DIADORA SOUTH AFRICA

DIADORA BRINGS STYLE TO MCDONALD'S

2008-08-05T15:52:00.003+02:00

Those golden arches just got a little more stylish. The fast food chain McDonald’s is outfitting its employees in brand new uniforms designed by the Italian footwear brand Diadora. Since July employees of more than 360 Italian chains have been wearing the uniforms, created exclusively from natural hypoallergenic and breathable cotton and with a sporty twist. The range includes polos, shirts, waistcoats, trousers and skirts in McDonald’s signature brown, orange and white.

Friendly match:Valenciennes FC vs Standard Liege

2008-08-05T15:41:00.003+02:00

Valenciennes - An International friendly match between two teams sponsored by Diadora took place at the Nungesser stadium yesterday night.In front of many flag-waving supporters, Valenciennes FC, a french team currently playing in Ligue 1, lost 0-1 to Standard Liege, a belgian team of the Jupiler League, that will also compete in next season's Champions League. This match was a special occasion to present once again the new elegant kits customized by Diadora that both teams will wear throughout the upcoming season.
http://www.diadora.com/

Diadora Heroes

2008-07-24T15:49:00.001+02:00

New style and colors for AC Mantova 2008/09

2008-07-24T15:43:00.001+02:00

Diadora presented the new official uniform of AC Mantova for the upcoming 2008/09 Italian Serie B season on Sunday.The new jerseys have been created by applying the very best of Diadora's technology and style to guarantee extreme lightness and the best possible moisture management.The colours are those dear to the team, respecting their tradition: a white home jersey with a oblique red stripe in the chest area, a red away jersey with a white stripe in the chest area and a nautical blue third jersey with a white stripe in the chest area and a white/red tail.Then, compared with last year, a collar has been add to all the three V-neck jerseys.In addition to competition and training apparel, footwear and accessories, Diadora will produce most of AC Mantova merchandising. http://www.diadora.com/eng/news

Diadora won the Manchester United Premier Cup

2008-07-17T17:22:00.002+02:00

SuperSport United’s Under 15, a South African football team based in Pretoria and sponsored by Diadora, won the Manchester United Premier Cup on Monday. The talented lads from Pretoria City FC, who were runners-up here for the past two years, displayed some excellent football when they beat Balfour Alexandra 2-0 in a one-sided final to book a spot in the international tournament to play against teams from around the world in London from August 2nd to 6th. SuperSport, unbeaten in five outings at this year’s event, started the game with clear intentions of clinching the trophy thanks to their creativity and attacking play they displayed here. They were duly rewarded early in the first half when central midfielder Cebo Meyiwa connected a stunning cross from the left wing to head in. Moments later, SuperSport were soon on the attack again and they profited through a well executed pile driver from the brilliant Meyiwa again which gave Alexandra’s goalkeeper no chance. SuperSport development coach Chris O’Loughlin, who could not hide his excitement at his team’s success, said: “It’s unbelievable what we achieved today, the boys did very well and I’m proud of the victory.”

LX K-PRO, a new goal for a great champion as Francesco Totti

2008-03-06T08:03:00.006+02:00

March 3rd, 2008 - Rome - Diadora sponsored athlete, Francesco Totti, winner of the 2007 European Golden Boot, endorsed LX K-Pro, the new football boots especially created for the player by the Italian sportswear and footwear company, during Serie A match against Parma for the first time ever on Saturday evening.

The LX K-Pro signifies two great achievements. The first is in celebration of Diadora’s 60th Anniversary (LX is 60 in Roman Numerals). The second is to commemorate Francesco Totti and all of his great accomplishments – Diadora’s modern day gladiator.

The LX K-Pro is another successful Diadora's creation. Diadora offers to its athletes unique blend of high performance and quality products thus confirming its loyalty for almost 60 years to its strong heritage. Moreover, Francesco Totti’s black and gold boots have been customized by embroidering on the tongue the number 10 and the name of his children, Cristian and Chanel.

Weighing only 9.5 ounces, the kangaroo leather upper is extremely soft with the seams designed to maintain perfect ball control. The heel area is constructed with a special ergonomic Morpho heel cup, made of pre-printed TPU, which guarantees the greatest adaptability to any foot. The outsole is the new MG 14 stud system, which gives maximum comfort on both natural terrain and new generation synthetic fields. In addition, the LX K-Pro has Diadora’s Axeler Technology, designed to increase performance, ensure progressive flex and elastic action, as well as increase acceleration and reaction time while sprinting or running.

http://www.diadorasa.co.za

Francesco Totti broke a new record

2008-03-06T08:03:00.003+02:00

February 28th, 2008 – Milan – Yesterday night at the San Siro stadium, one of the temples of soccer, Francesco Totti set a new club record with his 387th top flight appearance for AS Roma.

Totti surpassed Giacomo Losi's long-standing club record, having broken the midfielder's all-time club appearance record of 451 games in all competitions last year.

In addition to that, three years ago, Totti became Roma's top scorer of all time, outstripping Roberto Pruzzo, and Roma can only benefit from their captain's presence as they look to reduce the nine-point gap that separates them from Serie A leaders Inter.

Filippo Inzaghi 's star shined again

2008-03-06T08:03:00.001+02:00

February 25th, 2008 - Serie A - Yesterday night Filippo Inzaghi gave an unexpected and precious victory to his team in a game in which Palermo had a good performance.Moreover, with this goal, Inzaghi made Milan the club with which he has scored the most goals. Now his career record stands at 499 games, with 224 goals. For Italy, he has scored 25 times in 57 appearances.The Rossoneri started out strongly, but it was Palermo who went ahead in their first opportunity in the 9th minute, as Migliaccio took a deep free-kick towards Bresciano, whose shot from close range was deflected by Oddo's chest past Kalac and into his own goal.This completely surprised the home side, who henceforth found it difficult to get past a solid Palermo defence. In the 20th minute the Rossoneri had their first shot on goal as Kaka tried his luck from the distance, but Fontana managed to block his powerful strike. Milan equalized in the 24th minute when, following an impressive move by the home team, Oddo crossed from the right hand side towards the far post, where Ambrosini scored. In the 45nd minute, the Diadora’s testimonial had another good chance, but his header from 10 metres away also flew skyward. Ancelotti introduced Gourcuff at the start of the second half for a nervous Kaka, but the game kept lacking any real entertainment. However, just when everything was pointing towards a draw, the evergreen Inzaghi managed to award the Rossoneri the three points in the 90th minute. Gourcuff crossed from the left hand side, and Inzaghi turned a dream into reality.

Diadora Heritage FW 2008/09 at the Pitti Show

2008-01-23T09:30:00.002+02:00

Forence - The new Diadora Heritage FW 2008/09 collection is making its worldwide debut at Pitti Immagine Uomo

After the explosion of colour that defined the summer 2008 collection, Diadora’s sneakers go back to a more adult audience, with a range developed in earthy hues, reminiscing of Autumn. A warm collection not just in the colour palette, but even more when it comes to fabrics and textures. The unexpected combination of grown up materials with young and fresh shapes is again something that distinguishes this entire collection from anything else currently on the market.

The Italian taste for elegance and made to measure frames this collection and represents the perfect fusion between street inspirations and craftsmanship, making this range absolutely perfect to be shown at Pitti.Moreover, the Kid’s Collection comes back with a vengeance after last season’s great success. Declined in the same colour combinations which can be found in the adult’s collection, this winter kids will know what it means to be in their parent’s shoes!

Francesco Totti hit 200 goals in Serie A

2008-01-23T09:30:00.001+02:00

It was an historical night as Francesco Totti, the Italy's finest player in the last ten years, established a new record becoming the sixth player to score 200 goals in the Serie A ever.

Francesco Totti came off the bench yesterday to score two goals and lead AS Roma to a 4-0 victory over Torino, sending his team to the Italian Cup quarter-finals. The Roma captain's second goal of the night was the 200th of his Roma career.

Totti made his first appearance for Roma at the age of just sixteen and his talent was soon rewarded as he forced himself into a regular place in the first team. Then he was named Serie A Player of the Year in both 2000 and 2003.

Moreover Totti's influence in the squad was one of the major factors that contributed to Roma securing their first ever league title at the end of the 2001 season with the young man contributing thirteen goals for his team. Recently, in the 2006-07 season Totti scored an impressive tally of 26 goals securing the trophy for the top goal scorer in the League as well as the European Golden Boot.

Valenciennes, a sensational victory

2008-01-23T09:30:00.000+02:00

Valenciennes climbed two places to fourth in Ligue 1 with a 2-0 home win over St Etienne on Saturday. The Diadora’s team, in their second season back after more than a decade outside the top league, took an early lead thanks to an header from midfielder Geoffrey Doumeng and then closed the match with forward Gregory Pujol. Valenciennes, now, are seven points behind leaders Olympique Lyon.

Inzaghi breaks Muller's Champions League football record

2007-12-05T08:09:00.000+02:00

Filippo Inzaghi broke the European goal-scoring record as AC Milan defeated Celtic 1-0 though defeat was sweetened for the Scottish side as they qualified for the Champions League knock-out stages in any case here on Tuesday.

It was the perfect scenario for all involved as Milan won, topped the group, Inzaghi made history in beating Gerd Muller's mark with his 63rd strike, and Celtic played gamely while sneaking through to the second round for the second year in a row.

That was thanks to Shakhtar Donetsk's 2-1 home defeat to Benfica in the other group D match.
At times the match resembled a training ground run-out but it finally sparked into life in the second period, culminating with Inzaghi's winning strike 20 minutes from time.
And it was a flowing move that set it up, Kaka breaking down the right and feeding the overlapping Cafu who crossed for Inzaghi to score his meat and drink, a tap-in from inside the six-yard box.

Plenty of goals on the Diadora weekend

2007-12-04T01:31:00.000+02:00

A wonderful weekend for Diadora’s football teams Hannover96 and Valenciennes that earned important victories and improved their championship position.

Hannover96 scored three goals in the last six minutes to secure an away win over struggling Hansa Rostock. Hannover96 wasted numerous chances in the first 20th minutes as it snapped a two-match losing streak, the best of them an 11th minute Fahrenhorst header that Rostock defender Tobias Rathgeb cleared off the line. However, before the end of the match, Fahrenhorst, Hanke and Stajner made the team move up to sixth place in the Bundesliga and leave Rostock hovering perilously close to the relegation zone. In French Ligue 1 action on Saturday Valenciennes continued their unbeaten home run with a comfortable 3-0 win over Rennes that continue to slip down the table after a fourth straight league defeat.Savidan got the ball rolling on 12 minutes when his powerful 30-yard free-kick deflected past Simon Pouplin in the Rennes goal. Sebastien Roudet could have doubled the hosts advantage four minutes later but saw his effort roll across an empty net with no-one on hand to turn the ball home. Pujol made it two in the 65th minute when Savidan's shot deflected into his path before the French striker dribbled past Petter Hansson and placed a clever finish past Pouplin. Pujol put the result beyond doubt 15 minutes from time when he tucked away the rebound after Pouplin spilled a Filip Sebo shot. Sebo's opportunity had been created by some good work on the right wing by Djamel Belmadi.

Axeler WI5 Pure Fantasy

2007-11-13T08:39:00.001+02:00

Inzaghi celebrated 62 goals in UEFA competition!

2007-11-13T08:20:00.000+02:00

Diadora testimonial Filippo Inzaghi scored two goals and made AC Milan win 3-0 over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions league yesterday night.
Inzaghi, who came in for Alberto Gilardino in the 63rd minute, gave Milan the lead three minutes later off Andrea Pirlo's pass.
Pirlo stole the ball from Fernandinho and Inzaghi rushed on to volley it past goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov. Six minutes later, Inzaghi assisted Kaka in the box, who beat Pyatov into the right lower corner of the net to make it 2-0.
Inzaghi then scored again in injury time off Kaka's cross in the box.

Last time Filippo Inzaghi scored two goals in a European game, AC Milan defeated Liverpool FC 2-1 in the UEFA Champions League final to lift the trophy in Athens five months ago. His double strike in the 3-0 win against FC Shakthar Donetsk on Tuesday saw him equal Gerd Müller's record of 62 UEFA club competition goals.

The victory gives Milan the lead in Group D with nine points after four games. Shakhtar and Celtic are tied for second with six, while Benfica is last with three.Milan next travels to Benfica on Nov. 28, while Shakhtar will be at Celtic.

Gelindo Bordin at the Runner's World Summit

2007-11-06T09:20:00.000+02:00

New York - Gelindo Bordin, Diadora Marketing Manager and the first Italian athlete to win a gold medal at the 1988 Olympic marathon in Seoul, showed the new collection of running footwear at the Runner's World International Shoe Summit, the annual three-day conference featuring the editors of all 10 editions of Runner's World and eleven of the world's leading running shoe manufacturers, Friday night at Remi in New York City.

During his speech Gelindo Bordin presented particularly well to the global editors of Runner's World magazine, the worldwide authority on running information, the Mythos Star, the best shoe in the upcoming Diadora running collection and the Axeler Wi5, the new running technology that Diadora engineers have developed in collaboration with the Department of Bioengineering of the Politecnico of Milan.

Today 's consumers look for running footwear able to offer the best impact absorption capability together with a great flexibility and reactivity in the phases of sprinting and running. They want products that maintain their characteristics for a long time and whose materials give the same performance for the whole product 's life cycle. It is for these reasons that Diadora developed a new technology: Axeler WI5.
The name stands for the five distinctive elements that make this technology exclusive and revolutionary . The Axeler WI5 technology was awarded the title of “2007 Best Italian Running Innovation” by the Runner's World Italian Magazine.

A Diadora store has opened in Porto Alegre

2007-11-05T02:20:00.000+02:00

Porto Alegre – Last Tuesday saw the opening of a big and innovative Diadora store on Padre Chagas street in the centre of Porto Alegre.This new Brazilian store forms part of the development process of the Diadora Group's world-wide sales network and the opening event was a huge success. About 500 people, many musicians and designers such as Lorenzo Merlino joined the party that took placed inside an impressive structure mounted in front of the store. Diadora StoreRua Padre Chagas, 306 C - Moinhos de Vento Porto Alegre/RS

Diadora Love

2007-10-22T18:20:00.001+02:00

diadora

2007-10-22T18:15:00.001+02:00

WORLD CHAMPS!

2007-10-22T04:03:00.000+02:00

South Africa defeated defending champions England 15-6 on Saturday to claim the World Cup for the second time in a match packed with atmosphere but short of excitement.

Percy Montgomery kicked four penalties and Francois Steyn converted a fifth for the Springboks at the Stade de France. Jonny Wilkinson, England's match-winner in Sydney four years ago, kicked a penalty each side of halftime.
South Africa, who won the Cup at home in 1995 on their return from international sporting isolation, join Australia as the only country to claim the William Webb Ellis trophy twice.
"A massive win for us. All credit to England, a lot of people expected them not to be as competitive as they were tonight," South Africa coach Jake White told ITV television.
"It just shows you how tough World Cups are. I always knew we had to play to win it, they were not going to give it to us.
"It's important for our country and I think everyone back home is rejoicing, and all credit to the players, they have been fantastic ambassadors for South African rugby over the last four years.
The boot dominated a game in which England, whose title defence seemed doomed when they were humiliated 36-0 by the Springboks in the pool stage, were attempting to become the first side to successfully defend the trophy.
"It was fantastic to reach the final. I'm most disappointed now but in a day or two they can come back and reflect on what they've done and be proud," said coach Brian Ashton. "There will be no recriminations."
After South Africa had taken a 9-3 halftime lead on a chilly autumn evening, England centre Mathew Tait threatened to set the game alight two minutes after the break.
STARTLING RUN
Tait scooped up a wayward pass from Andy Gomarsall and set off on a startling solo run past four would-be tackles.
He was dragged down on the line and the ball was quickly recycled left for wing Mark Cueto to drive over in the corner. After a lengthy deliberation the television match official Stuart Dickinson decided the winger's foot had been in touch before he grounded the ball.
South Africa stole two early England lineouts and got their first points in the seventh minute when Tait was penalised for holding on after losing his foothold on the slippery surface. Montgomery kicked a simple penalty from 18 metres straight in front of the posts.
Wilkinson replied five minutes later with a fine kick from the right touchline when England swung the ball wide to the right and Bryan Habana was penalised for not releasing.
Montgomery put South Africa ahead again two minutes later after Lewis Moody had been penalised for tripping South Africa flyhalf Butch James.
Wilkinson sliced a drop kick wide of the uprights and South Africa's long-distance specialist Steyn was short with a penalty from a metre inside England's half.
South Africa had the best chance of a first-half try when they pilfered the ball from another England lineout and Steyn stretched the England defence to the limit with a burst through the middle. The ball moved left and first Steyn, again, and then John Smit were stopped just short of the line.
England won a scrum after a South Africa knock on but after four resets they were penalised for handling in the ruck and Montgomery kicked his third penalty.
Although Wilkinson kicked his second penalty immediately after the Cueto try was disallowed, two further penalties to the Springboks gave them a comfortable cushion.
England fullback Jason Robinson, playing his final international, limped off the field six minutes into the second half and although England used their entire bench they were unable to breach the Springboks' defence.
South Africa lock Victor Matfield, who had an immense game in the middle of the lineout and produced one clever touch in the loose with a cross-field kick, was deservedly named man-of-the-match.
South Africa - Penalties: Percy Montgomery (4), Frans Steyn (1)England - Penalties: Jonny Wilkinson (2).

MAKE US PROUD!

2007-10-19T02:15:00.000+02:00

Sctoland messes up the cards

2007-10-18T00:25:00.000+02:00

McLeish’s Sctoland stumbled in Georgia during the Diadora derby played yesterday in Tbilisi, and in doing so they definitely changed the landscapes in the group for Euro 2008 qualifications.

Georgia’s Team was now out of the game, but they were able to achieve a very prestigious result, even though it was useless when it comes to their qualifications.
The first goal comes after the first 15 minutes thanks to Mchedlidze, young and promising player who plays with 'Empoli, and then went to double up with Siradze after 20 minutes of the second half.
Scotland will have to beat the World Champions in Glasgow to go back to hoping.

In the same group another 2-0 for France against Lituania, in a match that was decided just in the last 10 minutes.

Diadora Trophy: a great success!

2007-10-18T00:17:00.000+02:00

An enthusiastic crowd braved the cold at Caerano San Marco’s Stadium yesterday evening to attend the First Diadora Trophy, a quadrangular tournament which was attended by Two Diadora representative teams, the Italian Singers National Team and the Italian Referees National Team, together on the same pitch for the very first time.

The referees, whose captain was Pierluigi Collina, immediately showed to have much more then 90 minutes in their legs, and went on to win with ease their games against the Diadora international team (3-1) and the Italian Singer National Team (1-0).

The Diadora Italian Team was the only one able to equal the referees, but the goal difference gave the cup to the referees.

Popular tv presenter Gianni Ippoliti refereed the tournament, and indulged in a little cabaret with people’s favourites Gianni Morandi and Pierluigi Collina, much to the crowd’s delight.

Famous actor Neri Marcorè also channelled his inner Luciano Ligabue to give the crowd one of his most popular imitations.This night was just the start of a series of celebrations for Diadora’s 60th anniversary, which will take place in 2008.

It's Here!

2007-10-16T00:08:00.000+02:00

After weeks of hard work, hours of creative input, and countless sleepless nights, we are proud to announce that our website is now up and running.

Go check it out: http://www.diadorasa.co.za/index.html and let us know what you think.

The 2007 Rugby World Cup runs towards the quarters-final

2007-09-28T07:53:00.000+02:00

After the 31-5 win over Portugal on Wednesday, Italy are now clear second favourites in their race to finish as Pool C runners-up behind the All Blacks.
However, the Azzurri, who were crushed by New Zealand in their opening match and then defeated Romania and Portugal, are third in the group - two points behind Scotland and must win on Saturday if they want to achieve their first place in the knockout stages of a World Cup.

Meanwhile, Romania won 14-10 over Portugal and Australia have already booked a World Cup quarter-final clash after cruising to a bonus-point victory over Fiji yesterday.
Matt Giteau was the star of the show and celebrated his 50th Test cap by scoring two of Australia's seven tries in a personal haul of 27 points.

Then, last Friday France avoided a traumatic early World Cup exit and are now ambitious again despite the remaining threat of a quarter-final clash with New Zealand. A win with a bonus point over Georgia in their last Pool D match on September 30 would send France through to the last eight but to top their group they need Ireland to beat Argentina by more than seven points and with at least four tries, assuming Argentina's bonus-point win over Namibia last night. Otherwise they would finish second and face a probable encounter with the All Blacks in Cardiff for a place in the semi-finals. Finally, England will be just one victory away from a place in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals when they meet Tonga in Paris on September 28 after having beat Samoa by four tries to one in Nantes last saturday.

Diadora by Emperor Moth :the hottest news come from the cold

2007-09-28T07:40:00.000+02:00

Milano

This season Diadora teamed up with Emperor Moth’s chief designer Katia Gomiashvili to create a new, exciting project : Diadora by Emperor Moth, a limited edition that features Diadora’s famous stone washed sneakers reinvented by Emperor Moth’s creative team.The Russian brand, famous for its colourful and textured creations, has taken these sneakers to the next level adding embroidery and unexpected fabric details for a truly outstanding collaboration.
The result of the work put together by the two brands is a series of iconic, fashionable and edgy shoes that are sure to create a stir among fashion insiders.The Limited Edition will be on show, together with both brands SS2008 collections, at Diadora Showroom in Milan from September 22nd to 30th.

The presentation will culminate with an exclusive party held at Diadora

The party will feature the fashion story “Kiss the Flame” shot by world renown Photographer Rankin for trend Bible Dazed and Confused. The Photographic story will be featured on a 12 pages spread in the November Issue of the British magazine

Sundowns Merchandise Specials

2007-09-18T07:36:00.000+02:00

Here are the first of our end of season specials for Reatailers only.

Please contact our sales office Rhyme and Reason for enquiries and orders.

Italy beat Romania 24-18

2007-09-14T09:14:00.000+02:00

September 13, 2007 - Marseille – After the unluky debut with the All Blacks, Italy won the second Rugby World Cup match against Romania at the Stade Velodrome.Despite starting brightly the Azzurri struggled to break down their opponents for long spells and were given a scare when Romania took a 12-8 lead in the second half.But the Romanians' indiscipline cost them dearly in the final half-hour as a series of penalties from Ramiro Pez proved the difference between the sides.Italy full back David Bortolussi kicked one penalty, and fly half Ramiro Pez was successful with three penalties and a conversion while Romania full back Iulian Dumitras missed out on 11 points on offer by sending the ball wide with three penalty and one conversion attempt. Down 8-0 at the half time Romania came out of the break full of intent and got into immediate field position from the kick-off from where Manta crashed over following a line-out drive in the 42nd minute.Five minutes later Romania hooker Marius Tincu scored after some fantastic lead-up work. The powerful front row picked and drove from a ruck and powered through three would-be tackles to give Romania the lead for the first time in the match.But it proved short-lived as Italy piled on the points with the opposition one man down and Romania never recovered.The Azurri face Portugal on September 19th before a crucial game against Scotland on September 29th that could decide a quarter-final place.

Scotland defeated France!

2007-09-14T09:07:00.000+02:00

September 13th, 2007 - Paris – The Park de Princes saw a shock 1-0 victory for Scotland over Euro 2008 group B rivals France yesterday night. Around 15,000 fans had made the trip from Scotland hoping to see a good performance, but nobody could have imagined to go back with a victory. France were without Thierry Henry who picked up a yellow card against Italy at the weekend and was therefore suspended, but they could count on formidable players such as Makelele, Viera, Trezeguet, Malouda and Ribery.And, as expected, the visitors had to wait and press a lot before getting their foot on the ball. For the first quarter of an hour, France were entirely dominant, then Scotland went on the offensive, forcing a corner of their own when Fletcher’s free-kick was deflected off Makelele. But almost immediately France were on the attack again, Malouda doing the hard work on the by-line but his powerful cross was too much for Ribery who shot over the bar. Just before the break France could have put themselves a goal up but their efforts did not find a route through the Scottish defence.After the re-start, the turning point of the match came at the 64th minute with a wonder-strike from James McFadden that ensured the victory for Scottish team; for the remaining 25 minutes Scotland produced a heroic defensive display to preserve their lead.Thanks to this truly historical result Scotland go top of group B with France dropping to third behind second-placed Italy after their victory against Ukraine, thanks to two goals scored by Antonio Di Natale.On the pitch for the Azzurri side there were two Diadora players: Barzagli and Ambrosini.Ucraine will be next Scotland’s UEFA EURO 2008 rivals on 13 October, on that match the Diadora sponsored team have the chance to achieve the first qualification from 1998. Yesterday was a great night fot other two Diadora teams: Kazakhistan draw 2-2 against Belgio while Cipro won 3-0 over SanMarino.

Diadora play the Uefa Cup

2007-09-13T07:24:00.000+02:00

Diadora will join up with the 50th edition of the European UEFA Cup football club tournament that will start 20 September, 2007.

In fact three Diadora teams have been admitted to the qualifying rounds: Dinamo Zagreb, Larisa, Pacos de Ferreira.

Dinamo Zagreb, the most famous and successful Croatian football club, will meet Ajax on September 20, 2007 at the Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb.

The same day will see competing Larisa, an important Greek team, and

Pacos de Ferreira, a Portuguese top team qualified for the first time for an European competition, that will play first against the Blackburn (Premier League) and then against the AZ Alkmaar (from the Netherlands).

Diadora Eyewear - Launching Soon

2007-09-12T08:27:00.000+02:00

Diadora Proud to Announce Opening of New Sales Office

2007-09-11T00:28:00.000+02:00

Diadora are proud to announce the opening of our new sales office's managed by Rhyme & Reason. The sales division is manged by Zeyn Fakir with a dedicated team of staff menbers employed for the sole purpose of Servicing the Diadora Customer.

Situated at:
Number 19 Girton Road,
3rd Floor, Parktown, Johannesburg
Telephone: +2711 4842201
Fax: +2711 4842207
mail: zeyn@rhymeandreason.co.za
louis@rhymeandreason.co.za
aadila@rhymeandreason.co.za

Heritage

2007-09-10T09:43:00.000+02:00

Diadora is one of the only Italian athletic footwear and apparel manufacturers to still make product in Italy. A tradition that began in 1948 when the company's founder Marcello Danieli, first began working in the trade as a young boy.
Fast forward nearly sixty years and now Diadora is a brand rich in history and prestige. Some of the all-time greatest sporting champions are tied to Diadora - Bjorn Borg, Sebastian Coe, Zico, Ayrton Senna and Roberto Baggio to name but a few.
Diadora is a story of sport, triumphs and innovation. The Diadora Heritage line features iconic footwear that has helped build Diadora’s legacy and DIADORA are offering these styles that all have their place in history. All styles come in premium leathers and with nice details, while still paying tribute to where they came from and to whom they were made for.

The Rugby World Cup 2007 starts today!

2007-09-07T09:50:00.000+02:00

Paris – September 07, 2007 – The Rugby World Cup is the premier international rugby union competition. The event is organized by the sport's governing body, the International Rugby Board (IRB), and is contested by the best men's national teams.

The title of world champion is currently held by England, who won the 2003 tournament held in Australia.
This year the Rugby World Cup will be hosted in France from September to October.

This evening the first game of the Rugby World Cup 2007 will be played with France against Argentina at the Stade de France Stadium in St Dennis Paris.

Italy, that, after the great results achieved far in the 2007 Six Nations competition, is in the top 10 teams made by International Rugby Board (IRB), will debut with the All Blacks on Saturday.
Italy and its captain and Diadora athlete, Marco Botolami, will play the Rugby World Cup 2007 in Pool C, against New Zealand, Scotland, Romania and again Portugal (beaten 83-0 in the qualifiers) and have a very good chance of making the quarter finals and even the semi finals for the first time.

George Smith , another Diadora athlete, is going to play with Australia. He has already won 58 caps for the Australian national rugby union team since his test debut in 2000 against France in Paris.

Diadora is World champion in Osaka

2007-09-07T09:44:00.000+02:00

Ōsaka – The 2007 World Championships in Athletics held in Osaka at Nagai Stadium, Japan, finished yesterday marking the presence of 1.981 athletes from 203 countries worldwide.During this World Championships, Diadora sponsorised the Croatian National Team and won a gold medal thanks to Blanka Vlašić.The Croatian high jumper became the world champion in 2007 World Championships in Athletics with a jump of 2.05 m. Her personal best jump at 2.07 m is also the national record and was set on August 07, 2007. Only two women (one indoor and one outdoor) have jumped higher than this.

Serie A is back!

2007-09-07T09:40:00.000+02:00

Serie A is back!
Italian Serie A started last Saturday and the best teams such as Milan and Juventus didn’t disappoint their supporters’ expectations. Only newly promoted Napoli suffered a bad start to the season as they were beaten 2-0 by Cagliari.The European champions enjoyed a large victory at Genoa, who had just come back to Serie A after a 12-year absence. Milan opened the score in the 21st minute through a header by Massimo Ambrosini, the captain, on a cross by Andrea Pirlo and did not have any problems holding on to their lead and winning 3-0 thanks to Kakha Kaladze, the king of the rossoneri defence. No doubt that Ambrosini, is going to be the team leader in the European Super Cup final match Milan – Siviglia that will be played on Friday 31st August, too.A good start also for Roma that won over Palermo thanks to two goals scored by Diadora testimonial Francesco Totti.

LIGHT YOUR FIRE - DIADORA

2007-09-05T08:43:00.000+02:00

F. Totti got the European Golden Boot

2007-09-05T08:40:00.000+02:00

Rome – Last Sunday, Francesco Totti, Diadora football boot wearer of AS Roma, received the European Golden Boot award for the 2006-07 season at the Olympic Stadium. Totti, who wears Diadora Maximus football boots, finished the season with 26 goals; a remarkable achievement for Totti who has played the entire season with a metal pin in his ankle, a result of an injury he picked up prior to Italy winning the World Cup last summer.

It is official - Mpho Leremi is no more

2007-09-05T08:02:00.000+02:00

Mpho Gift Leremi is no more. It had been confirmed by the police that the 22-year old Mamelodi Sundowns attacking midfielder died in a car crash near Alberton in Ekurhuleni on Monday night.

Shortly before the news was broken to the players, they were all huddled together in groups, like seeking comfort in each other’s company, their eyes bewildered and sadness written all over their faces.

Like all South Africans, they woke up to the shattering news that one of their colleagues had died in a car accident. And as they started gathering at the club headquarters, rumors filtered through that it was Leremi.
But none of them were really convinced that the lively former Orlando Pirates star man they had come to love as a brother and team-mate was no more. Their eyes kept darting to the huge gate, perhaps hoping that they will see him sauntering through the entrance and it will all be a bad joke.

As the morning wore on, and no official word coming from the police until his family had identified his body, the tension kept growing but it was clear to them that he was the only one missing after they had all been summoned to gather at the Chloorkop headquarters.

Oscar Ntwagae, the macho hard as nails defender they regard as the assassin and protector of the younger players, simply broke down and cried as it became increasingly clear that it was indeed Leremi.

Details are still sketchy at the moment and information at our disposal is that he was driving around the Alberton area on Monday night after returning from the trip to Cameroon where the club had lost 1-0 to Astres de Douala in a Confederation Cup fixture when he lost control of his vehicle.

Born in Soweto 22-years ago, Leremi was spotted by the Pirates scouts during the annual Godfrey Moloi tournament. He was recruited and signed for the Development squad from where he worked his way into the first team.
He has represented South Africa at U-20 and U-23 level and was described as a possible representative of South Africa at the 2010 World Cup, judging by his performance for Sundowns since he signed during the off-season.

Funeral arrangements have not yet been finalized.

Article courtesey of Sundowns official website.

Summer Is Coming!

2007-08-31T08:25:00.000+02:00

The 'Stadia" Collection, taken from famous stadia and teams around the world, will be available in stores, along with other summer stock.

FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY: AXELER

2007-08-27T08:42:00.000+02:00

This technology has been developed with one thing in mind: Performance.
Whether it be in football boots or running shoes, the system gives the athlete all the technical support he needs to perform at his best, and more.

MAXIMUS ITALIA RTX14

2007-08-22T10:20:00.000+02:00

This golden boot was originally designed by Italian captain Francesco Totti, and brought out in commemoration by Diadora when Italy won the world cup 2007.

Upper: Ultrasoft Water Resistant full-grain
kangaroo leather; special Touch Control application.
Lining in anti-stretch fabric and non-slip rear lining.
Ergos anatomic sock lining with Double Action 2 .

Insole: Anatomic, removable insole in textile and
shock absorbing Elastomer E.V.A. foam.

Sole: Nanoflex® Axeler and polyurethane with
different hardness, with 14 fixed studs.

Available sizes: UK 7, 8, 9

Stock available from mid October 2007.

For more information call: (011)484 2201

Downs shoot to the top of CAF standings

2007-08-20T08:42:00.000+02:00

Mamelodi Sundowns grind out a difficult 2-1 victory over Cameroon side Astres de Douala in a Confederation Cup match at the Loftus Stadium on Saturday night and shot to the top of the Group A log table with six points.
The situation however, might change on Sunday evening with the result of the other Group A match between TP Mazembe and Sportif Club de Sfaxien from Tunisia at the Lubumbashi Stadium as either side could go top if they win but a draw will suite the “Brazilians” just fine.

It had not been an easy last couple of weeks for Sundowns who lined-up against the visitors without at least nine of the players who were regulars last season due to injuries and a contractual dispute with at least one player – Jose Torrealba - whose case is now handled by Fifa.

Calvin Marlin, David Kannemeyer, Esrom Nyandoro, Mike Manzini, Godfrey Sapula, Lerato Chabangu, Patrick Apataki and Peter Ndlovu have all been sidelined by an assortment of injuries while Torrealba’s dispute with the club has been handed to the FIFA Player’s Dispute Committee to be resolved.

And Sundowns found themselves holding a tiger by the tail against the bottom side in their group on Saturday night, but thanks largely to their tenacity and fighting spirit that saw them claw their way back to eventually win the game after conceding a soft goal in the first half.

Astres capitalized on some sloppy defending after Brian Baloyi had failed to hold onto a scorching shot and Hans Ossah quickly guided the loose ball into the net to give the visitors a shock 1-0 lead in the 31st minute as the home side’s supporters were stunned into silence.

But Sundowns regrouped and were level two minutes later when Dillon Sheppard’s corner kick was nodded to the near post by Oscar Ntwagae and a charging Surprise Moriri connected powerfully with his head to bring parity and gave the home fans their voice back.

And in the 61st minute, substitute Josta Dladla raced down the wing and cleverly pulled the ball back onto the path of overlapping Benson Mhlongo who’s first time shot beat the goalkeeper at the near post for the winner.

It was a perfect way to repay his fans after his blunder “gifted” AmaZulu a goal during a mid-week Castle League match when he was dispossessed by a sprightly Dumisani Ngwenya who raced the length of the field to beat Baloyi with a low shot for the Durban side’s opening goal.

Gordon Igesund, hoozing and coughing up a storm with his eyes red with the flu, said this was not the best of times for his team but he was glad that they fought very hard for this victory despite the odds that were heavily stacked against them.

“This victory was very important for us,” said Igesund. “It’s a difficult period for us and we are missing at least 10 players. But for a coach to miss that number of key players and still win is a positive sign.

“The fighting, commitment and attitude of the players is exemplary. We are missing far too many players but hopefully Patrick Apataki, Mike Manzini, Esrom Nyandoro and Peter Ndlovu will be available when we play Moroka Swallows next week.”

It is not even an ideal situation for Sundowns who have released at least five players to the senior team that travel to Scotland for a friendly in Aberdeen on Wednesday and are expected back on Friday. But there will be no time to rest as they play against Swallows the very next day.

Back to Loftus on Saturday night, Moriri came close twice in the early stages of the game as Gift Leremi caused havoc with his pace and trickery, which forced the Douala team to resort to unsportsmanlike tactics in an attempt to intimidate the home side.

“It was a typical cup game,” recalls Igesund. “It was tough and tight, which neither side prepared to give an inch but we made a silly mistake from which they scored. But we responded almost immediately and from then onwards things got better.”

Things got better indeed after Ossah had opened the score and Sundowns, after hitting back immediately, they started pushing the ball around and spread it wide as they engaged in their famed passing game, with Leremi the architect of most of their moves with his free role.

And with Mabizela back in the heart of defence, there was a semblance of stability in defence with the former Tottenham Hotspur man scrambling a dangerous ball off the line after Baloyi had failed to hold onto a scorcher late in the game.

Then Josta Dladla delivered the coup de grace, weaving his way down the wing and then pulling back his cross onto the path of Mhlongo who’s first time shot gave the goalkeeper little chance for what turned out to be the winner.

But there was more drama in the 76th minute when Heumi, the Astres utility player blatantly fouled Gift Leremi and for all his troubles was sent off as he was already sitting on a caution and the visitors were reduced to 10-men.

Sundowns play their next game against TP Mazembe in Lubumbashi during September, then host Sfaxien at home before completing their group games with an away fixture against Astres in Douala.

Real Madrid defeated by Hannover in friendly

2007-08-20T08:24:00.000+02:00

31st July, 2007 – Hannover - Spanish champions Real Madrid suffered an embarrassing 3-0 defeat by Bundesliga side Hannover 96 in the pre-season friendly today.

Hannover's goals were scored by Hungarian midfielder Szabolcs Huszti, Icelandic forward Gunnar Thorvaldsson and Germany striker Benjamin Lauth.
The game marked Bernd Schuster's debut as Real coach, after the German took over from sacked Italian manager Fabio Capello last month.

Diadora, the technical sponsor of Hannover 96, is very proud of this result since Real Madrid includes champions such as Iker Casillas, Fabio Cannavaro, Mahamadou Diarra and Raul Gonzalez.

Diadora presents “Me x 32”

2006-06-26T09:04:00.000+02:00

Thursday 22nd June at 6 pm, the much awaited project “Me x 32” by Gianfranco Ferré has been presented at Spazio Ferré.

The development of the thirty-two unique T-shirts has been assigned to Diadora , the only company, according to Ferrè himself, with the experience and industrial knowledge to bring a real technical plus to this project.

The football World cup has given Ferrè the idea to develop a fantastic project, a remarkable collection inspired by Germany 2006.

50% of all revenues will be donated to “Baby nel Cuore”, an ONLUS organization, dealing with children in need all over the world.

DIADORA AND THE WORLD CUP

2006-06-12T09:31:00.000+02:00

Between the 60’s and the 70’s Diadora is one of the benchmarks when it comes to hicking boots supply: the industrial production of sportswear and footwear starts from there.
Between the 70’s and the 80’s the best football in the world has Diadora written on it. First came great champions of the likes of Bettega, Cabrini e Zico.
The company starts in great style the sponsorships era, that helps the brand reach unexpected success worldwide: the very finest sportsmen wear just Diadora.
The Diadora journey in the football world began in 1977 and evolved rapidly thanks to all the work done en route with great teams and champions.
Roberto Bettega was the sport’s first testimonial and was also the first to wear Diadora during the Argentina 1978 World Cup. After Bettega, Diadora earned the trust of other champions like Zico who then gave the company yet another push worldwide with the "Brasil" model, a Diadora collection classic, revamped and perfected year after year, a longlasting success that still represents one of the best styles in the field.
After the world cup victory durino the Spanish editino of the cup in 1982, Diadora touched new heights thanks to testimonials such as Giancarlo Antognoni, Giuseppe Dossena, Daniele Massaro and Giovanni Galli, and new national heroes like Marco Tardelli and Antonio Cabrini. Diadora accompanied every Italian adventure during the World Cups of Mexico 1986, durino the Italian “magic nights” in 1990, and up to the grand final in 1994, supplying the whole national team with their uniforms.
Many other great champions stepped into our family during the year, and they contributed to our brand’s affirmation on the market as one of the leading companies.
European Footballers of the Year Marco Van Basten, Gorge Weah and Roberto Baggio, are among them, together with many other champions such as Faustino Asprilla, Beppe Signori, John Barnes, Josè Guardiola, Vincenzo Scifo, Marc De Grijse, Frank Rijkaard, Walter Zenga, Stefano Tacconi, Nela, Di Bartolomei, Paolo Maldini, Roberto Donadoni, Rizzitelli, Caniggia, Dino Baggio, Casiraghi, Crippa, Marco Simone, Riedle, Petrescu and Shalimov up to today, with Vieri, Recoba, Roy Keane, Filippo Inzaghi and Francesco Totti.

Diadora is an important presence at Germany 2006 Football World with many renown testimonials.

2006-06-12T09:27:00.000+02:00

Italian football’s gem Francesco Totti, goleador Filippo Inzaghi, and talented midfielder Dejan Stankovic are just some of Diadora’s footballers playing at the highest possible level during the most important competition for this sport, and the brand is backing them with the best possible technology to support their talent.

PORTS ANNOUNCE NEW KIT SPONSORS

2006-06-06T09:16:00.000+02:00

Portadown FC are pleased to announce a new sponsorship deal with major Italian sportswear supplier Diadora who will supply the club with both teamwear and supporters replica kitwear over the next 4 years.

Portadown Chairman, Roy McMahon was delighted with the new deal adding:
"On behalf of the Directors, officials and players of Portadown FC, we are extremely pleased and honoured to have secured this deal with Italian Sportswear supplier Diadora. We hope that the relationship will prove to be an exciting one for both ourselves and Diadora over the next 4 years, as we continue to develop Portadown FC both on and off the pitch. I'm sure the fans will also appreciate the introduction of a new range of quality replica teamwear and off-field apparel which we hope to have on sale by July 2006".

The new Kits and designs will be launched on the club's official website shortly.

From Diadora:

Italian Sportswear Giant Diadora are delighted to announce that they have agreed a 4 year Sponsorship deal with Portadown Football Club that will see the club become their Flagship team throughout Irish League Football and Northern Ireland until 2010.
The deal will see Portadown FC wear the highest quality product both on and off the field throughout the duration of the agreement and also bring the much needed availability of Replica Team wear, Training wear and Off-field wear for its supporters.
A Diadora spokesperson for Northern Ireland adds,
"We are absolutely delighted that a club with a proud history and huge stature such as Portadown FC's have agreed to come on board as Diadora's Flagship team throughout Northern Ireland for the next 4 years, we have been, and will continue to work closely with the club to see that they look at their absolute best both on and off the pitch as they continue to strive toward bringing success to Shamrock Park"

MAXIMUS

2006-05-30T17:12:00.000+02:00

Ferrer passes third round

2006-05-22T17:18:00.000+02:00

David Ferrer's ATP adventure continues in HamburgIn a Spanish derby against compatriot Ferrero, Diadora testimonial David Ferrer, was judged the winner in two sets (6-2. 6-4) after a match played equally well by both until the end until Ferrer's greater precision finally made the difference. Ranked 20th in the ATP standings, after passing the third round, David can now continue hoping to emerge as the winner of the Tournament scheduled to finish on Sunday, May 21.The 89th Edition of the Tour of Italy is also yielding gratifying results. Diadora cyclist Vladimir Efimkin keeps on surprising the punters and turning in excellent performance. Following last Saturday's 120 km run, the Russian racer born in 1981 finished 2nd just 12 seconds behind the winner of the Tour's 10th leg, the 187 km Termoli-Peschici distance that brought the cyclists to the Tour's southernmost point. Today's next leg starts in Livorno and ends in Sestri Levante.Diadora will also play a starring role in the Exhibition Match of Compassion to be played at 8.15 PM in Verona's Bentegodi Stadium on Monday, May 22 between the Italian National Singer's Football team dressed in Diadora uniforms and the Italian World Team. The proceeds of the match will be donated to research for a cure to children's leukaemia.

Kiefer wears Hannover 96 in Hamburg

2006-05-22T17:08:00.000+02:00

Diadora athlete Nicolas Kiefer has been wearing jerseys taken from the Hannover 96 Collection during the Hamburg Tennis Tournament in progress that also features the participation of other Diadora athletes like Ljubicic, Ferrer and Gaudio. In particular, Kiefer has been using the "Home" version of the Hannover 96 jersey without its sponsor and logo and the third, green-coloured version.The media showed immediate interest in the German tennis star's firm desire to wear the jersey because he's a Hamburg hometown boy himself and a big fan of some of his friends who play for the prestigious football team. Kiefer even works out with the Hannover 96 players, and wears an officially-designated Number 69 during his matches.This is basically a gift that both Kiefer and Diadora have desired to make to both the German city and its team in the Bundesliga, while also emphasising Diadora's complete commitment to sports all across the board.The Italian derby that placed another Diadora athlete, 11th world-ranking Francesca Schiavone against Mara Santangelo in Rome on the second day of the Italian International Tennis Tournament ended up in a victory for the former. On an unseasonably hot day that peaked at 25°C temperature, the first set played equally well by both ended in Schiavone's favour at 6-4 after five set-points, while the Diadora star succeeded in putting every difficulty behind her and bringing the match to a close by winning the second set 6-0.The next opponent to be faced by the 8th ranking Italian lady tennis star will be Martina Hingis, the 1998 winner at the Foro Italico, in a match to be played next Thursday in the 3rd round of the WTA Tournament.

DIADORA

2006-05-19T09:15:00.000+02:00

Diadora gives a prize to Roy Keane

2006-05-15T10:17:00.000+02:00

May 10, 2006 – Manchester, EnglandAn exhibition match between Manchester United and Celtic Glasgow was played yesterday evening at the city's Old Trafford Stadium in honour of a player widely accepted as the symbol of both teams in different moments of his long career: Roy Keane. After breaking into Premier League play with Nottingham Forest, in 1993 the colourful Irishman began playing for the Man U Red Devils, where he won the Premier League Championship 7 times, 3 England Cups, 1 Champion's League Cup, and the 1999 Intercontinental Cup in the next thirteen years before finally coming to play in Glasgow.Yesterday evening's match was attended by over 75,000 fans cheering their idol. Both teams put their best men on the pitch, as Roy Keane played one half per side. Also present at the event, Diadora thanked the athlete from the Emerald Isle for acting as the Italian company's testimonial to the world for 6 years with a prize awarded directly from the hands of the company's Managing Director, Enrico Mambelli.

Totti… back in the field again!.

2006-05-15T10:11:00.000+02:00

A 3 to 1 win and Inter gets the Italian Cup for the second year running at the expense of an incomplete Roma which did however try to create problems for its black-blue adversaries.In the lead straight away with Cambiasso, Inter ended the first half 2 to 0, after a first match period where the yellow-reds never really endangered the Inter goalpost, due mainly to the promising young 16 year old Okaka’s inexperience; he couldn’t seem to find new space between two centre giants like Materazzi and Samuel. In the second half, Spalletti’s men went in more decidedly but Inter had things under control and definitely ended the match with Martins at the 31’, then followed by the Roman goal by Nonda.Inter celebrates but Roma still has a good reason to be happy; 9’ into the second half, after 81 days off the field, Francesco Totti came back on and during the next 39’ showed that he was well on the way to being in top shape for the German World Cup; he’s who assisted his team’s only goal!

Congragulations 'Masandawana'!

2006-05-15T08:48:00.000+02:00

Sundowns shine

2006-05-15T08:44:00.000+02:00

Sundowns shine: Mamelodi Sundowns celebrate taking the PSL championship after their game against Orlando Pirates ended in a goalless draw yesterday at Odi Stadium, Mabopane, north of Pretoria. Pirates needed to win by six clear goals to pip Sundowns for the title.

Downs end six years of drought at packed Odi

2006-05-15T08:31:00.000+02:00

It is said that seven years of hardship shall be followed by seven years of plenty. But for Mamelodi Sundowns however, it had been six years of a painful drought that was broken at the bizarrely built Odi Stadium in Mabopane on Saturday.
The Brazilians last won a major trophy back in 2000 when they snatched the castle Premiership for a record third successive year and since then, have struggled to get back to the winning podium.
They have won the Charity tournament three times during the last six years however, but according to President Patrice Motsepe, in traditional Sepedi, men are expected to bring home either a springbok, impala or kudu to feed a family.
“A man is traditionally judged by the amount of meat he puts on the table when he returns from a hunting trip,” said Motsepe. “And elders would admonish you to stop bringing a rabbit because it only tantalizes the taste buds,” in reference to the little regarded Telkom Charity Cup.
Little wonder, the Sundowns president, attired in a cream jacket and gold tie, marched to the hastily assembled podium with a spring at his feet to accept the R2.6-m cheque from his vanquished opponent Dr Irvin Khoza as prize money for winning the championship.
Khoza, who is the chairman of the PSL, also happens to be managing director of Orlando Pirates, a team that was involved in a neck-and-neck race with Sundowns for the ultimate prize and needed to score an incredible six goals without reply to prevent Sundowns from winning the title.
But Sundowns were not to be denied as some of the veterans like Andre Arendse in goals put up a stupendous performance between the poles, denying the marauding Buccaneers a sniff at his goals with spectacular saves, some of them out of this world.
Benson Mhlongo was another solid performer with his twin centre-back Mike Manzini as they both stood up to be counted and at one stage, reminded some of us of a jealous husband the way they protected Arendse.
Pirates wanted an early goal and started like a house on fire, but Sundowns held on steadily and smothered every move they initiated. Then Sundowns slowly took control and Jose Torrealba watched in disbelief as his attempt crashed against the upright.
Sandile Ndlovu’s header went agonizingly close and Torrealba slipped the ball under the diving Francis Chansa, but Tonic Chabalala cleared the ball off the line and the Buccaneers heaved a collective sigh of relief.
And then of course, talisman Surprise Moriri regained his silky touches and the Matibidi-born artists spread his influence across the field, feigning, passing, assisting and creating opportunities while trying his luck at unlocking Pirates.
“I have finally won a gold medal,” said Moriri at the end of a titanic match that ended a dramatic season that also saw Kaizer Chiefs succumb to SuperSport United on the final day of the 2005/6 programme.
“I feel very happy. I am so thrilled I cannot find appropriate words to describe my joy. But most of all, I think that as a team, we deserved the championship because we worked so very hard.
“At one stage, we traveled to Durban soon after the December break to enable the national team to prepare for the African Nations Cup, and we sweated blood and tears as we prepared for the last quarter of the season.
“But, looking at my gold medal, I think it was worth the sacrifice. Finally, I have something to show for my contributions and all the effort I have put into my football since turning professional.”
Not that it had been a long professional career for Moriri. But he has certainly been one of the most influential figures in Sundowns this season and some feel was very unlucky to have been left out of the squad that traveled to Egypt.
“Not so,” corrects Moriri. “I think it was not the right time when Ted Dumitru left me out, but now is the right time. I feel more relaxed and much more confident and experienced than when I was left out.
“Of course it hurt me deeply when I was omitted from the traveling party. But these things happen in like and you have to learn to accept and take it on the chin like a sportsman. It was hard for me to accept but eventually I crossed it from my mind.
“It has taken me a while but once I erased it from my mind and started working even harder to rebuild my confidence, it became much easier to deal with the disappointment of Egypt.”
Moriri and the rest of the Sundowns squad are going on a ticker-tape parade across the Tshwane townships of Mabopane, Soshanguve, Ga-Rankuwa, Atteridgeville, Mamelodi and the city centre with the trophy on Monday.
The club’s end of the Year awards function will be held on Tuesday and you can rest assured that Moriri is likely to walk home with one, perhaps even two awards after an outstanding season.

Sundowns are Premiership champs!

2006-05-15T08:25:00.000+02:00

Mamelodi Sundowns have been crowned the 2005/06 PSL Castle Premiership champions after playing to a 0-0 draw against Orlando Pirates at the Odi Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Chloorkop-based side, popularly known as the 'Brazilians', have now won the country's top competition for the third time since the inception of the Premier Soccer League. Sundowns won it three times in a row from 1997 to 1998.
The match started off at a very fast pace as Pirates seeked an early goal, something which would have given them a much-needed psychological boost. The 'Buccaneers' needed to win the match by six goals and make sure 'Downs don't score, a feat which would later turn out to be nothing but a pipe dream.
Many had expected Sundowns to adopt a defensive approach to the match but this was not to be as they replied to Pirates' attacks by launching quick counter-attacks in the 'Bucs' goal-mouth area.
Sundowns' talented midfielder Suprise Moriri missed a brilliant chance to put his side ahead when his header went narrowly wide as early as the seventh minute.
Three minutes later 'The Brazilians' raided the Pirates danger area and this time it was Venezuelan striker Jose Torrealba's chance to see his attempt go begging.
The Patrice Motsepe-owned team made an early change when veteran Godfrey Sapula came in for Clement Mazibuko in the 27th minute, a move which beefed up the champions' midfield.
Pirates kept hope alive by responding to Sundowns pressure by taking the game to the home side. But the man that stood between them and the much-needed five goals was 'Downs highly-experienced goal-minder Andre Arendse. The former Bafana goalkeeper quick reflexes denied 'Bucs' Isaac Chansa close range snap shots in quick succession.
The score line remained deadlocked at 0-0 at half-time.
In the 53rd minute former Bloemfontein Celtic goal-poacher Collins Chabalala failed to put Pirates ahead but chose to balloon his shot over the bar.
Pirates caretaker coach Tebogo Moloi made a desperate double substitution when he introduced crowd favourite Jabu Mahlangu for Joseph Makhanya and Tebogo Mokoena for Isaac Chansa in the 57th minute.
The move brought a new sense of urgency in the 'Bucs' midfield but the ABSA Cup finalists failed to convert this into goals.
Arendse once again came to Sundowns' rescue when he thwarted the two substitutes successive attempts in the 72nd minute.
The match ended with a goalless score line, sparking wild celebrations amongst Sundowns supporters, who had the packed stands in their great numbers.
Congragulations 'Masandawana'!

The new role of the coach in professional sport

2006-05-12T18:04:00.000+02:00

The role of the head coach, especially at the professional level, is changing a lot. The case of Woodward who, after winning the world title with the English national rugby team is aspiring to the position of c.t. for the English national soccer team, is not far off being reality. According specifically to Anglo-Saxon philosophy, a head coach can be both a technical-tactical reference and a manager with high organizational skills. The assistant coach is becoming more and more the person working directly on the field. In theory, in a working week the first days might be when the assistant coaches take care of technical aspects, whilst for the remaining days closer to the match it?s the job of the coach to tend to the tactical planning.The latin school of thought perceives the team above all as a "group", in which all players must always work together, making up that which is known as "team spirit". The professional sport's matrix of the Anglo-Saxon team, geared more to the outcome, means that the players are seen as interchangeable elements which do not necessarily always have to work together. The work set up is different: the players are true professionals who look after their own individual training. For this reason, even in team sports, there is an increasing number of personal trainers, meanwhile in the teams the position of the athletic coach is more and more often being taken by a physiotherapist. This is because the athletic training carried out in the context of the team is more oriented towards maintaining the athlete?s fitness and health rather than actual training.Moreover players are changing ever more frequently during a season and for a coach it's difficult to manage a team according to traditional group standards. This is why the organizational aspect, which passes as a technical staff capable of looking after more matters simultaneously, is becoming all the more important . And so the figurehead coach is more like a manager who manages the resources at his disposal, delegates individual technical matters to his assistants and intervenes mostly in mentality and motivational issues.

Francesco Totti

2006-05-12T17:59:00.000+02:00

That little boy from Porta Metronia, slender but quick, shy but self-confident, today is a nothing short of a champion. He's no longer known only in his home town of Rome, but now by football lovers all around the world. This is the story of Francesco Totti, of his first attempts at kicking a ball around on the fields of Rome, playing on teams such as Fortitudo, Smit Trastevere, Lodigiani, and then finally on the youth preparation team for his beloved Roma. On both sides of the Tiber River, news of the talent of this young player spread rapidly. Soon teams of fans were following him around to watch his matches every Sunday. Lazio fought it out with Roma to sign him when the moment finally came for him to decide his future, but his loyalty to Roma's yellow-red jersey was strong enough to resist any temptation.

On March 28, 1993 he had is first debut in the A-Series in the match against Brescia (Roma vs. Brescia 2-0): since that first game he has now played in 300 A-Series matches, and is ranked number six in terms of number of matches played by a footballer with Roma. With the goal that he made against Parma on December 19, 2004 he made his 107th goal, surpassing Pruzzo's record, and making him the all time number one bomber for Roma.

With Totti Roma won the Italian Championship at the end of the stellar 2000/2001 season, in which he played as the absolute protagonist. That same year they won another trophy, the Italian Super Cup. His first match with the Italian National team was on October 10, 1998, in the match between Italy and Switzerland (with a final score of 2-0). In all, Totti has played 44 matches with the National team, and has made a total of 9 goals. He played in the European Championships in Belgium and Holland (2000), leading Italy and making his historic high-flying penalty kick in the semi-finals against Holland. He also played in the World Cup in Korea and Japan (2002) and in the European Championships in Portugal (2004).

As of March 23, 2003, Francesco Totti is also a "Goodwill Ambassador" for UNICEF since March 23, 2003, on behalf of Italy in defending the rights of children whose rights have been violated around the world. This is a recognition of his sensitivity and represents a responsibility which has brought him to participate in several worthy initiatives. For example, the profits earned from the sales of his book, "Le Barzellette di Totti" ("Totti's Jokes") were divided equally between a relief project for abandoned children in Kinshasa, in the Republic of Congo, and the telephone social assistance and help lines promoted by the City of Rome.

Pierluigi Collina

2006-05-12T17:33:00.000+02:00

Authoritative without being authoritarian, precise in even the finest detail and yet humble enough to admit his own mistakes. All this and much more has enabled Pierluigi Collina to repeatedly win the coveted title of "World's Best Referee". Such unanimous and rare acknowledgement is the just reward for a long and intense career with the greatest dedication for the most difficult job on the football field: the referee.
Born in Bologna in 1960, Pierluigi Collina began working as a referee at the advice of a friend in 1977. A few years later, he reached the highest regional levels while continuing his studies with success at the same time, graduating from the University of Bologna in Business Economics with the highest honours in 1984. He began travelling the length and width of Italy as a referee at higher and higher levels of competition the same year.
Collina rose through the ranks rapidly. After another 3 years of superb performance in Series C play, he was ready for the most important calling: the first training meeting for Series A and B referees in 1991. In the meantime, he moved to Viareggio on the Tyrrhenian Coast where he settled down with his wife Gianna and practised his business consultant profession brilliantly. His career as a referee continued with escalating success.
During his first year in Series A, Collina worked as the referee in eight matches - a record still unbroken today. In 1995 he was qualified to referee international play, after only 43 directed in the Serie A. In 1996, he was appointed to referee the final championship match between Nigeria and Argentina in the Olympic Games. In 1999, he blew the whistle to kick off the final Champions League match between Manchester United and Bayern Monaco. Designated for both the 1998 France World Cup and the 2000 European Cup, he was also given the honour of directing the final match in the 2002 World Cup played in Japan and Korea.
The countless awards he has received over his incomparable career include five consecutive "World's Best Referee" titles awarded by the International Football History and Statistics Federation in 1998, 1999, and 2000, 2001 and 2002 in addition to being elected the best referee in Italy by the Player's Association as many as five times in testimony of the excellent relationship he has established with the athletes over the years.
The President of Italian Republic Carlo Azeglio Ciampi conferred on him the title of "Commendatoredell'Ordine al Merito della Repubblica" for sports merits. The University of Hull (UK) conferred on him the honorary degree in Science.

Presentation d.lux world

2006-05-12T11:39:00.000+02:00

The d.lux project with its five Diadora worlds – football, tennis, running, cycling and d.lux - was presented to the press in the Milan showroom.
Four rooms dedicated to the four sports worlds displaying shoes used by Diadora’s most important testimonials, both historical ( Weah, Borg, Moses, Bugno, etc.) and those of today, all buried in the sounds of every day sports life, the cheering of a football stadium or the ball during a tennis match.
The d.lux section was in a gold, completely soundproofed room presenting the Diadora concept of wellness, a relaxing oasis in metropolitan chaos. Here on show, suspended on a parallelepiped, the d.lux collection’s key model, Shark Poule.
Pierluigi Collina and Guido Bagatta were present along with the collection designer Max Verre who illustrated the d.lux collection targets to the press.

Series A: Rome-Treviso 1 – 0

2006-05-10T09:29:00.000+02:00

May 7, 2006 - Rome, Olympic Stadium.The verdict on just who's going to qualify for next year's Championship League play has been postponed until next week. Rome played a good match despite the number of players out of commission, including Francesco Totti (sick at home with fever) and the determination of Treviso to bow pout of Series A competition with honour. Rome's 16 year-old Okaka started the game and immediately proved to be the liveliest player on the pitch and created no little worries for Treviso's defenders until the 36th minute of play when he butted the ball over to Tommasi for an assist and the day's only goal,the Roman midfielder's second of the season.Both teams gave the spectators their money's worth in the second half despite the unseasonably hot weather in the national capital, but the score remained unchanged. Rome's entire season is now hanging on the next two matches, both - strangely enough - to be played at Milano's San Siro Stadium,: the first against Inter in the return match of Italia Cup competition, the second on Sunday against Milan in the season's closer in which we'll probably finally witness Francesco Totti's return to play.

Player of the month, Nyandoro

2006-05-10T09:13:00.000+02:00

Talk about a thorough professional and Esrom Nyandoro comes to mind. The man who toils ceaselessly in the midfield holding role of the champions elect was this week voted Mamelodi Sundowns Player of the Month.
Nyandoro, who has attracted the attention of several European teams, won R20 000 with Dillon Sheppard runner-up and taking home R15 000 while both central defenders Iron Mike Manzini and Benson Mhlongo received R10 000 each as their share for being second runners-up.
It was the second time that Nyandoro had won the prestigious club award since the start of what had been the toughest season that got underway in July last year when Sundowns annexed the Telkom Charity Cup.
Nyandoro edged out his peers following a sterling performance against SuperSport United when he came up with a rocket shot that knocked the stuffing out of their traditional rivals in the 87th minute of a game that appeared headed for a stalemate.
He followed that up with yet another sensational strike, this time against Classic after the Pietermaritzburg outfit had held on stubbornly throughout the first half and had taken a shock lead in the second half.
In-between Nyandoro had put up some excellent performances in the holding position to steady things up and set-up the front men while giving them back-up just in front of Mhlongo and Manzini.
Sheppard has also been in outstanding form since joining the club during the window period in January and came very close to snatching the honours but had to settle for runner-up position.
Sheppard left the country with the national squad on Tuesday to line-up against Lesotho at Maseru’s national stadium and will not play a role in the final league match against Orlando Pirates at Odi Stadium because he would be serving a suspension.
Meanwhile, although club president Patrice Motsepe expressed his condolences on behalf of Mamelodi Sundowns to the family and friends of Pule Ntsoelengoe, general manager Walter Kutumela was equally shattered by the untimely death of the maestro.
“I think South Africa has lost one of the greatest players ever,” said Kutumela. “He was a legend and I personally played against him for several years in both league and cup matches.
“It is so sad for someone so utterly gifted to go the way of the flesh at such an early age when so much was still expected of him. He was not only an exceptionally talented player, but was a very humble person as well.

ARE YOU 'ONE' ?

2006-05-09T08:17:00.000+02:00

Downs duo in Bafana Bafana squad

2006-05-08T17:53:00.000+02:00

David Kannemeyer and Dillon Sheppard have been included by acting national coach Pitso Mosimane in his reconstructed team to face Lesotho in a friendly game at the Setsoto Stadium in Maseru on Wednesday night.
The Mamelodi Sundowns duo joined the national squad in camp on Sunday and will all travel down to the mountain kingdom on Tuesday to prepare for the match against Likuena on Wednesday night.
Although Sundowns is preparing for their final Castle League fixture of the season against Orlando Pirates scheduled for the Odi Stadium in Mabopane, the duo is suspended and will not be eligible to play in the match.
Kannemeyer was red-carded against Kaizer Chiefs in the ABSA Cup semi-final staged in Rustenburg a fortnight ago and served the first of an automatic two-game suspension when Sundowns defeated Tembisa Classic a fortnight ago.
However, during the match that Kannemeyer was watching from the stands as he started serving his suspension - Sheppard allowed a rush of blood to his head and was also ejected by referee Daniel Bennett for using foul language.
Now the two left-sided players will not take part in the match against Pirates but Joint Head coach Miguel Gamondi said they had enough depth and will come up with adequate cover when they face the Buccaneers.
“Thabiso Rammile is still injured,” admitted Gamondi. “But we also have Tshiamo Seneo and Oscar “Oskido” Ntwagae to fill in at the left fullback position. And it is also a toss-up between Peter Ndlovu and Clement Mazibuko for the attacking role on the left.
“Look, we have a couple of options and we are not duly worried. That should not be misconstrued to imply that we are underestimating Pirates. They are a quality side and we respect them. But we will be ready for them.”
The two former Ajax Cape Town players will however transfer their skills to the national team where they would be trying to impress Mosimane in the hope of securing selection to the national squad that will face Swaziland in Botswana.
South Africa face Swaziland in the Cosafa castle Cup in Botswana on May 20 while the hosts Botswana line-up against Madagascar on the same day. The winners play for a semi-final spot the following day.

Francesco Totti presents Maximus

2006-05-08T17:06:00.000+02:00

May 6, 2006 – Trigoria, RomaRed and Gold Captain Francesco Totti called a press conference today in Trigoria attended by many media representatives that was followed by the presentation of the new shoes he'll be wearing both during Germany 2006 World Cup competition that starts in June and regular season play with Rome.The new Maximus Model shoes were specifically developed by Diadora to both enhance the champion midfielder's technical skills and express grace in movement through the use of materials of the highest quality, the latest technological research, and Diadora style.

http://www.diadora.com

ROMA

2006-05-03T11:11:00.000+02:00