Egypt´s Motaeb doubtful for Nations Cup final

January 30, 2010

Egypt striker Emad Motaeb is likely to miss the final of the Africa Cup of Nations against Ghana on Sunday due to a hamstring strain, team officials said.

“He picked up a hamstring injury and he’s likely to miss the final,” said Egypt assistant coach, Hamada Sedki.

“There is not enough time between the semi-finals and the final, so his chances to be fit for the game are slim.”

The Al Ahly star suffered the injury in Egypt’s 4-0 trouncing of fierce rivals Algeria in the semi-finals on Thursday.

Motaeb, who is reported to have interested English Premier League side Portsmouth after scoring twice thus far in Angola, was forced to give way to Hossam Ghaly in the second half.

His place could well be taken by ENPPI striker Ahmed Raouf as tournament top scorer with four goals, Mohamed ‘Gedo’ Nagy has been used as a substitute. Six-time African champions Egypt are on course to win a third successive Nations Cup title when they tackle Ghana on Sunday in Luanda’s November 11 Stadium.

LUANDA (AFP)

Tags: africa cup of nations, african champions, Ahmed Raouf, algeria, Angola, assistant coach, Egypt, English Premier League, gedo, ghaly, ghana, hamada, Luanda, mohamed, nations cup, november 11, Portsmouth, semi finals, team officials, top scorer

Australians fume over Kuwaiti lasers: reports

January 7, 2010

Australian footballers have claimed Kuwaiti fans shone lasers into their eyes during their Asian Cup qualifier in Kuwait City, reports said on Thursday.

Goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic and midfielder Dario Vidosic complained that they were targeted by fans armed with a laser pointer during the game, which ended in a 2-2 draw on Wednesday.

Galekovic claimed a light was shone into his eyes, while Vidosic told team officials he was distracted by a laser beam while attempting to take corner kicks, Australian Associated Press reported.

Australian coach Pim Verbeek said he had mentioned the incidents to match officials pitchside during the first half.

“It was the goalkeeper (and) also at the corner kicks — Dario Vidosic was taking the corner kicks and they were pushing a laser on his face,” Verbeek told Fox Sports television after the game.

“I mentioned it to the officials, but that’s okay. Things like this happen.”

Verbeek was also highly critical of the state of the Al-Kuwait Sports Club Stadium pitch.

The Dutchman declared the bumpy playing surface was one of the worst pitches he had encountered in international football and said he had complained to the match commissioner about its condition on the eve of the game.

Reports said it was likely the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) would investigate the Australian team’s complaints.

Australia need at least one point from their remaining home game against Indonesia in Brisbane in March to qualify for next January’s Asian Cup finals in Qatar.

SYDNEY (AFP)

Tags: al kuwait, asian cup, asian cup finals, asian football confederation, Australia, australia need, australian associated press, brisbane, CITY, cup qualifier, dario, dutchman, Eugene, footballers, fox sports, game reports, Goalkeeper, home game, Indonesia, international football, kuwait, laser beam, laser pointer, Qatar, sports club, SYDNEY, team officials

US forward Davies stable after crash

October 14, 2009

Three days after experiencing the joy of qualifying for the World Cup, the US football squad was stunned and saddened Tuesday after starting forward Charlie Davies was hurt in a fatal crash.

Davies, a 23-year-old striker who plays for the French club Sochaux, was in stable condition after undergoing extensive surgery Tuesday for injuries suffered in a one-vehicle accident, US Soccer Federation officials said.

The injuries were described as not life-threatening by team officials but it was not certain exactly what injuries Davies had suffered or whether or not they might jeopardize his career.

Police were investigating the circumstances around the 3:15 a.m. crash, in which there was a fatality, US Soccer officials said.

US Park Police identified the person killed as Ashley Roberta, 22, of Phoenix, Maryland, a Washington suburb. An officer who arrived on the scene of the crash said the vehicle had been ripped in half.

Officials said Davies was a passenger in the vehicle involved in the accident on a major highway in suburban Virginia.

Davies started and played the first 78 minutes in the American team’s 3-2 victory last Saturday at Costa Rica, assisting on the first US goal in a win that secured the US squad a berth in next year’s World Cup at South Africa.

The US squad will face Costa Rica on Wednesday at RFK Stadium in the US capital in the final North American regional World Cup qualifying match, with Costa Rica seeking a victory to secure a World Cup berth.

Davies was not missed immediately because a morning team breakfast was optional but US coach Bob Bradley gathered playrs in a small meeting room at their hotel to deliver the shocking news early Tuesday afternoon.

“Obviously as a team we’re saddened to learn this news,” Bradley said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Charlie and Charlie’s family and the other person in the car and the others involved.

“The team has asked that any other thoughts we have, to keep them with the guys. As a team, we are relying on each other in a moment that has for sure hit us all hard.”

Players were told in a team-only meeting but their reaction was the shock and sadness that might be expected, US Soccer spokesman Neil Buethe said.

“Obviously the players are very saddened by the situation and hope the Charlie has a quick recovery,” he said.

US teen forward Jozy Altidore, who replaced Davies in Saturday’s match, typed a series of frowning faces on his twitter page Tuesday afternoon and said, ‘I’m not tweeting anymore y’all. Just not feeling well.”

The US team’s resiliency faces a major off-field test after a qualifying year in which American fortitude has been impressive in the wake of challenges on the field.

Americans have three triumphs and a draw in the final-round qualifying matches where they have surrendered the first goal.

Speaking purely of on-field events, US all-time scoring leader Landon Donovan praised the attitude players have shown in handling setbacks from bad passes and missed tackles to surrendered goals and stinging defeats.

“You can’t always control what happens in the game but you can control how you react and that has been one of the big situations for us,” Donovan said. “That has been a big plus for us this qualifying cycle.”

Davies, a 2008 Olympian, has scored four goals in 17 matches for the US squad. He was first called up to the team in June of 2007 for a friendly against China after a solid showing with the Swedish club Hammarby.

WASHINGTON (AFP)

Tags: bob bradley, Charlie, China, coach bob, Costa Rica, early tuesday, fatal crash, federation officials, french club, landon donovan, Maryland, Neil Buethe, North American, park police, Phoenix, qualifying for the world cup, rfk stadium, Roberta, shocking news, small meeting room, soccer officials, South Africa, stable condition, suburban virginia, team officials, thoughts and prayers, U.S., us soccer federation, Virginia, Washington, washington suburb, world cup berth

Grandel, three others out of Guadeloupe with injuries

July 6, 2009

OAKLAND – If Guadeloupe is going to repeat its semifinal outing in the 2007 Gold Cup, it will have to do it without four key players.

Goalkeepers Franck Grandel (shoulder) and Fabrice Mercury (hamstring), midfielder Ludovic Sylvestre (ankle), and defender Ronald Zubar (knee) are out with injuries.

All four are expected to miss Guadeloupe’s match against Panama Sunday.

Grandel, who was chosen the 2007 Gold Cup’s top goalkeeper and earned all-tournament team honors, has left Oakland for France where he is expected to rehabilitate with his new club Dijon.

Guadeloupe team officials said Grandel would have stayed had his shoulder been in better condition and would have waited to sign with Dijon.

Grandel didn’t have a club prior to being named to the Gold Cup roster. He’s considered one of the nation’s top players.

It is not clear who will replace Grandel in goal. Assistant coach Alex Parnasse said Marius Fausta and Yohann Bus are possible replacements for both injured goalkeepers.

“We don’t know who will start,” Parnasse said in French through an interpreter. “It will be a game-time decision.”

What is clear is that Fabien Jerome, a defender, and midfielder Larry Clavier are slated to join the team as replacements.

Despite losing the handful of players to injury, Guadeloupe remains confident.

After all, they are not the favorite to win Group C, which includes Mexico.

“Obviously because the players that were chosen, they were chosen for their quality and their experience,” Parnasse said. “So instead of now counting on the individual talent that was brought to this team, the players are going to have to bring themselves together and move forward.

It is not clear who will replace Grandel in goal. Assistant coach Alex Parnasse said Marius Fausta and Yohann Bus are possible replacements for both injured goalkeepers.

“We don’t know who will start,” Parnasse said in French through an interpreter. “It will be a game-time decision.”

What is clear is that Fabien Jerome, a defender, and midfielder Larry Clavier are slated to join the team as replacements.

Despite losing the handful of players to injury, Guadeloupe remains confident.

After all, they are not the favorite to win Group C, which includes Mexico.

By Ivan Orozco

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Tags: 2007 gold cup, Alex Parnasse, assistant coach, clavier, coach alex, CONCACAF Champions' Cup, dijon, fabien, Fabrice Mercury, fausta, France, franck grandel, game time, Goalkeeper, guadeloupe, handful, interpreter, Ivan Orozco, Jerome, Larry Clavier, Ludovic Sylvestre, Marius Fausta, mercury, Mexico, Oakland, Panama, parnasse, replacements, ronald zubar, team officials, time decision

Denilson injured before first Vietnam match: reports

June 9, 2009

HANOI (AFP) – Denilson, once the world’s most expensive footballer, has yet to kick a ball in anger for his new Vietnamese club amid reports Tuesday that he’s injured.

The former Brazil international failed to take to the pitch at the weekend, sparking anger among the Hai Phong Cement Football Club faithful, who burned seats and threw objects onto the pitch in protest.

“My doctor said that I can play football within one month,” the player said at a Monday press conference quoted by VietnamNet news website. There were no details of his injury.

Ticket prices rose by more than 30 per cent after the club announced last week that they had signed the 31-year-old, calling him the most famous international footballer ever recruited by a Vietnamese side.

And fans eager to get a glimpse of their new famous forward filled all 30,000 seats at Hai Phong’s Lach Tray stadium for Saturday’s game against Danang. Hai Phong lost 2-0.

On Saturday Denilson told AFP that, having just arrived in the country, he wanted to train more and would join the team “after 10 days.”

Tuoi Tre newspaper quoted him as saying he was not sure he could start on Saturday because “the weather is hot.”

Fans said they felt cheated.

“I think the fans in Hai Phong want a public apology,” one supporter, Pham Van Hung, was quoted by VietnamNet as saying.

Denilson, a member of Brazil’s 2002 World Cup-winning squad, urged them to be patient.

“I want to repay them,” he said. “With my ability, I can bring you wonderful matches.”

Team officials could not be reached by AFP on Tuesday.