Terry dropped as England captain

February 6, 2010

John Terry was Friday stripped of the England captaincy following reports of an extra-marital affair with the ex-girlfriend of international team-mate Wayne Bridge, the Football Association (FA) confirmed.

The move followed a meeting between Terry and England’s head coach, Fabio Capello, at FA headquarters at Wembley.

In a statement, Capello said: “After much thought, I have made the decision that it will be best for me to take the captaincy away from John Terry.

“As a captain with the team, John Terry has displayed extremely positive behaviour. However, I have to take into account other considerations and what is best for all of the England squad.

“What is best for all of the England team has inspired my choice. John Terry was notified first.” Profile: John Terry

LONDON (AFP)

Tags: coach fabio capello, England, england captain, england squad, england team, ex girlfriend, extra marital affair, fabio capello, football association, head coach, john terry, John Terry LONDON, london, team mate, Terry, wayne bridge, Wembley

FA say TerryÂ´s England captaincy in CapelloÂ´s hands

February 2, 2010

England manager Fabio Capello alone will make a decision on John Terry’s future as England captain, the Football Association (FA) said on Monday.

The 29-year-old Chelsea defender’s position has been called into question following reports the married father of twins had an affair with the ex-girlfriend of former team-mate Wayne Bridge.

There are now concerns the issue could have a damaging effect on England’s bid to win the World Cup in South Africa later this year but the FA were adamant they would leave the matter to Capello.

“Fabio Capello alone will make the decision about John Terry’s position,” said an FA spokesman.

“Fabio is fully up to speed with developments regarding John Terry.

“He spoke with our chairman Lord (David) Triesman and chief executive Ian Watmore today (Monday), who both backed him to make the best decision for England on footballing grounds.

“Fabio is dealing with the matter in his own way using his extensive experience as a football manager.”

Capello is due to return to England later this week and will travel to Warsaw for the Euro 2012 qualifying competition draw this weekend.

LONDON (AFP)

Tags: chief executive, david triesman, england captain, euro 2012, fabio capello, football association, football manager, former team, john terry, South Africa, spokesman, team mate, twins, warsaw, World Cup

Mariga move stalled by FA approval decision

February 1, 2010

McDonald Mariga’s move to the Premier League is awaiting approval from the Football Association, according to Serie A side Parma.

The Kenyan midfielder, who is a target of Manchester City, has been prevented from completing the deal due to work permit issues.

Parma’s general manager Pietro Leonardi told the Italian media on Monday: “We hope that this case will be resolved.

“We should have some update from England briefly.”

Tags: awaiting approval, briefly, England, football association, italian media, leonardi, manchester city, mcdonald mariga, midfielder, Pietro Leonardi, premier league, target

Man Utd´s Rio Ferdinand gets four-match ban

January 29, 2010

Rio Ferdinand was banned for four matches on Thursday after failing in an appeal against a Football Association charge of violent conduct.

The charge related to an incident in United’s 4-0 win over Hull on Saturday in which Ferdinand, returning from three months out injured, appeared to catch Hull’s Craig Fagan in the face with a swinging arm.

The offence would normally result in a three-match ban but Ferdinand’s appeal was deemed “frivolous” by the FA disciplinary panel which examined the appeal and an extra match suspension was added.

The ban takes effect immediately, ruling Ferdinand out of United’s Premier League match against Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday.

The 31-year-old will also sit out matches against Portsmouth, Aston Villa and Everton next month but he will be available for the League Cup final against Aston Villa at Wembley on February 28.

By appealing against the charge, Ferdinand delayed the FA’s announcement of his punishment until Thursday, ensuring he was able to play in the second leg of the League Cup semi-final against Manchester City, which United won.

Nemanja Vidic was on the bench for that match following his own recovery from injury and the Serbian centreback is expected to partner Jonny Evans against Arsenal.

LONDON (AFP)

Tags: arsenal, Craig, Craig Fagan, disciplinary panel, emirates, fagan, Ferdinand, football association, HULL, london, manchester city, match, offence, Portsmouth, premier league, Rio, rio ferdinand, three months, vidic, violent conduct, Wembley

Ferdinand charged by FA over Fagan clash

January 26, 2010

Rio Ferdinand was left facing the prospect of a three-match ban after being charged with violent conduct on Tuesday by the Football Association.

The Manchester United defender faces disciplinary action after clashing with Hull forward Craig Fagan during the second half of Saturday’s 4-0 Premier League victory at Old Trafford that saw champions United return to the top of the table.

England international Ferdinand has until 1800GMT Wednesday to respond to the charge.

A regulatory commission will hear the centre-back’s case on Thursday.

LONDON (AFP)

Tags: AFP, clash, Craig, disciplinary action, England, england international, fagan, Ferdinand, football association, london, Manchester, manchester united, match, premier league, regulatory commission, Rio, rio ferdinand, second half, violent conduct

China league officials under questioning: report

January 21, 2010

The head of China’s scandal-rocked football association and two other top officials have been taken in for questioning amid a police probe into corruption in the sport, state media said Thursday.

Nan Yong, named to head the beleaguered Chinese Football Association a year ago, was taken in for “interrogation” by police in the northeastern city of Liaoning, Xinhua news agency said, quoting the Ministry of Public of Security.

Also taken in were CFA vice heads Yang Yimin and Zhang Jianqiang, it said.

The Soccer Daily reported the men were taken away on Friday.

The Xinhua report quoted the ministry saying the men were being questioned as part of efforts to stamp out match-fixing and other corruption in the sport but made no mention of whether the three were suspected of wrongdoing.

Officials at the CFA and the sports ministry refused comment on the whereabouts of the three officials when contacted by AFP Thursday.

Following widespread allegations of organised gambling, crooked referees and match-fixing earlier this decade, the CFA announced in late 2006 that it had set up a joint task force with police to root out corruption in the sport.

The arrests of at least 21 football and club officials have been announced since November, with police interrogating more than 100 suspects, according to press reports.

Besides the three CFA officials taken away by police, two other top association officials have also been told not to leave Beijing, the Soccer Daily said.

Corruption, on-field fights and other misbehaviour by players have plagued Chinese football for years, leading to dwindling attendance and frustration among fans and sponsors.

Dismal play by the national team, which failed to advance out of the early stages of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, has also led to widespread criticism of how the sport is managed in China.

BEIJING (AFP)

Tags: Beijing, China, china beijing, corruption, football association, interrogation, joint task force, league officials, liaoning, misbehaviour, nan, Nan Yong, northeastern city, police probe, referees, sports ministry, wrongdoing, xinhua news agency, Yang Yimin

Neville under FA scanner over Tevez gesture

January 20, 2010

Gary Neville could face disciplinary action for directing a one-fingered gesture at former team-mate Carlos Tevez after the Football Association confirmed they were looking into an incident in Tuesday night’s League Cup semi-final.

Neville made the gesture from the touchline as Tevez celebrated the first of his two goals in Manchester City’s 2-1 first leg win over Manchester United at Eastlands.

The Argentina striker’s celebrations had included a ’stop talking’ gesture to Neville and appeared to be a response to the United defender’s pre-match comment that the club had made the right decision in allowing Tevez to leave the club at the end of last season rather than find the 25 million pounds it would have cost to sign him permanently.

Neville is effectively on probation with the FA having been warned about his conduct earlier in the season following provocative celebrations of Michael Owen’s late winner for United in the Manchester derby match at Old Trafford in September.

Tevez celebrated his second goal in similar fashion, running in front of the United dugout and cupping his hands behind his ears.

But he failed to get a reaction from United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, who has also expressed the opinion that the striker is not worth 25 million pounds.

“It is just the way these things happen,” Ferguson said. “Football can be like that. It can bite you. We have had a few players leave the club and score against us. There is no issue. I am happy with the players we have got.”

Tevez has now scored 17 goals for City this season and his team-mate Pablo Zabaleta believes he was fuelled by a desire to make a point to Ferguson and Neville.

“One Manchester United player talked about Carlos before the game so he showed he is top class, a top player,” Zabaleta said.

“He is amazing, everyone knows Carlos is a great player. Everyone loves him. This was a special game for him, one he has been dreaming about.

“I am aware of his qualities and think he can give a repeat performance against United next week.”

United took an early lead on Tuesday evening through Ryan Giggs, but Tevez equalised from the spot after Rafael pulled back Craig Bellamy and then headed in the winner.

Zabaleta added: “Our reaction was fantastic after we lost the goal. It was a good performance from the team, we played well and showed strong mentality.

“It is a great result for us and an important one for the next leg. It was unbelievable near the end. United kept coming and had many chances but we never stopped working.

“We want to please our supporters and get to the final. There was a lot of satisfaction after the game but we have to show this commitment again next week. You can see we have great players and a strong character.”

LONDON (AFP)

Tags: Argentina, Carlos, carlos tevez, CITY, disciplinary action, dugout, Eastlands, football association, former team, gary neville, london, Manchester, manchester city, manchester united player, michael owen, Neville, nex, old trafford, Pablo Zabaleta, Rafael, repeat performance, ryan giggs, sir alex ferguson, special game, team mate, touchline

Australia, Indonesia commit to closer football ties

January 16, 2010

Football Federation Australia and the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) have signed an agreement committing to closer football ties, FFA said here on Saturday.

The agreement covers a raft of exchange programs and an increased number of internationals between the two countries, FFA said.

Under the five-year agreement FFA will assist the PSSI in the development of coaches, players, referees, grassroots football and women?s football and host training visits for Indonesian players, coaches and officials, a statement said.

As a key part of the agreement the PSSI will assist the FFA to fully integrate into South East Asian football and the ASEAN Football Federation and provide competition for Australian teams at a range of age levels and formats.

FFA and PSSI have also agreed to encourage their respective national governments to consider football as a way to increase cooperation at political, social, economic and environmental levels, the statement said.

The memorandum was signed by FFA Chairman Frank Lowy and PSSI President Nurdin Halid.

“This is a landmark agreement with one of our closest neighbours that will see the game in both countries benefit enormously by the sharing of technical knowledge and experience,” Lowy said.

“We also believe that football and our federations can be important vehicles to assist in the development of relations between our two countries and their governments.”

Halid said in the statement that the agreement would be a major boost for the game in both countries and relations at all levels.

“We enjoy a close relationship with Australia and we are proud to be involved in this agreement which will bring us even closer together,” Halid said.

Australia will host Indonesia in a crucial AFC Asian Cup 2011 qualification match in Brisbane on March 3.

SYDNEY (AFP)

Tags: afc asian cup, asean football federation, asian cup, asian football, Australia, brisbane, Chairman Frank Lowy, environmental levels, exchange programs, ffa, football association, football federation australia, frank lowy, grassroots football, internationals, landmark agreement, national governments, neighbours, nurdin, pssi, raft, south east asian, technical knowledge

Ferguson escapes FA action over referee rant

January 13, 2010

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will not face disciplinary action over his latest critcisms of a referee, the Football Association (FA) announced Tuesday.

Ferguson was furious with Mark Clattenburg for sending-off Darren Fletcher during English champions United’s 1-1 draw away to Birmingham City on Sunday.

Afterwards the Scot suggested Clattenburg had been inconsistent this season but the FA, England’s governing body, have decided his remarks did not mean he was alleging bias or questioning the official’s integrity.

“No action will be taken in relation to Sir Alex Ferguson,” an FA spookesman said Tuesday.

As a result, the FA have not activated the two-match suspended sentence hanging over Ferguson for criticising referee Alan Wiley’s fitness earlier this season, for which he was initially punished with a two-match touchline ban.

Scotland midfielder Fletcher was dismissed for two yellow card offences and after the match at St Andrews an irate Ferguson said: “As far as I’m concerned, I’ve not seen a softer sending-off for a long time. It is ridiculous.

“That referee did the Arsenal-Tottenham game earlier in the season and you needed to hit someone with an axe before he booked anyone in that game.”

“There were some wonderful and weird decisions tonight.”

LONDON (AFP)

Tags: AFP, alan wiley, axe, bias, birmingham city, darren fletcher, disciplinary action, England, english champions, fa england, football association, governing body, london, Manchester, manchester united, mark clattenburg, midfielder, referee, Scot, scotland, sir alex ferguson, st andrews, yellow card

Ferguson tests FA´s patience with new ref rant

January 10, 2010

Sir Alex Ferguson may have landed himself in further trouble with the Football Association (FA) after his latest withering assessment of a referee.

The Manchester United manager was furious with Mark Clattenburg for sending-off Scotland midfielder Darren Fletcher towards the end of the English champions’ 1-1 Premier League draw away to Birmingham City here on Saturday.

Ferguson has only recently served a two-match touchline ban for criticising the fitness of referee Alan Wiley earlier this season and has a two-match suspended sentence hanging over his head from the FA.

But that did not stop him from indulging in another spot of referee baiting at St Andrews following a match where a win for United would have seen them replace Chelsea at the top of the table.

Fletcher was dismissed for two yellow cards, the second of which was for a foul on Birmingham goalscorer Cameron Jerome three minutes from the end of another sub-standard performance by Ferguson’s side, just a week after their FA Cup capitulation to third division Leeds United.

Rather than concentrate on the deficiencies of his players, Ferguson opted for a concerted attack on Clattenburg, saying: “I saw him referee Arsenal against Spurs recently and someone needed to take out an axe to get booked and then he sends someone off for that. It was very, very soft.

“I’ve not seen a softer sending-off for a long time, absolutely ridiculous.

“There were some weird and wonderful decisions going on out there. The linesman gives offside for our goal and it’s an own-goal! (which negates offside). And he still gives offside.”

Ferguson, who may well be asked for an explanation of his comments by FA officials, insisted he was happy with a draw against an in-form Birmingham side managed by Alex McLeish, who played for the United manager when he was previously in charge of Aberdeen.

The United boss made seven changes from the team beaten by Leeds, but was forced to leave out Dimitar Berbatov because of a knee injury that is causing some concern for the Bulgaria striker.

“Berbatov has been carrying a little knee injury and played with it last week,” Ferguson said. “We’ll just try to get him sorted and get him fit again.”

Reflecting on the match, he added: “We’re satisfied with a point because this is a difficult place to go to. It’s not a bad point.

“It’s a tough league. I have been saying that for months,” Ferguson insisted. “I don’t know if anyone is listening.

“Going to Birmingham is not going to be easy. Teams like Birmingham have really improved, Alex has players that will run 100 miles for him. It is a point gained for us.”

Birmingham broke a club record stretching way back to 1907-08 with their 12th successive top-flight unbeaten league game and only Scott Dann’s own-goal deprived them of a famous victory.

But McLeish refused to get carried away and insisted Premier League survival was his only target, even though that seems all but assured for a Birmingham side that are now eighth in the table.

“We have done nothing yet, because we could lose every remaining game this season,” the former Scotland defender said.

“It is a record to be proud of, but I am not that interested in statistics.”

Sporting Gijon midfielder Michel was a guest at St Andrews for the game and is expected to complete a 2.75 million pounds transfer early next week depending on the outcome of a medical.

BIRMINGHAM, England (AFP)