Today we come across a topic that has sparked growing interest in recent weeks: 2011 in association football. This person/topic/date has captured the public's attention and generated intense debate in society. That is why in this article we aim to shed light on the fundamental aspects related to 2011 in association football, offering a detailed analysis of its implications and consequences. Along these lines, we will explore the different angles from which 2011 in association football can be approached, with the aim of providing a complete and objective view on this matter. Without a doubt, this is a highly relevant topic that deserves to be addressed with depth and rigor, and that is precisely what we intend to achieve in the following lines.
The 2011–12 season is a transitional season of the Russian Premier League, as it will stretch over 18 months instead of the conventional 12 months. The unusual length of the season is the result of the decision to adapt the playing year to an autumn-spring rhythm similar to most of the other UEFA leagues.[citation needed]
The season will comprise two phases. The first phase will consist of a regular home-and-away schedule, meaning that each team will play the other teams twice for a total of 30 matches per team. The league will then be split into two groups for the second phase, where each team plays another home-and-away schedule against every other team of its respective group.
The top eight teams of the first phase will compete for the championship and the spots for both the 2012–13 Champions League and Europa League. Accordingly, the bottom eight teams will have to avoid relegation. The bottom two teams of this group will be directly relegated, while the 13th- and 14-placed teams will compete in a relegation/promotion playoff with the third- and fourth-placed teams of the 2011–12 National League Championship.
Headlines
5 January: Kristine Lilly, whose 352 appearances for the US women's national team made her the most-capped player in the sport's history, announced her retirement after an international career that started shortly after her 16th birthday in 1987.
31 January: The 4th highest transfer fee in football history (£49.5m) was recorded, when Fernando Torres signed for Chelsea from Liverpool. Andy Carroll's same-day move from Newcastle United to Liverpool for £35m was the eighth highest fee received for a player.
June: trials started for people allegedly involved in fixing Finnish football matches. One team, Tampere United was indefinitely suspended from Finnish football for accepting payments from a person known for match-fixing.
11 September: The first official match of the recently built, 41,000 seated Juventus Stadium, Juventus 4 – 1 Parma, where Stephan Lichtsteiner scored the first goal in the new stadium on the 17th minute.
The 61st FIFA Congress was held in Zurich, Switzerland between 31 May and 1 June. At the congress, Sepp Blatter was re-elected as the President of FIFA.
Continental champions
Several international continental tournaments were held to determine berths into the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup.
Most notably, FC Barcelona of Spain's La Liga won the 2011 UEFA Champions League Final against Manchester United of the English Premier League 3–1. The UEFA Champions League is considered by some to be the most preeminent club competition in the World, even more so than the Club World Cup, primarily due to the financial strength of European teams in contrast to clubs in the Americas, Asia, Africa and Oceania.
Elsewhere, the 2011 CONCACAF Champions League Finals was historic in the essence that it was the first final in the modern North American champions league-era not to feature an all-Mexican final. Nevertheless, Monterrey of Mexico's Premiera Division won the 2011 title 3–2 on aggregate over Real Salt Lake of the United States' Major League Soccer. Salt Lake became the first American club to reach a Champions League final, as well as the first American side to reach a top-tier North American club championship since Los Angeles Galaxy in 2000.
New Zealander teams continued their dominance in the OFC Champions League as Auckland City won their second OFC Champions League honor against Amicale of Vanuatu's Premia Divisen.
This article's factual accuracy may be compromised due to out-of-date information. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(July 2012)