Brazilian duo extend deals at Bordeaux

February 2, 2010

Brazilian midfielders Fernando Menegazzo and Jussie have extended their current deals with French league champions Bordeaux, the club said on Tuesday.

Fernando had been courted by several Italian clubs, including Genoa, during the close season, but he has negotiated a three-year extension and will now stay in south-west France until 2014.

Jussie, formerly of Cruzeiro and Japanese side Kashiwa Reysol, agreed a four-year extension that will see him stay with Laurent Blanc’s side until 2015.

BORDEAUX, France (AFP)

Tags: Bordeaux, bordeaux france, Fernando, Fernando Menegazzo, France, french league, genoa, italian clubs, japanese side, laurent blanc, league champions, midfielders, south west france, west France

Japan on top in AFC Champions League

April 22, 2009

SINGAPORE (AFP) – Japan remains firmly on track to have four teams in the last 16 of the AFC Champions League after decisive victories Wednesday for Kashima Antlers and Nagoya Grampus.

The Antlers thrashed Singapore Armed Forces 5-0 at home while Nagoya grabbed a valuable three points with a 1-0 win over Newcastle Jets in Australia.

Defending champions Gamba Osaka and fellow Japanese side Kawasaki Frontale are already through to the knockout rounds — the only two teams qualified so far — as the J-League once again proves its credentials in Asian football.

Kashima now have nine points in Group G, level with Korean giants Suwon Bluewings who won their crucial clash with Chinese heavyweights Shanghai Shenhua 2-1.

Two quick goals just before the break from Suwon’s Lee Sang-Ho and Bae Ki-Jong cancelled out Yanko Valkanov’s 12th minute strike for Shenhua, leaving the Chinese team on six points and facing a must-win trip to Kashima on May 5.

Nagoya tightened their grip on Group E with a Yoshizumi Ogawa goal, leaving them unbeaten and well placed to advance on eight points, four ahead of Beijing Guoan who play Ulsan Hyundai later Wednesday.

Newcastle remain on four points.

Ogawa netted the winner in the 56th minute with a piece of neat finishing after he controlled a cross from winger Keita Sugimoto to drill home past Newcastle goalkeeper Ben Kennedy.

The Jets could have forced a draw but substitute striker Sasho Petrovski spurned a penalty attempt 12 minutes from time.

Kashima, meanwhile, adopted an aggressive three-forward system against the defensive Armed Forces, with Brazilian Marquinhos, Shinzo Koroki and Yuya Osako proving a formidable trio.

They got their opener on 28 minutes through a Takuya Nozawa header — the club’s 1,500th goal since its inception.

Koroki added a second seven minutes before the break and Mitsuo Ogasawara put the game beyond reach with a third early in the second half.

Osako bagged the fourth in the 54th minute and Koroki completed his brace with a powerful left-foot drive with 16 minutes left.

In west Asia, Uzbek powerhouse Pakhtakor and Al Ittihad, Saudi Arabia?s newly crowned champions, both have home matches as they bid to strengthen their positions at the top of Group A and Group C respectively.

Pakhtakor, who have seven points, host Saba Battery in Tashkent while Al Hilal play Al Ahli in Dubai. Hilal are on five points, Saba Battery have two and Ahli have one.

Al Ittihad, on seven points, host UAE’s Al Jazira who are five points behind them.

In the other group game, Umm Salal of Qatar visit the intimidating Azadi Stadium in Tehran to play Esteghlal, who are desperate for a win after picking up only one point so far.

Tags: afc champions league, Al Ahli, Al Hilal, Al-Ittihad, asian football, Australia, azadi stadium, Bae, Beijing, beijing guoan, Ben Kennedy, chinese team, decisive victories, Dubai, heavyweights, j league, Japan, japanese side, kashima antlers, kawasaki frontale, Lee Sang-, marquinhos, nagoya grampus, petrovski, Saba Battery, saudi arabia, Shanghai, shanghai shenhua, SINGAPORE, singapore armed forces, suwon bluewings, takuya, Tashkent, Tehran, UAE, UEFA Champions League, ulsan hyundai, west asia, yoshizumi, yuya

Extremists could target English sides, Wenger tells paper

March 8, 2009

LONDON (AFP) – Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger raised the prospect of English football becoming a target of violent extremism, adding his team had already faced security alerts in comments published on Sunday.

Wenger spoke in the wake of the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team which left eight people dead as they travelled to a Test match in Lahore, Pakistan last week.

"It has happened to us, where we have had alerts before games that we played at home," Wenger told the Sunday Telegraph newspaper.

"We kept quiet about it. I wonder about this because in England, you don’t get any police escort before games — they refuse, especially in London.

"We (the world of football) don’t regard ourselves as terror targets but you wonder why not."

Arsenal does not employ private security, unlike teams like Manchester United, the paper said, adding that Wenger thought this was the responsibility of the state.

"You rely on the internal security of the country where you are," he said.

He added that he had previously experienced security worries when he was manager of Japanese side Nagoya Grampus in the mid-1990s.

"I remember when I was in Japan, I had this problem as well because we had at that stage somebody who had all the machinery and they put sarin gas into the subway."

Wenger also expressed concern that tournaments like the World Cup and European Championships could be targeted, the paper said.

Written by: AFP

Tags: AFP, arsenal, England, english football, English Premier League, extremists, internal security, Japan, japanese side, Lahore, lahore pakistan, london, Manchester, manchester united, mid 1990s, Nagoya, nagoya grampus, Pakistan, police escort, private security, security worries, sri lankan cricket, sri lankan cricket team, sunday telegraph, target, test match, violent extremism, World Cup, world of football

Zico set to take over at CSKA Moscow

January 10, 2009

MOSCOW (SW) – Brazilian manager Zico is about to add yet another adventure to his career, as he is ready to sign a deal with Russian giants CSKA Moscow.

Zico is to replace Valery Gazzaev, who recently resigned from his position.

The 55-year-old Brazilian has a rather exotic resume, having coached Japanese side Kashima Antlers before taking the reigns at the country’s national team. In 2006, Zico moved to Fenerbahce and in September 2008 he tried his luck at Uzbek side Bunyodkor, whom he recently led to a domestic league title.

"I expect to sign," Zico told Brazilian newspaper O Globo. "But there are still a few small things that need to be solved."

CSKA have been going through one of their best spells in history. Under Gazzaev, the Muscovites won three national championships and the UEFA Cup in 2005.

Written by: Jonathan Roorda