Czech midfielder Rajnoch joins Ankaragucu

February 1, 2010

Czech defensive midfielder Jan Rajnoch is moving from FK Mlada Boleslav to Turkey’s Ankaragucu, the Czech top-flight club announced on their website on Monday.

The 28-year-old Rajnoch, capped four times, has signed a three-and-a-half-year deal. The price was not disclosed.

This is Rajnoch’s second contract abroad after he spent last spring on loan at German Bundesliga side Energie Cottbus.

English Championship side Newcastle revealed on Monday that Ankaragucu have also signed their Cameroon international midfielder Geremi on an 18-month deal.

PRAGUE (AFP)

Tags: AFP, ankaragucu, Boleslav, Bundesliga, cameroon, contract, Cottbus, deal, defensive midfielder, energie cottbus, fk mlada boleslav, flight club, geremi, half year, Jan Rajnoch, last spring, Mlada, Monday, NEWCASTLE, PRAGUE, price, top flight, Turkey

Totti set for another knee op

October 27, 2009

AS Roma captain Francesco Totti is to have surgery on his right knee, which was already operated on only 18 months ago, according to Italian media reports.

The 33-year-old previously suffered a ruptured cruciate ligament in his right knee a year and a half ago but following training on Monday he went to see the club doctor when it was decided that he would need surgery.

No details were given about when that would happen nor how long he would be on the sidelines.

Totti has been in good goalscoring form for Roma this season but has been injured for their last two matches, both of which they lost.

ROME (AFP)

Tags: captain Francesco Totti, cruciate, doctor, francesco totti, italian media, Monday, Roma, ROME, ruptured cruciate ligament, sidelines, training

Swaziland´s only stadium torn apart for lucky charms

June 8, 2009

LOBAMBA, Swaziland (AFP) – The artificial turf at Swaziland’s only football stadium has been ripped apart by players who planted magic charms known as “muti” under the field, officials said on Monday.

Traditional rituals meant to help teams win their games saw the 600,000-dollar turf ripped up over the last month so the muti could be planted underneath, with the damage especially bad by the goals and at centrefield.

Government sports officer Sipho Magagula said the government might consider banning the team suspected of most of the damage at Somhlolo National Stadium on the outskirts of the capital Mbabane.

“This turf is hardly a year old,” Magagula told AFP. “Maybe we have to consider banning one big team because whenever that team would be playing at the stadium something strange would happen at the stadium.”

Sports Minister Hlobsile Ndlovu has filed a formal criminal complaint over the damage, according to local media. Police say they are investigating.

Tags: artificial turf, criminal complaint, field officials, football stadium, games, LOBAMBA, local media, lucky charms, magic charms, Mbabane, Minister, Monday, muti, ndlovu, outskirts, Sipho, Somhlolo, stadium sports, Swaziland, traditional rituals, World Cup

Seoul refutes N.Korea´s food-poisoning claims

April 6, 2009

SEOUL (AFP) – South Korean football officials on Monday ridiculed North Korean claims that its footballers were poisoned by Seoul before losing a World Cup qualifier last week.

“The North’s claims are groundless,” Park Il-Ki, a Korea Football Association (KFA) official, told AFP.

“The North’s team stayed at a hotel they chose during the game in Seoul. They had only food that their team doctor checked out. Their claims are really far-fetched. How can we be responsible?”

The North’s football body on Sunday accused Seoul of poisoning northern players who lost the April 1 match 1-0. The South’s victory puts it in the driving seat in Asian Group B.

North Korea before the game asked for a postponement, saying three players had fallen ill because of the food they had been served.

World football governing body FIFA ordered that the game go ahead as scheduled.

In Sunday’s statement, the North urged FIFA to review the match.

It said the food poisoning “was a product of a deliberate act perpetrated by adulterated foodstuff” and also blasted the Omani chief referee for disallowing a goal by the North Koreans.

“The match… turned into a theatre of plot-breeding and swindling,” the statement said.

Park said the KFA decided not to issue any statement in reply because such individual tit-for-tat responses do not conform to FIFA rules.

Kim Joo-Sung, the KFA’s international affairs department chief, told Yonhap news agency that matters related to hotels or food are the responsibility of the visiting team.

As to the dispute over the goal, Kim added: “North Korea can lodge an objection with FIFA and wait for a decision.”

The North’s statement came as the rest of the world was preoccupied with its controversial long-range rocket launch.

It took aim at South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak, who is reviled by the North for his firmer line on cross-border relations.

“It is as clear as noonday that it (the conduct of the match) was a product of the Lee Myung-Bak group’s moves for confrontation with the DPRK (North) and a deliberate behaviour bred by the unsavoury forces instigated by it,” the statement said.

Written by: AFP

Tags: 1 match 1, asian group, B., chief referee, deliberate act, department chief, driving seat, foodstuff, football officials, footballers, international affairs department, kfa, Kim, Kim Joo-, Lee Myung-, Monday, N.Korea, noonday, North Korea, north koreans, president lee, rocket launch, seoul, south korean president, Sung, team doctor, World Cup, world cup qualifier, world football

Cambiasso extends Inter contract to 2014

March 24, 2009

ROME (AFP) – Argentinian defensive midfielder Esteban Cambiasso has extended his contract with Inter Milan until 2014, the Italian league leaders announced Monday.

Cambiasso, 28, arrived at Inter in 2004 after two years at Real Madrid.

This season, he has played 26 matches (2 goals) in Serie A and eight in the Champions League.

Written by: AFP

Tags: cambiasso, Champions, champions league, defensive midfielder, Esteban Cambiasso, inter milan, italian league, league leaders, MADRID, Monday, nbsp, real madrid, ROME, season, Serie, Serie A

Roberto Carlos mulling Real return

March 17, 2009

MADRID (AFP) – Brazilian defender Roberto Carlos says he is ready to move back to Real Madrid from Turkish side Fenerbahce if the Spanish club’s former president Florentino Perez returns.

"If Florentino comes and says ‘Roberto, come back’, I will have to think about it and talk about it. I have never said I won’t come back," he told Spain’s Cope radio late Monday.

The 35-year-old played for Real from 1996 until 2007, when he joined Turkish giants Fenerbahce on a two-year deal.

Real "is the team of my life and I would be lying if I said that I don’t want to go back, but we must wait and see the people who come back with Florentino and what their plans are," he said.

Florentino Perez was president of Real from 2000 to 2006, during which time he brought in several big name players such as Luis Figo, David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo.

Real is to elect a new president this summer.

Written by: AFP

Tags: David Beckham, deal, Defender, fenerbahce, Florentino, florentino perez, former president, giants, LA Liga, luis figo, MADRID, Monday, name, new president, Perez, radio, Real, real madrid, return, Roberto, roberto carlos, ronaldo, Spain, spanish club, team, time, Turkcell Süper Lig, turkish side, Zidane, Zinedine, zinedine zidane

Arsenal’s Eduardo out for another two weeks

February 20, 2009

Arsenal striker Eduardo is out for another two weeks after suffering a hamstring injury in his side’s FA Cup clash with Cardiff on Monday.

Eduardo, who had been sidelined nine months with a broken leg, celebrated his comeback with two goals but was injured two minutes before being subbed off by Arsene Wenger.

"Nobody knows how it happened but I knew straight away after the game it would be a two-week job," said Wenger. "It is nothing like he had before but I do know that little set-backs like this are part of being nine months out."

Written by: Jonathan Roorda

Tags: arsenal, Arsene, broken leg, cardiff, cup clash, Eduardo, English Premier League, FA Cup, game, job, jonathan, Jonathan Roorda, Monday, nine months, nothing, quot, set backs, striker, two minutes

The Leather Dress Yey or Neh??!

February 18, 2009

We’ve had the leather leggings, now it’s the turn of the leather dress but will you be trying this look??

UK Film Premiere: Confessions Of A Shopaholic - Inside Arrivals

Liz McLarnon, the queen of red carpet events attended the ‘Confessions of a Shopaholic’ premiere on Monday night wearing a dress of the leather variety.

And we have to say she totally pulled it off, teaming the black leather dress with some nude heels Liz looked fab.

Of course us mere mortals should be a little more wary of trying out this dress, as it will probably only look good on those with a petite figure… But I like the dress a lot more than the idea of it!

Just wondering: Anyone know what Liz McLarnon actually does for a living now, surely she can’t make enough money to live on just going to premieres can she??

Go to Source

Tags: anyone, black leather, confessions, course, enough money, fab, hellip, leather dress, leather leggings, liz mclarnon, make, mere mortals, Monday, monday night, nbsp, neh, petite figure, premieres, queen, red carpet, Shopaholic, variety, WAGS, yey

Messi and Ronaldo divide fans

January 7, 2009

ZURICH (SW) – The FIFA World Player of the Year Award could really go two ways as Argentinian Lionel Messi and Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo divide fans.

A poll conducted by FIFA.com shows that 39.4 percent of voters would like to see the award go to FC Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, but another 39.0 percent picks Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United instead.

Brazilian Kaka (Milan) is third choice with 11.4 percent of the votes, followed by Fernando Torres and Euro 2008 MVP Xavi.

The winner of the award will be announced at a special gala in Zürich (Switzerland) on Monday.

Written by: Jonathan Roorda

Tags: Barcelona, Cristiano, euro 2008, Fernando Torres, FIFA, fifa world player, fifa world player of the year, fifa world player of the year award, jonathan, Jonathan Roorda, lionel messi, Manchester, manchester united, Milan, Monday, mvp, poll, portuguese, ronaldo, roorda, Switzerland, third choice, two ways, world player of the year, xavi, ZURICH

Israel postpones matches

January 1, 2009

Israel postponed all soccer games Wednesday, two days after a missile fired by Hamas militants hit a team’s field just before practice.

Minutes before the players of the third-division team were about to begin training at Hapoel Ashkelon’s stadium Monday a rocket exploded in the penalty area. The postponement was made by Israel’s Football Association.

Israel began a military campaign against Hamas five days ago in response to rocket attacks launched at Israeli towns from the Gaza Strip. About 380 Palestinians and four Israelis have been killed. One person was killed when Hamas fired a rocket on Ashkelon this week.

Written by: Dave Cohen