UEFA have charged FYR Macedonian club FK Pobeda for “manipulating the outcome of a UEFA match to gain undue advantage for themselves and a third party”.
The charge relates to a 2004 Champions League first qualifying round match against FC Pyunik in Skopje, which the Armenian side won 3-1.
Good to see UEFA lower the boom against cheaters, weird to see it only took close to 5 years before action was taken however.
(Yes, I know Brazil is not in Europe. Just overlook that fact for today.)
Report: Adriano And Robinho Party For 12 Hours
Brazilian sources claim that the Selecao duo have thrown a wild party at the new villa of ‘L’Imperatore’ with lots of girls…
My first reaction to this article was “now these are people I’d want to party with, forget Rio Ferdinand.” Then I read the part about a tranny model being at this party. Then on second thought I may of passed on that party.
Report: Juventus Set Sights On Genoa Defender Salvatore Bocchetti
The Bianconeri have apparently targeted the full-back and could launch a bid in the summer.
As we have seen with the Diego Milito to Tottenham rumours, the bad thing regarding a team punching above their weight is that big clubs start noticing and start waving around piles of cash snapping up a team like Genoa’s top talents.
Manchester City are setting their sights high, with Bayern Munich midfielder Franck Ribery, Barcelona striker Thierry Henry, Chelsea skipper John Terry and Blackburn striker Roque Santa Cruz all transfer targets. (The Times)
Manchester City couldn’t even sign Roque Santa Cruz in the last transfer window. I’ll wish them luck signing any of the other three players listed come the summer transfer window.
Liverpool may make a £9m bid for Valencia centre-back Raul Albiol if Daniel Agger refuses to sign a new deal to keep him at Anfield. (Various)
Liverpool should make that bid regardless of what Agger does. Albiol is a better option at the back than Agger and he can also help out as a holding midfielder.
Real Madrid’s Dutch midfielder Rafael van der Vaart says he would like to join Chelsea, if his compatriot Guus Hiddink stays on as manager. (The Sun)
Rafael van der Vaart just wants to play, something he is doing very little of at Real Madrid lately.
Hiddink, meanwhile, has urged Chelsea to bid for Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko. (Various)
Given the culture shock of moving to England from Russia to go along with the mess Juande Ramos created at Tottenham, Pavlychenko hasn’t done that bad in his first year in English football.
AC Milan are lining up a £15m summer bid for Arsenal left-back Gael Clichy. (Various)
At 15 million Arsenal would at least listen to that offer for their last Invincibles still on the roster.
Tottenham midfielder Tom Huddlestone has alerted Aston Villa, Newcastle and Everton by admitting he has concerns about his future at White Hart Lane. (Daily Mail)
Do find it strange that Huddlestone doesn’t fit into Redknapp plans considering his preference for size in the midfield, with the likes of Papa Bouba Diop and Younes Kaboul being examples of players Redknapp went out and bought at Portsmouth.
Jeremie Aliadiere will quit Middlesbrough if they are relegated and the striker could make a shock return to Arsenal. (Daily Mirror)
Should read – Jeremie Aliadiere will quit Middlesbrough if they are relegated and the striker could make a very cheap return to Arsenal.
Boro defender Emanuel Pogatetz also says he will leave the club if they are relegated. (The Sun)
Are any Boro players actually focused on keeping the team up instead of making plans for the summer?
England boss Fabio Capello has branded striker Wayne Rooney a “crazy man” after the striker’s red card in Manchester United’s defeat by Fulham. (Various)
At least he didn’t stomp on anyone.
Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia is considering an application for a British passport that would allow the Spaniard to play for England. (Various)
At the end of the day it doesn’t matter, if Capello and the English FA in general wanted Almunia they would of told him to get his passport already.
Former Portsmouth boss Tony Adams is hoping to rebuild his managerial career by landing the top job at Dutch side Sparta Rotterdam. (The Sun)
Seems to be working for Steve Mclaren at FC Twente. The same way I feel that more English players should play outside of England, more English coaches should take the Sir Bobby Robson route and coach all over Europe as well.
Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand insists footballers do not have a flash lifestyle, despite their huge salaries. “Our lives are quite boring”, he insists. “I spend a lot of time watching Coronation Street and Eastenders.” (Daily Star)
Remind me to not hang out with Rio Ferdinand if ever given the chance.
Blanco ready to move on from Fire
CHICAGO — Cuauhtemoc Blanco says this will be his last season with the Chicago Fire.
“My contract will be done, and I will leave happy because I have great teammates. It’s a decision I made. I’m going to look for other options,” Blanco said earlier this week, remarks reported Wednesday by the Chicago Tribune.
“I want to return to Mexico or see offers [in MLS] from another team, but this is my last year with the Fire,” the 36-year-old said. “I think I’ve made an impact here. But when this season ends, I’ll look for other options.”
Curious timing for this announcement with the MLS season just opening up, then again nothing Blanco has ever done goes according to plan. Considering what he has done for the Fire on and off the field, the Chicago Fire can’t say they didn’t get full value from an investment that could of blown up in their face.
Jose Mourinho Makes Inter Demands
The Portuguese has revealed his plans to build a successful Nerazzurri side and has insisted his Italian stay will be a long one.
One of the last quotes in the article is the most telling.
“I am not a self-cantered coach, I am working for the future of Inter. But I can’t work with 29 players any longer. We will have to sell.”
Look for the likes of Patrick Vieira, Olivier Dacourt, Hernán Crespo, Julio Cruz, and sadly for me more than likely Luis Figo to be spending their final months on the Inter roster.
Knee injury forces King to quit England camp
Ledley King is thought to be seriously considering his international future after being forced to pull out of the England squad on Tuesday as a result of his chronic knee injury.
This should put an end once and for all to Ledley King future within the English national team.
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard is ready to extend his current contract at Anfield as he looks to finish his career on Merseyside. (Various)
Hopefully for Liverpool fans this contract negotiation goes a lot smoother than the previous contract Gerrard signed.
Chelsea striker Didier Drogba is ready to may a remarkable U-turn and pledge his future to the Stamford Bridge club in the summer. (Various)
How is this remarkable? Drogba does this every year. Even when Mourinho was around he’d mope about this or that for a couple weeks then snapped out of it.
Tottenham are lining up a £10m move for Argentine striker Diego Milito, who currently plays for Italian side Genoa. (Sun)
I like Milito and he is one of the best players currently not playing for a big Champions League club but 10 million for a player near 30 year old rarely proves to be wise.
Bolton defender Gary Cahill believes Fabio Capello has made a mistake by dropping Trotters team-mate Kevin Davies when the England manager trimmed his 28-man England squad to 23. (Various)
If I was Gary Cahill, who is very much the 4th or 5th choice defender I’d avoid questioning any decision Fabio Capello makes.
Liverpool co-owner George Gillett has dismissed suggestions he is about to sell his 50 per cent stake in the club. (Various)
I’m sure Tom Hicks is pleased at this news.
Portsmouth owner Sacha Gaydamak has slashed his asking price for the club in half. You now only need to stump up £35m to buy the Fratton Park outfit. (The Sun)
And chairman Peter Storrie has conceded Pompey face a bleak future unless they can find a buyer in the summer. (Daily Mirror)
Pompey fans better enjoy last year’s FA Cup since it appears that silverware will not be coming around again anytime soon.
Report: Barcelona Chasing Inter Star Maxwell
The Blaugrana are looking to fill the left side of their back line with another attack-minded Brazilian…
The future is Davide Santon at left back for Inter. With everyone knowing this and Maxwell’s contact coming due in 2010, Barcelona and any other club for that matter would be wise to swoop in for Maxwell at a discount as he doesn’t fit Inter’s plans going forward.
Spain Coach Vicente del Bosque On Iniesta, Raul & Turkey
The moustachioed coach talked about a wide range of topics regarding La Furia Roja’s latest round of World Cup qualifiers.
Spain coach Vicente del Bosque was once again forced to defend and explain his decision to call up Guiza and omit Raul from the national team for the upcoming World Cup qualifying double-header against Turkey.
Why is Raul even a matter of discussion anymore? Raul isn’t better than Villa and Torres up front and doesn’t seem the type that would excel coming off the bench. Besides Spain did just fine without him at Euro 2008. Raul is a great player but it’s time to move on.
Manchester City have made an approach for Atletico Madrid’s former Manchester United striker Diego Forlan but have been told they must pay £30m for the 29-year-old Uruguayan. (Daily Mirror)
Rumours regarding Forlan will heat up with his recent demotion to the bench in several key games. While Forlan is a class striker but he is a striker ill suited for life in England. Atletico may do business for Forlan during the summer but it will be no where need 30 million.
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is reportedly interested in signing Genoa striker Diego Milito, 29, after flying out to Italy to watch the Argentine. (Daily Express)
Could of signed him a lot cheaper a year ago. If Genoa can sneak into the Champions League, Redknapp would be in for an uphill battle convincing Milito to make the switch.
Manchester United fear Cristiano Ronaldo could quit English football because of a lack of protection from referees. (Daily Mail)
If Ronaldo was going to quit English football cause of the referees he would of do so along time ago. Him getting kicked around is nothing new.
Newcastle’s players believe the current caretaker management duo of Chris Hughton and Colin Calderwood is not good enough to keep the club in the Premier League and want former England boss Terry Venables brought in as an emergency manager. (The Sun)
With only eight games left and two points back of 17th place Blackburn the time to press the panic button is now. Playing Michael Owen wouldn’t hurt either.
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has blasted Fabio Capello’s decision to call-up Ledley King to the England squad as he can barely train with the Spurs squad due to a persistent knee injury. (Various)
King himself has pleaded with Capello not to pick him and said he may retire from international football in order to save his career. (Daily Star)
Ledley King is a weird call up. He may been the 3rd best English defender if healthy but he’ll never be healthy.
Liverpool co-owner George Gillett could strengthen his position at the club if he decides to sell his ice hockey team, the Montreal Candiens. (Various)
Or, Gillett is edging towards the Anfield exit door after instructing a finance company to look at his assets. (Various)
Gillett will have a easier time selling the Montreal Canadiens (not Candiens as written) then trying to sell 50% of Liverpool where any new owner wouldn’t be able to put his own stamp on the team.
Could Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano be paired up again, this time at Liverpool? It makes perfect sense as the only player who wouldn’t be happy with Tevez in Liverpool colours would be Dirk Kuyt as Tevez would take Kuyt’s position in the Liverpool setup. Liverpool already have a relationship with Media Sports Investments and the Mascherano transfer went a lot smoother than the United and Tevez talks are going. Besides wouldn’t Liverpool just love to one up Manchester United come this summer by signing Tevez? Sure, the price would be steep but it sends a clear signal not only to United but to everyone currently playing for Liverpool that they are dead serious in their quest to slay the dragon that is Manchester United as the top team in England.