Big Match: Denmark vs Sweden
Event: World Cup Qualifier
Location: [Parken], Copenhagen
Time: 20:00 GMT

It was a night where Sweden had it all to do. Before a ball was kicked, Sweden was sitting in second place, uncomfortably looking over their shoulders with Portugal and Hungary breathing down their necks.

They could take comfort in the fact that those two countries (Portugal and Hungary) were actually facing each other in Group A's other big match. A draw would suit them down to the ground, whatever the outcome in Copenhagen.

As usual with these two neighbouring countries meeting, a lot was said in the build up to the match and emotions were clearly running high but it was events on the pitch that provided the most talking points.

It is worth noting that this was Coach Olsen's 100th match in charge. An admirable milestone indeed!

First Half

If the atmosphere inside [Parken] was loud in the recent home game against Portugal, this time it was downright intimidating.

Barely five minutes was played, when Bendtner got his first sight at goal but he couldn't get enough power behind his effort and it was easily saved. The Arsenal forward was pushed to the left to accommodate the return of captain Jon Dahl Tommason.

A minute later, it was Jakob Poulsen's turn to spurn a half chance. An inviting cross found Poulsen in a bit of space but he could only guide his weak header into the palms of Isaksson.

Unfortunately, that was as big an opportunity the Danes would get all half, as Sweden began pulling the strings.

Star strikers Ibrahimovic and Larsson both went close to opening the scoring but none were clinical enough to beat Sørensen. However, it seemed only a matter of time before the Swedes took the lead.

Such was their dominance...

Second Half

Sweden began the second period as they ended the first-pounding on the Danish goal. They were much more aggressive than the first half, thus creating more chances.

As time went on, there was suddenly total silence inside the stadium as Larsson fired the ball into the back of the net and wild celebrations erupted in the away end. However, the noise levels soon rose again as the linesman chalked off the goal for offside.

Sweden's suffered further disappointment as their dominance brought about another goal, only for it to be disallowed once again. This time the goal was judged to have been out of play before it was crossed by Ibrahimovic.

To add insult to injury, Denmark took the lead against the run of play to spark wild scenes of wild celebrations.

On 79 minutes, Bendtner squared the ball for for Poulsen, who fired the ball from way outside the box into the bottom corner.

The goal proved to be enough as the ref blew the whistle that saw Denmark reach the first major tournament since 2002.

Swedish reaction

Zlatan Ibrahimovic thought the Danish victory was undeserved and Sweden should have won the match.

"It was totally undeserved. We were better than them but they got the three points they needed to reach the World Cup." he said. 

Though, he thinks Sweden deserved more out of the match, he doesn't believe their World Cup hopes would have been won or lost in this match.

"It's not tonight defeat that doomed us. We have played many matches before where we just haven't done the business. We can put it down to bad luck or bad performances but the fact is, we just haven't been good enough." he continued.

Meanwhile Swedish coach, Lars Lagerbäck announced he would quit his job after the match against Albania on Wednesday. He will only stay on if the miracle Sweden are hoping for, comes true - a Portugal defeat and a Sweden win - which will effectively see Sweden claim the playoff spot.  

"We spoke of it yesterday and again today. We agreed that Roland (assistant manager) and I will call it quits, " he said.

"Right now, I'm very sad and disappointed. Right now, I'm disappointed and I can't get the Denmark game out of my head," he said when asked about his favorite moments as coach of the national team.

Another member of the Swedish set up to call it quits is captain and veteran Henrik Larsson.

The 38 year old striker, will play his last match against Albania and will not take part in the World Cup, should Sweden make it.

"The way I feel right now, I won't be taking part of any more matches after Wednesday night, regardless of whether my country make it to the World Cup or not," he said.

Larsson, who has played for clubs such as Celtic, Manchester United, Barcelona, and now plays in Helsingborg, has not yet decided when to end his career. When that happens, he will most certainly take up a coaching role.

"I have picked up a lot of experience over the years and I have a clear vision of what I want to do when I become a manager. The style of play, tactics and glory is already going through in my head," he continued.

Danish reaction

As expected, the wild celebrations in Copenhagen went on late into the night.

Denmark qualified for the World Cup in South Africa in the sweetest way possible—beating their neighbours and arch-rivals and in process, give their World Cup hopes a huge blow.

Coach Olsen had the biggest smile on his face, when he met up with the press, the day after sealing qualification and he came with one message...

"This side is showing signs of something big," he said.

"This is the biggest achievement of my coaching career and I am overwhelmed. Unforseen incidents meant that I had to use 37 different players during the qualifying campaign and it made things difficult at one stage but one way or another, all 37 players and everybody else that have been in and around the team, they delivered." he continued.

Danish legend Michael Laudrup believes this Danish side can do some damage in South Africa, though he isn't getting ahead of himself just yet.

"It was a great, great night to be a Dane and although there were a few obstacles on the way, the boys did fantastic to stick together and deliver when it mattered.

"However, just getting there isn't enough and the boys have to dig deep to deliver some outstanding performances in South Africa because some pretty strong nations are going to be there.

"England have repeatedly showed what a quality side they are with quality players that everyone knows about. Brazil are still the best in the world. Germany, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands all possess world class players but if our boys play like we know they can play, getting in the mix of those top nations shouldn't be a problem." He continued.

Portugal 3-0 Hungary

In Group A's other big match, Portugal knew they had to win this match to stand any chance of qualifying, regardless of the outcome in Copenhagen and they did.

An outstanding display from Cristiano Ronaldo, Deco and Simao put Hungary to the sword.

The result means Portugal leap frog Sweden into second place with only one match remaining.

Group standings

1. Denmark - 21 pts
2. Portugal  - 16 pts
3. Sweden   - 15 pts
4. Hungary  - 13 pts
5. Albania    - 7 pts
6. Malta       - 1 pt

Last round of matches

Sweden vs Albania
Denmark vs Hungary
Portugal vs Malta

Highlights

Denmark 1-0 Sweden 

Portugal 3-0 Hungary 

Denmark have managed to retain their lead in Group One of the first round of European Qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup, despite only managing two draws from their two latest qualifying games.

Firstly Denmark could only manage a draw in their home game clash against Portugal on September 5th, and then, surprisingly, did not appear to show any signs of improvement against a much less-fancied Albanian team today (September 9), as they drew once more.

A couple of months back when I wrote up my predictions for these matches, Denmark were in a much better position, being three points clear of Hungary and they appeared to have a relatively easy path by comparison.

At that time I predicted that Denmark would beat Albania, but would only really need to if any other team in the group also managed to get a win or two.

Hungary needed to, at least, get draws in order to stay in contention but they have now lost twice in succession. In their match against Sweden on Saturday, defeat came courtesy of a show-stopping last minute goal from Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Then today they were edged out by Portugal, whose victory has seen them rise to third place in the Group Table.

Hungary are just behind, level on points but with a slightly unfavourable goal ratio. It must be very frustrating for the Hungarian team to be in fourth place despite having achieved more wins than Portugal in the qualifying stage.

These losses have allowed Sweden to move to within two points of the leader, and should they prevail against Denmark next month then they will guarantee their place at the World Cup, while Denmark would then need to fight their way through the next stage in order to stay in contention.

It was absolutely crucial for Denmark to win today's game against Albania and they failed to do that. Now they have two matches ahead against strong opponents, firstly against Sweden on October 10th, and then against Hungary on October 14th. The one positive factor for Denmark is that both matches will be home games for them.

The crucial factor for Denmark's hopes may come down to whether the Hungarian team are demoralized after their "fall from grace" or whether they are determined to play with spirit and salvage some pride, though they have little realistic hope of actually making it through to qualification now.

But the real problem for Denmark is that Sweden's last match will be a home game against Albania and they have always been expected to win that one.

If Denmark can beat Sweden then they will be completely safe. If the result is a draw then Denmark are in serious danger, while a loss would be an unmitigated disaster. In that case the only chance that Denmark have to stay in front, is in the unlikely scenario of Sweden losing the home game to Albania.

This is how it works mathematically:

If Denmark beats Sweden then their lead increases 21-15 and they are safe, as in that case Sweden can only get a maximum of six points (taking their total to 18), and neither Portugal nor Hungary can score any more than 19 points, requiring one or the other team to win both of their remaining matches.

If the result between Denmark and Sweden is a draw, then for the moment the status quo is maintained, as Denmark will still be three points ahead (19-16), but it could then possibly become essential to defeat Hungary.

The only thing that can change that is if Portugal and Hungary draw against each other, which would mean that neither of those teams would have any chance of ousting Denmark from the top spot.

And finally a loss to Sweden would mean that Sweden draw level with Denmark to 18-18 with one apparently easy match still ahead of them, while Denmark would face Hungary in their final qualifying match.

Currently it is very close, but the Swedes are looking in a more promising position at the moment. If Denmark had defeated Albania then everything would be so different.

Now the results are going to really matter, and none more so than the outcome of Denmark v Sweden on October 10th. You won't want to miss that one if you're hoping to see either of these teams go through.

Sweden striker Marcus Berg looks set to be the hottest property to emerge from the Under-21 European Championships this summer.

The Under-21 hitman blasted a superb hat-trick in the hosts' opening 5-1 demolition of Belarus earlier in the week and the big guns across Europe are sure to send scouts to check on the Groningen man in the remainder of the tournament.

The 22-year-old showed lightning speed, terrific movement and fine heading and finishing ability as Sweden came from behind to overpower Belarus in Malamo with the help of Berg's well-taken treble.

Berg, who was born in Torsby—the hometown of Sven-Goran Eriksson—has not played for the Under-21 side for over year after making the senior side, but he took little time to settle back in and almost headed home a fourth goal only for the Belarus keeper to make a terrific flying stop.

Numerous clubs both in England and on the Continent will be keeping an eye on his progress in the tougher tests to come against Italy Under-21s and Serbia Under-21s and his Dutch club side will have a battle to keep hold of him.

Groningen landed Berg in 2007 for £2.5million from IFK Gothenburg after he helped them to the Swedish title by scoring 14 goals in 17 matches.

Since then Berg has developed in the Eredivisie and blasted 30 goals in his first 50 Dutch top-flight games, which has seen him capped by the Swedish senior side.

Berg in fact scored his first senior international goal in the 4-0 World Cup qualifying win over Malta earlier this month.

Now that we are officially within one year of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Finals, it's safe to say that excitement is building around the anticipation of this huge world event taking place in South Africa.

Qualifying will be finished by Nov. 18, and then the world will be in a frenzy of ticket buying and flight arranging until the start date of June 11, 2010.

But this World Cup could have a little different flavor than those of recent years past.  The only surprise misses of 2006 were Greece and Denmark (both in the same group), and Greece solely because it had won EURO 2004 by surprise.  In 2002, there were really no surprise misses at all.

In 2010, qualification has been all jumbled up, and the possibilities of surprise teams left out and put in are endless.  Here's a look at the biggest names that could well miss the tournament, succeeded by a look at the unproven countries searching for that one breakthrough bid.  There are different qualification procedures for the six FIFA confederations and complicated seedings, so those rules can be found here.

Big Qualification Flops

Poland

Third in Group Three of UEFA (three points behind Northern Ireland and five points behind Slovakia)

Lost 3-2 to Northern Ireland, 2-1 to Slovakia, and tied Slovenia 1-1

Made the two previous World Cups

Remaining games: Northern Ireland, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Slovakia

Czech Republic

Fourth in Group Three of UEFA (five points behind Northern Ireland and seven points behind Slovakia)

Lost 2-1 to both Poland and Slovakia, tied 0-0 with both Slovenia and Northern Ireland

Made 2006 World Cup and sported one of the Cup's youngest rosters

Remaining games: Slovakia, San Marino, Poland, Northern Ireland

Portugal

Third in Group One of UEFA (four points behind Hungary and seven points behind Denmark)

Lost 3-2 to Denmark, Tied 0-0 with Sweden twice and Albania once

Made the two previous World Cups and took fourth place in 2006

Remaining games: Denmark, Hungary, Hungary, Malta

Sweden

Third in Group One of UEFA (four points behind Hungary and seven points behind Denmark)

Lost 1-0 to Denmark, Tied 0-0 with Portugal twice and Albania once

Made the two previous World Cups and made the Round of 16 in 2006

Remaining games: Hungary, Malta, Denmark, Albania

Mexico

Fourth in CONCACAF (one point behind Honduras)

Lost to Honduras 3-1 and to El Salvador 2-1

Made the four previous World Cups and made the Round of 16 in 2006

Remaining games: USA, Costa Rica, Honduras, Trinidad and Tobago

Big Qualification Surprises

Chile

Second in CONMEBOL (one point behind Brazil)

1-0 win over Argentina

Hasn't made a bid since 1998

Remaining games: Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador

Honduras

Third in CONCACAF (five points behind Costa Rica)

3-1 win over Mexico

Hasn't made a bid since 1982

Remaining games: Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago, Mexico, USA, El Salvador

North Korea

Second in AFC Group B (four points behind South Korea)

1-0 win over Saudi Arabia

Hasn't made a bid since 1978

Remaining game: Saudi Arabia

Ranked 106th in the world by FIFA/Coca-Cola

Hungary

Second in Group One of UEFA (three points behind Denmark)

0-0 tie with Denmark

Hasn't made a bid since 1986

Remaining games: Sweden, Portugal x2, Denmark

Slovakia

First in Group Three of UEFA

2-1 wins over Czech Republic, Northern Ireland and Poland

Has never made a bid

Remaining games: Czech Republic, Northern Ireland, Slovenia, Poland

Northern Ireland

Second in Group Three of UEFA (two points behind Slovakia)

3-2 win over Poland, 0-0 tie with Czech Republic

Hasn't made a bid since 1986

Remaining games: Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic

Will our 2010 FIFA World Cup have a drastically different look than it has in many years?

We can count on Africa to give us something we haven't seen before.  But how will Europe play out, and will North Korea win its final game? 

Only time will tell, but as we wait and watch, one can only wonder what these surprises might do to the future of international football.

Portugal needed a goal deep into injury time to eventually defeat Albania and keep them in contention in their World Cup Qualifying group.

Defender Bruno Alves struck in the third minute of added time at the end of the match to secure the precious three points for Portugal, enough to probably keep coach Carlos Queiroz in a job until at least the start of next season.

Striker Hugo Almeida had initially given Queiroz’s side the lead in the 28^thminute, but this lead lasted barely a minute before the home side struck straight back with an equaliser from Erjon Bogdani.

Portugal appeared to be heading for their fourth consecutive draw in the group before Alves late goal salvaged the three points and moved them to within four points of second-placed Hungary who they still have to play twice next season.

The other game in the group saw Denmark travel to Solna to take on Sweden and it was Morten Olsen’s visiting side that would leave with the win which moved them three points clear at the top of the group.

However, it could have all been so different for the Swedes when they were awarded a penalty early on in the first-half, but Kim Kallstrom’s effort from the spot was poor and Thomas Sorenson pulled off the save.

Ten minutes later at the mid-point of the first-half and Sweden were made to pay for missing such a golden opportunity when Denmark’s Thomas Kahlenberg seized on a defensive error to fire in what would prove to be the winning goal.

Sweden are now ten points behind their Scandinavian neighbours and seven behind Hungary, albeit with a game in hand.

They face Maltaon Wednesday in the last group match of the season but will do so without captain Henrik Larsson who was yesterday forced to quit the national camp ahead of the qualifier after the death of his younger brother.

Group 1 Results, Fixtures and Standings

Sat 06 June       Albania 1 – 2 Portugal

                        Sweden 0 – 1 Denmark

Wed 10 June     Sweden vs. Malta, (Gothenburg)

                        P   PTS

1 Denmark        6   16

2 Hungary         6   13

3 Portugal         6   9

4 Sweden          5   6

5 Albania           8   6

6 Malta             7   1

The 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship kicks off on Monday, Jun. 15 and runs for two weeks as eight of Europe’s finest teams battle to be crowned champions of Europe.

The draw is split into two groups of four, each team playing each other once with the top two from each group progressing to face off in the semi-finals.

Below, I preview the nations making up Group A of the 17th staging of the UEFA competition, hosted for the first time in Sweden.

My Group B Preview can be found here.

Belarus

Belarus finished second behind Serbia in Group Eight by virtue of their head-to-head record in an impressive campaign in which they only suffered one defeat (away to Serbia).

They faced a tough tie against Turkey in the Playoffs and went down 1-0 in the away leg before turning things around at home with a 2-0 win to secure qualification.

Dmitri Komarovski finished as the team’s top scorer with four goals in qualifying. Sergei Kryvets is perhaps their highest rated player, having made his mark scoring against Juventus in this season’s UEFA Champions League for club side BATE Borisov.

This is only Belarus’ second appearance at the Under-21 finals, having only previously qualified in 2004 in a side starring Aleksandr Hleb where they exited at the group stage.

Italy

Pierluigi Casiraghi’s Italy topped Group One with an unbeaten record, winning seven of their ten matches as they finished two points clear of Croatia.

They then faced Israel in the Playoffs and appeared to struggle initially after a goalless draw in the home leg. However, an impressive 3-1 win in Israel in the second leg secured qualification.

Mario Balotelli scored twice in their win in Israel, and big things will be expected of the young Inter Milan forward if he is selected to lead the line this summer.

Italy is the most successful country in the history of the competition with five wins—the first three of which were all back-to-back in 1992, 1994, and 1996.

Andrea Pirlo was named Player of the Tournament in 2000 when the Italians triumphed again and their most recent success was in 2004.

Serbia

Serbia finished on top of Group Eight by virtue of their head-to-head record against runners-up Belarus after both nations finished level on 17 points in a hard fought section.

They played Denmark in the Playoffs for the right to compete in the final tournament this summer, and impressed as they won both legs 1-0 to book their tickets to Sweden this summer.

Gojko Kačar top scored in qualifying with six goals in eight games and helped primarily by his record five goal haul in an 8-0 mauling of Hungary, a feat unequalled in Serbian history.

Runners-up to Holland two years ago, Serbia is continuing their rich history at this level having also finished second in 2004 competing as Serbia and Montenegro.

Sweden

Sweden qualified automatically as hosts, so did not participate in the group stage of playoff qualifiers.

They played ten friendlies in 2008, posting a record of four wins, four draws, and two defeats.

Sweden’s finest hour in previous competitions came in 1992, when a Thomas Brolin inspired side lost to Italy in the final. Their most recent impressive showing was a semi-final defeat on penalties in 2004, the last time they competed in the final tournament.

Group A Fixtures

Tue Jun. 16 Sweden vs. Belarus

Tue Jun. 16 Italy vs. Serbia

Fri Jun. 19 Sweden vs. Italy

Fri Jun. 19 Belarus vs. Serbia

Tue Jun. 23 Serbia vs. Sweden

Tue Jun. 23 Belarus vs. Italy

Part Six in a series of articles that make up the players of the 2009 Los Angeles Sol.

When one thinks of that Swedish Damallsvenskan powerhouse that is Umea IK, the Manchester United of Swedish women's football (okay, maybe it's too big of a stretch to say that; it's more toward a Chelsea or Arsenal if you consider Djurgardens), one thinks of Marta Vieira da Silva.

Indeed, the Brazilian sensation has been the backbone behind Los Angeles's current success.

But did you know that there is another player from Umea that is from Sweden on our roster?

Yes, indeed.

And that player is defender Johanna Frisk. (Who is a fan of Manchester United, by the way—hence my previous comparison.)

Frisk's road to joining her fellow teammate has been a topic of discussion ever since she signed. But if you were to think that her acquisition was all a ploy to have Marta on the team, you are sadly mistaken.

The Swedish international is a strong player in her own right, and has provided depth defensively for Abner Rogers' club this year.

Johanna Frisk was born on March 19, 1986 in Björklinge, Sweden. Björklinge is a small town of 3,186 (as of 2006) in Uppsala County, bordering the Baltic Sea and the counties of Södermanland, Västmanland, Gävleborg, and Stockholm.

Uppsala, the capital of the County, is the seat of the only archbishop of the Lutheran Church of Sweden, the country's largest church. It is also the home of Uppsala University, founded in 1477, and is one of the world's top 100 universities.

Frisk began her footballing career as a member of Sportklubben IRON, a co-ed sports club in Björklinge which also fields teams in tennis, table tennis, ice hockey, and bandy—which is a sport similar to ice hockey but with different rules and uses a ball instead of a puck.

It was through SK Iron that she built her footballing foundation of talent. It was in 2006 when she signed with Umea IK and played three seasons with Marta, who was already making a name for herself with the club.

After playing a supporting role in winning league titles in 2006, 2007, and 2008 along with runner-up finishes in 2007 and 2008, Frisk was selected by the Los Angeles Sol as a Post-Draft Discovery Player in Women's Professional Soccer (WPS).

However, the move was met with unrestrained contempt by those in her homeland.

Patrick Ekwall, a news anchorman for TV4, one of Sweden's major television networks, went so far in his blog to say (and this is a paraphrase), "The move makes a mockery of women's football here in this country. Johanna Frisk is not a superstar, and she was only recruited to Los Angeles because of her relationship with Marta."

Not a superstar, the pundits say? 

Nothing can be farther from the truth.

She already is part of a company of stars, gracing alongside Aya Miyama, Han Duan, Camille Abily, Karina LeBlanc, Martina Franko, Shannon Boxx, and Stephanie Cox. 

There is a phrase in Latin, one which is the state motto of New Mexico: Crescit Eundo. It grows as it goes. The possibility, if not inevitability, of Frisk playing a more significant role as a defender grows as she gets more playing time in the WPS.

Already she is on the roster for the 2009 team that will be competing in UEFA Women's Euro 2009 in Finland.

There will be people who will say that Johanna Frisk has no right to be playing with the best team in WPS right now. There will be those who rub their chins and wonder why Frisk even set foot on American soil, saying "You can't say Frisk without 'Risk."

That's true, and those detractors will be there. But respect cannot be given; it must be earned.

And with an under-the-radar player like the No. 21 making her presence on the field with the best the world has to offer on Victoria Street, the respect will come.

Sounds like a "Frisk" well taken, isn't it?

It’s confirmed: A last-ditch attempt to move the Davis Cup tie to Stockholm has failed, meaning there will be no fans allowed in the stadium during the Sweden vs. Israel Davis Cup tie next week in Malmo, Sweden.

Local officials expect up to 12,000 people to gather outside the stadium for a “Stop the Match” protest that they fear could turn violent. 

So they’re choosing to keep the tie closed to spectators, despite safety assurances from police and pressure from both the Swedish Tennis Association and the ITF.

ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti has said: “We do not agree with the decision by the Malmo authorities to exclude the public, and even at this late date, maintain our request that the decision not to allow spectators be reconsidered.”

Andy Ram, the Israeli tennis player who was at the center of the Dubai visa controversy last week also protested the decision: “When I heard about the decision playing without a crowd, that freaked me out. This is really something bad I think, and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

This is the second time in Davis Cup history that a tie will be closed to spectators in Sweden. The first was in 1975, when Sweden played Chile in Bastad two years after a military coup led by Augusto Pinochet against the elected Chilean government of Salvador Allende.

Here’s the full story from Yahoo Sports:

MALMO, Sweden (AP)—About 1,000 police from seven countries will handle security for Sweden’s Davis Cup match against Israel next week amid fears that protests could turn violent.

Police commissioner Hakan Jarborg Eriksson said Thursday that officials expect a “Stop the Match” protest, formed after Israel’s offensive in Gaza started in December, to be relatively calm. But there are fears that protests from small, radical groups could turn violent, he said.

The first-round World Group match will be played March 6-8 without fans at the 4,000-seat Baltic Hall. Only teams, officials, some sponsors and journalists will be allowed to enter the hall.

Organizers of a “Stop the Match” campaign expect 8,000 to 12,000 people will demonstrate on March 7 before the Davis Cup doubles match.

“They have said that they want to stop the match at all costs,” Jarborg Eriksson told Swedish news agency TT.

Left-wing groups, human rights organizations and pro-Palestinian groups also plan to demonstrate during the best-of-five series.

The Israeli team is scheduled to arrive Sunday. Sweden’s squad is practicing in Stockholm this weekend before heading to Malmo.

This week in Dubai, Andy Ram of Israel played in a tennis tournament under heavy security and body guards. Ram was granted a visa by the government after Shahar Peer of Israel was denied a visa for the women’s tournament because of security concerns.

Malmo, Sweden’s third largest city, has a left-leaning local government and a large Muslim minority. Its leaders have strongly criticized Israel over the Gaza invasion, and some have called for the Davis Cup match to be dropped altogether.

Malmo officials announced last week that the match played behind closed doors after a vote on the issue in the city’s recreational committee. The committee said it could not guarantee security for the fans.

It will be the second time a Davis Cup match is played in an empty arena in Sweden. In 1975, Sweden played Chile in Bastad without spectators. That was two years after a military coup led by Augusto Pinochet against the elected Chilean government of Salvador Allende.

A seven-time Davis Cup champion, Sweden also played Israel last year in the first round and won 3-2 near Tel Aviv.

I understand and encourage the right of people to protest, but what about the players’ and fans’ rights to enjoy the Davis Cup? This whole situation is twisted and sad , and a bad example of political grandstanding.

For the past three years, I've had these two Swedish twins as a part of my fantasy team (I'm talking about hockey!).

Henrik, and Daniel Sedin. Daniel, No. 22, and Henrik, No. 33, have shown, and are still showing Vancouver and the rest of the league how dangerous a line with good chemistry can be.

Just take a quick glance at Henrik and Daniel's career stats. Now, I didn't link you to the same stat page twice. They're just that good together. It almost seems like it doesn't matter who Vigneault throws in there as the right winger to accompany this dynamic duo. They're just that good.

The Sedin brothers are participating in their 8th NHL season, all of them with the Canucks, together. As you can see from their stats page, even their junior hockey career was spent alongside each other. During the lockout, they headed back home and played for their old club, together, in the Swedish Elite League. Even go back to the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, Daniel was picked 2nd overall, Henrik was picked 3rd. They're inseparable, and unstoppable.

It's no surprise to me that it is rumored that the twins are seeking a 'no separation clause' in their upcoming contracts. With their history of always being together, why not? Who is going to split them up and take one and not the other?

They know how productive they are and how significant the other is to their success in the NHL. Look at their career point total, it speaks volumes. Daniel Sedin: 439 points; Henrik Sedin: 435.

This is why they're near the top of my fantasy picks every year. I can't just pick one. Once I pick the first twin, I HAVE to select the second one next. When the Canucks are hot, my team is hot.

If the Canucks score four goals, you can bet the Sedins factored in at least two of them. And if one of them factored, there's a good chance the other one did, resulting in me dominating my opponent that week.

Granted, it backfires a little if the Canucks go on a skid, but as two forwards on the top line of an offensive team, I'll still get points from them. If only I had a better strategy for the rest of my team.

They've also had the blessing of having good health—both of them. Between the two of them, they've yet to have a season where they play less than 75 games, eight seasons with 82 games played, and both of them have skated in all 60 of the Canucks' matches this year. Consistently top notch, and consistently healthy. A coach's and GM's dream.

I seriously am at a loss to state anything BAD about these two brothers. Can you think of anything? 60-80 point scorers, an unprecedented playing history together, and fans love them. They're funny, polite, and skilled. True role models of the NHL.

The only thing bad I can say is that they might get pricey if they continue to produce the way they do. Can you imagine Vancouver ever letting these two go? Ouch. I wouldn't be able to bare watching them in anything else but blue, white, and green.

Once, after a game Henrik was too tired to do the post game interview, so he had his brother Daniel do it for him. What a brother!! Nobody knew or noticed, either, until they mentioned it in an NHL.com interview months later.

I almost forgot about their international play. Yes, they play for team Sweden, together, of course. They were a key element to the Swedish prevalence in the Olympics in 2006.

Yes, that's right, together, the Sedins and the rest of the Swedes of the NHL took down Canada, Russia, and the rest of the world to win the gold medal in Turin. These twins are special.

Here's to the Sedins, for showing us fans about family, hard work, and having a good time while keeping a passion to win.

Wow, it’s another sad story for tennis, as Swedish city council members have deemed it too dangerous to allow fans into the upcoming tie between Sweden and Israel March 6 - 8th. This decision comes after the local police deemed it safe enough to let the public in! What the heck?

This is unacceptable. Davis Cup is all about national pride in competition and cross-cultural fan participation. If a host nation can’t provide necessary security then they shouldn’t be the host nation. I think the city council is reacting more to public pressure than a justifiably uncontrollable threat. This is SHAMEFUL! Above all, I feel for the players, who are representing their respective countries and deserve to play in front of their fans. What a sad tie this is going to be.

Check out this article from Sweden’s The Local:

No fans allowed for Israel tennis match

Published: 18 Feb 09 17:31 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/17676/20090218/

Sweden’s upcoming Davis Cup tennis match against Israel will be held behind closed doors, Malmö city council ruled on Wednesday. The decision follows a vocal campaign against the match in protest at the situation in the Middle East.

The match was scheduled to be played from March 6th to 8th at the Baltiska Hallen venue, which can hold 4,000 spectators. Police had said the match could go ahead and that the public could be admitted.

The decision to ban the public was made by the council’s sports and recreation committee on Wednesday afternoon. A Social Democrat and Left Party-led motion to have the match played in an empty hall was passed by five votes to four.

A “Stop the Match” campaign has been underway in Sweden since Israel’s offensive in Gaza erupted last December, and thousands of demonstrators are expected to rally outside the Baltiska Hallen during the match, according to campaign organizers and police.

But the chairman of the sports and recreation committee, Bengt Forsberg (SocDem), insisted that there was no political motive behind his party’s support for the spectator ban:

“This is absolutely not a boycott. We do not take political positions on sporting events,” he told The Local.

“We have made a judgment that this is a high-risk match for our staff, for players and for officials.”

Forsberg conceded that police had given the event the green light, but added: “ultimately, Malmö council is responsible for safety and security.”

But local Moderate Party representatives were furious at the outcome of the vote, arguing that the match could have gone ahead with spectators and heightened security:

“I don’t think we should allow anti-democratic forces to decide how we run sporting events,” John Roslund, a Moderate Party member of the committee, told The Local.

“Both police and council officials have said that the match could go ahead,” Roslund added.

The Davis Cup match between the two countries hit the headlines in January when a prominent Social Democrat in southern Sweden likened Israel to apartheid South Africa and Nazi Germany in calling for a boycott.

“Israel is an apartheid state. I think Gaza is comparable to the Warsaw ghetto,” said Ingalill Bjartén, the vice chair for the Social Democratic women’s organization (S-kvinnor) in Skåne in southern Sweden, to the Sydsvenskan newspaper.

“I’m surprised that Israel – where large numbers of the population suffered under the Nazis – can do the exact same things the Nazis did.”

Oh boy, tennis is becoming more politicized than ever. This is pretty unavoidable, given the geopolitical situation, and in a way it says a lot about the meaning of our sport, that it can be used by various groups to make political statements. Unfortunately, it’s the fans and the players who suffer, while the politicians and protesters just move on to other targets. The fans, players and ultimately, the tours, need to fight against this over-politicization by promoting the many ways tennis brings all nations together in celebration of sport. Do you guys have any idea how we, as fans, could work on this?