• Home
• Archives
• LiveScores
• LeagueTables
• Trophies

News Feed

Should FIFA throw the book at Maradona for outburst?

Argentina coach Diego Maradona will appear in person before a disciplinary hearing at FIFA headquarters on Sunday to explain his foul-mouthed outbursts (plural) following the win over Uruguay in Montevideo last month.

The result, at the very end of an 18-match campaign, finally clinched Argentina’s place at the 2010 World Cup after they had looked in serious danger of missing out for the first time since 1970. Maradona “celebrated” with an expletive-laden tirade at the hapless touchline reporter who went to interview him.

If he had left it at that, he could perhaps have passed it off as a heat of the moment incident. Instead, he spewed out more obscenities — which he says were aimed at the media — at the post-match press conference, broadcast live on a number of networks in several countries.

FIFA quickly caught on and opened disciplinary proceedings for his unruly behaviour. These could result in a stadium ban which, if applied only to competitive games, would effectively rule him out of part or possibly all of Argentina’s World Cup campaign.

Maradona would basically be restricted to organising training sessions (which so far under his leadership have resembled playground kickabouts) and giving motivational speeches at the team hotel to his players.

Maradona said he was angry at non-stop criticism of his coaching and team selections, reports that he has fallen out with his coaching staff and suggestions that he is not up to the job.

The criticism came after he used more than 70 players and lost World Cup qualifiers to Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil and Ecuador.

The Clarin newspaper also pointed out that when he was on the sidelines, Maradona was perfectly happy to publicly slag off his predecessors Marcelo Bielsa, Jose Pekerman and Alfio Basile.

Some media say they are tired of Maradona giving exclusive interviews to a few hand-picked chums and ignoring the rest, with the added insult that, when he does give a press conference, it is invariably cancelled or delayed.

What should FIFA do? And, if he is banned, should Argentina look for someone else who could actually coach the team from the dugout?

PHOTO: Argentina coach Diego Maradona celebrates after his team won its 2010 World Cup qualifying match against Uruguay in Montevideo October 14, 2009. REUTERS/Andres Stapff

Source

Tags: added insult, Andres Stapff, Argentina, bolivia, chums, diego maradona, disciplinary hearing, disciplinary proceedings, Ecuador, expletive, heat of the moment, Jose, jose pekerman, Montevideo, motivational speeches, obscenities, paraguay, predecessors, serious danger, team hotel, team selections, tirade, uruguay, world cup campaign, world cup qualifiers

Related posts

• Maradona talks of quitting as Argentina coach (0)
• Diego´s Argentina need to bounce back (0)
• Brilliant Brazil reach World Cup finals (0)
• Brazil leaps atop World Cup qualifying table (0)
• Brazil leads qualifying, Argentina defeated (0)
• Libertadores: River Plate win thanks to last-gasp goal (0)
• Chile qualifies, Argentina struggles in WC drama (0)
• Argentina to go all out for glory – Palermo (0)
• Argentina scrape into World Cup finals (0)
• Argentina hand Maradona sky-high pay deal (0)
• World Cup win would be icing on Dunga´s cake (0)
• Venezuela hold Chile, small win for Paraguay (0)
• Spats, successors on Maradona´s mind ahead of French test (0)
• Smaller nations scratch around for friendlies (0)
• S. America Under-20: Uruguay beat Bolivia (0)

Liverpool keep up title push despite Alonso blow

LIVERPOOL, England (AFP) – Liverpool overcame the absence of Fernando Torres to keep alive their Premier League title hopes with a 3-0 victory over relegation-threatened Newcastle at Anfield here on Sunday.

Torres was absent from Rafael Benitez’s side after tweaking his hamstring in training on the eve of Liverpool’s penultimate home game of the season.

But goals from Yossi Benayoun, Dirk Kuyt and Lucas halved leaders Manchester United’s advantage to three points with three games remaining.

United remain clear favourites to win the title for a third successive season as they have a game in hand over second-placed Liverpool.

But Benitez is refusing to concede defeat in the title race, particularly as United still have tricky matches with Manchester City and Arsenal to negotiate.

Liverpool have now taken 22 points from the last 24 on offer after they easily brushed aside Newcastle who were forced to play the final 13 minutes with 10 men after Joey Barton was sent off for a nasty two-footed challenge on Spain midfielder Xabi Alonso.

Barton was making his first appearance since the end of January because of injury but the Liverpool-born midfielder will now miss his side’s remaining three games of the season after his second red card at Anfield in three years.

Worringly for Benitez, Alonso was taken off the pitch on a stretcher with a

suspected ankle injury and he could miss Liverpool’s remaining three league games against West Ham, West Brom and Tottenham.

Defeat left Newcastle in deep trouble and in serious danger of dropping out of the Premier League after 16 successive seasons in the top flight.

They are three points adrift of safety and have now failed to win their last 10 league games.

Liverpool welcomed back captain Steven Gerrard after a four-match absence due to a groin injury.

And after a slow start, they comfortably overcame the loss of Torres, who has scored 16 goals this season, to establish a 2-0 half-time lead which put them on within sight of their seventh win in eight league games.

There was a hint of offside when Benayoun broke the deadlock from close range with his eighth goal of the campaign in the 22nd minute, Kuyt’s cross hitting the Israel international on the knee before rolling over the line.

Yet if Newcastle felt aggrieved, they only had themselves to blame as Kuyt doubled the lead with a powerful 28th minute header after outjumping the visitors defence to head home his 14th goal of the season.

Newcastle, despite a bright opening 20 minutes, failed to seriously test Liverpool keeper Jose Reina and were fortunate not to find themselves further behind at half-time.

The visitors, under the interim charge of former Newcastle and England forward Alan Shearer, opted to start Michael Owen on the substitutes bench on his return to his former club.

England striker Owen scored 26 Premier League goals against Newcastle as a Liverpool player but the 29-year-old has not found the net since January.

That left Mark Viduka and Peter Lovenkrands to lead the attack yet both struggled to make an impact as Newcastle’s relegation problems increased.

Alonso, who’d already hit the woodwork, struck the bar a second time in the 73rd minute before Newcastle’s problems increased when Barton was sent off four minutes later for a needless two-footed challenge on the midfielder.

Liverpool made the advantage of an extra man count when substitute Lucas made it 3-0 and there was still time for Gerrard to rattle the woodwork.

Tags: Alan, Alonso, anfield, ankle injury, arsenal, captain steven, captain Steven Gerrard, deep trouble, dirk kuyt, English Premier League, Fernando Torres, first appearance, groin injury, home game, israel, joey barton, league games, Liverpool, liverpool england, Lucas, manchester city, mark viduka, michael owen, NEWCASTLE, peter lovenkrands, rafael benitez, serious danger, Spain, Steven Gerrard, three games, west brom, west ham, xabi alonso, yossi benayoun

Related posts

• Benitez expects Torres and Alonso to return (0)
• Gerrard eyes title as Liverpool face Hammers (0)
• Spanish reunion as Torres, Benitez return to Madrid in Liverpool?s colours (0)
• Liverpool narrow gap on leaders United (0)
• Benitez expects Gerrard back for Newcastle (0)
• Torres ready for test of Liverpool´s credentials (0)
• Spanish reunion as Torres, Benitez return to Madrid in Liverpool?s colours (0)
• Liverpool seek Premier League tonic after cup scare (0)
• Liverpool boss Benitez ready for crunch time (0)
• United shuffle pack as Gerrard bolsters Liverpool (0)
• Torres the key as Liverpool seek to rein in United (0)
• Liverpool look ahead after Champions League scare (0)
• Liverpool in search of Arsenal revival (0)
• Kuyt´s leveller does little for Liverpool´s title challenge (0)
• Kuyt tells United not to take Premiership title for granted (0)

Cappone hands Toulouse late reprieve

PARIS (AFP) – A disastrous error by Lorient goalkeeper Lionel Cappone allowed Champions League-chasing Toulouse to claim a 1-1 draw in their French first division match on Sunday.

Toulouse were dumped out of the French Cup after losing 2-1 to second-tier outfit Guingamp in their mid-week semi-final and their bad luck appeared to be continuing when Andre Ayew put Lorient ahead in the 85th minute.

But Cappone let the ball squirm out of his hands after sliding out to the left-hand edge of his penalty area in the 89th minute, enabling Etienne Didot to square for Mauro Cetto to convert a simple equaliser for the home side.

Toulouse remain fifth, four points off the last Champions League qualifying slot with five games remaining.

At the other end of the table, Vaclav Sverkos’s injury-time penalty enabled Sochaux to claim a 1-1 draw at home to Valenciennes that moves them two places above the drop zone.

Fallen giants St Etienne remain in the bottom three after losing 3-1 at Nice, while there was heartbreak for second-bottom Caen, who conceded two late goals by Polish striker Ireneusz Jelen to lose 2-1 at Auxerre.

Elsewhere, Nancy beat Nantes 2-0 and Monaco won 1-0 at Le Mans, while rock-bottom Le Havre are 12 points from safety after going down 1-0 against Grenoble.

On Friday night, Lyon’s bid for an eighth successive Ligue 1 title was further compromised when they were held to a goalless draw at home to Paris St-Germain.

The champions have now picked up just nine points from a possible 24 and are in serious danger of missing out on third place and a lucrative place in next season’s Champions League.

“The match statistics don’t look too good at the moment,” said Lyon coach Claude Puel. “After the match we felt frustrated. We might win the fair play award at the end of the season but that doesn’t really suit me all that much.”

PSG are one point behind Lyon in fourth, while league leaders Marseille can pull five points clear at the summit if they win at Lille in Sunday evening’s late game.

Second-placed Bordeaux, who picked up their third League Cup title after out-classing second division side Vannes 4-0 at the Stade de France on Saturday, travel to Rennes on Wednesday.

Tags: Andre Ayew, auxerre, claude puel, drop zone, equaliser, etienne didot, five games, France, french cup, Germain, Grenoble, guingamp, hand edge, injury time, Le Havre, league leaders, Ligue 1, Lille, Lionel Cappone, Lorient, Mans, Marseille, mauro cetto, Monaco, Nancy, Nantes, Nice, PARIS, paris st germain, Rennes, serious danger, sochaux, st etienne, time penalty, Toulouse, vaclav sverkos, valenciennes, Vannes

Related posts

• Marseille strengthen title claim with fightback win (0)
• Juninho prepares to take final Lyon bow (0)
• Gourcuff magic for Bordeaux heats up title battle (1)
• Wiltord and Mandanda in Marseille focus (0)
• Marseille eye French summit after golden week (0)
• Horeau on the spot as PSG stay in French mix (0)
• Bordeaux take over top spot in France (0)
• Title-hunting Marseille welcome Lyon to lions´ den (0)
• Lyon primed for Bordeaux mission (0)
• Joy as Bordeaux end 10-year French title wait (0)
• Cesar thwarts title chasers Bordeaux (0)
• Bordeaux aim to stake French title claim (0)
• Tiny Schirrhein add touch of romance to football French Cup (0)
• Lyon resume title quest in French soccer league (1)
• Lyon plot swift revenge against cup conquerors Lille (0)

Butcher takes Caley job but keeps Scotland role

GLASGOW (AFP) – Terry Butcher was named Tuesday as the new manager of the Scottish Premier League’s bottom side, Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

The former England captain replaces Craig Brewster, who was sacked last week following a run of seven straight defeats that has left the Highlands club in serious danger of dropping out of the top flight for the first time in five years.

Butcher will continue to serve as an assistant to George Burley, the manager of Scotland, as they attempt to guide the national side to next year’s World Cup finals in South Africa.

Burley said: "I’m delighted that Terry has been offered the job at Inverness Caledonian Thistle, it’s a great opportunity for him to get back into club management.

"Terry is a great football man, and I know he’s excited about the prospect of tackling day-to-day management again. His new role won’t affect his position with the National side. We are both absolutely committed to Scotland and taking the country to the World Cup Finals next year."

The Inverness job is Butcher’s first as a manager since an ill-fated spell in charge of English football league outfit Brentford in 2007.

Prior to that he had spent less than a year in charge of Sydney FC in Australia, but his reputation remains high in Scotland as a result of his successful four-year spell at Motherwell from 2002.

Operating on a miniscule budget, Butcher guided ‘Well to two successive top-six finishes and a Scottish League Cup final.

Capped 77 times by England, Butcher has a long association with Scotland, having played for Rangers in the late 1980s and raised his family north of the border.

Butcher, 50, will have Maurice Malpas, who was his assistant at Motherwell and took over from him, as his number two at Inverness.

Written by: AFP

Tags: AFP, Australia, bottom side, brentford, caledonian, club management, Craig Brewster, day management, England, england captain, english football league, george burley, Glasgow, inverness, malpas, Maurice, miniscule budget, motherwell, scotland, scottish league cup, Scottish Premier League, serious danger, South Africa, sydney fc, Terry, terry butcher, top flight, world cup finals

Related posts

• Rangers must match Celtic consistency says Smith (0)
• Levein on brink of Scotland job – report (0)
• Burley´s Scots given World Cup qualifier boost (0)
• We´re peaking just in time for Celtic says Rangers boss Smith (0)
• Smith wants Old Firm in new Euro league (1)
• Rangers due win in Aberdeen, says Miller (0)
• No fear of losing for Japan in World Cup build-up (0)
• Mowbray welcomes back Celtic´s walking wounded (0)
• McManus ruled out for Scots (0)
• Burley stays on as Scotland coach (0)
• Wanderers sign Weiss from City (0)
• Velicka avoids chop to fire Rangers´ title charge (0)
• Title won´t be decided by Old Firm duels, says Strachan (0)
• Terry puts family issues aside, focus on football (0)
• Terry could lose England role over affair (0)