J-League’s Yokohama to approach Nakamura
February 17, 2010
The head of J-League side Yokohama Marinos said Wednesday he would approach the club’s former midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura, now playing for Espanyol, about a possible transfer, local reports said.
The 31-year-old freekick specialist played for Yokohama from 1997 before moving to Italian side Reggina in 2002. He enjoyed success with Celtic, winning three league titles in four seasons, before moving to Spain.
But the star international has struggled to earn playing time at the Spanish club since transferring last year.
“I believe we will meet somewhere this week,” club president Akira Kaetsu told reporters. “All kinds of things are possible. We will not know anything until we meet,” he said.
Yokohama made a transfer offer for Nakamura last year but were outbid by Espanyol.
TOKYO (AFP)
Tags: Akira Kaetsu, club president, Espanyol, four seasons, freekick, italian side, league titles, midfielder, moving to spain, Nakamura, playing time, reggina, Spain, spanish club, star international, tokyo, YOKOHAMA, yokohama marinosRelated posts
Nine arrested in Italian betting scandal
November 23, 2009
Nine people have been arrested, accused of illegal betting in Italian football, police said on Monday.
Amongst those arrested was the president of third division team Potenza, Giuseppe Postiglione and Pro Vastese sports director Luca Evangelista.
They are accused of being involved in organised crime and of sporting fraud relating to a number of bets placed on matches in the second and third divisions from 2007 to 2009.
One match under investigation is the Serie B encounter between Ravenna and Lecce on April 26, 2008, won 3-1 by the away side, on which Postiglione alledgedly placed a bet that won him 86,000 euros.
Giovanni Colangelo, the public prosecutor in Potenza, claimed match-fixing had been taking place.
If that was the case it would be the second such in Italy in the last three years, although the 2006 Calciopoli scandal involved high-profile Serie A teams and resulted in Juventus being relegated to Serie B and stripped of their last two league titles.
AC Milan, Lazio, Fiorentina and Reggina were also punished for their roles in the match-fixing.
ROME (AFP)
Tags: ac milan, bet, calciopoli scandal, colangelo, fiorentina, giovanni, giuseppe, high profile, italian football, league titles, lecce, luca evangelista, milan lazio, postiglione, public prosecutor, ravenna, reggina, sports directorRelated posts
Japan icon Nakamura ready to take on Spain
August 28, 2009
Barcelona may have signed Swedish superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the summer but neighbours Espanyol pulled off a transfer coup of their own with the capture of Japanese star Shunsuke Nakamura from Celtic on a free transfer.
It has been hailed as the most exciting Espanyol signing since 1964 when Argentine great Alfredo di Stefano arrived at the club at the tail-end of a glittering career with Real Madrid.
An estimated 7,000 fans and 300 journalists turned up for the presentation of Japan icon Nakamura who has become a leading Japanese football export after playing in Italy, Scotland and now Spain.
“My first intention when my Celtic contract was up was to return to Japan,” Nakamura said in local Barcelona newspaper ‘Sport’.
“I had a lot of offers and I turned them down as playing in Spain was one of my dreams and something that I couldn’t pass up.”
Not many Asian footballers have come to Spain but Nakamura is well-travelled having left his homeland in 2002 to join Reggina before heading to Celtic where he won three league titles in four seasons.
“I am used to adapting to different cultures and I will do everything to fit in here,” revealed Nakamura. “The culture is different to Japan but not as much as in Scotland and Italy.
“The fans are different in every country. I have played in Scotland and Italy but I have never seen fans like here at Espanyol.”
Nakamura, 31, is a free-kick expert – famously scoring a spectacular free-kick against Manchester United in Celtic’s 1-0 Champions League group win back in 2006 – and hopes to show the Espanyol fans what he can do with his left foot.
“There is a lot of competition when it comes to taking free-kicks,” said Nakamura. “At the moment there are no left-footed free-kick takers and if it comes up I hope I can take one.
“However, my first priority to integrate with my team-mates, train hard and make sure I am a regular in the first team.”
With the 2010 World Cup around the corner, Nakamura, capped 87 times by his country, needs to be playing regularly although the midfielder insists it is too early to start thinking about the showpiece in South Africa.
“I am not thinking about the World Cup at the moment,” declared the ex-Celtic man. “I just want to play my best football for Espanyol and I know that if I don’t play well here the coach won’t use me.”
Nakamura has been handed the number 7 shirt and played his first game for the club in a 3-0 pre-season friendly win over Liverpool that inaugurated Espanyol’s new Cornella El Prat stadium.
Argentine coach Mauricio Pochettino lauded Nakamura for his attitude and said he had high hopes for the upcoming season.
“We hope he can fulfill the expectations we have of him,” said Pochettino. “He is a great footballer and has shown that throughout his career.”
It is a lucrative deal for Espanyol whose profile in Japan has been elevated significantly but for Nakamura the media attention is nothing new.
“I am used to speaking with the Japanese journalists and I have no problem with them as everyone has their job to do,” he explained. “I am 31 years old and consider myself a normal person. I am family man and like to live a quiet life.
“I will live on the outskirts of the city because if not I will have a load of cameras outside my front door every day.”
MADRID (AFP)
Tags: Alfredo, alfredo di stefano, Argentine, Barcelona, celtic, champions league group, Cornella-El, different cultures, football export, footballers, four seasons, free kick, free kicks, Italy, Japan, japanese football, japanese star, league titles, left foot, Liverpool, MADRID, Manchester, manchester united, Mauricio Pochettino, Nakamura, neighbours, real madrid, reggina, scotland, South Africa, Stefano, team mates, World Cup, zlatan ibrahimovicRelated posts
Inler happy to stay at Udinese
August 22, 2009
Udinese Calcio’s Swiss international Gokhan Inler has declared that he is not bitter about having to stay at Udinese after English giants’ Arsenal and Liverpool failed in their bids to secure his services.
The Switzerland international, who made his debut in 2006 and has been capped 23 times, will start for Udinese against newly-promoted Parma on Sunday for a third season in a row at Udine based club.
“I am absolutely not disappointed to have remained at Udinese,” said Inler.
“I still have a four-year contract and I am happy to be in Udine.
“For me it is a great honour to play at Udinese.”
The 25-year-old Inler is hopeful that his team can return to European football next season with after the club narrowly missed out on the continental competition with a seventh-placed finish in Serie A last term.
“Our aim is to finish in the top six,” he said. “But we have to take it one game at a time.
“The team has remained more or less that of last season and hence, we have an advantage with respect to other teams in that we have the same coach and that we know each other well.”
The Bianconeri have strengthened their attacking line following the departure of striker Fabio Quagliarella to Napoli earlier this summer.
Experienced forward Bernardo Corradi, a former Parma player, joined the Friuli outfit from Reggina, while 20-year-old Brazilian striker Jose Carlos Alemao has also arrived in Udine.
With Udinese having kept last seasons top scorers Antonio Di Natale and Gaetano D’Agostino, Inler believes his team have every reason to be confident.
“We have a strong attacking line and Im sure the new players will do well,” he said.
“The aim of this group is to enjoy a good start and against Parma we want to clinch three points.”
Abhimanyu Rajput
Tags: aim, alemao, Antonio Di Natale, arsenal, bianconeri, coach, d agostino, debut, Fabio Quagliarella, Gaetano, gokhan, honour, Jose Carlos, Liverpool, napoli, parma, reggina, swiss, Switzerland, third season, Udine, udinese calcioRelated posts
Nakamura needs games at Espanyol: Japan coach
July 14, 2009
Japan coach Takeshi Okada said it was vital star midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura plays regularly at new club Espanyol so that he is in prime condition for next year’s World Cup.
“If you don’t play in matches, it is tough to keep up your playing instinct as well as your condition,” Okada said here Monday as the former Celtic star was unveiled before thousands of fans at Espanyol’s new stadium in Barcelona.
Okada said he would stick to his rule of calling up and using players who get enough time on the pitch with their clubs, Japanese media reported Tuesday.
But the coach praised the 31-year-old playmaker for making the move to the highly competitive Spanish league relatively late in his career.
“Even if he won’t be in good form at the World Cup in South Africa, his move will result in many positives in his life,” said Okada, who has relied on the left-footed master’s free-kicks in Japan’s qualifying matches.
Nakamura faces formidable competition at Espanyol from talent such as Ivan de la Pena and Luis Garcia, and in a league where a sprinkling of Japanese players have not fared well in the past.
Nakamura, who helped Japan book a fourth straight World Cup berth since their 1998 debut, changed his mind at the last minute about returning to his first club, J-League side Yokohama Marinos, after seven years in Europe.
He spent three years at Italy’s Reggina and four more at Celtic, helping the team win the Scottish premier league title three times.
Nakamura joined Espanyol on a two-year deal last month, with an annual wage estimated at 1.2 million euros (1.7 million dollars), after his contract with Celtic expired.
“For me the Spanish league has the best midfielders in the world and plays ideal football in my view. I have liked the league since I was small,” he said in Barcelona, according to Japanese media.
“The hurdles are high and there is a lot of pressure but once I am on that pitch I hope to give it my very best,” the 178cm (5ft10ins) player added. “I didn’t have time to build my body at Celtic and I will take care of that.”
Nakamura was greeted by hundreds of fans when he arrived in Barcelona for a medical Saturday and by over 6,000 at his presentation Monday.
Three Japanese players have failed to make much of an impression in La Liga before him — Shoji Jo at Real Valladolid in 1999-2000, Akinori Nishizawa at Espanyol in 2000-2001 and Yoshito Okubo at Mallorca 2004-2005.
TOKYO (AFP)
Tags: Barcelona, best midfielders in the world, celtic star, Europe, free kicks, ivan, ivan de la pena, j league, Japan, japan book, japan coach, japanese media, japanese players, LA Liga, luis garcia, okada, playmaker, prime condition, reggina, Scottish Premier League, shunsuke nakamura, South Africa, spanish league, straight world, Takeshi Okada, valladolid, world cup berth, YOKOHAMARelated posts
Nakamura set to announce Spain move: report
June 21, 2009
TOKYO (AFP) – Japan’s Shunsuke Nakamura will announce his move to Espanyol from Celtic as early as Tuesday and make his debut in a friendly against Liverpool on August 2, a report said Sunday.
Nakamura’s agent Roberto Tsukuda will Monday meet executives at J-League side Yokohama Marinos, who were also vying for his signature, to tell them of the star’s intention after talks with Espanyol in Barcelona over the past week.
Nakamura told Tsukuda by telephone last week that he had decided on the move to the Spanish side after talks with Yokohama, his first professional side, collapsed, Nikkan Sports said.
His debut will also be the inaugural match at Espanyol’s new stadium.
According to Japanese reports, the two-year deal will see Nakamura, who is leaving Celtic on a free transfer, pick up 1.2 million euros a year (1.7 million dollars).
Nakamura turns 31 on Wednesday and his contract with former Scottish champions Celtic expires at the end of this month.
“It’s up to Shun (Nakamura) to decide. Marinos or Espanyol,” Tsukuda told another daily, Sankei Sports.
“It is not that he is choosing terms of his contract. The point is how he will spend one year in the run-up to the World Cup finals and which is better for him to raise the level of his play.”
After polishing his game with the Marinos, Nakamura spent three years at Reggina in Italy before joining the Glasgow side in 2005 and helping them to three successive Scottish Premier League championships.
Despite his longtime dream of playing in Spain, Nakamura has recently talked of returning to the J-League to ease the burden of travelling for international duty ahead of the World Cup and raise his children in Japan.
But talks with Yokohama stalled with Nakamura’s side reportedly citing the club’s “insincerity” over financial matters and requests for his appearance in club events before he signed a contract.
Tags: Barcelona, financial matters, Glasgow, insincerity, Italy, j league, Japan, LA Liga, Liverpool, longtime dream, million dollars, nikkan sports, professional side, reggina, Roberto Tsukuda, sankei sports, Scottish, scottish champions, Scottish Premier League, shunsuke nakamura, Spain, spanish side, spent three, tokyo, tsukuda, world cup finals, year 1, YOKOHAMA, yokohama marinosRelated posts
Nakamura´s Yokohama talks stalled: reports
June 13, 2009
TOKYO (AFP) – Talks over the transfer of Celtic midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura to former club Yokohama Marinos have stalled over “unforeseen problems,” press reports said Friday.
The Sports Nippon daily quoted an unidentified party involved in the talks as saying the chances of a deal that would take the player back to his first professional club were “almost gone.”
Spanish league strugglers Espanyol are among overseas clubs reportedly interested in acquiring Nakamura, whose deal with the former Scottish champions is due to expire at the end of this month.
The Daily Sports said Nakamura’s side had been disappointed by Yokohama’s “lack of sincerity” such as a demand for his appearance at a publicity event before he signed a contract.
Nakamura, who turns 31 on June 24, failed to show up for a medical check organised by Yokohama Marinos on Thursday.
“There have been unforeseen problems and that is why discussions are taking longer than first expected,” Yokohama Marinos president Masaharu Saito told reporters Thursday, according to Kyodo News and other media.
“But I believe we will soon get the answer we are hoping for. We have tried to put together the best offer we can and are just waiting for a reply.”
Nakamura has spent the past seven seasons in Europe, the first three with Italy’s Reggina and the rest at Parkhead.
He had expressed a wish to play in Spain but in recent years has stated his desire to return to the J-League, partly to avoid the rigours of travelling long distances for international duty.
Tags: daily sports, Espanyol, Europe, Italy, j league, Japan, Kyodo, kyodo news, long distances, medical check, Nippon, overseas clubs, parkhead, president, professional club, publicity event, reggina, saito, Scottish, scottish champions, seasons in europe, seven seasons, shunsuke nakamura, spanish league, sports nippon, tokyo, unforeseen problems, YOKOHAMA, yokohama marinosRelated posts
Espanyol join race to sign Nakamura – reports
May 31, 2009
TOKYO (AFP) – Spanish league strugglers Espanyol have joined the race to sign Japan and Celtic midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura, media here reported.
There will be no transfer fee required to get Nakamura, who turns 31 in late June, when his contract with Celtic expires next month.
"It is true they (Espanyol) have approached us," Nakamura’s agent Roberto Tsukuda told the Daily Sports newspaper, which also reported that Celtic have formally offered to extend their deal with the left-footed playmaker.
But Nakamura is widely reported to be on the verge of signing with his old J-League home club Yokohama Marinos.
Espanyol have promised Nakamura an annual wage of about 200 million yen (2.1 million dollars), compared with 150 million yen offered by Yokohama, Sports Hochi reported.
Nakamura has spent the past seven seasons in Europe, the first three with Italy’s Reggina and the rest at Parkhead.
There have also been approaches from clubs in England, France and Italy to get Nakamura and he will make a final decision in June, according to the daily Asahi Shimbun.
Tags: 1 million dollars, asahi shimbun, celtic, daily asahi, daily sports, England, Espanyol, final decision, France, Italy, j league, Japan, LA Liga, league home, midfielder, parkhead, playmaker, reggina, Roberto Tsukuda, seasons in europe, seven seasons, shunsuke nakamura, spanish league, sports, sports hochi, tokyo, tsukuda, verge, YOKOHAMA, yokohama marinosRelated posts
Nakamura non-committal about future
May 26, 2009
TOKYO (AFP) – Japan midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura remained non-committal about his future after his contract with Celtic expired following the club’s failure to win a fourth straight Scottish title.
“I have not decided anything yet,” the 30-year-old told reporters on his return home from Glasgow to help Japan in their last three World Cup qualifers next month.
Celtic drew 0-0 with Hearts at home on Sunday to finish the season second behind rivals Rangers who sealed the title with a 3-0 away win over Dundee United.
Gordon Strachan quit as Celtic manager after the disappointing weekend.
“I will consult many people as there are many things I must care about,” Nakamura said. “I care about my family and, if I play in Europe, whose position I could take over if he moves.”
Nakamura’s old J-League club, Yokohama Marinos, have asked him to come back after seven seasons in Europe, the first three with Italy’s Reggina and the rest at Parkhead.
Nakamura has previously suggested he could return to Japan after his contract with Celtic expired, citing difficulty in travelling back and forth for internatinal duty and the need to educate his children in his homeland.
In Glasgow on Sunday, Nakamura welcomed the offer from Yokohama.
“It’s an honour to receive an offer from any club. It feels even better if it’s from my favorite club,” he was quoted by Kyodo News as saying.
“There are various clubs, so I’ll consider my options before I make a final decision.”
Meanwhile, Nakamura praised the departing Strachan.
“He has been a great manager. He has only called me a genius,” recalled Nakamura, who has helped Celtic to many wins with his precision left-foot kicks.
“He has been strict about the way he used players and given chances to younger talent. He used to be a player himself and I can use what I have learned from him as a player.”
Japan, trailing Australia 13-11 on points in Asian World Cup qualifying Group A, will make the finals in South Africa next year if they beat Uzbekistan in Tashkent on June 6.
Bahrain have seven points and Uzbekistan and Qatar each have four.
Nakamura, who has been hampered by a groin strain this season, said he was ready to give his all in Japan’s remaining qualifiers.
“It won’t be easy to beat Uzbekistan away,” he said at Tokyo’s Narita airport.
“They don’t want to lose at home and they have their pride. I’m not counting the points we need to get through. I want to play my best in all the three matches.”
Nakamura is due to skip Japan’s friendly against Chile in Osaka on Wednesday but is expected to figure in another against Belgium here on Sunday.
In the World Cup qualifying campaign, Japan will also play Qatar at home on June 10 and Australia away on June 17.
Tags: asian world cup, Australia, bahrain, Belgium, celtic, Chile, committal, Dundee, dundee united, Europe, favorite club, final decision, Glasgow, gordon strachan, hearts at home, Italy, j league, Japan, kyodo news, midfielder, Narita, Osaka, parkhead, Qatar, reggina, rivals, Scottish Premier League, seasons in europe, seven seasons, shunsuke nakamura, South Africa, Tashkent, tokyo, uzbekistan, world cup qualifers, world cup qualifying group, YOKOHAMARelated posts
Mixed fortunes for Lazio, Sampdoria ahead of cup final
May 10, 2009
ROME (AFP) – Lazio and Sampdoria warmed up for Wednesday’s Coppa Italia final in vastly differing fashion on Saturday.
Lazio, who still had an outside chance of qualifying for Europe next season through their league position, were highly disappointing in a 3-1 home defeat to Udinese, who overtook the Romans to close in on a potential UEFA Cup place.
Mid-table Sampdoria, on the other hand, dealt a potentially fatal blow to rock-bottom Reggina in their battle to avoid the drop with a 5-0 thumping in Genoa.
Lazio took the lead 11 minutes into the second half through captain Tommaso Rocchi but Udinese hit straight back on the hour mark through Antonio Floro Flores.
Nine minutes later, Gaetano D’Agostino gave the visitors the lead and when Sebastiano Siviglia was penalised for bringing down Floro Flores in the area, Fabio Quagliarella stroked home the spot-kick four minutes from time.
Lazio then finished with 10 men as Christian Brocchi got himself sent off for protesting the decision.
He was booked for his protests before the penalty was taken and shown a second yellow card when he continued his rant after the goal had been scored.
Daniele Dessena opened the scoring for Sampdoria in the first minute with a rocket strike from outside the area.
But on 19 minutes Reggina had Carlos Valdez sent off for a foul on Giampaolo Pazzini and from then on the 10-men crumbled.
Dessena got his second just past the half-hour and Gennaro Delvecchio made it 3-0 before half-time.
Early second half goals from Guido Mariliungo and Pazzini added to Reggina’s misery.
Tags: Antonio Floro, carlos valdez, Christian Brocchi, coppa italia, d agostino, Europe, Fabio Quagliarella, fatal blow, flores, floro, fortunes, four minutes, gennaro delvecchio, genoa, Guido Mariliungo, half hour, lazio, league position, mid table, misery, pazzini, reggina, ROME, sampdoria, Sebastiano Siviglia, Serie A, siviglia, tommaso rocchi, UEFA Cup, yellow cardRelated posts
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