Ribery set to decide Bayern future: agent

February 3, 2010

Bayern Munich star Franck Ribery will decide in the next eight weeks whether or not to stay with the German giants, his agent said Wednesday.

Ribery, 26, has a contract at Bayern until June 2011 but after a series of top class displays for Munich he has been linked to some of Europe’s top sides, including Spanish giants Real Madrid.

Although Ribery has struggled with a knee injury since October, he is working his way back to fitness and is widely regarded, alongside Bayern team-mate Arjen Robben, as one of the most creative players in the Bundesliga.

“Franck has a contract until 2011 and so Bayern hold all the cards in their hands,” Ribery’s agent Alain Migliaccio told German daily newspaper Bild on Wednesday.

“Before we meet with (Bayern’s chief executive Karl-Heinz) Rummenigge, (president Uli) Hoeness and (director of sport Christian) Nerlinger, nothing will happen.”

Migliaccio also confirmed Nerlinger’s rejection of reports that Ribery had been given an ultimatum by Bayern to prolong his contract before the end of March.

“The story about the ultimatum is absolute nonsense, nobody has given Franck an ultimatum,” he said.

“We are waiting to see what the club wants to do.”

Ribery has won 41 caps and scored seven goals for France and looks set to be a star of the 2010 World Cup which takes place in South Africa from June 11-July 11.

BERLIN (AFP)

Tags: 11 july, alain migliaccio, Bayern, bayern munich, berlin, bild, Bundesliga, chief executive, Christian, creative players, Europe, France, franck ribery, giants, karl heinz, karl heinz rummenigge, knee injury, MADRID, Munich, real madrid, rejection, South Africa, team mate, uli hoeness, ultimatum, World Cup

Win or bust for Nigeria and coach Shua

January 16, 2010

Nigeria face Benin on Saturday with the World Cup-bound Super Eagles under huge pressure to stay in the African Cup of Nations after a 3-1 loss to defending champions Egypt in their opener.

Nigeria coach, Shuaibu Amodu, has also been issued an ultimatum to beat next-door neighbours Benin or else make way for his assistant, Daniel Amokachi, to take the team through the rest of the championship.

Despite qualifying Nigeria for the World Cup in South Africa later this year, Amodu has come under fire over his tactics and team selection.

The loss to Egypt on Tuesday paved the way for his critics to again call for his head.

Amodu also qualified Nigeria for the 2002 World Cup, but after he failed to guide the team to the final of the Africa Cup of Nations same year in Mali, he was given the boot and in his place Adeboye Onigbinde took charge of the Eagles at the World Cup.

Top officials have admitted that they have already held talks with the Dutch coach of Mozambique, Mart Nooij, over the Eagles job even though the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have continued to declare their confidence in Amodu.

A first round exit from Angola 2010 would also hit the players in the pocket after they agreed a win-bonus deal of 30,000 dollars-a-man if they progress to the kockout stage of the competition.

They will be left empty-handed if they crash out in the first round.

Wolfsburg striker Obafemi Martins has been permitted to fly out to Europe to appear before an English court over a compensation claim brought against him by his former agent after officials initially announced he was away to look over a troublesome shin problem.

Officials are confident, however, he will return in time for Saturday’s clash.

Fulham midfielder Dickson Etuhu has shrugged off a knock on his left knee he received against Egypt and which forced him to skip training on Wednesday, while Lokomotiv Moscow striker Osaze Odemwingie would likely start after he recovered from a throat infection.

Nigeria will be favourites to win this clash, but skipper Joseph Yobo they have to be at their best against a Benin side that was full running and commitment against Mozambique in their opening group fixture.

“We are all disappointed about what has happened (3-1 loss to Egypt) and we know it is time to step up our game to avoid an early elimination from this championship,” said Yobo.

“No one is happy about the result, and we are looking forward to giving our all in the next games.”

Benin are making their third Nations Cup appearance and on all three occasions they have clashed with their fellow west Africans, losing all three matches.

However, the Squirrels’ Nigerian-born striker, Razak Omotoyossi, has said he will not be doing the Eagles any favours on Saturday.

“My target is to score against Nigeria,” said the Metz striker, who was in action two years ago in Ghana when Benin fell 2-0 to Nigeria.

Omotoyossi was at the heart of Benin’s effort to record their first-ever Nations Cup victory against Mozambique on Tuesday, he netted the penalty after he was upended by the goalkeeper and then initiated the move that resulted in an own goal by Mozambique defender Dario Khan.

However, the game ended in a 2-2 draw.

The stocky striker will again be complimented by Stephane Sessegnon from Paris Saint-Germain, who against Mozambique showed flashes of the brilliance that has sparked off a scramble for his signature by several top English clubs.

BENGUELA, Angola (AFP)

Tags: africa cup of nations, african cup of nations, Angola, Benin, compensation claim, competition, Dickson Etuhu, eagles, Egypt, fulham, Germain, lokomotiv moscow, Mart Nooij, martins, midfielder, neighbours, nigeria, nigeria football, osaze odemwingie, South Africa, team selection, throat infection, ultimatum, Wolfsburg, World Cup

Dassier issues Mancini ultimatum

January 16, 2010

Olympique Marseille president Jean-Claude Dassier claims that if Mancini does not sign by Sunday the deal, concerning a switch to Stade Velodomre, is off.

The French giants have been pursuing the versatile Brazil international for the past fortnight and agreed a deal in principle with Internazionale on Wednesday night to sign him until the end of the season.

Mancini has yet to put pen to paper on a deal at the Stade Velodrome, with Manchester City and AC Milan also said to be interested in the 29-year-old, and Dassier has now laid down an ultimatum.

“It shouldn’t be too long now,” he told L’Equipe.

“We sent off the last documents asked for by his agent yesterday at midday.

“We have decided to wait for his response until Sunday. After, it will be too late.”

Mancini joined Inter from Roma in 2008 but is desperate for playing time after making just six league appearances all season.

Tags: AC, ac milan, brazil, fortnight, giants, internazionale, jean claude dassier, Jean-Claude, l equipe, league appearances, manchester city, Marseille, midday, olympique marseille, pen to paper, playing time, principle, Roma, stade velodrome, ultimatum, wednesday night

Mourinho plays down axe rumors

December 11, 2009

Jose Mourinho has denied rumors suggesting he could be about to leave Inter Milan

Reports had suggested that the Portuguese coach was set to get sacked had Inter failed to reach the Knockout Stages of the Champions League.

However, the reigning Serie A champions secured their spot in the UEFA Champions League round of sixteen on Wednesday night with a 2-0 victory over Rubin Kazan in Giuseppe Meazza.

Although the media had speculated that Mourinho could be relieved from his duties by Inter, the former Chelsea boss denies receiving any kind of ultimatum by the club’s board.

“No-one at Inter has said anything to me, not before the game and not after it,” Mourinho said following the Rubin win.

“Journalists don’t make decisions, ex-players don’t make decisions and even if important people within the club who do make decisions said something to me, it wouldn’t be a problem.”

Mourinho has re-stated that he does not fear over his future as he can find a job in a week should Inter decide to fire him.

“I’m a calm coach because when a coach leaves a club it’s diffcult for him to find a job, but if I leave Inter I’ll be in demand. I can’t say I’d choose exactly where I’d go, but almost.”

Mourinho feels he has been treated unfairly in the Italian media as of late and has questioned those criticizing him.

“I thought that results mattered in Italy but in fact that’s not the case given that a team which won the title, is top of the league and has qualified from a Champions League group containing the holders is still being criticized,” he said.

Tags: axe, boss, champions league group, CHELSEA, coach, decisions, fear, giuseppe meazza, inter milan, italian media, Italy, Jose, jose mourinho, journalists, Milan, mourinho plays, rubin kazan, s board, uefa, UEFA Champions League, ultimatum, wednesday night

Euro 2012 hosts confident of Ukraine green light

December 5, 2009

Ukraine and Poland, co-hosts of the 2012 European Championship, on Friday declared themselves confident that UEFA will accept the four Ukrainian cities put forward to host matches.

European football’s governing body demonstrated their confidence in Poland in May by confirming four Polish cities as host venues.

However, Kiev was the only Ukrainian city approved by UEFA in what was seen as an ultimatum for the former Soviet state to get their delay-plagued preparations in order.

Donetsk, Kharkiv and Lviv are Ukraine’s three other candidate cities.

“I think we’ll get confirmation next week that the championship is coming to the east,” said Ilia Chevlak, head of the Ukrainian organising committee, during a video conference with her Polish counterpart, Marcin Herra.

UEFA’s executive committee will make its final decision on the number of Ukrainian host cities at a meeting in Funchal, Portugal on December 10-11.

WARSAW (AFP)

Tags: candidate cities, counterpart, euro 2012, executive committee, final decision, Funchal, funchal portugal, governing body, herra, Kharkiv, Kiev, lviv, organising committee, Poland, polish cities, portugal, soviet state, ukraine, ukrainian cities, ukrainian city, ultimatum, warsaw

Barca clash to decide Real coach’s future: press

November 12, 2009

Manuel Pellegrini’s job as coach at Real Madrid is safe only until the end of the month when they are to play the ‘classico’ against arch-rivals Barcelona, press reports said on Thursday.

“Pellegrini has credit until the match at Camp Nou,” said sports daily AS two days after big-spending Real were eliminated from the Spanish Cup by third division side Alcorcon, prompting jeers from fans.

Club officials have issued the Chilean coach with an “ultimatum,” rival sports daily Marca reported, adding the outcome of the match on November 29 could decide Pellegrini’s future at the club.

Real president Florentino Perez is beginning the fear that the team on which he spent over 250 million euros (370 million dollars) over the summer, with the recruitment of stars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka, will not bear fruit under Pellegrini, the two newspapers said.

Top-selling daily El Pais meanwhile highlighted in a lengthy article published Thursday the “tactical errors of the Madrid coach”, who the paper said spends more time “managing the dressing room than aligning the best team”.

Rival paper ABC blamed Pellegrini’s “constant rotation” of players for Real’s poor form.

Despite the absence due to injury of Ronaldo, Real is in second place in the Spanish league, one point behind defending champions Barcelona, and has a good chance of making the knockout stage of the Champions League.

But the club is vulnerable to an accident in the European competition as its group includes a resurgent Marseille, as well as AC Milan, and a defeat to Barcelona would allow the Catalan side to extend their lead over Real in the Spanish league.

In that case Pellegrini, 56, would not withstand for long the unhappiness of fans and Real officials despite his appeals for calm, Spanish media said.

MADRID (AFP)

Tags: ac milan, arch rivals, barca, camp nou, catalan side, club officials, dressing room, good chance, knockout stage, lengthy article, manuel pellegrini, real madrid, ronaldo, spanish cup, spanish league, spanish media, ultimatum, unhappiness

Babbel fears Stuttgart sack

October 24, 2009

Stuttgart coach Markus Babbel admits his side must win their next two games, or it would be understandable if he were to lose his job.

The 37-year-old is coming under increased pressure after the 3-1 defeat to Sevilla in the Champions League in midweek compromised Stuttgart’s chances of surviving the winter in Europe, and Saturday’s Bundesliga clash with Hannover as well as the DFB-Pokal tie against Furth next week could prove decisive.

“I am not so naive not to know what happens if we don’t get the results,” Babbel told the Bild newspaper.

Although no exact ultimatum has been set, the coach knows that director of sport Horst Heldt will be forced to take action if Stuttgart slip into the bottom three of the Bundesliga with defeat today.

And Babbel has even told him not to shirk his responsibility just because the pair enjoy a strong bond as friends away from the field.

“I told him, whatever friendship we have, he has a job to do and I have mine,” said Babbel.

“I have been in the business long enough to know that when the results don’t come, he will have to act.

“It would not surprise me. Whether he would like to do it or not does not come into it.”

Abhimanyu Rajput

Tags: bild newspaper, Bundesliga, champions league, clash, coach, dfb pokal, Europe, friendship, hannover, Horst Heldt, job, markus babbel, SEVILLA, stuttgart, two games, ultimatum, winter in europe

Bayern put 80m euro price tag on Ribery

July 8, 2009

BERLIN (AFP) – Bayern Munich have set a price tag of 80 million euros on French midfielder Franck Ribery, tabloid daily Bild reported on Tuesday.

The German giants have been insisting all summer they intend to hang onto Ribery, who insists he wants to join Real Madrid.

According to Bild, Bayern have given the Spaniards an ultimatum of July 16, the day when the squad begin pre-season training, to decide if they are ready to stump up the cash or not.

The paper did not divulge their source.

With Real having prised Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United for a world record 94 million euros and also snapped up Kaka from AC Milan for 65 million euros, Bayern’s general manager Uli Hoeness is determined to get top dollar, Bild stressed.

Bayern’s new coach Louis van Gaal indicated on Sunday he wanted to see an end to the uncertainty over Ribery’s future.

Tags: ac milan, Bayern, bayern munich, berlin, bild, Bundesliga, Cristiano, franck ribery, giants, kaka, LA Liga, louis van gaal, Manchester, manchester united, midfielder, Milan, pre season training, price tag, real madrid, ronaldo, spaniards, top dollar, uli hoeness, ultimatum, uncertainty, world record

Donovan issues ultimatum to Galaxy over Beckham

July 3, 2009

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Landon Donovan has issued the Los Angeles Galaxy an ultimatum – have English superstar David Beckham clean up his act or risk the departure of Donovan, the club’s all-time top active scorer.

“Let’s say he does stay here for three more years. I’m not going to spend the next three years of my life doing it this way. This is (expletive) miserable,” Donovan said in passages from a forthcoming book put on Sports Illustrated’s website.

US national team captain Donovan blasted Beckham in the book, entitled “The Beckham Experiment”, questioning the former England captain’s work ethic, leadership and ability to be a good teammate on the Major League Soccer squad.

“Maybe he’s not a leader. Maybe he’s not a captain,” author Grant Wahl quotes Donovan as saying in the book, scheduled to be released later this month.

“But at a minimum you should bust your ass every day. That hasn’t happened.”

Donovan, who led the Americans to a runner-up finish on the weekend at the 2009 Confederation Cup, is one of the most decorated players in Galaxy history.

He leads all active Galaxy players in career goals (58), assists (44), shots (226) and game-winning goals (14). He holds club records for multi-goal games (14) and penalty-kick goals (17).

Donovan believes that Beckham, as the highest-paid player in the US league, has a responsibility to his team and especially to his Galaxy teammates to set an example through hard work.

“If someone is paying you more than anybody in the league, more than double anybody in the league, the least we expect is that you show up to every game, whether you are suspended or not.

“Show up, train hard, show up and play hard.

“As time has gone on, that has not proven to be the case in many ways, on or of the field.”

Beckham is currently on loan from Los Angeles to AC Milan. The 34-year-old Beckham was originally supposed to return for the entire 2009 season but got his stay in Europe extended to halfway through the MLS season.

Beckham is scheduled to return to the Galaxy on July 16, two days after the release of the book.

“I can’t think of another guy where I would say he wasn’t a good teammate,” Donovan said. “He didn’t give everything through all of this. He didn’t still care. But with (Beckham) I would say no, he wasn’t committed.”

Donovan said Beckham’s attitude changed after the team got rid of former coach Ruud Gullit.

Gullit left the team a little over a month after Beckham played his first game in Los Angeles.

“He (Beckham) just flipped a switch and said, ‘Uh-huh, I am not doing it anymore.’

“It coincides with Ruud being let go.”

Donovan said Beckham was sincere when he arrived in North America but became discouraged easily.

“He cared. He wanted to do well. He wanted the team and the league to do well,” Donovan was quoted as saying.

“My sense is David is clearly frustrated that he is unhappy and honestly, that he thinks it is a joke. I don’t see dedication or commitment to this team and that is troubling.”

Tags: captain Donovan, career goals, confederation cup, David, David Beckham, england captain, Europe, expletive, forthcoming book, goal games, Grant Wahl, landon donovan, Los Angeles, los angeles galaxy, Major League Soccer, Milan, MLS, mls season, North America, penalty kick, soccer squad, sports illustrated, team captain, teammate, ultimatum, work ethic, years of my life

Poland awaits UEFA decision on Euro sites

May 13, 2009

BUCHAREST (AFP) – Grzegorz Lato, president of the Polish Football Federation (PZPN), said Tuesday he expects UEFA to announce the final sites for the 2012 European Championship as planned on Wednesday.

The tournament will be co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine, and Lato rejected the notion that UEFA could delay an announcement on the Ukrainian sites due to delays in the country’s preparations.

“UEFA said that the final decision would be taken in Bucharest and because they’re a respected organisation, I expect this decision on Wednesday,” Lato told AFP on the first day of a two-day meeting of UEFA’s executive committee in the Romanian capital.

Lato said “it would be unfair on Poland” to delay the decision in order to give Ukraine an ultimatum to get their sites in order, as sources close to the project had suggested might happen.

Regarding the distribution of eight sites between the two countries, Lato said that the ideal was “to push for a 4+4 situation”, while assuring that six Polish towns were ready to host matches.

Lato said the possibility of six sites being allocated to Poland and just two to Ukraine was a scenario produced by “the imaginations of journalists”.

Poland has prepared six sites capable of hosting the event – in Warsaw, Poznan, Wroclaw, Krakow, Gdansk and Chorzow – but UEFA president Michel Platini said on a visit in April that it was “not possible” to nominate six Polish sites.