03/08/07
Platini prepares an expansion of the European Championship
New UEFA chairman Michel Platini has announced plans to expand the European Championship final phase from 16 do 24 teams, starting from 2016.
"A UEFA commission is studying the proposal to increase the number of participants
in the final stage," said Platini on a press conference in Tbilisi, Georgia.
"There are UEFA members in favour and against the idea. In any case, if a positive decision is taken, the increase would take place in the 2016 finals."
The plan to postpone the expansion until 2016 has been welcomed both in Croatia and Hungary, candidates to stage the 2012 event, because an increase to 24 as early as 2012 would clearly fancy their rivals Italy, who would legitimately argue that only they can meet the requirements for a tournament that large.
Platini has also assured that he does not plan to pressure various national federations to cut the number of teams in their first divisions to 16 or 18, or to shift the competition calendar from autumn-spring to spring-autumn, in order to have an unified schedule on the continent.
"I won't insist on this topic. The number of teams involved or a calendar of the competition is down to the federation of each member country," added the Frenchman.
Maradona investigated for money laundering
The Argentinian Central Bank (BCRA), the country's tax authority, has denounced the former soccer great Diego Maradona for suspected money laundering. BCRA has asked the authorities to investigate the movements of Maradona's funds in various banking and credit institutions.
Over the last months Maradona's principal source of revenue is playing showball, a variant of indoor soccer, which he plays along with other former Argentina internationals.
After his lenghty recovery from drug addiction and a cardiovascular illness, Maradona started to work on his own television show called "La noche del 10" (The night of the ten), which is an allusion to the number he usually wore in his heyday. In the 13 weeks he hosted the program, he entertained Pele, Mike Tyson and Fidel Castro, among others.
Teddy Sheringham could go "down under"
Nearing his 41th birthday, Teddy Sheringham has received an offer from Sydney FC of the Australian A-League to join them for the next season due to start in August.
The former Manchester United and Tottenham striker is still going strong for West Ham, but if the Hammers go down they would probably be willing to release the star, whom Sydney is planning to pay a reported 1 million AUD per year.
"Sheringham still plays at the highest level in England, is an excellent soccer player and has plenty of experience", said Sydney's executive manager George Perry to The Daily Telegraph.
Last autumn the Brazilian veteran Romario had a middlingly successful stint at Adelaide United.
Mourinho: "If they kick me out, I'll be a millionaire"
José Mourinho knows he will not be sacked from Chelsea, specially not after his side made it to the Champions' League quarterfinals agains his old team Porto. But, even if Abramovich and Kenyon chose to terminate his contract any time soon, Mourinho would not be terribly upset.
"If the club sacks you due to bad results, it's part of the game. If that happens, I'll be a millionaire and in a couple of months I'd be working for another club. I cannot win every week nor every year, but I have a family, my children are healthy and I have a lot of friends. I have a good life so I don't feel any pressure."
Seeing that Chelsea have already won the League Cup and that they are still in race for the Premiership, Champions' League and the FA Cup, Mourinho has also asked for respect for his men.
"Taking into account the injuries we have suffered this season, my players deserve respect."
Ronaldo calls Capello "a man in trouble"
The former Real Madrid player, Ronaldo Nazario Lima, did not mince his words when talking about his ex-coaches Fabio Capello and Héctor Cúper.
"One should not trust Fabio Capello. He is a man in trouble, whose relationships with players leave a lot to be desired. This is not a time for coaches who act like generals," said Il Fenomeno to the Italian weekly Panorama.
The Brazilian forward expressed an even more negative opinion about the Argentinian Héctor Cúper, under whom he worked at Inter before joining Real Madrid in 2002.
"Cúper was worse, because Capello at least has a history to back him up. But, what has Cúper won?"
With regards to his alleged excess weight, Ronaldo promised to "have a nude photo made soon to put an end to all the speculations."
Argentinian FA found responsible for a man's loss of sight
The Argentinian Supreme Court has sentenced the Argentinian Football Federation (AFA) and the club Lanús to pay an undisclosed sum to a man as damages for an injury that cost him an eye sustained during incidents at a soccer game in 1996.
The victim was Hugo Arnaldo Mosca, who was hit on the head by a stone during one match between Lanús and Independiente and suffered a complete loss of sight in his left eye.
Just a month ago, after another series of incidents, Julio Grondona, the AFA chairman, said that he was responsible for soccer, but not for security issues. The Supreme Court has ruled quite the opposite.
The Court believes that the AFA is "the organizer" and "the beneficiary" of the sporting events in which Mosca lost sight on one eye, and that therefore cannot elude legal responsibility.
"The idea that the organizers should be concerned just with the sport and their revenue, while the security should be the Government's obligation is untenable in terms of our constitution," wrote the judges in the verdict, as if they wanted to give a direct reply to the AFA chairman.
Uribe returns as Peru's coach
Julio César Uribe, the current Cienciano Cuzco coach, has been appointed to manage the Peruvian national team yet again. The appointment of Uribe has ended the possibility of Juan Carlos Oblitas' returning to the national team bench.
Uribe returns to coaching Peru five years after quitting because of not being able to take the team to the 2002 World Cup in Japan and Korea.
The former Sporting Cristal player will make his second debut on March 24th in a friendly against Japan.
Champions' League winner's curse continues
A tremendous equality of the Champions' League has been reflected in two ways. In the round of sixteen no team have scored a win larger than 2-0 or qualified by a margin higher than two goals on aggregate. In fact, only Manchester United achieved two wins, both by 1-0 over Lille (the first one being highly controversial).
The other proof of equality is the fact that it is now 17 seasons since the last European champion retained their title. The last time that happened was in 1990, when Milan defeated Benfica in Vienna by 1-0.
In the meantime, the closest anyone came to the defence of the title was the finals. Milan, Ajax and Juventus all lost in the finals in the season after winning the Champions' League or Cup.
Last time anyone won the premier trophy three times in a row was between 1974 and 1976, when Bayern achieved that feat.
History of failures
Season Defending champ Result
1990/91 Milan quarterfinals
1991/92 Red Star Belgrade semifinals
1992/93 Barcelona round of 16
1993/94 Marseille suspended
1994/95 Milan finals
1995/96 Ajax finals
1996/97 Juventus finals
1997/98 Borussia Dortmund semifinals
1998/99 Real Madrid quarterfinals
1999/2000 Manchester Utd. quarterfinals
2000/01 Real Madrid semifinals
2001/02 Bayern quarterfinals
2002/03 Real Madrid semifinals
2003/04 Milan quarterfinals
2004/05 Porto round of 16
2005/06 Liverpool round of 16
2006/07 Barcelona round of 16
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Friday, March 9, 2007
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
The bra has been raised
There are two things in life that I’ll never really understand; bigamy, and the mechanics of a bra. The wife finds my ineptness hilarious, she was rolling on the floor last night as I struggled with a multitude of hooks; I should really have passed her the valium.
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For me, that was the least amusing moment of my life, and I’ve met Tim Lovejoy.
Whenever I feel depressed, I find the quotes of Ian Holloway are always therapeutic. The great man has been responsible for more quality lines than Pete Doherty.
The Plymouth manager’s mirth masks an underlying intelligence, like a beauty queen dying her hair ginger to fend off an unwanted suitor. I refuse to underestimate the modern day Socrates; I’m piling into Plymouth at 17/10 to knock out Watford.
The last time Middlesbrough met Manchester United, Gareth Southgate was quick to condemn Ronaldo’s propensity to greet the turf like a long lost relative.
Sir Alex was equally unequivocal in his counter, labelling the novice manager ‘naïve’, which as far as I’m aware, is not even a real word. There are an abundance of words that adequately sum up the 3/4 for another Manchester United win, I’ve settled for ‘pulchritudinous’.
It would not surprise me in the slightest if the contentious Ronaldo opened the scoring at 7/1. The orange winger is currently so hot; it would take a whole tub of Canesten to cool him down.
Chelsea’s grip on the Premiership has been loosened by the often maligned John O’Shea. Frank Lampard found it particularly ironic, as most of his goals have been assisted by John’s lesser known brother, Rick.
I’ve had a pop at Lamps in the past, but I must praise him for defending Adebayor in the aftermath of the Carling Cup. I’m not sure I believe his claim that he was never smacked; something must have given him the munchies. I’ll be taking the family out for a slap-up meal if Chelsea beat Tottenham at 4/9; they can even ‘go large’.
Jose Mourinho should steer clear of the card tables. The Special One looked completely bewildered as Shevchenko missed another sitter last week; the only way the Chelsea manager would ever win at poker is if he played the West Ham lads. A bet on Lampard to net the opener at 13/2 is the equivalent of getting your hands on a big pair.
Blackburn host Manchester City in a tie that has ‘home win’ written all over it. The Rovers have already hammered Psycho’s gang twice this season; the odds of 19/20 would need to be lying seductively on a couch wearing a Velcro brassiere to be any more appealing.
Manchester City’s strike-force is so lightweight, wafer-thin model Kate Moss would be a clear favourite if they were ever to meet in a ruck. Blackburn are 6/5 to keep a clean sheet, dig in.
I’m often asked why I appear reluctant to share my expertise on the Scottish football scene. I can assure you it’s not a result of xenophobia; some of my best friends know Scottish people.
Celtic are on a six match unbeaten run against Rangers; they look a cracking investment at 21/20 to continue their recent outright ownership. There’s a real lesson to be learned here, money earned from an FA Cup match is equal to money gained from park football.
The weekend accer is so inspiring; it makes me believe that one day all men will be free from discrimination, injustice and persecution for trying to lift a bra over a lady’s head. Chelsea, Blackburn, Plymouth and Celtic are the selections, the payout is an ample 12/1.
Copyright (c) Gerry McDonnell & soccerphile.com
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For me, that was the least amusing moment of my life, and I’ve met Tim Lovejoy.
Whenever I feel depressed, I find the quotes of Ian Holloway are always therapeutic. The great man has been responsible for more quality lines than Pete Doherty.
The Plymouth manager’s mirth masks an underlying intelligence, like a beauty queen dying her hair ginger to fend off an unwanted suitor. I refuse to underestimate the modern day Socrates; I’m piling into Plymouth at 17/10 to knock out Watford.
The last time Middlesbrough met Manchester United, Gareth Southgate was quick to condemn Ronaldo’s propensity to greet the turf like a long lost relative.
Sir Alex was equally unequivocal in his counter, labelling the novice manager ‘naïve’, which as far as I’m aware, is not even a real word. There are an abundance of words that adequately sum up the 3/4 for another Manchester United win, I’ve settled for ‘pulchritudinous’.
It would not surprise me in the slightest if the contentious Ronaldo opened the scoring at 7/1. The orange winger is currently so hot; it would take a whole tub of Canesten to cool him down.
Chelsea’s grip on the Premiership has been loosened by the often maligned John O’Shea. Frank Lampard found it particularly ironic, as most of his goals have been assisted by John’s lesser known brother, Rick.
I’ve had a pop at Lamps in the past, but I must praise him for defending Adebayor in the aftermath of the Carling Cup. I’m not sure I believe his claim that he was never smacked; something must have given him the munchies. I’ll be taking the family out for a slap-up meal if Chelsea beat Tottenham at 4/9; they can even ‘go large’.
Jose Mourinho should steer clear of the card tables. The Special One looked completely bewildered as Shevchenko missed another sitter last week; the only way the Chelsea manager would ever win at poker is if he played the West Ham lads. A bet on Lampard to net the opener at 13/2 is the equivalent of getting your hands on a big pair.
Blackburn host Manchester City in a tie that has ‘home win’ written all over it. The Rovers have already hammered Psycho’s gang twice this season; the odds of 19/20 would need to be lying seductively on a couch wearing a Velcro brassiere to be any more appealing.
Manchester City’s strike-force is so lightweight, wafer-thin model Kate Moss would be a clear favourite if they were ever to meet in a ruck. Blackburn are 6/5 to keep a clean sheet, dig in.
I’m often asked why I appear reluctant to share my expertise on the Scottish football scene. I can assure you it’s not a result of xenophobia; some of my best friends know Scottish people.
Celtic are on a six match unbeaten run against Rangers; they look a cracking investment at 21/20 to continue their recent outright ownership. There’s a real lesson to be learned here, money earned from an FA Cup match is equal to money gained from park football.
The weekend accer is so inspiring; it makes me believe that one day all men will be free from discrimination, injustice and persecution for trying to lift a bra over a lady’s head. Chelsea, Blackburn, Plymouth and Celtic are the selections, the payout is an ample 12/1.
Copyright (c) Gerry McDonnell & soccerphile.com
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Monday, March 5, 2007
Damp Start To The K-League
Despite an exceptionally mild winter on the Korean peninsula, the media gloomily predicted that the K-League opening round of fixtures would be played under foul weather. According to the 14 coaches, it didn't matter as they promised that a new era of attractive football would at least brighten moods, if not skies.
It didn’t really turn out that way – though Chunnam Dragons’ pink away kit shone through the greyness. The Gwangyang-based team sported the shirts in the season curtain-raiser at Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma. The match was the only Saturday game and gave champions Seongnam and the FA Cup holders a chance to get the ball rolling.
In truth, it wasn’t the best of games but matters livened up a little in the second half. Lively Chunnam striker Sandro Hiroshi had troubled the home defence all afternoon and his free-kick rebounded off the Seongnam wall to be hooked smartly home by the loitering Song Jong-hyun.
Seongnam fought back but it took the addition of substitute and $2 million new signing Choi Sung-kuk to make the difference. “Little Maradona” bamboozled sometime national team-mate Kim Jin-kyu and was brought down by the ex-Jubilo Iwata defender. Brazilian hotshot Mota made no mistake from the spot to earn a point for the champs.
The other six matches took place on a very wet and windy Sunday afternoon. The two biggest games of the day took place in Seoul and Suwon respectively. In the capital, it was supposed to be the start of a new era with new boss Senol Gunes. Turkey’s 2002 World Cup coach taking the reins.
There wasn’t much excitement on display in Seoul World Cup Stadium for the visit of Daegu. Most of the fans seemed more concerned with sitting far back enough to escape the reach of the rain and those who had their view blocked by umbrellas missed little of note in the first period.
The second half was slightly better though it was always going to be a mistake that decided the game. It came just after half-time and a slip from a Daegu defender let in Lee Chung-yong and the 18 year-old slotted the ball home coolly. Soon after, substitute striker Jung Jo-gook fired home from 20 yards to seal the win for a sluggish Seoul side.
Ahn Jung-hwan was the big draw at Suwon Samsung Bluewings. The Lord of the Ring was making his first appearance in Asia’s oldest professional league since 2000 and seemed off the pace against Daejeon Citizen. The 31 year-old had little impact on the game and was withdrawn after 57 minutes, three minutes after Daejeon, a team that has a very good record against the three-time champions, took the lead.
Suwon fought back to equalize and then score the winner with four minutes remaining. Ahn Hyo-yeon headed home to ensure that at least one Ahn would make the headlines.
To the south-west, Asian champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors started in blistering fashion. New signing and Macedonia star striker Stevica Ristic needed only 50 seconds to get on the scoresheet at Gwangju Sangmu. 15 minutes later, 2006 Rookie of the Year Yeom Ki-hoon recorded his second assist of the day to set up Kim Hyeung-bom.
Lee Chun-soo was nowhere to be seen as Ulsan Hyundai Horang-I took the lead at home to Gyeongnam FC. Unfortunately for the 2005 champions, Everaldo De Jesus Pereira marked his K-League debut with a goal to earn a 1-1 draw for the visitors.
Incheon United could be in for a long season as they crashed to an opening-day home defeat at the hands of Pohang Steelers. Pohang boss Sergio Farias said earlier in the week that Koh Ki-goo was capable of replacing Lee Dong-gook. Few believed the Brazilian but Koh grabbed the only goal of the game on the west coast.
The other game saw Busan I’Park also lose at home – 1-0 to Jeju United.
Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile
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It didn’t really turn out that way – though Chunnam Dragons’ pink away kit shone through the greyness. The Gwangyang-based team sported the shirts in the season curtain-raiser at Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma. The match was the only Saturday game and gave champions Seongnam and the FA Cup holders a chance to get the ball rolling.
In truth, it wasn’t the best of games but matters livened up a little in the second half. Lively Chunnam striker Sandro Hiroshi had troubled the home defence all afternoon and his free-kick rebounded off the Seongnam wall to be hooked smartly home by the loitering Song Jong-hyun.
Seongnam fought back but it took the addition of substitute and $2 million new signing Choi Sung-kuk to make the difference. “Little Maradona” bamboozled sometime national team-mate Kim Jin-kyu and was brought down by the ex-Jubilo Iwata defender. Brazilian hotshot Mota made no mistake from the spot to earn a point for the champs.
The other six matches took place on a very wet and windy Sunday afternoon. The two biggest games of the day took place in Seoul and Suwon respectively. In the capital, it was supposed to be the start of a new era with new boss Senol Gunes. Turkey’s 2002 World Cup coach taking the reins.
There wasn’t much excitement on display in Seoul World Cup Stadium for the visit of Daegu. Most of the fans seemed more concerned with sitting far back enough to escape the reach of the rain and those who had their view blocked by umbrellas missed little of note in the first period.
The second half was slightly better though it was always going to be a mistake that decided the game. It came just after half-time and a slip from a Daegu defender let in Lee Chung-yong and the 18 year-old slotted the ball home coolly. Soon after, substitute striker Jung Jo-gook fired home from 20 yards to seal the win for a sluggish Seoul side.
Ahn Jung-hwan was the big draw at Suwon Samsung Bluewings. The Lord of the Ring was making his first appearance in Asia’s oldest professional league since 2000 and seemed off the pace against Daejeon Citizen. The 31 year-old had little impact on the game and was withdrawn after 57 minutes, three minutes after Daejeon, a team that has a very good record against the three-time champions, took the lead.
Suwon fought back to equalize and then score the winner with four minutes remaining. Ahn Hyo-yeon headed home to ensure that at least one Ahn would make the headlines.
To the south-west, Asian champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors started in blistering fashion. New signing and Macedonia star striker Stevica Ristic needed only 50 seconds to get on the scoresheet at Gwangju Sangmu. 15 minutes later, 2006 Rookie of the Year Yeom Ki-hoon recorded his second assist of the day to set up Kim Hyeung-bom.
Lee Chun-soo was nowhere to be seen as Ulsan Hyundai Horang-I took the lead at home to Gyeongnam FC. Unfortunately for the 2005 champions, Everaldo De Jesus Pereira marked his K-League debut with a goal to earn a 1-1 draw for the visitors.
Incheon United could be in for a long season as they crashed to an opening-day home defeat at the hands of Pohang Steelers. Pohang boss Sergio Farias said earlier in the week that Koh Ki-goo was capable of replacing Lee Dong-gook. Few believed the Brazilian but Koh grabbed the only goal of the game on the west coast.
The other game saw Busan I’Park also lose at home – 1-0 to Jeju United.
Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile
Bet with Bet 365
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