Archive for the ‘Soccer news’ Category
January 17, 2009
Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon was expected to resign on Friday according to the Spanish newspaper which revealed that he manipulated a general assembly vote.
Marca newspaper said on Thursday that Calderon’s staff has urged the 57-year-old lawyer to step down following revelations that his aides allowed up to 200 nonmembers into a Dec. 7 assembly, where Calderon saw his budget - in effect a vote of confidence - pass by only 47 votes.
Calderon, who fired two close aides on Wednesday, denied any knowledge of the scandal and insisted he would not resign since he had no direct relations with any of the fraudulent members, despite pictures published on Thursday showing that he and his family are friends with several of the identified ones.
Marca said vice president Vicente Boluda would take over the president’s duties.
January 17, 2009
The expansion Seattle Sounders FC took Steve Zakuani out of Akron with the first pick in the MLS SuperDraft on Thursday, rather than opt for a defender who might make an immediate impression.
The 20-year-old Zakuani led the nation with 20 goals and 27 points this season as a sophomore. He was Soccer America’s player of the year and was a finalist for the Hermann Trophy given to the top NCAA Division I player.
“It’s harder to impact things offensively than it is to destroy things defensively as a rookie,” coach Sigi Schmid said. “But to find a player who’s got that ability to be special, you’ve got to jump at that.
“I’ve seen him take his team on his back, and we expect him to be able to do that in the pros.”
Zakuani will start his pro career with a franchise set to begin play in March. Schmid was hired as coach last month, three weeks after leading the Columbus Crew to the MLS championship.
“I told those close to me that if I could pick one team it would be Seattle just because they’re a new team and I like the team a lot,” Zakuani said. “So for that to happen is amazing.
“I know it’s going to be a season that’s going to be buzzing and I just want to be a part of it from the start.”
Another Hermann Trophy finalist, Wake Forest midfielder Sam Cronin, went to Toronto FC with the second pick. Cronin had 10 goals and four assists his senior season.
“I didn’t come in with really any expectations, I’m just excited to be here and soak it all in,” Cronin said. “To be the second pick and going to Toronto, I couldn’t be happier.”
Cronin sported a fresh wound on draft day after an elbow to the mouth during the final day of the MLS Combine resulted in 10 stitches.
“Almost made it,” Cronin said. “I went up for a header, caught an elbow and sliced it pretty good. I won the ball, though.”
The Los Angeles Galaxy took defender Omar Gonzalez of national champion Maryland with the third pick. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound Gonzalez was the most outstanding defensive player in the NCAA College Cup.
Now, Gonzalez will be one of David Beckham’s teammates.
“Obviously with Beckham being there, I’m sure that I’ll learn a lot from him and from all the players there,” Gonzalez said. “I’m just really excited.”
Three Maryland players were taken in the first round, the second time it’s happened in league history and the first time one school’s had three since UCLA also had three in 2000. DC United took midfielder Rodney Wallace with the sixth pick and midfielder Jeremy Hall went to the New York Red Bulls with the 11th selection.
Wake Forest had two first-rounders, with midfielder Michael Lahoud taken by Chivas USA with the ninth pick, and Seattle made a third Demon Deacon, defender Evan Brown, the first pick of the second round.
Toronto had two of the first four picks, also taking Connecticut forward O’Brian White with the fourth overall selection.
January 17, 2009
Manchester City’s pursuit of AC Milan midfielder Kaka intensified with an increased offer reportedly three times the world record and permission granted to negotiate directly with the Brazil star on Thursday.
The Serie A club announced on its TV channel that it was considering a colossal offer from City. Mediaset, the broadcaster owned by Milan president Silvio Berlusconi, said it could top ?150 million ($196 million).
Despite the 26-year-old former world player of the year indicating on Wednesday that he wants to “grow old” at Milan, his spokesman, Diogo Kotscho, told The Associated Press on Thursday that the player will listen to City’s proposals.
“It’s an exaggeration what they are saying in England, that it’s almost a done deal, and it’s an exaggeration that Kaka has rejected the offer,” Kotscho said. “Milan has authorized the negotiation with Manchester City. … The next step now is that Kaka’s father (Bosco Leite) will eventually talk to Manchester City.”
Leite, also his son’s chief adviser, was likely to travel to England soon to assess what City has to offer, Kotscho said.
City often agrees to complex contracts with players, with salaries made up of image rights and bonuses relating to the team’s position in the table.
Milan used its TV channel to discuss City’s staggering bid.
“There is an offer from Manchester City for Kaka, and it is being considered by Milan,” channel director Mauro Suma said. “Pondered does not mean decided or accepted. We’re not looking at a decision taken or something done. There are still hours and days ahead.”
If the transfer goes through, it would smash the world record set in 2001 when Real Madrid signed Zinedine Zidane from Juventus for $65 million. A large percentage of the huge figures being mooted could go to the deal brokers.
Kaka, FIFA’s player of the year in 2007, indicated on Wednesday that he would remain at Milan, but said “if one day they want to sell me, then it’s a different story.”
There were suggestions in Italy that Kaka would have to publicly announce his desire to leave so that the club he joined in 2003 from Sao Paulo wasn’t seen to be happy releasing a crucial player for a huge profit.
“Kaka is a player that has done so much for the club,” fellow Milan midfielder Clarence Seedorf said on Thursday. “If you look at it like that, this would still be doing something for the club - bringing in a lot of money.
“This an offer that has to be thought of. … He has to consider the pros and cons - with the heart but also with the mind.”
Kaka would be leaving a club that enabled him to win the Champions League in 2007 and was currently third in Serie A, for one that was 15th in the Premier League, just two points above the relegation zone, and without a major trophy since 1976.
For months, City manager Mark Hughes said he had been chasing Kaka for the January transfer window, which closes on Feb. 2.
“It is not something we have only thought of in the last week and decided to act,” Hughes said. “It has moved forward at a pace this week. It is a football decision that has been done with a structure and an understanding that we can move it forward.”
Hughes was more cautious than assistant manager Mark Bowen.
“We believe the deal is very close,” Bowen told BBC radio. “Our understanding is that it is very much a strong possibility that Kaka will be coming to Manchester City.”
Kaka has already discussed the attraction of playing in England with countrymen Robinho and Elano, who were both at City.
“I like very much the Premier League,” Kaka said in November. “There are a lot of big players and a lot of big teams, so now I think it’s the best championship in the world. So, one day maybe, I don’t know when, but it would be great to play in England.”
City, which signed England left back Wayne Bridge this month, was considered the only English club with lots of money to spend during the January transfer window since it was bought by a member of the United Arab Emirates’ royal family in September. But after having bids rejected for West Ham’s Craig Bellamy and Blackburn’s Roque Santa Cruz, Hughes said he will not be exploited by clubs trying to take advantage of City’s wealth.
“We place a value on players and we stick to them. If clubs ask for too great a premium that is their choice,” Hughes said. “I guarantee if the value is not good for Manchester City, we will walk away.”
Sheik Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan broke the British transfer record to sign Robinho in September as he led the Abu Dhabi United Group’s purchase of City for more than 200 million pounds (then $370 million).
City’s owners have vowed to spend to mount a serious challenge to crosstown rival Manchester United, the reigning English and European champions.
“The process will take some time, but we are already trying to set those wheels in motion and to take that process forward,” Hughes said.
January 17, 2009
Surprise Bundesliga leader Hoffenheim is looking for a striker to replace leading scorer Vedad Ibisevic, who is expected to miss the rest of the season after injuring his knee in a friendly.
An examination Thursday at the Heidelberg clinic confirmed that Ibisevic had torn the anterior cruciate ligament of his right knee and will need an operation.
“It’s clear that we’ll have to step up the search if the injury is confirmed,” coach Ralf Rangnick said from Spain earlier in the day, before the final diagnosis was known.
Ibisevic, who tops the Bundesliga with 18 goals, flew Thursday to Germany from Spain, where Hoffenheim has been preparing for the second half of the season that kicks off in the last weekend of January.
Ibisevic’s goals have played a major role in promoted Hoffenheim’s rise to the top. At the halfway mark, Hoffenheim leads on goal difference from defending champion Bayern Munich. Ibisevic said earlier this week that he was likely to extend his contract with Hoffenheim, which expires at the end of next season.
Many experts thought the Bosnia striker would threaten Gerd Mueller’s record of 40 goals in a season, set in 1971-72.
He was injured during Hoffenheim’s 2-0 loss in a friendly in Spain against Bundesliga rival Hamburger SV. Both teams are there to prepare for the second half of the season.
Hoffenheim manager Jan Schindelmeiser, who is responsible for transfers, said he expected Ibisevic to be out of the game for at least six months. If an operation was necessary, it would be done as soon as possible, he said.
“Now we have to concentrate on the huge gap that will be left by Ibisevic,” Schindelmeiser said, adding that signing a forward on loan was also a possibility.
Coach Rangnick said the new striker could be older than the 24-year-old Ibisevic.
“But he has to have proven qualities as a striker and has to fit into the club as a person and financially as well,” Rangnick said. “We are not going to pay any price.”
Hoffenheim, a small provincial club backed by a software billionaire, usually signs young, little-known players. The team played in the third division two seasons ago.
Another striker, Nigeria’s Chinedu Obasi, is recovering from a thigh muscle tear and is likely to miss the opening match of the season half of the season, against Energie Cottbus on Jan. 31, which also marks the opening of Hoffenheim’s new 30,000-seat stadium in Sinsheim.
December 22, 2008
Results from the 16th round of Spain’s first-division football league (home teams listed first).
Saturday’s Games
Real Madrid 1, Valencia 0
Espanyol 2, Atletico Madrid 3
Sunday’s Games
Mallorca 0, Sevilla 0
Osasuna 5, Getafe 2
Deportivo La Coruna 4, Recreativo Huelva 1
Numancia 4, Valladolid 3
Racing Santander 1, Malaga 1
Sporting Gijon 1, Almeria 0
Villarreal 1, Barcelona 2
Real Betis 0, Athletic Bilbao 1
Sunday, Jan. 4
Almeria vs. Real Betis
Athletic Bilbao vs. Espanyol
Valencia vs. Atletico Madrid
Real Madrid vs. Villarreal
Barcelona vs. Mallorca
Sevilla vs. Osasuna
Getafe vs. Deportivo La Coruna
Recreativo Huelva vs. Numancia
Valladolid vs. Racing Santander
Malaga vs. Sporting Gijon
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French Football Results
Results from the 19th round of the French first-division football league (home teams listed first).
Saturday’s Games
Lorient 1, Rennes 2
Toulouse 2, Nice 2
Lille 3, Le Havre 1
Grenoble 2, Le Mans 1
Saint-Etienne 2, Auxerre 0
Nantes 1, Sochaux 1
Caen 0, Lyon 1
Sunday’s Games
Marseille 0, Nancy 3
Paris Saint-Germain 2, Valenciennes 2
Monaco 3, Bordeaux 4
Saturday, Jan. 10
Auxerre vs. Marseille
Lyon vs. Lorient
Le Havre vs. Toulouse
Monaco vs. Nantes
Sochaux vs. Saint-Etienne
Valenciennes vs. Caen
Le Mans vs. Lille
Nancy vs. Nice
Rennes vs. Grenoble
Sunday, Jan. 11
Bordeaux vs. Paris Saint-Germain
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Portuguese Football Results
Results from the 12th round of the Portuguese first-division football league (home teams listed first).
Friday’s Game
Naval 0, Guimaraes 0
Saturday’s Games
Braga 1, Rio Ave 0
Sporting Lisbon 0, Academica 0
Sunday’s Games
Pacos Ferreira 2, Setubal 0
Belenenses 3, Trofense 2
Leixoes 1, Amadora 1
FC Porto 0, Maritimo 0
Monday’s Game
Benfica vs. Nacional
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Italian Football Results
Results in the Serie A, the Italian first-division football league (home teams listed first).
Saturday’s Games
Lazio 1, Palermo 0
Siena 1, Inter Milan 2
Sunday’s Games
Atalanta 1, Juventus 3
Cagliari 1, Reggina 1
Catania 3, AS Roma 2
Chievo Verona 0, Genoa 1
Lecce 0, Bologna 0
Sampdoria 0, Fiorentina 1
Torino 1, Napoli 0
AC Milan 5, Udinese 1
Saturday, Jan. 10
Genoa vs. Torino
Inter Milan vs. Cagliari
Sunday, Jan. 11
Bologna vs. Chievo Verona
Fiorentina vs. Lecce
Juventus vs. Siena
Napoli vs. Catania
Palermo vs. Atalanta
Reggina vs. Laziio
Udinese vs. Sampdoria
AS Roma vs. AC Milan
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Greek Football Results
Results after Sunday’s games in the 15th round of the Greek league (home teams listed first).
Saturday’s Games
Iraklis 1, Xanthi 0
Panserraikos 1, PAOK 1
Panionios 3, Asteras 0
Sunday’s Games
Panthrakikos 0, Aris 0
AEK Athens 3, Ergotelis 2
Larissa 2, Levadiakos 1
Olympiakos 2, Thrasivoulos 1
OFI 0, Panathinaikos 3
December 22, 2008
Japan’s Gamba Osaka secured a third-place finish at the Club World Cup with a 1-0 win over Mexico’s Pachuca on Sunday.
Striker Masato Yamazaki scored the winner in the 30th minute when he volleyed a superb pass from fellow forward Ryuji Bando past goalkeeper Miguel Calero.
Manchester United takes on Ecuador’s Liga de Quito later Sunday in the final.
Gamba, 5-3 losers to United in the semifinals, kept Calero under constant pressure from the opening whistle. Set-piece specialist Yasuhito Endo had two free kicks denied before Calero pulled off the save of the match when Bando sprung free inside the area in the 32nd minute.
Bando thought he had the experienced Colombian goalkeeper beaten with a half volley, but Calero managed to get a leg to the shot at the last moment.
For the third match at the tournament, Pachuca saved its best football for the second half, but despite enjoying the bulk of possession and creating a number of chances, the CONCACAF champions rarely looked capable of tying the score.
Instead, it was Asian champions Gamba that appeared more likely to reply on the counterattack, and defender Akira Kaji almost doubled the lead when he curled a shot from the edge of the area just wide in the 73rd minute.
Midfielder Tomokazu Myojin spurned a glorious opportunity to put the game out of reach when he failed to head into an open net six minutes from time. Seconds later, Satoshi Yamaguchi’s header hit the post with Calero clearly beaten.
Gamba survived a few nervy moments and a red card to Takahiro Futagawa for a reckless challenge in added time to hold on for a well-deserved victory. In finishing third, Gamba matched the performance of compatriots the Urawa Reds in last year’s Club World Cup.
December 22, 2008
Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas will be out for at least a week after hobbling off during Sunday’s 1-1 Premier League draw with Liverpool with a knee ligament injury.
Fabregas’ Spain teammate, Xabi Alonso, inflicted the damage with a tackle at the end of the first half at Emirates Stadium.
“It’s a medial knee ligament injury,” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said. “I don’t know how long he will be out. It is difficult to assess; it could be one week or three weeks.
“Of course it is a blow, but we have to cope with it.”
Arsenal travels to Aston Villa on Friday before hosting Portsmouth next Sunday.
December 22, 2008
Wayne Rooney scored late in the second half Sunday to lead 10-man Manchester United to a 1-0 win over Ecuador’s Liga de Quito in the final of the Club World Cup.
Rooney, who was named player of the tournament, took a pass from Cristiano Ronaldo in the 73rd minute and fired an angled right-footed blast into the bottom corner past diving Liga goalkeeper Jose Cevallos.
“It was a very difficult game especially after going down to 10 men,” said Rooney. “I’m very happy to have scored and for us to become the best club in the world is something we can be very proud of.”
United was reduced to 10 men when defender Nemanja Vidic was given a red card in the 49th minute for elbowing Claudio Bieler in the face.
United becomes the first English club to win the cup in its current format. The Red Devils participated in the first Club World Cup in 2000 without making the final, while Liverpool lost the 2005 decider.
In 1999, United did win the predecessor to the Club World Cup, the Intercontinental Cup which matched the European and South American champions.
United manager Alex Ferguson had high praise for Rooney.
“He played well enough to score two or three goals tonight,” said Ferguson. “It was a magnificent game that he played.”
Liga didn’t have a shot on target until Alejandro Manso rifled a left-foot blast from the top of the area in the 63rd minute only to see United keeper Edwin Van Der Sar make a spectacular diving save.
Manso came dangerously close to equalizing in the 89th minute with a long-range shot that Van Der Sar tipped over the bar.
“Now we can say we are the best team in the world,” said United captain Rio Ferdinand. “We knew they could create problems but I think today we kept them down to a minimum of chances.”
Looking to add to their Premier League and Champions League titles, United controlled the flow of play from the outset.
Rooney had a superb chance 10 minutes in when he played a long ball from Vidic off his chest and unleashed a powerful volley from the top of the area that Cevallos stopped with a diving save.
Ronaldo set up Carlos Tevez 10 minutes later with a cross but the Argentine’s low header was saved by Cevallos, who kept his team in the match in the first half.
Rooney set up Park Ji-sung after a nifty one-two with Tevez but the South Korean fired into the hands of Cevallos late in the first half.
Jairo Campos had Liga’s best scoring chance in the opening minutes when he redirected a Manso free kick inches wide of the post.
United qualified for the Club World Cup in May after beating fellow English side Chelsea in a penalty shootout in the Champions League final at Moscow.
Liga qualified for the competition by becoming the first Ecuadorean club to win South America’s Copa Libertadores.
Liga defeated Mexico’s Pachuca 2-0 on Wednesday to reach Sunday’s final, while United advanced after a 5-3 win over Japan’s Gamba Osaka.
Gamba secured a third-place finish earlier Sunday with a 1-0 win over Pachuca.
Striker Masato Yamazaki scored the winner in the 30th minute when he volleyed a superb pass from fellow forward Ryuji Bando past goalkeeper Miguel Calero.
December 7, 2008
Former England midfielder Darren Anderton came off the bench Saturday to score a late winner for Bournemouth in his 569th and final club match before retiring.
Bournemouth beat Chester 1-0 in League Two, the fourth tier of English football.
The 36-year-old Anderton started his career at Portsmouth in 1990 and moved two years later to Tottenham, where he spent 12 years and earned the nickname “Sicknote” due to his numerous injuries.
“Before it gets to the stage where I don’t enjoy it any more, I want to call it a day,” Anderton said. “I was finding training hard work and rather than just slogging on and not enjoying it, I have decided to make this decision.”
He scored seven goals in 30 games for England from 1994 and 2001, and played in the 1996 European Championship in England.
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Czech striker Sverkos to move to Sochaux
Czech Republic striker Vaclav Sverkos agreed to a 3 1/2-year contract with French club Sochaux on Saturday.
Sverkos’ current club Banik Ostrava and Sochaux approved the transfer Friday. Sverkos will sign the deal after the transfer window opens on Jan 1, Ostrava said in a statement.
There were no details on the transfer fee or personal terms. Czech media said that Sochaux will pay ?2 million ($2.5 million).
The 25-year-old Sverkos signed a two-year deal with Ostrava in July 2007 after four years with Borussia Moenchengladbach in the Bundesliga. He had also played for Hertha Berlin and Austria Vienna.
Sverkos has scored one goal in his six internationals. He was the highest scoring player in the Czech league last season with 15 goals.
December 7, 2008
Thierry Henry’s hat trick led near-perfect Barcelona past Valencia 4-0 to extend its lead in Spain and stretch its unbeaten run to 20 games on Saturday.
An energized Henry, in one of his best performances away from Arsenal, opened in the 20th minute as the France striker used a quick touch to float in Yaya Toure’s long pass on the hop.
Henry ran onto a leading pass from Alexandre Hleb - who he also teamed with at Arsenal - eight minutes later and curled past goalkeeper Renan Soares. Henry’s last, in the 79th, was the easiest as he pushed in substitute Bojan Krkic’s pass for his seventh league goal.
Asked the secret to his improved form, Henry said, “I don’t know. Let’s hope it can stay like this, we’re enjoying it.”
Barcelona’s high-scoring attack has notched 44 goals from 14 games to lead Villarreal by six points with 35.
Earlier, Giuseppe Rossi scored a late equalizer as Villarreal rallied from a three-goal deficit to draw 3-3 with Getafe, and Sergio Aguero and Diego Forlan scored twice each as Atletico Madrid defeated Sporting Gijon 5-2 to stretch its unbeaten run to 12 games.
Real Madrid and Sevilla meet on Sunday with the loser in danger of slipping further in the title race. Two-time defending champion Madrid has 26 points and Sevilla 24, the same as Atletico.
Barcelona has hardly missed suspended striker Samuel Eto’o, who leads the league with 14 goals, as Daniel Alves held off Asier del Horno in the 46th minute to reach Xavi Hernandez’s precise through ball and score the third.
“We knew before the result of Getafe-Villarreal so we wanted to win this game,” Henry said. “We did it and we did it well.”
Xavi hit the post after two minutes while Renan denied clear chances from Lionel Messi and Hleb before coming out to poke away Messi, who came in clear on goal in the 68th
Barcelona’s defense, which has allowed only nine goals, cleared nearly every Valencia threat, with Villa coming closest with a wide header just after Henry’s opener. The Spain striker also hit over in the 67th.
Barcelona and Madrid meet in the league classico next Saturday with the Catalan club undefeated since a 1-0 opening day loss to 18th-placed Numancia.
“We haven’t won anything. We need to keep going and see what we can do,” Henry said.
Valencia, which lost for the first time on the road, has 27 points.
At El Molinon, Aguero found the net with a bicycle kick from close range two minutes after Mate Bilic had scored for Sporting in the fifth minute.
In the 41st, Aguero slid in the rebound from Diego Forlan’s hard shot for his seventh goal of the season.
Forlan stole the ball from Diego Camacho in the 57th to score with an angled shot under goalkeeper Ivan Cuellar, while Maxi Rodriguez continued the rout in the 72nd by poking in Aguero’s pass after both players had gone through on goal.
Forlan looked offside in the 82nd when he went clear to score his 10th goal of the season in a near identical copy of his first on Saturday.
Sporting’s David Barral scored from a hard shot in the 62nd.
At El Madrigal, Getafe went ahead when Esteban Granero chested Juan Angel Albin’s flicked-on cross in the 10th to volley into the far corner past goalkeeper Diego Lopez.
Seven minutes later, Jaime Gavilan volleyed home Cosmin Contra’s floating cross to deflate the hosts, who came in with an injury-hit squad and a leaky defense. Javier Casquero stepped up to slot Gavilan’s pass in at the far post to make it three in the 30th.
Getafe goalkeeper Roberto Abbondanzieri cleared straight into Robert Pires, who was credited with the 55th-minute goal before Uruguay international Eguren scored in the 83rd.
Italy striker Rossi swiveled to equalize in the 86th before hitting just wide of the far post four minutes later.
In Sunday’s other games, it’s: Mallorca vs. Recreativo Hueva; Osasuna vs. Valladolid; Deportivo La Coruna vs. Malaga; Numancia vs. Almeria; Racing Santander vs. Athletic Bilbao; and Real Betis vs. Espanyol.
