Soccer by the numbers: Chapter One

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Sports is all about numbers, financial and otherwise, so here are a few to ponder on an an election-eve Monday:

0 -- What remains of the Mapaches (Raccoons) of Nueva Italia after the Mexican soccer federation expelled the third-division team from the league and expunged all its records because of the club’s alleged ties to drug trafficking.

1 -- The number of professional players on the East Timor national team, which recently tied Cambodia in Phnom Penh to earn its first point in six years as an independent nation. The lone pro is Portuguese-born defender Alfredo Esteves, who used to play in the U.S. with the Minnesota Thunder and New Hampshire Phantoms.

2 --The number of ski chalets owned in Colorado by Chelsea’s billionaire Russian owner Roman Abramovich.

6 --The number of Spaniards among the 23 players nominated to be the 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year. The six, all from Spain’s victorious Euro 2008 team, are: goalkeeper Iker Casillas, midfielders Cesc Fabregas, Andres Iniesta and Xavi, and forwards David Villa and Fernando Torres.

19 --The number of years that have passed since Portugal last played Brazil in Brazil. The teams square off in a friendly international on Nov. 19 in Brasilia.

35 --The age of South Korea goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae, better known as ‘Spider Hands,’ who has been recalled to the national team for a World Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia after being banished for a year following a post-loss drinking binge.

550 --The length, in feet, of the yacht that Chelsea’s Abramovich is having built for his personal enjoyment.

10,000 --The number of fans who traveled 531 miles from Kyushu to Tokyo to see Oita Trinita defeat the Shimizu S-Pulse to win its first major trophy, the J-League Cup.

130,600 --The amount, in dollars, that Italy’s Sienna is offering Brazilian striker Ronaldo for each goal he scores if he joins the Serie A side and helps it avoid relegation.

182,000 --The cost, in dollars, of the Germany luxury car that Joseph ‘Sepp’ Blatter, FIFA’s president, recently overturned in a road accident when he tried to overtake another vehicle and slammed into an oncoming car.

-- Grahame L. Jones

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