BUENOS AIRES (AFP) – Former Argentina manager Alfio Basile said Wednesday that Manchester City are among several clubs trying to secure his services.
"Ive had offers from Manchester City, from England, and from the United Arab Emirates, all of which Im looking at," Basile told the TyC Sports television channel.
Citys takeover by the Abu Dhabi United consortium earlier this season left them as one of the world ealthiest clubs – a point they proved with the British record 32 million pounds (40 million euros) capture of Brazil star Robinho on the September 1 transfer deadline day.
But Sundays 2-1 defeat away to basement club West Bromwich Albion dropped City into the relegation zone after a run which had seen them take just five points from their last nine matches.
Under-pressure Manchester City manager Mark Hughes insists he will still be at the helm come the January transfer window to take advantage of the clubs financial might.
However Hughes stressed hed be given assurances by chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak and owner Sheikh Mansour that he would still be in charge at Eastlands next month.
Basile, who resigned in October and was replaced by Argentine legend Diego Maradona, said he still had a lot to offer.
"I really want to keep on coaching," said the 64-year-old.
"I dont know why some people say Im past it. I think I will come back in June or July."
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Christmas is here and it´s time for the annual debate about whether England´s Premier League should follow the rest of Europe and introduce a winter break … you know, to give the players (and fans) a much needed rest, to ensure they´re not all too exhausted to give their best at the business end of the Champions League.
Except this year, there is no real debate (with apologies to Martin O´Neill). This is an argument that has been settled decisively in favour of the status quo. In fact, I think we´ll see more pressure on the other big leagues to copy the Premier League and go hell for leather over the festive season.
Can you imagine if West End theatres decided they were going to close down over the Christmas period to give the actors a rest? If TV stations said there would be no live programmes for a fortnight this year? If Apple Inc said they were taking a break from selling iPods over the holidays?
The Premier League understands that it is pushing a spectacle, a show, entertainment, and not just organising a sporting event. Why on earth would you close things down when people have more leisure time … when the kids are off school and the adults are off work?
Sure, you could still have a winter break in January or February, but why give up the spotlight to the leagues in Spain, Italy or Germany? Why give up your unique selling point? For the good of the national team? What a quaint idea. And anyway, that´s surely irrelevant now given the international flavour of the English game.
I blogged last year about the unusual level of interest in the Premier League in Spain these days. Where once Spain looked down on English football as a very inferior branch of the family, this time last year it was wall to wall Premier League in the Spanish media and the level is cranking up again, it seems.
I don´t think it will be long before Spain has a rethink on the calendar.
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LONDON (AFP) – Just when non-league Droylsden thought they had won their FA Cup tie against Chesterfield at the fourth time of asking, the victory was put in jeopardy by their fielding of an ineligible player.
Defender Sean Newton scored twice on Tuesday as the Manchester side beat League Two Chesterfield 2-1 and secured, or so they thought, a third round tie against Ipswich Town, who play in the second-tier Championship.
But it emerged that Newton had collected his fifth booking of the season on December 9.
According to Football Association (FA) regulations, that meant he was suspended for one match, a ban which should have ruled him out on Tuesday.
An FA statement issued here Wednesday said: "Droylsden were informed of the suspension on December 10, which was then confirmed by the club four days later.
"Clubs are aware that they are responsible for checking that their players are eligible to play in any given match."
The statement added the FA Cup committee hearing would examine the matter on Monday, in order to resolve it before the third round tie against Ipswich on January 3 and that all three clubs were being kept informed of developments.
However, given the difficulties in arranging yet another match during the already congested holiday fixture schedule, Droylsden now face the very real prospect of being thrown out of the FA Cup.
An unusual exit would be wholly in keeping with the rest of a tie destined for a place in FA Cup folklore.
Last week Chesterfield, who play in English football’s fourth tier, were leading 2-0 thanks to goals from Jack Lester and Darren Currie when the match was abandoned with under 20 minutes to play after the floodlights at Droylsden’s ground went out.
The original encounter was abandoned at half-time due to fog with Droylsden, two divisions below their Midlands opponents, leading 1-0.
But their first match was overshadowed by the bizarre events 12 minutes from time in the second encounter, at Chesterfield’s Saltergate ground.
That game was all square at 1-1 in the 78th minute when Droylsden put the ball into touch deliberately following an injury to Chesterfield’s Carl Lamb.
But, after Lamb got back on his feet, the ball was thrown to Jack Lester who, instead of just passing back to the Droylsden goalkeeper, as is the convention in such circumstances, lobbed Craig Mawson for a goal.
Chaotic scenes ensued with rival players squaring up to one another and stewards having to intervene to prevent a confrontation between the rival benches on the touchline.
However, when the game got underway again Chesterfield, seemingly embarrassed by Lester’s goal, allowed Droylsden’s Steve Halford to run through unopposed from the kick-off to make it 2-2, which is how the match ended.
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MANCHESTER, England (AFP) – Sir Alex Ferguson believes Manchester United’s success in winning the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan can propel the team towards retaining the English Premier League title.
The European champions added the global crown to their honours list by defeating Ecuador’s Liga de Quito in Yokohama last Sunday, with Wayne Rooney netting the winning goal for Ferguson’s side.
Having now returned to Old Trafford, however, United face a testing trip to Stoke City on Friday as they bid to close the seven-point gap on current league leaders Liverpool.
But having become world champions in Japan, United manager Ferguson expects the confidence generated by that achievement to boost the club’s prospects of winning more trophies in the second half of the season.
"I hope that happens," he told reporters at United’s training ground here Wednesday.
"There is no question that winning in Japan has given the club and the players a great boost. It was a great achievement.
"The most important thing is that the team played well, which was surprising really because a lot of the players found that their sleep patterns weren’t quite so good over there," the Scot added.
"That proved a bit difficult, but nonetheless, the lads showed good enthusiasm during the games and good concentration, which was the key thing.
"We have come through it well and put in some good performances.
"After the game against Quito, the players had a great time together.
"We were up early the next morning to get away, so not many slept too well, but they had their time together and that was good for them."
During their nine-day stay in Japan, United watched as Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal all failed to collect maximum points from their two Premier League games during that period.
And Ferguson admits that the failings of United’s rivals gives his side, who have two games in hand on their fellow title contenders, a real chance of claiming top spot in the New Year.
He said: "A similar thing happened when we went to Brazil for the world championship in 2000. While we were away, our title rivals Arsenal and Leeds both failed to get a win.
"I wasn’t surprised that Arsenal and Liverpool drew with each other, but I was a bit worried about Chelsea going to Everton, simply because of Everton’s record of not having won for 20 games against Chelsea.
"I would obviously rather be top on Christmas Day, but I always wanted to be close to the leaders going into the New Year and we have managed that.
"Teams chasing the title always drop points in March and April, even when you don’t expect them to do so, and that will happen again this year.
"But we have nine games coming up in the next month and, fortunately, we have the squad to cope with that."
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LIVERPOOL, England (AFP) – Rafael Benitez is close to a return to the Liverpool dugout for Fridays clash against Bolton, while star striker Fernando Torres should also be back in action soon.
Liverpool manager Benitez missed Sundays 1-1 draw at Arsenal while he recovered from a kidney stones operation, but he is expected to be back on the bench for Boltons Boxing Day visit to Anfield.
Benitezs assistant Sammy Lee hopes his imminent return can provide the perfect boost for Liverpool to finish the year on a high.
"Rafa is a lot better, hes on the mend. He has been in a lot of pain but he is improving," Lee said.
"His presence is always missed, but the organisation he has put in place is such that even though he has not been here this week, the battle plan is still there.
"We know what we have to do, the game plan is there, it is business as usual.
"He is missed and hopefully he will be back with us for the Bolton game.
"He is a hands-on manager, it is hurting him more being away from the training ground really, but he will be back soon."
The Bolton game may be too soon for Torres to return from a hamstring injury that has forced the 24-year-old to miss five matches, but Lee expects him back soon.
"Fernandos progress has markedly improved. He is getting better. He improves with every training session and he has worked very hard on his rehabilitation," Lee said.
"We will put him in when we see fit, thats not evasive but I dont want to start revealing our line-up."
Liverpool go into the first of their Christmas fixtures on top of the Premier League and protecting an unbeaten home league record in 2008.
It is the first time Liverpool have been top at this stage since 1996, and two wins over the holiday period against Bolton first and then at Newcastle on Sunday will give them their best points tally in a calendar year for 19 years.
"The lads will be in training on Christmas Day, we have two very important games in three days coming up and they are very professional and accept that they have to have their Christmas at a different time to everyone else," Lee added.
"They know the job in hand, they know what preparation is needed to stay at the top of the Premier League."
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Boca Juniors won the Argentine Apertura Championship on Tuesday, finishing top of a three-way play-off by the slimmest of margins after losing 1-0 to rank outsiders Tigre in the final match.
Boca had a goal difference of one, compared to zero for Tigre and minus one for San Lorenzo.
The play-off was held after the three teams finished level on points after the regular championship, where goal difference is not used to decide the title.
Tigre scored the only goal of the match in the sixty-eighth minute ahead in when goalkeeper Javier Hernan Garcia misjudged Matias Gimenez’s long cross from the left leaving Leandro Lazzaro with an easy header into the net.
Boca held on desperately and another goal from Tigre would have given Tigre the Championship. To make matters worse Boca had Rodrigo Palacio off for kicking the ball away and then arguing the decision with the referee.
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LONDON (AFP) – Highly-rated Russian forward Andrei Arshavin could finally be on his way to Europe after his agent said the Zenit St Petersburg player was almost certain to be sold in the transfer window.
Arshavin has been linked to Arsenal, Tottenham and Real Madrid and, according to a BBC website report Tuesday his agent, Dennis Lachter, said Arshavin and Zenit had agreed that he should find a new club in January.
"He will definitely move in January or the player and club will lose money," Lachter said.
"Zenit and Andrei understand that it is time for them to part from each other."
Arshavin, 27, was linked with Tottenham last summer following his impressive performances at Euro 2008, and this week Zenit general director Maxim Mitrofanov was quoted as saying his price tag was 20 million pounds and they hoped Arsenal would make an offer.
But Lachter denied reports that the player had visited both teams’ training grounds on a recent trip to London.
"That is not true," he said.
"I was in London and he was there too, but the only reason he was there was to shoot an advert for a company he has a contract with.
"I was at the Tottenham training ground, but it looks like someone saw me there and made the connection – he’s never been there, either to Arsenal or Tottenham."
Lachter also denied reports that the player had said he was only interested in playing for Barcelona and was uninterested in England.
"Arshavin never said he wanted only to play in Spain. Once again I believe a lot of things in the media just came from nowhere," he said.
"If I were following a dream life, I could be out of this job two or three months ago as due to the explanation of the newspapers, he should already be the player of Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United, Inter Milan – whatever."
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ZAGREB (AFP) – Dynamo Zagreb midfielder Mihael Mikic said Tuesday he has negotiated an early exit from the Croatian champions to join Japanese second division outfit Sanfrecce Hiroshima.
"Japan is a new challenge in my career and I will leave for Hiroshima in early January," Mihic told journalists.
"I’m grateful to Dynamo for their understanding, which has enabled me to leave although my contract was to expire in a year," the 28-year-old added.
Mikic, who has also played for Bundesliga side Kaiserslautern, had a contract with Dynamo until June 2010.
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ACCRA (AFP) – Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien has been named Ghana Footballer of the Year after a media poll here.
A couple of other midfielders in the national ‘Black Stars’ team, Sulley Muntari of Inter Milan and Laryea Kingston of Hearts, came second and third respectively, reports said.
Essien, a regular African Footballer of the Year finalist, has been sidelined since mid-year after suffering an injury playing for Ghana against Libya in a 2010 World Cup-African Nations Cup qualifier.
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