The Year in Futbol

Our favorite soccer story of the year comes from Croatia, where Goran Granic, a defender for HNK Hajduk Split, announced that he would not be playing very hard this season because of his conversion to Roman Catholicism. "I'm so devoted to God now that I have started to avoid committing fouls during matches," Granic said. "I could probably have saved some key goals during the season if I had committed fouls to stop players scoring." And suddenly, just like that, the Buzzsaw That Is The Arizona Cardinals season comes clearly into focus. Runnerup is not, as one might imagine, the Norwegian professional team with a 67-year old player on its roster. It is instead Richard Whing of England's Coventry City FC, who was placed on his team's injured list due to a pulled hamstring suffered while eating lasagna.

For Heaven's Sake, Kick Him [Uefa.com] Older Than The Old [Aftenposten] Sky Blues 0 Hull 2 [Iccoventry]