tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88608065163343655232024-03-05T09:43:03.766-08:00Soccer,Football,Football scores,LA LIGASoccer Soccer News FIFA Football Football results Football scores Barclays premier league LA LIGA Italian A German Bundesliga UEFA Champions league Europea League Transer News EURO 2012 FA cup Football Injury news Football Manager Football Scandals Football Ranking Football News and much more but all about Football.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833058544566032692noreply@blogger.comBlogger344125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8860806516334365523.post-46463311446566045552012-07-24T14:20:00.000-07:002012-07-24T14:20:52.264-07:00Football Ferns help bring London Olympics to Cardiff<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
With the eyes of the world focused on London as the start of the summer Olympics edges ever closer, the <b><i>Welsh capital of Cardiff is gearing up</i></b> to host the first event of the entire Games two days before Friday's opening ceremony.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy3G8WGf8g7XK_J3M9lSZHlNGkpBeRnsXpdj4F6ePtiAeTHKrGf2FtIJtKSnDAo61eAb6Rmc9zUibKopBZiRnBUGi5vSJV3Uzl3Y_MIDIU0xuiSHiGfRs5rMqfXbJfCZz65SfcB87bfR4/s1600/Football+Ferns+help+bring+London+Olympics+to+Cardiff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Football Ferns help bring London Olympics to Cardiff" border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy3G8WGf8g7XK_J3M9lSZHlNGkpBeRnsXpdj4F6ePtiAeTHKrGf2FtIJtKSnDAo61eAb6Rmc9zUibKopBZiRnBUGi5vSJV3Uzl3Y_MIDIU0xuiSHiGfRs5rMqfXbJfCZz65SfcB87bfR4/s400/Football+Ferns+help+bring+London+Olympics+to+Cardiff.jpg" title="Football Ferns help bring London Olympics to Cardiff" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Football Ferns help bring London Olympics to Cardiff</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a name='more'></a><br /><b><i>Britain and New Zealand's women's soccer teams</i></b> start the chase for medals at the Millennium Stadium on Thursday morning (NZT) with between 35-40,000 fans expected for the kickoff.<br /><br />Women's soccer in Britain rarely attracts crowds of more than 5,000 people.<br /><br />The Olympic soccer tournaments, comprising 16 men's teams and 12 women's are too long to be accomodated within the Games timeframe and so have to start before the Opening Ceremony.<br /><br />LOCOG, the London organising committee, decided several years ago not to stage the opening soccer games in London, because they didn't want to take attention away from the official start of the Games on July 27.<br /><br />Cardiff got the nod ahead of Glasgow's Hampden Park.<br /><br />FEELGOOD FACTOR<br /><br />Welsh sporting hero Lynn Davies, winner of long jump gold at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and now the president of UK Athletics, said there was a huge feelgood factor over the honour.<br /><br />"It's fantastic for Cardiff and for Wales that we're staging the first event of the Games, as Cardiff really is a city of sport," he said.<br /><br />"I understand women's<b><i> football</i></b> is one of our fastest-growing sports and for them to play in front of a big crowd in the Olympics at the Millennium Stadium will be a fantastic motivation for everyone involved," he added.<br /><br />Cardiff is one of the six venues being used for Olympic soccer around Britain and is used to hosting huge sporting events. The city has embraced the Olympics too, with London 2012 signs, flags, displays and bunting throughout the city centre.<br /><br />Eleven Olympic matches in both the men and women's competitions, including the men's bronze-medal match on August 10, will be held there and Welshman Ryan Giggs, the men's team captain, says he's looking forward to playing in his hometown against Uruguay on August 1.<br /><br />"I'm looking forward to it enormously" the Manchester United player told reporters at Olympic Park. "To play in the Olympics in the city I was born in is something I could only dream of and although the different FAs may have a view about the Olympics, we're all delighted to be taking part and want to win a medal.".<br /><br />MAJOR VENUE<br /><br />Historically, the<b> football associations of Wales</b>, Northern Ireland and Scotland have been opposed to the idea of a British soccer team, fearing it could jeopardise their own international independence within FIFA, world soccer's governing body.<br /><br />Giggs says he has had nothing but positive feedback about Wales involvement with the Games, however.<br /><br />"Everyone I've met, whether they be Welsh, Irish, Scottish or English, have wished us well. There has been no negativity whatsoever."<br /><br />Cardiff was the setting for the 1958 Empire Games - now the Commonwealth Games - it's the home of Wales rugby, and hosted six FA Cup finals between 2001 and 2006 while Wembley was being re-built in London.<br /><br />In 2009, it staged Test cricket for the first time.<br /><br />Although some tickets to the soccer competition were withdrawn after sluggish sales, LOCOG says about 250,000 have been sold so far for the matches in Cardiff, with more sales expected.<br /><br />"At least three days will sell out," a spokesman said. "With one of those days being a double header, that means at least four matches at Cardiff should have capacity crowds of around 74,000 fans."<br /><br />However, not everyone in Wales is entirely convinced about what the Olympics will bring to the region. In a poll for ITV Wales published on Tuesday, 73 percent of those surveyed said they believed the Games would have no lasting impact at all.<br /><br />However, over a quarter (26 percent) of younger people aged between 18-24 disagreed and said the Games will have a positive effect on the area.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833058544566032692noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8860806516334365523.post-51279132391167196772012-07-24T14:14:00.000-07:002012-07-24T14:14:33.738-07:00Transfer News: Arsenal's Wenger denies Cazorla move<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><i>Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger</i></b> denied he was close to signing Spain's <b><i>Santi Cazorla</i></b> as the English football giants kicked off an Asian tour Tuesday with a narrow 2-1 victory over hosts Malaysia.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuAWdg-5djecFFg2rQF1SEoLi0A2poHsyts84q7XEUOftlwpKNAL8so_nk-f3UVeXiB-7PsGQs7sX6xovW7d-jWhB_VZCZufZFszvu4L0V3TwTSVa1C5Lj6klwIRpegIVTw4JUTfUTLo8/s1600/Arsenal's+Wenger+denies+Cazorla+move.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Arsenal's Wenger denies Cazorla move" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuAWdg-5djecFFg2rQF1SEoLi0A2poHsyts84q7XEUOftlwpKNAL8so_nk-f3UVeXiB-7PsGQs7sX6xovW7d-jWhB_VZCZufZFszvu4L0V3TwTSVa1C5Lj6klwIRpegIVTw4JUTfUTLo8/s400/Arsenal's+Wenger+denies+Cazorla+move.jpg" title="Arsenal's Wenger denies Cazorla move" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Arsenal's Wenger denies Cazorla move</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div>
<b>Wenger</b> dismissed speculation the Gunners had agreed terms with the Malaga winger and instead joked his sights were now on the Malaysian team, following their strong performance.<br /><br />"We are not close to signing <b><i>Cazorla</i></b>. We are still working that out," <b>Wenger </b>told reporters immediately after the match in the capital Kuala Lumpur.<br /><br />"Maybe I sign some Malaysian players based on their performance today. Their defence was good, and their keeper was fantastic," he added.<br /><br />Arsenal, along with other English clubs, are hugely popular in Malaysia and elsewhere in Asia. In a bid to build up their fanbase in the region, the Gunners and other squads have gone on summer tours, enjoying rapturous welcome.<br /><br />In Malaysia, the Arsenal players were treated like rock stars, mobbed by droves of fans as they arrived by bus at their hotel on Sunday, and some 10,000 people attended their open training session on Monday, organisers said.<br /><br />About 50,000 tickets were sold for the game against Malaysia XI, a select squad of Malaysian League players, in the 100,000-capacity Bukit Jalil National Stadium.<br /><br />But despite their 2-1 victory, the match exposed Arsenal's reliance on captain Robin van Persie, their star striker and top scorer in the English League last season with 37 goals but who was absent in Malaysia.<br /><br />Although the Gunners have signed German striker Lukas Podolski and Frenchman Olivier Giroud, van Persie is still the team's key player, but the Dutchman rejected a new contract offer earlier this month.<br /><br />During much of the game against Malaysia XI, the hosts held firm and Arsenal could not find a way past goalkeeper Norazlan Razali.<br /><br />Instead, just before half-time, Mohamad Azmi Muslim hit a sweetly struck left footer from the edge of the box, which curled past Wojciech Szczesny and into the Arsenal goal.<br /><br />The Gunners completely changed their outfield line-up after the break with England internationals Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain adding much-needed pace.<br /><br />But they still failed to carve out many clear-cut chances as the Malaysians dictated the pace of the match and looked on course to score a historic victory before two late strikes denied them.<br /><br />Thomas Eisfeld drew level for Arsenal from inside the penalty area and Chuks Aneke followed-up with a deflected shot, giving victory to the London club.<br /><br />"We played two teams in this match. Some of the players have not had much training, which was why we had to field as many players as possible," <b>Wenger said.</b><br /><br />Arsenal now head to China where they will meet English champions Manchester City -- one of the clubs pursuing van Persie -- in another friendly in Beijing on Friday.<br /><br />The Gunners then meet local side Kitchee in Hong Kong on Sunday.<br /><br />The three-stop July tour follows a successful trip to Malaysia and China last summer, when Arsenal more convincingly beat Malaysia 4-0.<br /><br />On Tuesday, Fauzi Azhar, 31, a hospital worker, watched the game on a big screen with some two dozen people at an outdoor cafe serving curries and other Malaysian fare in Kuala Lumpur.<br /><br />"We love the English teams like Arsenal, Liverpool and Man Utd and so we usually have to stay up late watching them play," he told AFP, referring to the time difference.<br /><br />"But they're here now, and it's exciting. Everyone I know made time to watch the game."</div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833058544566032692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8860806516334365523.post-72586832435713880012012-07-24T14:11:00.000-07:002012-07-24T14:11:31.509-07:00North Korean women’s football team staying out of sight in Glasgow ahead of Olympic opener<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A supposed lightning strike ruined the last major tournament for the <b><i>North Korean women’s football team.</i></b>Judging by the way the team is staying shielded and out of sight at its hotel ahead of the <b>London Olympics</b>, it’s unlikely to happen twice.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Y8bmMMuY85bByuwUvdEP6hb3uj9wMBD9GRTdm4NKLFEKWP9FAuD0fa5IZGZYt0nwOowY56nBxSaEBR6KBLtDCzjgJHZcIenZ2z3eYuV6Viys__BUJcQMuEIc9q2WE5tnVU78vucoKH4/s1600/North+Korean+women%E2%80%99s+football+team.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="North Korean women’s football team" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Y8bmMMuY85bByuwUvdEP6hb3uj9wMBD9GRTdm4NKLFEKWP9FAuD0fa5IZGZYt0nwOowY56nBxSaEBR6KBLtDCzjgJHZcIenZ2z3eYuV6Viys__BUJcQMuEIc9q2WE5tnVU78vucoKH4/s400/North+Korean+women%E2%80%99s+football+team.jpg" title="North Korean women’s football team" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>North Korean women’s football team</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a name='more'></a><br />The <b><i>North Koreans</i></b> are still recovering from a major doping scandal at last year’s World Cup, when five players tested positive for steroids. Team officials said that was a result of the players being treated with musk deer gland therapy after getting struck by lightning during a training camp.<br /><br />The team was banned by FIFA from the next World Cup, but were still allowed to compete at the Olympics, where they’ll take on Colombia in their opening Group G game on Wednesday.<br /><br />Until then, don’t expect to see the players walking around the streets of Glasgow. While United States players have been sightseeing and shopping in Scotland’s largest city, their <b><i>North Korean counterparts</i></b> have been holed up at their hotel, passing the time playing table tennis and other games.<br /><br />Coach Sin Ui Gun told reporters his players don’t have much free time and need their rest.<br /><br />“We have training sessions in morning times and the afternoon, and at other times they have sleep, they have to refresh,” the coach said. “There is a hall with some games machines and table tennis. They love to spend the time inside because in Glasgow, as you know, it rains quite heavily on us.”<br /><br />Only the coach and team manager Choe Nam Hyok showed up at Monday’s news conference, with the latter serving as interpreter. One player was supposed to be available, but never appeared.<br /><br />North Korea, one of the world’s most closed-off countries, likes to keep out of the limelight. But the women’s team found itself very much in the spotlight last year when it became embroiled in the most serious doping case at a major FIFA tournament in 17 years.<br /><br />The World Cup doping scandal still infuriates Australia, which lost out to North Korea in Olympic qualifying. Australia women’s coach Tom Sermanni said North Korea shouldn’t even be at the London Games.<br /><br />“We were very disappointed, amazed in fact, that the World Anti-Doping Agency and the IOC (International Olympic Committee), who apparently take a very, very strong stance on the use of drugs, decided to take absolutely no action whatsoever,” Sermanni said earlier this month.<br /><br />Both organizations “allowed North Korea firstly to enter the Olympic qualifications and then allowed them to, once they qualified, to actually participate in the Olympic Games,” Sermanni said. “To say we were disappointed, and I still am disappointed, is probably an understatement.”<br /><br />FIFA explained, however, that a country serving a ban “shall serve whenever possible the sanction in the competition in which the infringement occurred.”<br /><br />Choe, the team manager, said he wasn’t with the squad at the World Cup and that it wasn’t up to him to say whether North Korea deserved its spot in the London Games.<br /><br />“That conversation runs between FIFA and IOC and some of the executive members, I think,” Choe said. “We didn’t give any comments about our participation in the Olympics officially from our football association, so I think there’s no comment from us.”<br /><br />The last major doping scandal at a major FIFA tournament was at the men’s 1994 World Cup in the United States, when Diego Maradona was kicked out after testing positive for stimulants. He was banned for 15 months.<br /><br />Four of the <b><i>North Korean women</i></b> received bans of 18 months and the fifth will serve out 14 months, meaning none are eligible to play in the Olympic tournament. In addition to being excluded from the 2015 World Cup, North Korea’s football federation was fined $400,000 and team doctor Nam Jong Ae was banned for six years.<br /><br />North Korea wants to put all that behind when it opens its Olympic campaign against Colombia at Hampden Park on Wednesday.<br /><br />Colombia was involved in its own doping scandal at the 2011 World Cup. Backup goalkeeper Yineth Varon failed an out-of-competition doping control and was banned for two years. The Colombian Football Federation has said that Varon had hormonal treatment that led to the failed drug test.<br /><br />North Korea, which won the 2008 Asian Football Confederation women’s tournament, has been known for its defensive tactics. But the team has now turned to a more attacking 4-3-3 formation.<br /><br />Sin said the players will be doing their utmost to impress the country’s new leader, Kim Jong Un.<br /><br />“It is our honor, greatest honor to him as our new leader, as for the feeling of our whole nation, and also as a Korean people, as a member of the Korean nation, everybody hopes to get a very big success in every work as well as in the Olympics, too,” Sin said. “It is our very biggest hope to win the game as much as possible and to be the champion to meet his hope and to bring very big pleasure to our people and also to our leader.<br />”</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833058544566032692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8860806516334365523.post-48842753001168158242012-07-24T14:08:00.002-07:002012-07-24T14:08:37.425-07:00Football transfer rumours: Nicklas Bendtner to Milanc<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Those <b><i>Milan</i></b> fans are going to feel pretty darn stupid now, aren't they? Only yesterday they were berating Rossoneri officials for sanctioning the sales of <b>Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva</b> to Paris Saint-Germain, going so far as to stage a mock funeral for the club near its training ground.<br />
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg14Tb1DIDMMPQutjM-zhWjvp-pvxW-_Z3HYVbQxXJijmZk5zURISvd_HlPU6i2-cAUqLHcxn6WcdZ3f7py_dcoIiqgWpKMKnyZOJA4vrdzxQ9ixwhZDIRDnP2JI1-JDLMJ-2M6a9HMvME/s1600/Nicklas+Bendtner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Nicklas Bendtner Arsenal to MILAN move" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg14Tb1DIDMMPQutjM-zhWjvp-pvxW-_Z3HYVbQxXJijmZk5zURISvd_HlPU6i2-cAUqLHcxn6WcdZ3f7py_dcoIiqgWpKMKnyZOJA4vrdzxQ9ixwhZDIRDnP2JI1-JDLMJ-2M6a9HMvME/s400/Nicklas+Bendtner.jpg" title="Nicklas Bendtner Arsenal to MILAN move" width="286" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Nicklas Bendtner Arsenal to MILAN move</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div>
"All hope is lost!" they wailed, "the club can never recover!" they mourned as they scoffed at officials' promise to refund their season tickets in search of forgiveness. What those disgruntled fans didn't understand was that management has a masterplan. And the masterplan goes something like this: trouser around £60m for the departed duo and then replace them with cheaper upgrades! That's moneyball, people! Accordingly, the Scandinavian genius that is Zlatan will be replaced by an even better Scandinavian genius, which, of course, explains why Milan are courting … <b><i>Nicklas Bendtner</i></b>.<br />
<br />
Beleaguered Milan are also said to be after hardy Arjen Robben. In defence, meanwhile, the plan to replace Silva with Montepellier's Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa has been rumbled by the fact that Montpellier know exactly how much they got for Silva and are demanding at least the same. So instead Milan may join Napoli, Manchester City and Zenit St Petersburg in jostling for the services of Martin Skrtel, meaningLiverpool may have to find themselves a new scary centre-back. The name Johan Djourou has been mentioned, but that is hardly the sort of frightening that Brendan Rodgers has in mind.<br />
<br />
That erstwhile suave Italian you saw marauding down your high street today with a tomahawk in hand and murderous expression in his eyes was the warrior referred to in today's Daily Mirror as Roberto Mad-cini, who is apparently "on the warpath" after having a "major bust-up with his Manchester City bosses" over the club's failure to, so far, sign Robin Van Persie. Word is the club's chief football administrator, Brian Marwood, wants to clear out the likes of Emmanuel Adebayor, Carlos Tevez, Roque Santa Cruz and Edin Dzeko before bringing any other forwards in, both to prepare for the new financial fair play rules and avoid having to build having to build an extension on to the club's dressing room. But that doesn't wash with Mad-cini, who will bawl and bawl until officials play ball.<br />
<br />
Bayern Munich will help Marwood's cause by taking Nigel de Jong off City's hands and unleashing him on the Bundesliga.<br />
<br />
Ryan Babel could be set to remind people that he is a real live footballer rather than just a relentless pop-up ad on twitter by joining eitherNewcastle, Tottenham, Fulham or Swansea. And for the last in this Dutch-based mini-series, Feyenoord's manager Ronal Koeman has given Aston Villa one more week to convince Ron Vlaar that a season-long relegation fight is just what he needs.<br />
<br />
Manchester United may not really be able to keep up with the rich new kids on the block but they can still try to keep up appearances and so have managed to get themselves linked with 20-year-old River Plate midfielder Ezequiel Cirigliano, who will ultimately join either Manchester City or PSG.<br />
<br />
Dimitar Berbatov could sashay his way to Zenit St Petersburg, where his all-action style is likely to endear him to fans who are still pining for Andriy Arshavin.<br />
<br />
Mark Hughes plans staging his annual Craig Bellamy reunion bash at Loftus Road, and may invite Jermain Defoe along too.</div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833058544566032692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8860806516334365523.post-243103479158703072012-07-21T02:31:00.001-07:002012-07-21T02:45:31.750-07:00Ex-FIFA Official Jack Warner Hits Soccer Body For Bin Hammam Ban<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><i>Jack Warner, the former FIFA vice president </i></b>who quit soccer’s governing body amid a bribery investigation, applauded the top sports court’s decision to overturn former Asian soccer head Mohamed Bin Hammam’s life ban.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCOr_Xlr3N7fwP65f7_ZllFLh2-_xgTN_K3I4vqWew1o6P8LjcUDPiOPt-G48cgrFkdU-wp_cJua6-h5C8bDdqoW7oVfbaY8pPW41sUryOFY3u15y-R-B48gPjxPHSV1aOEmfrrTLsvVs/s1600/Jack+Warner,+the+former+FIFA+vice+president.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Jack Warner, the former FIFA vice president" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCOr_Xlr3N7fwP65f7_ZllFLh2-_xgTN_K3I4vqWew1o6P8LjcUDPiOPt-G48cgrFkdU-wp_cJua6-h5C8bDdqoW7oVfbaY8pPW41sUryOFY3u15y-R-B48gPjxPHSV1aOEmfrrTLsvVs/s320/Jack+Warner,+the+former+FIFA+vice+president.jpg" title="Jack Warner, the former FIFA vice president" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jack Warner, the former FIFA vice president</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a name='more'></a><br />
Warner said in an e-mailed statement that the decision by the Lausanne, Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport was “a victory of reason over allegations and mud-throwing.”<br />
<br />
The 63-year-old Bin Hamman was incumbent Sepp Blatter’s sole opponent in last year’s presidential election before quitting a day before soccer’s governing body launched a probe into allegations he tried to bribe Caribbean voters at a meeting arranged by Warner with $40,000 stuffed into envelopes. Blatter was elected to a fourth four-year term on June 1, 2011.<br />
<br />
“FIFA’s reprehensible conduct with regard to Mohamed bin Hammam has been unmasked, its rulings against him were declared null and void,” Warner wrote. “The question can be asked as to how I would have fared under this FIFA system of injustice.”<br />
<br />
FIFA banned 11 officials, reprimanded five more and warned six following its investigation into a specially convened meeting of the Caribbean Football Union in Trinidad on May 10, 2011. CAS said two days ago there was “insufficient evidence” for FIFA to expel Bin Hammam, though it did not say that meant he was innocent of the charges.<br />
<br />
CAS said it found that Bin Hammam was “more likely than not the source” of the money and that his efforts “in collaboration with and most likely induced by Mr. Warner” may not have complied with the highest ethical standards in sports.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Forensic Audit:</i></b><br />
<br />
The day before the court announced its decision to overturn Bin Hammam’s year-old ban, FIFA announced it had extended a separate 30-day ban imposed on the businessman by Asian soccer to a worldwide one. The AFC said it found irregularities in its finances after accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP carried out a forensic audit of its books.<br />
<br />
The audit dated July 13 was critical of Bin Hammam’s conduct. It said he used the soccer confederation’s bank account as though it was his own, and detailed several payments to officials including Warner. It said Warner was paid sums totaling $250,000. Neither Warner nor Bin Hammam has responded to questions about the report. Bin Hammam said yesterday his aim was to quit soccer once he’d cleared his name.<br />
<br />
The PwC report said the former AFC head spent $700,000 from the soccer body’s accounts on himself and his family, including the purchase of $10,000 on a watch made by Bulgari SpA for himself and nearly $5,000 in cosmetic dentistry for one of his daughters. The 56-page summary also listed about a $2,000 outlay on 14 shirts for Blatter.<br />
<br />
<b>AFC Meeting:</b><br />
<br />
FIFA expressed concern at the CAS decision to rule against its ethics committee’s decision in the Bin Hammam case. Warner alleged the Zurich-based body’s head of legal affairs traveled to meet with AFC officials in <b><i>Kuala Lumpur</i></b> days before Bin Hammam’s latest ban.<br />
<br />
“What role did FIFA’s chief legal officer play in this move?” Warner asked in his statement. “Why was he in <b><i>Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia</i></b>? Why now? And why did FIFA’s disciplinary committee nigh-immediately adopt the AFC decision of a ban and make it global? Based on what shoddy legal criteria did this ruling happen?”<br />
<br />
CAS said it would be possible to reopen the case if evidence related to events in the Caribbean was found by FIFA’s new independent investigators. FIFA two days ago named former U.S. Attorney Michael J. Garcia as head investigator for its restructured ethics committee.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833058544566032692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8860806516334365523.post-79058185862186336832012-07-21T02:26:00.001-07:002012-07-21T02:26:09.615-07:00Olympics-Soccer-World Cup loss firing up U.S. women for London<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><i>U.S. women's soccer</i></b> team forward <b>Abby Wambach</b> believes the pain of last year's crushing <b><i>World Cup final defeat to Japan</i></b> will help fire them towards an <b>Olympic gold medal.</b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDm47mIACZTtt00hYAieaSKKZo2VMqmCM0DxPuzhlUl2yd9VHQ7mQqcPzEyHSFFBJks28dt4Zy3mR5LzlBLFwFIbZKNG_NsS5sLt2HE0tMT2fj5Yxrssn2DqrnIHWE7YhLTRqb0gdaUho/s1600/Swede+Pia+Sundhage+U.S+Football+Coach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Swede Pia Sundhage U.S Football Coach" border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDm47mIACZTtt00hYAieaSKKZo2VMqmCM0DxPuzhlUl2yd9VHQ7mQqcPzEyHSFFBJks28dt4Zy3mR5LzlBLFwFIbZKNG_NsS5sLt2HE0tMT2fj5Yxrssn2DqrnIHWE7YhLTRqb0gdaUho/s400/Swede+Pia+Sundhage+U.S+Football+Coach.jpg" title="Swede Pia Sundhage U.S Football Coach" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Swede Pia Sundhage U.S Football Coach</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<b><a name='more'></a></b></div>
<br />The team, coached by <b><i>Swede Pia Sundhage</i></b>, start their <b><i>Olympic campaign against France</i></b> in Glasgow on Wednesday, two days before the opening ceremony to the London Games. They will also play North Korea and Colombia in the group stage.<br /><br />While the United States are the defending champions and highly fancied to win a third consecutive gold medal, they come into the tournament still with some of the bitter taste from last year's World Cup campaign in Germany.<br /><br />Japan fell behind in regulation and extra time during last year's final but fought back on both occasions for a 2-2 draw before prevailing 3-1 on penalties over a<b> top-ranked U.S. team.</b><br /><br />"Because we got so close and lost in the most dramatic way you can lose a soccer tournament, it adds even more fuel to the fire," Wambach, who has 138 goals from 182 internationals, said on Friday during a conference call.<br /><br />"We have had a short period of time from the World Cup to now and I think it is really nice and important for the freshness of that loss to be stuck in our minds and honestly in our hearts.<br /><br />"What is in the past, is in the past but this team still has something to prove."<br /><br />While success in the Olympic tournament, allied with World Cup triumphs in 1991 and 1999, makes the <b><i>U.S. squad</i></b> one of the dominant forces in the women's game, Wambach believes that the current crop are fired up to show their value.<br /><br />"There is no better motivation than losing. I think that we did a lot of really cool things in Germany last summer, we got people excited about the women's game again and truthfully I wasn't sure if that was going to happen again in my career.<br /><br />"This team has something to prove. I know that all of us are competitors through and through. We are competing when we are playing ping pong in our team floor, whatever it is we want to win," she said.<br /><br />Key to the American team's chances is the strike pairing between Wambach and 23-year-old Californian Alex Morgan.<br /><br />Morgan scored in the World Cup final but until this year was mainly used for the bench before her form forced Sundhage to adjust her system.<br /><br />"She provides speed and she is playing very well together with Abby," said Sundhage. "This team different from the World Cup, a different team and the way she has been playing recently not only gives her confidence but also the whole team."<br /><br />Wambach, who compared the partnership to the one she enjoyed with Mia Hamm in the past, said Morgan had made a breakthrough in terms of self-belief.<br /><br />"Alex has had probably the biggest improvement in her confidence, I told her time and again, when she scored the big goal that won us a game, 'put that in your back pocket,'" said Wambach.<br /><br />"As a forward when you have times when you aren't scoring, you have to remember the times that you did, especially the big ones.<br /><br />"Her confidence has been the turning point in her career, much like my confidence was after 2004 did a huge service for me and my career - I think Alex will continue to grow, she has had a fantastic year."</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833058544566032692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8860806516334365523.post-14097017159037515652012-07-21T02:22:00.001-07:002012-07-21T02:22:27.458-07:00Brazil too strong for Britain in soccer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><i>Brazil</i></b> underlined their position as favourites for Olympic gold when they gave a masterful performance to complete a <b>2-0 win over hosts Britain</b>, who fielded a united team for the first time in 41 years.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1T8YcWXtHhU7a-QKGSU-Dd1CymnbYxipVfnK3w3aCFMwaE9uIdP_SOAgxkwAsa7g07yRG-sSs-JRcnZ39RgBhPTHScuOYTN-j8Hch4GagF5h3AVCIbLB4EzGhJruNTtuX9lx_gYGCA6o/s1600/Mano+Menezes+Brazil+Coach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Mano Menezes Brazil Coach" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1T8YcWXtHhU7a-QKGSU-Dd1CymnbYxipVfnK3w3aCFMwaE9uIdP_SOAgxkwAsa7g07yRG-sSs-JRcnZ39RgBhPTHScuOYTN-j8Hch4GagF5h3AVCIbLB4EzGhJruNTtuX9lx_gYGCA6o/s320/Mano+Menezes+Brazil+Coach.jpg" title="Mano Menezes Brazil Coach" width="278" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Mano Menezes Brazil Coach</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a name='more'></a><br /><b><i>Brazil</i></b> <b>won the friendly with a header from Sandro and a penalty from Neymar just five days before the London Games soccer competition,</b> which features an under-23 line-up with three over-aged players, kicks off.<br /><br /><b><i>Brazil</i></b>, seeking to win the <b>Olympic title for the first time</b>, sent a powerful message of intent to the other 15 teams in the competition with a silky display in their final warm-up before the Games.<br /><br />""I am not worried about sending a message to the other teams. My main concern tonight was to get my European-based players, returning from holiday, back in the rhythm of the team," <b><i>Brazil coach Mano Menezes told reporters.</i></b><br /><br />""That took maybe 20 minutes at the start, but then we played very well for the rest of the half and the match."<br /><br />On an unusually sunny summer's evening at the Riverside, there was excitement that the Olympics was drawing closer with the theme from ""Chariots of Fire" reverberating around stadium before kickoff and the unusual site of the Union Jack fluttering in the breeze.<br /><br />Britain struck gold in three out of four Games from 1900 but in recent years, fielding a Team GB has been blocked by the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland football associations amid fears that they might lose their independent status within FIFA.<br /><br />No British team took part in Olympic soccer since a qualifying defeat to Bulgaria in May 1971 cost them a place in the 1972 Munich Games but when London was awarded the Games, the hosts were obliged to compete.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833058544566032692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8860806516334365523.post-63986548693305020282012-07-21T02:18:00.001-07:002012-07-21T02:18:28.315-07:00Football Ferns' hometown rivals open with draw<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>Britain's women's soccer team</b>, who take on the <b><i>Football Ferns</i></b> in the London Olympics' first event, drew<b><i> 0-0 with Sweden</i></b> in their first official match at the <b>Riverside Stadium overnight.</b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe8ZOPCFj0mqlxUze9m5Cg26G2IU2ONE8TLeeNV4bHlDmHk8c6yyHEdYD0NyphljzT_dNv48prBBFqSAsO0v4GHCYOStpcTYDG-zp7uFLPRmHLideROsQH62xTWbJg2qykrAo3jQSRFxs/s1600/Football+Ferns'+hometown+rivals+open+with+draw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Football Ferns' hometown rivals open with draw" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe8ZOPCFj0mqlxUze9m5Cg26G2IU2ONE8TLeeNV4bHlDmHk8c6yyHEdYD0NyphljzT_dNv48prBBFqSAsO0v4GHCYOStpcTYDG-zp7uFLPRmHLideROsQH62xTWbJg2qykrAo3jQSRFxs/s320/Football+Ferns'+hometown+rivals+open+with+draw.jpg" title="Football Ferns' hometown rivals open with draw" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Football Ferns' hometown rivals open with draw</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a name='more'></a><br />The game - the first half of a double-header with the men's Olympic team due to play Brazil later - was full of fine technical play from two evenly-matched teams making their final preparations in a low-key encounter before the start of the soccer tournament next week.<br /><br /><b>The British team, whose only other match was a 3-1 win over South Africa</b> behind closed doors earlier this month, came closest to a goal when Rachel Yankey, making her 120th appearance for England as a second-half substitute, hit a post with a well-taken left-foot shot after 70 minutes.<br /><br /><b><i>Sweden</i></b>, who finished third in last year's women's World Cup and are fourth in FIFA's world rankings, threatened several times and Sofia Jakobsson, who plays professionally in Russia, wasted a good scoring chance just before halftime. Caroline Seger, winning her 93rd cap for Sweden, had her side's two best scoring chances, but failed to take either.<br /><br />The two sets of players will be seeing plenty of each other over the next few weeks, whether they meet in the later stages of the Games or not, as they're sharing the same accomodation block in the Olympic Village.<br /><br />Taking part in the Olympics for the first time, Britain face the Kiwis in Cardiff next Wednesday, then Cameroon and gold-medal favourites Brazil in their opening group matches, while Sweden are grouped with world champions Japan, Canada and South Africa, their first opponents in Coventry next Wednesday.<br /><br />The soccer tournament traditionally starts before the opening ceremony to accommodate a competition programme that features 16 men's teams and 12 women's.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833058544566032692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8860806516334365523.post-32706813396941055712012-07-20T07:16:00.000-07:002012-07-20T07:16:00.255-07:00Scottish Football League(SFL) invites TV bids for live matches<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><i>The Scottish Football League has approached broadcasters with a package to show up to 25 live Rangers matches in Division Three next season.</i></b><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiefq4Ef0fjt-hL4tctNrgiD0PjGgcqNeHuV-UkASkuVtCwEIcMOJoxKBWBswxrxbQwF2yeOgdm1MXAsPriqB1MSxKhoShad9i0uqR5ssAVECHo6iBRjQeK9_uLgNl63QQrZL5jzyy20vw/s1600/Scottish+Football+League(SFL)+invites+TV+bids+for+live+matches.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Scottish Football League(SFL) invites TV bids for live matches" border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiefq4Ef0fjt-hL4tctNrgiD0PjGgcqNeHuV-UkASkuVtCwEIcMOJoxKBWBswxrxbQwF2yeOgdm1MXAsPriqB1MSxKhoShad9i0uqR5ssAVECHo6iBRjQeK9_uLgNl63QQrZL5jzyy20vw/s320/Scottish+Football+League(SFL)+invites+TV+bids+for+live+matches.jpg" title="Scottish Football League(SFL) invites TV bids for live matches" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Scottish Football League(SFL) invites TV bids for live matches</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a name='more'></a><br />However, any deal cannot be finalised until the <b>Scottish FA</b> grants membership to the new club.<br /><br />The <b><i>SFL'</i></b>s media representative IMG, is inviting bids from interested parties, with a closing date of Monday.<br /><br />The proposed deal includes the opportunity to broadcast all 18 of Rangers' away league matches.<br /><br />Members of the Rangers board held talks with the SFA on Tuesday, but there is debate over what punishments they will accept in return for membership.<br /><br />It is understood the SFA wants the newco club to accept the 12-month transfer embargo handed out to the old company for bringing the game into disrepute.<br /><br />The governing body also wants guarantees from Charles Green's consortium that all football debts will be cleared.<br /><br />The <b><i>SFL TV deal</i></b> on offer is subject to certain criteria, including fixture clashes, scheduling clashes and policing but with the start of the new season less than three weeks away, they want all parties to move quickly.<br /><br />And BBC Scotland has learned that several parties have already declared an interest.<br /><br />As the <b><i>SFL looks</i></b> for a broadcast partner, its counterpart at the<b><i> Scottish Premier League</i></b> continues negotiations over its own television and radio deals.<br /><br />SPL chief executive Neil Doncaster has spent the last 48 hours in talks with Sky and ESPN discussing what they are willing to pay for a top league without Rangers.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833058544566032692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8860806516334365523.post-40786753739252037172012-07-20T07:12:00.001-07:002012-07-20T07:12:46.903-07:00Football transfer rumours: Arsenal to sign Fernando Llorente?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The <b><i>Athletic Bilbao frontman Fernando Llorente</i></b> has emerged as <b>Arsenal's chief</b> target to replace <b><i>Robin van Persie</i></b> if it turns out that <b><i>Robin van Persie</i></b> needs replacing which he may or may not do.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyZEpXs-q-zfn4_Xubav5uhIkQ4t6e3K4pFZQarYcRNliaqk8XsgBPpDvEK0XzFoWyKSlg992RO0c4UujKhdcn84m8YVUn0ow8xYmk1tibqjJxIgua_v-WlxLBkLA6RIpWZK7lMTpoLcw/s1600/fernando+llorente+athletic+bilbao.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Fernando llorente athletic bilbao" border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyZEpXs-q-zfn4_Xubav5uhIkQ4t6e3K4pFZQarYcRNliaqk8XsgBPpDvEK0XzFoWyKSlg992RO0c4UujKhdcn84m8YVUn0ow8xYmk1tibqjJxIgua_v-WlxLBkLA6RIpWZK7lMTpoLcw/s400/fernando+llorente+athletic+bilbao.jpg" title="Fernando llorente athletic bilbao" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Fernando llorente athletic bilbao</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<a name='more'></a><br /><b> The 6ft 5in 27-year-old slammed in 28 goals last season and has a £28m escape clause built into his contract</b>, which is quite a lot really, considering. Also under consideration for the potentially vacant role leading <b>Arsenal</b>'s attack are Fiorentina's Stevan Jovetic and Borussia Dortmund's Robert Lewandowski. Not under consideration is <b>Arsenal'</b>s Nicklas Bendtner. Sorry Nicklas.<br /><br />Then there's Paulo Henrique Ganso, the 22-year-old Santosmidfielder who <b><i>Gunners</i></b> scouts have labelled the new Andrey Arshavin, though they presumably hope that he turns out to be better than the old one (who may end up joining Al-Sadd this summer, we're now told). A £15m bid is in the offing for the Olympics-bound starlet.<br /><br /><b><i>Llorente</i></b> is unlikely to be the only Spanish recruit to the Premier League this summer, what with West Ham, Blackburn and QPR scrapping over £2m Getafe right-back Miguel Torres. "English football is a paradise for any player," trilled the 26-year-old. "I believe my sporting future will be there."<br /><br />He should have a word with Luka Modric, who appears to believe that Spanish football is a paradise for any player and that his sporting future will be there. They can't both be right. The nimble-toed Croat may never have a chance to find out, what with Real Madrid playing hardball over his transfer fee. Their president, Florentino Pérez, has insisted they will not meet Tottenham's £35m valuation: "The limit for the Modric deal is €35m," he blasted. "We will not pay any more than that for him."<br /><br />In further bad news for Spurs, Emmanuel Adebayor is stalling over his much-trumpeted move from Manchester City because he's done some sums and he doesn't like the results one bit. Not one bit. The clubs have already agreed a £6m deal, but the player needs to be convinced that leaving a club where he is paid £175,000 a week to join one where he will be paid barely £5.5m a year would be worth his while. Spurs are also after the Lyon and France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, though the French club want £4m more than the £12m they're offering.<br /><br />Back to City, where Roberto Mancini is even now rummaging in his pockets looking for spare change to help his club trump rival bids from Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and <b>Arsenal</b> for 13-year-old prodigy Foday Nabay. Looks like he found quite a bit of loose change in there, as the Mail report the offer will "eclipse anything of its kind in British football history" and "blow United's offer out of the water". Specifics not supplied.<br /><br />QPR will sign Junior Hoilett from Blackburn on Friday – with Jamie Mackie possibly going the other way – and will then set out to land the Vitesse Arnhem left-back Alexander Buttner – also a target for Fulham. Southampton were also keen, but even though they have gone rather cold on the idea all of a sudden those scouting trips to Holland weren't all wasted – they're going to sign PSV Eindhoven's 24-year-old strikerJeremain Lens instead. Talking of Dutch people, Twente's Douglas – a defender who's actually Brazilian, but will qualify for a Dutch passport next month, conveniently – is a target for West Ham and Fulham.<br /><br />Swansea are mulling over a move for Bolton's Mark Davies as a replacement for potentially Liverpool-bound Joe Allen. Spartak Moscow may resurrect their failed January swoop for Everton's Johnny Heitinga, and with Joseph Yobo close to a £2.5m Fenerbahce switch there may suddenly be enough money in the Goodison Park safe for Steven Pienaar to be re-signed (though that may leave them a bit short on defenders). Talking of defenders, Wigan want Blackpool's Rocky Baptiste.<br /><br />Finally some cricket news, and Katy Perry performed a concert in India to open the new IPL season in April, during which she invited Australia's Doug Bollinger on stage and engaged in such a provocative pose that she is now being investigated by public prosecutors in Madras for the crime of lewdness. True story. Which is almost certainly more than can be said for most of the other ones you've just read, sadly.</div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833058544566032692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8860806516334365523.post-37396201282444633962012-07-20T07:07:00.000-07:002012-07-20T07:07:00.608-07:00LFP president welcomes Ibrahimovic impact on French football<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>President of the Professional Football League in France</b> (LFP) <b><i>Frederic Thiriez</i></b> has hailed <b>Paris Saint-Germain</b>'s capture of <b><i>Zlatan Ibrahimovic from AC Milan</i></b>, believing that the striker will herald a new era in French football.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX9hLFOr1GO6OR-IA36QN6_NRBDwEhlwYaM7B0-CyDIU1ZMAJk-5WbBUBBq93O8q6MP6KaOUUD-qyHmARsWRUjRFaZlWw_oJMVO6v55vERbOqa0LrMwZZC9UgWm8XE33I3MsWUVHZLLW8/s1600/Frederic+Thiriez+LFP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Frederic Thiriez LFP" border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX9hLFOr1GO6OR-IA36QN6_NRBDwEhlwYaM7B0-CyDIU1ZMAJk-5WbBUBBq93O8q6MP6KaOUUD-qyHmARsWRUjRFaZlWw_oJMVO6v55vERbOqa0LrMwZZC9UgWm8XE33I3MsWUVHZLLW8/s400/Frederic+Thiriez+LFP.jpg" title="Frederic Thiriez LFP" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Frederic Thiriez LFP</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<a name='more'></a></div>
<b><i>Frederic Thiriez </i></b>claims the Swede's arrival will not only improve<b> football in France</b>, but also swell the country's coffers, having attacked the taboo of high-earners in the game.<div>
<br /></div>
<b>The 30-year-old completed a €23 million transfer to the Parc des Princes</b> on Wednesday, but while his move has caught the imagination of many within the game, it has also been met with negative responses, including politician Valerie Fourneyron, who is demanding a salary cap on professional athletes.<br /><br />However, the <b><i>LFP</i></b> supremo preferred to focus on the sporting benefits that Ibrahimovic's arrival would signal, claiming his presence will offer an incentive for other Ligue 1 clubs to strengthen and make the division more competitive, while also providing a cash boost for the country's finances.<br /><br />"This is super news for everyone," <b><i>Thiriez told Le Parisien</i></b>. "Of course for PSG but also for football in general and Ligue 1 in particular, will be boosted in terms of audience and crowds.<br /><br />"It's also good news for the influence of French football abroad and for the public finances. We must not forget that if Ibrahimovic is paid €12m net per year, that means the state will also receive €12m in taxes.<br /><br />"Imagine that Ligue 1 is a high-speed train with a locomotive and 19 carriages. When the TGV is running at full speed, the 19th car goes as fast as the locomotive. A league needs a locomotive to pull everyone up. This is great news."<br /><br />Thiriez then had a dig at Fourneyron, as he slammed the stigma attached to footballers on lucrative salaries and urged people to acknowledge their duties in paying out high taxes and attending to their social responsibilities.<br /><br />"I've had enough of people always speaking of indecent or offensive payouts in football without looking at what happens elsewhere," he continued.<br /><br />"Why always target football when it does not have the highest-paid athletes in the world? Of the five highest-paid athletes in the world, there is not one footballer.<br /><br />"In golf, Tiger Woods earns €53m per year. Behind him, there are NBA basketball players and Roger Federer, a tennis player. In France there are also actors, stage directors and singers who earn much more than that.<br /><br />"Will the Minister of Culture protest when Dany Boon earns €26m on a movie? No, because it is money that is honestly earned and he pays his dues to France. In football it's the exact same thing.<br /><br />"Rejecting the notion of money in professional sports is proof of immaturity in our country. Last year, French clubs and players who play in France gave €622m in taxes and social charges.<br /><br />"They pay their taxes in full, so I'm sick of footballers being stigmatised, particularly those based in France.<br /><br />On the subject of money in football, Thiriez went on to insist that the country's teams lead the way in regards to setting the standard for running a club as sustainable businesses, and was delighted to see the Financial Fair Play (FFP) initiative applied to European competition.<br /><br />"All our clubs are financially sound, unlike in Spain or Italy. French football is at the origins of Financial Fair Play in Uefa," he noted.<br /><br />"I proposed it in 2005. I fear that Ms. Fourneyron is mistaken about the meaning of FFP. Its purpose is not to impoverish European football.<br /><br />"This is simply to ensure that clubs do not spend more than they earn, to ensure a level playing field and fair competition.<br /><br />"It has existed in France for 20 years. Some countries are based on our model and it will now be extended to European competition."</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833058544566032692noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8860806516334365523.post-27830304852346637792012-07-20T07:01:00.000-07:002012-07-20T07:01:41.278-07:00Southgate quits Football Association(FA) role<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><i>Gareth Southgate</i></b> is to leave the <b><i>Football Association(FA)</i></b> after 18 months as the organisation's head of elite development.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmr6S8w4LWXz6GZCa5DLvhvmEYnQb9adYG_HTe2DNkQj2fUEerCTAc1gVNZz6GhBAVlKYWrbnpOyIY0PnF8opGdXvavysxTcmmeUyNpOMIrIHgKqEIe0wejYqi1kpRDqh_N8zxrwpyXSs/s1600/Southgate+quits+Football+Association(FA)+role.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Southgate quits Football Association(FA) role " border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmr6S8w4LWXz6GZCa5DLvhvmEYnQb9adYG_HTe2DNkQj2fUEerCTAc1gVNZz6GhBAVlKYWrbnpOyIY0PnF8opGdXvavysxTcmmeUyNpOMIrIHgKqEIe0wejYqi1kpRDqh_N8zxrwpyXSs/s320/Southgate+quits+Football+Association(FA)+role.jpg" title="Southgate quits Football Association(FA) role " width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Southgate quits Football Association(FA) role</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a name='more'></a><br />The former England player had been earmarked for the role of technical director, but has said he no longer wishes to be considered for the post.<br /><br />In a statement,<b><i> Southgate</i></b> - who has combined his FA work with a career as a TV pundit, which he will continue - said: "I'd like to place on record just how much I've enjoyed working at the FA over the past 18 months. It really has been an honour and a pleasure.''<br /><br />Alex Horne, the FA general secretary, said he was disappointed by<b><i> Southgate</i></b>'s decision and praised him for "an outstanding contribution in supporting Sir Trevor Brooking and myself across various aspects of our football development work".<br /><br />Horne said: "We're disappointed, but understand his decision and would like to thank Gareth for his efforts and wish him well for the future.<br /><br />"We continue to recruit for key technical positions within the FA at what is a very important and exciting time for the organisation, with the imminent opening of our new training centre at St George's Park."<br /><br /><b><i>Southgate</i></b> helped to bring about significant changes to youth football including smaller pitches, goals and team sizes until players reach the age of 13.<br /><br />He said: "Hopefully, I have been able to play some part in delivering important changes to the way children play at the youngest levels.<br /><br />"The FA is heading in the right direction in terms of developing more, better coaches and players at all levels of the game under the leadership of David Bernstein, Alex Horne and Sir Trevor Brooking. I would like to thank them for their support.<br /><br />"I've advised the FA that I will be pleased to help with specific projects moving forward."</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833058544566032692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8860806516334365523.post-76484027977020883352012-07-20T06:58:00.001-07:002012-07-20T06:58:45.153-07:00Football pitch firm Goals Soccer Centres in £73m takeover<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><i>Five-a-side football pitch operator Goals Soccer Centres was today poised for a £73.1 million takeover by one of the world's biggest pension funds.</i></b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha5_p18BIkZwV7fy8pvrp4s715_o2CWzI8rF74mCYogd1RoUfEGsSXi-RnXvmAjXQQUdzYoFbKg2zlYDtyy7BPqt-gjmKWvxg0FcURVd3YwtM5ttFDTtDnYBmp3b9ZUMz4G3H-CUerwmI/s1600/football+pitch+operator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Football pitch firm Goals Soccer Centres in £73m takeover" border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha5_p18BIkZwV7fy8pvrp4s715_o2CWzI8rF74mCYogd1RoUfEGsSXi-RnXvmAjXQQUdzYoFbKg2zlYDtyy7BPqt-gjmKWvxg0FcURVd3YwtM5ttFDTtDnYBmp3b9ZUMz4G3H-CUerwmI/s400/football+pitch+operator.jpg" title="Football pitch firm Goals Soccer Centres in £73m takeover" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Football pitch firm Goals Soccer Centres in £73m takeover</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a name='more'></a><br />Announcing a deal with the directors of Goals, Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, which owns lottery operator Camelot, said it planned to invest £40 million in adding 25 sites to the 44-strong Goals estate over the next five years.<br /><br />Its move comes after Patron Capital Partners, which owns a controlling stake in Goals rival Powerleague, said this month it was also mulling a bid.<br /><br />East Kilbride-based Goals, which employs 800 people, agreed a deal with Ontario in the absence of any firm intention from Patron to make an offer.<br /><br />Powerleague owner Patron said it was "considering its options" and urged Goals shareholders to "take no action".<br /><br />Goals shares leapt another 9%, having soared in recent weeks on hopes of a takeover battle.<br /><br />Ontario Teachers, which is already home to a number of leading Canadian sports assets such as the Toronto FC Major League Soccer team, described its 144p-a-share bid for Goals as a "win-win for investors".<br /><br />It wants to expand Goals across the UK and also overseas, building on the one site currently owned in the US.<br /><br />Jo Taylor, vice president of Ontario Teachers, said: "We believe that this will be a win-win for investors, employees and the thousands of players who enjoy using Goals' facilities each week.<br /><br />"Our aim is to cement Goals' position as the UK's premier five-a-side operator and help the business to achieve its full potential."<br /><br />Ontario Teachers invests the pension assets and administers the pensions of 295,000 active and retired teachers in Ontario.<br /><br />It has invested more than £4 billion in the UK, with other British assets including a 49% stake in Bristol Airport, while it is also the largest shareholder in Birmingham Airport.<br /><br />Goals has been run by Keith Rogers since 2000 and he holds an 8% stake in the company.<br /><br />But Mr Rogers and his management tend intend to remain with the business and reinvest £6 million after the sale - around 65% of their holding.<br /><br />Goals has put in a resilient performance amid the wider economic woes in the UK, with underlying profits increasing by 11% to £13.8 million in 2011.<br /><br />A typical Goals centre has between nine and 14 floodlit courts with pitches made from artificial grass, which is designed to look and feel like real turf, parking for about 100 cars and a licensed bar. Around three-quarters of its revenues came from football bookings during 2011.<br /><br />It added more than 10 new centres to its estate in the last two years - most recently at Sunderland, Liverpool, Norwich and Hull.<br /><br />Potential rival bidder Powerleague has 45 floodlit five-a-side football centres, with 470 pitches used by more than 130,000 players each week.<br /><br />It has said it believes there are potential more than 100 centres in the UK.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833058544566032692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8860806516334365523.post-65889810880863750822012-07-20T06:50:00.001-07:002012-07-20T06:50:18.087-07:00Leander Schaerlaeckens said that "the beautiful game is losing its shine".<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Word of the latest scandal came last Wednesday. <b><i>Joao Havelange took $1 million in kickbacks from FIFA’s</i></b> now-defunct marketing partner ISL in 1997 alone, while he was the governing body’s president. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPq3Q2svFcbBhFhlfsPFlfaQ8rWu6I2-dnwyI7O-5nV9KFJim29yxTHST_2cqjDxgpBKfxatO3eIR5PzNPCPfN-ZRgz1dZFOuVOG-Md7xAUual5KJDvsG_Jju-BUZ5312Dm5fHR3OyLAE/s1600/Leander+Schaerlaeckens+said+that+the+beautiful+game+is+losing+its+shine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Leander Schaerlaeckens said that "the beautiful game is losing its shine"." border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPq3Q2svFcbBhFhlfsPFlfaQ8rWu6I2-dnwyI7O-5nV9KFJim29yxTHST_2cqjDxgpBKfxatO3eIR5PzNPCPfN-ZRgz1dZFOuVOG-Md7xAUual5KJDvsG_Jju-BUZ5312Dm5fHR3OyLAE/s400/Leander+Schaerlaeckens+said+that+the+beautiful+game+is+losing+its+shine.jpg" title="Leander Schaerlaeckens said that "the beautiful game is losing its shine"." width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Leander Schaerlaeckens said that "the beautiful game is losing its shine".</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div>
His son-in-law and longtime but since-deposed grand poobah of <b><i>Brazilian soccer, Ricardo Teixeira</i></b>, also a member of FIFA’s exclusive Executive Committee, took some $13 million from the same company from 1992 through 1997.
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
In spite of repaying about $6 million to the <b><i>Swiss governmen</i></b>t to end the probe and keep their identities secret, the prosecutor’s investigation was unsealed and the secret was let out. There is corruption in the upper echelons of FIFA – some secret. Oh, and a third executive committee member, Paraguay’s Nicolas Leoz, had taken money too. A mere $130,000 over two payments in 2000.<br /><br /><b>Havelange is, as of this writing, still FIFA’s honorary presiden</b>t. He is a mentor of current president Sepp Blatter, after all. The Swiss prosecutor found that Blatter had known about these transgressions for many years. Yet the pint-sized president led a standing ovation for Havelange just last May, at a FIFA congress, and maintained that he wasn’t in the wrong since he’d not actually broken any Swiss laws. <br /><br />Then on Sunday, in another not-so-graceful turnabout, he said Havelange “has to go”. The head of the German soccer league, Reinhard Rauball, had called for Blatter’s head too. So, in a bind, Blatter did what he so often seems to, he threw a close associate under the bus to save his own hide. And while he was at it, he added that he might yet run for a fifth term in 2015, in spite of promising the current one would be his last if only the member federations would vote for him one last time. The monster ball will carry on.<br /><br />Last Wednesday, too, came a revelation from a former Premier League captain, Claus Lundekvam, who spent 1996 through 2008 with Southampton. In an interview with a Norwegian media outlet, he happily detailed how he and many of his peers fixed certain aspects of games and cleaned up on bets. In concert with opposing captains, they would pre-determine who would kick off, get the first corner, penalty, throw-in or booking and lay bets accordingly. <br /><br />These events came on the back of a Euro that offered much by way of attractive play but was marred by incidents of racism, homophobic utterances and an ugly skirmish between nationalistic Russians and Poles. <br /><br />And they come in the midst of a transfer window in which the players’ pursuit of the top dollar has become more overt and unapologetic than ever before. They nakedly scrap for shrinking salary budgets, nudged along by emboldened and increasingly self-serving agents.<br /><br />Connected, these dots, these many stains on the sport, draw a stark picture. The beautiful game is losing its shine. <br /><br />Below the beautiful veneer, the first-rate production values and shiny jerseys, the game has never been pure. Far from it. But with the cracks in its dignity and credibility and morality so plainly visible, the product of professional football doesn’t beckon the consumer from the shelf. With the ugliness running rampant, the tolerance of the fan is being tested. Make it too abundantly clear that it’s all a sham, that the game is depraved and its protagonists rotten, and you’ll start putting people off.<br /><br />This latest round of blights, dealt in such quick succession, leave the game gasping for some untarnished feel-good moments. Here’s hoping for an exciting, controversy-free Olympic soccer tournament, then.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833058544566032692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8860806516334365523.post-46532556724566096642012-07-18T13:51:00.000-07:002012-07-18T13:54:30.672-07:00Frank Isola said Winning trophies away from Arsenal won't be the same for Robin van Persie<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><i>Robin van Persie</i></b> arrived at <b>Arsenal</b>’s training camp this week with a few more grey hairs and without a new contract. Of course, one could have something to do with the other.<br />
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWy9-kVwXP1BI65qC5esbSntbFfdW9LiwhUg6sjCcWlk5hpSnLiW68JmMH7d-QHKgkvmtuZ31jtt3qb4m0jk0sI77Bed22pskXivuHW-0bMsxgQI1rCfttqcYvmnWWFPVSaeDNtbqYfLo/s1600/Robin+Van+Persie+Arsenal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Robin Van Persie Arsenal" border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWy9-kVwXP1BI65qC5esbSntbFfdW9LiwhUg6sjCcWlk5hpSnLiW68JmMH7d-QHKgkvmtuZ31jtt3qb4m0jk0sI77Bed22pskXivuHW-0bMsxgQI1rCfttqcYvmnWWFPVSaeDNtbqYfLo/s400/Robin+Van+Persie+Arsenal.jpg" title="Robin Van Persie Arsenal" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Robin Van Persie Arsenal</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
<a name='more'></a></div>
Although he's stated he will not renew his contract, the <b><i>Dutchman</i></b> should stay and win trophies with the <b>Gunners.</b><br />
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
The club is hoping to resolve <b>Van Persie</b>’s future before the Gunners begin their preseason tour in Malaysia this weekend. All the big clubs are hot for the Dutch striker, including Juventus, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Premier League rival Manchester City.<br />
<br />
The fact that <b>Van Persie</b> is in camp and apparently in good spirits and good shape has Arsenal optimistic that the captain will re-consider his position, sign a contract extension and continue to call Emirates Stadium home. <b>Van Persie</b>, 28, is in the prime of his career and belongs at Arsenal where he led the Premier League with 30 goals last season.<br />
<br />
If it is <b>Van Persie</b>’s wish to win trophies, why not do it with the club where he made a name for himself? He can’t possibly believe that winning a championship while riding shotgun with Messi would mean the same as winning one at Arsenal.<br />
<br />
It’s not as if the north London side is that far from being a legitimate contender. Arsenal finished third in the EPL and its manager, Arsene Wenger, is one of the best in the business at adding young talent.<br />
<br />
<b>Van Persie</b> has every right to be concerned with Arsenal losing both Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri last summer. But Wenger has always been a proactive manager. He is looking to sign 17-year-old French forward M’baye Niang, who is being courted by both Tottenham and Man City. Arsenal is also trying to sign Theo Walcott to a long-term deal.<br />
<br />
Locking up <b>Van Persie</b>, however, is the crucial move for Arsenal. Nearly two weeks ago, <b>Van Persie </b>released a statement after meeting with Wenger and Ivan Gazidis and sounded resigned to leaving before his contract expires in 12 months.<br />
<br />
"This was a meeting about the club's future strategy and their policy,”
Van Persie said in the statement. “Financial terms or a contract have not been discussed, since that is not my priority at all.<br />
<br />
"I personally have had a great season but my goal has been to win trophies with the team and to bring the club back to its glory days. Out of my huge respect for Mr. Wenger, the players and the fans I don't want to go into any details, but unfortunately in this meeting it has again become clear to me that we in many aspects disagree on the way Arsenal should move forward.<br />
<br />
"I've thought long and hard about it, but I have decided not to extend my contract.”<br />
<br />
<b>Van Persie</b> sounded sincere but don’t discount the fact that he could be a shrewd negotiator as well.
Van Persie understands his value the team and could be looking for more money, more affection or both. I’ll go with the latter.<br />
<br />
Arsenal is built around the <b>Van Persie</b> the way it was once built around his good friend Thierry Henry. And yes, Henry left for Barcelona when he was 27 but not before becoming the Gunners all-time leading scorer with 228 goals while helping Arsenal to two league titles and three FA Cups. It wasn’t until Henry arrived in Spain before he raised a Champions League trophy.<br />
<br />
He and <b>Van Persie</b> were teammates when Arsenal lost to Barcelona in the 2006 Champions League Final. <b>Van Persie</b> never stepped on the pitch that night and that loss still stings.<br />
<br />
Stay at Arsenal and perhaps <b>Van Persie</b> will get that chance again. Winning one as Messi’s sidekick just won’t mean as much.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833058544566032692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8860806516334365523.post-71991544324460162492012-07-14T23:30:00.001-07:002012-07-14T23:30:22.265-07:00Football fan fracas at racecourse<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>Groups of Swansea and Cardiff City fans clashed at Newbury Racecourse leading to the closure of bars around the circuit and police descending on the site. Thirty football fans brought terror to an afternoon at the races when they fought running battles for 15 minutes.</b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifTCEGSbWRiIwbXFO9hihsUVNoSC332eVZIezIPrLXDsGcefwR5-2h6WLxpji5cIdSUcpiybeJIawt8hG_nykj85Ql7tKxdGDu_R8_KexjCrEBcgjUYjlf9z4xWDwJTGsZSbehWOwOSyc/s1600/Football+fan+fracas+at+racecourse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Football fan fracas at racecourse" border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifTCEGSbWRiIwbXFO9hihsUVNoSC332eVZIezIPrLXDsGcefwR5-2h6WLxpji5cIdSUcpiybeJIawt8hG_nykj85Ql7tKxdGDu_R8_KexjCrEBcgjUYjlf9z4xWDwJTGsZSbehWOwOSyc/s400/Football+fan+fracas+at+racecourse.jpg" title="Football fan fracas at racecourse" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Football fan fracas at racecourse</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a name='more'></a><br /><b>Only three people were arrested</b> - two for affray and one for a public order offence, Thames Valley Police said.<br /><br />It was not clear why the sets of Welsh fans unleashed their violence at the ground in Berkshire, marring the Newbury Summer Festival.<br /><br />Race track managing director Stephen Higgins said: "There was sporadic fighting over about 15 minutes with approximately 30 people involved. We have absolutely no idea why it started."<br /><br />Inspector Phil Rogers of Thames Valley Police said there were on a few minor injuries and no complaints were made to police.<br /><br />Officers were called at 4.03pm by the race ground staff.<br /><br />Insp Rogers said: "Two arrests were made for affray and one for a public order offence. The remainder left on buses. It appears to be caused by football supporters from Swansea and Cardiff who met in the ground."<br /><br />Racegoer Julie Davis told the Racing Post: "It was a disgrace and I won't be coming again. It took so long to get it sorted out. Every time you thought it had stopped it started again. I reckon there were at least 30 people involved. It was scary."<br /><br />Another punter Denise Mathias told the Post: "It just seemed to be a big fight between football supporters from Cardiff and Swansea. It was terrible. I saw a stocky man covered in blood having his head stamped on."</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833058544566032692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8860806516334365523.post-92182516160125866652012-07-14T23:20:00.001-07:002012-07-14T23:20:17.267-07:00Football Ferns defeated by Canada<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><i>Football Ferns</i> coach Tony Readings</b> is confident his side's "below par" 2-0 loss to <b><i>Canada</i></b> in an Olympic Games warm-up in Switzerland this morning was a one-off as London 2012 draws closer.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo2yUf1BpcCJw0s_Tot3jd_UGed9SrB88z3MNuxFj7WiOLhe-e0qkT6npSrIbYSpyWfPPSwyigW0MBJ21SmAPVG9s1MBPHlss7E2XHCvo60Q-xvIq1aVq2eF14HzDz9Z4FZSmUmwZspIE/s1600/Tony+Readings+Football+Ferns+coach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Tony Readings Football Ferns coach" border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo2yUf1BpcCJw0s_Tot3jd_UGed9SrB88z3MNuxFj7WiOLhe-e0qkT6npSrIbYSpyWfPPSwyigW0MBJ21SmAPVG9s1MBPHlss7E2XHCvo60Q-xvIq1aVq2eF14HzDz9Z4FZSmUmwZspIE/s400/Tony+Readings+Football+Ferns+coach.jpg" title="Tony Readings Football Ferns coach" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: medium; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Tony Readings </b><b style="font-size: medium; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><i>Football Ferns</i> coach</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<a name='more'></a><br />While the Canadians, ranked seventh in the world, were favourites to beat 23rd ranked New Zealand at their Matchworld Women's Cup match in Chtel-St-Denis, Readings was not happy with the quality of his team's showing.<br /><br />"<b><i>Canada</i></b> were the better team and deserved to win that game," Readings acknowledged.<br /><br />"It was a below par <b><i>Football Ferns</i></b> performance and nowhere near what we're capable of."<br /><br />Turnovers in midfield lead to both goals with Diana Matheson finishing the first with a superb chip over Jenny Bindon in the 30th minute and Canadian captain Christine Sinclair netting her 136th international goal on the break just minutes into the second half.<br /><br />New Zealand's best chances both cannoned off the crossbar with Amber Hearn rattling the woodwork early in the first half and substitute Annalie Longo doing the same from a long range effort midway through the second.<br /><br /><b><i>Canada</i></b>'s physical approach disrupted New Zealand with fullback Ali Riley falling victim to the worst challenges. She was caught by a two footed tackle from Sinclair in the first half then a nasty late Robyn Gayle challenge ended her afternoon and left coaching staff sweating over an ankle injury that will be reassessed in the morning.<br /><br />New Zealand play Colombia on Wednesday morning (NZT) before travelling to London to enter the Olympic Village.<br /><br />Meanwhile, the men's Olympic team have been beaten by Korea Republic 2-1 in Seoul last night (sat) in the second of three warm ups for London.<br /><br />The Oly Whites fell behind to a skilful back heel finish from Ji Dong-Won in the 18th minute but overage striker Shane Smeltz restored parity with a clinical finish through the legs of a defender and the goalkeeper in the 73rd minute from Adam Thomas's cross.<br /><br />A second draw in four days - the Oly Whites drew 1-1 with Japan on Wednesday night - looked on the cards until Park Jong Woo drifted through a flat New Zealand defence, took a long pass on his chest, turned his man and slotted the ball past Michael O'Keeffe who had impressed after replacing Jake Gleeson early in the second half.<br /><br />Tommy Smith, in England resting a hamstring strain, will be the last of the nine players not involved in the qualifying campaign to join the side when they meet up in London while Adam McGeorge and Tim Myers also missed tonight's match through injury and illness respectively.<br /><br />There were late chances for the home side including a free kick which hit the post and a close range Kim Bo-Kyung shot in injury time that O'Keeffe incredibly deflected over the bar with a strong right hand.<br /><br />Gleeson's groin injury would be assessed fully by team medical staff during the week but early signs of recovery were promising. The team fly out to London on Monday and face UAE in their final warm up match in Austria on Friday (NZT).<br /><br />The Oly Whites open their Olympic campaign against Belarus in Coventry on July 26, one day before the London 2012 opening ceremony. They also face Egypt and Brazil in Group C.<br /><br />Results: <b><i>Canada</i></b> 2 (Diana Matheson 30', Christine Sinclair 48') <b><i>Football Ferns</i></b> 0 HT: 0-1<br /><br />Korea Republic Under-23 2 (JI Dong-Won 18', Park Jong-Woo 83') New Zealand Under-23 1 (Shane Smeltz 73') HT: 0-1</div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833058544566032692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8860806516334365523.post-53902076534483769372012-07-14T13:33:00.001-07:002012-07-14T13:33:48.321-07:00Thiago Silva joins PSG officially announced now<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's official, <b><i>AC Milan's Thiago Silva</i></b> has joined <b>Paris Saint Germain(PSG)</b>. The French club announced so on its website. The 27 year-old Brazilian defender has signed a 5-year contract with the club coached by <b><i>Carlo Ancelotti. </i></b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi53jLW9GM4fHy9yLF17kaYyEVTdy7lvvp5b3sX_pfCnNyEuOIbLhKLv8opGglEYdW0W4DTdUGROJgHNiT9Mfeggnpajkz5rLAByCHLdiyhZ3AgPW3f5L0a4_FrdEXBPV2k_98JzU3hosg/s1600/Thiago+Silva+joins+PSG+officially+announced+now.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Thiago Silva joins PSG officially announced now" border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi53jLW9GM4fHy9yLF17kaYyEVTdy7lvvp5b3sX_pfCnNyEuOIbLhKLv8opGglEYdW0W4DTdUGROJgHNiT9Mfeggnpajkz5rLAByCHLdiyhZ3AgPW3f5L0a4_FrdEXBPV2k_98JzU3hosg/s400/Thiago+Silva+joins+PSG+officially+announced+now.jpg" title="Thiago Silva joins PSG officially announced now" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Thiago Silva joins PSG officially announced now</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div>
<b>AC Milan</b> published the transfer news on its website too: "<b>AC Milan</b> informs it has sold <b><i>Thiago Silva</i></b> to PSG". That's all. The news was given much more emphasis on PSG's website: "<b><i>Thiago Silva</i></b>, 27 years old, Brazilian national, previously playing for <b>AC Milan,</b> has joined<b><i> Paris Saint Germain</i></b>, having signed a 5-year contract today". "An unquestionable first choice for the Brazilian side and hailed as one of the best players in the world in his role, <b><i>Thiago Silva</i></b> joins a club that already features several Brazilian players (Alex Maxwell, Nene, Thiago Motta) and will try to go down in the club's history of Brazilian players, as did Valdo, Ricardo, Rai, Leonardo and Ronaldinho". The website also shows the career of the Brazilian central defender so far</div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833058544566032692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8860806516334365523.post-35099704779611395312012-07-14T13:29:00.002-07:002012-07-14T13:29:57.172-07:00China football fans welcome Didier Drogba at Shanghai<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Ivory Coast football star <b><i>Didier Drogba</i></b> has arrived to a hero's welcome in China, to take up a contract to play for <b><i>Shanghai Shenhua</i></b>.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ynn-kBvDOvv3lkWhW3ljfcWuoqv9gWuAQuo2SHXdGlBLBuyeNXnR45ZLuFdWk14C74bUKwmHCd18UsZVLmYgq3sSVlwPjHFudf_FF31KC5XVEwX_l9pO7III8HquLpG23H1qnI-oyxg/s1600/Didier+Drogba+at+Shanghai+Airport.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Didier Drogba at Shanghai Airport" border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ynn-kBvDOvv3lkWhW3ljfcWuoqv9gWuAQuo2SHXdGlBLBuyeNXnR45ZLuFdWk14C74bUKwmHCd18UsZVLmYgq3sSVlwPjHFudf_FF31KC5XVEwX_l9pO7III8HquLpG23H1qnI-oyxg/s400/Didier+Drogba+at+Shanghai+Airport.jpg" title="Didier Drogba at Shanghai Airport" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Didier Drogba at Shanghai Airport</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<a name='more'></a><br />Hundreds of fans of the struggling Chinese Super League team greeted the 34-year-old former Chelsea star at Shanghai's Pudong airport.<br /><br /><b><i>Drogba'</i></b>s reported $300,000 (£193,000) a week salary makes him one of the world's highest paid footballers.<br /><br /><b><i>Drogba</i></b> is among many foreign stars who have made recent moves to China.<br /><br />He joins former Chelsea colleague Nicolas Anelka at Shanghai Shenhua.<br /><br />Soon after his arrival, <b><i>Drogba</i></b> insisted he had not come for the money.<br /><br />He said: "It would have been easier for me to stay in Europe, but I chose China. Money is not the most important [thing]. I am here for a whole new experience."Tough task<br /><br />The BBC's John Sudworth in Shanghai says that Shenhua is a club with an ambition that far outstrips its modest earnings.<br /><br />Like other big spending Chinese clubs, our correspondent says, the maths add up only because of the big spending ways of the owners and the multi-billion-dollar companies they run.<b><i>Drogba'</i></b>s reputed salary is not far off the club's total revenue from ticket sales and advertising combined, he says.<br /><br />The hope is that the injection of new foreign talent will help to raise standards in China.<br /><br />But some fans fear the signings are simply a vanity and publicity drive for the corporations behind the deals, our correspondent says, and that not enough is being done to develop the grassroots of the game.<br /><br /><b><i>Drogba</i></b> has his work cut out. Shanghai Shenhua are one point off the bottom of the 16-club Chinese Super League.<br /><br />He could be introduced to fans at Saturday's fixture against Beijing Guoan and may make his debut in the Cup at Changchun next week.<br /><br /><b><i>Drogba</i></b> scored 157 goals in 341 appearances for Chelsea and was on target to help them win the <b>Champions League</b> final this year.</div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833058544566032692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8860806516334365523.post-66469890308422346822012-07-14T13:26:00.001-07:002012-07-14T13:26:03.118-07:00Pressure mounts on the FA to charge John Terry with racial abuse<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><i>John Terry</i></b> walked away with an acquittal from Westminster magistrates court on Friday, yet the Football Association could nevertheless charge<b><i> Terry</i></b> with a similar offence of racial abuse, for the exact same incident.The FA is to resume its investigation into <b><i>Terry</i></b>'s use of the words "fucking black cunt" in relation to <b>Anton Ferdinand</b>, which was suspended after the police became involved and <b><i>Terry</i></b> was prosecuted.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXA9-DDXYC7-pmAnUgZUD18pHVuXusCjNGzTST3Nm_SQyerf4vQIEShei59gdbDVfjMLTXoDcVIQUsWexYvxl_S8L1I4b3v1tQTS-00P9lJIemw274_-klc1B4gpiYUtPyqmFfYyJBtHA/s1600/John+terry+racial+issue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="John terry racial issue" border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXA9-DDXYC7-pmAnUgZUD18pHVuXusCjNGzTST3Nm_SQyerf4vQIEShei59gdbDVfjMLTXoDcVIQUsWexYvxl_S8L1I4b3v1tQTS-00P9lJIemw274_-klc1B4gpiYUtPyqmFfYyJBtHA/s400/John+terry+racial+issue.jpg" title="John terry racial issue" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Pressure mounts on the FA to charge John Terry with racial abuse</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a name='more'></a><br />Lord Herman Ouseley calls on governing body to be resolute and 'deal with the racial element' of what Terry said<br /><div>
<br /><div>
This toxic affair is in danger of poisoning race relations in the Premier League following many years of anti-racism progress. Several black players, including Fitz Hall and Cameron Jerome, exasperatedly questioned the verdict and on Saturday Rio Ferdinand, Anton's brother, replied "classic" to a tweet describing Ashley Cole, who gave evidence supportive of<b> Terry</b>, as "a choc ice". Garth Crooks, the BBC TV presenter who played for Stoke City and Tottenham Hotspur through the hostile racism that enveloped football in the 1980s, called on the FA to charge<b><i> Terry</i></b>.<br /><br />Lord Herman Ouseley, the veteran anti-racism campaigner, chair of football's Kick It Out organisation, urged the FA to be "resolute", ignore the criminal prosecution completely, and "deal with the racial element" of what Terry said. Otherwise, he warned, black players could lose faith in the football authorities' commitment to combating racism.<br /><br />"I am worried that this is a defining moment for the FA, to show it is a governing body prepared to keep to a high standard on the racism issue," Ouseley told the Observer. "If this incident, and the racial element of it, is not seen to be dealt with properly, there is the potential for black players to lose confidence in the authorities and withdraw their support for anti-racism campaigns."<br /><br />The likelihood of an FA charge for the racial element of what Terry said in his confrontation with Ferdinand rests on the distinction between the required degree of evidence to support a criminal conviction – proven beyond reasonable doubt – and an FA guilty decision, proven on the balance of probabilities.<br /><br />The chief magistrate, Howard Riddle, ruled Terry not guilty of a racially aggravated public order criminal offence because it had not been proven beyond reasonable doubt that Terry said those words as an insult. Terry's case, from the day of Chelsea's match at Queens Park Rangers on 23 October, when his confrontation with Ferdinand took place, toThursday 12 July when his QC, George Carter-Stephenson, concluded his defence, was consistent. He claimed he believed Ferdinand had accused him on the pitch of using those words as an insult, and Terry maintained he was repeating them only to deny he had said them.<br /><br />Of that defence, Riddle expressed scepticism in his 13-page written judgment: "Mr Terry's explanation is, certainly under the cold light of forensic examination, unlikely." About Terry's case that he repeated the words back to deny having said them, Riddle went on: "It is not the most obvious response. It is sandwiched between other undoubted insults."<br /><br />Yet Riddle explained that the evidence left sufficient doubt; the film around what Terry said was obscured, the evidence of lip readers inconclusive and there were no independent witnesses who heard what Terry said.<br /><br />In December, according to the FA's procedures, a three-man panel found Liverpool's Luis Suárez guilty of abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra with a racial element, although there was no film or recording at all of the words spoken and no independent witnesses who heard them. The panel decided Evra had been consistent in maintaining that Suárez had referred to his colour in the two players' heated argument during the match at Anfield on 15 October and found Suárez's account "incredible". Suárez was banned for eight matches and fined £40,000.<br /><br />Ouseley said he remained thoroughly impressed with the FA for its handling of that case, but warned that its credibility had become in danger of being undermined during its interrupted investigation into the Terry episode. The FA mounted its inquiry quickly after the QPR match and Terry was interviewed by the FA's head of off-field regulation, Jenni Kennedy, five days after the game. However, when the police became involved following a complaint made not by Anton Ferdinand but a member of the public (an off-duty police officer), the FA suspended its investigation.<br /><br />The course of events was then rocked by the court's acceptance in February of Terry's application to have the hearing delayed. His lawyers argued their ability to organise witnesses on Terry's behalf was seriously hampered by Chelsea's demanding season.<br /><br />The delay meant Terry continued to captain Chelsea, ultimately to the FA Cup and Champions League triumphs, although he was suspended for the final in Munich. As his case was not to be resolved before the European Championship, the FA responded by telling the then England manager, Fabio Capello, that Terry could not remain as England's captain, which prompted Capello to resign. Terry was still allowed to represent the national team as a player, in Poland and Ukraine, then Capello's successor, Roy Hodgson, decided not to select Rio Ferdinand for the squad. Hodgson insisted that was for football reasons, not because of the lingering poison in the impending Terry trial, but Ferdinand's omission struck a discordant note in the FA's conduct of the affair.<br /><br />The likeliest charge the FA will consider is a breach of its rule E3, which prohibits improper conduct including "indecent or insulting words or behaviour". A reference to a person's ethnic origin, colour or race is an aggravating factor. Given the nature of the confrontation and swearing, it is likely Anton Ferdinand could be charged, as well as Terry. The FA must consider, on the balance of probabilities, its view of how Terry said "fucking black cunt" in a Premier League football match, following a court's decision that it was not proven, beyond reasonable doubt, the words were said as an insult.<br /><br />The FA has said it will "now seek to conclude its own inquiries". There is no sign yet of how long that will take.</div>
</div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833058544566032692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8860806516334365523.post-62448130160195006522012-07-13T11:30:00.000-07:002012-07-13T11:30:05.898-07:00Manchester City prepare to defend Premier League title<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><i>Manchester City</i></b> start their preparations to defend the <b>Premier League title with a match against Saudi team Al-Hilal on Friday evening.</b> The match is part of a three match series and will be played in Innsbruck, Austria where City are holding a 12 day training camp. The match will be followed by fixtures against German side Dynamo Dresden and Turkish Super League outfit Besiktas over the following week. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYNDBAwKnNm5YVEbgTc2FWpiXzGPsYiwr62ho2-M_5MRziMpdopVBLpz4OSbnlqLGCvPVqG544ntJp-uMECpGqcPMxySI7WZZF-GOozK5waVLPJbzJeYvWxPSPDbYb8Aganrgy11FCNk4/s1600/logo-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Manchester City prepare to defend Premier League title" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYNDBAwKnNm5YVEbgTc2FWpiXzGPsYiwr62ho2-M_5MRziMpdopVBLpz4OSbnlqLGCvPVqG544ntJp-uMECpGqcPMxySI7WZZF-GOozK5waVLPJbzJeYvWxPSPDbYb8Aganrgy11FCNk4/s400/logo-12.jpg" title="Manchester City prepare to defend Premier League title" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Manchester City prepare to defend Premier League title</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a name='more'></a><br />None of the players who featured in Euro 2012 will be at the camp as they have been given an additional three weeks off. <b><i>Micah Richards</i></b> will also be absent as he prepares for his historic appearance for Team GB in the football tournament at the London 2012 Olympic Games.<br /><br />City will travel to the Far East after the camp where they face matches against Arsenal and an Malaysian XI in Beijing and Kuala Lumpur respectively. Their final match before the Premier League kicks off will be the Community Shield against Chelsea at Villa Park on Sunday August 10th.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833058544566032692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8860806516334365523.post-86242721879301125382012-07-08T06:10:00.000-07:002012-07-08T06:10:04.007-07:00ARSENAL BOSS ARSENE WENGER EYES FIORENTINA STAR STEVAN JOVETIC TO REPLACE ROBIN VAN PERSIE<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><i>ARSENAL and Tottenham are set to launch big-money transfer raids as they prepare for life without two of their biggest stars.</i></b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYvgBXPS6m3WGqNyy6BkqaTcZAwmi7zACHemqIep99m8DNb_ww7PfB_MzDjR9IsPreH-b8PIvPTfp40D1rpyJVk_cJ0D7u5xF_1QdNKNSkLMDqi7SzW2G9Y6OSXhme3HyUBp5uj_Hlr6c/s1600/FIORENTINA+STAR+STEVAN+JOVETIC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="FIORENTINA STAR STEVAN JOVETIC" border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYvgBXPS6m3WGqNyy6BkqaTcZAwmi7zACHemqIep99m8DNb_ww7PfB_MzDjR9IsPreH-b8PIvPTfp40D1rpyJVk_cJ0D7u5xF_1QdNKNSkLMDqi7SzW2G9Y6OSXhme3HyUBp5uj_Hlr6c/s400/FIORENTINA+STAR+STEVAN+JOVETIC.jpg" title="FIORENTINA STAR STEVAN JOVETIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>FIORENTINA STAR STEVAN JOVETIC</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a name='more'></a><br />With Paris St-Germain, Juventus, Manchester City and Barcelona queueing up to pay up to £25million for the unsettled Robin van Persie, manager Arsene Wenger last night prepared to answer his critics with moves to replace him.<br /><br />And as Real Madrid moved closer to the capture of Luka Modric, Spurs new boss Andre Villas-Boas has already earmarked where some of the £28m he is expected to get for the Croatian playmaker will go.<br /><br />Wenger is understood to have Fiorentina striker Stevan Jovetic as his No.1 target, but he faces competition from Chelsea for a player who is also valued at around £25m.<br /><br />Borussia Dortmund’s Polish ace, Robert Lewandowski, 23, is believed to be next on the list.<br /><br />AVB, who would appear to have eased some of the pain of losing Modric with the £6m signing of Gylfi Sigurdsson, has also set his sights on a new striker.<br /><br />Spurs have already had a £12m bid for Internacional’s Leandro Damiao knocked back. But after completing the signing of Diego Forlan from Inter Milan yesterday as a potential replacement, the Brazilians seem to have cleared the way for the 22-year-old to move to White Hart Lane.<br /><br />And the new boss, with money to spend and boardroom ambitions to match, isn’t likely to stop there.<br /><br />A new goalkeeper is believed to be high on his priorities with Lille’s Hugo Lloris and Birmingham’s highly rated Jack Butland topping the list of targets.<br /><br />But it is at Arsenal where the impetus looks likely to gather pace this week.<br /><br />Wenger and owner Stan Kroenke are smarting over the criticism of the way they run the club in the wake of Van Persie’s decision to quit. And they are likely to answer that within the next few days.<br /><br />The manager has had reservations about Van Persie’s long-term fitness and is believed to have told his board not to bust a gut to keep him if a realistic offer came along, even before the Dutchman went public with his doubts about club policy.<br /><br />As a result, despite forking out more than £20m to sign Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud, Arsenal will spend again on another striker if they have to – and they have at least two to offer in part exchange as well if need be.<br /><br />Neither Marouane Chamakh or Nicklas Bendtner are in the manager’s plans anymore and could both be used in player-plus-cash deals.<br /><br />Rafael van der Vaart is another high-profile player being linked with a move away from the capital.<br /><br />Hamburg sporting director Frank Arnesen is keeping a close eye on the Tottenham playmaker. Arnesen admits he would welcome the opportunity to take Van der Vaart back to Germany four years after he departed the Imtech Arena.<br /><br />It has been suggested that he could be lured back to Hamburg this summer, with Villas-Boas prepared to listen to offers.<br /><br />There has been no official word from the White Hart Lane camp, though, and Arnesen admits there is little he can do until the player expresses a desire to move on.<br /><br />“I can only say that he is a great player and one that knows Hamburg very well,” Arnesen said.<br /><br />“I don’t want to talk about it too much because Van der Vaart has a contract at Tottenham Hotspur until 2015.<br /><br />“If I get a signal from his end that there might be something, things will be different.<br /><br />“At the moment it is not practical. He is on holiday after the European Championships.”<br /><br />The Dutch international enjoyed three productive years in the Bundesliga between 2005 and 2008, before moving to Spanish giants Real Madrid and then on to Tottenham.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833058544566032692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8860806516334365523.post-18486483898451728022012-07-08T06:06:00.000-07:002012-07-08T06:06:03.096-07:00Ryan Giggs shall be the captain of England team at Olympics Games<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><i>Ryan Giggs</i></b> has spoken of the tremendous honour of taking part in the <b><i>Olympics after being named as the captain of Team GB.</i></b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH4yj0xsgipvRnzfVoOghyuJ7chf0BEVtJaiNR2sHq07stkhJCnq__-6FdlT1YTofRWhtoPF5yieoaeyZPEegjIuKh2etwJZ9rMpxQ5RYALTkDAdbZVSW4mtpWu1QI-S6suRgFSY10NCA/s1600/Ryan+Giggs+shall+be+the+captain+of+England+team+at+Olympics+Games.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Ryan Giggs shall be the captain of England team at Olympics Games" border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH4yj0xsgipvRnzfVoOghyuJ7chf0BEVtJaiNR2sHq07stkhJCnq__-6FdlT1YTofRWhtoPF5yieoaeyZPEegjIuKh2etwJZ9rMpxQ5RYALTkDAdbZVSW4mtpWu1QI-S6suRgFSY10NCA/s400/Ryan+Giggs+shall+be+the+captain+of+England+team+at+Olympics+Games.png" title="Ryan Giggs shall be the captain of England team at Olympics Games" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Ryan Giggs shall be the captain of England team at Olympics Games</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a name='more'></a><br /><b>Giggs</b>, one of three overage players along with <b>Craig Bellamy and Micah Richards</b>, was today named as captain of the squad by coach Stuart Pearce.<br /><br />The trio were picked ahead of <b><i>David Beckham</i></b>, whose non-selection provoked a lot of debate.<br /><br /><b>Giggs</b> will lead out Team GB for the first time when they face Brazil at the Riverside Stadium on Friday, July 20.<br /><br />The 38-year-old <b>Manchester United winger said</b>; “Obviously it is a tremendous honour to be part of the Olympics.<br /><br />“Stuart has obviously given me the captaincy, which is even better so I am really looking forward to it.<br /><br />“It is a unique experience and one from the start that I wanted to be part of when I got the opportunity.<br /><br />“I think it just got more and more exciting as the Games got nearer and then when the squads were announced I was obviously really, really proud to be involved.”<br /><br />Despite never having played in a major international tournament with Wales, Giggs’ credentials are impeccable, having won 12 Premier League titles, five FA Cups and two Champions League crowns.<br /><br />He also won 64 caps for Wales before retiring from international football in 2007.<br /><br />Pearce added: “I looked at the squad and I thought there are some good candidates there.<br /><br />“<b>Aaron Ramsey</b> captains Wales, <b>Micah Richards</b> has captained Manchester City at times, Craig Bellamy for the experience he’s had and one or two others within the camp as well.<br /><br />“But I think <b>Ryan</b> is the standout captain amongst the group. He has got the respect of all the members of the group and I am quite looking forward to working with him and alongside him.”</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833058544566032692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8860806516334365523.post-67745631744550324722012-07-08T06:01:00.002-07:002012-07-08T06:01:30.809-07:00Zola appointed manager of second tier Watford<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>Former Italy and Chelsea forward Gianfranco Zola has signed a two-year contract to take over as manager of Championship (second division) side Watford.</b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC4HGdKvxp6AOoNdDi-EmC9bDwiJPq7KRaKEHGHfDZukHFuc_6FULoFHeJGKlsc9VIPznf9WJ5McjWEfbkHQbtwxTEEzIXgwHtAOl2O7JT1GE51hFsJZy95IIRa6u9CxOhyphenhypheno0-e2x4RQ8/s1600/Gianfranco+Zola.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Zola appointed manager of second tier Watford" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC4HGdKvxp6AOoNdDi-EmC9bDwiJPq7KRaKEHGHfDZukHFuc_6FULoFHeJGKlsc9VIPznf9WJ5McjWEfbkHQbtwxTEEzIXgwHtAOl2O7JT1GE51hFsJZy95IIRa6u9CxOhyphenhypheno0-e2x4RQ8/s400/Gianfranco+Zola.jpg" title="Zola appointed manager of second tier Watford" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Zola appointed manager of second tier Watford</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<b><a name='more'></a></b></div>
"<b><i>Everyone knows how Gianfranco Zola likes football to be played,</i></b>" technical director Gianluca Nani told the club's website (www.watfordfc.com) on Saturday.<br /><br />"I think <b><i>Watford</i></b> fans can expect an exciting and attacking style from his team. Gianfranco represents this project perfectly."<br /><br />The new Italian owners had previously made clear their intention to bring <b><i>Zola</i></b>, 46, in to replace Sean Dyche.<br /><br /><b><i>Zola</i></b> has plenty of experience in English football, having wowed crowds up and down the country as a skilful, twinkle-toed striker during his seven years at Chelsea. He also had a short spell as manager of their London rivals West Ham United.<br /><br />Giampaolo Pozzo, who also owns Serie A club Udinese and Spanish side Granada, bought Watford last month.<br /><br />Since agreeing a "partnership" deal with Udinese in 2009, Granada have enjoyed a remarkable turnaround in fortunes.<br /><br />They have risen from the third division to La Liga largely thanks to the players the club have received from Udinese.<br /><br /><b><i>Zola</i></b>, who won 35 international caps, began his coaching career working with Italy's under-21 squad after retiring from playing at the age of 39.<br /><br />He then took charge at West Ham and led them to a ninth-place finish in the Premier League before parting company with the club.<br /><br />Watford supporters will be hoping<b><i> Zola</i></b>'s spell in charge is more successful than that of his fellow countryman and his former Chelsea manager Gianluca Vialli.<br /><br />Vialli made wholesale changes to the playing and coaching staff when he took charge of the north London club in 2001 but his team finished 14th in the second division and he was sacked after one year.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833058544566032692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8860806516334365523.post-88221659504515976152012-07-08T05:55:00.002-07:002012-07-08T05:55:22.313-07:00Top 5 Most Valuable Players footballers on the Planet<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Which in your view is the <b>most valuable footballers of the Planet</b>.Often times, we do it in order to rank who are the best and worst in a particular league during a season.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTjZTpg97P8QBRTKZAGQMN6RP9LXp1WV7nBBP3VKiniFSQ6UODE75yMCjt2-pAWneQc9byuRasJuguCae4djqomhEQwfCAot7gOK-_q38rw85yGR4h8zR2R7_pAKkHEh0K-2G2kizqbV0/s1600/maradona6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Top 5 Most Valuable Players footballers on the Planet" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTjZTpg97P8QBRTKZAGQMN6RP9LXp1WV7nBBP3VKiniFSQ6UODE75yMCjt2-pAWneQc9byuRasJuguCae4djqomhEQwfCAot7gOK-_q38rw85yGR4h8zR2R7_pAKkHEh0K-2G2kizqbV0/s400/maradona6.jpg" title="Top 5 Most Valuable Players footballers on the Planet" width="322" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Top 5 Most Valuable Players footballers on the Planet</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a name='more'></a><br />
Sometimes, we get more creative and try to classify the most skillful, lethal, aggressive, hotheaded, and useless players. We do it for our own teams as well as for others in different leagues on different continents.<br />
<br />
As the 2012 summer transfer window marches on, one of the ongoing debates is deciding who exactly are the most valuable players on the planet.<br />
<br />
Although many of these stars will probably not be on their club’s transfer list this summer—or ever, for that matter—they are inarguably some of the most coveted players in world football and each have transfer values likely in excess of 30 million euros.<br />
<br />
This list does not take into account veteran footballers who are still excelling and dazzling crowds like <b><i>Andrea Pirlo or Xavi Hernandez</i></b>, who both participated in the recent Euro 2012 final between Italy and Spain.<br />
<br />
Nor will it take into account stars who have only in the past season moved for massive fees such as South American rivals <b><i>Sergio Aguero and Alexis Sanchez.</i></b><br />
<br />
Instead, these are currently the most monetarily valuable stars on the market, each of whom would vastly improve even the most pitiful football team.<br />
<br />
In the end, it proved remarkably challenging to get it down to such a small figure, but here are your top five most valuable players in world football.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05833058544566032692noreply@blogger.com0