Bayern Munich win 24th Bundesliga title

It has been decided, Bayern Munich are in a league of their own, after they recorded their 19th consecutive Bundesliga win which saw them crowned champions of Germany for the 24th time with a record seven games to spare after victory at Hertha BSC.

Bayern managed to clinch the league by winning 25 of their first 27 games this season and tied the other two. In those 27 games they scored 79 goals and conceded 13.

They've won the title in March, even though the season ends in May. The most important part is that they won it in style, with a 3-1 win over Hertha BSC last night.

Moreover, the win over Hertha BSC was their 52nd league game without defeat, while they have won 10 consecutive away matches in the league. The old record was nine - set by them last season.

Bayern have also taken one game off their own record, set last season, for the earliest confirmed league win and are still on course to finish the season unbeaten.

PEP GUARDIOLA

In his debut season, Pep Guardiola has now won three titles in nine months, the UEFA Super Cup, Club World Cup and now the Bundesliga.

"I'm pleased we've done it. Another trophy for this club is important."

Pep Guardiola

HERTHA BSC v BAYERN MUNICH

Toni Kroos opened the scoring for Bayern in the 6th minute after a Thomas Mueller cross.

Eight minutes later Mario Gotze made it 2-0 with a well-placed header following Bastion Schweinsteiger's cross.

Bayern could've went to the break leading Hertha BSC 3-0 as Mueller headed off the crossbar.

In the 66th minute Adrian Ramos pulled a goal back for the hosts through a penalty after he was fouled by Rafinha.

Although Bayern were ahead 2-1, they were not finished substitute Ribery's 79th-minute strike secured the win that gave Bayern a 25 point lead at the top of the table with 7 matches remaining.

Manchester Derby: United 0-3 City

An awful start by David Moyes' men as Nasri hit the ball to the near post, it hit the post but found the feet of Džeko and he slotted the first goal for Manchester City in 44 seconds of the match.

If you allow your opponents to take multiple shots at your goal, until they score, that means something is wrong with not only your defence.

10 minutes had passed and Manchester United hardly had any ball possession and whenever City caught United napping, they would counter-attack and put major pressure on United's defence and goalkeeper.

In addition, United gave City the space to do whatever they wanted. City could pass the ball around freely and also move closer to goal without United blocking them out.

At times Phil Jones would move into a midfield position and leave the back lacking defensively. It appeared he didn't know what his role was anymore.

United unnecessarily gave the ball away very cheaply to an already attacking City. Their clearances were not up to par, not to mention their passes, they didn't time their passes well enough.

Fellaini blatantly elbowed Zabaleta, and although he tried to argue his way out of it, the referee was having none of that and booked him.

However, by the stroke of halftime, United looked more composed. Everything that went wrong in the beginning of the derby began to subside. They were beginning to find their feet again and gained possession they never had in the start. Both Mata and Rooney being the playmakers for the Red Devils, pushing the ball forward.

Clichy had been defending well for City at left back. It seemed like United were targeting Zabaleta as he suffered multiple fouls. However, City headed to halftime with a 1-0 lead at Old Trafford.

The second half began similarly to the first. City had the possession, attacked often while United shuffled around to keep the score 1-0. However, this time United recovered quickly. They went for the ball and had some chances around goal.

Unfortunately the Duchess might have spoken too soon because a corner found Džeko once more and he made no mistake in scoring his second of the match and his 20th for City.

However, there was no chance of a hat-trick for Džeko as he was substituted for Negredo.

In the last 10 minutes of the match, things started to dumb down, regardless of the penalty appeal from Zabaleta and the free kick to United after a Kompany challenge.

However, that was until Yaya Toure got his name on the score sheet in stoppage time, as he sent the ball across the goalkeeper and into the far corner.

At last the final whistle sounded. On the one hand, City head to 2nd position on the log. On the other hand, United suffered their 10th defeat of the season, the most in any season.

My thoughts on Moyes ...
OFF WITH HIS HEAD!!!

El Clásico: 7 Goals, 3 Penalties, 1 Winner

I do not support Real Madrid or Barcelona. I simply wanted Barcelona to win so they can keep up with Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid who both sit on 70 points. Barcelona winning the match would still keep them in 3rd position on the table, but they would be 1 point behind the leaders. I just want to keep the title race interesting.

Casillas on the bench?

Interesting ... I guess Diego López has definitely made a name for himself.

It only took 7 minutes for a goal to be scored. Iniesta made an incredible left foot strike, scored the first goal and his 50th.

Benzema was on fire, already with a second shot at goal. This time with a similar strike as Iniesta, but he couldn't find the back of the net as his shot went too high.

In the 20th minute, a cross from Di María and a header from Benzema found the equaliser for Real Madrid. Although Victor Valdés got hands on the ball, it wasn't enough to keep it out.

Four minutes later Benzema made a thunderous strike and sent the ball spinning into the back of the net.

A couple of minutes later, Benzema found himself on the brink of his hat-trick but Piqué cleared the ball off the line.

In the 42nd minute after squeezing the ball pass 4 Madrid players, Messi scored the equaliser. However, his celebration was short-lived as Pepe and Alves were booked for pushing each other around.

Before the stroke of half time, once again, Benzema came close to give Madrid the lead once again.

At halftime, both teams went down the tunnel with 2 goals each.

Just after the start of the second half, Benzema was behind yet another shot, but his effort was saved by Valdés. That could've been goal 4 or 5 for the Frenchman.

Minutes later, Alvez clipped CR7 outside the box but CR7 fell inside the box, and the referee pointed to the spot. CR7 had no trouble scoring the penalty and gave Madrid the lead once more.

Another left footed shot by Iniesta was sent the ball a few inches above the goal.

Sergio Ramos was then shown a red card after bringing Neymar down in the penalty box.

(Was the red card a harsh call?)

Anyway, Barcelona was handed a penalty and Messi pulled a CR7 - scored the penalty - and equalised for the Catalans.

Surprisingly, Benzema who was on a hat-trick, was substituted. Ancelotti must have brought on Varane to even things out defensively.

Alves could've given Barcelona their second lead of the game but his shot hit the far post.

In the 84th minute, Iniesta tried to squeeze through Xabi Alonso and Carvajal but landed on the ground. Barcelona was then handed their 2nd penalty of the evening. Messi converted the penalty, sending the ball into the top right hand corner and recorded another hat-trick for Barcelona. The Catalans then led Real Madrid 4-3 and that's how it remained until the final whistle.

Real Madrid supporters were completely stunned. I was stunned to. Madrid had the game in their hands and they just let it go.

I'm glad Barcelona won though. Now the game is on! Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid sit on 70 points and Barcelona is now 1 point behind them. This means each club will be on top of their game. One slip up will cost them the title. Everybody will be watching until the final whistle on the last day is blown.

If that El Clásico wasn't enough for you. There's another one on 16 April - Copa del Rey - I cannot wait.

Referees: Threatened, Beaten, Murdered

It begins with verbal abuse from players and spectators then escalates to physical violence.

Football officials are subjected to vulgar insults, threatened, chased off the field, attacked, hospitalised and tragically killed.

Is losing a match what started this violence?
Why would people destroy the 'beautiful game'?
When it comes to this, what is beautiful about it?

Murdered Officials
Richard Nieuwenhuizen
Nieuwenhuizen was knocked to the floor, punched and kicked in the head by players of the Nieuw-Sloten team. He eventually got back to his feet but he was knocked to the floor again. Later in the afternoon Nieuwenhuizen decided to watch another game but collapsed. An ambulance was called for him but later he died.

"Football is a mirror of society and sadly, the same ills that afflict society -- in this case violence -- also manifest themselves in our game," said FIFA president Sepp Blatter.

Hector Giner
Seventeen year old Hector Giner was brutally attacked in Burjassot, Valencia after attempting to send off a player who had insulted him. As Giner looked down and began to write in his notebook, the player, a policeman, 10 years his senior, struck Giner in the face, then delivered two kicks to the body as he lay face down on the ground. Giner lost his spleen and three litres of blood from the attack.

How can a grown man assault a 17 year old?
Doesn't he know that you cannot win it all.

And it keeps on happening ...
"Reports in Ghana suggest that a young referee has died as a result of injuries inflicted after fans had attacked him."

"Twenty-one-year-old Kyei Andoh had officiated a match in the Third Division between Gold Stars and Naajoe United last weekend, and was allegedly assaulted by the home fans." - Kick Off!

Preventative Measures
In South Africa, when the new stadiums were built, the supporters were moved further away from the touchline, thereby reducing their influence on officials.

Meanwhile, the English Football Association has taken an innovative approach to stopping violence against match officials by introducing the "Respect" program at grassroots level, using online videos to promote "effective dialogue" with players.
European soccer's ruling body UEFA also has its own Respect program.

"Respect and trust between players and referees -- which makes the referee's job easier -- or respect for the players from the fans."

Officials
Just look at how happy they are. Imagine if they quit something they loved to do. It wouldn't solve your problems, it would probably put football on hold for a while.

Can you imagine an official-free match? No referee, linesmen or fourth official. Everything is technologically controlled, with the inclusion of goal line technology.
Who would the players and supporters verbally abuse? A little box that makes all the decisions? Wow, now that would be something!

I won't lie, I've been there, with decisions going against Manchester United. I've wanted to climb through the telly, onto the pitch and scratch some eyeballs.


Vuvuzelas, coins, water bottles, toilet paper ... Its one thing to hurl insults at officials, but to act violently is another. Why attack an official? Is it because his decision went against you and your team? Or is it because you can't see straight?
Look at it this way ... If the decision was to benefit your team, you would not have behaved like a barbarian. But since the decision went against you, you chose the barbaric route.