Roma warn Real Madrid off Vucinic
November 19, 2008
ROME (AFP) – Roma have warned Real Madrid to keep their hands off Mirko Vucinic after reports linked the Spanish side to the Montenegran striker.
Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury and Bernd Schuster’s side were hoping that Vucinic would be the man to replace him.
However, Roma told Corriere dello Sport that no deal will take place.
"We will not sell our Vucinic neither in January, nor in June," the club said. "Even if Real made an official request, which they haven’t done and as far as we know they won’t do so."
The 25 year-old is in his third season with Luciano Spalletti’s team and has a contract that ends in 2010.
He has struggled to find the net regularly since joining the club in 2006, but this season he has featured more in his preferred centre-forward role and was rewarded with two goals against Chelsea in the Champions League.
Having played for Roma in Europe he would be cup-tied for Real Madrid’s current Champions League campaign.
Nonetheless the most decorated team in European Cup history would still be will to pay around 30 million euros, with Dutch winger Royston Drenthe moving in the opposite direction.
Written by: AFP
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Portugal legend Paulo Sousa takes charge at QPR
November 19, 2008
LONDON (AFP) – Portugal legend Paulo Sousa was appointed first-team coach at English Championship club QPR on Wednesday.
Sousa signed a two-and-a-half-year contract and will be in charge for Saturday’s clash against Watford at Vicarage Road.
The 38-year-old has never been a manager and his only experience of coaching came during five years as assistant to former Portugal boss Luiz Felipe Scolari.
However Sousa, who succeeds the sacked Iain Dowie at Loftus Road, enjoyed a glittering playing career that included spells at Benfica, Juventus, Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan.
He won the Champions League with Juventus and Dortmund as well as earning 51 caps for his country, including appearances at Euro 96 and Euro 2000.
Sousa will be expected to deliver a return to the Premier League immediately as Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone, the west London club’s multi-millionaire owners, try to transform the team into significant players in English football.
QPR are currently 10th in the Championship – three points off the play-offs places – and Sousa believes he has the ability to meet his employers’ ambitious objectives.
"It is an honour to be part of this project. I have always wanted to work for a big club and I am very excited about the opportunity to work for Queens Park Rangers," he said.
"I have great belief in my ideas and my coaching ability and I firmly believe I can achieve the objectives set by the management."
Sousa will also have to work closely with Briatore, who reportedly sacked Dowie after the manager refused to pick the team suggested by QPR’s co-owner.
Gareth Ainsworth, who had been in caretaker charge at Rangers, will stay on as part of Sousa’s backroom team.
Written by: AFP
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Liverpool´s wings clipped in Liver Bird badge row
November 19, 2008
LIVERPOOL, England (AFP) – Liverpool could face a legal battle with the city’s council as a row over the club’s famous Liver Bird badge continues to ruffle feathers at Anfield.
The Premier League team’s shirt features the mythical Liver Bird on its badge and Liverpool officials have applied to the UK Intellectual Property Office to register the image in an attempt to stop street traders selling counterfeit merchandise bearing the emblem.
But Liverpool City Council said the club had "no right" to claim the bird as its own and deputy council leader Flo Clucas revealed that they are taking legal advice over the application.
"I have some very real concerns over it," she told the BBC. "It belongs to the city and nobody has a right to claim it exclusively as their own.
"They do already have their crest trademarked, but they have no right of ownership to claim the bird, or any version of the bird, as their own.
"Not only does the Liver Bird appear on the Royal Charter for the council, but it is also used by local businesses and schools.
"It belongs to the city and nobody has a right to claim it exclusively as the own. It’s a symbol for the city."
Two statues of the birds stand atop one of the city’s most famous buildings, the Liver Building, while several local businesses use it as their logo.
Liverpool insist they have no intention of challenging the Liver Bird’s use on anything but unofficial merchandise.
"Liverpool Football Club is seeking to trademark only its own specific version of the Liver Bird, to combat its use in counterfeit merchandise," the statement said.
"This does not extend to other versions of the Liver Bird, such as the city council’s or those used by other commercial or charity organisations.
"We have absolutely no intention of challenging that usage of the Liver Bird.
"We are simply trying to stop people lifting our rendition of the Liver Bird out of the official club crest and applying it to fake Liverpool FC merchandise."
Written by: AFP
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Diarra gives Portsmouth an injury boost
November 19, 2008
PORTSMOUTH, England (AFP) – Portsmouth midfielder Lassana Diarra has given the Premier League club a boost after his ankle injury proved to be less serious than first feared.
Diarra had been expected to be sidelined for three weeks after limping off during his team’s goalless draw at West Ham on Saturday.
But Diarra joined up with the France squad this week to have the injury assessed and the former Chelsea and Arsenal star has been told he could now be fit in time for this weekend’s clash against Hull.
"When Lassana left Upton Park on crutches we thought he had a very bad ankle injury. But the injury isn’t as bad as we originally thought," Portsmouth physio Gary Sadler said.
"We’ve had a call from him from France. He’s had a scan after reporting to the French medical team.
"The good news is that he could be available for AC Milan. Even better news is that he might even be available for this weekend."
Meanwhile, Pompey’s executive chairman Peter Storrie has pleaded with the city’s council to support their redesigned plans for a new waterfront stadium.
Bankers who have been approached to finance the 100 million pounds scheme have told the club there must be a significant retail element alongside the 36,000-seater ground and housing in order to attract the necessary cash.
Pompey’s executive chairman Peter Storrie told the Portsmouth News: "We have obviously changed plans. The credit crunch has created that.
"At the moment we are in discussions with the city council about the fact that we have to have retail on the site.
"Without that it’s just simply not going to happen. We need the council to get behind us and support us on this.
"The council are not being unhelpful, but it’s a change in policy for them and they need to understand fully the economic reasons why we have to have retail."
Written by: AFP
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Moyes hit back at S Africa bosses after Pienaar row
November 19, 2008
LIVERPOOL, England (AFP) – Everton manager David Moyes has told South African officials to stop moaning after the Premier League club withdrew Steven Pienaar from his country’s friendly against Cameroon.
Pienaar had been due to travel to Rustenburg for Wednesday’s match but the South African midfielder aggravated a knee injury in Sunday’s draw against Middlesbrough and Moyes told him to remain in England.
That infuriated the South African FA, who wanted Pienaar to link up with the squad so he could be checked out by their medical team.
But Moyes insists the South Africans have no reason to complain because Everton have followed the correct procedure.
"Steven did not start our game against Boro because he wasn’t fit to do so," Moyes told the Sun.
"We brought him on in the second half but it was clear that he was not comfortable.
"After the game it was a straightforward decision not to send him to join up with South Africa.
"We notified their FA immediately and we will continue to monitor him this week.
"We couldn’t have told them any quicker and if the coach had been at our match, he would have seen for himself that Steven was struggling."
Everton have sent scans to South Africa as proof that Pienaar is injured and a club spokesman said: "They were told he had a knock and wouldn’t start and that he would only be used in an emergency.
"He came on because we were not winning and aggravated the injury. But the scans of that have been sent to the South African FA after they requested them."
Written by: AFP
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Backs to the wall for Bahrain against Aussies
November 19, 2008
MANAMA (AFP) – Bahrain will find themselves up against the odds when they take on Australia on Wednesday in a key Asia Zone Group One qualifying clash for a berth in the 2010 World Cup to be held in South Africa.
The Gulf side will not only start as underdogs against the group leaders but also, as coach Milan Macala put it on the eve of the match, with the unenviable task of going for full points with a under-strength team.
With just one point from two matches, Bahrain face a desperate situation and nothing short of a victory can redeem their campaign for a maiden appearance in the showpiece event.
Australia, on the other hand, are in command in this group with six points from two matches. Japan are in second position with four points from two matches and ahead of Qatar, who are also on four points but from three matches.
Bahrain and Uzbekistan have a point each with the former fourth in the table by virtue of having a match in hand.
Bahrain’s main problem will be finding the replacements for four key players – midfielders Mohammed Salmeen, Abdulla Omar and Mahmood Jalal and defender Abdulla Al Marzooqi – who will be missing this match due to suspensions.
To compound matters replacement defender Rashid Al Allan was ruled out after he twisted his ankle during a practice session on Monday night.
The Aussies have their own share of problems too but coach Pim Verbeek is certainly in a far more positive frame of mind as the timely returns of former Liverpool veteran Harry Kewell and Mark Bresciano, another midfielder who plays for Palermo, have strengthened the team.
Kewell and Bresciano, believes Verbeek will balance the side and restore the strength on the left side due to the absence of Scott Chipperfield, Vince Grella and Brett Emerton through injuries.
Australia will also miss the services of another veteran defender Craig Moore who last week underwent surgery for testicular cancer.
But Verbeek is more than happy with the players available and the purple patch the team has struck with the 4-0 rout of Qatar in its last match.
History also favours the Aussies who will be returning to the land where they made their Asian debut in 2006.
It was the 2007 Asian Cup qualifiers and the debutants rallied to score a convincing 3-1 victory. They followed it up with a 2-0 win in the return-leg at home.
The weather too will favour the team from Down Under with the heat of the desert summer having petered off and winter just about setting in. Temperatures have dropped considerably and with it the humidity.
But even that could not help Bahrain’s Czech coach Macala who fretted and fumed as his team had its first full-strength training session on Monday night.
The 63-year-old conceded the Aussies would be the favourites and did not mince words when talking about his team’s dilemma.
"We have to get all three points and we will go for it any cost. One point will be meaningless," said Macala with brutal honesty.
The two group winners and runners-up in these Asian qualifiers will claim automatic berths for the 2010 World Cup while the third-placed teams will play each other home-and-away with the winner advancing to the inter-confederation play-off with New Zealand.
Written by: AFP
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Time for Ronaldo to retire?
November 19, 2008
When you manage just 22 minutes in a charity friendly, it is usually a bad sign.
Brazilian Ronaldo was huffing and puffing after his short cameo in Morocco on Monday against a Zinedine Zidane XI and now he is seriously considering retirement.
“I don’t know if I will continue playing or retire. I still haven’t taken a decision,” he told Gazzetta dello Sport. “There is no rush. I could decide tomorrow or in a month. I really don’t know.”
The friendly was his comeback after a stop-start recovery from a second serious knee injury, which he sustained playing for AC Milan in February.
Even before he collapsed to the ground in agony, it was clear he was never going to come close to recapturing the sparkling form he showed at Barcelona, Inter Milan and occasionally Real Madrid.
Weight problems, injuries and question marks over his motivation have heralded the fall from grace. Milan’s PR machine was very clever in not making any public comment, and therefore not looking heartless, when they allowed his contract to run out in June with the world hardly taking notice.
Without a club, Ronaldo has turned down a solitary offer from midtable Serie A side Siena. Manchester City and Flemengo have been mentioned in the media as possible destinations but there seems little movement.
Would Ronaldo be better packing in now rather than soldiering on at an unfashionable club just for the sake of it?
If he carries on, will we remember his decline rather the way he fought back from injury to shoot Brazil to 2002 World Cup glory?
PHOTO: Time ticking away? Ronaldo sits on cones during a training session at Flamengo. Sept 8, 2008. Ronaldo trained with the Brazilian club as he went through a rehabilitation programme after he ruptured a tendon in his left knee playing for AC Milan. REUTERS/Bruno Domingos
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Another meaningless friendly? Well, not quite…
November 19, 2008
Germany’s friendly against England at the Olympiastadion later on Wednesday will have the feel of a B international, given the absence of so many familiar players.
England are without Beckham, Gerrard, Rooney, Ferdinand, Heskey, Owen and a couple of Coles, and Theo Walcott has now joined the injured list.
Germany are without four of their best known and most experienced players from the World Cup and Euro 2008 in Ballack, Lahm, Frings and Lehmann.
My colleague Martyn Hermann takes a look at the whole issue over on our main website. Martyn says the friendly has been rendered “almost meaningless” by the absentee list.
I think the qualifier “almost” is a pretty important part of that sentence.
I agree it’ll be pointless reading much into the result, but playing this sort of match at a venue like Berlin’s Olympic stadium is always a worthwhile exercise.
As Fabio Capello said at his eve-of-match press conference, it will be very interesting to see how the newcomers take to one of the more intimidating stages in European football.
When Germany played England at Wembley in 2007 the likes of Ballack and Frings were missing then too, along with senior players like Podolski, Klose and Schweinsteiger.
England had a more experienced and supposedly superior team yet players like Christian Pander, Piotr Trochowski and Thomas Hitzlsperger performed above their reputations to wrest control from a complacent England and claim a 2-1 win. Trochowski and Hitzlsperger are now fixtures in the team, and only injury is keeping Pander out.
Are there unheralded England players who can take their chance tonight? We’ll see…
PHOTO: Fireworks explode above the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, following Italy’s victory over France in the World Cup final, July 9, 2006. REUTERS/Toby Melville
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Muricy Ramalho could be in line to land Brazil’s top job
November 19, 2008
President of Brazil’s Sao Paolo FC Juvenal Juvencio says that his first team coach Muricy Ramalho should be the person to take over from current national team manager Dunga.
In line for their sixth Brazilian Serie A title and third in a row, Juvencio said that his coach would be the most suitable as he has the respect throughout Brazil.
Ramalho’s contract ends at the end of the 2009 season and it has been the coach’s ambition to coach the Brazilian national team one day.
Written by: Dave Cohen
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Capello Denies Managers’ Rift
November 19, 2008
Fabio Capello insists he has no problem with Premier League managers.
The England coach has decided on a new strategy of making injured players report for duty if there is any doubt over their likely availability.
Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard were the first to be pinpointed by Capello’s get-tough regime, the former taking the 400-mile round trip from Merseyside to England’s base in Hertfordshire for confirmation that the groin injury he sustained against Bolton on Saturday was sufficient to rule him out of Wednesday’s friendly with Germany.
Reds boss Rafael Benitez was said to be unimpressed at the move after the Liverpool website had already said Gerrard was not fit.
But Capello feels his strategy can erase any room for doubt. And he confirmed conversations had taken place with Benitez and other leading managers to clarify his stance.
"I have no concerns with the clubs," he said.
"I have no problem with them. There is a good relationship.
"Some players were injured already but we thought our doctor should check Lampard and Gerrard because they were injured very late in their games on Saturday.
"From now on, the rule will be that our doctor will check the physical condition of the players.
"I spoke privately, not only to Rafael Benitez but other managers as well, but what was said will remain private."
Capello is a bit bewildered at the reaction to so many missing players.
In his view, the situation is quite simple – in addition to four players already out with longer-term injuries, Manchester United pair Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand were effectively ruled out when they did not line up to face Stoke on Saturday.
Lampard and Gerrard were omitted after examination by the Football Association, so in the Italian’s eyes, there the debate should end.
"The fact is these players are injured," he said.
"I was a club manager. I understand the managers’ positions but that has nothing to do with this situation.
"It is disappointing I can’t play all the players. But I am sure it will still be a good game."
So good in fact, Capello feels the 7,000 England fans making the trip to Berlin for England’s first meeting in the city with a unified German side since 1938 have plenty to look forward to.
Not that they can look forward to seeing the likes of Gabriel Agbonlahor and Michael Mancienne start.
The youngsters may get their chance after the break, but at kick-off Capello wants an experienced side on the pitch.
"It is possible some of the younger players will come on in the second half but the experienced ones will start," he said.
"It is very important to know some of these players better. I have seen them do very well with their clubs. Tomorrow I can check what they do against Germany.
"It is incredible so many fans will travel to watch us. I am sure they will see a good game."
The encounter will conclude Capello’s first year in charge. From forlorn and weather-beaten underachievers, the Three Lions have started to roar again.
After the misery of Steve McClaren’s ill-fated reign and the disappointments that preceded him with such unerring regularity, no-one is getting too excited yet.
But Capello has declared himself satisfied at the last few months, with a win against Germany having the potential to provide a perfect ending.
"I am very happy for the position we are in and the results and performances," he said.
"We have built a strong group and I am really content with our work."
With a perfect four World Cup qualifying victories already secured, Capello knows the outcome tomorrow means little and is certainly a secondary consideration beside the performance.
Yet there is something special about an England meeting with Germany that transcends a mere friendly international, bringing back reminders of glories and agonies past.
Geoff Hurst will receive a special award immediately before kick-off, offering its own recollection of England’s finest hour in 1966, and Capello is intrigued to learn how the latest act in the drama works out.
"In the world of football there are five or six very important teams, who play at roughly the same level," he said.
"One of them is Germany but also one of them is England."
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