2011–12 Reading F.C. season, Season review, April
On 5 April, it was announced that McDermott had been nominated for March's Manager of the Month, while Ian Harte had been nominated for Player of the Month. The next day before Reading's home game against Leeds United it was announced that McDermott had won the manager of the month. Reading's first game in April was on Good Friday against Leeds United, which they won 2–0 thanks to two late Adam Le Fondre goals after Leeds had Zac Thompson sent off in the 12th minute.


2011–12 Reading F.C. season, Season review, April
Reading then travelled to Brighton & Hove Albion on 10 April, and secured a narrow 1–0 victory after a deflected Ian Harte free kick in the 14th minute. Reading then played Southampton at the St Mary's on 13 April. Reading took the lead through Jason Roberts in the 19th minute, before Rickie Lambert levelled it for the Saints in the three minutes into the second half. McDermott then introduced Adam Le Fondre as a 64th minute sub, who scored in the 72nd and 90th minutes to win the game 3–1 for Reading.


2011–12 Reading F.C. season, Season review, April
On 17 April, Reading beat Nottingham Forest 1–0 at home. With West Ham United's 1–1 draw against Bristol City the same evening, Reading were automatically promoted to the Premier League. Four days later their 2–2 draw with Crystal Palace, coupled with Southampton's 2–1 defeat at Middlesbrough, ensured they would be promoted as division champions.


2011–12 Reading F.C. season, Season review, April
Reading's last game of the season was away to Birmingham City which they lost 2–0. On 3 May it was announced that Adam Le Fondre had been nominated for the April player of the month after scoring five goals during the month.


2011–12 Reading F.C. season, Season review, May
Following the close of the season, Brian McDermott was named Championship Manager of the Year at the League Managers Association Awards, as voted by fellow professional managers. Reading would release thirteen players at the end of the season, they included Andy Griffin, who played 42 games for Reading after joining the club in 2010, Brian Howard, who played 67 games for the club in three years and Tomasz Cywka, who joined Reading in the January, but only played four times.


2011–12 Reading F.C. season, Squad, Left club during season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2011–12 Reading F.C. season, Competitions, League Cup
Reading's First Round tie against Charlton drawn for 9 August 2011 was postponed on police advice due to the riots happening in London. It was later rearranged to be played on Tuesday, 23 August 2011.


2011–12 Real Betis season
The 2011–12 season Real Betis season was the club's 95th season in its history and its 47th season playing in La Liga, the top division of Spanish football, following promotion after winning the Segunda División. It covers a period from 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2012.


2011–12 Real Betis season
Real Betis competed for their second La Liga title and will enter the Copa del Rey in the round of 32. Real Betis started to win its first four games. Betis' final match of the Liga was at Málaga, a 2–0 victory.


2011–12 Real Betis season, Current squad
Updated 31 August 2011Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season
The 2011–12 season was the 108th season in Real Madrid Club de Fútbol's history and their 81st consecutive season in La Liga, the top division of Spanish football. It covered a period from 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2012.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season
Real Madrid began the season finishing runners-up in the Supercopa de España to Barcelona, losing 5–4 on aggregate. The team won a record 32nd La Liga title and finished the season with a number of records including 100 points in a single season, a record 121 goals scored and goal difference of +89, and a record 16 away wins and 32 overall wins. They also competed in the UEFA Champions League for the 15th successive season, losing in the semi-finals to Bayern Munich in a penalty shoot-out. They entered the Copa del Rey as the defending champions, but lost 4–3 on aggregate in the quarter-finals to Barcelona. Cristiano Ronaldo, the winner of the Pichichi Trophy and European Golden Shoe last season, was the team's leading scorer with 46 goals in La Liga and 60 overall.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season
The season has been often termed by some newspapers as "La Liga de los Récords" (Spanish for "The League of the Records") as Real Madrid broke several long-standing La Liga records, the most prominent being the highest number of points in a single La Liga season. Their total of 100 was one point better than the previous record set by Barcelona in the 2009–10 season (Barcelona would go on to equal this points record in the following season). Real Madrid also recorded the most goals in a league season with 121, surpassing the precious record held by the Real Madrid side that scored 107 goals during the 1989–90 season.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, Pre-season
Real Madrid commenced their summer transfer activity on 9 May, signing Turkish central midfielder Nuri Şahin for six seasons from Borussia Dortmund on a transfer reported to be worth €10 million. Versatile Turkish midfielder Hamit Altıntop was signed for four seasons on a free transfer from Bayern Munich on 19 May, but was discovered to have a prolapsed disc on 23 June, undergoing a successful operation four days later. The club announced on 21 May that veteran Polish goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek's contract would not be renewed; he subsequently retired. Former Castilla winger José Callejón was brought back after three seasons at Espanyol for a reported fee of €5 million on 23 May.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, Pre-season
Real Madrid fired Director General Jorge Valdano on 25 May after a strained relationship over sporting decisions between him and manager José Mourinho. President Florentino Pérez supported Mourinho's request to "be able to manage the team with autonomy" in response to tensions during the previous season's winter transfer window and a public feud regarding Karim Benzema following a 1–1 draw against Almería. Valdano was reported to be paid €3.5 million to release him from the remaining two years on his contract and was replaced by José Ángel Sánchez. Mourinho subsequently became head of football operations in addition to his role as head coach with former player and special adviser to Pérez Zinedine Zidane as the new director of football for the first team.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, Pre-season
Real Madrid continued their transfer activity on 27 June, signing teenage French central defender Raphaël Varane from Lens for six seasons on a reported €10 million transfer. On 1 July, Royston Drenthe and David Mateos returned from their loan spells at Hércules and AEK Athens, respectively, while Emmanuel Adebayor returned to Manchester City following a six-month loan. Mateos was loaned out ten days later to Real Zaragoza with Zaragoza having an option to purchase the player permanently at the end of the season, and Drenthe was loaned to Everton late on the final day of the transfer window. Portuguese wingback Fábio Coentrão transferred from Benfica for €30 million on 5 July and signed a six-year contract.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, Pre-season
Real Madrid traveled to the UCLA campus in Los Angeles, California, on 11 July to prepare for friendlies against the LA Galaxy, Guadalajara and Philadelphia Union in the World Football Challenge. Castilla players Jesús Fernández, Tomás Mejías, Jorge Casado, Nacho, Jesé and Joselu accompanied the first team to the United States. On 12 July, the contracts of Pepe and Sergio Ramos were extended to 2016 and 2017, respectively, and Nuri Şahin suffered a Grade I sprain on the internal lateral ligament in his left knee during the first day of training, causing him to miss the entire pre-season.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, Pre-season
On 17 July, defender Ezequiel Garay transferred to Benfica for an undisclosed fee. Real Madrid's pre-season began with a 4–1 victory over Major League Soccer (MLS) team LA Galaxy, with goals from Callejón, Joselu, Cristiano Ronaldo and Benzema. Four days later in San Diego against Mexican Primera División side Guadalajara, Ronaldo scored a second half hat-trick over a nine-minute span for a 3–0 victory. Real Madrid completed the World Football Challenge atop the table following a 2–1 win over Philadelphia Union, with early goals from Callejón and Mesut Özil. They officially won the tournament via goal differential when Manchester United defeated Barcelona 2–1 on 30 July. Ronaldo finished as the tournament's top scorer with four goals.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, Pre-season
Real Madrid started the European leg of their pre-season world tour with a triumph over newly promoted Bundesliga team Hertha BSC on 27 July in front of a sold out Olympiastadion. Patrick Ebert opened the scoring for Hertha, but Ronaldo equalized from a long-range free kick and Benzema added two goals for a 3–1 victory. Three days later Real Madrid defeated Championship side Leicester City 2–1 to win the npower Challenge Cup. Callejón scored the opening goal and Benzema converted a rebound following a shot off the goalpost by Marcelo before Lloyd Dyer added a late consolation goal.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, Pre-season
José Mourinho's five-game touchline ban in the UEFA Champions League due to accusatory statements following the first leg of the previous season's Champions League semi-final was partially upheld following an appeal to UEFA on 29 July. He was originally suspended for five matches, with the final game suspended for a probational period of three years, and fined €50,000 for accusing Barcelona of receiving favorable treatment from UEFA and for severely criticizing German referee Wolfgang Stark.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, Pre-season
After serving the first game of his suspension in the second leg, Mourinho had the remaining four matches of his ban reduced to a two-game suspension with a potential two further games over a three-year probationary period. The original fine to Mourinho was upheld along with a €20,000 fine assessed to Real Madrid for crowd trouble.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, Pre-season
The club traveled to Guangzhou, China, directly from Leicester on 1 August, and signed a letter of intent the following day with Guangzhou Evergrande involving club cooperation, potential player exchanges, and the opening of the largest football academy in China. On 3 August, Real Madrid defeated Chinese Super League leaders Guangzhou Evergrande 7–1, with goals from Sami Khedira, Özil, Benzema twice, Ronaldo, Jesé, and Ángel Di María. The following day, attacking midfielder Sergio Canales joined Valencia on loan for two seasons with Valencia retaining a purchase option of €12 million at the end of each season. Real Madrid concluded their pre-season world tour with all victories on 6 August, defeating Tianjin Teda 6–0 with goals from Kaká, Di María, Gonzalo Higuaín, Ronaldo and a double by Benzema.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, August
Real Madrid opened their competitive season with a 2–2 draw at home in the first leg of the 2011 Supercopa de España against Barcelona on 14 August. Özil scored after 13 minutes following an assist from Benzema, but goals from David Villa and Lionel Messi against the run of play gave Barcelona the lead at halftime. Xabi Alonso shot through traffic during a corner sequence for the equalizer nine minutes into the second half. Three days later in the return leg at Camp Nou, Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 3–2 to win 5–4 on aggregate.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, August
Andrés Iniesta beat the offside trap and scored first for Barcelona, but Ronaldo redirected a cross to equalize five minutes later. Messi scored just before halftime following a failed clearance of a corner kick by Real Madrid and a subsequent backheel assist from Gerard Piqué to give Barcelona a 2–1 lead at halftime. Benzema leveled the score late in the second half following a scramble from a corner kick, but an Adriano cross allowed Messi to score the winning goal in the 88th minute.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, August
Marcelo received a straight red card in stoppage time for a tackle on Cesc Fàbregas, creating an ensuing scuffle between the two sides that led to Mourinho confronting Barcelona assistant coach Tito Vilanova with a poke in the eye and expulsions for Villa and Özil. Six days later, the Royal Spanish Football Federation opened disciplinary investigations against both Mourinho and Vilanova that could have potentially resulted in a 12-game suspension for Mourinho but instead suspended him for two future Supercopa de España matches and fined €600. Real Madrid was additionally fined €180.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, August
Real Madrid's La Liga campaign was scheduled to begin on 21 August at home against Athletic Bilbao, but the Spanish Footballers' Association, with representation from all 42 teams in the top two divisions, unanimously elected to strike after failing to reach a collective bargaining agreement with the Liga de Fútbol Profesional, causing the postponement of the first weekend of fixtures. The team won their seventh consecutive Santiago Bernabéu Trophy, defeating Turkish Süper Lig side Galatasaray on 24 August.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, August
Before the match, Real Madrid officially presented their five new summer signings and honored their three youth team players on the Spanish Under-19 squad that won the 2011 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship. Selçuk İnan scored early for Galatasaray from close range, but a pair of assists from man of the match Xabi Alonso to Sergio Ramos and Benzema led Real Madrid to a 2–1 victory in the annual friendly.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, August
Real Madrid's La Liga season began with a 0–6 win at Real Zaragoza on 28 August, with goals from Marcelo, Alonso, Kaká and a hat-trick by Ronaldo, including his 100th goal as a Real Madrid player. The win was the most lopsided away victory on opening day in Spanish top flight history.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, August
On 31 August, the final day of the summer transfer window, Real Madrid loaned out midfielders Pedro León, Fernando Gago and Royston Drenthe. Pedro León joined Getafe, the team he was purchased from a year ago, and Gago joined Roma, with both Getafe and Roma retaining the option to acquire their respective player for €6 million at the end of the season. Drenthe joined Everton for a season-long loan in a deal that was finalized late on deadline day.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, September
Real Madrid's first La Liga home match resulted in a 4–2 victory over local rivals Getafe on 10 September. Benzema scored his first two goals in La Liga while Ronaldo converted a penalty and Higuaín added a late goal. The victory boosted Real Madrid to a two-point advantage over Barcelona, as Barcelona drew 2–2 earlier in the day at Real Sociedad.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, September
Four days later, Real Madrid defeated Dinamo Zagreb 1–0 in on Matchday 1 of the UEFA Champions League despite Mourinho serving his second of three touchline bans in the competition and a second yellow card to Marcelo for diving in the penalty area. Di María scored the lone goal early in the second half, while Ronaldo received stitches to his right ankle after the match. The injury forced Ronaldo out of the starting lineup against Levante on 18 September, a match Real Madrid lost 1–0 on a second half counterattack goal from Arouna Koné.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, September
Real Madrid played with a man down when Khedira received his second yellow card in the 40th minute for defending Di María from Sergio Ballesteros during a fracas; Mourinho later commented Khedira "fell for the trap." Three days later Real Madrid again failed to score, drawing 0–0 at Racing Santander in a match in which Varane made his official debut. On 24 September, the team defeated Rayo Vallecano 6–2 at home.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, September
Michu scored for the visitors 17 seconds into the match following an intercepted backpass from Lassana Diarra, but goals from Ronaldo and Higuaín lifted Real Madrid to a 2–1 halftime lead. Ronaldo and Michu scored again early in the second half shortly before a second yellow card to Di María for an intentional handball. Despite the numerical disadvantage, Ronaldo completed his hat-trick and Varane and Benzema added goals in the victory. Varane, at 18 years and 152 days, became the youngest foreign player to score in a competitive match for Real Madrid. Hamit Altıntop made his official debut in a 3–0 victory over Ajax on Matchday 2 of the Champions League on 27 September. Ronaldo, Kaká, and Benzema each scored a goal and provided an assist.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, October
Real Madrid defeated Espanyol away 0–4 on 2 October. Higuaín scored a hat-trick and Callejón scored his first official goal for Real Madrid. Higuaín added another hat-trick, his third in two weeks including one for Argentina, and Kaká scored a goal on 15 October in a 4–1 victory over Real Betis. Despite his recent goalscoring form, Higuaín was dropped from the starting lineup in favor of Benzema for the Champions League match against Olympique Lyonnais three days later.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, October
Mourinho returned from suspension and guided Real Madrid to a 4–0 victory, inflicting Lyon with their largest ever defeat in the Champions League. Benzema finished Ronaldo's flick from an Özil corner and then assisted Khedira for his first competitive goal at Real Madrid. Lyon goalkeeper Hugo Lloris redirected a cross by Özil for an own goal, and Sergio Ramos completed the scoring from a Kaká corner. The win lifted Real Madrid five points clear atop Group D.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, October
Real Madrid defeated Málaga away on 22 October and moved one point ahead of Barcelona after they were held to a scoreless draw by Sevilla. Higuaín opened the scoring and Ronaldo scored his third hat-trick in La Liga this season for a 0–4 win. This was the first time in club history Real Madrid scored at least four goals in four successive La Liga matches. Four days later Real Madrid blanked Villarreal 3–0 at home with three first half goals. Di María assisted early goals by Benzema and Kaká and then scored one himself on a counterattack.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, October
Real Madrid completed the month of October with all victories after defeating Real Sociedad away 0–1 on 29 October with an early goal from Higuaín. The clean sheet also equaled a club record of four consecutive away games in La Liga without conceding a goal. They reclaimed the La Liga lead after Levante lost the following day. IFFHS recognized Real Madrid as The World's Club Team of the Month for October.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, November
Real Madrid clinched a spot in the Champions League knockout phase on 2 November when they defeated Lyon away 0–2. Ronaldo scored both goals to reach 100 competitive goals for Real Madrid in 105 matches. He beat Lloris with a powerful free kick in the first half, which was Real Madrid's 900th goal in European competition, and a penalty kick in the second half. Four days later, Real Madrid defeated Osasuna 7–1 in their first ever noon kickoff, scheduled to cater to Asian audiences. Sixty million people watched the match from China as a result.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, November
Prior to kickoff, Ronaldo presented his 2010–11 European Golden Shoe award and the team supported former player Antonio Cassano, who recently suffered a stroke and underwent heart surgery, by wearing "Forza Cassano" shirts. Ronaldo scored his fourth hat-trick in La Liga, Benzema netted two goals, and Pepe and Higuaín scored one each in the victory. Di María served three assists in the first half before tearing his hamstring early in the second half, and Şahin made his Real Madrid debut as a substitute following six months of injury.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, November
Real Madrid defeated Valencia away 2–3 on 19 November for their 11th consecutive victory, the longest in Mourinho's managerial career. Nicolás Terol, champion of the 2011 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season 125cc class, ceremonially kicked off the match. Benzema opened the scoring in the first half from a quickly taken Alonso free kick, and Sergio Ramos doubled the lead from a corner in the second half. Roberto Soldado pulled a goal back for Valencia before Ronaldo avoided onrushing goalkeeper Diego Alves to restore a two-goal advantage.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, November
Soldado scored again four minutes later, but Valencia had an appeal for a handball in the penalty area turned down in stoppage time. Three days later Real Madrid defeated Dinamo Zagreb 6–2 in their 1,500th official match at the Santiago Bernabéu to clinch top spot in their Champions League group. Despite resting Ronaldo, Iker Casillas and Pepe, Real Madrid scored four goals in the opening 20 minutes through Benzema, Callejón, Özil and Higuaín. Callejón and Benzema scored again after halftime before Fatos Bećiraj and Ivan Tomečak added late consolation goals. The win was also their 250th in UEFA competitions.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, November
On 26 November, Real Madrid stretched their unbeaten streak against Atlético Madrid to 22 matches after a 4–1 home victory in the Madrid Derby. Prior to kickoff, Casillas was presented with a commemorative ball by Florentino Pérez for recently becoming the most capped Spanish international of all time. Atlético struck first through Adrián, but shortly afterward goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was sent off while conceding a penalty, converted by Ronaldo. Di María finished a low cross from Ronaldo early in the second half, and then Higuaín extended the lead by capitalizing on a defensive error from Diego Godín.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, November
Godín was later sent off for denying Higuaín a clear goalscoring opportunity in the box and Ronaldo converted another penalty. The victory coupled with Barcelona's loss at Gefate boosted Real Madrid's lead in La Liga to six points. Real Madrid were again recognized by IFFHS as The World's Club Team of the Month after completing November with all victories.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, December
Real Madrid started the month of December with a 0–3 away victory against Sporting de Gijón on 3 December, their 14th consecutive win. Fitness coach Rui Faria was sent off early in the match for protesting a refereeing decision and was subsequently suspended for two matches and fined €600. Di María opened the scoring from a tight angle and then assisted Ronaldo for his 17th La Liga goal before Marcelo completed the scoring in stoppage time.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, December
Four days later, they defeated Ajax with a weakened lineup and concluded the Champions League group stage with all victories, becoming the fifth team in Champions League history to accomplish the feat. Callejón scored two goals and Higuaín added one for a 3–0 win, although Ajax had two goals questionably disallowed for offside. Castilla loanee Pedro Mendes made his first team debut in the second half. The victory was the team's 15th consecutive win to equal a club record set in 1961. On 10 December, Real Madrid were defeated at home by Barcelona.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, December
Benzema scored 21 seconds after kickoff, the fastest goal in El Clásico history, following a Víctor Valdés giveaway, but an Alexis Sánchez strike, a deflected goal by Xavi, and a Cesc Fàbregas header condemned Real Madrid to a 1–3 defeat. Three days later, Real Madrid began their defense of the Copa del Rey with a 0–2 victory at Segunda División B side Ponferradina in the first leg of the round of 32. Callejón and Ronaldo scored the goals and youth team player Jesé officially debuted, but Raúl Albiol was sent off for committing two bookable offences.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, December
Real Madrid finished the calendar year as La Liga leaders by three points after a 2–6 away win against Sevilla on 17 December. Ronaldo opened the scoring in the tenth minute from a through ball by Di María. Two minutes later, Casillas made a diving save on a close-range shot from Manu. Di María then assisted Callejón for the second before Ronaldo blasted a long shot into the upper corner, but Pepe earned a second yellow card and was sent off shortly before halftime. Di María scored in the second half and dedicated the goal to his late father-in-law.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, December
Jesús Navas pulled a goal back for Sevilla, but soon afterward Manu was shown a straight red card. Ronaldo completed his hat-trick from a penalty and substitute Altıntop scored his first goal for Real Madrid before Álvaro Negredo added a consolation goal in stoppage time. Real Madrid defeated Ponferradina 5–1 in the return leg of the Copa del Rey on 20 December to advance 7–1 on aggregate. Callejón scored twice, Şahin scored his first goal for Real Madrid, and Varane and Castilla member Joselu each scored once, while Acorán scored the lone goal for Ponferradina. His goal ended Real Madrid's Copa del Rey clean sheet streak at a club record of 616 minutes that began during the previous season. Youth team members Jorge Casado and Fernando Pacheco made their official debuts in the match.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, January
Real Madrid rallied to defeat Málaga at home 3–2 in the first leg of the round of 16 in the Copa del Rey on 3 January. Defenders Sergio Sánchez and Martín Demichelis converted headers from corners to give Málaga a 2–0 lead, prompting Mourinho to bring on Mesut Özil, Sami Khedira and Karim Benzema at half-time. Madrid then scored three goals through Khedira, Gonzalo Higuaín and Benzema over a ten-minute period for the victory. Rui Faria was again dismissed for protesting a refereeing decision.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, January
On 7 January, Real Madrid won their first La Liga game of the year 5–1 against Granada at home. Prior to kickoff, Iker Casillas received an award from medical supplier Sanitas for being the healthiest squad member during the past year as voted by fans. Benzema opened the scoring following an Özil backheel pass, one of his three assists in the match, but Granada equalized three minutes later through Mikel Rico. Sergio Ramos, Higuaín, Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo added further goals in the victory.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, January
Real Madrid extended their La Liga lead to five points after Barcelona drew against Espanyol the following day. On 10 January, Real Madrid defeated Málaga 0–1 in the second leg of the Copa del Rey and progressed to the quarter-finals 4–2 on aggregate. An error by Málaga keeper Willy Caballero allowed Benzema to score the winning goal in the 72nd minute. Álvaro Arbeloa made his 100th appearance for Real Madrid but was sent off late in the match. Real Madrid staged another comeback win on 14 January, defeating Mallorca away 1–2.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, January
Tomer Hemed scored with a header in the 39th minute for Mallorca before Higuaín and José Callejón scored second half goals to give Madrid the win. Real Madrid lost to Barcelona at home in the first leg of the Copa del Rey quarter-finals on 18 January. Ronaldo scored early, but second half goals from defenders Carles Puyol and Eric Abidal resulted in a 1–2 defeat. On 22 January, Real Madrid ended the first half of the season as league leaders with a five-point advantage after beating Athletic Bilbao at home 4–1.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, January
Fernando Llorente scored early for the visitors but Real Madrid eventually raced to clear 4–1 victory with two penalties from Ronaldo and goals from Marcelo and Callejón. On 25 January, Madrid was eliminated from Copa del Rey by Barcelona after a 2–2 draw at Camp Nou; Barcelona qualified 4–3 on aggregate. The home side was leading after the first half 2–0 with the goals from Pedro and Dani Alves, despite Real Madrid being the dominating side. In the second half, Real Madrid leveled Barcelona with the goals from Ronaldo and Benzema.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, January
On 28 January, Real Madrid extended their lead in La Liga to seven points after beating Real Zaragoza home 3–1 while Barcelona could only conjure up a goalless draw away to Villarreal. Zaragoza took the lead in the 11th minute when Ángel Lafita scored for the visitors. Real Madrid, however, once again came from behind to finish with a comfortable win with goals from Kaká, Ronaldo and Özil.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, February
On 4 February, Real Madrid started the month with a 0–1 away win over Getafe. The lone goal, a header, was scored by Sergio Ramos in the first half. On 12 February, Madrid extended their lead in La Liga to ten points after winning 4–2 at home to Levante, while Barcelona had lost the day before to Osasuna in Pamplona. Levante opened the scoring with a header from Gustavo Cabral. The turning point came after a red card to Vicente Iborra, giving away a penalty which was scored by Cristiano Ronaldo.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, February
Ronaldo then added two more goals, including a sumptuous third, before Levante pulled another back through Arouna Koné. Karim Benzema then curled home a fourth for Real to finish the scoring. On 18 February, Real Madrid continued their good form in La Liga by beating Racing de Santander at the Bernabéu 4–0. Benzema netted a brace and Ronaldo and Ángel Di María each scored one goal in the comfortable win. Racing played over half of the game with only ten men after Domingo Cisma received a second yellow card for his second handball of the game and was sent off.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, February
On 21 February, Real Madrid drew 1–1 with CSKA Moscow in the first part of their Round of 16 games in Champions League. The game, played in snowy conditions in Moscow, was led by Madrid for the majority of the game with a goal from Ronaldo, but a last-minute equalizer by Pontus Wernbloom denied the victory for the visitors. On 26 February, Real Madrid defeated city rival Rayo Vallecano at the Campo de Fútbol de Vallecas by a score of 0–1. The only goal of the game, a back-heel effort by Cristiano Ronaldo, was eventually enough for the visitors to go home with the three points in their pocket.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, March
On 4 March, Real Madrid extended their streak of wins in La Liga to ten games by beating Espanyol at home 5–0. Cristiano Ronaldo, Sami Khedira and Kaká all scored in the impressive win, as did Gonzalo Higuaín, who scored twice. On 10 March, Real Madrid became the first team in the history of La Liga to win ten consecutive away games after beating Real Betis 2–3 at the Estadio Benito Villamarín. The home team started well after Jorge Molina scored early, but Higuaín equalized just over ten minutes later.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, March
In the second half, Madrid took the lead with a Ronaldo goal, but Betis equalized only a few minutes later with a strike from Jefferson Montero. Ronaldo, however, scored his second of the night later on which turned out to be the winning goal and guaranteed the full three points for the whites. Real Madrid qualified to the quarter-finals of the Champions League on 14 March by beating CSKA Moscow at home by a score of 4–1, progressing 5–2 on aggregate.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, March
Ronaldo netted a brace while Higuaín and Karim Benzema both scored one in the victory, while the lone goal from CSKA was scored by Zoran Tošić. On 18 March, Real Madrid tied against Málaga at the Bernabéu 1–1 after an injury time free kick by Santi Cazorla. Real Madrid's only goal was scored by Benzema. On 21 March, Real Madrid drew again 1–1, this time against Villarreal, with Ronaldo and Marcos Senna scoring the goals. After back-to-back draws, Real Madrid was on an advantage of just six points ahead of rivals Barcelona.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, March
In the controversial game, Mourinho was expelled from the match as was fitness trainer Rui Faria for the third time in his season. The referee gave Sergio Ramos a second yellow card for a tough challenge on Nilmar and gave direct red to Özil for sarcastically applauding his decision. Pepe was also booked after the game for insulting the referee, which led to a two-game suspension for him. On 24 March, Real Madrid beat Real Sociedad 5–1, with two goals each from Ronaldo and Benzema and a single goal for Higuaín.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, March
Ronaldo averaged 1.01 goals by having 100 goals scored in La Liga that day. On the following week, on 27 March, Real Madrid continued their good form in Champions League by defeating opponent APOEL in Cyprus 0–3. Benzema scored a header from a pass from Kaká, who then scored the second one; Benzema closed the game by scoring the third goal from an Özil assist. On the last day of the month, Real Madrid beat Osasuna away, 1–5. Benzema scored a stupendous volley goal and Ronaldo equally great 36-yard long range shot at goal. It was overall Ronaldo's night, since he also scored another goal, a free kick that was deflected, and assisted two other goals. Higuaín was the third player who got his name on the scoresheet, scoring twice. His last goal was the 100th goal for Madrid in La Liga this season.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, April
The month started by a 5–2 victory over APOEL in the second leg of Champions League quarter-finals, giving an aggregate score 8–2 as Los Blancos advanced to the semi-finals against final hosts Bayern Munich. Real Madrid was resting some of their usual starters, but still managed to score five goals overall. Cristiano Ronaldo netted a brace and Kaká, José Callejón and Ángel Di María each scored one in the victory, while APOEL's goals were scored by Gustavo Manduca and Esteban Solari, later scoring a penalty given to the Cypriots after Hamit Altıntop's foul in the box.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, April
On 8 April, Real Madrid had a goalless draw against Valencia in La Liga, leading them only four points ahead of Barcelona. Three days later, on 11 April, Real Madrid beat Atlético Madrid in an away game 1–4. Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat trick including two astonishing goals and assisted Callejón to score the fourth goal to close the game. Atlético's only goal was netted by Radamel Falcao. On 14 April, Real Madrid beat Sporting de Gijón home 3–1 with goals from Higuaín, Ronaldo and Benzema.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, April
Sporting's only goal was a penalty given to them after a handball from Sergio Ramos in the box, which was scored by Miguel de las Cuevas. On 17 April, Real Madrid lost to Bayern Munich away at the Allianz Arena 2–1 in first leg of the Champions League semi-finals. Franck Ribéry and Mario Gómez scored for Bayern, while Mesut Özil netted Madrid's only goal. On 21 April, Real Madrid beat Barcelona in El Clásico in Camp Nou 1–2, extending their lead in La Liga to seven points with only four matches left, which all but decided the domestic title.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, April
Sami Khedira opened the scoring from a corner kick in the 17th minute which broke the record for the most goals scored in a domestic league, with 107. Alexis Sánchez equalized in the second half in the 70th minute, but only a few minutes later, Özil assisted and Ronaldo scored the winning goal of the game by shooting the ball over Víctor Valdés into the net. This was the first victory for Real Madrid in La Liga against their arch rivals in Camp Nou since 2007.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, April
On 25 April, in the second leg of the Champions League against Bayern Munich, Cristiano Ronaldo initially put Madrid up 2–0, but former Madrid player Arjen Robben netted an away goal back for Bayern with a penalty. The match ended 2–1 after extra time and as both sides were tied 3–3, it went to a shootout. During penalties, Iker Casillas made two saves but Ronaldo, Kaká and Ramos failed to convert their spot kicks and Madrid lost 3–1, bowing out of the Champions League in a heartbreaking fashion. The Champions League setback did not break Madrid's spirit, however, as the team went on to crush Sevilla 3–0 just four days after the UCL semi-final defeat. Ronaldo opened the scoring and Benzema then added a brace.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, May
On 2 May 2012, Los Blancos defeated Athletic Bilbao 3–0 in an away game to be crowned champions of Spain after a four-year wait. Higuaín, Özil, and Ronaldo scored as Madrid won La Liga with two games to spare. That wasn't it however, as the team clearly targeted to achieve a record 100 points in a season.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, May
Madrid went on to beat Granada away three days later in a dramatic game that saw the home team score early, with Ronaldo equalizing on the 81th minute through a penalty, and Real clinching the victory in injury time, courtesy of an own goal. Two Granada players were sent off after the final whistle after a brawl, involving the teams. The final game of the season was against Mallorca on Bernabéu. Prior to that game, Madridistas had 97 points, meaning that they had to win to become the Centurions.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Season overview, May
Real did just that by triumphing 4–1 with goals coming from Ronaldo, Benzema, and Özil (2). The team reached the 100-point mark and set numerous records in the process. Overall, La Liga title was a sufficient consolation for a heartbreak in the Champions League semi-final against Bayern and earlier defeats to Barça in the Supercopa and Copa del Rey.


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Club, Official sponsors
bwin• Adidas• Mahou• Audi• Emirates• Coca- Cola• STC• Movistar• Sanitas• Solán de Cabras• Solaria• Dua Kelinci


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Pre-season and friendlies
Last updated: 16 May 2012Source: World Football Challenge, US, Europe & China Tour, Hertha Berlin, Leicester City, China Tour, Trofeo Santiago Bernabéu, Kuwait


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Statistics, Goals
Last updated: 13 May 2012Source: Match reports in Competitive matches


2011–12 Real Madrid CF season, Statistics, Disciplinary record
Last updated: 13 May 2012Source: Competitive matches and LFP.com, sportec.esOrdered by ,  and  = Number of bookings;  = Number of sending offs after a second yellow card;  = Number of sending offs by a direct red card.


2011–12 Real Sociedad season
The 2011–12 season was Real Sociedad's 66th season in La Liga. After managing to stay up in the previous season the Basque club sacked Martín Lasarte and appointed Philippe Montanier as a new coach.


2011–12 Real Sociedad season
This article shows player statistics and all matches (official and friendly) that the club played during the 2011–12 season.


2011–12 Real Sociedad season, Season summary
The Season started with the appointment of Philippe Montanier as a coach, and promises from the local media of a new ball-playing approach. The new campaign got off to a good start as Real Sociedad won its first game, away to Sporting Gijón. This optimism would not last, as the club found itself bottom of the table by late November. Talk of Montanier's imminent dismissal became overwhelming but two unexpected victories kept the Frenchman in the job. The first, away against Real Betis, was sealed in extra time when Iñigo Martínez shot from midfield, surprising the goalkeeper. This goal became a hit throughout Europe and was nominated as one of the goals of the season. The second victory, against Malaga, was obtained in extra-time too. It is widely accepted that without these two wins Montanier would have been sacked.


2011–12 Real Sociedad season, Season summary
Towards the end of 2011 the Basque club stabilized in higher positions and relegation looked unlikely as Sporting Gijon, Racing Santander and Real Zaragoza looked already doomed. On the 36th round Real Sociedad mathematically avoided an unlikely relegation after defeating Racing Santander at home. The club finished in 12th position, with 47 points. Despite the improvement from the previous season and acceptable point tally, criticism of Montanier was widespread. Sections of the media and fans were disappointed in the style of play and Montanier's alleged lack of ambition. During a home game against Real Betis, a number of fans called for Montanier's resignation while the game was in play, and the score was 1–1.


2011–12 Real Sociedad season, Season summary, Copa del Rey
In the cup the club met Granada. A home win was enough to knock the Andalusians out, despite being beaten and thoroughly outplayed in the second leg. Similarly, Mallorca were beaten at Anoeta, but a catastrophic second leg sent Real Sociedad out the competition after being defeated 6–1.


2011–12 Real Sociedad season, Season summary, Others
Real Sociedad reached an agreement with Nike, who became the official suppliers of the team's kit and training clothing. Thus Real Sociedad ended a 17-year relationship with basque kit providers Astore


2011–12 Real Sociedad season, Players, Squad information
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2011–12 Real Sociedad season, Start formations
Lineup that started most of the club's competitive matches throughout the season.


2011–12 Real Sociedad season, Start formations
The formation above is not the standard lineup during the season. It is unclear whether the team played 4–3–3 or 4–2–3–1. Griezmann and Prieto often switched sides. Carlos Vela played in different attacking positions: wide left, off the striker and as a false nine. Cadamuro-Bentaïba was used as left-back instead of De la Bella as the latter was absent for a long period due to technical decisions and injuries.


2011–12 Real Sociedad season, Start formations
The season was marked by the lack of a defined best 11, with constant changes that were not always understood by the local media and fans.


2011–12 Real Sociedad season, Transfers
Martín Lasarte had his contract rescinded by the club almost immediately after the end of the season, being paid €50,000 for it. After some speculation Philippe Montanier was appointed as new coach, for which Valenciennes received €500,000 from Real Sociedad.


2011–12 Real Sociedad season, Transfers
Controversially Diego Rivas was not offered a new contract and abandoned the club. Similarly Raul Tamudo left the club after a successful one-year stay. Experienced centre-half Mikel Labaka signed for Rayo Vallecano on a free transfer, ending a 14-year-long relationship with the club. Sutil was let go to Real Murcia after a season spent mostly on the bench.


2011–12 Real Sociedad season, Transfers
Young prospects Borja Viguera, Alex Albistegi and Iñigo Sarasola returned to the club at the end of their loan spells. Iosu Esnaola signed for Noja and Sarasola and Albistegi had their contracts rescinded. Albistegi signed for Logroñes later that summer.


2011–12 Real Sociedad season, Transfers, Loan out
Jeffrey Sarpong was loaned to Dutch club NAC Breda in the winter transfer window.


2011–12 Real Sociedad season, Transfers, Loan end
McDonald Mariga, who had been signed on loan for a season from Inter Milan, returned to Italy during the winter window after a series of disappointing performances for Real Sociedad. Inter Milan loaned the Kenian again, this time to Parma.


2011–12 Real Valladolid season
The 2011–12 Spanish football season was Real Valladolid's second season in the second level in Spanish football after being defeated 3–2 on aggregate against Elche in La Liga promotion play-off in June 2011. This season will be the 31st of Real Valladolid in the second level in Spanish football. The general coordinator during last season, Chuti Molina, left his work on 14 June, becoming Real Murcia general director. On 17 June, Real Valladolid made official Abel Resino's detachment as he did not renew his contract as team manager.


2011–12 Real Valladolid season
On 4 July, Carlos Suárez announced he had bought 59% of the club shareholding, becoming shareholder of Real Valladolid, and therefore the owner of the entity. At the same time he confirmed that he will not step down as chairman and, from the next day, news about the sporting aspect will be known. Earlier on 6 July, the club became official the incorporation of the Serbian manager Miroslav Đukić for the next 3 seasons. During that day, it also was confirmed that José Antonio García Calvo, general director, left his work.


2011–12 Real Valladolid season
Real Valladolid qualified in 3rd position in Segunda División, behind both Deportivo and Celta de Vigo, with 82 points. It was the first time in the history that any team with 80+ points wasn't directly promoted to La Liga. Deportivo de La Coruña beat Real Valladolid's points record, getting 91 points in the whole season. The record was established by José Luis Mendilibar's team in 2007 when Real Valladolid scored 88 points and were champions. The team had to play the Promotion play-off again, and got the promotion to 2012–13 La Liga by winning 3–0 on aggregate to Córdoba in the Semifinal and by 2–1 to AD Alcorcón in the Final.


2011–12 Real Valladolid season, Current squad, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2011–12 Real Valladolid season, Current squad, Youth system
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2011–12 Real Valladolid season, Match results, Liga Adelante
Liga Adelante Winners (also promoted)  Direct promotion to Liga BBVA (Liga Adelante Runners-up)  Liga BBVA promotion play-offs  Relegation to Segunda División B


2011–12 Real Valladolid season, Match results, Liga Adelante, Promotion play-off
Final winners will be promoted to Liga BBVA. AD Alcorcón and Hércules will play the other Semifinal.


2011–12 Real Valladolid season, Match results, Liga Adelante, Promotion play-off
Real Valladolid won 3–0 on aggregate and qualified for the Promotion play-off Final.


2011–12 Real Valladolid season, Match results, Liga Adelante, Promotion play-off
Real Valladolid won 2–1 on aggregate and got promoted to La Liga 2 years later.


2011–12 Red Star Belgrade season
In season 2011-12 Red Star Belgrade were competing in Serbian SuperLiga, Serbian Cup and UEFA Europa League.


2011–12 Red Star Belgrade season, Previous season positions
The club competed in Serbian SuperLiga, Serbian Cup in domestic and UEFA Europa League in European competitions. Finishing 2nd in domestic league, behind Partizan, reached semi-final of domestic cup where they lost to Partizan, and losing to Slovak cup winners Slovan Bratislava in third qualifying round for UEFA Europa League.


2011–12 Red Star Belgrade season, Kit
Red Star Belgrade players will wear a kit made by Nike for the 2011–12 season. The home colors are of a typical Red-White design similar to the one that was worn the previous season. The Away Kit is also similar to the previous season's kit.


2011–12 Red Star Belgrade season, Players, Top scorers
Includes all competitive matches. The list is sorted by shirt number when total goals are equal.


2011–12 Red Star Belgrade season, Competitions, Serbian SuperLiga
Red Star Belgrade competed with 15 other teams in the 6th season of Serbian SuperLiga. They finished second, for a third time in a row, behind Partizan


2011–12 Red Star Belgrade season, Competitions, Serbian Cup
Red Star Belgrade participated in the 6th Serbian Cup starting in the Round of 32. They won competition beating Borac Čačak in final.


2011–12 Red Star Belgrade season, Competitions, UEFA Europa League
By finishing second in the 2010-11 Serbian SuperLiga, Red Star Belgrade qualified for the Europa League. They started in the third qualifying round against Latvian side Ventspils, and were eliminated in Play-off round by French side Stade Rennais.


2011–12 Regional Four Day Competition
The 2011–12 Regional Four Day Competition was the 46th domestic first-class cricket tournament held in the West Indies, it took place from 5 February 2011 – 16 April 2012. Unlike the previous year when the touring England Lions took part in the series, this edition was played between the seven teams based in the Caribbean. The tournament retained the same structure as the previous season; a round–robin that was followed by semi–finals where the top four teams competed.


2011–12 Regional Four Day Competition
Jamaica won the tournament for the 12th time and for the fifth time in succession. It is the first time that a team has won five outright titles in a row, previously Barbados had won four in a row plus a shared title from 1975/76 to 1979/80. Jamaica sealed their victory by beating Barbados by 139 runs in the final at Sabina Park; this was preceded by a semi–final win over Guyana and six wins from six games in the initial league stage, which saw them finish top of the table.


2011–12 Regional Four Day Competition, Points allocation
In the event of a match being abandoned without any play having taken place, or in the event of there being no 1st innings decision, three points each.


2011–12 Regional Super50
The 2011–12 Regional Super50 was the 38th season of the Regional Super50, the domestic limited-overs cricket competition for the countries of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). All matches in the competition, which was the first edition to be branded as the Regional Super50, were held in Guyana.


2011–12 Regional Super50
Eight teams contested the competition – the six regular teams of West Indian domestic cricket (Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, the Leeward Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Windward Islands), and two development teams (Combined Campuses and Colleges and the Sagicor High Performance Centre). In the tournament final, played at Guyana National Stadium, Jamaica defeated Trinidad and Tobago by five wickets to win an  eighth domestic one-day title. The two joint winners from the previous season, Barbados and the Leewards, both failed to win a game. Two Trinidadians, Jason Mohammed and Sunil Narine, led the tournament in runs and wickets, respectively.


2011–12 Regional Super50, Statistics, Most runs
The top five run scorers (total runs) are included in this table.


2011–12 Regional Super50, Statistics, Most wickets
The top five wicket takers are listed in this table, listed by wickets taken and then by bowling average.


2011–12 Regionalliga
The 2011–12 Regionalliga season was the eighteenth season of the Regionalliga since its re-establishment after German reunification and the fourth as a fourth-level league within the German football league system. It was contested in three regional divisions.


2011–12 Regionalliga
The season began on 8 August 2011 and ended on 20 May 2012.


2011–12 Regionalliga
The champions of each division was promoted to the 2012–13 3. Liga. This tier of the German league pyramid was expanded to five divisions for the 2012–13 season. No team was relegated to a lower level on competitionally aspects at the end of the season.


2011–12 Regionalliga, Teams
A total of 55 teams will compete in three geographical divisions (North, West and South); the North and South circuits will comprise 18 sides each, while the West division was expanded to 19 teams.


2011–12 Regionalliga, Teams, Licensing issues prior to the season
The composition of the three divisions was severely affected by licensing difficulties for multiple teams. Rot Weiss Ahlen were demoted from the 3. Liga at the end of its 2010–11 season after going into administration. Subsequently, Ahlen did not apply for a Regionalliga licence due to their financial situation, with the club aiming to participate in the fifth-tier NRW-Liga instead.


2011–12 Regionalliga, Teams, Licensing issues prior to the season
Insufficient funding was also the key problem for another 3. Liga club as TuS Koblenz were forced to withdraw their participation in the 2011–12 season of the league several weeks after the last 2010–11 matches had been played. Koblenz then applied for a Regionalliga licence; however, it was not possible to determine in a legally binding way if the application was made in time. In order to avoid any disadvantages, the German FA hence admitted both Koblenz and TSV Havelse to the league; Havelse were originally relegated at the end of the 2010–11 Regionalliga season, but would have benefitted of a possible application rejection for Koblenz.


2011–12 Regionalliga, Teams, Licensing issues prior to the season
Several eligible teams from the fifth-tier Oberliga turned down promotion as well, usually because of inability to fulfil the requirements for a Regionalliga licence. These teams include the champions and runners-up of the North division of the NOFV-Oberliga, Torgelower SV Greif and Hansa Rostock II, NRW-Liga runners-up Germania Windeck and Bayernliga champions FC Ismaning.


2011–12 Regionalliga, Teams, Relegation and promotion
The three division champions of the 2010–11 Regionalliga season, Chemnitzer FC, Preußen Münster and Darmstadt 98 were promoted to the 2011–12 3. Liga. In turn, only one of the originally three relegated teams from the 3. Liga, Bayern Munich II, entered the league after both Wacker Burghausen and Werder Bremen II were spared from relegation because of the financial problems in Ahlen and Koblenz. The Bayern reserves were classified into the South division.


2011–12 Regionalliga, Teams, Relegation and promotion
A total of six teams were relegated at the end of the 2010–11 season. Eintracht Braunschweig II, FC Oberneuland and Türkiyemspor Berlin from the North division, FC Homburg and Arminia Bielefeld II from the West division, and SV Wehen Wiesbaden II from the South division returned to their respective fifth-level league. A further two teams, SSV Ulm 1846 and SpVgg Weiden, had to withdraw in the middle of the season after going into administration and thus were automatically demoted. Ulm returned to the fifth tier in 2011–12, while Weiden was dissolved shortly thereafter; their successor club began play at the sixth tier for the 2011–12 season.


2011–12 Regionalliga, Teams, Relegation and promotion
Ten teams were promoted from the fifth-level leagues. Oberliga Niedersachsen champions SV Meppen, Oberliga Hamburg winners FC St. Pauli II, NOFV-Oberliga South division champions Germania Halberstadt and third-placed NOFV-Oberliga North division sides Berlin AK 07 were entered into the Regionalliga North, with the latter benefitting of both Torgelower SV Greif and Hansa Rostock II foregoing promotion. NRW-Liga winners Rot-Weiss Essen, third-placed team Fortuna Köln (as runners-up Germania Windeck chose to withdraw from the league at the end of the season) and Oberliga Südwest champions SC Idar-Oberstein were admitted into the Regionalliga West. Finally, Hessenliga champions Bayern Alzenau, Oberliga Baden-Württemberg winners Waldhof Mannheim and Bayernliga runners-up FC Ingolstadt 04 II (as champions FC Ismaning did not obtain a Regionalliga licence) were promoted to the Regionalliga South.


2011–12 Regionalliga, League reform, Origins
The German league system, having gone through its last adjustment in 2008, when the 3. Liga was established and the number of Regionalligas increased from two to three, required another adjustment by 2011. The reason for this was the large number of insolvencies on the fourth level, caused by high cost and infrastructure requirements while, at the same time, the clubs at this level complaint about low incomes and little interest from TV broadcasters.


2011–12 Regionalliga, League reform, Origins
Requirements like the fact that Regionalliga stadiums had to have at least 1,000 seats and a separate stand with separate entrance for away spectators were seen as causing to much of a financial strain on amateur clubs. Many clubs also struggled to cope with the 400-pages long license application, having to rely on volunteers rather than being able draw on permanent staff.


2011–12 Regionalliga, League reform, Origins
This led to Oberliga champions even, at times, declining their right for promotion to avoid the financial risk the Regionalliga meant to them, breaking with a basic principle of German football, that league champions would almost always be promoted.


2011–12 Regionalliga, League reform, Origins
In a special conference of the German Football Association, the DFB, in October 2010, 223 of 253 delegates voted for a reform of the league system on the fourth level. The number of Regionalligas was to be expanded to five, with the reestablishing of the Regionalliga Nordost, the formation of the Regionalliga Bayern and a shift of the Regionalliga Süd to the new Regionalliga Süd/Südwest.


2011–12 Regionalliga, League reform, Origins
The suggestion for the league reform had come from Bavaria, where, in a meeting of the Bavarian top-level amateur clubs at Wendelstein, the financial survival of the leagues and clubs in the current system was questioned. It resulted in the publication of what was called the Wendelsteiner Anstoß, which demanded a clear demarcation between professional football on the first three tiers of German football and amateur football below that. For this purpose, the paper also demanded a reestablishment of the German amateur football championship as an incentive and goal for top amateur clubs who did not want to turn professional.


2011–12 Regionalliga, League reform, Qualifying
The new leagues will nominally be playing with 18 clubs (expect Regionalliga Nordost with 16), however, in its first, transitional season the DFB will permit up to 22 clubs in the league. Restrictions exist on reserve sides. No more than seven reserve teams are permitted per Regionalliga, should there be more in a league the additional ones would have to be moved to a different Regionalliga. Reserve teams of 3. Liga clubs are not permitted to play in the Regionalliga. The make up of the clubs entering the new Regionalligas from the leagues below was left to the regional football association and not regulated by the DFB.


2011–12 Regionalliga, League reform, Qualifying
One exception to the geographical alignment will be the Bavarian club FC Bayern Alzenau, traditionally playing in Hesse's league system, which will be grouped in the new Regionalliga Süd/Südwest, upon their own request, rather than in the Regionalliga Bayern.


2011–12 Regionalliga, Regionalliga Nord (North)
The North division will comprises eighteen teams for the 2011–12 season.


2011–12 Regionalliga, Regionalliga West
The West division comprises nineteen teams for the 2011–12 season.


2011–12 Regionalliga, Regionalliga Süd (South)
The South division will comprise eighteen teams for the 2011–12 season.


2011–12 Republika Srpska Cup
The 2011–12 Republika Srpska Cup was a tournament organized by the Football Association of Republika Srpska.


2011–12 Republika Srpska Cup
FK Borac Banja Luka ended up beating FK Sloboda Mrkonjić Grad in the final. That was the club's  5th cup title.


2011–12 Rice Owls men's basketball team
The 2011–12 Rice Owls men's basketball team represented Rice University during the 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Owls, led by fourth year head coach Ben Braun, played their home games at the Tudor Fieldhouse and are members of Conference USA. They finished the season 19–16, 8–8 in C-USA to finish in seventh place. They lost in the first round of the C-USA Basketball Tournament to East Carolina. They were invited to the 2012 CollegeInsider.com Tournament where they defeated Louisiana in the first round and Drake in the second round before falling in the quarterfinals to Oakland.


2011–12 Richmond Spiders men's basketball team
The 2011–12 Richmond Spiders men's basketball team represented the University of Richmond in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college basketball during the 2011–12 season. Richmond competed as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) under seventh-year head basketball coach Chris Mooney and played its home games at the Robins Center.


2011–12 Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees season
The 2011–12 Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees season was the ninth season of the CHL franchise in Hidalgo, Texas.


2011–12 Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees season, Regular season, Conference standings
x – Qualified for playoffs; y – Won division; z – Won regular season league titleAfter games of March 27, 2011.


2011–12 Robert Morris Colonials men's basketball team
The 2011–12 Robert Morris Colonials men's basketball team represented Robert Morris University during the 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Colonials, led by second year head coach Andrew Toole, played their home games at the Charles L. Sewall Center and are members of the Northeast Conference. They finished the season 26–11, 13–5 in NEC play to finish in third place. They lost in the championship game of the NEC Basketball Tournament to Long Island. They were invited to the 2012 CollegeInsider.com Tournament where they defeated Indiana State in the first round and Toledo in the second round before falling to Fairfield in the quarterfinals.


2011–12 Robert Morris Colonials women's ice hockey season
The 2011–12 Robert Morris Lady Colonials ice hockey season saw the Colonials win the CHA Tournament for the first time in school history. The Lady Colonials participated in the Nutmeg Classic on November 25 and 26. In addition, the Lady Colonials hosted the RMU Showcase on December 30 at the CONSOL Energy Centre versus the Bemidji State Beavers of the WCHA.


2011–12 Robert Morris Colonials women's ice hockey season, Postseason, CHA Tournament championship
The Colonials blocked 49 Laker shot attempts in the game. It is the highest-recorded blocked shots figure in a single game for the Colonials, as seven different Colonials blocked at least four shots in the game. Jamie Joslin led all Colonial skaters with nine blocks. Joslin assisted on RMU's second goal in the game, which moved her into a tie for the most points in a season by a Colonials defender with 16, respectively. Katelyn Scott scored the first goal of her NCAA career to open the scoring. Thea Imbrogno extended the Colonials lead to 2-0. At the 16:06 mark of the second, Mercyhurst cut the lead.


2011–12 Robert Morris Colonials women's ice hockey season, Postseason, CHA Tournament championship
The Lakers were granted a great chance to tie it when they received two more power-play chances within two minutes after their first goal, but the RMU defense held firm and protected the lead. Just when it seemed as though the Lakers might take momentum into the intermission, Delaney drilled home a rebound with just 30 ticks left in the second to reestablish RMU's multi-goal advantage heading into the third.


2011–12 Robert Morris Colonials women's ice hockey season, Postseason, CHA Tournament championship
With less than a minute to play in the second period, Rebecca Vint and Kylie St. Louis assisted on a marker by Brianna Delaney that would stand as the game-winning goal. With seven seconds left to play, Mercyhurst scored on the power play, but were unable to tie the game. On the power play, the Colonials held the Lakers to a 2-for-12 mark. Heading into the game, the Lakers were the NCAA's best man-advantage unit.


2011–12 Robert Morris Colonials women's ice hockey season, Postseason, CHA Tournament championship
Of note, Delaney played in the final game of her NCAA career. With the goal, she moved into sole possession of first place in career goals scored at Robert Morris with 53. In addition, she moved into first place in career GWG at Robert Morris. She extended her RMU career points record to 121, was subsequently named to the All-Tournament Team. Along with senior assistant captain Kathryn Stack and KristinDiCiocco, they were the first three Colonials ever to earn CHA All-Tournament honors.


2011–12 Rochdale A.F.C. season
The 2011–12 season is Rochdale's 105th year in existence and their second consecutive season in League One. Along with competing in League One, the club participated in the FA Cup, Football League Cup and Football League Trophy. The season covers the period from 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2012.


2011–12 Roda JC Kerkrade season
The 2011-12 season will be the 39th season for Roda JC competing in the Dutch Eredivisie. This article will show statistics and list details of all matches played by the club during the season.


2011–12 Roda JC Kerkrade season, Club, Team kit
Diadora will be supplying the team kits for another season. Accon-avm is the shirt sponsor for the second season on a row.


2011–12 Romanian Hockey League season
The 2011–12 Romanian Hockey League season was the 82nd season of the Romanian Hockey League. HSC Csíkszereda won the championship by defeating ASC Corona Fenestela Braşov in the league final. The Steaua Rangers finished third by defeating CSM Dunărea Galați in the third place game.


2011–12 Romanian Hockey League season
A Moldovan club, Platina Chisinau, initially participated in the first round. They defeated HSC Csíkszereda 9-4 in their first game. They had to forfeit their second game, also against HSC Csíkszereda, due to not having the minimum number of players available to play. A brawl occurred in their third game, a 9-2 win again against HSC Csíkszereda. All players involved were suspended, which forced Platina to forfeit their fourth scheduled game against HSC Csíkszereda, as they did not have enough players available due to the suspensions. After failing to appear for and forfeiting their next two games against CS Progym Gheorgheni, Platina withdrew from the league.


2011–12 Romanian Hockey League season, MOL Championship
The three Romanian teams also playing in the MOL Liga were ranked according to the results from games in which they faced each other. HSC Csíkszereda qualified directly for the playoffs as a result of finishing first.


2011–12 Ross County F.C. season
The 2011–12 season was Ross County's fourth consecutive season in the Scottish First Division, having been promoted as champions of the Scottish Second Division at the end of 2007–08 season. They also competed in the Challenge Cup, League Cup and the Scottish Cup.


2011–12 Ross County F.C. season, Summary
Ross County finished first in the First Division and were promoted to the Premier League for the first time. They reached the first round of the Challenge Cup, the third round of the League Cup and the fifth round of the Scottish Cup.


2011–12 Ross County F.C. season, Player statistics, Captains
Last updated: 5 May 2012Source: Competitive match reports. Competitive matches onlyMatches started as captain onlyCountry: FIFA nationality; No. : Squad number; P: Position; Name: Player name; No. Games: Number of games started as captain.


2011–12 Rotherham United F.C. season
The 2011–12 season was Rotherham United's 87st season in their existence and the fourth consecutive season in League Two. Along with competing in League Two, the club also participated in the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Football League Trophy.


2011–12 Rotherham United F.C. season, Managerial change
Following Rotherham's defeat to Oxford United on 17 March 2012, the club found themselves eight points from the play-off places in League Two. This prompted chairman Tony Stewart to sack Andy Scott two days later. Steve Evans was appointed as the new manager on a 3-year deal on 9 April.


2011–12 Rugby Pro D2 season
The 2011–12 Rugby Pro D2 was the second-level French rugby union club competition, behind the Top 14, for the 2011–12 season. It ran alongside the 2011–12 Top 14 competition; both competitions are operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR).


2011–12 Rugby Pro D2 season
Grenoble claimed the automatic promotion spot as league champions, and Mont-de-Marsan earned the second promotion spot by winning a playoff among the next four teams. Béziers and Périgueux finished in the two bottom spots, which would normally lead to automatic relegation to Fédérale 1. However, Béziers were spared the drop when Bourgoin were forcibly relegated to Fédérale 1 for financial reasons.


2011–12 Rugby Pro D2 season, Competition format
The top team at the end of the regular season (after all the teams played one another twice, once at home, once away), is declared champion and earns a spot in the next Top 14 season. Teams ranked second to fifth compete in promotion playoffs, with the semifinals being played at the home ground of the higher-ranked team. The final is then played on neutral ground, and the winner earned the second ticket to the next Top 14.


2011–12 Rugby Pro D2 season, Competition format
The LNR uses a slightly different bonus points system from that used in most other rugby competitions. It trialled a new system in 2007–08 explicitly designed to prevent a losing team from earning more than one bonus point in a match, a system that also made it impossible for either team to earn a bonus point in a drawn match. LNR chose to continue with this system for subsequent seasons.


2011–12 Rugby Union County Championship
The 2011–12 Bill Beaumont Cup (Rugby Union County Championship) was the 112th edition of England's County Championship rugby union club competition.


2011–12 Rugby Union County Championship
Hertfordshire won their first title after defeating Lancashire in the final.


2011–12 Rugby-Bundesliga
The 2011–12 Rugby-Bundesliga was the 41st edition of this competition and the 92nd edition of the German rugby union championship. In the Rugby-Bundesliga, the first division, ten teams played a home-and-away season with semi-finals and a final between the top four teams at the end. The season started on 27 August 2010 and finished with the championship final on 5 May 2012, interrupted by a winter break from mid-December to late February. The league's top try scorer was Caine Elisara for the second year running while Luke James Muggeridge took out the honours of best points scorer for the first time. Both are from New Zealand and played for Heidelberger RK.


2011–12 Rugby-Bundesliga
The league was won by Heidelberger RK who defeated TV Pforzheim 20-16 to earn its third consecutive title. TV Pforzheim played in its first-ever German championship final, having defeated SC 1880 Frankfurt 46–25 in the semi-finals. Frankfurt had played in the previous five finals and won the championship in 2008 and 2009. The second semi-final was played between HRK and SC Neuenheim with the former winning 71–21.


2011–12 Rugby-Bundesliga
In the second tier, the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga, FC St. Pauli Rugby and the reserve team of SC 1880 Frankfurt took out the division titles, with SC 1880 Frankfurt II taking out the overall title with a 32–22 finals victory.


2011–12 Rugby-Bundesliga
Both divisions of the 2nd Bundesliga played with only nine instead of ten clubs. The South/West division lost RG Heidelberg II just before the start of the season when the club decided to withdraw its reserve team to the third division while the reserve team of Berliner Rugby Club was withdrawn during the season. RU Hohen Neuendorf was expulsed from the league during the season for falling to field in two games without adequate excuse. TSV Handschuhsheim II was punished the same way for the same reason after the season had ended, with both of the teams being relegated.


2011–12 Rugby-Bundesliga
In mid-July 2012 the Deutsche Rugby Tag, the annual general meeting of the DRV decided to approve a league reform proposed by German international Manuel Wilhelm. The new system will see the number of clubs in the Bundesliga increased from ten to 24 in 2012–13, the league divided into four regional divisions of six clubs each and the finals series expanded from four to eight teams. One of the main aims of the reform was to reduce the number of kilometres traveled by individual teams and therefore reduce the travel expenses. Additionally, the 2nd Bundesliga will also expanded to 24 teams.


2011–12 Rugby-Bundesliga, Player statistics, Try scorers
The leading try scores in the 2011–12 Rugby-Bundesliga season were (10 tries or more):


2011–12 Rugby-Bundesliga, Player statistics, Point scorers
The leading point scores in the 2011–12 Rugby-Bundesliga season were (100 points or more):


2011–12 Russian Bandy Super League
The 2011–12 Russian Bandy Super League was the 20e season of the present highest Russian men's bandy top division, Russian Bandy Super League. The regular season began on 10 November 2011, and the final was played in Arkhangelsk on 25 March 2012.


2011–12 Russian Championship (women's football)
The 2011–12 Russian Women's Football Championship was the 20th edition of the Russian premier championship for women's football teams. Like the 2011–12 Russian Premier League, it marked the competition's transition from its traditional spring to autumn model to the Western autumn to spring calendar, running from 16 April 2011 to 28 June 2012. It was contested by eight teams, one more than the previous edition, with Zorky Krasnogorsk and Mordovochka Saransk joining the championship. Defending champion WFC Rossiyanka won its fourth title with a 17 points advantage over newcomer Zorky, which also qualified for the UEFA Champions League as the runner-up. Five-times champion Energiya Voronezh withdrew from the championship following the end of the season for financial reasons.


2011–12 Russian Cup
The 2011–12 Russian Cup, known as the 2011–12 Pirelli–Russian Football Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the twentieth season of the Russian football knockout tournament since the dissolution of Soviet Union. The competition started on April 20, 2011 and  finished with the final held in May 2012. The cup champion wins a spot in the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League group stage.


2011–12 Russian Cup, First round
This round featured 6 Second Division teams. The game was played April 22 and April 30, 2011.


2011–12 Russian Cup, Second round
In this round entered 3 winner from the First Round, 48 Second Division teams and 3 amateur teams. The matches were played from April 22 to May 11, 2011.


2011–12 Russian Cup, Third round
In this round entered 27 winners from the Second Round and the remaining 21 Second Division teams. The matches were played from May 10 to May 23, 2011.


2011–12 Russian Cup, Fourth round
In this round entered 24 winners the Third round. The matches were played from June 4 to June 16, 2011.


2011–12 Russian Cup, Fifth round
The 12 winners from the Fourth Round and the 20 FNL teams entered this round. The matches were played on July 4–5, 2011.


2011–12 Russian Cup, Round of 32
The 16 winners from the Fifth Round hosted the Russian Premier League teams in this round. The matches were played on July 17, 2011.


2011–12 Russian Cup, Round of 16
In this round the 16 winners from the Round of 32 round enter. The matches was played on September 20 and 21, 2011.


2011–12 Russian Cup, Quarter-finals
Note: Rubin played their home game in Grozny due to bad pitch conditions in Kazan.


2011–12 Russian Cup, Final
Played in the earlier stages, but were not on the final game squad:


2011–12 Russian Cup, Final
FC Dynamo Moscow:  Marko Lomić (DF),  Luke Wilkshire (DF), Andrei Karyaka (MF),  Artur Yusupov (MF).


2011–12 Russian Cup, Final
FC Rubin Kazan:  Solomon Kvirkvelia (DF),  Jonatan Valle (MF), Alisher Dzhalilov (MF),  Aleksei Eremenko (MF), Alan Kasaev (MF),  Syarhey Kislyak (MF), Ruslan Makhmutov (MF),  Christian Noboa (MF),  Alexandru Antoniuc (FW),  Igor Lebedenko (FW),  Obafemi Martins (FW), Aleksei Medvedev (FW).


2011–12 Russian Football National League
The 2011–12 Russian National Football League the 20th season of Russia's second-tier football league since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The season began on 4 April.


2011–12 Russian Football National League, Overview
FC Zhemchuzhina-Sochi officially withdrew from the competition on 7 August 2011 due to lack of financing. Because they played more than half of their games, all their remaining opponents will be awarded a 3–0 victory.


2011–12 Russian Premier League
The 2011–12 Russian Premier League was the 20th season of the Russian football championship since the dissolution of the Soviet Union and 10th under the current Russian Premier League name. The season began on 12 March 2011. The last matches were played on 22 May 2012, as the league switched to an autumn-spring rhythm. Zenit were the defending champions, and managed to successfully defend their title.


2011–12 Russian Premier League, Competition modus changes
The 2011–12 season is a transitional season, as it will stretch over 18 months instead of the conventional 12 months. The unusual length of the season is the result of the decision to adapt the playing year to an autumn-spring rhythm similar to most of the other UEFA leagues.


2011–12 Russian Premier League, Competition modus changes
The season will comprise two phases. The first phase will consist of a regular home-and-away schedule, meaning that each team will play the other teams twice for a total of 30 matches per team. The league will then be split into two groups for the second phase, where each team plays another home-and-away schedule against every other team of its respective group.


2011–12 Russian Premier League, Competition modus changes
The top eight teams of the first phase will compete for the championship and the spots for both the 2012–13 Champions League and Europa League. Accordingly, the bottom eight teams will have to avoid relegation. The bottom two teams of this group will be directly relegated, while the 13th- and 14-placed teams will compete in a relegation/promotion playoff with the third- and fourth-placed teams of the 2011–12 National League Championship.


2011–12 Russian Premier League, Teams
Alania Vladikavkaz and Sibir Novosibirsk were relegated at the end of the 2010 season after finishing the season in the bottom two places. Both teams returned to the First Division, rechristened the National League Championship starting with the 2011–12 season, after just one year.


2011–12 Russian Premier League, Teams
The relegated teams were replaced by 2010 First Division champions Kuban Krasnodar and runners-up Volga Nizhny Novgorod. Kuban made their immediate return to the Premier League, while Volga is playing their first season at the highest football level of Russia.


2011–12 Russian Premier League, Teams
In further team changes, Saturn Moscow Oblast was forced to withdraw from the league due to financial reasons. The club did not return at any level of Russian football in the 2011–12 season, as the club was eventually disbanded after amassing debts of RUB 800m. Their former farm club, FC Saturn-2 Moscow Oblast, participates in the Russian Second Division in 2011. Amkar Perm, who originally requested to withdraw as well, revoked this request on 24 January 2011.


2011–12 Russian Premier League, Teams
In a meeting on 25 January 2011, an extraordinary general meeting of Premier League clubs decided to replace Saturn with FC Krasnodar, the fifth-placed team from the 2010 First Division. Similar to Volga Nizhny Novgorod, Krasnodar made their debut at the Premier League.


2011–12 Russian Premier League, Season events, Grigoryev affair
In early 2011, the contracts of three young FC Spartak Moscow players (Maksim Grigoryev, Dmitri Malyaka and Yevgeni Filippov) expired, and they decided to switch to FC Rostov. According to Russian football regulations, when a player under 23 years of age who was raised in the club system transfers to a different club after his contract expires, his old club is due compensation from his new club.


2011–12 Russian Premier League, Season events, Grigoryev affair
If the new club plays on the third level (Russian Second Division), the compensation is the player's 5 previous years' salary multiplied by 1, if his new club is in the National League Championship, it's multiplied by 2 and if it's a Russian Premier League club, it's multiplied by 3. The three players signed with a Russian Second Division team FC MITOS Novocherkassk who immediately loaned them to the Russian Premier League team FC Rostov.


2011–12 Russian Premier League, Season events, Grigoryev affair
Spartak lodged a complaint with the Russian Football Union, claiming this was not a fair transfer as the only reason for it was to lower the compensation that FC Rostov was due to pay Spartak. After the protest was declined on 29 March 2011, Grigoryev was registered for FC Rostov and scored a goal on his debut against FC Lokomotiv Moscow on 2 April 2011, the game ended with a score of 1–1.


2011–12 Russian Premier League, Season events, Grigoryev affair
FC Lokomotiv's president, Olga Smorodskaya, filed a complaint with the Russian Football Union and Premier League, claiming Grigoryev was not eligible to be registered and play for FC Rostov. Before the protest was heard, Grigoryev scored a goal in Rostov's 2–1 victory over FC Dynamo Moscow in the 2010–11 Russian Cup quarterfinal. The protest was heard by the RFU's Dispute Resolution Chamber on 21 April 2011. Smorodskaya insisted that FC MITOS did not have the transfer certificate from Spartak in their possession before the transfer deadline and therefore could not have legally registered Grigoryev.


2011–12 Russian Premier League, Season events, Grigoryev affair
The protest was declined as, according to the league, Grigoryev et al. were registered with RFPL before the transfer deadline, even though they were not included on the official rosters on the league's website or in any other sources. The official league website actually still lists the date of their registration as 1 April. In another twist, in January 2012, Lokomotiv signed Grigoryev from FC MITOS. In March 2012, Court of Arbitration for Sport began considering Grigoryev's case. CAS made their decision in May 2012, denying Lokomotiv's appeal.


2011–12 Russian Premier League, Season events, Zenit St. Petersburg - CSKA affair
According to the league regulations, every team has to put at least one player with a Russian citizenship born in 1990 or later on their game roster in every game (even if the player in question stays on the bench). If there is no such player or players, the team guilty is punished by the victory being awarded to their opponent and a fine. In the game against PFC CSKA Moscow on 10 April 2011, Zenit St. Petersburg did not have such a player in their lineup (the game ended in 1–1 draw). The youngest player was born in 1989.


2011–12 Russian Premier League, Season events, Zenit St. Petersburg - CSKA affair
After the game, Russian Football Union president Sergei Fursenko said that Zenit would likely be awarded a defeat for breaking the regulations. Zenit manager Luciano Spalletti said after the game that they did this intentionally, as they were told it is punishable by a fine only, and the team was ready to pay the fine. They have done the same thing in the 2010 season and fine was the only punishment.


2011–12 Russian Premier League, Season events, Zenit St. Petersburg - CSKA affair
However, the regulations were updated in December 2010, and the current exact language of Article 109 of the Disciplinary Regulations of the RFU states it is punishable by "a defeat awarded and a fine", not "a defeat awarded or a fine". Zenit was awarded a defeat by the RFU on 13 April. Zenit removed Vladislav Radimov, who as team director was responsible for filing the game roster with the league, from his position to the reserve team's assistant coach position, with a reduction in salary. Zenit's lawyer was punished by the club by having his bonus cancelled.


2011–12 Russian Premier League, Season events, Zenit St. Petersburg - CSKA affair
Following the RFU decision, the Premier League further decided that the goals scored by Mark González and Konstantin Zyryanov would not count for their scoring totals, but the yellow cards received in the game would count for disciplinary purposes.


2011–12 Russian Premier League, Season events, Dejan Radić and Sergei Narubin injuries
On 23 April 2011 during a FC Rostov - FC Terek Grozny game, Rostov goalkeeper Dejan Radić collided with Terek's Zaur Sadayev fighting for a high ball. He had to be rushed into the hospital and after it was discovered that his kidney is seriously injured, he had to undergo nephrectomy (surgical removal of a kidney). His club, FC Rostov, announced that he will continue to receive all the bonuses he would have received if he was able to play as a starter during the time of his recovery.


2011–12 Russian Premier League, Season events, Dejan Radić and Sergei Narubin injuries
Former Russian international Valeri Minko, who played more than 200 games after undergoing nephrectomy himself after an in-game collision, said he expects Radić to fully recover and play again. Despite Rostov's initial promises, Radić stopped getting paid by Rostov in June 2011 and have not received any money stipulated in his contract from that time until March 2012. Terek and Chechnya's president Ramzan Kadyrov have paid him $50,000 as a goodwill gesture.


2011–12 Russian Premier League, Season events, Dejan Radić and Sergei Narubin injuries
On 21 May 2011 FC Amkar Perm goalkeeper Sergei Narubin was seriously injured in a collision with FC Rostov's Kornel Saláta. He had to undergo splenectomy (surgical removal of the spleen).


2011–12 Russian Premier League, Season events, Tom Tomsk futility record
FC Tom Tomsk was not able to score a single goal in 12 consecutive games from game day 18 (30 July) to game day 29 (30 October), they played 1166 minutes of game time without scoring a goal. They finally scored on the last game day of the first stage on 5 November. They only gained 1 point in those 12 games; when the series started, they were 9th in the league in goals scored with 18 goals in 17 games. The previous mark was set by FC Lokomotiv Moscow who could not score for 10 consecutive games and 943 minutes in the 1954 Soviet Top League.


2011–12 Russian Premier League, Second phase
After the first 30 fixtures, teams were split into two groups of eight which play against each other on a home-and-away basis. Fixtures 31 and 32 were scheduled to be held on the weekends of the 3rd and the 4th weeks of November 2011 respectively. Fixture 33 will take place on 3–4 March 2012. The matches of Fixture 44 (the last one) will start simultaneously at 11 a.m. GMT on 13 May 2012. Russian Football Union decided to set up the calendar for the championship group manually, instead of the computer draw. The computer draw will be done only for the relegation group. The final version of the second phase calendar became available on 7 November 2011.


2011–12 Russian Premier League, Second phase, Championship group
The top eight teams of the first phase participate in this group, which will decide which team will win the championship. Additionally, teams in this group compete for two 2012–13 Champions League and three Europa League spots.


2011–12 Russian Premier League, Second phase, Championship group
The winners will qualify for the Champions League group stage, with the runners-up earning a spot in the third qualifying round. Furthermore, the third-placed team will qualify for the play-off round of the Europa League, with the fourth- and fifth-placed teams earning spots in the third qualifying round and second qualifying round, respectively.


2011–12 Russian Premier League, Second phase, Championship group
An additional Europa League play-off round spot is awarded to the winners of the 2011–12 Russian Cup. However, depending on the final league placement of both finalists, the allocation of all four Europa League spots may vary according to the table below.


2011–12 Russian Premier League, Second phase, Relegation group
The bottom eight teams of the first phase will determine the teams to be relegated to the 2012–13 National League Championship. The bottom two teams of this group will be directly relegated, while the fifth- and sixth-placed teams will have to compete in relegation/promotion playoffs with the third- and fourth-placed teams of the 2011–12 National League Championship.


2011–12 Russian Premier League, Awards
On 15 May 2012 Russian Football Union named its list of 33 top players:


2011–12 Russian Premier League, Medal squads
Goalkeepers: Vyacheslav Malafeev (41),  Yuri Zhevnov (4), Dmitri Borodin (1). Defenders:  Nicolas Lombaerts (40 / 1), Aleksandr Anyukov (37 / 1),  Bruno Alves (36),  Tomáš Hubočan (30),  Domenico Criscito (24 / 1),  Aleksandar Luković (19 / 1), Igor Cheminava (3),  Fernando Meira (1), Denis Terentyev (1).


2011–12 Russian Premier League, Medal squads
Midfielders: Konstantin Zyryanov (41 / 2), Igor Denisov (40 / 1), Viktor Fayzulin (34 / 4),  Danny (27 / 9),  Szabolcs Huszti (26 / 4), Roman Shirokov (26 / 9), Aleksei Ionov (20 / 3), Sergei Semak (20 / 5), Vladimir Bystrov (12 / 1), Andrei Arshavin (10 / 3),  Alessandro Rosina (10), Sergei Petrov (2). Forwards: Aleksandr Kerzhakov (32 / 23),  Danko Lazović (31 / 12), Aleksandr Bukharov (31 / 6), Maksim Kanunnikov (10). Manager:  Luciano Spalletti.


2011–12 Russian Premier League, Medal squads
Transferred out during the season:  Fernando Meira (to  Zaragoza), Igor Cheminava (on loan to Sibir Novosibirsk), Aleksei Ionov (to Kuban Krasnodar), Sergei Petrov (to Krylia Sovetov Samara).


2011–12 Russian Premier League, Medal squads
Goalkeepers:  Andriy Dikan (32), Artyom Rebrov (8), Nikolai Zabolotny (6).


2011–12 Russian Premier League, Medal squads
Defenders: Yevgeni Makeyev (35 / 1),  Marek Suchý (32 / 3),  Nicolás Pareja (24 / 1),  Sergio Rodríguez (23 / 1), Aleksandr Sheshukov (20), Sergei Parshivlyuk (19), Sergei Bryzgalov (18), Fyodor Kudryashov (11),  Marcos Rojo (8). Midfielders: Dmitri Kombarov (40 / 6), Kirill Kombarov (37),  Rafael Carioca (35 / 1),  Aiden McGeady (31 / 3),  Jano Ananidze (15 / 1),  Demy de Zeeuw (13 / 2), Emin Mahmudov (12),  Ibson (10 / 1), Diniyar Bilyaletdinov (8 / 1), Aleksandr Zotov (7), Soslan Gatagov (4), Dmitri Kayumov (3 / 1),  Alex (3), Artur Valikayev (3),  Filip Ozobić (1), Andrey Tikhonov (1). Forwards: Artyom Dzyuba (41 / 11),  Ari (38 / 10),  Emmanuel Emenike (22 / 13),  Welliton (21 / 7), Pavel Yakovlev (10 / 1), Aleksandr Kozlov (8 / 1), Vladimir Obukhov (3). Manager: Valery Karpin.


2011–12 Russian Premier League, Medal squads
Transferred out during the season: Fyodor Kudryashov (on loan to Krasnodar), Emin Mahmudov (on loan to Tom Tomsk),  Ibson (to  Santos),  Alex (to  Corinthians), Artur Valikayev (on loan to Amkar Perm),  Filip Ozobić (on loan to  Hajduk Split), Pavel Yakovlev (on loan to Krylia Sovetov Samara).


2011–12 Russian Premier League, Medal squads
Goalkeepers: Igor Akinfeev (28), Sergei Chepchugov (9), Vladimir Gabulov (7), Sergei Revyakin (2). Defenders: Aleksei Berezutskiy (40), Sergei Ignashevich (38 / 5), Vasili Berezutskiy (36), Kirill Nababkin (34),  Deividas Šemberas (29), Georgi Schennikov (21), Viktor Vasin (4),  Chidi Odiah (3), Semyon Fedotov (2). Midfielders:  Zoran Tošić (36 / 8), Pavel Mamayev (33 / 1), Evgeni Aldonin (32), Alan Dzagoev (31 / 5),  Keisuke Honda (25 / 8),  Aleksandrs Cauņa (18),  Elvir Rahimić (12),  Pontus Wernbloom (11),    Mark González (5 / 2),    Kim In-Sung (1), Artyom Popov (1). Forwards:  Seydou Doumbia (42 / 28),  Sekou Oliseh (38),  Vágner Love (25 / 9),  Tomáš Necid (23 / 3),  Ahmed Musa (11). Manager: Leonid Slutskiy.


2011–12 Russian Premier League, Medal squads
Transferred out during the season: Vladimir Gabulov (end of loan at Anzhi Makhachkala),  Vágner Love (to  Flamengo).


2011–12 Russian Second Division
The 2011–12 Russian Second Division  was the third strongest division in Russian football. The Second Division is geographically divided into 5 zones. The winners of each zone are automatically promoted into the First Division. The bottom finishers of each zone lose professional status and are relegated into the Amateur Football League.


2011–12 Russian Second Division, Team names
In the Russian sports tradition, each team has a proper name written in parentheses followed by the indication of the city it represents in brackets: "Spartak" (Moscow), rather than Moscow Spartak, as would be in the English-language tradition. In English, the parentheses and brackets are usually omitted. Further, while North American team names normally use the plural (Chicago Bulls), Russian team names are usually singular.


2011–12 Russian Second Division, Team names
The names tend to reflect the imagined profession of the team players (or rather their fans, like with Edmonton Oilers), or refer to a geographical object related to the city the team represents (usually, a river or a mountain range), or to one of the former Russian-wide sports associations (Spartak, Dynamo etc. ), or else to the sponsoring corporation. Below is the list of Second Division teams with their names translated:


2011–12 Rwanda National Football League
The 2011–12 Rwanda National Football League (known as the Primus National Football League for sponsorship reasons) was the 35th season of the Rwanda National Football League since it began in 1975. The league is the highest division in football in Rwanda, and the season began on 17 September 2011 and ended on 18 May 2012.


2011–12 Rwanda National Football League
Armée Patriotique Rwandaise, who began the season as the defending champions, extended their record number of titles to 13, stretching the gap between Rayon Sports' titles to 7. Nyanza and Espoir were both to be relegated at the end of the season, but due to the former's sponsors moving to Rayon Sports, they had to withdraw from the league and therefore the latter took their place.


2011–12 Rwanda National Football League, Clubs
A total of 13 teams competed for the title in this season.


2011–12 Ryobi One-Day Cup
The 2011–12 Ryobi One-Day Cup was the 42nd season of official List A domestic cricket in Australia.


2011–12 Ryobi One-Day Cup
The season's format reverted to the 50-overs a side format, with Cricket Australia acknowledging the ICC'scommitment to 50-over cricket and the 2015 ICC World Cup most likely be staged as a 50-overtournament. Unlike previousseasons, the competition was not a "complete double round robin", and each state played eight preliminary matches instead of ten.


2011–12 Ryobi One-Day Cup
The 2011–12 competition was won by the South Australian Redbacks. Thefinal's result was a tie, but the Redbacks had gained a "bonus point" in the round robin series that put them ahead of theTasmanian Tigers. The win was South Australia's first One-day domestic title in 25 years.


2011–12 S.L. Benfica season
The 2011–12 season was Sport Lisboa e Benfica's 108th season in existence and the club's 78th consecutive season in the top flight of Portuguese football. It involved Benfica competing in the Primeira Liga, Taça de Portugal, Taça da Liga and the UEFA Champions League. Benfica qualified for the Champions League by finishing second in the previous Primeira Liga.


2011–12 S.L. Benfica season
In Jesus' third season at the helm of the club, he tried to implement a more balanced system, with Axel Witsel replacing Pablo Aimar as a more central midfielder, with Aimar pushed as to second striker role, to give more defensive support than Javier Saviola. Nicolás Gaitán was moved to the right, with Bruno César and Nolito alternating on the left. Rodrigo eventually gained his space in the starting eleven, replacing Aimar.


2011–12 S.L. Benfica season
This season, Benfica placed first in their UEFA Champions League group, later reaching the competition's quarter-finals, and won their fourth Taça da Liga by defeating Gil Vicente.


2011–12 S.S. Lazio season
The 2011–12 season was the 112th season in Società Sportiva Lazio's history and their 24th consecutive season in the top-flight of Italian football.


2011–12 S.S. Lazio season, Pre-season
During the pre-season, Lazio purchased Djibril Cissé from Panathinaikos, Miroslav Klose from Bayern Munich, Abdoulay Konko from Genoa, Lorik Cana from Galatasaray and Senad Lulić from Young Boys. They also sold Stephan Lichtsteiner to Juventus for €10 million and purchased goalkeeper Federico Marchetti from Cagliari. They then sold goalkeeper Fernando Muslera to Galatasaray.


2011–12 S.S. Lazio season, Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2011–12 S.S. Lazio season, Competitions, UEFA Europa League, Play-off round
Having qualified for the Europa League play-off round in the previous Serie A campaign, Lazio played a double-legged match for their chance to enter the Europa League. On 5 August 2011, Lazio drew Macedonian side FK Rabotnički, a team who has survived since the first qualifying round, earning them World's Club Team of the Month for July 2011.


2011–12 S.S.C. Napoli season
Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli contested the Serie A, the UEFA Champions League (for the first time) and won the 2011–12 Coppa Italia during the 2011–12 season.


2011–12 S.S.C. Napoli season, Players, Squad information
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2011–12 SAFA Second Division
In the 2011–12 season, the second division of the South African football league (SAFA Second Division) was divided into two groups, Inland Stream and Coastal Stream.


2011–12 SAFA Second Division, Playoffs
The tournament, featuring the winners of each of the nine provincial divisions, will be divided into two groups.


2011–12 SC Bastia season
The 2011–12 season will be SC Bastia's first season back in Ligue 2 since promotion from Championnat National in 2011. Ranked first in the league this season and promoted to Ligue 1. While the cup "last 32" round is struggling. More died in the first round of the League Cup.