2010–11 Ystalyfera RFC season
However, for the next hour Ystalyfera broke, not so much like a wave but more of a tsunami, all over their opponents. Across the field ‘Fera overpowered and left Mumbles well beaten. The next league game was a revenge victory at home over Aberavon Green Stars and the commendable run of wins narrowly came to an end up at Seven Sisters 19–24. One way victories over Taibach and Morriston left the remaining League fixtures against the top two sides, both needing to beat Ystalyfera to guarantee their promotion. Both matches went by the formbook with Ystalyfera keeping the powder dry for the West Wales Bowl Final. Down at Dunvant a victory over opponents Glynneath saw Ystalyfera win West Wales Cup silverware for the first time in 72 years.


2010–11 Ystalyfera RFC season
Other notable achievements this season have been a highest ever finish in the Welsh National League - 5th in Division 3 (a joint 43rd position out of 85 possible), and a record away win in the Welsh National League – 56–0 at Nantyffyllon. The final position was fair in that 'Fera lost both fixtures against the top three sides, sharing results with 4th placed Aberavon Green Stars and completing league doubles over the remaining lower seven teams. ‘Fera scored over 30 points on eight occasions and conceded over 30 three times.


2010–11 Ystalyfera RFC season
Player achievements out of 46 who took part were appearances in every game (28) by props Gareth Jones and Daniel White – who is holding a continuous run of 50 chasing a Noir James record of 121. Damian James relentlessly increased his highest number of Tries scored total to 134 and a total career points score of 1,508. Whilst chasing this total with 884 points of his own, undoubtedly the biggest personal achievements this season have been in his first year as player coach Gareth James.


2010–11 Ystalyfera RFC season
His record 292 points in a season was augmented with the record points scored in a single game (45) versus Taibach away, matching a joint record of 4 penalties kicked in a single game versus Pencoed away and most conversions kicked in a season (55). Indeed, the only records not held by the James’ family at present is a season appearance total of 35 by Alan Jones and a penalty kick total of 40 by John Hicks. 3 players in the current squad have to date made over 300 appearances for the team, 16 players with over 100 appearances and 13 who have scored over 10 tries for the side so far.


2010–11 Ystalyfera RFC season
Supporters Player of the Year Ashley Carter (26% of the vote)


2010–11 Ystalyfera RFC season
Players Player of the Year Paul Davies (20% of the vote)


2010–11 Zamalek SC season
The 2010–11 Zamalek SC season is a special season for Zamalek's fans, who will be celebrating the 100th year of their club and hoping to achieve a championship title since winning Egypt Cup competition in 2008. It is also the second season for the Egyptian manager Hossam Hassan, who managed to improve the team's performance in the previous season ending up the Premier League a runner-up. Zamalek will be also sharing in the 2011 CAF Champions League and will be looking to add a sixth title.


2010–11 Zamalek SC season, Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2010–11 Zamalek SC season, Current squad
* Despite the fact that he is registered by FIFA as a Qatari national, nevertheless, as he is also an Egyptian, EFA rules allow him to play in Egypt as an Egyptian.


2010–11 Zamalek SC season, Current squad, Players Under 21
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2010–11 Zamalek SC season, Current squad, Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2010–11 Zamalek SC season, Matches, Egyptian Premier League
Last updated: 21 November 20101Zamalek goals come first.Country's flag depict country of foreign team to that of Zamalek.Ground: H = Home; A = Away; N = Neutral; HR = Home replacement; AR = Away replacement; GD = Goal difference


2010–11 Zimbabwean cricket season
The 2010–11 Zimbabwean cricket season consists of international matches played by the Zimbabwean cricket team as well as Zimbabwean domestic cricket matches under the auspices of Zimbabwe Cricket.


2010–11 Zob Ahan F.C. season
This is a list of Zob Ahan F.C. 's results at the 2010–11 Persian Gulf Cup, 2010–11 Hazfi Cup and ACL 2010.


2010–11 Zob Ahan F.C. season, Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2010–11 curling season
The 2010–11 curling season began in September 2010 and ended in April 2011.


2010–11 curling season
Note: In events with two genders, the men's tournament winners will be listed before the women's tournament winners.


2010–11 curling season, CCA-sanctioned events
Season of Champions events in bold; other CCA-sanctioned events in regular typeface.


2010–11 curling season, Cyber attack on curling websites
On January 14, 2011, four major curling websites (CurlingZone, World Curling Tour, Ontario Curling Tour, and Canadian Curling Reporters) went offline in an apparent cyber attack by hackers from China and Korea. The problem was found to be missing databases of painstakingly documented curling information dating back two years from primary and secondary backup systems. For many weeks, the four websites and any content supported by CurlingZone's software were unable to be accessed.


2010–11 curling season, Cyber attack on curling websites
The proprietors of the websites were forced to request the help of data recovery services to recover the lost data, which includes information on thousands of curling events both major, like the Olympics season, and minor. As a result of these presumed cyber attacks, the websites were switched to a new server and reloaded with whatever information was available at the time.


2010–11 curling season, Cyber attack on curling websites
Capital One, the sponsor of the Grand Slam of Curling, the World Curling Championships, and various teams and bonspiels, stated a few days after the incident that they would match donations to CurlingZone to help the recovery effort and encouraged other curling-related businesses to donate money. However, people involved with CurlingZone and The Curling News expressed concern that much of the data is irrecoverable and may have disappeared forever. As of March, the websites are up and running, but the content from last year and many years preceding it are still missing.


2010–11 curling season, Cyber attack on curling websites
In another event, the websites of U.S. and world curling governing bodies were attacked by sites in China and Korea. The attacks may be related to the attacks on the four major curling websites.


2010–11 curling season, The Dominion MA Cup
The Dominion MA Cup presented by TSN was created for the first time for the 2010-11 season. The Cup is awarded to the Canadian Curling Association Member Association (MA) who has had the most success during the season in the CCA sanctioned events. Events include the Canadian Mixed, Men's & Women's Juniors, the Scotties, the Brier, Men's & Women's Seniors and the national Wheelchair championship.


2010–11 curling season, The Dominion MA Cup
The inaugural title will go to both Alberta and Saskatchewan. Both MAs finished with the highest number of points, in a tie. The tie breaking procedure is the best record between the two MAs in round robin games, but the two MAs split their season series 4-4.


2010–11 curling season, The Dominion MA Cup
Alberta did not win any national titles; it was runner up in three events, and finished in the top six in all events. Saskatchewan, on the other hand, won both junior events and the Scotties. Manitoba finished third, having also won three events (the Brier, the men's seniors, the national wheelchairs).


2010–11 curling season, The Dominion MA Cup
The Governors Cup was also awarded, to the Member Association who has seen the most improvement. It was given to New Brunswick.


2010–11 curling season, The Dominion MA Cup
Points are awarded based on placement in each of the events, with the top association receiving 14 points, then the second place team with 13, etc.


2010–11 curling season, Capital One Cup
The Capital One Cup is a season-long competition that awards curling teams point values for their participation in Capital One Grand Slam of Curling events. At the end of the season, the men's and women's teams with the top three point values are awarded purse totalling CAD$170,000. The top-ranked team is awarded $50,000, the second-ranked team $25,000, and the third-ranked team $10,000.


2010–11 cyclo-cross season
International competitions in the sport of cyclo-cross in the 2010-11 season included the World Cup, Superprestige, and Gazet van Antwerpen (GVA) events. There were also national championships in a number of countries.


2010–11 figure skating season
The 2010–11 figure skating season began on July 1, 2010, and ended on June 30, 2011. During this season, elite skaters competed on the ISU Championship level at the 2011 European, Four Continents, World Junior, and World Championships. They also competed in elite competitions such as the Grand Prix series and Junior Grand Prix series, culminating in the Grand Prix Final.


2010–11 figure skating season, Season notes
This was the first season in which the short dance was contested in ice dance, having replaced the compulsory dance and original dance. The season's required pattern dance was the Golden Waltz (senior) or Viennese Waltz (junior), and the other portion of the dance could be a waltz, foxtrot, quickstep, or tango.


2010–11 figure skating season, Season notes
Beginning in the 2010–11 season, a rule change allowed men to do two quads in the short program, if they were different jumps. In October 2010, Kevin Reynolds became the first skater to land two quads in a short program. He landed a quad salchow-triple toe loop combo and later a solo quadruple toe-loop at the 2010 Skate Canada International.


2010–11 figure skating season, Season notes
In December 2010, there was a tie for a medal at the Junior Grand Prix Final. In the ladies' event, China's Li Zijun and Japan's Risa Shoji were tied for third with an identical total score of 149.82. Li was awarded the medal on the tiebreaker.


2010–11 figure skating season, Season notes
The season also saw the coldest temperatures in many years at a major event. In January 2011 at the European Championships, temperatures at the Swiss venue dipped to as low as minus-3 Celsius, resulting in complaints and a promise for more vigilance in the future.


2010–11 figure skating season, Season notes
During the 2010–2011 season, controversy over age falsification reached the sport of figure skating, after previously being discussed in gymnastics and other sports. On February 14, 2011, questions emerged surrounding nine Chinese skaters. The Associated Press found that birthdates listed on the Chinese skating association's website suggested five female skaters, Sui Wenjing, Zhang Dan, Yu Xiaoyu, Geng Bingwa, and Xu Binshu, were younger than their stated ages, and four male skaters, Han Cong, Zhang Hao, Jin Yang, and Gao Yu, were older. The dates disappeared from the website by February 15. On February 17, the ISU said there were no discrepancies for Zhang Dan, Zhang Hao, and Xu Binshu between the birthdates listed on their passports, ISU registration forms and the Chinese Olympic Committee's website.


2010–11 figure skating season, Season notes
On March 14, 2011, the 2011 World Championships, scheduled to begin on March 21, were postponed due to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and its aftermath, and later reassigned to Moscow, Russia. It was the first disaster affecting the World Championships in 50 years. In 1961, the entire United States team was killed in a plane crash, resulting in its cancellation. The last time a World Championships was moved was in 2000, due to an alleged broadcasting dispute, and the new host, France, had seven months to prepare, with the event held in the traditional month of March. However, the 2011 event had to be pushed back to April 24 – May 1, with only a month to prepare.


2010–11 figure skating season, Season notes
There were several slashing accidents. In September 2010, Evan Bates suffered a complete laceration of his Achilles tendon after Emily Samuelson hit him with her skate blade as she came down from a lift. In February 2011, Caydee Denney accidentally sliced Jeremy Barrett's right calf while practicing side-by-side jumps, requiring 42 stitches. In April 2011, Brian Joubert sliced his own hand while competing at the World Championships. There were two collisions during practice at international events.


2010–11 figure skating season, Season notes
Canadian Patrick Chan and American Adam Rippon collided at 2010 Skate Canada International, while Japanese skaters Takahiko Kozuka and Daisuke Takahashi collided at the Grand Prix Final. Canadian pair skater Meagan Duhamel collided with her partner Eric Radford during competition at the World Championships, breaking his nose with her elbow. No skaters withdrew as a result of the accidents.


2010–11 figure skating season, Season notes
One skater was arrested – In May 2011, Israeli pair skater Evgeni Krasnapolski was charged with alleged desertion from the army. The Israeli skating federation stated, "We've asked for clarifications [about his service], and if we would have gotten them immediately Evgeni would have returned. The decision to let him stay abroad for training was a professional call made by the federation. The soldier got the (right) impression that we are handling the matter with the IDF and that he could trust the federation". In June 2011, U.S. Figure Skating reprimanded and fined Rachael Flatt, who competed at the World Championships with an undisclosed stress fracture but could have been replaced by an alternate, for not informing them of her injury.


2010–11 figure skating season, Season notes
In April 2011, the International Olympic Committee officially confirmed the introduction of a figure skating team event at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Each team will be composed of a men's and ladies single skater, a pair, and an ice dance team; ten teams may compete, with five eliminated after the short program. On June 12, 2011, it was announced that the ISU had reinstated Evgeni Plushenko by a unanimous vote.


2010–11 figure skating season, Season notes, Age eligibility
Skaters competing on the junior level were required to be at least 13 but not 19 – or 21 for male pair skaters and ice dancers – before July 1, 2010. Those who had turned 14 were eligible for the senior Grand Prix series and senior B internationals. Those who turned 15 before July 1, 2010 were also eligible for the senior World, European, and Four Continents Championships.


2010–11 figure skating season, Season notes, Minimum scores
It was the first season in which skaters were required to have achieved minimum technical elements scores (TES) prior to competing at the European, Four Continents, or World Championships. The minimum TES for each discipline and segment were:


2010–11 figure skating season, Season notes, Partnership changes
A number of skaters announced the end of their partnership or the formation of a new one. Listed are changes involving a partnership with at least one partner who competed at the Worlds, Europeans, Four Continents, Junior Worlds or the senior Grand Prix, or who medaled on the Junior Grand Prix circuit.


2010–11 figure skating season, Season notes, Retirements
A number of elite skaters announced their retirement from competition.


2010–11 figure skating season, Season's best scores
Top scores attained in international competitions as of April 30, 2011 (World Championships)


2010–11 in Algerian football
The 2010–11 season will be the 50th season of competitive association football in Algeria.


2010–11 in Argentine football
2010–11 season of Argentine football is the 120th season of competitive football in Argentina.


2010–11 in Argentine football, Clubs in international competitions, Men's summary, Argentinos Juniors
Argentinos Juniors eliminated by finishing in 4th place in their group.


2010–11 in Argentine football, Clubs in international competitions, Men's summary, Estudiantes de La Plata
Estudiantes de La Plata defeated by LDU Quito on points 1–4.


2010–11 in Argentine football, Clubs in international competitions, Men's summary, Estudiantes de La Plata
Estudiantes de La Plata eliminated by Newell's Old Boys on points 1–4.


2010–11 in Argentine football, Clubs in international competitions, Men's summary, Estudiantes de La Plata
Estudiantes de La Plata eliminated by Cerro Porteño on penalties.


2010–11 in Argentine football, Clubs in international competitions, Men's summary, Godoy Cruz
Godoy Cruz eliminated by finishing in 4th place in their group.


2010–11 in Argentine football, Clubs in international competitions, Men's summary, Independiente
Independiente defeated Goiás on penalties and won their first Copa Sudamericana.


2010–11 in Argentine football, Clubs in international competitions, Men's summary, Independiente
Independiente eliminated by finishing in 3rd place in their group.


2010–11 in Argentine football, Clubs in international competitions, Men's summary, Newell's Old Boys
Newell's Old Boys eliminated by LDU Quito on points 1–4.


2010–11 in Argentine football, Clubs in international competitions, Women's summary, Boca Juniors
Boca Juniors defeated Deportivo Quito and finished in third place.


2010–11 in Argentine football, National teams, Men's
This section covers Argentina men's matches from August 1, 2010 to July 31, 2011.


2010–11 in Argentine football, National teams, Women's
This section covers Argentina women's matches from August 1, 2010 to July 31, 2011.


2010–11 in Australian soccer
The 2010–11 season was the 128th season of competitive soccer in Australia.


2010–11 in Australian soccer, Promotion and relegation (pre-season)
Teams promoted to the New South Wales Premier League 2010


2010–11 in Azerbaijani football
This list details major events in Azerbaijani football in 2010-11. In that year Neftçi PFK won the Azerbaijan Premier League championship, while Georgi Adamia of Qarabağ FK led the league with 18 goals that season.


2010–11 in Belgian football
The 2010–11 football season in Belgium, which is the 108th season of competitive football in the country and runs from August 2010 until July 2011.


2010–11 in Belgian football, League competitions, Belgian Third Division, Third division play-off
From the third division A, Deinze qualified as winner of the periods 2 (matches 11 to 22) and 3 (matches 23 to 34), Hoogstraten and Coxyde qualified as 2nd and 4th placed teams in the final table. The first period (matches 1 to 10) was won by the champion Aalst. However, as only the champion Aalst, as well as Hoogstraten, Sint-Niklaas and Geel-Meerhout had got their remunerated football license, required to be able to enter the play-offs, Coxyde and Deinze did not enter the play-offs.


2010–11 in Belgian football, League competitions, Belgian Third Division, Third division play-off
From the third division B, Virton qualified as the winner of period 1, Bertrix qualified as the 3rd-placed team in the final table and Zaventem as the 4th-placed team. The champion Woluwe had won periods 2 and 3. However, Bertrix did not apply for the remunerated football license and was replaced for the play-offs by Union, the 5th-placed team in the final table.


2010–11 in Belgian football, League competitions, Belgian Third Division, Third division play-off
From the second division, Turnhout qualified for the second round of the play-off as the 16th-placed team.


2010–11 in Belgian football, League competitions, Belgian Promotion
In the Promotion A, Athois were crowned champions, while Ieper, Péruwelz-Mouscron and Sparta Petegem respectively won the first period (matches 1 to 10), second period (matches 11 to 20) and third period (matches 21 to 30). In the Promotion B, RC Mechelen won the regular season as well as the second period. Lyra and Londerzeel won respectively the first and third periods. Wijgmaal also entered the Promotion play-off as 3rd-placed team in the final table. In the Promotion C, Maasmechelen won the title, as well as the first and third periods and Tielen won the second period.


2010–11 in Belgian football, League competitions, Belgian Promotion
Veldwezelt and Oosterwijk also qualified for the play-off as  respectively the 2nd and 3rd-placed teams in the regular season. In the Promotion D, La Calamine won the championship as well as periods 1 and 3 and Walhain won the period 2. Sprimont-Comblain and Faymonville joined Walhain as qualifier for the play-off from group D as respectively 3rd and 4th-placed teams. The two 16th-placed teams from the third division Cappellen and Ternat also qualified for the Promotion play-off, entering the competition in the second round.


2010–11 in Belgian football, European Club results
Note that the Belgian team's score is always given first.


2010–11 in Cape Verdean football
In the 2010–11 season of competitive football (soccer) in Cape Verde:  No Cape Verdean Cup took place that year.


2010–11 in Cape Verdean football, Final standings, Cape Verdean Football Championships
CS Mindelense and Académica do Porto Novo were first in each group, second place Group A club Sporting Clube da Praia advanced with 12 points and second place Group B club Académico do Aeroporto advanced with 8 points and third in the most goals numbering 8. Sporting advanced to the finals with 5 goals scored while Mindelense advanced with 2 goals scored away in the first match. Mindelense defeated Sporting with only 0-1 in the first match while the second was scoreless, Mindelense went to win their 8th title.


2010–11 in Cape Verdean football, Final standings, Island or regional competitions, Regional Super Cups
The 2010 champion winner played with a 2010 cup winner (when a club won both, a second place club competed).


2010–11 in Cape Verdean football, Transfer deals, Summer-Fall transfer window
The September/October transfer window runs from the end of the previous season in September up to October.


2010–11 in Croatian football
The following article presents a summary of the 2010–11 football (soccer) season in Croatia, which was the 20th season of competitive football in the country.


2010–11 in English football
The 2010–11 season was the 131st season of competitive football in England.


2010–11 in English football
The season began on 6 August 2010 for the Football Leagues, with the Premier League and Football Conference both starting eight days later on 14 August 2010. The Championship, League One, and League Two ended on 7 May 2011. The Premier League finished on 22 May 2011.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, July 2010
1 July 2010: Roy Hodgson signs a three-year contract to manage Liverpool, a month after Rafael Benítez left.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, July 2010
2 July 2010: Israeli winger Yossi Benayoun joins Chelsea from Liverpool for an undisclosed fee. Ivorian midfielder Yaya Touré joins Manchester City for a fee of "about £24 million" from Barcelona.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, July 2010
7 July 2010: Leicester City appoint Swansea City's Paulo Sousa as manager to replace Nigel Pearson, who moved to Hull City at the end of June.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, July 2010
8 July 2010: Sunderland captain and Albanian international midfielder Lorik Cana departs to Galatasaray of Turkey for £5 million, after one season at the Stadium of Light.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, July 2010
9 July 2010: Sheffield United reject an approach from Swansea City for assistant manager Gary Speed to take over as manager of the south Wales club.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, July 2010
14 July 2010: Los Angeles Galaxy winger David Beckham rules out taking over as England manager in the future, but declares his desire to play at Euro 2012 and the 2014 World Cup. Manchester City sign Spanish winger David Silva from Valencia for £24 million.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, July 2010
16 July 2010: Trevor Brooking urges the Football Association to appoint an English successor when Fabio Capello eventually departs from the role of England manager. Former Watford and Reading manager Brendan Rodgers is appointed as Swansea City's new manager. Manchester City sign Lazio and Serbia left-back Aleksandar Kolarov for £16 million.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, July 2010
19 July 2010: English international midfielder Joe Cole signs a four-year deal with Liverpool, following the expiry of his contract at Chelsea in June.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, July 2010
22 July 2010: Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill announces that he is willing sell to midfielder James Milner after the player expressed his desire to leave the club. He is widely tipped to sign for Manchester City, who recently had a £20 million offer for him turned down.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, July 2010
23 July 2010: Former Millwall, Wycombe Wanderers and Bradford City striker Gavin Grant, 26, is found guilty (along with another man) of committing murder in London in May 2004. Grant was initially cleared of the murder three years earlier but charged again when new evidence came to light.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, July 2010
26 July 2010: Tottenham Hotspur express interest in moving to London's Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Olympic Games. West Ham United is the only club to have officially bid for the venue so far, while Leyton Orient decided against moving.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, July 2010
28 July 2010: After six months back at Arsenal, former England defender Sol Campbell signs for Newcastle United on a one-year contract. This means that Campbell, 35, will be playing in the Premier League for the 19th season running. He and Ryan Giggs are the only players who have played in every single Premier League season since its inception.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, July 2010
29 July 2010: Mark Hughes, sacked as Manchester City manager seven months earlier, is confirmed as manager of Fulham.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, July 2010
30 July 2010: England goalkeeper David James signs a one-year contract with Bristol City.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, August 2010
2 August 2010: Ipswich Town coach Gary Ablett, who managed Stockport County the previous season and won honours as a player with Liverpool and Everton, announces that he is suffering from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, August 2010
9 August 2010: Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill resigns after four years in charge, during which he guided them to UEFA Cup qualification in three successive seasons. He is replaced on a caretaker basis by Villa reserve team manager Kevin MacDonald until a permanent successor is appointed.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, August 2010
10 August 2010: Exeter City striker Adam Stansfield dies of cancer aged 31.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, August 2010
12 August 2010: Steve Coppell resigns after less than four months and just two competitive games in charge of Bristol City.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, August 2010
13 August 2010: Manchester City take their summer spending past £100 million with the signing of Italy and Inter Milan striker Mario Balotelli for a fee in the region of £24 million.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, August 2010
14 August 2010: The 19th Premier League season gets underway, with newcomers Blackpool winning their first top division game since 1971 4–0 away to Wigan Athletic. Kevin Blackwell leaves Sheffield United by mutual consent following a 3–0 loss to Queens Park Rangers, having been manager for two and a half years.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, August 2010
17 August 2010: Sheffield United promote coach and former player Gary Speed, aged 41, to be their new manager on a three-year contract. Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka is suspended from the French national team's next 18 matches following a dispute with coach Raymond Domenech at the World Cup.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, August 2010
21 August 2010: Theo Walcott scores the first club hat-trick of his career as Arsenal defeat Blackpool 6–0 at the Emirates Stadium.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, August 2010
30 August 2010: Alan Pardew is sacked as manager of Southampton, League One promotion favourites and Football League Trophy holders, despite guiding them to a 4–0 away win over Bristol Rovers two days previously.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, August 2010
31 August 2010: August draws to a close with Chelsea top of the table with nine points out of nine, scoring fourteen goals and conceding none against West Brom, Wigan and Stoke. Arsenal and Manchester United are joint second on seven points, Arsenal ahead on goal difference following the win over Blackpool, while Aston Villa, still without a manager, are fourth, after recovering from a 6–0 thrashing at Newcastle to narrowly beat Everton 1–0. Bolton, Birmingham and Wolves complete the top seven. Propping up the table are Stoke and West Ham United, neither with a point this season, and Everton.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, August 2010
Queens Park Rangers lead the Championship, with Cardiff City, Ipswich Town, Millwall, Burnley and Leeds United (joint sixth with Norwich City) completing the top six; Bristol City, Leicester City and Portsmouth lie in the relegation zone. In the transfer market, Sunderland confirm the transfer of Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan in a club record £13m deal whilst Tottenham began contact with Dutch midfielder Rafael van der Vaart.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, September 2010
4 September 2010: Jermain Defoe scores a hat-trick as England open their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign with a 4–0 win over Bulgaria at Wembley.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, September 2010
8 September 2010: Aston Villa name Gérard Houllier, former Liverpool and France manager, as their successor to Martin O'Neill.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, September 2010
12 September 2010: Nigel Adkins leaves Scunthorpe United after four years as manager (during which they won promotion to the Championship twice) to become the new manager of Southampton.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, September 2010
13 September 2010: Gary McAllister, first team coach at Middlesbrough, is reported to have been offered the role of assistant manager at Aston Villa after Phil Thompson rejected the offer for the role.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, September 2010
18 September 2010: Gary McAllister completes his move to Aston Villa as assistant manager. Bobby Smith, who scored 208 goals for Tottenham Hotspur and helped them win the league title/FA Cup double in 1961, retain the FA Cup a year later and win the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1963, dies aged 77.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, September 2010
25 September 2010: The last 100% start in any of the professional divisions ends when Chelsea, who won their opening five games of the Premier League season, are beaten 1–0 at Manchester City, with Carlos Tevez scoring the only goal of the game.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, September 2010
30 September 2010: Despite loss at Manchester City, Chelsea still lead the Premier League by three points. Manchester United, Arsenal, Manchester City, Aston Villa, West Bromwich Albion and Fulham complete the top seven, while Wigan Athletic, West Ham United and Everton lie in the relegation zone. QPR and Cardiff lead the Championship, with Norwich, Watford, Burnley and Reading in the play-off zone and Crystal Palace, Bristol City and Leicester City in the relegation zone.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, October 2010
1 October 2010: Paulo Sousa is sacked after just nine league matches in charge of Leicester City, who were bottom of the Championship having qualified for the play-offs last season under Sousa's predecessor Nigel Pearson. Manchester City announce that they made a loss of £121million in the year leading up to 31 May.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, October 2010
3 October 2010: Former England national football team manager Sven-Göran Eriksson is appointed manager of Leicester City on a two-year contract.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, October 2010
4 October 2010: Bolton Wanderers striker Kevin Davies, aged 33 and uncapped at senior level, is called up to the England squad for the following week's Euro 2012 qualifier against Montenegro.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, October 2010
5 October 2010: Two potential buyers, one Asian and the other American, table bids to buy control of Liverpool from American co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillet.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, October 2010
8 October 2010: Liverpool directors reported to be on the verge of surrendering the club to the administrators and risk a nine-point deduction in an attempt to oust the club's unpopular owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, as they facilitate the sale of the club to an American consortium.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, October 2010
10 October 2010: It is reported that Liverpool's prospective new owners are planning to abandon the plan for a new stadium in Stanley Park in favour of expanding Anfield.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, October 2010
11 October 2010: UK Athletics announces its support for West Ham United's bid to take over the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Summer Olympics. Tottenham Hotspur have also expressed interest in taking over the stadium as a possible alternative to the revamp of White Hart Lane.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, October 2010
12 October 2010: Singapore billionaire Peter Lim becomes Liverpool's latest bidder when he tables a £320million bid for the club.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, October 2010
15 October 2010: Liverpool's new owners are New England Sports Ventures, who complete a £300million takeover deal of the club.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, October 2010
17 October 2010: In the first game under their owners, Liverpool lose the Merseyside derby 2–0 to Everton at Goodison Park.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, October 2010
18 October 2010: Gordon Strachan resigns after 12 months as manager of Middlesbrough, who began the season as Championship promotion favourites but now occupy 20th place.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, October 2010
19 October 2010: Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson reveals that striker Wayne Rooney wants to leave the club, having recently decided against signing an extension to his contract which will expire at the end of next season.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, October 2010
22 October 2010: Wayne Rooney makes a surprise u-turn on his future and signs a new five-year contract with Manchester United. Portsmouth are reported to be on the brink of bankruptcy after talks with former owner and key creditor Sacha Gaydamak broke down.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, October 2010
24 October 2010: Portsmouth are saved after former owner Alexander Gaydamak agrees to sell the club to Balram Chainrai, another former owner of the club.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, October 2010
25 October 2010: Aston Villa will be without the services of captain Stiliyan Petrov for at least two months due to a knee injury suffered in the 1–0 league defeat by Sunderland on Saturday. Promising Wigan Athletic midfielder James McCarthy, 19, is expected to be out of action until the New Year as a result of an ankle injury suffered in Saturday's 1–1 league draw with Bolton Wanderers.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, October 2010
31 October 2010: Newcastle beat local rivals Sunderland 5–1 at St James' Park in the Premier League, with Kevin Nolan scoring a hat-trick – the first player to do so in a game between the two clubs since Peter Beardsley in the 1984–85 season. In the Championship, Cardiff have overtaken QPR at the top of the table, with Swansea City, Coventry City, Norwich and Reading also in the top six and Bristol City, Middlesbrough and Crystal Palace in the bottom three.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, November 2010
6 November 2010: A late winning goal from Park Ji-sung gives Manchester United a 2–1 home win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League, cutting Chelsea's lead to two points – although the West London side, who play Liverpool at Anfield tomorrow, have a game in hand. In the first round of the FA Cup, Conference South side Dover Athletic eliminate fellow Kent club Gillingham, managed by former Dover manager Andy Hessenthaler, with a 2–0 win on the League Two club's own soil.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, November 2010
11 November 2010: Blackpool manager Ian Holloway threatens to resign if the Football Association penalise him for fielding a weakened side in his side's 3–2 league defeat at Aston Villa yesterday evening.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, November 2010
13 November 2010: Fabio Capello announces his England squad for the friendly against France on 17 November. It includes first call-ups for Jay Bothroyd of Cardiff City, Andy Carroll of Newcastle United, Jordan Henderson of Sunderland and Chris Smalling of Manchester United.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, November 2010
14 November 2010: League One side Sheffield Wednesday are reported to be on the brink of going into administration.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, November 2010
16 November 2010: West Ham United vice-chairman Karren Brady announces that Avram Grant's job as manager is safe despite the club being bottom of the Premier League with just one win from their opening 13 games. Fabio Capello confirms that Andy Carroll, Jordan Henderson and Kieran Gibbs will all play in England's friendly against France.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, November 2010
19 November 2010: Blackburn Rovers are taken over by the Rao family in a £43million deal, making them the first Indian owned English football club.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, November 2010
25 November 2010: Mayor of London Boris Johnson gives the go-ahead from Tottenham Hotspur to rebuild White Hart Lane as a 56,000-seat stadium which is set to cost around £450million.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, November 2010
27 November 2010: In the FA Cup second round, FC United of Manchester (the club created five years ago by Manchester United fans protesting against Malcolm Glazer's takeover) hold League One leaders Brighton & Hove Albion to a 1–1 draw to force a replay.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, November 2010
30 November 2010: November ends with unbeaten Manchester United top of the Premier League after thrashing Blackburn 7–1 at home, with Dimitar Berbatov scoring five goals. Chelsea, having only picked up four points from their last five matches, have slipped to second, ahead of Arsenal on goal difference. Manchester City remain in fourth, with Tottenham Hotspur one point behind. Despite beating fellow strugglers Wigan Athletic, West Ham United remain bottom of the table, joined in the relegation zone by Wolverhampton Wanderers and Wigan.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, November 2010
In the championship, Queen's Park Rangers, still unbeaten, hold a five-point lead for promotion over second placed Cardiff City, who in turn have a three-point lead over arch-rivals and third placed Swansea City. Derby County, Norwich City and Coventry City are also in the play-off zone, while Crystal Palace, Middlesbrough and Preston North End prop up the table.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, December 2010
2 December 2010: England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup fails; FIFA awards the tournament to Russia instead.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, December 2010
6 December 2010: Newcastle United sack manager Chris Hughton after just over a year in charge.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, December 2010
9 December 2010: Alan Pardew is appointed manager of Newcastle United on a contract until the end of the 2015–16 season.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, December 2010
10 December 2010: Queen's Park Rangers suffer their first league defeat of the season when they lose 3–1 at home to Watford.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, December 2010
11 December 2010: Newcastle United continue to pile the pressure on Liverpool by winning 3–1 in the Premier League in their first game under the management of Alan Pardew. West Ham United fall deeper into relegation trouble with a 3–1 home defeat to Manchester City, who go level on points with Arsenal at the top of the Premier League.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, December 2010
12 December 2010: Manchester City captain Carlos Tevez announces his intention to leave the club. Wolverhampton Wanderers give their survival hopes a major boost with a 1–0 home win over local rivals Birmingham City. Chelsea continue to drop points as a Didier Drogba penalty miss restricts them to a 1–1 draw at Tottenham Hotspur.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, December 2010
13 December 2010: Blackburn Rovers sack manager Sam Allardyce, after two years in charge, following a 2–1 defeat at Bolton Wanderers. Gary Speed, the Sheffield United manager, is given permission to speak to the Welsh football association about the national team manager's job left vacant by the recent resignation of John Toshack, and is expected to be confirmed as Wales manager within the next 24 hours.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, December 2010
14 December 2010: Gary Speed is confirmed as the new Wales manager on a contract until July 2014.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, December 2010
15 December 2010: Dale Roberts, goalkeeper with Conference National side Rushden & Diamonds, dies suddenly at the age of 24.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, December 2010
31 December 2010: The year ends with Manchester United top of the Premier League, separated from second-placed Manchester City by goal difference. Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, Bolton and Sunderland make up the rest of the top seven and Fulham, Wolves and West Ham the bottom three. In the Championship, the top three of QPR, Cardiff and Swansea remain unchanged, with Leeds, Norwich and Reading in the top six and Scunthorpe, Crystal Palace and Preston in the relegation zone.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, January 2011
6 January 2011 – The Aston Villa board announce that Gérard Houllier's position as manager is safe in spite of recent results.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, January 2011
7 January 2011 – Roy Keane is sacked by Ipswich Town after less than two years as manager, with the Suffolk club League Cup semi-finalists but struggling the Championship.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, January 2011
8 January 2011: Roy Hodgson leaves Liverpool after six months as manager and is succeeded by Kenny Dalglish as caretaker manager until the end of the season. It is Dalglish's first managerial job since he left Celtic more than 10 years ago, and his return as Liverpool manager comes a month before the 20th anniversary of his sudden resignation. The FA Cup third round sees a number of upsets as League Two Burton Albion eliminate Middlesbrough 2–1 at the Pirelli Stadium. Football League newcomers Stevenage defeat mid-table Premier League side Newcastle United 3–1 and Sunderland lose 2–1 at home to League One strugglers Notts County.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, January 2011
9 January 2011: Kenny Dalglish's first match back in charge of Liverpool ends in a 1–0 FA Cup third round defeat at Manchester United, with a second-minute penalty by Ryan Giggs winning the game, while Liverpool's Steven Gerrard is sent off.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, January 2011
10 January 2011: Macclesfield Town midfielder Richard Butcher dies suddenly aged 29, just 10 months after Keith Alexander, who had brought him to the club.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, January 2011
12 January 2011: Ipswich Town beat Arsenal in the first leg of the League Cup semi-final 1–0 at Portman Road, three days after losing 7–0 in the FA Cup at Chelsea.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, January 2011
15 January 2011: Bolton Wanderers and England legend Nat Lofthouse dies aged 85.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, January 2011
25 January 2011: Arsenal reach the Football League Cup final with a 3–1 aggregate victory over Ipswich Town in the semi-finals.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, January 2011
26 January 2011: Birmingham reach the Football League Cup final with a 4–3 aggregate victory over West Ham after extra time in the semi-finals.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, January 2011
29 January 2011: The FA Cup fourth round sees Manchester United win 2–1 at Southampton, Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic draw a blank at the Reebok Stadium Burton Albion's FA Cup dream end in a 3–1 defeat at Burnley, Crawley Town match the record FA Cup run for a Conference club by winning 1–0 at Torquay United, and Brighton & Hove Albion win 1–0 at Watford. The highlights of the league action include Norwich City's goalless draw at Crystal Palace putting them into second place in the Championship, while Walsall keep their League One survival hopes alive with a 6–1 win over fellow strugglers Bristol Rovers.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, January 2011
31 January 2011: Chelsea pay a British record 50 million pounds for Liverpool striker Fernando Torres. Liverpool paid 35 million pounds for Andy Carroll – breaking the transfer record for a British footballer.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, February 2011
2 February 2011: Gary Neville, who has played 602 times for Manchester United since his debut in September 1992, announces his retirement from playing just before his 36th birthday. He has won a total of 14 major trophies at United, and also been capped 85 times for England, but has played just over 30 games in all competitions over the last four years following injury and competition from other players at United for the right-back position.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, February 2011
5 February 2011: A record-breaking day for the Premier League sees Arsenal take a 4–0 lead at Newcastle United after 26 minutes, only to concede four times after half-time to see the game end 4–4 – the first time in Premier League history that a team has been four goals ahead and still not won. Louis Saha scores four goals as Everton beat Blackpool 5–3 at Goodison Park. Carlos Tevez scores a first half hat-trick as Manchester City beat West Bromwich Albion 3–0 to boost their own title hopes and push their opponents deeper into the relegation battle. Manchester United suffer their first league defeat of the season when they are beaten 2–1 at Wolverhampton Wanderers.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, February 2011
6 February 2011: West Bromwich Albion sack manager Roberto Di Matteo after a season and a half in charge.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, February 2011
10 February 2011: West Ham United win the backing of Olympic Games bosses to take over the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 games.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, February 2011
11 February 2011: Roy Hodgson is appointed as manager of West Bromwich Albion.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, February 2011
18 February 2011: Ryan Giggs signs a new one-year contract at Manchester United, tying him to the club for at least another season and taking him into his 22nd year at Old Trafford.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, February 2011
21 February 2011: Plymouth Argyle issue a notice for administration, resulting in a 10-point deduction which leaves them bottom of League One and 10 points adrift of safety as their battle against a second successive relegation is made much harder.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, February 2011
27 February 2011: Birmingham City win the first silverware of the season, beating Arsenal 2–1 in the League Cup Final and thus ending their 48-year wait for a trophy


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, February 2011
28 February 2011: February ends with Manchester United still top of the Premier League, four points clear of second-placed Arsenal. Manchester City, Tottenham, Chelsea, Liverpool and Bolton Wanderers complete the top seven. Wigan Athletic prop up the table with West Ham and Wolves fill the relegation zone. In the Championship, Queens Park Rangers and Swansea City remain in the automatic promotion spots. Cardiff, Norwich, Nottingham Forest and Leeds make up the play-offs, with Preston, Sheffield United and Scunthorpe in the relegation zone.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, March 2011
6 March 2011: Dirk Kuyt scores a hat-trick in Liverpool's 3–1 Premier League home win over Manchester United, making him the first Liverpool player to score a competitive hat-trick against United since Peter Beardsley in September 1990. West Ham United boost their survival hopes with a 3–0 home win over Stoke City.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, March 2011
12 March 2011: Manchester United beat Arsenal 2–0 in the FA Cup quarter-final at Old Trafford. Bolton Wanderers win 3–2 at Birmingham City to reach their first FA Cup semi-final for 11 years.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, March 2011
13 March 2011: Reading, the last non-Premier League side in the FA Cup, lose 1–0 to Manchester City in the quarter final, with the winners reaching the semi-finals for the first time in 30 years. Stoke City beat West Ham United 2–1 to reach the semi-finals for the first time since 1972.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, March 2011
14 March 2011: Jens Lehmann, the German goalkeeper who kept goal for Arsenal from 2003 to 2008, is reported to be on the verge of coming out of retirement to act as an emergency goalkeeper for Arsenal until the end of the season to ease an injury crisis.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, March 2011
19 March 2011: Fabio Capello re-instates John Terry as England captain a year after he was stripped of the position following allegations about his personal life.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, March 2011
31 March 2011: Manchester United remain top of the Premier League, 5 points ahead of closest rivals Arsenal. Manchester City and Chelsea fill the two remaining Champions League places, whilst Tottenham, Liverpool and Bolton complete the top seven. At the bottom Birmingham City have slipped into the relegation zone barely a month after lifting the League Cup, they are joined by West-Midlands rivals Wolves and bottom club Wigan. In the Championship Queens Park Rangers continue to lead the way and have a nine-point cushion over second-placed Norwich City. Welsh rivals Swansea and Cardiff are joined in the play-off places by Leeds and Nottingham Forest, whilst at the bottom, Preston remain at the foot of the league with Scunthorpe and Sheffield United also in the relegation zone.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, April 2011
2 April 2011: Manchester United move closer to the Premier League title after coming from 2–0 down at half–time to win 4–2 at West Ham United, in which Wayne Rooney scores a hat-trick. In the Championship, Yakubu scores a hat-trick for Leicester City in their 3–3 draw at Middlesbrough.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, April 2011
6 April 2011: Torquay United are deducted one point and Hereford United deducted three points for fielding ineligible players in the League Two game at Plainmoor on 1 February, which Hereford won 3–1.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, April 2011
8 April 2011: Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard is ruled out for the rest of the season with a groin injury.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, April 2011
9 April 2011: Crawley Town secure the Conference National title and promotion to the Football League with a 3–0 win at Tamworth.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, April 2011
11 April 2011: Liverpool's record signing, Andy Carroll, scores his first two goals for the club in their 3–0 home win over Manchester City in the Premier League.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, April 2011
12 April 2011: Manchester United reach the semi-finals of the Champions League when a 2–1 quarter-final second leg win over Chelsea at Old Trafford gives them a 3–1 aggregate triumph. Brighton and Hove Albion become the first Football League side to be promoted after they beat Dagenham & Redbridge 4–3 at home.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, April 2011
16 April 2011: Yaya Touré fires Manchester City to their first FA Cup final for 30 years by beating rivals Manchester United 1–0, who were reduced to 10 men after the dismissal of Paul Scholes.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, April 2011
17 April 2011: Stoke City reach the FA Cup final for the first time in their history with a 5–0 win over Bolton Wanderers in the other semi-final.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, April 2011
22 April 2011: Chesterfield become the second Football League side to win promotion this season after the last side capable of overhauling them, Wycombe Wanderers, drew 0–0 with Torquay. Blue Square Premier champions Crawley Town F.C. break the 100-point barrier with a 4–0 home win over Rushden & Diamonds, with leading scorer Matt Tubbs taking his tally for this season to 36 goals.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, April 2011
23 April 2011: British record signing Fernando Torres scores his first goal in thirteen appearances for Chelsea in their 3–0 home win over West Ham United.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, April 2011
25 April 2011: Preston North End, bottom of the Championship, lose 1–0 at home to Cardiff City and are relegated to League One after 11 successive seasons in the league's second tier. Swindon Town are relegated to League Two after losing 3–1 at Sheffield Wednesday. Bury join Chesterfield in League One as a 3–2 win at the division's leaders ends their nine-year stay in the league's basement division.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, April 2011
30 April 2011: Queens Park Rangers seal the Championship title and promotion to the Premier League after a 15-year exile by beating Watford 2–0 at Vicarage Road. Sheffield United are relegated to League One (a level they last played at in 1989) after they could only manage a 2–2 draw at home to Yorkshire rivals Barnsley. Scunthorpe United's relegation is also confirmed as they crash to a 5–1 defeat at a Nottingham Forest side whose victory virtually seals a playoff place. Stockport County's relegation from the Football League is confirmed by a 2–0 defeat at Crewe Alexandra.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, May 2011
2 May 2011: Norwich City seal a second successive promotion to reach the Premier League by beating Portsmouth 1–0 at Fratton Park. They are the first team since Manchester City in 2000 to reach the Premier League with two successive promotions. Plymouth Argyle are relegated from League One, their second successive relegation, with a 3–1 home defeat to a Southampton side whose promotion is virtually ensured by virtue of having a vastly superior goal difference to third-placed Huddersfield, three points adrift with one game left.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, May 2011
7 May 2011: QPR escape points deduction, while Nottingham Forest confirm their play-off place. Southampton's promotion to the Championship is confirmed. Dagenham & Redbridge and Bristol Rovers are relegated from League One. Lincoln City's 3–0 home defeat to Aldershot costs them their Football League status and they are relegated to the Conference National. Wycombe Wanderers seal an immediate return to League One by beating Southend United 3–1 at Adams Park.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, May 2011
8 May 2011: Manchester United beat Chelsea 2–1 at Old Trafford in the Premier League, meaning that they need just a point from their final two games to win a record 19th top division title. Arsenal's faint title hopes are ended with a 3–1 defeat at FA Cup finalists Stoke City. Wolverhampton Wanderers climb out of the relegation zone with a 3–1 home win over Black Country rivals West Bromwich Albion, whose survival (and highest league finish since 1985) has already been confirmed.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, May 2011
14 May 2011: Manchester City defeat Stoke City 1–0 in the FA Cup final, with Yaya Touré scoring the only goal which ends the club's 35-year wait for a major trophy. It is a double success story on the same day for the city of Manchester, as United's 1–1 draw with Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park confirms their status as Premier League champions – giving them a record 19th top division title. Blackpool keep their survival hopes alive with a thrilling 4–3 home win over Bolton Wanderers, while Wolverhampton Wanderers take a step further to survival with a 3–1 win at Sunderland.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, May 2011
15 May 2011: West Ham United lose 3–2 at Wigan Athletic, despite taking a 2–0 lead after 26 minutes, and are relegated from the Premier League after six successive seasons there. Chelsea effectively secure second place with a 2–2 draw at home to Newcastle United. Birmingham City remain on the brink of the relegation zone, with only goal difference keeping them clear, after losing 2–0 at home to a Fulham side occupying eighth place. Later that day West Ham manager Avram Grant is sacked.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, May 2011
21 May 2011: AFC Wimbledon beat Luton Town 4–3 on penalties following a goalless draw in the Conference play-off final. Wimbledon reach the Football League only nine years after their formation, which occurred when The FA approved the relocation of the original Wimbledon side to Milton Keynes. AFC Wimbledon and the since-renamed Milton Keynes Dons will now be just one division apart.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, May 2011
22 May 2011: On the final day of the Premier League, Blackpool are relegated by a 4–2 defeat at Manchester United after taking a 2–1 lead, while League Cup holders Birmingham City also go down after conceding a last minute goal as they lose 2–1 to a Tottenham Hotspur side whose victory confirms their Europa League qualification, while Blackburn Rovers beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 3–2 at Molineux, and both sides avoid relegation. Wigan Athletic win 1–0 against Stoke City and also avoid the drop. Elsewhere, Manchester City pip Arsenal to third place, and Tottenham's win over Birmingham City means that Liverpool (who lose 1–0 at Aston Villa) miss out on a place in Europe for the first time in 12 years.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, May 2011
28 May 2011: Stevenage are promoted to League One, beating Torquay United 1–0 in the League Two play-off final at Old Trafford.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, May 2011
29 May 2011: Peterborough United win promotion to the Championship, beating Huddersfield Town 3–0 in the League One play-off final at Old Trafford.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, May 2011
30 May 2011: Swansea City become the first Welsh club to earn promotion to the Premier League, beating Reading 4–2 in the Championship play-off final at Wembley.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, June 2011
1 June 2011: Gérard Houllier steps down as Aston Villa manager by mutual consent following his illness. Also on 1 June, Convers Sports Initiatives owned by Russian Vladimir Antonov completed its takeover of Portsmouth.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, June 2011
2 June 2011: Mark Hughes resigned as a Fulham manager after having spent 11 months as manager.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, June 2011
3 June 2011: Tottenham Hotspur signed Aston Villa's goalkeeper veteran Brad Friedel on a free transfer as his contract set to expire next season. Also, Frank Arnesen's Hamburger SV signed Jacopo Sala from Chelsea, becoming a second player to join Hamburg from Chelsea this following Michael Mancienne's £1.75 million move to Germany.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, June 2011
6 June 2011: Millwall top scorer last season Steve Morison joined newly promoted side Norwich City for an undisclosed fee.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, June 2011
7 June 2011:  Newly promoted side Swansea City signed Watford's top scorer Danny Graham for £3.5 million.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, June 2011
8 June 2011: Arsenal make their first signing of the transfer window in Carl Jenkinson from Charlton Athletic for an undisclosed fee.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, June 2011
9 June 2011: Liverpool make their first signing of the transfer window in Jordan Henderson from Sunderland for £16 million.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, June 2011
10 June 2011: Newcastle United made their first signing Yohan Cabaye from Lille for an undisclosed fee.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, June 2011
13 June 2011: Manchester United made their first signing Phil Jones from Blackburn Rovers for an undisclosed fee.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, June 2011
23 June 2011: Manchester United sign midfielder Ashley Young from Aston Villa for an undisclosed fee.


2010–11 in English football, Diary of the season, June 2011
29 June 2011: Manchester United sign Spanish goalkeeper David de Gea from Atlético Madrid for £18.9 million.


2010–11 in English football, League tables, Premier League
Manchester United won their 12th Premier League title and their 19th championship overall, beating Liverpool's record of 18 championships set in 1990. A late surge consigned Chelsea to a second-place finish; their season fell apart following the departure of first-team coach Ray Wilkins in early November and this coincided with a horrendous run of form in the winter as they picked up just 10 points from 11 games, with manager Carlo Ancelotti losing his job on the final day.


2010–11 in English football, League tables, Premier League
Arsenal qualified for the Champions League in 4th, having been realistic outsiders for the league title until losing the League Cup final, at which point they won just two of their last 11 league games, falling behind 3rd placed Manchester City, who entered Europe's elite competition for the first time after overturning a 5-point deficit with 3 games left. Tottenham settled for the Europa League spot, though they had an impressive first Champions League run that took them to the quarterfinals.


2010–11 in English football, League tables, Premier League
Liverpool – who managed to put a terrible League start under Roy Hodgson behind them – seemed as if they were going to finish 5th under Kenny Dalglish, but lost their last two games and had to settle for 6th. This meant that they failed to qualify for any European competition for the first time in 12 years. Merseyside rivals Everton finished immediately behind them in seventh place, after a much improved second half of the campaign.


2010–11 in English football, League tables, Premier League
Fulham rose up the table to finish eighth, and qualify for the Europa League via the Fair Play League. Stoke also qualified for the Europa League by reaching their first ever FA Cup Final, despite losing by a single goal to eventual winners Manchester City. Martin O'Neill, just days before the campaign began, resigned from his position as Aston Villa manager. This hit Villa immensely and they found themselves in a relegation battle for much of the season, despite the efforts of former Liverpool manager Gérard Houllier. They confirmed survival with a 9th-place finish, but only after Houllier took a leave of absence following a heart scare with a few weeks to go.


2010–11 in English football, League tables, Premier League
Newly promoted West Bromwich Albion and Newcastle United also enjoyed decent finishes, in eleventh and twelfth places respectively. Albion began the season well under Roberto di Matteo until a loss in form saw them fall down the table. With Albion just above the drop zone, the Italian was replaced by Roy Hodgson, who recovered from his disappointing Liverpool tenure to steer the Baggies away from relegation trouble. Newcastle's twelfth place was achieved despite the surprise sacking of Chris Hughton, who was replaced by Alan Pardew, and the departure of striker Andy Carroll to Liverpool for £35 million in January.


2010–11 in English football, League tables, Premier League
West Ham United were the first team to go down, despite the efforts of their star midfielder Scott Parker (who won the Footballer of the Year Award); the Hammers' relegation was confirmed following a 3–2 defeat at Wigan. Blackpool returned to the Championship after a run of only three wins from their last 21 games, despite a league double over Liverpool. Despite winning the Football League Cup, Birmingham were relegated on the last day after they suffered a late season slump in form, enabling close rivals Wolves, as well as Blackburn and Wigan, to survive in one of the top-flight's tightest relegation battles.


2010–11 in English football, League tables, Premier League
Leading goalscorers: Dimitar Berbatov (Manchester United) and Carlos Tevez (Manchester City) – 21


2010–11 in English football, League tables, Football League Championship
Queens Park Rangers won the Championship and returned to the Premier League after a fifteen-year absence. Neil Warnock became the first manager in six years to complete a full season in charge with the club, and equalled the record for the most promotions ever won by a single manager. The runners-up spot was taken by Norwich City, who earned their second successive promotion under Paul Lambert and became only the third English club to achieve back to back promotions to the top flight, and the first since Manchester City 11 years previous. Swansea City were promoted via the play-offs after beating Reading in the play-off final, becoming the first Welsh club ever to play in the Premier League. Ironically, Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers was a former manager of Reading, having been sacked by the Royals midway through the previous season.


2010–11 in English football, League tables, Football League Championship
None of the three teams relegated from the Premier League in the previous season were able to mount a challenge for promotion. Burnley, whom many tipped for an immediate return to the top flight, ultimately fell just short of the top six, but the efforts of Hull City and Portsmouth were hindered by respective financial constraints.


2010–11 in English football, League tables, Football League Championship
Cardiff City were the league's biggest chokers as they threw away their chances of automatic promotion in shocking fashion, amid reports of several players seen out drinking in the early hours before a crucial game against Middlesbrough, meaning they had to settle for the play-offs. Dave Jones was sacked at the end of May after they were crushed by losing play-off finalists Reading.


2010–11 in English football, League tables, Football League Championship
Scunthorpe United were unable to escape relegation for the second year in a row and were relegated in bottom place, despite the arrival of Alan Knill, ultimately unable to compete with teams operating on much higher financial resources. Sheffield United were relegated only a year after their cross-city counterparts, meaning that the Steel City derby would now be taking place in the third tier for the first time since 1980, the sacking of Kevin Blackwell after just two games and subsequent managerial instability proving their downfall. The third relegated club was Preston North End, who had been the longest-serving members of the Championship, having been in the division since 2000. Much like Sheffield United, their decision to replace manager Darren Ferguson backfired on them.


2010–11 in English football, League tables, Football League One
Brighton and Hove Albion gave their old Withdean Stadium a memorable send-off as they dominated the division for nearly the whole season and won the League One title, ensuring that the new Falmer Stadium would open to Championship football. Fellow south coast club Southampton, whose promotion challenge had been derailed by a ten-point administration penalty in the previous season, were promoted at the second time of asking, finishing as runners-up. At first, they didn't look like promotion chasers when Alan Pardew was sacked in early September and replaced by Nigel Adkins.


2010–11 in English football, League tables, Football League One
But Adkins gave Saints fans what they wanted for years; attacking football and a 2nd-place finish. Peterborough United, who were the top scorers in any of the top four divisions, won the play-offs and clinched an immediate return to the Championship after the previous year's relegation. It meant that manager Darren Ferguson – who had left the Posh 2 years ago – had achieved his third successive promotion with the club.


2010–11 in English football, League tables, Football League One
Swindon Town suffered a shock relegation: having been runners-up in the play-off final the previous season, they struggled for the entire campaign and were eventually relegated in bottom place after the departures of strike-duo Billy Paynter and Charlie Austin. Plymouth Argyle suffered their second successive relegation, the loss of ten points for entering administration proving fatal. Bristol Rovers, who had been promoted alongside Swindon in 2007, were relegated with them this year. Dagenham & Redbridge battled until the final day of the season, but ultimately suffered relegation in their first-ever season at this level. Coincidentally, had it not been for Plymouth's points deduction then Walsall would have been relegated, meaning that three of the four clubs promoted from League Two at the end of the 2006–07 season would have gone down together.


2010–11 in English football, League tables, Football League Two
Chesterfield enjoyed a dream start to life at their new stadium, winning the title. Runners-up were Bury, who had been in impressive form for most of the season and secured second place with a blistering late run of form under new manager Richard Barker, even threatening to overtake Chesterfield in the final weeks of the season. Wycombe Wanderers were the final automatically promoted team, making an immediate return to League One after being relegated the previous season. Stevenage won the play-offs and earned promotion in their first ever Football League season.


2010–11 in English football, League tables, Football League Two
Stockport suffered their second successive relegation, with continued financial problems and the worst defensive record in the whole Football League costing them dearly. Barnet escaped relegation on the last day of the season with a 1–0 win over Port Vale at Underhill, and along with Lincoln City losing 3–0 to Aldershot, condemned Lincoln to their second relegation from the Football League. They had looked safe with two months to go, but an appalling run, with only two points gained from their last eleven matches saw them dumped into the relegation zone on the last day (their first relegation from the League in 1987 occurred under nearly identical circumstances).


2010–11 in English football, League tables, Football League Two
Promoted from the Football Conference as champions were Crawley Town, who entered the Football League for the first time in their history. Also promoted (via the play-offs) were AFC Wimbledon, who were technically also newcomers to the League, but widely seen as the continuation of the original Wimbledon, who became the Milton Keynes Dons at the start of the 2004–05 season.


2010–11 in English football, England national football team, Euro 2012 qualification
During the season, the England national football team played the first five of their eight scheduled Group G qualifying matches for Euro 2012.


2010–11 in English football, English clubs' performance in Europe
These are the results of the English teams in European competitions during the 2010–11 season. (English team score displayed first)


2010–11 in English football, English clubs' performance in Europe
* For group games in Champions League or Europa League, score in home game is displayed** For group games in Champions League or Europa League, score in away game is displayed


2010–11 in French football
The 2010–11 season is the 78th season of competitive professional football in France. The league season began on 6 August 2010 for the Championnat National and Ligue 2 and on 7 August for Ligue 1 and the Championnat de France amateur. The season concluded on 26 May 2011 for Ligue 2, 27 May for the Championnat National, and 28 May for Ligue 1 and the Championnat de France amateur. The men's French national team began play on 11 August contesting a friendly match against Norway, while the women continued their quest for qualification to the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup by facing Iceland on 21 August.


2010–11 in French football, News, Television deals
On 1 April 2010, the LFP announced that the league had reached a broadcasting agreement with Italian channel Sportitalia. The channel will broadcast Ligue 1 games for the next two seasons beginning with the 2010–11 season. Sportitalia will show one or two live matches a week and will also air a weekly highlights show. A similar deal was reached a week later with Hong Kong telecommunications company PCCW who will broadcast Ligue 1 matches in the country for the next two seasons.


2010–11 in French football, News, Television deals
On 7 May, the president of the Ligue de Football Professionnel, Frédéric Thiriez, announced that the organization had reached a two-year deal with Eurosport to broadcast Ligue 2 matches. The deal is worth €10 million a year and guarantees the channel broadcasting rights to the annual Monday night Ligue 2 match.


2010–11 in French football, News, Le Classique in Tunisia
On 2 April, the LFP announced that, for the second consecutive season, the Trophée des champions will be held on international soil. The match will be played in Tunis, Tunisia, at the Stade 7 Novembre and will be contested by the winner of Ligue 1, Olympique de Marseille and the winner of the Coupe de France, Paris Saint-Germain. The match will be played on either Tuesday, 27 July, or Friday, 30 July. Like last year, the idea will be to promote French football abroad, but this time more specifically in Africa and the Arab world.


2010–11 in French football, News, New channel in 2012
On 7 May 2010, the president of the Ligue de Football Professionnel, Frédéric Thiriez, confirmed that the organization was interested in creating its own television channel for the  broadcasting Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 matches. Thiriez referred to the channel as "an investment for the future" and that the channel will not come to fruition until the conclusion of the organization's television deals with pay channels Canal+, Orange and SFR, which expires in 2012.


2010–11 in French football, News, Artificial pitch switch
On 17 May 2010, the Ligue de Football Professionnel announced that, for the first time in French football history, two clubs, Lorient and Nancy, will switch the surface of their football pitch from grass to artificial turf. This type of surface is common in North America and Eastern Europe, but is considered rare in Western Europe. Both clubs attributed the switch to weather and ecological problems with severe cold fronts affecting their region every winter. The switch would, in turn, reduce energy costs and also avoid cancellations of matches due to a frozen pitch.


2010–11 in French football, News, Artificial pitch switch
Also, in Lorient's case, a constant proliferation of earthworms onto their pitch over the past two seasons have led to a rapid deterioration of the ground, which has forced the club to spend as much as €2 million to replace it. Both clubs will have pre-season tours of Russia, Austria, and Norway to become better acclimated with the surface.


2010–11 in French football, News, New national team manager
On 16 May 2010, Laurent Blanc confirmed his departure from Bordeaux after three seasons in charge of the French outfit. After resigning from his position, Blanc contacted the French Football Federation (FFF) to inquire about the France national team job, which will be vacated by Raymond Domenech following the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Later that day, FFF president Jean-Pierre Escalettes confirmed that Blanc was a candidate for the position. On 18 May 2010, with Blanc's appointment to the position becoming more probable, Bordeaux chairman Jean-Louis Triaud demanded compensation from the FFF. On 20 May 2010, the club reached an agreement with the Federation for €1.5 million. Blanc will not be named the coach of the team until the end of the World Cup.


2010–11 in French football, News, Evian stadium move
After earning promotion to Ligue 2 for the 2010–11 season, Evian were rumored to be pursuing a move to play their home matches at the Stade de la Praille in Geneva, Switzerland, after it was determined that their current facility, the Stade Joseph-Moynat, did not meet the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP)'s standards. Thonon-les-Bains, the commune where the club situates itself, is a few kilometers from the Swiss border and is only 34.6 kilometres (21.5 mi), a 45-minute car drive, from the city of Geneva.


2010–11 in French football, News, Evian stadium move
It was reported that the club's president, Patrick Trotignon, had been in the process of advocating for the move since the beginning of the 2009–10 Championnat National season just in case the club had achieved promotion to the second division. The vice-president of Swiss club Servette FC, who occupy the stadium, questioned the move, citing possible schedule conflicts as well as the health of the pitch if both clubs were to use the stadium on a weekly basis. His claims, however, were refuted by Benoît Genecand, who serves as president of Fondation du Stade de Genève (FSG), which owns and operates the facility. The club responded immediately to Genecand's comments via a press release posted on the club's official website.


2010–11 in French football, News, Evian stadium move
Evian petitioned to the State Council of Geneva and obtained approval from the LFP for the move in early May. On 20 May 2010, Evian received a favorable ruling from the FFF with the Federal Council voting in favor of the move. According to the FFF, the move now had to be agreed upon by a UEFA executive committee, which is composed of 17 officials. On 8 June, UEFA officially denied Evian's request to play at the Stade de la Praille, meaning the club will likely play its home matches at the Parc des Sports in nearby Annecy.


2010–11 in French football, News, Five referee system for cup
On 20 August 2010, the LFP confirmed that the Coupe de la Ligue would utilized the five-referee system that is currently being used in the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League. The announcement makes the Coupe de la Ligue the first national cup competition in Europe to adopt the system and was approved by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) on 21 July. The system officially began on 24 August with the start of the second round matches and will be in place until the final in April 2011.


2010–11 in French football, News, DNCG rulings, National
On 15 June 2010, following a study of each club's administrative and financial accounts in the Championnat National, the DNCG ruled that both Bastia and Gueugnon would be relegated to the Championnat de France amateur, while Amiens, Guingamp and Strasbourg were having their accounts subjected to further deliberation in order to determine whether each club could retain its professional status. Both Bastia and Gueugnon had the option to appeal the decision.


2010–11 in French football, News, DNCG rulings, National
On 25 June 2010, the Corsican Assembly and the General Council of Haute-Corse approved grants of €800,000 and €150,000 to be given to Bastia in order for the club to meet the DNCG's financial requirements, which will allow the club to remain in the Championnat National. On 6 July, however, the DNCG remained firm on its stance relegating the club to the fourth division after questioning the legitimacy of the grants.


2010–11 in French football, News, DNCG rulings, National
Bastia president Julien Lolli remained confident that the club would play in the Championnat National and formerly made an appeal to the CNOSF, the National Sporting Committee of France, the same day. On 2 July, the DNCG announced that Gueugnon would remain in National after the club successfully appealed to the organization. On 16 July, the CNOSF ruled against the DNCG and announced that Bastia should play in the Championnat National. The club's place in the league was confirmed upon the release of the league table.


2010–11 in French football, News, DNCG rulings, National
On 2 July, local media in Alsace reported that Strasbourg were on the verge of being relegated to the Championnat de France amateur by the DNCG due to financial issues. The club responded by announcing its willingness to appeal if the news reported was confirmed. With the club's accounts still being reviewed, Strasbourg's financial issues were slightly alleviated after the sale of striker Magaye Gueye to English club Everton for €1.4 million. Strasbourg later transferred captain Guillaume Lacour and Algerian international Yacine Bezzaz to Evian and Troyes, respectively, for nominal fees. On 16 July, the report was confirmed when the DNCG officially relegated Strasbourg to the CFA. Strasbourg will appeal the decision next week.


2010–11 in French football, News, DNCG rulings, CFA
On 15 June 2010, following a study of each club's administrative and financial accounts in the Championnat de France amateur, the DNCG ruled that Besançon RC, Hyères FC, CS Louhans-Cuiseaux, FC Montceau Bourgogne, EDS Montluçon, Olympique Noisy-le-Sec, and RCF Paris would be relegated to the Championnat de France amateur 2. The organization also ruled that newly promoted club Calais RUFC would be excluded from ascending up to the fourth division, while SO Cassis Carnoux, which had been relegated from the Championnat National, would also be excluded from the league. The second place club in Calais' group, CMS Oissel, who was set to replace Calais was also denied promotion to the Championnat de France amateur. All clubs had the option to appeal the decision.


2010–11 in French football, News, DNCG rulings, CFA
On 7 July, Besançon, Hyères, and Oissel's appeals were heard by the DNCG Appeals Committee and, following deliberation and explanations from each club, the committee ruled in favor of Besançon, but upheld the appeals of Hyères and Oissel. The following day, the appeals committee granted both Louhans-Cuiseaux and Noisy-le-Sec appeals to stay in the fourth division. The committee, however, upheld the rulings of Calais, Montceau Bourgogne, Montluçon, and Racing Paris.


2010–11 in French football, News, Referee suspension
On 5 March 2011, the FFF confirmed through an official statement on its website that referees who were scheduled to officiate the 5–6 March matches would be barred from officiating them after it was revealed that the referees, who are all members of the Syndicat des Arbitres de Football Elite (SAFE), the referee's union, would purposely delay the start time of matches in response the overall "profound disrespect for referees from everyone involved in football". On its official website, the FFF regretted SAFE's decision and also accused the group of attempted blackmail. The referees were replaced by their counterparts in the Championnat National, the third level of French football, for the week.


2010–11 in French football, News, Under-17 team record win
On 30 March 2011, the national under-17 team of France recorded a 9–0 win over Belarus in the Elite Round qualification for the 2011 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship. The result is the biggest victory ever in Elite Round qualification history. The goals were scored by Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Abdallah Yaisien, who scored four; Caen striker Lenny Nangis, who scored a hat trick; Sébastien Haller of Auxerre, who converted a stoppage time penalty; and Athletic Bilbao defender Aymeric Laporte, who scored a first-half goal. The victory progressed the team to the final tournament.


2010–11 in French football, News, Investigation into alleged quota
On 28 April 2011, French investigative website Mediapart released a story which claimed that the FFF had been attempting to secretly put in place a race-quota system in order to limit the number of black and Arab players in its national academies. Quoting a senior figure in the FFF, the organisation was said to have wanted to set a cap of 30% on the number of players of non-white origin by limiting places in the academies in the 12–13 age bracket.


2010–11 in French football, News, Investigation into alleged quota
The FFF responded by releasing a public statement on its website denying the report stating "none of its elected bodies has been validated, or even contemplated a policy of quotas for the recruitment of its training centers". The FFF also announced that it has authorized a full investigation into the matter and, as a result, suspended National Technical Director François Blaquart pending the outcome of the investigation.


2010–11 in French football, News, Investigation into alleged quota
On 29 April, national team manager Laurent Blanc, who, in the report, was claimed to have agreed with the decision to implement the quotas, held a personal press conference at the l'Hôtel Le Régent in Bordeaux, in which he also denied the report declaring that he had "not heard of such a project".


2010–11 in French football, News, Investigation into alleged quota
On the following day, after Mediapart announced that it had a taped audio recording of the November 2010 meeting, Blanc released a statement on the FFF's website in which he apologized for possible offending comments he made during the meeting, while also declaring he was misquoted and denying he was racist, stating, "I do not withdraw the remarks I made yesterday. I admit that some terms used during a meeting on a sensitive subject can be ambiguous, out of context, and, if in my case, I've hurt some feelings, I apologize. But being suspected of racism or xenophobia, which I am against all forms of discrimination, I do not support it."


2010–11 in French football, News, Investigation into alleged quota
Former national team player Lilian Thuram said of the allegations, "Initially I thought this was a joke. I'm so stunned I don't know what to say," while Patrick Vieira declared that the comments Blanc allegedly made at the meeting made were "serious and scandalous". The French government also gave opinions on the matter. President Nicolas Sarkozy was quoted as being "viscerally opposed to any form of quota", while adding "setting quotas would be the end of the Republic". National Sports Minister Chantal Jouanno echoed the President's sentiments, while also demanding that the FFF "shed light" on a report.


2010–11 in French football, News, Investigation into alleged quota
Blanc was defended by several former players, most notably his 1998 World Cup-winning teammates Christophe Dugarry, Bixente Lizarazu, Didier Deschamps, Zinedine Zidane, Marcel Desailly and Emmanuel Petit, current players such as current national team captain Alou Diarra, and external sources, which included Pathé Diba, the president of L'Association Soutien aux Handicapés Africains (English: Association to Support the Disabled in Africa). On 9 May, Blanc gave testimony at a hearing set up by the FFF to investigate the quota matter. The results of the inquiry will be revealed on 10 May.


2010–11 in German football
The 2010–11 season is the 101st season of competitive football in Germany.


2010–11 in German football, Diary of the season
7 August 2010 – Defending Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich defeat Schalke 04 2–0 to win the DFL Supercup. The first games in the women's DFB-Pokal are played.


2010–11 in German football, Diary of the season
13 August 2010 – The DFB-Pokal kicks off. The tournament features the 36 teams of the 1st and 2nd Bundesliga, the top four teams from the 3rd Liga, the 19 state cup champions, and the cup runners-up from Bavaria, Lower Saxony, and Westfalia.


2010–11 in German football, Diary of the season
15 August 2010 – The women's Bundesliga and 2nd Bundesliga seasons begin.


2010–11 in German football, Diary of the season
20 August 2010 – The Bundesliga season begins with a match between Bayern Munich and VfL Wolfsburg. Bayern win the match 2–1. The first matches of the 2nd Bundesliga are also played.


2010–11 in German football, Diary of the season
18 September 2010 – After three consecutive losses, VfB Stuttgart put on a scoring gala against Borussia Mönchengladbach. The 7–0 victory is one of the biggest in Bundesliga history.


2010–11 in German football, Diary of the season
2 October 2010 – With a 4–2 victory over 1899 Hoffenheim, Mainz 05 win their seventh consecutive Bundesliga match. Only on two other occasions has a club managed to win their first seven games of the season: Bayer Munich in 1995 and 1. FC Kaiserslautern in 2001.


2010–11 in German football, Diary of the season
13 October 2010 – Last place in the Bundesliga, VfB Stuttgart sack manager Christian Gross. The Swiss coach had taken over from Markus Babbel about a year and a half earlier. Assistant manager Jens Keller takes over the managers post in the interim.


2010–11 in German football, Diary of the season
24 October 2010 – 1. FC Köln relieve Zvonimir Soldo of his duties as manager, replacing him with reserve-team-manager Frank Schaefer. Soldo had replaced Christoph Daum as manager at the beginning of the previous season.


2010–11 in German football, Diary of the season
31 October 2010 – Having lost five of their six previous matches, Karlsruher SC sack Markus Schupp. KSC II manager Markus Kauczinski is appointed caretaker.


2010–11 in German football, Diary of the season
6 November 2010 – In the last two places in the 2. Bundesliga, both FC Ingolstadt and Arminia Bielefeld sack their managers. Michael Wiesinger had been appointed manager in Ingolstadt almost exactly one year prior, and had led the team to promotion from the 3. Liga. Christian Ziege had taken the reins in Bielefeld, his first senior managerial post, at the beginning of the season.


2010–11 in German football, Diary of the season
7 November 2010 – FC Ingolstadt appoint Benno Möhlmann as their new manager. Möhlmann had lasted managed Greuther Fürth, and had also previously managed Bundesliga club Hamburger SV. Arminia Bielefeld also appoint a new manager, Ewald Lienen, to replace Christian Ziege. Lienen had previously managed several German clubs. His most recent managerial post was with Olympiacos in Greece.


2010–11 in German football, Diary of the season
22 November 2010 – Three weeks after sacking Markus Schupp, Karlsruher SC hire Uwe Rapolder to replace him as manager. Rapolder had most recently managed TuS Koblenz, and had previously been in charge of other second division teams as well.


2010–11 in German football, Diary of the season
4 December 2010 – Two matchdays before the winter break, Borussia Dortmund win the so-called fall championship. After losing 2–1 to Eintracht Frankfurt, Dortmund's closest pursuer, Mainz 05, are unable to pass them until after the break.


2010–11 in German football, Diary of the season
11 December 2010 – Not having managed to keep his team clear of the relegation zone, Jens Keller is sacked as manager of VfB Stuttgart. He had only assumed the post two months earlier.


2010–11 in German football, Diary of the season
12 December 2010 – To replace Jens Keller, VfB Stuttgart sign Bruno Labbadia as manager. Labbadia had previously managed Hamburger SV, and Bayer Leverkusen.


2010–11 in German football, Diary of the season
19 December 2010 – The last Bundesliga matches before the winter break are played.


2010–11 in German football, Diary of the season
2 January 2011 – By mutual consent, 1899 Hoffenheim and Ralf Rangnick dissolve the latter's contract as manager. Rangnick had led Hoffenheim's rise from the third division, culminating in the fall championship in 2008. Assistant manager Marco Pezzaiuoli takes over the post of manager. Prior to joining Hoffenheim, Pezziauli had managed several of Germany's youth national teams.


2010–11 in German football, Diary of the season
7 January 2011 – For a record-breaking transfer fee between €31–35 million, Bosnian striker Edin Džeko leaves VfL Wolfsburg to join Manchester City.


2010–11 in German football, Diary of the season
7 February 2011 – Having won only 1 of the previous 11 matches, VfL Wolfsburg sack Englishman Steve McClaren as manager. McClaren had taken the reins at Wolfsburg at the beginning of the season. He is replaced by his assistant, Pierre Littbarski.


2010–11 in German football, Diary of the season
13 February 2011 – In eighteenth place in the Bundesliga since late November, Borussia Mönchengladbach sack manager Michael Frontzeck. Frontzeck had managed the club for a year and a half, helping the Gladbach avoid relegation the previous season.


2010–11 in German football, Diary of the season
14 February 2011 – To replace Michael Frontzeck, Borussia Mönchengladbach sign Swiss manager Lucien Favre. From 2007 to 2009, Favre had managed then-Bundesliga club Hertha BSC, who qualified for the UEFA Europa League twice under Favre.


2010–11 in German football, Diary of the season
22 February 2011 – Having dropped into the relegation zone in the 2. Bundesliga, Rot-Weiß Oberhausen sack Hans-Günter Bruns as manager. A German international during his playing career, Bruns had held various posts in Oberhausen since 2006.


2010–11 in German football, Diary of the season
24 February 2011 – Borussia Dortmund reserve team manager Theo Schneider transfers to Rot-Weiß Oberhausen. Besides managing the youth and reserve teams in Dortmund, Schneider briefly managed Arminia Bielefeld in 1994.


2010–11 in German football, Diary of the season
12 March 2011 – Scoring from a distance of 73 m, Georgios Tzavelas breaks the Bundesliga record for a goal scored from the greatest distance, and ends Eintracht Frankfurt's eight-game goalless spell. In spite of Greek defender's record-breaking goal, Frankfurt still lose the game to Schalke 04 by a score of 2–1.


2010–11 in German football, Diary of the season
13 March 2011 – The last matches in the Women's Bundesliga are played. One point ahead of runners-up 1. FFC Frankfurt, Turbine Potsdam win the championship, with both teams qualifying for the UEFA Women's Champions League. At the other end of the table, 1. FC Saarbrücken and Herforder SV are relegated.


2010–11 in German football, Diary of the season
13 March 2011 – Following a 6–0 loss Bayern Munich, Hamburger SV sack manager Armin Veh, replacing him with his assistant Michael Oenning. Veh had taken the managerial post at the beginning of the season.


2010–11 in German football, Diary of the season
16 March 2011 – In spite of successes in the DFB-Pokal and Champions League, Felix Magath is sacked as manager of Schalke 04. Under Magath, Schalke had finished second in the Bundesliga the previous season, but struggled especially at the beginning of the 2010–11 season. Magath had also faced criticism for his transfer policies.


2010–11 in German football, Diary of the season
17 March 2011 – Former 1899 Hoffenheim manager Ralf Rangnick fills the vacant managerial post at Schalke 04. In addition to successfully bringing Hoffenheim from the third division to the Bundesliga, Rangnick previously managed VfB Stuttgart and Hannover 96. This is Rangnick's second managerial stint for Schalke.


2010–11 in German football, Diary of the season
18 March 2011 – Just two days after being sacked by Schalke, Felix Magath signs on at VfL Wolfsburg as manager, replacing Pierre Littbarski. In 2008–09, Wolfsburg won the Bundesliga under Magath.


2010–11 in German football, Diary of the season
22 March 2011 – Having won only a single game since the winter break, Eintracht Frankfurt sack manager Michael Skibbe. Skibbe had taken the post at the beginning of the previous season following the resignation of Friedhelm Funkel, and led the team to a 10th-place finish. Skibbe's replacement is Christoph Daum, who previously managed several Bundesliga clubs and won the Turkish Süper Lig three times. He was also set to manage the Germany national team, but his agreement was dropped following a cocaine-use scandal.


2010–11 in German football, Diary of the season
26 March 2011 – By a score of 2–1, 1. FFC Frankfurt defeat league champions Turbine Potsdam in the final of the Women's DFB-Pokal. This is the eight time Frankfurt have won the cup, and marks their first title of any kind in three years.


2010–11 in German football, Diary of the season
1 April 2011 – After assistant referee Thorsten Schiffner was hit in the back of the neck with a filled beer cup thrown from the stands, referee Deniz Aytekin suspends the Bundesliga match between FC St. Pauli and Schalke 04 in the 89th minute. At the time of suspension, Schalke were leading 2–0 and two St. Pauli players had previously been ejected from the match.