millions of dollars in museums?

Boycotting the World Cup isn't going to solve Brazil's problems, and hosting the tournament may not contribute as much as is necessary, but it certainly will bring more good than harm, and at the end of the day, that is always welcome.

It's not every day an athlete listens to Noam Chomsky. Then again, it's not every day I bring up American football.

I'm referring to the recent exit of John Moffitt from the NFL. Years of rigorously studying Chomsky are supposedly what made Moffitt give up playing the game he used to love, and the millions that went along with it. Although he gave a series of explanations for leaving, the fact that he retweeted a YouTube clip in which Chomsky discusses the role of sports in propaganda shows the main reason behind his decision. Moffitt has also expressed interest in "speaking his mind" via podcasts.
What Chomsky essentially inspired is "Snowden Activism", the ramblings of a retiree no longer affiliated with his organization as opposed to an "insider mover". I'm sure Chomsky denies the existence of the latter, what with the filtering of dangerous opinions that occurs for any who enter today's elite-run corporations.

Unfortunately, most of what Chomsky has to say on sports is nonsense. According to him, sports are a diversion that allows the elites to maintain their control over the masses. Kind of like the cookies offered when you join the dark side.

Like anyone, however, Chomsky is a product of his time. It's very likely that having lived through the tumultuous 20th century prevented him from foreseeing the global impact that real football - or any sport - would have.

In recent years, European football has probably seen the most turning points in resolving and increasing awareness to a variety of social issues. Would people really pay as much attention to fighting for cures and ending discrimination if those issues were not associated with something that interested them? When people see FIFA's Say No to Racism campaign, Major League Soccer raising money for Breast Cancer research, or their favorite player visiting a sick child, there's no doubt they feel more compelled to get involved. I call that positive propaganda.

Most of all, however, Chomsky neglected discussing the connection between sports and feminism. European football has seen huge progress in expanding opportunities for women. There's Karren Brady, who was the first woman to become managing director at Birmingham City and is now vice-chairman of West Ham United. Both Birmingham City and West Ham are men's football clubs. Even the least football-savvy know who Mia Hamm is. Most recently, she became the first woman to be inducted into the Football Hall of Fame, at the same time as Sonia Bien-Aime became the first woman appointed to the CONCACAF executive committee. A few women have taken up assistant refereeing in men's leagues in Mexico and Russia. Women's leagues have begun to rise in popularity as well, in part thanks to - you guessed it - the mainstream media.

With its growing popularity in the United States and around the world, European football is the perfect vehicle for social change. It serves as an invisibility cloak, allowing fans and industry professionals to sow the seeds of progress while avoiding the backlash and labeling that can otherwise occur when topics like feminism are addressed in the mainstream media. It is a platform through which reporters, athletes and others can address issues in ways that those in politics can't.

What Dynamo Moscow Can Learn From the New York Red Bulls

Manchester City's Sergio Aguero and Yaya Toure express their complaints to the ref.

Matchday 3 of the UEFA Champions League Group stage proved to be newsworthy for a number of reasons. From reigning champions Bayern Munich adding another victory to their growing collection to PSG's 5-0 thrashing of Anderlecht (4 goals courtesy of Zlatan Ibrahimovic) and Shakhtar Donetsk's 4-0 defeat at the hands of Bayer Leverkusen, the airwaves have been anything but stable. As always, nothing happens until the signal passes the threshold. Unfortunately, the incoming shake-up went above and beyond the threshold and blasted into one of the media's favorite controversial topics. 

It only took one comment from Manchester City's Yaya Toure after the game against CSKA Moscow to stir up the "racism in football" pot. 

There's just one problem with Toure's allegation of CSKA supporters' racist remarks. The only other individual that claimed to hear such insults during the game was a sideline commentator, who mentioned that "in a couple of occasions, when Manchester City were attacking, there have been some monkey chants emanating from behind the CSKA goal...very disappointing indeed." The studio commentator continued his colleague's trail of thought,  mentioning the ongoing Say No To Racism campaign. He then went on to say, "UEFA really have to take a tougher line on [the campaign] on countries where - let's, shall we say, they're less advanced in their thinking than we're used to at home". "Home", of course, must refer to England, and the English press made sure to take advantage. The Telegraph, for instance, cited numerous instances throughout the years in which fans of other Russian clubs engaged in racist behavior toward players. It should be noted that there is often a failure to distinguish between "fans"/"supporters" and "ultras", the latter of which are usually behind such atrocities.

It should also be noted that the referee has the right to stop the match at any time, especially if he hears inappropriate behavior from supporters of either side. Ovidiu Hategan, the match official who oversaw the game, failed to take any action.  

CSKA wasted no time with their reply, posted on their official site the following day. According to the statement issued by the club, 

Having carefully studied the video of the game, we found no racist insults from PFC CSKA supporters to the guests, and the match delegate confirmed it after the final whistle. In many episodes of the encounter, especially with the attacks on our goal, fans made disapproving noises, booed and whistled to put pressure on the opposite side's players regardless of their race. 

The statement goes on to say that,

It is also important that in the whole history of participation in European cups our club has never been observed or punished for racist behavior of fans.

In light of their current period of consistently poor performances at home and abroad, the diversity within the team itself, and the transparency of video, I'm sure it's not in CSKA's best interests to lie about the matter.

CSKA forward Seydou Doumbia, Toure's teammate in the Ivory Coast national team, denied hearing anything of a racist nature from the stands. "Yes, [the fans] are noisy and try to put maximum pressure on the opponent, but they make no racist chants," Doumbia said. "So my fellow Cote d'Ivoire international has obviously overreacted a little bit".

That overreaction may cost the Army Men, depending on what UEFA may find. According to Article 14 of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations, punishments for racist behavior of a club's supporters can range from "a partial stadium closure" to "deduction of points" and even "disqualification from the competition".

What motive, claim Toure's supporters, would the English have to set this up and oust the under-achieving Russian team from the tournament? It's not like they're currently contenders. But a closer inspection would lead one to see beyond the game itself. 

Mainstream media often follows a rule of thumb: if it looks like politics, it must be politics. For one thing, sport has, on occasion, been used to fuel political antagonism. It reaches a lot of people, and it's very convenient for the mainstream media to take a player's - more so a famous one's - word for it. Any opportunity to make Russian football - and therefore Russia - look bad would be taken up pretty quickly. Make no mistake: it's a mud-slinging war that extends beyond the realms of 'official' debating among the governing elites. 

If UEFA finds no evidence of racist supporters, the grumbling English will be forced to retreat and try again some other time. Knowing history likes to repeat itself, they most certainly will. 

Hooligans among the Ukraine NT's supporters. Source: RIA Novosti

The Ukraine and Peru national football teams have been forced to play their upcoming FIFA World Cup Qualifying games without the presence of supporters. FIFA's Disciplinary Committee cites reports of incidents involving pyrotechnics, plus various racist, discriminatory gestures, such as the display of neo-Nazi banners, during Ukraine's game with San Marino (9-1), and "crowd disturbance incidents" in Peru's game against Uruguay (1-2) to justify their decision. The lack of supporters in the stands will no doubt affect the run of play for both Ukraine and Peru's next qualifying games. As everyone knows, fan support is a significant factor in establishing an environment that motivates and encourages players to put on their best performance.

Even more disturbing was FIFA's decision to extend part of Ukraine's punishment (not playing any qualifiers at Lviv Arena) to the 2018 World Cup qualifying games. The FIFA committee's decision has distinct parallels with UEFA's actions against Metalist Kharkiv a few months ago, when the club was prevented from advancing to the 2013/14 Champions League play-off round due to alleged evidence of match-fixing of a 2008 Ukraine Premier League game against Karpaty Lviv. Both cases treat an isolated conflict as a whole - if supporters were unruly, why not ban all supporters? If a match was fixed, why not punish the entire club and players?

FIFA redefines and prides itself in taking the easy way out. It seems so much easier to blame an entire entity for a few hooligans who could have just as easily been escorted out of the stadium. The Disciplinary Committee is really an oxymoron. Instead of taking action against specific individuals, it creates the illusion that, with a flick of their magic wand, the larger problem - hooliganism - goes away.

In fact, this type of punishment will always have the opposite of the intended effect: it will not stop the hooligans from acting, nor will it stop them from existing. Rather, it shows that they can (and will) get away with what they set out to do, and while the national teams and disciplined supporters suffer, the perpetrators will remain untouched. It is hard to believe that there isn't photographic evidence and video footage available from both the Ukraine and Peru games that shows the exact persons involved in both incidents, just as it is hard to believe there wasn't any stadium security present that didn't witness the events.

It is against the virtue of justice itself that the many are punished for the actions of the few. Yet this notion is reinforced both in and outside of football, from grade school to adulthood, in Europe and the Americas. By making everyone but the hooligans feel shame and guilt, the people that would otherwise not have partaken in law-breaking in the first place are given a "warning". In the end it is nothing more than a "temporary fix" to keep the real law-breakers at bay.

According to FIFA, "should such incidents occur again, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee would be left with no other option than to impose harsher sanctions against these associations, which could go as far as a match forfeit, a points deduction or disqualification from a competition". But what do the federations - or, more importantly, the players - have to do with a handful of troublemakers?

If the consequences do not bring long-term results, such as minimizing or removing hooliganism from games, what, then, is the purpose of the punishment?

FIFA's committee fails to give us an answer.

--
Update: FIFA has suspended punishment for both Ukraine and Peru until after their respective Qualifying games. According to FIFA, "only once the FIFA Appeal Committee has had an opportunity to decide on the appeals will FIFA communicate further information on the two cases." 

Though unlikely to be introduced soon, video replay remains promising in the world of football

If a foul occurs in the box but no one is there to see it, is it a penalty? Unlike the question of the tree that falls in the deserted forest, there are immediate witnesses to a foul: the players and the fans. Yet neither have the power to influence the referee's decision to administer a penalty. Supposing the official himself was a witness, and millions of television viewers saw him standing in front of the spectacle and failing to blow his whistle. Consider a scenario where there are six officials present, all of them equipped with headsets that make communication with the head referee possible. The episode with the foul is apparently seen by all but the officials, who refuse to acknowledge it. What should be done?

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has tried (and failed) to make a valid point for choosing not to invest in video replay since the 1990s. Skeptics such as Blatter and certain groups of fans have constructed misconceptions on video replay. They erroneously fear that drastic, technological additions to the sport would take away from "the human element" of the game. Although Blatter reopened the issue on goal-line technology being used for the World Cup after the infamous "goal that wasn't" that would have tied England's game against Germany in 2010,  video replay outside of just goals is unlikely to be considered anytime soon.

There's more at stake here than loss of the human element. Goal-line technology itself is already proving to be a costly endeavor. Although FIFA has approved a list of goal-line systems, including Hawk-Eye, installing and testing the system would be a financial burden on many leagues. The English Premier League is an exception, having already made use of Hawk-Eye, equipping all 20 stadiums with the system. Few leagues have clubs whose owners can spend around £250,000 (over $404,000) at will. However, there is quite a lot of money involved in the sport already. There are multiple clubs in Europe that are certainly not short on dough and have big-name sponsors. The Russian Premier League's Zenit is owned by oil giants Gazprom, and various other clubs, such as PAOK, are owned by wealthy oligarchs. If clubs can pay insurmountable amounts for overrated players who don't live up to the hype, it seems senseless not to invest in goal-line technology. Selling the system will only earn FIFA more money, and if more leagues buy the product, economies of scale will mean its price will drop, while its accessibility soars.

Since one action inevitably leads to another, it wouldn't be long before video replay would follow suit. An extra official checking a monitor still retains the human element, and in today's world, this can be done as fast as clicking a "like" button. Besides, the EPL's Hawk-Eye system is completely automatic, and there doesn't seem to be a backlash at its use and lack of human involvement.

When one asks whether or not precious time will be taken away from the game to investigate replays, there are two questions that must be considered. Do fans of sports that have instant replay ever voice their discontent with the system? If so, they must be convening outside the realm of social media in a retro forum - a la ancient Rome - to discuss their qualms. Second, how long does it take viewers watching at home to access video highlights? The increasing availability of nearly-instant snippets of significant match events can't be overlooked. It's certainly a strange image when today's fans are the ones with more technology at their fingertips than the decision-makers on the pitch.

FIFA is so concerned with banning fans from stadiums and accepting mindless World Cup bids that no time is left for making critical decisions that will benefit the game in the long run.

In the so-called age of rationalism, isn't it rational to expect objectivity? Why leave everything up to chance when there's an option not to? No matter how many referees are added, the element of human error will forever be present, but no matter how much technology is added, the element of human reason will be just as alive.