Ferguson issues financial warning
October 17, 2009
Sir Alex Ferguson believes a “major club” could collapse unless wealthy owners start to act more responsibly.
The Manchester United manager believes football is heading for a financial catastrophe, mirroring the business world.
Ferguson explained: “I think there is an awful lot of expenditure and you say to yourself: ‘Where is it going to end?’
“That is exactly what was happening in the business world two years ago. There were warning signs and everyone knew there were, yet they carried on because it was so easy to access loans.
“In the football world you say to yourself the warning signs are there, but nobody seems to be bothering about it.
“You wonder where it’s going to go and what is going to happen if one major club are to go, to collapse.”
Ferguson is uncomfortable with clubs who are sustained by rich owners – including neighbours Manchester City, who have spent extravagantly under the ownership of Sheikh Mansour.
United themselves have a debt of around £700million following the takeover of the Glazer family in 2005 – but Ferguson believes United operate within their means.
The Scot, interviewed by North West Business Insider magazine, continued: “People are treating football as an item for themselves, owning clubs with untold wealth that you wonder if it is really good for the game or good for that particular club.
“The clubs cannot complain because they see a possibility of richer rewards again. That has got to be the carrot.
“But it is not easy winning things. Definitely not easy, and they’ll soon find out.”
Abhimanyu Rajput
Tags: alex ferguson, business world, carrot, Ferguson, financial catastrophe, football world, glazer family, insider magazine, Manchester, manchester city, manchester united, neighbours, North West, north west business insider, rewards, Scot, sheikh mansour, sir alex ferguson, takeover, untold wealth, warning signs, wealthy owners, west businessRelated posts
English football pays tribute to ´gentleman´ Robson
August 1, 2009
English football’s leading figures paid tribute to Sir Bobby Robson on Friday after the former England coach lost his long battle with cancer.
Robson passed away aged 76 at his family home on Friday morning and his death brought an immediate out-pouring of love and respect from the football community.
England manager Fabio Capello said: “Sir Bobby was a wonderful man, a real gentleman.
“To manage the England national team for so long was a remarkable achievement and we all remember how close he came to leading England to the World Cup Final in Italy.
“His spirit and courage was incredible. To fight cancer so many times really showed the strength of the man.
“All the time we spoke over a cup of coffee with his close family, his passion for football shone through. He loved the game and was extremely proud of his country and the North East region.
“I also recall the tribute dinner hosted for Bobby when he wasn’t planning to say more than a few words. In the end he stayed on the stage for a very long time, telling story after story, much to everyone’s amusement.”
Former England manager Glenn Hoddle, who played under Robson at the 1986 World Cup, told Sky Sports News: “It’s devastating. Our feelings and thoughts go out to Bobby’s family. Obviously for everybody in the football world it’s a very, very sad day.
“He’s the closest we’ve come to winning the World Cup since 1966 – that’s how good Bobby was.
“In the 1990 World Cup with a little bit more luck and calmness in the penalty shoot-out, who knows what could have happened? He was right up there behind (1966 World Cup winning manager) Sir Alf Ramsey in that sense.
“You can see how respected he was all around the world. I was absolutely amazed to see, when he went back to Newcastle, the passion he had for continuing at Newcastle when he’d done most jobs he wanted to.”
Former England and Newcastle captain Alan Shearer, like Robson an idol in Newcastle, paid tribute to a “great man”.
“He will be sadly missed by everyone, not just by people in the football world but from all walks of life,” Shearer said. “It’s a very sad day for everyone, especially his family, his close friends and anyone who’s ever worked with him.”
Former England striker Gary Lineker, who played under Robson at the 1986 and 1990 World Cups, said: “He had a tremendous enthusiasm and passion for football and life and continued to retain this right to the last days of his life.”
Former England goalkeeper Ray Clemence, who also played under Robson, said: “He had such honesty and enthusiasm for the game as a player and manager.”
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown paid tribute to Robson and said he would be “sorely missed”.
“I was extremely saddened to hear of the death of Sir Bobby Robson,” Mr Brown said.
“I had the privilege of meeting Bobby on many occasions. He epitomised everything that is great about football in this country.
“His passion, patriotism, dedication and professionalism knew no equal during his time both as a player and a manager.”
Later Friday, Ipswich Town players and fans paid tribute to Robson before their 3-1 friendly win over Spanish visitors Real Valladolid at Portman Road.
Under Robson’s leadership, Ipswich won the FA Cup in 1978 and the UEFA Cup three years later.
The club held a minute’s silence and players wore black armbands, while the club announced all profits from the game would be donated to the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation.
Tributes were also paid to Robson by another of his former clubs, PSV Eindhoven, before the Dutch side took on Bolton at the Jan Louwers Stadium in a match which ended in a 2-2 draw.
LONDON (AFP)
Tags: calmness, cup of coffee, england coach, england manager, england national team, english football, fabio capello, football community, football world, glenn hoddle, great man, remarkable achievement, sad day, sir alf ramsey, sir bobby robson, Sky Sports, sky sports news, wonderful manRelated posts
Confederations Cup defies pessimists but is World Cup on course?
July 1, 2009
So, the Confederations Cup is over and much of the pessimistic handringing beforehand proved unfounded.
Despite some real logistical problems, the general verdict seems to be that the tournament was a success with enthusiastic and colourful crowds and some classy and unpredictable football, not least the United States’ shock semi-final defeat of Spain and a thrilling final where Brazil went 2-0 down to the Americans before storming back to win 3-2 and ensure the football world was not thrown off its axis.
Crucially, South Africa’s own team, Bafana Bafana, did a lot better than many of their own fans had expected. The side suffered a lot of bad press from their terrible pre-competition form — they did not even qualify for next year’s African Nations Cup finals — and Brazilian coach Joel Santana had been treated with scepticism by football writers and fans alike. Even Danny Jordaan, chief executive of the organising committee for next year’s World Cup, expressed concern over their form.
After a slow start, however, South Africa turned in a creditable, if not outstanding performance. They reached the semi-final and held eventual champions Brazil until the 88th minute when they went down to a scorching free kick by Daniel Alves. And in the third place final they pushed European champions Spain into extra time before finally losing 3-2, again to a freekick.
They badly need more strike power and it looks like Santana must make peace with English-based striker Benni McCarthy who was dropped from the team for his apparent lack of commitment. But their performance gave grounds for some optimism.
Bafana Bafana’s Confederations Cup performance was key to the 2010 World Cup because it will encourage local fan participation — a constant worry for the organisers, who expressed concern before this tournament about lack of home enthusiasm.
Nevertheless, there are continuing worries that even the cheapest World Cup tickets are still too expensive for working class South Africans and that they will be unwilling to pay in advance for entrance in a year’s time, something which goes directly against the entrenched local custom of buying tickets on match days.
World Cup matches attended predominantly by foreign fans and restrained, middle class South Africans would be a huge disappointment for the first World Cup held in Africa, where the unique local atmosphere was a major selling point.
That isn’t the only worry in considering what the Confederations Cup tells us about the likely success of next year’s much bigger global competition.
FIFA boss Sepp Blatter gave organisers 7.5 points out of 10 for the Confederations Cup but World Cup veterans said this was nothing to be complacent about, given his likely tendency to talk up the tournament. Even Blatter said South Africa had to do “a little bit more” and FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke was more direct, acknowledging problems with transport, security and accommodation capacity, which is still significantly below what will be required next year.
Security is a particularly sensitive issue, given South Africa’s frightening reputation for violent crime, so it was unfortunate that the Confederations Cup saw alleged thefts from both Egyptian and Brazilian teams, although some of the circumstances remain mirky.
More serious were security lapses in access to stadiums and other areas. Such failures must be cleared up in the time that remains if fans are to follow their teams without constantly looking over their shoulders.
So the Confederations Cup provided both encouragement and warnings. Okay so far, but much more to be done. The next 12 months may be both nerve racking and frenetic for the organisers but we are all still hoping for a reasonably trouble-free football extravaganza with the special atmosphere that only Africa can give it–including those pesky vuvuzela trumpets…
PHOTO: A South African fan at the June 28 Confederations Cup final REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
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Tags: African, african nations cup, apparent lack, benni mccarthy, brazil, confederations cup, daniel alves, Danny Jordaan, Dylan Martinez, european champions, extra time, fan participation, football world, football writers, free kick, freekick, general verdict, Joel Santana, logistical problems, organisers, organising committee, scepticism, Secretary General Jerome Valcke, Sepp Blatter, South Africa, south africans, Spain, United States, WC Qualifying South-Africa, win 3, World CupRelated posts
Two-goal hero Cahill the toast of the Aussies
June 18, 2009
SYDNEY (AFP) – Australia have sent a statement of intent to the rest to the football world ahead of the 2010 World Cup after Tim Cahill’s brace ensured top spot in their group, coach Pim Verbeek said.
The irrepressible Everton midfielder scored two second-half goals as Australia came from behind to beat Japan 2-1 and finish five points clear of their opponents.
Cahill now has an impressive 16 goals in 33 internationals and was the toast of Australian football on Thursday amid talk of emulating or even bettering the Socceroos’ second round performance at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
“Winning is a great statement to the rest of Asia and probably the rest of the world that we can finish a long campaign like this five points ahead,” Verbeek said.
“We didn’t lose a game, we conceded one goal. I think it’s fantastic.
“Our players will try everything they can to do better than at the last World Cup. That will be difficult, but that’s the target.”
Verbeek led the praise for the team’s “lucky charm” Cahill, 29, whose two late goals also sunk Japan in Australia’s 3-1 win in their first match at the 2006 World Cup in Kaiserslautern.
“Timmy is a great player. His first goal was great. It’s fantastic to have a player like him in your team, you know he can always do what he has to do and that’s scoring goals,” he said.
Cahill brushed past the media after Wednesday’s match, seemingly annoyed with last weekend’s headlines alleging a late night drinking spree, a story which was later dismissed as unfounded by Football Federation Australia.
But the morning after Cahill appeared on television and said: “The one thing I do do is let my football do the talking.
“And hopefully last night I justified that I always stay at the top of my game and I justified the fact that I love playing for my country.”
Skipper Lucas Neill said Cahill epitomised the Socceroos’ fighting spirit.
“Timmy came up with an absolute fantastic header and then he defined what he’s all about – the ‘old Timmy two-yard tap-in.’ What a great finish to the game for him, a great campaign for him,” Neill said.
Central defender Neill, who was devastated when he gave away a last-minute penalty that enabled eventual champions Italy to knock Australia out of the last World Cup, said his team would benefit from the experience of playing in the German showpiece.
Goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, who conceded his first goal in eight qualifiers against Japan, said Cahill would be vital for Australia at the World Cup in South Africa.
“He’s a top-class player. He does it for Everton, He does for Australia,” he said. “A fit Timmy Cahill is very vital to our preparation for the World Cup.”
Tags: Asia, Australia, australian football, drinking spree, everton, fighting spirit, five points, football federation australia, football world, Germany, internationals, Italy, Japan, kaiserslautern, Lucas Neill, mark schwarzer, midfielder, Neill, scoring goals, skipper, South Africa, SYDNEY, target, tim cahill, timmy, top of my game, World Cup, world cup in germanyRelated posts
Notts County v Juve in the Champions League? Maybe…
June 5, 2009
Notts County might have been in the wilderness for many years now but they have never been far from the footballing consciousness.
Remember the great Glen Campbell hit of the 1960s “Wichita Lineman” which opens with: “I am a lineman for the county”.
It didn’t take long for wags to change that to: “I am the linesman at Notts County” and I’ve been told that linesman at Meadow Lane have been humming that tune to themselves ever since.
Notts also has the unique distinction of linking Italian giants Juventus, post-war English scoring hero Tommy Lawton and 19th century footballer Harry Cursham, who has scored more goals in the history of the FA Cup than any other player.
But more of that in a moment.
Now fans of Notts, the world’s oldest football league club, have rather more to think about than dwell on their club’s 147 years of under-achievement after hearing some truely astonishing news this week.
For Notts, whose glory days were long, long ago and who finished five places off the bottom of League Two (the fourth division in old money) this season, are about to be taken over by a mega-rich consortium of Middle East businessmen.
They dream of taking them back to the top after decades in the doldrums.
It is an interesting development and shows that it is not just Premier League clubs like Manchester City, Portsmouth and the others attracting overseas owners with millions or billions to invest.
John Armstrong-Holmes, the club’s chairman, says it makes perfect sense to him that overseas investors would want to buy a club and manage it carefully through the divisions rather than by raising debts and paying out millions in interest every year.
Taking the club back to the top might be highly romantic on one hand and appeal to the game’s traditionalists but also shows that perhaps in football, money is ever more increasingly the driving factor for success, even more than talent.
But it wouldn’t be the first time that Notts County have stunned the football world. In November 1947 Lawton, then an England international at the peak of his game, moved from first division Chelsea to third division County for a British record transfer fee of 20,000 pounds ($32,090), helping them win promotion in 1950.
It truely was a sensational transfer at the time.
In the 1880s Cursham could not stop scoring goals for County and his 49 in the FA Cup is a record that has never been beaten.
Meanwhile, Juventus owe their famous black-and-white striped kit to County. Years ago Juve used to play in pink shirts which faded with every wash. An English player at the club had a mate at County who sent him a decent set of black-and-white shirts to use instead. Juve have worn those colours ever since.
Notts County v Juventus in the Champions League come 2015 or 2016? Don’t bet against it. Stranger things have happened in soccer, like County being taken over by a Middle East consortium…
PHOTO: Seen that kit before? Former Juventus midfielder Pavel Nedved celebrates after scoring against Lecce during their Serie A match in Turin May 3, 2009. REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo
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Tags: alessandro garofalo, businessmen, CHELSEA, city portsmouth, doldrums, Don, England, FA Cup, football league club, football world, glen campbell, glory days, Harry Cursham, john armstrong, linesman, manchester city, Meadow Lane, Middle East, Notts County, old money, overseas investors, Pavel Nedved, perfect sense, Portsmouth, premier league, premier league clubs, Serie A, tommy lawton, traditionalists, turin, WAGS, wichita linemanRelated posts
Diego leaves Werder for Juve
May 7, 2009
ROME (AFP) – Brazil playmaker Diego has signed for Juventus from Werder Bremen, according to a report by Italian news agency Ansa on Thursday.
The 24-year-old former Santos and Porto attacking midfielder has signed a four-year deal.
The news was not confirmed by either buying or selling club but Bremen’s managing director Manfred Mueller told German magazine Sport-Bild: “It is well-known that we are in discussions, but some things still need to be straightened out and clarified.”
Diego will cost the Italian giants 25 million euros and will earn 3.5 million euros a year, also according to Ansa.
However Juventus president Giovanni Cobolli Gigli denied a deal had been finalised.
“We are pursuing Diego and we’re going forwards with transfer dealings, that’s for sure,” he said upon arriving at a Football League meeting.
“We hope to tie it up but things haven’t yet been completed.”
However, with Bayern Munich also rumoured to be after the Brazilian’s services, Cobolli admitted it was too early to be chicken counting.
“I don’t know (about Bayern’s interest) but we are in the process of arranging a transfer,” he said.
“However, you (the press) have taught me that in the football world anything can happen as long as nothing has been signed.”
Diego has made 15 appearances for the Selecao and joined Bremen from Porto in 2006.
He has scored 37 times for Werder over three seasons including 11 strikes this season and he is known as a free-kick specialist.
Juve are third in Serie A but have not won in five matches, although they are still in a rebuilding phase having lost most of their best players when they were relegated to Serie B in 2006 for match-fixing.
Tags: Bayern, bayern munich, brazil, Bremen, Bundesliga, Diego, football league, football world, forwards, free kick, german magazine, gigli, Giovanni Cobolli, italian news agency, juve, juventus, magazine sport, managing director, Manfred Mueller, midfielder, playmaker, PORTO, ROME, Santos, selecao, Serie A, sport bild, three seasons, werder bremenRelated posts
Napoli to donate match funds to quake victims
April 8, 2009
ROME (AFP) – Serie A club Napoli will donate the proceeds from their next home match against Atalanta on Saturday to the victims of the L’Aquila earthquake.
Catania and Siena followed up that announcement by saying they would do likewise following their next home matches on April 19 against Sampdoria and Chievo respectively.
The latest death toll stands at 179 people while thousands have been left homeless after their houses collapsed during the earthquake in the Abruzzo region which struck in the early hours of Monday morning and measured 6.2 on the Richter scale.
“President Aurelio De Laurentiis, who has been profoundly touched by the human tragedy, has decided, as an act of solidarity, to give the takings from the Napoli-Atalanta match to the families of victims of the earthquake in Abruzzo,” said a brief statement from Napoli.
The Italian Football Federation (Figc) announced that all players in the top two divisions would wear black armbands and observe a minute’s silence during this weekend’s matches.
They also called off all amateur football in the Abruzzo region this week and suspended the tour of the World Cup trophy, which was due to arrive soon in Abruzzo.
“This is a tragedy that has hit the whole country. The football world is a popular one which must bow it’s head as a mark of respect,” said Figc president Giancarlo Abete.
“We share the pain of the families of the victims, Italian football won’t fail to show its solidarity with the population affected by this tragedy.”
A minute’s silence will be observed and black armbands worn for Udinese’s UEFA Cup clash against Werder Bremen on Thursday as well.
Serie A team Fiorentina, who have an official supporters’ club in L’Aquila, have also vowed to help those affected by the earthquake.
Their defender Luciano Zauri said he would organise some kind of benefit for the victims but said he needed more time to iron out the details before giving away any more than that.
Written by: AFP
Tags: abruzzo region, amateur football, atalanta, aurelio de laurentiis, black armbands, Bremen, catania, cup clash, football world, home match, home matches, human tragedy, italian football federation, luciano zauri, napoli, official supporters club, President Aurelio, quake victims, richter scale, ROME, Serie A, Siena, UEFA Cup, werder bremen, world cup trophyRelated posts
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