Europeans baffled by fuss over Terry’s private life

February 8, 2010

Michel Platini’s Gallic shrug said it all. “I’m not bothered. What do you want me to say?” he said.

The UEFA President and former France captain had just been asked for the third time in a few minutes on England coach Fabio Capello’s decision to strip John Terry of the captaincy because of something which happened off the field.

Platini was speaking in Warsaw at a news conference and was supposed to be talking about the qualifying draw for Euro 2012, an event which involved all 53 of UEFA’s associations.

Instead, he found himself fielding questions on the internal problems of one single member.

“We have 52 other associations in UEFA. Everybody has their own way of doing things…Poland, Ukraine, Austria, Norway, Malta, Cyprus. The problem of the English is not the problem of Italy, of France.

“You have some funny problems in England, but fortunately you have an Italian to sort them out.”

Platini’s indifference is a fair reflection of what Europeans feel on the whole Terry saga.

Players’ private lives are generally not subjected to media scrutiny elsewhere in Europe and it is the amount of publicity dedicated to the matter, rather than the alleged incident itself, which has made headlines on the continent.

In many countries, the captaincy is not even a big deal, just a symbolic role which involves a few pre-match niceties and bonus of lifting the trophy should the team happen to win a competition — not a very likely contingency in England’s case judging by their failure to add to their 1966 World Cup win.

PHOTO: UEFA President Michel Platini answers questions during a news conference at the Palace of Culture in Warsaw February 6, 2010. REUTERS/Peter Andrews

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Tags: Austria, coach fabio capello, England, england coach, euro 2012, Europe, europeans, Fabio Capelloâ, fielding questions, France, gallic, indifference, Italy, john terry, Malta, michel platini, Michel Platiniâ, news conference, niceties, Norway, Poland, President Michel Platini, private life, private lives, reuters, scrutiny, shrug, symbolic role, Terry, third time, warsaw

We’re all to blame for Ferrara sacking: Buffon

February 3, 2010

Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon said on Wednesday that he and his team-mates must share the blame for the sacking of Ciro Ferrara.

Last week Ferrara was dismissed after just eight months in charge and replaced by Alberto Zaccheroni following nine defeats in Juve’s previous 12 games, during which time they crashed out of two cup competitions and slumped from second to sixth in the league.

“Unfortunately it’s easier to change one person rather than 25 players but if those players have even a small sense of responsibility then they know that there are no more excuses,” said Italy’s number one.

“It’s our responsibility that there has been a change of coach, it’s not just one person’s fault but all of ours. The sacking should sound an alarm for us players. I feel sorry for Ferrara, he paid the price for everyone.

“It’s an all-round failure that touches us players as well. But I know that Ferrara will bounce back.”

Buffon and his team-mates have also had to accept their remodelled objectives for the season.

Out of the Champions League and the title race, they are now focusing on Europe’s secondary competition and a top-three or -four finish.

“We’ll try to win the Europa League and in the league we’ll try to qualify for the Champions League,” he said.

“Better to do so directly (with a top-three finish) but we’d be happy also with fourth place (and a place in the Champions League preliminary rounds).

“As for the title, that discussion is closed, both because of Inter’s advantage (15 points with a game in hand) and because of their strength.”

Buffon described this period as the most difficult during his time at Juventus, despite having stood by the club in 2006 when they were relegated to Serie B for match-fixing.

And he insisted he will again remain loyal regardless of what happens.

“Will I leave if Juve don’t qualify for the Champions League next season? I haven’t even taken that into consideration,” he said.

“Would I like to play abroad? Yes, with Juve in the Champions League, next year. I can’t explain what’s happened but this is the toughest period in the last 10 years, including the period in Serie B.”

ROME (AFP)

Tags: Alberto Zaccheroni, buffon, champions league, change, ciro, cup competitions, discussion, eight months, Europe, failure, Ferrara, game, games, gianluigi buffon, Goalkeeper, Italy, juve, juventus, match, no more excuses, ROME, sense of responsibility, team mates

Ribery set to decide Bayern future: agent

February 3, 2010

Bayern Munich star Franck Ribery will decide in the next eight weeks whether or not to stay with the German giants, his agent said Wednesday.

Ribery, 26, has a contract at Bayern until June 2011 but after a series of top class displays for Munich he has been linked to some of Europe’s top sides, including Spanish giants Real Madrid.

Although Ribery has struggled with a knee injury since October, he is working his way back to fitness and is widely regarded, alongside Bayern team-mate Arjen Robben, as one of the most creative players in the Bundesliga.

“Franck has a contract until 2011 and so Bayern hold all the cards in their hands,” Ribery’s agent Alain Migliaccio told German daily newspaper Bild on Wednesday.

“Before we meet with (Bayern’s chief executive Karl-Heinz) Rummenigge, (president Uli) Hoeness and (director of sport Christian) Nerlinger, nothing will happen.”

Migliaccio also confirmed Nerlinger’s rejection of reports that Ribery had been given an ultimatum by Bayern to prolong his contract before the end of March.

“The story about the ultimatum is absolute nonsense, nobody has given Franck an ultimatum,” he said.

“We are waiting to see what the club wants to do.”

Ribery has won 41 caps and scored seven goals for France and looks set to be a star of the 2010 World Cup which takes place in South Africa from June 11-July 11.

BERLIN (AFP)

Tags: 11 july, alain migliaccio, Bayern, bayern munich, berlin, bild, Bundesliga, chief executive, Christian, creative players, Europe, France, franck ribery, giants, karl heinz, karl heinz rummenigge, knee injury, MADRID, Munich, real madrid, rejection, South Africa, team mate, uli hoeness, ultimatum, World Cup

Ferguson wary of Beckham ‘media circus’

February 3, 2010

David Beckham’s return to Old Trafford will add some spice to the confrontation between Milan and Manchester United. Sir Alex Ferguson will warn his players not to get caught up in the ‘David Beckham media circus’.

“Our job is to concentrate on the football match and let the David Beckham media circus carry on,” Ferguson told United’s club magazine. “He’s such a high-profile celebrity – not just a high-profile footballer – and we haven’t really seen anybody else return to the club in that situation.”

Beckham is in his second loan spell at Milan. The 34-year-old Los Angeles Galaxy player hopes his performances will persuade England boss Fabio Capello to include him in the squad for this summer’s World Cup.

“I think I told him myself last year when I saw him before our game against Inter that he should be thinking about getting back to Europe if he wanted to go to the World Cup,” said Ferguson.

“It looks like he might just get his wish now. He had a good spell with Milan last time, so it made sense to me to see him back there again.”

Manchester United and Milan will face each other on February 16 and March 10. United starts with an away match. “The European Cup is always special to us and we’ve had some marvellous nights at Old Trafford. I just hope we have another one.

“We’re away from home in the first leg, which won’t be easy, but I’m certain the tie will be decided back at Old Trafford.”

Tags: boss, celebrity, confrontation, David Beckham, Europe, fabio capello, footballer, galaxy player, game, high profile, last time, los angeles galaxy, manchester united, media circus, Milan, old trafford, sir alex ferguson, spice, World Cup

Who needs Ronaldo when Nani plays like that?

February 2, 2010

Has Alex Ferguson got lucky or did he see something in Nani that nobody else could?

The Scot has always stood by the Manchester United winger despite his extremely unfavorable comparison with Cristiano Ronaldo and on Sunday against Arsenal all the pieces appeared to fall into place for a player who has flattered to deceive.

Nani’s bamboozling dribble was too much for Arsenal defence as United went in front at The Emirates. The Portuguese then displayed perfect timing and weight of pass to slide the ball though for the marauding Wayne Rooney that effectively settled the game as they went on to win 3-1.

Rooney has been incredible this season, carrying United when they have not played well. But Nani’s contribution as the spark around the solid midfield platform of Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher and Paul Scholes could be just the injection of firepower that will carry United to a 19th league title.

Nani will never score the goals that Ronaldo managed at Old Trafford but his performances in recent weeks suggest that he finally believes that he belongs in a United shirt. The way he tied Gael Clichy, one of the best fullbacks in Europe, in knots on Sunday bodes well for United.

Nani was eventually replaced by Dimitar Berbatov with a minute to go at Arsenal and received the acclaim of the visiting fans who may just have witnessed the coming of age of another Old Trafford hero.

PHOTO: Manchester United’s Nani celebrates after scoring a goal during their English Premier League soccer match against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in London January 31, 2010. REUTERS/Eddie Keogh

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Tags: Â The, alex ferguson, berbatov, Clichy, darren fletcher, Eddie Keogh, Emirates Stadium, English Premier League, english premier league soccer, Europe, firepower, fullbacks, keogh, london, Manchester, Michael Carrick, nani, old trafford, paul scholes, perfect timing, reuters, ronaldo, Scot, wayne rooney, win 3

There´s no Juventus deal, insists Benitez

February 1, 2010

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez on Sunday denied that he has struck a deal with struggling Italian giants Juventus to take over at the end of the season.

“Contrary to reports in the Italian media this weekend, I want to make it absolutely clear I have no agreement with Juventus and have not and will not be meeting Juventus or their representatives or any other club,” Benitez said in a statement.

“I have a long-term contract with Liverpool and I’ll repeat what I said on Friday. I am happy here and my only focus is to do my job as well as I can to get the team back into to the top four, beginning with the derby against Everton.”

Juventus sacked coach Ciro Ferrara earlier in the week after a run of five defeats in six league games and have replaced him with Alberto Zaccheroni whose reign in Turin began with a 1-1 draw with Lazio on Sunday.

On Friday, Benitez had said he was proud of Juventus’s reported interest in him.

“I know they (Juventus) were interested, that is part of the game now in football, but I am not ready to talk too much because I don’t want to lose my focus,” said the Spaniard.

“When you are a manager and you have clubs asking (for you), you have to be proud because they are a top side in Europe, but I am really happy here and want to do my job as best I can.”

Benitez remains a highly respected coach around Europe, despite Liverpool’s problems this season which have seen them knocked out of both the Champions League and the FA Cup.

Benitez is under contract at Anfield until 2013.

LONDON (AFP)

Tags: Alberto Zaccheroni, anfield, champions league, coach, contrary, Europe, FA Cup, game, giants, italian media, job, juventus, lazio, league games, Liverpool, liverpool manager rafael benitez, london, rafael benitez, Spaniard, term contract, turin

Benzema double keeps Real in Barcelona slipstream

January 31, 2010

A delightful back-heel from Jose Maria Gutierrez set up Karim Benzema for the first of a brace as Real Madrid, without suspended Cristiano Ronaldo, beat Deportivo La Coruna 3-1 on Saturday.

The win kept Real five points behind Barcelona who had earlier defeated Sporting Gijon 1-0 to stay top of La Liga in a game which also saw the champions reach the 50-goal mark for the league season.

Esteban Granero headed Real ahead after 13 minutes with the game played out in the home side’s half at the Riazor where the Madrid giants had not won for almost 20 years.

With Felipe Luis injured, Manuel Pablo moved to the left-hand side and the defence never looked comfortable especially against the pace of Benzema.

Raul Gonzalez had the chance to add to the lead with a close-range volley before a moment of real quality from Guti.

Through on goal instead of shooting on his weaker right foot, he back-heeled the ball into the path of Benzema to slot home.

Deportivo had their chances in the second half as Real took their foot off the gas and in a late rally Ivan Riki scored a penalty. The last word though was from Benzema who wrapped up the scoring in injury time.

“We went out to get the result from the very start even though this was not a win at all costs game. We knew how to deal with an important match against a good side,” said Real coach Manuel Pellegrini.

“I am very happy with the win because it was in a stadium which traditionally has been a difficult place to come for Real Madrid and also because we played well, although it did get a bit tight at the end.”

Barcelona stayed top after Pedro Rodriguez scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over Sporting Gijon.

Mate Bilic went close with a header for the home side before Pedro put the visitors ahead with a clinical finish from a defence-breaking through ball by Andres Iniesta on the 30-minute mark.

“This is a good result for us because we played in a stadium where very few teams have won,” said Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola.

“My only regret is that is that we did not make the right decisions in the final moments of the game that would have made the result a lot more comfortable.”

Sporting coach Manolo Preciado though felt that the free-kick that led up to Barca’s goal was not correctly taken.

“That goal was first of all an error from the referee and then from us but this is part of football, sometimes it goes for you and others not,” he said.

A Luis Garcia strike saw Espanyol overcome Athletic Bilbao 1-0 in a scrappy match to give them breathing space at the bottom of La Liga earlier Saturday.

The home side dominated from the start a match in which injury-hit Athletic were never able to get into their stride.

The Athletic keeper Gorka Iraizoz made a couple of important interventions in the first half but he was powerless to block Garcia’s close-range winner on 58 minutes after good work from Javi Marquez down the left wing.

The result moves Espanyol six points clear of the relegation zone but for Athletic, who are chasing a place in Europe, they have now lost back-to-back games.

Despite only managing a draw away to lowly Tenerife, Valencia are well placed to qualify for the Champions League but on Sunday they face a crucial game against fellow aspirants Sevilla who have dropped off the pace since Christmas after losing three of their last four matches.

BARCELONA (AFP)

Tags: Andres Iniesta, Barcelona, Bilbao, close range, Esteban Granero, Europe, Felipe Luis, five points, goal mark, guti, injury time, ivan riki, Jose Maria, Karim Benzema, la coruna, last word, left hand side, luis garcia, MADRID, Manuel Pablo, manuel pellegrini, Pedro, pedro rodriguez, pep guardiola, raul gonzalez, real madrid, riazor, right foot, ronaldo, SEVILLA, sporting gijon, Tenerife, Valencia

Korea star Park more than Monaco marketing success

January 30, 2010

Alongside goalkeeper Stephane Ruffier and Brazilian sensation Nene, South Korean international Park Chu-young has been one of the revelations of the season for French top flight side Monaco.

An Asian Youth Championship winner at the age of 19 in 2004, where he was the top scorer and player of the tournament, Park endured a slow start to his career at the Stade Louis II.

In the summer of 2008 his signing became a number one priority for then-coach Ricardo and his assistant, Jean Petit.

“He was presented to us by intermediaries living in Monaco,” recalls Petit, who now works as an advisor to the club board.

“We found his profile very interesting. We were in need of two forwards. As far as we were concerned, Park had to be one of them.

“Lots of clubs were interested. Ricardo and me had to really force the issue. It wasn’t easy, or straightforward, but it turned out brilliantly.”

Park began last season late, in September, following his return from the Beijing Olympics where he had been representing his country.

His debut campaign, in which he scored five goals in 31 league games, proved something of a learning curve, but Park was already demonstrating his fighting spirit and his desire to knuckle down for the team.

Able to play both as an out-and-out frontman as well as a support striker, he has become an essential component of the team and has already scored six goals in the league and one in the French Cup against Lyon.

“Up front is his best position,” says Petit. “But he can still improve. He doesn’t have enough of a killer instinct.”

Cruelly dismissed in some quarters as a marketing tool brought in by former president Jerome de Bontin in order to capitalise on his huge popularity in South Korea, the Taekwondo enthusiast now looks irreplaceable.

The current Monaco board have acted accordingly and on Friday they announced that he has signed a contract extension tying him to the principality club until 2013.

Shy and retiring, Park has consciously constructed a barrier between himself and the media since his arrival in Europe.

“I only speak Korean,” he says whenever prompted for a comment by the press.

Club insiders, however, say that he communicates with ease in English and French. “He understands everything, he’s cultivated and intelligent,” says one.

His agent, meanwhile, claims he has an IQ of 150.

For Park, who this summer will compete in his second World Cup at the age of just 25, Monaco is just a stepping stone.

“He knows what he wants,” says Petit. “He wants to play for a big club. So he lives healthily and gives everything for the team. And, true to the Asian mentality, he never gives up on anything.”

MONACO (AFP)

Tags: asian youth, Beijing, beijing olympics, championship winner, contract extension, Europe, fighting spirit, former president, french cup, intermediaries, jean petit, jerome de bontin, killer instinct, Korea, league games, learning curve, Lyon, marketing tool, Monaco, south korea, south korean, stade louis ii, top scorer, tournament park

Crespo makes Parma return

January 30, 2010

Former Genoa striker Hernan Crespo has returned to Parma in a deal which has seen two further moves brokered.

Crespo originally moved to Parma, his first ever club in Europe, in 1996 and he enjoyed four years at the Ennio Tardini before moving on to to play for Lazio, Inter Milan, Chelsea and AC Milan.

His last club was Genoa but he failed to make the expected impact with them and now Parma have moved to snap him up.

“I’ve always supported Parma and to come back is an incredible emotion,” the 34-year-old said.

Following Crespo’s arrival Parma sold Nicola Amoruso to Atalanta – who in-turn have allowed Robert Acquafresca to return to Genoa to replace Crespo.

Tags: ac milan, amoruso, CHELSEA, crespo, emotion, Ennio Tardini, Europe, Former, genoa, Hernan, Inter, inter milan, lazio, lazio inter, Milan, nicola amoruso, parma, robert acquafresca, tardini

Stuttgart and Dortmund ready for ‘in-form’ test

January 30, 2010

Sunday’s Bundesliga clash of VfB Stuttgart and Borussia Dortmund appears to be a test of preserving form when the in-form duo meet at the Mercedes-Benz Arena.

The Swabians have won their last three games and are unbeaten since Christian Gross took over from Markus Babbel in December.

Meanwhile, the Westphalians have not lost since September, winning nine and drawing three of their last 12 matches.

But their coach Jurgen Klopp has lost every time he has visited Stuttgart, be it with Dortmund or his former club Mainz. Nevertheless, he says that negative record is there to be broken.

“The probability of a streak ending increases the longer it goes on,” he said.

“We want to play a really good game there.”

A win for Dortmund could take them as high as second in the table, should results elsewhere go their way, while Stuttgart could break into the top half of the table with victory.

But Gross, who took over the Stuttgart reins with the team stuck in the relegation zone, has not forgotten his prime objective for the season.

“Dortmund are the clear favourites in my eyes,” he said.

“They want to qualify for Europe while we are still concentrating on avoiding relegation.”

Gross will welcome Jens Lehmann back into his goal this weekend after his three-game suspension came to an end following last weekend’s win over Freiburg. He replaces Sven Ulreich.

Klopp has to do without Sven Bender, who has played in the last 11 unbeaten matches, due to a knee infection. Tamas Hajnal is a candidate to replace him in the centre of midfield.