Panionios sack coach
November 11, 2008
"In the last few months, there have been various disagreements concerning the development of the team and the philosophy of the club, between the administration and our coach Ewald Lienen," Panionios announced in a statement.
Panionios said that assistant coach Joti Stamatopoulos will take over the coaching reins temporarily until a replacement for Lienen is found.
"This is a development we take no pleasure at all in announcing.
"Mr. Lienen has been a very important part in the recent rebuilding of our club. But like all beautiful journeys, this one has also reached its end.
"We are normally against changing the coach in the middle of the season in principle, but the situation is such, that we feel this very sad development will prove to be for the best of the Club, as well as Mr. Lienen.
"We wish Ewald Lienen wholeheartedly, all the best in the continuation of his career, whether this will be in our country or not."
Panionios is presently tied for ninth place in the Greek table with 11 points having recorded three wins, two draws and four losses.
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Former Spurs star Metgod gets Portsmouth coaching job
November 11, 2008
PORTSMOUTH, England (AFP) – Portsmouth manager Tony Adams appointed former Tottenham star John Metgod as his first-team coach on Tuesday.
Adams was looking for a new assistant after Joe Jordan quit Fratton Park to link up with former Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp at Tottenham and Metgod fitted the bill perfectly.
Metgod, renowned for his ferocious free-kicks during his playing days, had been on the coaching staff at Feyenoord since retiring and Adams revealed the 50-year-old ex-Netherlands defender was desperate to move to the Premier League.
"He’s been working for Feyenoord for 20 years in different capacities. I think he was instrumental in setting up their academy there," Adams told Portsmouth’s website.
"He jumped at the chance to come here. He was super-keen. He loved it in England when he was a player and can’t wait to come and work for us.
"John’s going to be a fantastic ally. He’s the right person for this football club.
"He’s a little bit older than me and has been around the block. He’s played in England, Spain and Holland under some unbelievable managers."
Written by: AFP
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Moggi facing six years
November 11, 2008
ROME (AFP) – Former Juventus director-general Luciano Moggi is facing six years in prison for his role in a player agency transfer corruption scandal when sentencing is handed down in January 2009, reports in Italy said Tuesday.
Public prosecutor Luca Palamara announced the sentences he will be pursuing, following a six-hour hearing in Rome.
ANSA news agency reported that along with the six years he is calling for Moggi, he has demanded Moggi’s son Alessandro serve five years and the son of Italy coach Marcello Lippi, Davide, be incarcerated for one year and four months.
Lippi and Alessandro Moggi worked together for the GEA player agency which stands accused of pressuring players to join Juventus, whilst Luciano Moggi faces a host of accusations, notably pressuring referees to make decisions that would benefit Juventus.
Other figures who face jail time for their roles in the affair are player agent Franco Zanaglia, who is looking at three years, six months and two further collaborators, Francesco Ceravalo, two years and four months and Pasquale Gallo, eight months.
Moggi senior and junior have been set a minimum of four years for criminal conspiracy, with two years for Luciano and one year for Alessandro added for illegal competition, violence and the threat of violence.
Palamara has requested that Moggi doesn’t face charges for the illegal purchase of Juventus and Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini or a number of Russian players.
Written by: AFP
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Perrin to coach struggling Saint Etienne
November 11, 2008
SAINT-ETIENNE, France (AFP) – Former Lyon and Portsmouth boss Alain Perrin was on Tuesday named as the new manager of Saint Etienne, club president Bernard Caiazzo revealed.
Perrin is due to sign a two-and-a-half year contract on Wednesday.
He takes over from Laurent Roussey who was sacked by the fallen French giants on Monday after a weekend loss to Rennes plunged ‘les Verts’ into the relegation zone.
Caiazzo told AFP: "Alain Perrin made a very good impression on us. He comes across as someone who is very professional and experienced.
"I believe he will form a good team with Damien Comolli, our new sporting director."
Tottenham’s sacked sporting director Comolli was hired by Saint Etienne in the same role after Sunday’s 3-0 home loss to Rennes brought a ninth league loss in 13 outings for the club where Michel Platini, now UEFA president, made his name in the 1970s and early 1980s.
The 52-year-old Perrin has been without a club since guiding Lyon to their seventh league title last June.
He is expected to bring with him to the stade Geoffrey-Guichard Christophe Galtier, his assistant at Lyon and Portsmouth.
Saint Etienne have won the league title ten times but the last time was in 1981 – when Roussey was a member of the team – while in 1976 they were a feared name on the continent, losing the European Cup final to Bayern Munich.
Written by: AFP
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Milan: alla ricerca del Borriello perduto…
November 11, 2008
Il Milan, nonostante un ottimo avvio di stagione, ha qualcosa da dover rivedere. O meglio, qualcuno: Marco Borriello. L’attaccante di Napoli, 19 gol nello scorso campionato, quest’anno è ancora fermo a quota uno, siglato nel turno infrasettimanale contro la Reggina. Certo, a parziale scusante di questo rendimento non ai massimi livelli c’è anche da registrare il problema fisico che lo ha costretto a "carburare" in corsa, ma il Milan ha bisogno di lui. I tanti, troppi gol, sbagliati contro il Lecce che hanno denotato uno stato psico-fisico ancora non ottimale, ma tempo per recuperare ce n’è.
Per Borriello, sinora, sette presenze e un gol, con 529′ giocati. E se si aggiungono anche i 28′ minuti giocati in Coppa Uefa (con gol), ecco che il totale sale a otto presenze e due reti.
Ma i tifosi del Milan non devono preoccuparsi più di tanto: anche nella passata stagione, infatti, Borriello carburò strada facendo. Le prime due giornate lo videro solo spettatore (sconfitta per 3-0 contro il Milan alla prima giornata, 0-0 a Catania alla seconda); poi gol al Livorno nell’1-1 casalingo, prima di fermarsi nuovamente (Sampdoria-Genoa 0-0). La sua esplosione alla 5.a giornata: era il 26 settembre, Genoa-Udinese 3-2. Fu tripletta. Gol anche alla settima, Genoa-Cagliari 2-0. Dunque cinque reti, ma in tre gare. E con una forma fisica ottimale. La ricerca al Borriello perduto ha inizio…
Written by: SuperSportManager.com
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Premier League players union opposes tougher drugs controls
November 11, 2008
LONDON (AFP) – Plans to tighten doping controls in English football were outlined on Tuesday but immediately ran into opposition from the body that represents the interests of players.
UK Sport, which oversees anti-doping in the United Kingdom, wants to introduce a system under which a selected group of 30 players will be liable for testing five times a year, on any day and at any location, including their homes and holiday accomodation.
Andy Parkinson, UK Sport’s head of operations for a drug-free sport, said the aim was to protect the image of the game by bringing football’s controls into line with the more stringent regimes in place in athletics and cycling.
"The last thing we want is for football to be in that position where it doesn’t focus enough – doesn’t put controls in place – and suddenly finds itself a sport with a fantastic profile in a crisis," Parkinson said.
But Gordon Taylor, the chief executive of the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), said he felt the provisions envisaged by UK Sport were excessive.
"We feel that to invade the privacy of a player’s home would be a step too far," Taylor said.
"If we complain about anything to do with drug-testing then people think we might have something to hide, but football’s record is extremely good and there has been a virtual absence of any performance-enhancing drugs, and that goes back decades.
"We do appreciate that football is a major spectator sport and we wish to co-operate, but football should not be treated in the same way as individual sports that do have a problem with drugs, such as athletics, cycling and weightlifting."
The English Football Association said that discussions with UK Sport on how the new testing regime would operate in practice had not been concluded.
At present, doping controls in English, European club and international football are largely based on players being selected randomly to provide urine samples after matches, although there is also some random testing at training grounds.
Under the new system, players on the list could be asked to undergo additional tests during their holidays or when they are out of action due to injury.
"Players have licence to take anything they want in the summer as they disappear off our radar," Parkinson added. "Under this, they could be in Barbados and we can still test them."
The existing drug control regime in football has produced little evidence of doping being commonplace in the sport although positive tests for recreational drugs are more common.
Chelsea sacked Australian goalkeeper Mark Bosnich after he tested positive for cocaine in 2002 while Romanian striker Adrian Mutu was dismissed in 2004 after a test initiated by the club revealed that he had also been using the drug.
England defender Rio Ferdinand was banned for eight months and missed Euro 2004 after skipping a doping test at Manchester United’s training ground in 2003.
Ferdinand insisted that he had simply "forgotten" to undergo the test but he would be automatically banned for two years under current rules and his past means he could be one of players targetted for the new testing regime.
Written by: AFP
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Buffon bullish over Juve´s title challenge
November 11, 2008
ROME (AFP) – Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has said that his team’s recent run of seven consecutive victories has given the club the confidence to challenge for the Serie A title.
The Italy number one has been missing from that run with a back injury that appears set to rule him out till 2009.
However, the 30 year-old told Juventus’ website that his absence, along with other key players David Trezeguet and Mauro Camoranesi, has demonstrated the squad’s strength.
"The last few games have shown that I’m not indispensible. My teammates have reacted in the best way to a difficult period.
"Continuing this way and with (Alessandro) Del Piero as he is (in such form), you can start to dream and push for all our objectives, including the championship."
Del Piero has been in impressive form in recent weeks, scoring twice in the Champions League win in Madrid and then with a free kick against Chievo and Buffon says he is not surprised by the 34 year-old’s success from set-pieces.
"Stopping his freekicks is only possible if you play together. Certainly when the kick is like the one in Verona (against Chievo) it is difficult to stop.
"Ale is a perfectionist, in every training session he is more and more pernickety."
Written by: AFP
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Real Madrid ´want Zenit´s Arshavin´
November 11, 2008
MADRID (AFP) – Real Madrid, suffering a shortage of strikers, want to sign Russian Andrei Arshavin from Zenit St Petersburg in January on a six-month loan, a Spanish sports newspaper said Tuesday.
The Spanish champions, currently fourth in the Primera Liga, would then negotiate the purchase of the striker with Zenit, based on his performance during those six months, the AS daily said.
It said the Russian and UEFA Cup champions are seeking 30 million euros for their 27-year-old star.
But Real would be unable to play Arshavin in the Champions League as he has already turned out for Zenit in the competition this season, AS said.
The club is on the lookout for new strikers after Brazil’s Robinho left for Manchester City in September and Dutchman Ruud Van Nistelrooy suffered a knee injury which could see him out of action for several weeks.
Manchester United’s Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo was linked with the Real for several months, but the English champions refused to sell.
Real is currently two points behind league leaders Barcelona, with its attack relying largely on the good form of Argentine Gonzalo Higuain.
They are to face third division Real Union at home in the second leg of the last 32 of the Spanish Cup Tuesday, after losing the first leg 3-2.
In the Champions League, Real has suffered two defeats against Juventus, and must beat Zenit next month to be sure of qualifying for the last eight.
Written by: AFP
want to sign Arshavin from Zenit in January on a six-month loan, a Spanish sports newspaper said Tuesday.
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Real´s Van Nistelrooy ´in US for knee treatment´
November 11, 2008
MADRID (AFP) – Real Madrid’s Dutch striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy has left for the United States to receive treatment for a knee injury from the same specialist who operated on him eight years ago, the club said Tuesday.
"Ruud van Nistelrooy and a member of the club’s medical staff left for the United States today, where they will see Dr. (Richard) Steadman, who operated on the striker’s right knee in 2000," it said in a statement.
"Following a medical examination and MRI last Friday, Real Madrid’s medical staff determined that the player has possibly injured the meniscus in his right knee."
The sports daily Marca said he may undergo surgery from Wednesday.
"Neither the player nor Real Madrid want to lose more time and the aim is that Van Nistelrooy is back in Madrid at the end of next week to recuperate," Marca said.
His absence is a hard blow for the Spanish champions, who are currently fourth in the Primera Liga and who have suffered two defeats to Juventus in the Champions League.
Written by: AFP
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Mascherano is captain, but Messi must play the Maradona role
November 11, 2008
When Carlos Bilardo began his job as Argentina coach in January 1983, the first thing he did was to visit Maradona in Spain where he was playing for Barcelona.
Bilardo told Maradona he wanted him as Argentina’s captain, that he was the only player sure of his place and that he would build a team around him to win the World Cup.
Maradona, who had had an unhappy first World Cup in Spain six months earlier, reacted by promising himself nothing would stand in their way.
“The first thing I resolved in that moment was to create something, a conscience: to play for the national team had to be the most important thing in the world,” he said many years later in his autobiography.
“If we had to travel thousands and thousands of kilometres, do it; if we had four matches in a week, play them; if we had to stay in little hotels that were falling apart, accept it…Everything, everything for the national team, for the blue and white.
“That was the style I wanted to transmit.”
Maradona became a pioneer in trans-Atlantic commuting to play for Argentina, something dozens of South Americans, and rather reluctantly their European clubs, now take for granted to turn out for their national teams in World Cup qualifying matches.
It did not happen right away because Maradona, having moved on to Napoli, risked sanctions from the Italian football authorities for skipping club training sessions and even Serie A games.
Maradona would surely have won a lot more than his 91 caps if he had played some of Bilardo’s 24 first matches in charge and captained the side more than 57 times. He went nearly three years without playing for his country, from the loss to Brazil in the World Cup on July 2, 1982, in Barcelona, to his first match under Bilardo, a friendly with Paraguay in Buenos Aires on May 9, 1985.
However, once qualifying in South America, not the 18-match marathon it is now, got under way that year, he was there leading the team…and the rest is a well-known chapter or two in history.
Maradona is not placing the same responsibilities he shouldered on to one member of Argentina’s present generation of players.
He has told Javier Mascherano that he wants him to captain Argentina, but he also met with Lionel Messi during his European tour last week for, no doubt, he sees Barcelona’s wonder kid as the player who can embody his inspirational game on the pitch.
Messi goes into the 2010 World Cup, assuming Argentina qualify, with a similar background to Maradona’s pre-1986, both with a World Youth Cup victory under their belts followed by frustration in the senior tournament.
Messi was the substitute Argentines wanted to see unleashed on Germany’s two tall and lumbering central defenders during the second half of the 2006 quarter-final in Berlin. Coach Jose Pekerman had other ideas, Germany equalised and then won the penalty shootout.
A Maradona-like resurrection would put Messi and Argentina on top of the world in 2010.
PHOTO: Messi emulates Diego Maradona’s ”hand of god” goal with an equaliser against city rivals Espanyol, Barcelona, June 9, 2007. REUTERS/Albert Gea
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