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FIFA explores player imports, age limits

NASSAU (AFP) – FIFA will continue to examine the controversial "6+5" rule to limit foreign players on clubs that has angered European Union nations after a supportive vote at the FIFA Congress here.

Joseph "Sepp" Blatter, president of the global football governing body, backs the plan and cites a study saying the limiting of imports to five men on the field would be legal even as some nations see the idea as discriminatory.

"The 6+5 will come. It’s just a matter of time," Blatter said.

The Congress voted 188-3 on Wednesday to have FIFA’s executive committee continue working toward passage of the plan, which Blatter wants to see voted upon next year in South Africa.

An exploratory task force was created to investigate changing age rules for Olympic football, now open to players 23 and under with three exemptions. FIFA’s executive committee backed a reduction in the age cap to 21.

"Certain members of the executive committee favor a reduction in the age," Blatter said.

Tags: cap, european union, european union nations, executive committee, FIFA, fifa congress, five men, governing body, Joseph, matter of time, Nassau, Olympic, olympic football, quot, Sepp, South Africa, task force, vote

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New deal for Chelsea´s Ballack

LONDON (AFP) – Chelsea’s German midfielder Michael Ballack, only a substitute for Saturday’s FA Cup final win over Everton, has agreed a one-year contract extension, the BBC reported on Sunday.

"I haven’t signed yet but I have agreed for another year," Ballack, 32, said, adding he expected AC Milan’s Carlo Ancelotti to succeed Guus Hiddink as coach next season at Stamford Bridge.

"I haven’t worked under him and I don’t know him very well but you can see from the work he has done at Milan that he is a successful manager," Ballack told BBC Sport.

"It’s not done yet but it looks like he will be coach."

Ancelotti is set to reveal if he is to take charge after the Serie A season ends Sunday evening as interim manager Hiddink, who replaced the sacked Luiz Felipe in February, returns to his job as Russia coach following four months in London.

Ballack, signed by Jose Mourinho in 2006, has seen Chelsea win two FA Cups since but insisted that next season he wants to target bigger prizes with Manchester United having dominated the English Premiership since his arrival in England.

"What we need at Chelsea is consistency," he insisted. "There is not much that we need to change to win the Premier League next season. We have a great team, which is the most important thing, but we have to change the manager again and we will need a bit of time to adapt.

"Every coach works with different methods and the players have to get to know him – hopefully we won’t need too much time because if we do we will be a little bit behind," said Ballack, who indicated he did not think a new coach would need to go on a spending spree.

"I don’t think we need to buy anybody because we already have a lot of good players on the bench.

"That is for the club to decide but, if you look at the performances over the last couple of years in reaching finals, we have a really good squad and are heading in the right direction."

Tags: ac milan, bbc, carlo ancelotti, CHELSEA, contract extension, England, English Premier League, english premiership, everton, FA Cup, fa cup final, fa cups, heading in the right direction, hiddink, interim manager, Jose, jose mourinho, london, Luiz Felipe, Manchester, Michael Ballack, midfielder, Milan, new deal, quot, russia, spending spree, stamford bridge, sunday evening

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Dominance is the key for Germany says Ballack

BERLIN (AFP) – Germany captain Michael Ballack wants a solid win as much as a goal-bonanza on Saturday when his side tackle European minnows Liechtenstein in a World Cup qualifier following back-to-back home defeats.

Defeats to Norway in February and England last November have dented the team’s confidence and the national team needs a convincing win over tiny Liechtenstein which is 151st in FIFA’s world rankings.

The principality is just 160 square kilometres and the national team is largely made up of part-time footballers.

Germany top Group 4 by four points from rivals Russia and need three points from Leipzig’s Zentralstadion, as well as next Wednesday against Wales in Cardiff, to stay on top especially with October’s trip to Moscow in mind.

But Ballack says Germany must start asserting themselves against opponents with an eye on the World Cup in June next year – starting with Liechtenstein.

"We are lacking in dominance," said Chelsea midfielder Ballack, who captained Germany to their 1-0 defeat by Norway in February.

"And recently results have also not been good, that is something we have to change.

"This has a lot to do with physical condition, but also with quality.

"We are in a phase where we don?t put teams under enough pressure."

Ballack believes Germany will qualify for South Africa, but says the team needs to use games like these to make sure they can step up to the challenges they will face from the world’s top teams in the republic.

"We will qualify for the World Cup and we will go past the group stage even if it gets tight. But then come the matches against the big teams.

"We must now set the foundations so that at the World Cup we can win the so-called life or death matches.

"This is what I am trying to point out as the captain."

And Liechtenstein should present no problem to Germany who have won all three of their previous meetings, scored 23 goals compared to their opponents’ three and it was 6-0 to the Germans when the teams last met in September.

With Bayern Munich veteran striker Miroslav Klose out with an ankle injury, Stuttgart’s Mario Gomez will partner Bayern’s Lukas Podolski up front with a flurry of goals expected from the home side.

At the other end, goalkeeper Rene Alder is out with an elbow injury and Hanover’s Robert Enke will take his place in the Germany goal for the first time since damaging his hand last autumn.

Enke, 31, could certainly do with keeping a blank sheet as his club Hanover are sliding down the Bundesliga table.

A broken hand kept him out from October until the Bundesliga’s late January restart after the winter break and he has conceded 31 goals in 15 league games – 11 in seven matches before he broke his hand and 20 in the eight since his return.

But with Liechtenstein yet to score a goal after three qualifying games and having conceded eight – their single point so far came from a 0-0 draw with Azerbaijan in Baku last year – Germany should have few problems.

And as Ballack said ominously in light of their defeats to Norway and England, Germany "simply have to play better and put in a better performance".

"And it will happen," he added.

Written by: AFP

Tags: Baku, Bayern, bonanza, captain michael, captain Michael Ballack, cardiff, CHELSEA, dominance, England, eye on the world, foundations, four points, germans, Germany, group stage, last november, Leipzig, Liechtenstein, Lukas Podolski, mario gomez, Michael Ballack, miroslav klose, Moscow, Norway, opponents, principality, quot, rivals, South Africa, square kilometres, tiny liechtenstein, trip to moscow, Wales, World Cup, world cup qualifier

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Marseille fireworks earn stadium match ban

MARSEILLE, France (AFP) – French title contenders Marseille revealed on Friday they will have to play a match behind closed doors following the throwing of fireworks by some of their fans at Lyon last December.

"The judgment hanging over the Stade Velodrome has unfortunately fallen, " the club said on its website. The sanction of one match behind closed doors was pronounced Thursday (by the French league’s disciplinary commission) for use of flares," Marseille added, while stating it was hoping to win an appeal.

The verdict is suspended and Marseille, who are currently a point off leaders Lyon in the title race as they chase a first championship in 17 years, are hoping at least to have any punishment held over to next season.

During the December 14 match at Lyon’s Stade Gerland, supporters threw nine flares onto the pitch, slightly injuring a steward.

Marseille chairman Pape Diouf insisted the punishment was not merited.

"This sanction does not to us to have any foundation and still less seems to be applicable."

Written by: AFP

Tags: 17 years, closed doors, disciplinary commission, fireworks, flares, France, french league, french title, judgment, Ligue 1, Lyon, Marseille, marseille france, match, pape diouf, pitch, quot, sanction, stade gerland, stade velodrome, steward, title contenders

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FIFA has over a million WC tickets applications

JOHANNESBURG (AFP) – Over one million World Cup ticket applications have been received by FIFA online and the majority of them are from South Africans, the local organising committee said on Friday.

"The number of applications has far exceeded FIFA’s and the Local Organising Committee’s expectations. Not surprisingly, the country that has submitted the largest number of applications is South Africa followed by the United Kingdom and the USA," the committee said in a statement.

There are only 743,000 available tickets for the first phase of sales which ends on March 31.

"We have had a phenomenal response from football fans around the world. We do expect a last-minute rush over the next few days to beat the deadline, particularly in South Africa, said FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke.

About 50 percent of the applications made so far have been for the Team Specific Series, which allows fans to follow their team of choice as it progresses through the tournament.

Valcke said this trend showed that the method which was first introduced in 2002 was gaining popularity.

All applicants will know by the end of April 2009 whether they have been successful or not.

The second sales period will begin on May 4 and will be open until 16 November.

Remaining tickets will then be allocated on a "first come first served, subject to availability basis".

The local organising committee had earlier this month voiced concern about poor demand for the Confederations Cup tickets, a curtain-raiser for the World Cup to be played in South Africa in June.

Written by: AFP

Tags: 16 november, availability basis, confederations cup, curtain raiser, FIFA, football fans, jerome valcke, johannesburg, local organising committee, minute rush, one million, phenomenal response, quot, sales period, secretary general, South Africa, south africans, ticket applications, tournament, United Kingdom, WC Qualifying South-Africa, world cup ticket

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Win it for Diego, says Messi

Lionel Messi and his teammates are set to give it their all when Argentina faces Venezuela in Diego Armando Maradona’s first official game, next Saturday.

"We are looking forward to it, for Diego," Messi said. "For his first official match as coach, and we hope that it’ll be a party.

"Diego is calm, very excited and he trusts in this group of players, which allows him to relax," the Barcelona striker added.

Asked whether Messi wants to wear the number-10 jersey, which has no owner since the international retirement of Juan Roman Riquelme, the player replied that this currently doesn’t interest him much. "What I want is to play well with the national team. There is a really good vibe. We are all enthusiastic and want to do well, win and make another step in the direction of the 2010 World Cup.

Written by: Jonathan Roorda

Tags: Argentina, Barcelona, coach, Diego, diego armando maradona, international retirement, jonathan, Juan, juan roman, lionel messi, match, quot, Riquelme, striker, teammates, venezuela, World Cup

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Poland´s Catholic church gears up for Euro 2012

WARSAW (AFP) – Poland’s influential Roman Catholic church is gearing up for the UEFA Euro-2012 football championships slated to be co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine, the Polish Episcopate confirmed Thursday.

“It is the vocation of the church to accompany man everywhere, including sport, the physical dimension of which must have a spiritual dimension also,” Father Edward Plen, a priest serving Poland’s sports community, told AFP.

“If we want these championships to make history, we must all react together. It is not just a matter of building stadiums and highways, but also of creating a great team, a big family of supporters,” he said.

The church intends to create a network of young, competent English-speaking volunteers to help fans who will arrive in Poland for the Euro 2012 play-offs.

It is also planning special meetings and seminars for Polish fans in parishes across Poland as well as special catechism classes in schools “to recall the ten commandments” in order to eliminate violence, racism and anti-Semitism from football, Plen said.

Written by: AFP

Tags: anti semitism, catechism classes, Edward Plen, episcopate, football, football championships, highways, including sport, physical dimension, play offs, plen, Poland, polish fans, quot, s sports, spiritual dimension, sports community, stadiums, uefa, uefa euro 2012, ukraine, warsaw

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Juve have only 30% chance of title: Cobolli

ROME (AFP) – Juventus president Giovanni Cobolli Gigli said on Thursday that he rates his team’s title chances at just 30 percent.

Juve trail leaders Inter Milan by seven points with nine matches left in Serie A and Cobolli admitted he is not confident they can land a first scudetto since 2003.

"We’re realistic, I would say our chances of winning the scudetto have been reduced to 30 percent," he said.

However, Juve host Inter in a crucial title clash at Turin’s Stadio Olimpico next month and Cobolli said winning that match would improve their hopes.

"We’re aware that we have the direct battle which we have to win and which can increase the 30 percent," he added.

Written by: AFP

Tags: gigli, giovanni, Giovanni Cobolli, Inter, inter milan, juve, juventus, match, Milan, quot, ROME, scudetto, Serie, Serie A, team, title chances, title clash, trail leaders, turin

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Togo say Adebayor will play against Cameroon

LOME (AFP) – Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor "will be able to play" for Togo against Cameroon on Saturday, Togolese coaching staff revealed here on Wednesday.

"Adebayor hasn’t joined up with us in Lome for nothing," a Togo official told AFP ahead of the first match of the last round of combined qualifying for the 2010 World Cup and African Nations Cup.

"He will play in the match against Cameroon," the official added.

"He will play in his role as captain as he always has, as this is a huge match for Togo."

Adebayor, who has not played since February 8 following a thigh injury, trained "normally" with his team-mates in front of 4,000 spectators at the municipal stadium here on Wednesday.

Togo’s Belgian coach Jean Thissen has called up 25 players for Saturday’s match.

The game is being played in the Ghanaian capital Accra because Togo are banned from playing at Lome’s Kegue stadium after violence flared during a 2-0 defeat to Mali there in October 2007.

Written by: AFP

Tags: ACCRA, african nations cup, arsenal, cameroon, coach, emmanuel adebayor, game, ghanaian capital accra, hasn, Jean Thissen, LOME, lome s, mali, match, quot, spectators, team mates, thigh injury, thissen, Togo, togolese, violence, World Cup

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Rooney escapes fresh FA action after red card

LONDON (AFP) – England striker Wayne Rooney will not face further disciplinary action following the red card he received against Fulham last weekend.

The Manchester United forward was sent-off for two bookable offences during the Premier League champions’ shock 2-0 defeat.

Although he had words with Phil Dowd after being shown the red card, the official has confirmed he was not sworn at by Rooney, an offence which could have led to a longer ban.

However, the Football Association (FA) are to write to Rooney, whose temper has been a worry to some within the English game, about his conduct after the former Everton favourite punched a corner flag while leaving the pitch.

An FA spokesman said here on Monday: "We have clarified with Phil Dowd that there was no abuse from the player after he was dismissed.

"In relation to the incident when he punched the corner flag, the referee did not see that and we have written to Wayne Rooney reminding him of his responsibilities."

Rooney will now be suspended for one match, the Premier League fixture against Aston Villa at Old Trafford, United’s home ground, on April 5.

Written by: AFP

Tags: Association, bookable, corner flag, disciplinary action, England, english game, English Premier League, everton, football association, fulham, league champions, london, Manchester, manchester united, offence, old trafford, Phil Dowd, premier league, quot, referee, Trafford, Villa, wayne rooney, worry

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