De Jong set for return against Spurs

December 15, 2009

Nigel de Jong seems ready to make his comeback for Manchester City when they face Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday. Full-back Wayne Bridge is unlikely to face the Spurs, City said on the club’s official website.

De Jong suffered from swine flu the last few days which caused him to pull out of Saturday’s match at Bolton Wanderers (3-3).

On Monday, the Dutch international trained apart from the group in the gym but the last tests suggest that the midfield ace will be able to return to group training on Tuesday. On Wednesday, City will decide whether De Jong is fit enough to start in their away game with Tottenham.

Bridge will probably remain at the sidelines until next year. The England international damaged knee ligaments in the 2-1 win over his former club Chelsea and hopes to make his comeback in January. “I don’t want to push too hard too soon because knee ligament can ‘go’ very easily. I will make sure that I am strong first but I will push it as hard as I can to be back as fast as I can,” Bridge said.

Tags: Ace, bolton wanderers, CHELSEA, CITY, club chelsea, dutch international, England, england international, few days, flu, Hotspur, knee ligament, knee ligaments, manchester city, match, nigel de jong, sidelines, spurs, swine flu, wayne bridge

Liga de Quito close to Sudamericana victory

November 26, 2009

A year and a half after winning the Copa Libertadores, Ecuador outfit Liga de Quito are close to winning the Copa Sudamericana following a 5-1 crushing of Fluminense in the first leg of the final.

Fluminense had a perfect start in Ecuador’s capital city as Marquinho put the Brazilians in the lead in the very first minute.

But LDU recovered well and answered through no less than three goals from former PSV midfielder Edison Mendez, who found the target in the 20th, 44th and 60th minutes.

Franklin Salas then made it 4-1 in the 77th minute, and Ulises de la Cruz added a fifth and final goal with a few minutes left to play.

Although it is technically possible for ‘Flu’ to fight their way back into this clash in the return leg, which is to be played on December 2, it seems very likely that Liga de Quito clinch their second continental trophy in two years.

Jonathan Roorda

Tags: brazilians, clash, copa libertadores, copa sudamericana, Ecuador, Edison, edison mendez, few minutes, flu, Fluminense, franklin salas, PSV, Quito, return leg, trophy, ulises, ulises de la cruz, victory

Germany´s Klose released from swine flu quarantine

November 14, 2009

Germany striker Miroslav Klose was on Saturday released from a four-day quarantine for swine flu after showing no signs of the virus and is available to play against the Ivory Coast next week.

Both the Bayern Munich star and his wife Sylwia were put under observation last Wednesday after their four-year-old twin sons Noah and Luan were discovered to both be suffering from the H1N1 virus.

Neither Klose, the top scorer at the 2006 World Cup, nor his wife showed signs of the virus and have been allowed to leave quarantine.

Klose, 31, is now free to join the Germany squad to prepare for Wednesday’s friendly against the Ivory Coast while Saturday’s planned Germany-Chile match has been called off after last week’s suicide of national goalkeeper Robert Enke.

Klose is expected to join the Germany squad in Hanover on Sunday for Enke’s memorial service which is expected to be attended by 45,000 fans and colleagues from across German football.

BERLIN (AFP)

Tags: Bayern, bayern munich, berlin, flu, football berlin, german football, Germany, germany squad, Goalkeeper, Hanover, Ivory Coast, luan, match, miroslav klose, Munich, noah, quarantine, robert enke, striker, swine flu, sylwia, top scorer, World Cup

Spanish side hit by swine flu

October 30, 2009

Thirteen players from Spanish outfit Betis have contracted the H1N1 flu virus, prompting the second division side’s medical staff to request Thursday the postponement of Sunday’s meeting with Villarreal B.

“The symptoms correspond to the H1N1 strain. Almost the whole team is affected,” said official Tomas Calero.

Calero added the medical staff were requesting that training be suspended for at least three days.

Betis are the first Spanish side known to be afflicted by the H1N1 flu virus but concerns have increasingly been raised about its possible latent presence in other leagues in recent days.

English Premiership side Blackburn Rovers have been affected by a bout of swine flu with three players, as well as staff members, diagnosed.

Nearby rivals Bolton also revealed several of their players have contracted the illness.

And last week’s match in the French first division between Paris Saint Germain and Marseille was called off after three PSG players were found to be ill.

MADRID (AFP)

Tags: blackburn rovers, Bolton, calero, english premiership, flu, flu virus, Germain, least three days, Marseille, medical staff, PARIS, paris saint germain, postponement, premiership side, psg, rivals, spanish side, staff members, Tomas Calero, Villarreal

New date for Marseille-PSG game

October 29, 2009

The French league match between Marseille and Paris Saint-Germain that was postponed due to an outbreak of swine flu at PSG at the weekend has been rescheduled for November 20, the French Professional League (LFP) confirmed on Tuesday.

The new date “suits both clubs as well as television rights holder Canal+,” the LFP said in a statement, adding that Marseille and PSG’s scheduled league matches for November 21 against Sochaux and Boulogne respectively would now take place on December 2.

Marseille, however, said that in light of their Champions League match against Real Madrid on December 8 they would be requesting that the match against Sochaux be pushed further back.

Last Sunday’s match was the first in France at senior level to be cancelled due to swine flu after PSG confirmed that midfielder Ludovic Giuly, defender Mamadou Sakho and midfielder Jeremy Clement had contracted the illness.

There had been fears that two other squad members had symptoms.

PARIS (AFP)

Tags: Boulogne, champions league, december 8, flu, France, french league, Germain, Jeremy Clement, last sunday, lfp, Ludovic Giuly, MADRID, Marseille, midfielder, new date, outbreak, PARIS, paris saint germain, professional league, psg, real madrid, sakho, sochaux, squad members, swine flu, television rights

PSG duo tested for swine flu

October 24, 2009

Two players of Paris St Germain have undergone tests for swine flu, football officials said on Saturday casting doubts over Sunday’s league game at Marseille.

Winger Ludovic Guily and defender Mamadou Sakho have been been unwell with fly symptoms for the last two days and they were tested on Friday afternoon.

“We should have the results on Saturday morning and we will decide how to proceed with the match during the afternoon,” the French Football League said in a statement.

There have been isolated cases of swine flu among professional footballers in France but as yet no top level game has been called off as a precautionary measure.

PARIS (AFP)

Tags: doubts, flu, fly, football officials, France, french football league, friday afternoon, Germain, guily, league game, level game, Ludovic Guily, mamadou, Marseille, match, PARIS, paris st germain, precautionary measure, professional footballers, psg, saturday morning, swine flu, winger

Italy considers vaccinating players for swine flu

September 25, 2009

Italian football officials are considering large-scale vaccinations for players to protect against swine flu.

Italy coach Marcello Lippi told the ANSA news agency Friday that “the possibility of vaccinating all the players on every team is being considered.”

Earlier this month, Italy announced its first swine flu victim was a 51-year-old man with chronic heart problems who died in a Naples hospital.

Italy expects swine flu to peak between December and January, with 1.5 million to 3 million cases. A vaccination campaign beginning Nov. 15 will immunize up to 40 percent of Italy’s 60 million people. The first wave of vaccinations will target 9 million, including health workers. A second wave will begin in February.

Abhimanyu Rajput

Tags: 5 million, 60 million, ansa news agency, coach marcello lippi, flu, football officials, health workers, heart problems, Italy, italy coach, naples, old man, second wave, swine flu, vaccination campaign, vaccinations

Quartet sit out Germany training

September 2, 2009

Michael Ballack, Lukas Podolski, Mesut Ozil and Robert Enke sat out training on Tuesday as Germany prepare to face South Africa in a friendly.

Germany take on the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ hosts in Leverkusen on Saturday, but Chelsea star Ballack missed training here on Tuesday with a groin strain, while Werder Bremen midfielder Ozil has a knee injury.

Hanover’s keeper Enke was a late withdrawal having suffered from the ‘flu and it is not clear how long he will be out for.

Both Ballack and Ozil are expected to be back in training with the squad by Wednesday at the latest, while Podolski has a calf injury and is not expected to train until at least Thursday.

The quartet sat out a series of testing on Tuesday to assess the Germany squad’s fitness.

Abhimanyu Rajput

Tags: abhimanyu, Bremen, CHELSEA, fifa world cup, flu, Germany, germany squad, groin strain, Hanover, hosts, knee injury, LEVERKUSEN, Lukas Podolski, mesut, Michael Ballack, midfielder, quartet, robert enke, South Africa, werder bremen

French mayor shows spitting red card

August 26, 2009

In a bid to halt the spread of swine flu, the mayor of a small French town banned spitting on Tuesday and wrote to football chiefs to demand that footballers who spit be sent off.

“On this day, I issue a decree that henceforth in my district spitting on a public thoroughfare will be banned,” declared Christophe Rouillon, mayor of the town of Coulaines, near Le Mans in northern France.

France had considered itself spared the worst of the A(H1N1) flu pandemic until this week, when an outbreak in French Polynesia and a change in the method of counting cases put the issue back on the front page.

Going beyond the ban on public expectoration by his own constituents, Rouillon also wrote a letter to Michel Platini, the French head of European football’s governing body UEFA, demanding that players set a better example.

“One spitting incident should be punished with a yellow card, and repeat offenders should be shown a red card,” he suggested.

LE MANS, France (AFP)

Tags: body uefa, chiefs, constituents, expectoration, flu, flu pandemic, footballers, france france, french head, french polynesia, french town, governing body, le mans france, northern france, outbreak, public thoroughfare, repeat offenders, swine flu, yellow card

Dutch FA prepared for widespread swine flu outbreak

July 25, 2009

The Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) is well prepared for a possible widespread swine flu outbreak, an official said on Friday.

“A competition stop is possible, but that would be in the most extreme case,” she said.

The Dutch ministry of health is in charge of taking such decisions if needed, according to the KNVB.

“We are closely monitoring the health of the players and fans, but are the following party when it’s about swine flu. The ministry takes measures based on the situation, and we execute them,” the spokeswoman added.

So far, the swine flu only affected football matches in Mexico where several rounds were played behind closed doors. This measure is no longer active.

By: Jonathan Roorda