Vieira claims Manchester City move
January 7, 2010
Patrick Vieira is on the brink of moving to Manchester City. The Internazionale midfielder is set to sign a contract with the Citizens on Thursday or Friday.
Vieira wants to boost his chances for a World Cup spot at City, where he hopes to receive more playing time than he got at Inter.
“I spent three wonderful years at Inter, but I want to play at the World Cup and it’s not possible if I stay here,” Vieira told Infosport.
“At Inter, I am not the first choice of (coach) Jose Mourinho. I accept it.
“But, this year, the important thing for me is to go to Manchester to show that I am the same level as when I played at Inter with Mancini.”
Mourinho had previously said he expected Vieira to leave, praising his professionalism but admitting that the 33-year-old Senegal-born was not in his plans.
Tags: brink, citizens, CITY, city move, coach, first choice, Jose, Manchester, manchester city, mancini, midfielder, patrick vieira, playing time, professionalism, Senegal, spent three, world cup spotRelated posts
Spain sitting pretty after World Cup draw
December 5, 2009
European champions Spain, favourites for the World Cup, will have a firm eye on potential opponents in the last 16 after being drawn with Honduras, Chile and Switzerland in Group H.
The Spanish, whose best World Cup performance was a fourth-place finish in 1950, will be making their 12th tournament appearance and have never lost to any of their three group rivals.
And the trio will likely suffer should Spain’s exemplary qualifying prowess continue.
Spain, along with the Netherlands, were one of only two teams to qualify from the European zone unbeaten, notching up 10 wins, scoring 28 goals and conceding just five in the process.
The team’s success has been based on quality and balance throughout a side dripping class.
Captain Iker Casillas is one of the world’s finest goalkeepers, while Xavi is vital to Spain’s fluid one-touch style with his inch-perfect passing and vision. Up front, Europe boasts no finer finishers than David Villa and Fernando Torres.
Rafael Callejas, head of the Honduran football federation, said much preparation lay ahead for his team, ranked 38th in the FIFA standings and set for only their second World Cup participation after their 1982 appearance when they went out in the first round.
“We face very high level teams in Spain, Switzerland and Chile,” he said. “Honduras must prepare itself very well.”
Honduras reached the finals in dramatic fashion thanks to a last-second equaliser in the USA’s clash with Costa Rica, and will look to the professionalism of Colombian coach Reinaldo Rueda and evergreen striker Carlos Pavon to guide them through their pool campaign.
Fellow Hispanophones Chile, ranked 17th by FIFA and boasting the youngest average age of all the South American teams, make a return to the World Cup after a 12-year absence.
Coached by Argentinian veteran Marcelo Bielsa, Chile qualified behind Brazil in the South American zone with their steely resolve mirrored in an impressive away record.
Making up Group H are Switzerland, who reached the last 16 in 2006 before falling on penalties to Ukraine. They overcame a shocking 2-1 defeat to minnows Luxembourg to top their pool in European qualification.
The team, now coached by German Ottmar Hitzfeld, features a healthy blend of youth and experience, combining talented younger players such as Eren Derdiyok, Tranquillo Barnetta and keeper Diego Benaglio with seasoned campaigners like Alexander Frei and Blaise N’Kufo.
CAPE TOWN (AFP)
Tags: alexander frei, american zone, cape town, Carlos Pavon, Chile, class captain, Costa Rica, DAVID VILLA, diego benaglio, dramatic fashion, equaliser, Europe, european champions, european zone, Fernando Torres, fifa standings, football federation, goalkeepers, H. The, Honduras, iker casillas, luxembourg, ottmar hitzfeld, professionalism, prowess, rafael callejas, reinaldo rueda, rueda, South American, Spain, striker, Switzerland, the Netherlands, ukraine, USA, world cup performance, xaviRelated posts
Football mourns loss of a great talent and a modest man
November 11, 2009
Robert Enke had none of the extrovert qualities associated with the great goalkeepers in German football folklore, larger than life figures such as Sepp Maier and Oliver Kahn.
He didn’t quite achieve greatness on the pitch but this modest man will be certainly be remembered as a great talent, who at the time of his death was the best of an outstanding group of German keepers.
Enke, who has committed suicide at the age of 32, would likely have been the man chosen to keep goal for Germany at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and he may have fulfilled the exceptional potential he showed from early on.
That he had even made it into the Germany squad was testament to his character and professionalism.
Enke had to struggle to get his career back on track after a disappointing spell at Barcelona in the 1990s. After an excellent spell at Benfica, he was never able to make an impact at the Nou Camp, with his career there effectively cut short by a single poor performance in a Cup game.
He moved on to Fenerbahce and dropped down to the Spanish second tier with Tenerife before he fought his way back into the top flight in 2004, back in Germany with Hanover. He eventually won the first of his eight German caps in 2007, eight years after being called up to the squad for the first time. It was a promotion that was long overdue in the eyes of most fans and players.
By then, as is well known, his life had been marked by tragedy, with the death of his two-year-old daughter in 2006 because of a heart problem.
The death touched people in Germany, and he was widely admired for the way he dealt with it. It helps explain why people have been so moved by his suicide, which came, according to his wife and doctor, after he battled depression for years.
“I can hardly breathe,” said Hamburg captain David Jarolim. “This is a real tragedy: first his daughter and then this.”
A lot of us will have felt the same way on hearing news that is just so terribly sad.
PHOTO: Supporters of Germany’s national goalkeeper Robert Enke stand in silence outside the headquarters of his club Hanover 96, November 11, 2009. REUTERS/Christian Charisius
Tags: Barcelona, benfica, captain david, captain David Jarolim, Christian Charisius, cup game, extrovert, fenerbahce, Germany, germany squad, goalkeepers, greatness, Hamburg, Hanover, heart problem, larger than life, modest man, nou camp, oliver kahn, poor performance, professionalism, robert enke, sepp maier, South Africa, Tenerife, top flightRelated posts
Fergie hails evergreen Giggs as model pro
September 26, 2009
Sir Alex Ferguson has paid tribute to the professionalism that has enabled Ryan Giggs to produce some of the best football of his career at the age of 35.
The Welsh winger has been Manchester United’s outstanding performer this season with match-winning performances against both Tottenham and Manchester City in recent weeks.
Against City, Giggs created three of United’s goals, including the stoppage time winner that Michael Owen converted to seal a 4-3 win, while his stunning free-kick against Spurs — his 99th Premier League goal for United — means he has scored in every season since the league was launched in 1992.
With nothing left to achieve in the domestic game, Giggs could be excused for taking things easy, yet his hunger and desire are as great as ever and Ferguson recognises that he will be a hard player to replace when he does finally call it a day.
“The horrible part of being a footballer is that at some stage you are finished with the game – it catches us all,” Ferguson said.
“When someone like Ryan is playing at the level he is at, he realises to stay there, he has to prepare himself in the right way.
“He has to look after himself and do the right things.”
Ferguson added: “It is not a matter of him defying his age. It is more a case that there is no discernable deterioration in his game at all. It is remarkable.
“I don’t know what else there is to say about him! His form is just the same as it was last season.
“He has never carried any weight. He has always been a slim athlete. That helps too. Physique has a lot to do with it.”
Ferguson, meanwhile, has blasted the media for trying to inflame his relationship with Manchester City manager Mark Hughes in the wake of last weekend’s controversial derby at Old Trafford.
Ferguson has been desperate to put last week’s events behind him as the fall-out from United’s stunning 4-3 win continues.
Now he has leapt to the defence of Hughes and insisted the media tried to lure him into saying something he didn’t want to.
“As normal you built it up to such a state,” he said. “I watched the press conference Mark Hughes was in and I think he did fantastic because some of your questions were a disgrace.
“That?s all I can say. You tried to lead him into all sorts of controversy and I think the boy did well. I think Mark Hughes did very well in that press conference last week and I think you’ve had enough.
“We move on now, we’ve got games right until the end of the season. You can start all your stuff again when we play them (City) next time, but at the moment I think it?s best left alone. I watched the press conference and you tried to lead him into controversy all the time.”
MANCHESTER, England (AFP)
Tags: best football, CITY, deterioration, domestic game, England, footballer, free kick, league goal, Manchester, manchester city, manchester united, Mark Hughes, michael owen, old trafford, premier league, professionalism, recognises, Ryan, ryan giggs, sir alex ferguson, stoppage time, time winner, tottenham, wingerRelated posts
Jeers and loathing in Los Angeles for Beckham
July 20, 2009
He was supposed to be the man who would take soccer in the United States to the next level yet David Beckham is in danger of becoming an embarrassing liability to the game in the country.
On a weekend when 65,000 people turned out for a friendly match in Seattle, 82,000 watched a Gold Cup game in Dallas and the U.S. national team continued their impressive form with another victory, the soccer news was all about Beckham being booed by his own fans.
The fans wrote their own headlines — “Go Home Fraud” read one bluntly worded banner draped over a section of the Galaxy stadium while another made the point in a more eloquent manner: “Hey Becks, here before you, here after you, here despite you”.
American soccer fans were not supposed to be following L.A Galaxy despite Beckham — the plan was they would fall in love with the team because of the celebrity midfielder.
A significant section of the L.A. fans have turned against Beckham for one simple reason — he turned his back on them.
Beckham’s decision to spend the Major League Soccer (MLS) off-season, from January to March, playing on loan for AC Milan in Italy, was grudgingly accepted at the time it was announced. When he decided to stay until the end of the Serie A season and so miss the first half of the MLS campaign it was a different matter.
Sports pundit Jay Mariotti, a regular on radio and television sports talk shows, wrote on Monday: “Beckham came here two years ago intending to lift Major League Soccer to unprecedented heights, but when he abruptly abandoned his stated mission in January for more prestigious duty in his native Europe, his purported goal became phony and rather pathetic.”
Perhaps, the 34-year-old could have patched up things with his fans, and other supporters of the game in the U.S, if he had returned and apologised for letting them down.
Instead Beckham, whose professionalism and commitment had been questioned by his team mate Landon Donovan, in a new book, thought that making up with Donovan would be enough of a gesture. It clearly was not.
LOAN DEAL
On his return, Beckham could have told the L.A fans: “I am sorry for letting you and the team down but I really felt I needed to finish the season in Italy. Now though I am back with you and 100 percent committed to this club”.
He could not say that, however, as he is already eyeing another six-month loan deal to Europe, perhaps to Milan, perhaps to an English team.
“At the moment all I’m concentrating on is being part of this team (L.A) and being successful with this team. Once the season is over, then I will decide and decide what I do from then on,” he said last week.
It is hardly the kind of talk to convince fans he really cares about the long-term future of their team.
What is occupying Beckham’s mind is the need to keep himself in the good books of England manager Fabio Capello, who the midfielder says wants to see him playing in Europe before next year’s World Cup in South Africa.
“Leading up to the World Cup, the England manager has made it very clear to me that I need to be playing at a European level,” he told reporters last week. “So I will do everything possible… I’ll always regret it if I didn’t do everything and to give myself a chance to be involved in that.”
The puzzling aspect is why, if Beckham’s number one priority is playing for England in the World Cup, he chose to come and play in Major League Soccer at all?
Perhaps it was the appointment of Capello that changed things — in which case, why has Beckham not sought a permanent transfer away from Galaxy to a club in Europe?
Major League Soccer faces a tough task in establishing its credibility among sports fans in the United States as a serious professional league and Beckham, rather than showing this is a league that attracts quality foreign players, is merely adding to the belief of some that MLS is not something to be taken too seriously.
There was one positive for MLS that came out of Sunday’s anti-Beckham protests: the Galaxy fans showed the world that they are not star-struck kids in awe of the celebrity Beckham but are as passionate, loyal — and as rude — as fans anywhere else in the world.
Fans of Manchester United or Real Madrid would not put up with one of their top players spending half the season with another team in another league and Galaxy supporters showed they do not accept such an arrangement either.
Boos and protests, while headline grabbing, are not good for any team or any league. The question now is how long Beckham, Galaxy and the MLS are prepared to let the situation continue.
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Tags: ac milan, american soccer, cup game, David Beckham, fraud, friendly match, gold cup, jay mariotti, l a galaxy, landon donovan, Major League Soccer, MLS, professionalism, soccer fans, soccer news, sports talk, team mate, television sports, unprecedented heightsRelated posts
Beckham fires back at “unprofessional” Donovan
July 12, 2009
England star midfielder David Beckham ripped Los Angeles Galaxy teammate Landon Donovan as unprofessional ahead of his return to the Major League Soccer squad on Monday.
US star Donovan criticized Beckham as stingy, selfish and a poor captain in book excerpts published last week in Sports Illustrated, with Beckham answering Saturday that Donovan should have come to him with the complaints first.
“It’s unprofessional in my eyes,” Beckham said. “In every soccer player’s eyes throughout the world it would be unprofessional to speak out about a teammate, especially in the press, and not to your face.
“But I’m going to turn it on a positive spin because that’s what this needs. In 17 years, I have played with the biggest teams in the world and the biggest players and not once have I been criticized for my professionalism.”
Beckham rejoins the Galaxy for practice on Monday ahead of his return match Thursday in New York and a home exhibition July 19 against AC Milan, the team for which Beckham was loaned for five months during the Italian season.
“It’s important to get this cleared up and I will be speaking to Landon… over the next couple of days,” Beckham said. “Me and Landon will talk, but that will be a private conversation.”
Donovan told the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday that he wished he had spoken to Beckham rather than reveal his feelings to a reporter.
“I’m not going to apologize for the way I felt,” Donovan said. “What I feel badly about is that I should have been a man and told David how I felt as opposed to telling a reporter.
“Obviously, the lesson I learned is that it’s not something that needs to be public. It’s something we need to figure out within the team and it will get solved.”
Beckham said he does not see any problem in working with Donovan, whose finishes would be vital to Beckham’s precision centering kicks.
“I’m personally very professional when I am on the field,” Beckham said. “I don’t care what people say about me off the field Once I’m on the field I’m professional and if there is a chance for him to score, I’ll be giving him the ball.”
The book, “The Beckham Experiment”, hits shelves on Tuesday. Beckham said that he will not be among those reading it.
“This is an unofficial book that I have not participated in,” Beckham said. “I haven’t sat down one to one or spoken about the book so there is not comment where I have sat down with the journalist. There are many unofficial books that have been published about me, so this is just another one on the shelf.”
Donovan said that reading the book would provide a better context for his criticism.
“What you don’t get from reading a few excerpts and what you do get from reading the whole book is that we all want David to be here, we all want him to succeed, and he wants to succeed,” Donovan said.
“Something happened at some point last year where a switch went off, and that’s what I want to talk to him about, and we’ll figure that out man to man.
“I think David’s going to come back and play well regardless of what happens. I think he’s motivated. I think he seems like he’s rejuvenated and he’s excited to come back.”
Beckham could buy his way out of his US contract after the MLS season but said he would seek a loan to AC Milan again if need be so he could be fully prepared to play his best for England in next year’s World Cup in South Africa.
“To be involved in the World Cup and to be involved with this England squad, I have to give myself the chance to be at that top level,” Beckham said.
“I’ll do that personally and anything to do that. It’s just saying that for the moment, this is what I need to do. It doesn’t mean I’m running away from a project I believe in.”
Beckham hopes to help the Galaxy improve from their fifth-place standing in the Western Conference and reach the playoffs after missing them for the past three seasons.
“That’s the important part. Now we want to move forward,” said Beckham, who expects little trouble adjusting to his MLS return.
“It isn’t going to be difficult because we’ve got talent on our team,” he said. “It’s just about confidence. It will be different coming back, but I don’t see any problems.”
Beckham arrived in Los Angeles late Friday and stayed awake until 5 in the morning to visit with wife Victoria, his first visit with his family in six months.
On Saturday, Beckham and French legend Zinedane Zidane played with youth in a ceremony to launch a program to create youth football fields.
LOS ANGELES (AFP)
Tags: 17 years, ac milan, book excerpts, couple of days, David, David Beckham, Donovan, England, england star, English Premier League, five months, home exhibition, italian season, Landon, landon donovan, Los Angeles, los angeles galaxy, los angeles times, Major League Soccer, midfielder david beckham, Milan, MLS, New York, private conversation, professionalism, return match, soccer player, soccer squad, South Africa, teammate, U.S., Victoria, Western Conference, World CupRelated posts
AFC lauds 1 mln spectators for flagship tournament
May 25, 2009
SINGAPORE (AFP) – The Asian Football Confederation said its flagship club competition, the AFC Champions League, attracted more than one million spectators during the group stages — a new record.
A total of 1,037,702 fans packed stadiums across Asia to watch 94 group phase encounters as 32 teams slugged it out to make the round of 16.
This year?s milestone overhauled the numbers achieved in the five previous editions of the competition.
“The numbers show that Asian teams are popular in the continent and their game has attained the professionalism required in this modern era,” said AFC president Mohamed bin Hammam.
“I hope that the knockout stages of the competition will throw up interesting battles and the spectators will keep going to the stadiums to cheer their favourite teams.”
The round of 16 kicks off on Wednesday with west zone matches. East zone matches are played on June 24.
The tournament has been expanded this year from 28 to 32 teams with stricter participation criteria imposed in an effort to raise the level of play.
At stake is 20 million dollars in prizemoney, dwarfing the four million available for the 2008 event as the AFC looks to push the competition to another level.
Tags: 20 million dollars, afc champions league, Asia, asian football confederation, asian teams, CAF Champions League, club competition, flagship, group phase, group stages, hammam, june 24, knockout stages, milestone, mohamed, one million, participation criteria, president mohamed, previous editions, professionalism, SINGAPORE, spectators, stadiums, west zoneRelated posts
Barcelona frustration at textbook Chelsea display
April 29, 2009
Chelsea will feel they are within touching distance of the Champions League final after holding Barcelona to a goalless draw a the Nou Camp in the first leg of their semi-final.
The Chelsea performance oozed professionalism, with Guus Hiddink’s players showing terrific resilience to leave Barca coach Pep Guardiola bemoaning Chelsea tactics and the performance of the referee.
“Five or six players in defence, a lot of players back, physically very strong,” said Guardiola. We tried to attack, we created chances and we presented a good image to people around the world but playing football is always difficult when one side doesn’t want to.”
Neutrals may have some sympathy for Guardiola, but Hiddink would be entitled to look at those comments as evidence that his team did just about everything right.
There were no gifts of the sort they enjoyed in the quarter-final against Liverpool, hence no away goal, but they will go into the second leg at Stamford Bridge with no fear … and against Barcelona that’s half the battle.
What do you think? Are we looking at another all-English final?
PHOTO: Guardiola shakes hands with Hiddink at the Nou Camp, April 28, 2009. REUTERS/Toby Melville
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Tags: Barcelona, Camp, champions league, CHELSEA, coach, English, fear, football, frustration, guus, guus hiddink, half the battle, hiddink, Liverpool, melville, nou camp, pep guardiola, Photo, professionalism, referee, resilience, reuters, stamford bridge, sympathy, textbook, Toby Melville, UEFA Champions LeagueRelated posts
Lovenkrands hails ´professional´ Malouda
April 9, 2009
NEWCASTLE (AFP) – Newcastle winger Peter Lovenkrands, who was taken to hospital after colliding with Chelsea’s Florent Malouda last Saturday, has hailed the France international’s professionalism.
Lovenkrands, 29, suffererd breathing difficulties after Malouda appeared to catch the Dane accidentally in the back with an elbow at St James’ Park.
Lovenkrands received treatment on the pitch and then off it before being carried away on a stretcher.
He related Thursday how Malouda had called him to check on his condition and absolved the frenchman of any blame.
He told the club’s official website: “Florent Malouda rang me and texted me earlier this week, which I thought showed what a great professional he is to get my number and make that call.
“But it had nothing to do with him and I told him that – it was not his fault.
“I actually had an infection which had affected me earlier in the game – I just didn’t feel right.
“I couldn’t breathe properly, I couldn’t run properly and I was feeling really bad. I thought I would improve as the game went on but the hit affected me really badly.”
Lovenkrands is hoping to make a swift recovery so he can play a part in the club’s ongoing fight against relegation.
He said: “I’m feeling a lot better. My body is a lot better and my breathing is okay again.
“But I am still feeling battered and bruised and I don’t want to put myself back in things until I feel right.
“I want to get back as soon as possible, but an injury like this puts your life in perspective a little bit.
“Of course, I want to be part of the run-in. I want to be in all the games from now until the end of the season.
“I will take my days to come back. I want to come back and be 100 percent and do myself justice when I come back.”
Tags: breathing difficulties, CHELSEA, elbow, English Premier League, France, france international, frenchman, james park, last saturday, little bit, malouda, NEWCASTLE, perspective, peter lovenkrands, pitch, professionalism, relegation, St James, st james park, stretcher, swift recovery, wingerRelated posts
Wigan sign Figueroa on permanent deal
December 23, 2008
WIGAN, England (AFP) – Wigan signed Honduras defender Maynor Figueroa from Deportivo Olimpia on a permanent basis on Tuesday.
Figueroa has been on loan at the Premier League club since January and his impressive displays have persuaded Latics boss Steve Bruce to hand him a three and a half year contract.
The 25-year-old left-back is Wigan’s only ever-present player in the league this season and Bruce said: "It’s always hard when you come into a foreign country when you don’t know anybody and you can’t speak the language but from day one I’ve been impressed with Maynor’s attitude and his professionalism."
Figueroa added: "To play in the English Premier League has always been a dream for me and I am really happy that Wigan have offered me the chance to stay here.
"I have had to take every stage as it comes this last 12 months but thankfully it has gone OK for me and now I look forward to being a Wigan player for the next few seasons."
Written by: AFP
Tags: 12 months, AFP, attitude, boss, English Premier League, figueroa, half year, Honduras, impressive displays, maynor, olimpia, professionalism, wigan englandRelated posts
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