I've recently written an article on Soccerlens regarding UEFA's financial fair-play, while at first many of you might not be very interested in what Platini wants to do in the future, you probably should be. The article runs over the catastrophic debt in European football, the dependance of teams on the Champions League, and how Platini wants to reduce 5.5 billion Euros of debt by 2017.

The clubs in the top five leagues in the world (England, Spain, Italy, Germany, France) have accumulated 5.5 billion Euros of debt, and Platini wants to reduce that money so that clubs can be run like proper businesses.

The article is entitled "UEFA's Financial Fair-play and why we should care", a complete rundown which will either convince you that the little French head of UEFA is mad or a genius. Check it out and comment on it.

Serie A previews

Another interesting thing you should know is that on Serie A Talk, I'm teaming up with another writer to preview all 20 teams of the top Italian league. Find out the new transfers, the way that the teams will play, and youngsters to watch out for. If you're interested in Serie A, then you should certainly check out these previews.

I "like" SWU

The last and final thing is to mention that SWU has now incorporated Facebook "like" buttons at the top of every post. This is in hope that you will "like" it, then all your friends will see it, and then they will visit the site! An impeccable formula that relies on you to "like" the posts that you like. So feel free to like this post, and share it with all your friends, and don't forget to become a fan of the SWU facebook page, and follow us on Twitter.

I mentioned in my previous post that I received a 2009/2010 Inter Milan home shirt of Mario Balotelli, signed by the Italian forward. Along with a couple of photos of the shirt, I've also put up a couple of photos of a signature I got from Julio Cruz, retired Argentinean striker who played most notably for Inter Milan and lastly Lazio.

Here are some pictures of the shirt and the signature (which for some reason are backwards because I used a mac, which isn't mine, to take the photos):

The signature in Italian which says, "To Niccolo, Mario Balotelli 45, with friendship"

The signature in Italian which says, "To Niccolo with lots of affection Julio Cruz"

A close-up of the reversed signature, which in the middle has "J. Cruz"

Here is how "The Chance" works:

1. Must be male and 18 years old by July 1st 2011 
2. Create a facebook fan page
3. Enter the competition, "The Chance" by Nike
4. Promote yourself with videos, photos, and more
5. Build a following
6. Be chosen to go to the Nike Academy
7. Get scouted, get signed

Bartek Kalanski

And so, SWU has decided to follow an aspiring player in his quest to become a professional footballer, Bartek Kalanski, a young Polish goalkeeper.


Here's his bio:

Name: Bartek Kalanski
Position: Goalkeeper
Age: 17
Height: 179 cm
Weight: 65 kg
Club: New College Football Academy
Nationality: Polish

Right now Bartek has 1221 Facebook fans (and growing), but he needs as many as he can get to have the chance to join the Nike Academy. Bartek has some great videos up on his facebook page, so be sure to check them out and become a fan of it.

As Bartek goes through his journey to become a professional goalkeeper, Soccer Wrap Up will be following him and providing you with updates on how he's doing. SWU might even be able to get photos, videos and more from Bartek on his quest and his skills, so check out

So be sure to follow Bartek on facebook as he could become a future professional goalkeeper!