UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Draw

Following several exciting qualification rounds and a group stage that saw the emergence of clubs like Tottenham Hotspur, FC København and FC Shakhtar Donetsk in Europe's foremost club soccer competition, the 2010/11 UEFA Champions League is now set for its knockout stages.

The draw for the tournament's Round of 16 took place took place in Nyon, Switzerland on Friday. As always seems to be the case with UEFA Champions League draws, soccer fans are left with several mouth-watering matchups. The foremost of these include:

• Inter Milan and Bayern Munich clashing in a rematch of last season's very entertaining final.
• FC Barcelona and Arsenal FC meeting in another rematch. This time it is of the 2006 final that saw Barca triumph.
• Impressive UEFA Champions League debutants Tottenham Hotspur returning to the San Siro to face seven-time champions AC Milan. Spurs topped a group featuring fellow San Siro residents Inter Milan in the last round of the competition.
• A repeat of last season's Round of 16 series between Real Madrid and Olympique Lyon that resulted in Madrid's elimination from the Champions League.

Group stage runners-up will play the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 at home on either the 15th/16th or 22nd/23nd of February, with the second legs taking place on either the 8th/9th or 15th/16th of March 2011.

Here are all of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 matchups:

AS Roma (ITA) v FC Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)
AC Milan (ITA) v Tottenham Hotspur FC (ENG)
Valencia CF (ESP) v FC Schalke 04 (GER)
Inter Milan FC (ITA) v FC Bayern München (GER)
Olympique Lyonnais (FRA) v Real Madrid CF (ESP)
Arsenal FC (ENG) v FC Barcelona (ESP)
Olympique de Marseille (FRA) v Manchester United FC (ENG)
FC København (DEN) v Chelsea FC (ENG)

All matches will be shown in the USA on Fox Soccer Channel. Selected matches are usually shown on regional Fox Sports networks on tape delay on the days that they are played.

Photo Credits: Getty Images

FC Barcelona Signs Shirt Sponsorship Deal with Qatar Sports Investments

Defending Spanish La Liga champions and current table-toppers FC Barcelona have signed the biggest shirt sponsorship deal in history with Qatar Sports Investments. The deal will run for 5 ½ years until 2016 and is worth €166 million ($222 USD). It was finalized on Monday at the Barca's iconic Camp Nou stadium between representatives of both entities.

The Catalan giants were the last major European club to have a jersey without a shirt sponsor until they started carrying the logo of international children's welfare body Unicef in 2006 as part of a partnership to raise awareness and funds to benefit children affected by HIV and AIDS.

According to a press release from Qatar Sports Investments:

The partnership will see Qatar Foundation, a private, non-profit organisation chaired by Her Highness Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser, as the club's new shirt sponsor from next season.

Qatar Foundation supports Qatar on its journey from carbon economy to knowledge economy by unlocking human potential through programs in education, scientific research and community development. The announcement follows the historic decision by FIFA to award Qatar the hosting rights for the first FIFA World Cup in the Middle East in 2022...

FC Barcelona and Qatar Foundation also remain committed to the club's existing relationship with Unicef. Unicef will continue to have a presence on the FCB shirt and receive significant contributions from the club over the next five years.

Photo Credits: Getty Images

Mercurial Vapor Superfly II - Traction on Demand: Featuring Zlatan

Directed by Edouard Salier.

Want to Be Like Kobe?

I remember the 'Be Like Mike' campaign way back when. Maybe I'm dating myself by admitting that, but it sure did compel me to get into NBA basketball.

Now, we're going to try something similar in order to bring in anyone who isn't yet a soccer fan.

Check out who is a soccer fan. If you guessed it by the title of this blog, then color yourself clever.

WARNING: Kobe playing soccer is about as pretty as MJ playing, yup, baseball. Anyone remember that horror?

Well, Kobe claims he got into soccer (and FC Barcelona) watching Ronaldinho, but I believe it's an homage to his new 7-foot teammate, Pao Gasol, who helped Bryant and his Lakers reach the NBA Finals last season, and who happens to have been born and bred in, yeah, Barcelona.

So, whatever your motivation, whether it's Kobe, Ronaldinho or even Pao Gasol, we hope you buy some FC Barcelona Jerseys or the

Booty-huggin' Shorts!

Barça hopes new kits bring old success

FC Barcelona launched their new home/away kits for the ‘08/09 season, and Barça fans, if you find yourself smiling when you see them, read on and you’ll see why:

Home Jersey

Official FC Barcelona Home Short-Sleeved Soccer Jersey from Nike. The '08/09 Barcelona strip will boast just two stripes separating either side of the shirt similar to the popular version used when the club first began to play professionally and also showcased in 1999 - the year of the club’s centenary. Includes the team badge embroidered on the left chest, Nike logo on right and UNICEF logo on center. With NikeFIT moisture control and wicking weave to keep you feeling fresh and energetic so you can go on cheering on Barça no matter how long the match goes on

Away Jersey

Official FC Barcelona Away Short-Sleeved Soccer Jersey from Nike. The amazing away kit for the 08/09 season is a combination of yellow and indigo. This away kit was also used in 1974 and again when sports kit manufacturers Meyba provided it in the 1980s and start of the 1990s. This new Barça away strip is one of Nike’s major successes: A version of the latest one was first produced in the 2005-06 season - the year the club won the League and Champions League double. Includes the team badge embroidered on the left chest, Nike logo on right and UNICEF logo on center. With NikeFIT moisture control and wicking weave to keep you feeling fresh and energetic so you can go on cheering on Barça no matter how long the match goes on.

For Barcelona standards, last season was terrible. This season brings in a new coach and already a star player in Danny Alves. Some of the core stars, like Iniesta, Xavi and Puyol showed this summer they’ve still got it, and so with a healthy Leo Messi, and Bojan coming into his own (not even talking about Ronnie and Eto’o yet) the guys should see some improvements in these new jerseys.