Arsene Wenger: Arsenal boss says ‘retirement is dying’ as he vows to continue

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has reiterated his desire to manage next season as he believes “retirement is dying” for people of his age.

Wenger, 67, has been criticised by some fans after Arsenal slipped to sixth in the Premier League following four defeats in their past five games.

A 10-2 aggregate loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League added to the pressure on the Frenchman.

But Wenger said: “I will not retire. Retiring is for young people.”

Wenger’s contract expires at the end of the season but he has been offered a new two-year deal. He says he will make a decision on his future “very soon”.

“For old people retirement is dying,” added Wenger, speaking before Sunday’s Premier League match at home to Manchester City.

“I still watch every football game. I find it interesting.”

Wenger is into his 21st year as Arsenal manager but he has not led the Gunners to a Premier League title in 13 years.

“Of course I’m as hungry,” he said. “I carry a bit more pressure on my shoulders than 20 years ago but the hunger is exactly the same.

“When you see what the club was and what it is today – when I arrived we were seven people [members of staff], we are 700 today.”

He added: “I hate defeat. I can understand the fans that are unhappy with every defeat but the only way to have victory is to stick together with the fans and give absolutely everything until the end of the season, that’s all we can do.”

Global reaction to Sepp Blatter’s decision to resign

Reaction from around the globe to Sepp Blatter’s sudden announcement Tuesday that he will step down as FIFA president amid a corruption scandal:

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“It was a difficult decision, a brave decision, and the right decision.” — Michel Platini, president of European soccer federation UEFA.

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“A good day for FIFA and for football … Change is finally coming. I said on Friday that the day would come sooner or later. Here it is! Now we should, responsibly and calmly, find a consensual solution worldwide in order to start new era of dynamism, transparency and democracy in FIFA.” — Former Portugal great and one-time FIFA presidential candidate Luis Figo.

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“I think that it is the right move from Sepp Blatter and I think we have to look to the future … I am at the disposal of all the national associations who want a change, including all of those who were afraid to make a change.” — Jordan’s Prince Ali bin al-Hussein, who lost to Blatter in last Friday’s election:

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“We highly respect this decision of President Blatter to step down and to initiate the necessary reforms — and to make way for a new leadership of FIFA to drive these changes.” — IOC President Thomas Bach.

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“He says he won’t step down until the next president is elected. If there is no specific reason (for his resignation) there is no need for him to step down. I think there is an obligation to explain this.” — FIFA Executive Committee member and Japan Football Association vice-president Kozo Tashima.

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“We are at an important moment for the game, a moment that we must not squander. CONCACAF stands ready to assist in the process of rebuilding FIFA in a way that strengthens the game for many years to come.” CONCACAF President Alfredo Hawit.

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“FIFPro welcomes the decision of FIFA president Sepp Blatter to resign as this creates an overdue and unique opportunity to fundamentally reform the governance of football. … The effort will fail without the direct involvement of the players.” — world players’ union FIFPro.

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“I was kind of expecting that the pressures — the external pressures — would be sustained, and therefore Mr. Blatter would soon have to retreat. Because he should.” Raymond Tim Kee, President of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association.

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Michel Platini “suits the role of president of FIFA better than anyone else … (He is) a more prepared and experienced person.” — Russian Football Union acting president Nikita Simonyan.

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“The CBF sees the announcement of the resignation of Joseph Blatter with surprise. It’s a decision that is personal and deserves our most profound understanding.” — Brazil’s football confederation, the CBF.

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“It is a good afternoon. I think it’s brilliant for world football. This is the start of something new.” — England’s Football Association chairman Greg Dyke.

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“I wanted change for the FIFA and this may be a very big step in the right direction. Let’s truly accomplish.” — Dutch FA chief and one-time FIFA presidential candidate Michael van Praag on Twitter.

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“Blatter wasn’t sole responsible, more have to follow. Transparency and voting reform, then we move on and bring back ethics.”— Manchester City and Belgium defender Vincent Kompany on Twitter.

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“The announcement today by President Blatter represents an exceptional and immediate opportunity for positive change within FIFA. I commend him for making a decision that puts FIFA and the sport we love above all other interests.” — U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati.

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“I want the full facts around the bidding to be known. If there was fairness and transparency, then good, well done. If it is found there was improper behavior in any way they must have a look at whether they should reopen the processes.” — Simon Johnson, member of England’s team which unsuccessfully bid to stage the 2018 World Cup.

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“We welcome his belated announcement today but this is only the beginning of the process of change we need to see from FIFA. I sincerely hope this is the first step to a new FIFA that can command the confidence and respect of the football world once again.” — British Culture Secretary John Whittingdale.

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“As I announced following the election at FIFA Congress, I simply could not countenance serving on the FIFA Executive Committee alongside Mr. Blatter. I respect his decision but am pleased he is standing aside and by the clear determination for real change within FIFA. This in turn allows me to reconsider my position.” — English FA Vice Chairman David Gill.

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“His fall will come as a tsunami to every corrupt leader in the confederations around the world. … We need the corrupt ones in prison, and we need the contributions from great idols, good sports leaders and football lovers.” — Former Brazil great Romario.

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“This man (Blatter) was probably and surely under a lot of pressure and he resigned from the game and now it’s time to reboot FIFA and reboot the game of football and that’s the most important.” — Former France winger David Ginola, who previously tried unsuccessfully to stand as a FIFA presidential candidate.

Messi not one of the all-time greats

Lionel Messi was at his brilliant best against Manchester City and the knee-jerkers have been out in full force proclaiming him as the greatest footballer of all time.

Steady on, boys and girls.

Barcelona’s little maestro was just having fun with one of our pot-holed Premier League defences.

It was a delight to watch Messi enjoying himself and it was hard to keep a straight face when he made a laughing stock of a player described by City’s manager as the complete English footballer.

If James Milner really is that, it begins to tell us something of what’s wrong with the England team.

But sublime performances like this from Messi merely perpetuate the riddle of why he has failed to fully deliver on the greatest stage of all. The tango he danced around poor old City does not erase the memory of how he fell short — not for the first time at a World Cup — in Brazil last summer.

Russia 2018 represents his last chance to gatecrash this list of the top five players in the history of the beautiful game — and by the way, I saw them all:

Pele — There can be no arguing with the three World Cup glories, the thousand goals, the rare art of making the impossible look simple, nor that extraordinary ability in the air for a comparatively short man. And by the way, the great Brazilian was also as hard as nails.

Diego Maradona — Not only as mind-boggling to watch on the ball as Messi but capable of winning the glittering prizes single-handed — as he did in lifting Argentina to one World Cup triumph and, when virtually crippled, to the final of another. Forget our English angst about the Hand of God. Remember the genius.

Garrincha — Revered as greater than Pele in Brazil, where they worship pure, incredible magic on the ball. He was the divine inspiration for two of his country’s World Cup triumphs, perhaps most notably in 1962 when he assumed the mantle of leadership from the injured Pele.

Alfredo di Stefano — One of only three who played in all of Real Madrid’s first five European Cup wins. He ran things from midfield, inspiring dazzling moves which he then turned into goals as he arrived in the box. At his greatest when Ferenc Puskas joined him at the Bernabeu. Don’t just take my word for it. Pele and Eusebio described him as ‘the most complete footballer of all time’.

Cristiano Ronaldo — Exempt from our World Cup statute by virtue of playing for second-tier Portugal, yet still did more for his country in Brazil than Messi. He, too, is blessed with little Leo’s dexterity on the ball but also brings physical power and serious pace to the argument as to which of them should be the representative of the modern era occupying the final place in this list.

Spurs wanted to sell Kane – Sherwood

Tim Sherwood insists senior figures at Tottenham wanted to ‘sacrifice’ England new boy Harry Kane to bring in a foreign striker as recently as January 2014.

The Aston Villa manager said he refused to sanction the move as head coach and instead picked the then unproven forward regularly during the run-in.

Sherwood said: ‘There were people at the club who wanted to bring in another striker and sacrifice Harry Kane. I wouldn’t allow that to happen. They know who they are. That’s why they should trust the people who know football within the club and not listen to outside influences who are trying to flog them a player.

‘If they would have brought in somebody last January and his name ended in an “I” or an “O”, the fans would have been very excited, but I’m not sure he would have given them the same output as Kane has given.’

Since 2011, Kane has gone on loan with varying degrees of success to Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich and Leicester, before sparking to life with 26 goals this season. Sherwood insists only Championship clubs would have been interested in the striker 14 months ago.

‘A lot of people would have taken him but no-one would have put their hand up in the Premier League,’ said Sherwood.

‘Everyone will tell you now that they always believed he would be a top player. But he had a few loans and a few managers never played him. They’d like him now, wouldn’t they?’

Fifa sets date for 2022 World Cup final

Zurich – Fifa ended more than four years of uncertainty over the timing of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar by announcing that it would be played in November and December with the final on December 18.

Spokesman Walter De Gregorio said the winter tournament would probably last 28 days, instead of the 32 for last year’s finals in Brazil, but this was still to be decided.

“The executive committee today … decided that, yes, we are going to play in November and December and, yes, the final is going to be played on Dec. 18,” De Gregorio told reporters at Fifa headquarters.

“It’s a Sunday and it’s also the national day of Qatar and, in principle, we try to play in 28 days.

“The next steps will be to have different talks especially related to the match calendar,” he added, referring to the 2019-22 cycle of international fixtures and the 2023 African Nations Cup in Guinea that is scheduled to be played in January.

Thursday’s news was widely expected after the November/December period had been recommended by a task force of soccer’s ruling body Fifa.

It will be the first time the tournament has been played outside the European summer.

Qatar was awarded the event in December 2010 on the basis it would take place in the summer in air-conditioned stadiums.

But within days Franz Beckenbauer, an executive committee member at the time, and Uefa president Michel Platini suggested a winter World Cup would be possible.

Qatar always said a summer World Cup was viable thanks to cooling technologies it is developing for stadiums, training areas and fan zones. However, there was still widespread concern for the health of players and supporters.

The decision could set Fifa on a collision course with the European clubs who had suggested staging the tournament in May as a compromise.

The European Clubs Association (ECA), which represents more than 200 teams, previously said they would demand compensation for interrupting the league season.

In addition to the tournament, clubs must release players two weeks before for training and warm-up friendlies.

The ECA demand had already been rejected by Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke who said the switch to November/December was a one-off.

Qatar still faces controversy for its treatment of migrant workers, mainly from Nepal and India, employed in the construction industry.

Fifa president Sepp Blatter has said Qatar must do more to protect those working on 2022 sites.

That moment when you feel like fighting

This is what happens in the football pitch when players decide to fight

Football player shot dead near Alabama campus, suspect arrested

An 18-year-old Auburn University football player was shot dead early on Sunday at an apartment complex near his campus in eastern Alabama, and a male suspect was later arrested, police said.

Jakell Mitchell, from Opelika, Alabama, sustained multiple gunshot injuries to the chest, according to a statement from Auburn Police, who found him in a vehicle leaving the area.

He apparently was placed in the vehicle after being shot, and later died at a hospital, police captain Will Mathews said.

Later on Sunday, police arrested Markale Deandra Hart, 22, on a murder charge, the statement said.

Three men, including two former Auburn football players, were shot dead at a party at the same apartment complex in 2012, news website AL.com reported.

Suarez hates racist, cheater label

Barcelona – Luis Suarez is unconcerned at being overshadowed by Lionel Messi’s scoring feats at Barcelona but remains angry about being labelled a “racist” and a “cheat” in England.

The former Liverpool striker has made more an impact with his assists since returning from a biting ban at the end of October while Messi has become the top scorer in La Liga and Champions League history.

“I have always been a goal scorer but I also like to help set up goals,” Suarez told the Catalan newspaper Sport.

“I came here to score goals and not provide passes. I came because I had scored a lot of goals in the my career and above all at Liverpool but fortunately I have more to my game than just that.

“We don’t just play for Messi but for everyone. We have players that we know can make the difference like Messi, Neymar and (Andres) Iniesta. They are players that give you confidence when they have the ball at their feet.”

Suarez said it was easy to play with Messi.

“I am having a great time here. Obviously I want to score more goals but while the team is doing well then there is no problem. It is fantastic to play alongside the best player in the world,” the Uruguayan added.

“On his own and with his skill he has ended all the doubts over the team and him.”

Suarez, however, is unhappy at the way he was treated in England and the eight-match ban he received at Liverpool for racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra.

“For now I have to accept that I was accused of being a racist without any proof over what happened with Evra,” added Suarez.

“Also of being a diver and throwing myself on the ground. It is lies.”

SHOCK AS DOCTORS DISCOVER A PENIS ON DYING FEMALE ATHLETE!

Zimbabwe – Samukelo moyo died and doctors discovered that she was actually a man

A male athlete from Zimbabwe who for many years competed as a female long distance runner has died, finally putting an end to the controversy behind his gender.

Samukeliso Sithole rose to prominence when she represented Zimbabwe at international level, bagging awards.

Thereafter, controversy about “her” gender came to light. But while appearing in court a few years ago he said he was a transgender.

But “her” last day on earth this week confirmed Samukeliso to be a man.

The athlete was reportedly stabbed during a family dispute leaving him hospitalised. He was admitted into a female ward under the name Samukeliso Moyo – the name that rose to prominence in long distance running.

All hell broke loose when a doctor called to examine “her” in the female ward discovered that all along he had his penis tied in-between his legs to give a shape that looks like a vagina.

Shocked by the sight of a penis, the doctor called police for help.

After investigation into the matter, police discovered that the woman known to the world as Samukeliso Moyo was actually a 38 year old man by the name Mduduzi Sibanda.

Her boyfriend who reportedly took her to hospital is now on the run allegedly fearing interrogation.
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Man City stay alive in Champions League

Rome – Manchester City concluded one of the great Champions League Houdini acts on Wednesday as they qualified for the knockout stages with goals from Samir Nasri and Pablo Zabaleta sinking Roma 2-0 to eliminate the Italians at the Stadio Olimpico.

The Frenchman’s 60th-minute thunderbolt, before he layed on a second for the Argentine in the 86th minute, ensured the English champions did not suffer another frustrating early exit in Group E.
City’s great escape into the last 16 seemed unthinkable when they trailed in their penultimate game at home to Bayern Munich with just five minutes remaining before Sergio Aguero completed his famous hat-trick.

Victory or a score draw offered City’s most realistic chance of progressing from the group behind Bayern Munich in a fevered atmosphere in Rome and even without their injured totem Aguero, Manuel Pellegrini’s men produced a performance full of resolve.

Nasri, given too much space on the edge of the box, hammered a glorious 20-metre shot which cannoned off the post and into the net, and City defended manfully before Nasri freed the rampaging fullback Zabaleta to score his first Champions League goal.

Real set Spanish record for consecutive wins

Madrid – Real Madrid have set a Spanish record for consecutive victories in all competitions of 19 when they beat visiting Ludogorets 4-0 in Champions League Group B on Tuesday.

Real surpassed the previous record they jointly held with Barcelona, who won 18 matches in a row between October 2005 and January 2006.
Real, the European champions, last failed to win when they were beaten 2-1 by city rivals Atletico Madrid in a La Liga game in September.

Brazilian side Coritiba hold the overall record for most consecutive wins in all competitions, according to Guinness World Records.

The South Americans won 24 straight games between February and May 2011 spread between the Paranaense state championship and the Brazilian Cup.

Real’s 19 wins have come in La Liga (11), the Champions League (six) and the King’s Cup (two).
Barca hold the record for the most La Liga wins in a row of 16 set under Pep Guardiola in the 2010-11 season.

La Liga leaders Real can make it 12 straight victories in Spain’s top flight when they play at Almeria on Friday before heading to the Club World Cup in Morocco.

Basel through as Gerrard heroics come too late

Liverpool – Steven Gerrard has scored in vain as Basel ended Liverpool’s Champions League campaign with a 1-1 draw at Anfield on Tuesday that consigned his side to the Europa League.

Gerrard’s exquisite late free-kick cancelled out Fabian Frei’s 25th-minute opener, but with Liverpool reduced to 10 men by the dismissal of substitute Lazar Markovic, Paulo Sousa’s Basel held on for a point that took them into the last 16 alongside Group B winners Real Madrid.

It was yet another English scalp for Basel, who knocked Liverpool out of the tournament in 2002, eliminated Manchester United in 2011, put Tottenham Hotspur out of the Europa League two seasons ago, and beat Chelsea twice in the Champions League last year.

The match fell 10 years and a day after Gerrard had inspired Liverpool to a stirring 3-1 win over Olympiakos at the same stage of the competition, en route to an unforgettable comeback against AC Milan in the final.

But his fine 81st-minute strike was not enough to rescue his team on this occasion as Liverpool’s return to Europe’s elite competition after a five-year absence dissolved in the Anfield drizzle.

Brendan Rodgers must now rouse his side for a trip to old enemies Manchester United on Sunday, but the disappointment of a campaign in which his side’s only win came against Bulgarian newcomers Ludogorets Razgrad will take some time to digest.

Rodgers had emphasised the importance of patience prior to kick-off, but in front of an anxious crowd, the hosts were eager to get forwards quickly.

Captain Gerrard, back in the team at number 10 after being rested for Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Sunderland, saw an early effort easily held by visiting goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik.

But there was haste and imprecision in Liverpool’s attacking interplay and Basel began to exploit their nervousness, with Shkelzen Gashi slashing wide from Luca Zuffi’s pass before they went ahead.

Liverpool allowed the visitors to advance to the edge of their box and paid the price when Frei exchanged passes with Zuffi before crashing a 20-yard shot into the bottom-right corner.

Raheem Sterling looked to sound the revolt by cutting in from the right and shooting at Vaclik, but Basel could have doubled their lead before half-time, with Marco Streller and Safari threatening.

Rodgers introduced Markovic and Alberto Moreno at half-time and the former’s direct running provided Liverpool with a spark, only for him to be sent off on the hour for swinging a hand at the chasing Safari.

The Serbian winger did not appear to make contact with his opponent, but the intent was sufficient for Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers to brandish a straight red card.

Taulant Xhaka had shot narrowly wide after striding to the edge of Liverpool’s box immediately prior to Markovic’s dismissal, but despite being a man down, the hosts belatedly began to offer a threat.

Martin Skrtel sent an audacious shot narrowly wide from 35 yards, while Vaclik showed impeccable timing to slide out and prevent Gerrard from surging onto Sterling’s through-ball.

With nine minutes remaining, Gerrard set up a grandstand finish by arcing a picture-perfect free-kick into the top-left corner from just outside the box.

But in a frantic finale, an injury-time drive from Jordan Henderson that forced a full-length save from Vaclik was the closest the hosts came to the goal they craved.

Juventus do enough to reach knockout round

Turin – Juventus have secured their ticket for the last 16 of the Champions League for the first time in two years after dominating a listless Atletico Madrid in an entertaining scoreless draw in Turin on Tuesday.

While the Spaniards already qualified thanks to the four-match winning run that followed their opening day defeat to Olympiakos, Juventus required just a point to qualify for the knockout phase.

Coach Massimiliano Allegri had underlined his side’s intention to go for a win with a two-goal margin that would allow the Turin giants to snatch top spot from Diego Simeone’s reigning Spanish champions.

But despite dominating in all departments, the Italians failed to convert chances into goals.

The draw means Atletico finish top of Group A on 13 points, with Juventus second on 10 and Olympiakos, who beat Malmo 4-2, finishing third on nine to drop into the Europa League.

Juventus suffered a minor blow before kick-off when Claudio Marchisio was ruled out with a bout of flu and replaced by Roberto Pereyra, which forced Arturo Vidal back to the right side of midfield.

But the late change did not upset Juve’s plans.

Atletico were restricted to only one real chance on goal in the opening half and Juventus were allowed to move the ball around with surprising ease.

After Andrea Pirlo had driven an early free-kick into the defensive wall, a poor headed clearance by Leonardo Bonucci set Atletico up for one of their few real chances of the game.

Although the defender tried to rectify his error, the ball was fed to Koke to fire a low angled shot that forced goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon down low to block.

Barely a minute later, Paul Pogba’s floated cross in from the left just missed Fernando Llorente as the Spaniard hovered in front of Miguel Moya’s left post hoping to deflect.

Vidal earned a yellow card before the half-hour when he pulled down Raul Garcia, leading directly to another half-chance for Atletico as Jose Maria Gimenez sent a looping header towards goal which Buffon had to tip over.

Mario Suarez was then shown a yellow card moments later when he tugged at Carlos Tevez’s right shoulder, and the subsequent free-kick by Piro from 30 metres flashed over the crossbar.

With Atletico apparently set on defending top spot, Juventus found momentum.

Good build-up on the left allowed Pogba to deliver a delightful ball for Llorente with the outside of his right boot but the Spaniard’s looping header was collected by Moya.

A defeat would have proved disastrous for Juve and Atletico, at times, were a threat. Buffon was forced into a two-handed parry two minutes before half-time after Pogba lost control and the ball found its way to Suarez on the edge of the area.

It took Juve almost 10 minutes to fashion any kind of chance after the restart, but from 10 metres out on the left Pogba’s shot was blocked after a move featuring a back-heel from Tevez.

Another great build-up saw Pereyra cross inside for Tevez but after the Argentinian’s short pass to Vidal the Chilean’s angled shot lacked power and was easily parried by Moya.

Juve continued to keep Atletico pegged in their own half for much of the remainder of the second half, but apart from two long-range efforts from Pogba the hosts failed to break the deadlock.

Footballer’s wife ‘has plastic surgery after fans call her ugly’

Daniela Ospina, the wife of Real Madrid star James Rodriguez has apparently had cosmetic surgery and a make-over after being abused online by Madrid fans.

Daniela, who is the sister of Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina, was on stage with Rodriguez when he signed for Madrid in the summer from Monaco.

The family posed for photographs at the time, but Real fans then went online to abuse Daniela, calling her ugly among other vile insults.

Reports in South America say she has decided to have cosmetic surgery in the hope of changing opinions.

People are tired of Qatar allegations, say bid team

The public are growing tired of hearing about allegations of wrongdoing against Qatar’s winning 2022 World Cup bid, according to organisers, with the Gulf state more interested in improving worker’s rights than publishing Michael Garcia’s report.

The 42-page summary of the ethics investigator’s inquiry into the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup earlier this month has posed more questions than answers, and failed to quell the push for the vote for both tournaments to be restaged.

Qatar and Russia, both of whom have long pleaded their innocence, were cleared of wrong doing but the New York lawyer swiftly complained his work had been misrepresented by FIFA ethics judge Hans-Joachim Eckert, who delivered the summary.

The ethics committee did, however, open a number of formal cases against unidentified individuals and FIFA confirmed it had lodged a criminal complaint in Switzerland.

That, Qatar say, is not their issue.

“Our opinion is this report isn’t in relation to Qatar, as a lot of people make it sound,” Nasser Al Khater, member of the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee, told reporters in the Filipino capital. “The report, I understand, they are looking at certain individuals.”

A report in British newspaper ‘The Sunday Times’ said it had passed on a dossier revealing further allegations of corruption regarding the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids, to a House of Commons committee and which were published on Saturday.

Al Khater, queried why they needed the protection of parliamentary privilege to make the “tired” accusations.

“I’m pretty sure people are feeling tired of this story already, I think there is reader fatigue in terms of this story.

“I think the same stuff is being regurgitated so many times people are questioning the motive now, not the story.”

Many have called for the Garcia report to be published in full, but FIFA President Sepp Blatter told members of the Asian Football Confederation on Sunday at their annual awards that no matter what was revealed, the tournament was going to Qatar.

Meanwhile, Qatar have their own report coming next week into welfare rights of migrant workers building infrastructure for the tournament, amid heavy criticism of the labour conditions.

“We recognise there are some problems but we recognise there has been tremendous progress on this issue as well,” Al Khater said.

Likewise intensive work continues to go into the air cooling technologies, despite the general acceptance the tournament will be staged in the winter months to avoid the stifling heat of the Middle East in June and July.

Successful tests were completed in July on cooling fan zones, to following the work on keeping temperatures down in stadiums.

Qatar say they are ready to host in any month the soccer world deems best.

“I think for us, at this stage, it doesn’t create so much of a concern. Its always better to have things cleared but whether they select the date end of 2022 or beginning it doesn’t matter.

“We know its a sensitive subject, we just want to make sure at the end of the day the consensus is reached, whether it be summer or winter, spring, or the fall.”

Senzo Meyiwa’s killer may have been one of the people inside the house

South Africa – Police are investigating several eye witnesses who were inside Kelly Khumalo’s Vooslorus home the night Senzo Meyiwa was shot.
Police detectives involved in the investigation told City Press that discrepancies in one of the statements issued by an eyewitness in the house have led to police exploring the possibility that no armed robbery took place that day.

According to the one detective: “I can assure you that a witness who was there during the shooting will soon be taken in for questioning and possibly be arrested thereafter.”

Police are also following up on an eyewitness who said he had lied about the events which took place that night. It is believed that one of the witnesses who include Khumalo, her sister Zandi and her boyfriend Longwe Twala, mother, Ntombi and Meyiwa’s close friends Thoko and Tumelo Madlala will come forward about what really occurred that night.

“The other thing is if it is proved that there was no robbery, [anyone] who lied in their statements could be arrested and charged for defeating the ends of justice,” said one detective.

Ronaldo insists: “Cristiano has been superior to Messi”

Cristiano Ronaldo has by far been superior to Lionel Messi, according to Brazilian World Cup winning legend Ronaldo.
Ronaldo, who played for both Real Madrid and Barcelona during his illustrious career, once again sided with Cristiano in the race for the Ballon d’Or, as he did a few days ago, calling the season “memorable”

“Explosiveness, speed, strength, scoring many goals – I think that this year Cristiano has been superior to Messi, like last year, and it seems like once again he will win the Ballon d’Or,” Ronaldo is quoted as saying byAS as per  Brazilian website UOL.

The Brazilian Ronaldo also praised another Barcelona forward, Neymar, who he believes will be the man to end Brazil’s wait to win the Ballon d’Or once again.

He said: “Neymar has drawn himself a lot closer to those two, he is the best hope we have now of seeing a Brazilian with the Ballon d’Or.”

Rules flouted for Oscar’s birthday – report

Johannesburg – The correctional services department has denied that paralympian Oscar Pistorius was receiving special treatment at the Kgosi Mampuru prison in Pretoria, but said recent claims would be investigated, Sunday Times reported.

This was after the Sunday Times had reportedly witnessed several rules being flouted for Pistorius on Saturday, his 28th birthday.

The paper reported that Pistorius’s brother Carl and sister Aimee were allowed to bring the former Blade Runner a string of balloons, gift bag and cake purchased outside the prison.

According to the department of correctional services’s rules for sentenced offenders, inmates were only allowed delicacies bought at the prison tuck shop.

The siblings visited Pistorius for almost two hours, despite departmental guidelines stipulating visits were not allowed to exceed an hour.

Prison officials reportedly let the siblings’ cars into the prison grounds without searching them and allowed Carl and Aimee to use another exit to avoid the paper’s photographer.

Correctional services spokesman Logan Maistry denied this but said the allegations were regarded as serious and “will be investigated”.

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Hungary PM, accused of flirting with Kremlin, at Russia soccer match

When Russia’s national soccer team took to the pitch for a friendly match against Hungary on Tuesday night, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban watched intently from the VIP section of Budapest’s new stadium.
 
Hungarian officials say he was there because he loves soccer. But at a time when most European Union leaders are at pains not to associate with Russia over its intervention in Ukraine, Orban’s presence at the stadium stands out.
 
To his opponents inside Hungary and to some Western diplomats, Orban is moving dangerously close to the Kremlin, a course that risks forcing his country of about 10 million people to the margins of the European Union.
 
Hungary has signed a 10 billion euro ($12.5 billion) deal with Russia to build a nuclear power plant in Hungary, committed to build the Russian-backed South Stream gas pipeline despite opposition from Brussels, and stopped shipping gas to Ukraine that was helping Kiev evade a Russian energy blockade.
 
At a rally of Orban opponents outside parliament on Monday, one protester held a banner with the Soviet hammer and sickle emblem stencilled on it and a slogan that read: “We don’t want to be a colony.”
 
The biggest cheer of the night went up when an opposition supporter inside the parliament building waved a European Union flag from an office window.
 
“They call it an interests-based policy but it is not in our interests to be marginalised with the European Union,” said Bernadett Szel, a lawmaker with the small opposition LMP party. “It leads us nowhere.”
 
Orban says he is not drifting into Russia’s orbit, just being pragmatic. That applies especially to energy. Hungary depends on Russian gas imports, and Western-backed efforts to provide alternative supplies have stalled.
 
The majority of Hungarians back his policies. His Fidesz party won a second term in April by a landslide.
 
“In no way is there any drift” towards the Kremlin, said Zoltan Kovacs, a government spokesman. On Orban’s presence at the match, he said the prime minister tried to attend all Hungary’s games. “So do not make or take it as political in any way,” he said.
 
At the soccer match on Tuesday, there was no sign of any anti-Russian feeling, though some jeering did break out among the disappointed Hungarian fans after their team conceded two goals. The final score was 2-1 to Russia.

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Former SAFA referee convicted for corruption

Former SAFA Referee Clifford Malgas was on Friday convicted and sentenced on two counts of corruption and perjury related to his role in attempted match fixing during the 2011 SAFA Second Division play-offs.

Malgas was sentenced to two years for corruption and another two years for perjury, bringing the total sentence to four years in prison.

None of the sentences were suspended and he will therefore serve an effective four years behind bars

The court convicted the disgraced official following overwhelming evidence that he colluded with convicted criminal, Philemon Setshedi, who himself was convicted and sentenced for corruption in 2013.

In her judgment, the magistrate said the act of compromising the integrity of sport was a very serious offence that warranted a custodial sentence.

As stated before, the South African Football Association is working very closely with the South African Police Services and National Prosecutions Authority to pursue the persons who are implicated in wrong-doing during the SAFA Second Division Playoffs in 2011 and corruption in football generally.

The Association, SAPS and NPA will leave no stone unturned to ensure that all corrupt elements within football are brought to book.

“We welcome this custodial sentence as it sends a strong message to criminals that they do not have a place in our sport.

“SAFA has adopted a zero-tolerance to any form of crime and anyone harboring such evil tendencies be warned,” said SAFA President Dr Danny Jordaan.

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Equatorial Guinea named AFCON hosts

The Confederation of African Football says Equatorial Guinea has been chosen to host the 2015 African Cup of Nations in place of Morocco.

CAF says the dates for the tournament will remain January 17-February 8 after Morocco was dumped as host for demanding a postponement over Ebola fears.
Equatorial Guinea co-hosted the African Cup in 2012 with Gabon.
CAF says four cities will be used for the tournament: Malabo, Bata, Mongomo and Ebebiyin.
CAF also says Equatorial Guinea’s team would be allowed to take part as the host nation despite being disqualified from African Cup qualifying this year for fielding an ineligible player.
CAF MEDIA TWEETED

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Morocco stripped of hosting Afcon 2015

Morocco has been stripped of hosting the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) and flung out of the competition after saying they wanted to postpone the tournament because of fears about the Ebola epidemic, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced on Tuesday.

The decision was taken during a six-hour meeting of the CAF executive committee at its Cairo headquarters.

Morocco has said since early October that its call for a postponement was “dictated by health reasons of the most dangerous kind, linked to the serious risk of the spread of the deadly Ebola pandemic”.

CAF called on the Moroccans to change their minds, but decided at Tuesday’s meeting that the response they had been given “clearly indicates that the Royal Moroccan Football Federation reiterated its refusal to hold the competition on the dates indicated. Therefore, having firmly and unanimously notified on November 3 its decision to keep the competition on the dates indicated, the executive committee confirmed that the Orange Africa Cup of Nations 2015 will not take place in Morocco.”

The CAF said other countries had indicated a willingness to host the tournament and that a decision on a new host would be taken “shortly”.

A senior CAF source speaking on condition of anonymity said later that up to three countries, including Angola and Gabon, could be in the running to replace Morocco.

Angola hosted the event in 2010, when separatists attacked the Togo team, and Gabon co-hosted with Equatorial Guinea in 2012. Among the countries reportedly not interested in replacing Morocco as host at such short notice are South Africa, Algeria, Egypt, Sudan and Ghana, while there has been no public response from reigning champions Nigeria.

The dates for the 2015 edition of the continent’s most prestigious football tournament are January 17 to February 9. The CAF executive committee confirmed that qualification matches for the tournament will continue as planned on November 14 to 15 to decide which 15 teams will join that of the new host country for the finals.   

Exaggerated fears
The Ebola virus has killed at least 4 960 people, mainly in the West African countries of Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. Morocco fears that an influx of foreign fans could help spread the epidemic. CAF has said the fears are exaggerated and that only a limited number of foreign fans will go there. 

The Ebola epidemic first hit the Cup of Nations in August, when Seychelles forfeited a qualifying tie rather than host a return match against Sierra Leone.

As the death toll mounted, CAF barred Sierra Leone and Guinea from hosting their qualifying group games. Apart from being kicked out of the competition, CAF indicated that the Moroccan Football Federation could be hit by further sanctions, notably financial. 

“The organising committee of the Orange Africa Cup of Nations will later apply the statutory provisions that are required due to a breach of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation regulatory and contractual provisions, including those set out in the host association agreement signed between CAF and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation in April 2014,” it said.

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Keshi re-appointed as Nigeria coach

Abuja – Stephen Keshi has been re-appointed as coach of African champions Nigeria after he was sacked earlier this month, in the latest twist in a long-running battle for control of the country’s football federation.

The head of the federation’s technical committee, Felix Anyansi-Agwu, said his body had “decided to accept” a proposal re-instating Keshi as Super Eagles coach for Nigeria’s next Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Congo and South Africa in November.

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Oscar is ‘finished in sport’

Oscar Pistorius’s sentencing and conviction for the killing of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp is “the end of his journey” in world athletics, says Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula.

In an exclusive interview with the Cape Argus on Wednesday, Mbalula said he believed that the “golden boy” had reached the end of his career.

“(Oscar’s sentencing) has been a very sad moment for us in sport, in the sense that he was the epitome of wisdom, skill and triumph over adversity.

“Doors were beginning to open for us globally because of this young man. The last national anthem played at the London Paralympics was that of South Africa’s because Oscar took the podium after winning the event’s final race.

“In the world of athletics, Oscar was number two, second only to Usain Bolt, in terms of popularity.

“I do not think Oscar will be able to come back in terms of athletics.

“For me, (Pistorius’s conviction and sentence) was the end of the road of his journey. It is unfortunate that it had to end in this manner, but the courts have spoken and we will respect their decision.”

The 27-year-old Paralympic star began his five-year prison sentence at the Kgosi Mampuru II correctional facility in Pretoria on Wednesday. Judge Thokozile Masipa also sentenced the athlete to an additional three years in prison, suspended for five years, for the second count of a firearm contravention.

Recalling the morning of the fatal shooting, Mbalula said he had been woken by a telephone call from Jacaranda FM at about 5am.

“They said ‘what is your comment because Pistorius, your star athlete, has shot his girlfriend thinking she was an intruder?’”

Mbalula said he answered: “Don’t quote me but it could be that it was an intruder.”

Mbalula said Pistorius’s deeds had not only hurt Steenkamp’s family and friends, but many people – especially young people – who looked up to him as a role model.

In his glory days, the Paralympian was the face of many high-end brand campaigns including the Nike “I am the bullet in the chamber” ad and as the face of fashion house Thierry Mugler’s men fragrance.

The campaigns were withdrawn soon after the shooting.

Mbalula admits he was a big supporter of the “golden boy” and used his pulling power for several sports campaigns.

He said that Pistorius would have been the perfect ambassador for the Unite 4 Mandela campaign due to take place in Tshwane next month.

“One of the ambassadors of such a campaign would have been Pistorius to unite us as a nation… a white Afrikaner boy who triumphed over adversity. He made blade running fashionable.”

Mbalula said that Pistorius was so respected that during the Paralympics in London people sang along to the South African anthem as he walked up the podium to accept his medal.

“The courts have spoken and we respect the decisions of the court. I hear people saying that Pistorius will come back. To me that was the end of the road.”

Pistorius had testified that he had mistaken the 29-year-old model for a burglar hiding in his toilet at his Silverlakes home in Pretoria. Steenkamp was shot in the head, chest and arm in the early hours of Valentine’s Day last year.

Pistorius’s family said the athlete would not appeal against his sentence, but the State prosecuting authority was yet to decide whether it would appeal against the conviction for culpable homicide.

Pistorius’s appearance at the Olympics and Paralympics in London last year was one of sport’s defining narratives of an athlete triumphing over adversity.

He became the first disabled athlete to compete in the Olympic Games when he qualified for the men’s 400m semi-final.

Mbalula said that Pistorius’s rehabilitation should take its course.

“Pistorius must pay his dues to the nation and face correctional responsibilities.”

Asked whether he foresaw a future role for Pistorius in any capacity in South African sport, Mbalula said: “We will cross that road when we get there.”

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Record Chelsea win prompts talk of another title assault

London – Chelsea scored their biggest Champions League victory when they thrashed Maribor 6-0 at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday with a performance that underlines the belief that they are real contenders to rule Europe again.

Fittingly two heroes from their 2012 final triumph over Bayern Munich — the returning Didier Drogba and skipper John Terry — were back among the goals along with the outstanding Eden Hazard.

Belgian midfielder Hazard played a pivotal role with a superb performance with two goals, one from the spot, as Jose Mourinho’s men stretched their unbeaten run from the start of the season to 12 matches.
Veterans Drogba, 36, who also scored a penalty, and skipper Terry, 33, both scored in the first half, along with Loic Remy.

An own goal and Hazard’s two came after the break with Chelsea now almost certain to make it to the last 16 and with Maribor’s coach Ante Simundza saying his team simply had no answer to Chelsea’s dominance, tipping them to go all the way this season.

“Chelsea were out of reach for us and are one of the favourites for the title. They have great individual quality and they were exceptional today,” he told reporters afterwards.

Mourinho played down any talk of the title though, telling reporters: “We have played three group games and there are 12 games before you get to the final so there is a long way to go and this group isn’t finished yet.

“First of all we have to win at Maribor and the result today does not mean we are going to win there. Schalke are in a good position, Sporting are a good team.
“But we have found a good balance we are playing well and we are confident.”

The night’s results left Chelsea top of Group G with seven points, followed by Schalke 04, who beat Sporting 4-3, on five, Maribor on two and Sporting on one.

Maribor had no answer to Chelsea or Hazard, who capped his fine performance with a beautifully executed sixth in stoppage time to seal Chelsea’s win.

Despite what followed, the Slovenian side had the first scoring chance but Damjan Bohar headed over after five minutes.
But although Maribor came searching for goals with an attacking lineup, it was Chelsea who scored them.

Early breakthrough

Remy made the early breakthrough when he collected a neat pass from Terry, cut inside past two defenders and curled home with his left foot, but he injured his groin in the process.

Three minutes later Drogba replaced him to loud applause from the Chelsea fans and seven minutes after that he gave them even more to cheer about after Willian’s cross was handled by defender Ales Mertelj.

Dutch referee Danny Makkelie pointed to the spot and Drogba, who returned to Chelsea this season after two years away, scored his first goal for the club since the equaliser in the 2012 final by sending goalkeeper Jasmin Handanovic the wrong way.

Nice symmetry

Drogba’s last kick in a Chelsea shirt in his first spell at the club came with the winning penalty in the 2012 shootout and he recalled that when he spoke to the media afterwards.

“To finish (my first time at Chelsea) with a penalty and start again with a penalty was a nice symmetry,” he said.
“I wanted to score that goal. I asked him (Eden Hazard) and he said it was OK. This is the spirit we have in this team.”
If the match was nearly over as a contest by then it was definitely all over eight minutes later.

Terry, marauding upfield, also scored his first Champions League goal since 2012 when he crashed the ball over the line from close range after a cross from Cesc Fabregas in a counter-attack that started when Chelsea cleared a Maribor corner and featured a mazy 60-metre run from Hazard.

Chelsea did not have long to wait after the break for their fourth, when Hazard’s shot was deflected over the line by Maribor left-back Mitja Viler.
The visitors wasted the chance of a consolation when Ibraimi’s penalty hit Petr Cech’s left-hand post.

Willian went close to a fifth when he smacked a 20-metre shot against the bar after 75 minutes, but two minutes later the fifth goal arrived when Marko Suler fouled Branislav Ivanovic to concede another penalty.
Hazard resumed his penalty-taking responsibility for this one, and scored with a sweet strike.

Maribor, thoroughly crumpled by this stage, went into damage limitation mode, but were breached again when Hazard, collecting the ball from substitute Nathan Ake, twisted this way and that for a brilliant sixth.

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Neymar and Messi guide Barca to victory over Ajax

Barcelona – Neymar and Lionel Messi have maintained their lethal partnership with a goal apiece as Barcelona swept aside Ajax 3-1 in Champions League Group F on Tuesday.

The Argentine was the provider, slipping the ball through for Neymar to hit the opener with a clinical finish into the corner after seven minutes, the he struck midway through the half to put the hosts in control.

Andres Iniesta threaded the ball through to the Argentine and his shot from the centre of the penalty area squirmed under keeper Jasper Cillessen.

Messi now has 69 Champions League goals, as does Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo with the duo two off all-time leading scorer Raul.

Anwar El Ghazi pulled back a late goal for Ajax before Sandro Ramirez settled any late jitters.

Barcelona are second in the group behind leaders Paris St Germain.

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I left Liverpool happy – Suarez

Barcelona forward Luis Suarez has revealed his performances for Liverpool last season allowed him to leave Anfield on good terms.

Suarez netted 31 Premier League goals for Brendan Rodgers’ side last season despite missing the first six games of the season as a result of a ban for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic at the back end of the 2012/13 campaign.

The Uruguayan’s impressive haul nearly inspired the Reds to their first Premier League title in over 20 years as they eventually finished runners-up to Manchester City.

And Suarez, who is yet to make his competitive debut for Barcelona, says the feats he accomplished last season have provided the perfect platform for him to kick on at the Nou Camp.

“Personal success is always welcome and makes you happy,” the controversial Uruguayan told Barca TV.

“Because that’s recognition of the good work you have done. But I put the team ahead of that and last season Liverpool came so close to winning the Premier League, which would have been spectacular.

“I appreciate all the work the team did. But I missed six matches and scored all those goals in the Premier League without being the penalty-taker.

“I really could leave happy because if I hadn’t had the attitude and mentality to lead the team, I don’t think Liverpool would have done as well as they did. Getting back into the Champions League was another target I had in mind.”

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Footballer bashes girlfriend’s friend for sleeping with ‘nearly all his teammates’

31-year-old Highlanders Football Club’s star, Mthulisi Maphosa, beat up his girlfriend Nobuhle Nkomo’s friend, Amanda Mbuisa, and her boyfriend, Bongani Rabvu, accusing Mbuisa of sleeping with ‘three quarters’ of his teammates

He accused the alleged bed-hopping Mbuisa of being a bad influence on Nkomo.

Appearing before Western Commonage magistrate Tancy Dube, Maphosa said he once bedded Mbuisa, 22, whom he claimed had also slept with nearly all the Highlanders FC players.

Maphosa said he assaulted Mbuisa because she was influencing his girlfriend into prostitution.

The footballer initially pleaded guilty, but his plea was altered to not guilty after he denied assaulting them using bricks.

Highlanders is battling reports of rampant indiscipline among players, with claims suggesting that some players indulge in drug abuse and binge drinking.

The court heard that during the night of October 4, Maphosa was waiting for Nkomo at her place of residence in Mpopoma suburb when she arrived home in a car at around 11PM in the company of Mbuisa and her boyfriend, Rabvu.

Maphosa flew into a rage and asked Mbuisa what she was doing with his girlfriend so late in the night.

He then accused Mbuisa of being a prostitute and a bad influence on his girlfriend before attacking them.

The two sustained serious facial injuries and were referred to hospital.

Testifying, Mbuisa said Maphosa always assaults his girlfriend and had turned her into a “punching bag”.

“Maphosa always assaults Nkomo and she even wants to file a protection order against him

She’s scared to report the abuse to the police but he beats her almost every timeMaphosa also said he’s gone through worse than assault cases and is not afraid of the police,” she said.

Maphosa was remanded out of custody to today for sentencing.

This is not the first time that Maphosa has been caught on the wrong side of the law.

In 2011, the footballer was arrested for attempted murder after stabbing a soldier but the matter was later settled out of court.

Last year, he was involved in a bar brawl where he reportedly hit bouncers with a baton stick and has also faced allegations of assaulting his mother.

A guilty conviction would most likely spell the end of Maphosa’s time at Highlanders, and possibly his career

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Blackpool FC terrace murder victim remembered

A simple tribute will be paid later to the first fan to be murdered inside an English football ground on the 40th anniversary of his death.

Blackpool fans will stop on their away trip to Wigan to lay a wreath at the memorial to Kevin Olsson, who was stabbed to death on 24 August 1974.

They will pause in silence by a memorial plaque near the club’s shop.

The 17-year-old Blackpool fan was killed when trouble broke out at a Blackpool v Bolton match.

Fans will call at the club shortly after 13:00 BST as they head for Wigan.

Glenn Bowley, chair of the Blackpool Supporters Association (BSA), said: “It may have been 40 years ago but is very important that we never forget this tragic death.”

Hooliganism death aftermatch

Dennis Howell Sports Minister in the Labour Government visited the murder scene saying it would consider identity cards for football fans

Blackpool introduced segregation for fans on their Kop and fenced them in – other clubs followed suit

A juvenile was acquitted of Kevin Olsson’s murder at Lancaster Crown Court – no-one else was ever charged

ID cards were never introduced even though Margaret Thatcher’s government considered them following the 1985 Heysel Disaster and pitch-side fences fell out of favour after the 1989 Hillsborough disaster

He added: “Heaven forbid that this should every happen again inside a football ground.”

The plaque to Mr Olsson was unveiled by BSA in 2009 at the part of the ground which replaced the former Spion Kop where he was killed.

Bolton manager Jimmy Armfield, who was making his first return to the club after he served as a player from 1954 to 1971, said: “It was the worst Saturday night of my life – Alan Waldron, one of my players, had suffered a horrific broken leg. I went from visiting him in hospital to calling on the family of the dead boy.”

He added: “As a Blackpool man I felt I had to visit them.”

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University of New Mexico suspends soccer coach over hazing

ALBUQUERQUE N.M. – The University of New Mexico women’s soccer coach and 22 players on the team were ordered suspended on Friday over a hazing incident that landed one extremely intoxicated freshman athlete in the hospital last weekend, the athletic department said.

The university athletic director, Paul Krebs, announced the disciplinary action as the school forfeited the team’s season-opening match against Texas Tech University, resulting in a $5,000 fine against UNM. But the brief duration of suspensions will allow the squad to avoid missing any further games.

“We believe the disciplinary measures we have taken today send a clear message about the gravity of the incident, and that it is unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” Krebs said in a statement.

Kit Vela, entering her 14th season as coach of women’s soccer at the university, will be placed on suspension for one week without pay, starting on Monday, forcing her to miss one scrimmage but no official games.

In the statement released by the university, Vela took responsibility for the conduct of her squad and accepted the suspension, though at a press conference on Thursday she denied any knowledge of the hazing.

The incident came to light early Aug. 17 after campus police were called to the dormitory room of a highly intoxicated freshman player who was having difficulty breathing and had to be rushed to the hospital, university officials said.

The player and her sister, who was also a freshman on the team, have since left the university and returned home to California.

Krebs has said an investigation of the incident revealed that a majority of the team’s players were consuming alcohol at more than one off-campus location the night of the incident, but that none of them were forced to drink.

Twenty-two players, essentially the entire squad except for seven freshmen athletes who were subjected to the hazing, will be benched for one game each over the next few weeks. But their suspensions will be staggered so the team can still field enough players to compete in its next four scheduled matches in the Mountain West Conference during that time.

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City ready to roll: Pellegrini

Newcastle – Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini thinks he has a stronger squad than last season as the champions prepare to begin their Premier League title defence at Newcastle on Sunday.

City start their campaign with a trip to St James’ Park having added a number of new faces to their ranks since last season’s Premier League and League Cup triumphs.

Pellegrini signed French defender Eliaquim Mangala and Brazilian midfielder Fernando from Porto, Argentine goalkeeper Willy Caballero from Malaga and French right-back Bacary Sagna on a free transfer from Arsenal.

City have also loaned veteran midfielder Frank Lampard, released by Chelsea during the close season, from their sister club New York City FC.

Pellegrini believes those acquisitions put City in a strong position to retain the title and make a sustained challenge in the Champions League as well.

“Last season we had a very good squad and a very successful year,” Pellegrini said.

“But that is the past and that is history. Now we must try this season to have a strong squad and I think that players such as Willy, Bacary, as Mangala, Fernando, Frank Lampard will make us a strong squad. We try to have a stronger squad this year.

“I think this Premier League will be exactly the same as the last title, we will have five or six teams with a very strong squad.

“All of them want to win the title. We also want to retain it. So we will see during the year who works better.”

City will be without Mangala while he builds up his match fitness, so Martin Demichelis will partner captain Vincent Kompany at the heart of defence this weekend.

Argentine forward Sergio Aguero, who signed a new five-year contract this week, may also be rested after struggles with injuries during the World Cup, while Spain striker Alvaro Negredo has been ruled out until September with a broken foot.

“Mangala needs to work more with the team to be able to play. It will not be this weekend,” Pellegrini added.

“I think that always this team needs Sergio Aguero, but it is also important for him to make a good pre-season. He has so many months without playing normally.

“I think we are ready to start. Maybe some players need some more days to be 100 percent but the squad is ready to start the season.”

Newcastle have been among the busiest Premier League clubs during the close-season transfer market, with nine new arrivals at a cost of almost 40 million.

Of those, French duo Remy Cabella and Emmanuel Riviere, former Sunderland midfielder Jack Colback and Dutch defender Daryl Janmaat are set to make their league debuts against City.

Another of those recent signings, former Ajax midfielder Siem de Jong is ruled out by a calf problem.

Ivory Coast international Cheick Tiote, who has been linked with an 8 million move to Arsenal, is sidelined with a hamstring injury.

Newcastle hope to end a 16-game winless streak against City stretching back nine years, which has seen them lose their last 10 games in this fixture, claiming two points from a possible 45.

“We’ve got a couple of notable absences from the squad through injury, and last season we wouldn’t have been able to cope with that,” Magpies manager Alan Pardew said.

“But with the signings we’ve brought in, we’re able to deal with it and that shows the strength in depth we’ve got.

“We go into the game in good spirits with a fit, strong team and hopefully we’ll give City a good test.”

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Sharapova rallies to beat Halep

Cincinnati – Maria Sharapova won a re-match of her French Open title victory over Simona Halep, rallying for a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 win to reach the semi-finals of the Cincinnati Masters.

The reigning Roland Garros holder will play Ana Ivanovic after the Serb ninth seed defeated Ukrainian teenager Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-3 in less than an hour on Friday night.

Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam champion, has won eight of 11 meetings with her former world number one opponent. Ivanovic claimed their last meeting in the third round at Rome in May.

Sharapova had to make a great escape against world number two Halep, who has burst into WTA prominence over the past year. Sharapova won her fifth match against Halep without a loss.

Sharapova also claimed her 13th match at the pre-US Open event and took the title in 2011.

The Russian, who tends to play well under pressure, recovered after a tight opening set to finally secure the victory – her 38th of 2014 – after two and a half hours.

“It was a pretty poor first set from my end, a lot of unforced errors,” said Sharapova. “I think it was some of the lowest first serve percentages I’ve had for a while.

“Nothing really was going my way. So I definitely needed to do a few things differently to be a bit more consistent but maintain that aggressiveness that works against her.

“The court is like a battlefield. It’s my job. It’s where I’m supposed to perform.”

Top-seeded Serena Williams cruised into the final four with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Jelena Jankovic.

“She’s beaten me several times, so I knew today I just had to be focused and do the best I could,” said Williams, a 17-time Grand Slam champion who has never lifted the trophy in Cincinnati.

“She played some great points. I was just trying to not make many errors, stay focused and do the best that I could.”

Williams will face former world number one Caroline Wozniacki, who beat fourth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 6-4, 7-6 (7/5).

Williams completed her win over Jankovic in less than an hour as she reached the last four without the loss of a set. The American fired seven aces and broke five times against the former number one.

Williams won 10 of 14 career matches against Jankovic, last losing to her in 2010. She has beaten the Serb five times in the past two seasons.

“I definitely felt pretty good about today, I felt better,” said Williams. “My unforced errors are lower than they’ve been this year, so it’s definitely going the right way.

“I don’t think she played her best today and still she fought well. I was glad to have an opportunity to just get through that.

“I don’t think I played great last week (a semi-final loss in Montreal). I was just fighting to be in the tournament. I was mentally fighting really hard. I definitely feel like I’m playing better this week.”

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Rooney to lead from the front

London – Wayne Rooney believes he is ready to play a lead role in Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United revolution after being appointed as the team’s new captain.

Van Gaal named Rooney as the United skipper on Tuesday and he will wear the armband as permanent captain for the first time in Saturday’s Premier League opener against Swansea at Old Trafford.

Before handing him the armband, United manager van Gaal reminded Rooney he must be a role model for United players and fans both on the pitch and off it.

His indiscipline has cost him in the past, but Rooney says he is now up to the task of being a responsible and successful captain.

“It’s a massive role to take on, I’m aware of that, the responsibility of it. I feel I’m ready at this stage in my career to do it,” Rooney told United Uncovered.

“I spoke to the manager and he decided that I was right to take the role which I am delighted with. It’s a great honour.

“I will perform the role as best I can and hopefully help the team to be successful.”

Rooney has been stand-in captain on several occasions during his 10-year spell at United, but this is the first time he has been given the honour on a full-time basis.

However, he can draw from the experience of playing under the captaincy of inspirational leaders like Roy Keane, John Terry and Steven Gerrard for both United and England.

“I’ve played under some great captains for club and country so I will take a little bit of what they have brought to the role and try to use that,” Rooney added.

“Then I’ll try to lead the players on the pitch with hard work, dedication, and that’s what we really want to do – we want to show the fans that we care and want to win.”

Robin van Persie, van Gaal’s captain with the Netherlands, was regarded as the initial front-runner for the armband at United.

But van Gaal is adamant van Persie won’t have a problem with either the decision or Rooney, with whom the Dutch striker is said to have a sometimes difficult relationship.

“It was not difficult,” Van Gaal said when asked if it was hard to overlook Van Persie.

“I didn’t say it to him. He was not there at that moment.

“I told it personally to Wayne, then I had to choose the vice-captain, then I had to say it to my players. This is a different situation to the Dutch national team.

“I think you always have to choose a native captain. I don’t think there’s any problem.”

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Man United to start afresh

London – The Louis van Gaal era will begin in earnest for Manchester United on Saturday when they host Swansea City in the first match of the 2014-15 Premier League season.

The 63-year-old Dutchman has impressed in his first four weeks at the United helm, overseeing five wins and a draw in pre-season, but it is in the league that his achievements will be judged.

Swansea were one of eight teams who came to Old Trafford and won last season, creating a sense of vulnerability that Van Gaal has been hired to banish for good.

Coincidentally, United also met Swansea on the opening day of the 2013-14 campaign, with the then-defending champions winning 4-1 at the Liberty Stadium in David Moyes’s first league game as manager.

The result was to prove a red herring, as United finished the season down in seventh place, but midfielder Tom Cleverley says that it will be important to set the right tone for the forthcoming campaign.

“We can’t wait to get going against Swansea and look to put right the wrongs from last year,” he told the United website.

“We started against Swansea last year, but away. This time it’s at home and I’m sure the fans will be the same as us: raring to go. It’ll be the manager’s first competitive game and I’m sure it’ll be a special atmosphere.”

Wayne Rooney will lead United out for the first time since being named captain after Tuesday’s 2-1 friendly win over Valencia.

United will have to make do without 27 million ($45 million, 33.6 million euros) close-season signing Luke Shaw, however, after the 19-year-old left-back was ruled out due to a hamstring strain.

Another team buoyed by a positive pre-season period are Arsenal, who launch their assault on the league title at home to Crystal Palace.

Having ended a nine-year trophy drought by winning last season’s FA Cup, Arsene Wenger’s side gave an eye-catching demonstration of their title credentials by outclassing league champions Manchester City 3-0 in last weekend’s Community Shield.

New signing Alexis Sanchez, a 30 million acquisition from Barcelona, is in line to make his competitive home debut against Palace and captain Mikel Arteta has called on his side to make a positive start to the campaign.

“We’ve done our (transfer) business early this season so we can start from the off and that’s what we want,” the Spanish midfielder told the Arsenal website.

“We want to set a marker and we don’t want to miss that opportunity. We’ve got experience now, we are able to win. We have the qualities to do it, we have the structure, the fans, the club and the desire to do it.”

Palace go into the game in crisis after reports emerged late Thursday that manager Tony Pulis had left the club after falling out with owners over transfer policy.

Championship champions Leicester City will play their first top-flight game since 2004 when they host Everton on Saturday, while fellow promoted side Queens Park Rangers welcome Hull City to Loftus Road.

Champions Manchester City begin their title defence at Newcastle United on Sunday.

When City last claimed the title, in 2012, they won only two of their opening five games the following season, but captain Vincent Kompany feels that they now possess the necessary know-how to retain their title.

“We know what to look out for. We know what not to do,” said the Belgian centre-back, who has signed a new five-year contract.

“The players at City have got experience with winning trophies. It goes in phases. We’re in this phase now. We feel we can win it.”

Liverpool, who narrowly lost out to City in last season’s title race, open the campaign at home to Southampton, who saw Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert and Dejan Lovren all leave for Anfield in the close season.

Lallana will miss the reunion with his former club due to a knee injury, but Lambert and Lovren are both in contention to feature in what will be Liverpool’s first competitive game since the sale of Luis Suarez to Barcelona.

Chelsea, meanwhile, are expected to hand competitive debuts to new signings Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas when they visit the third promoted team, Burnley, on Monday.

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Suarez ‘an accident waiting to happen’

London – Luis Suarez is “an accident waiting to happen”, English Premiership chief executive Richard Scudamore said Wednesday, adding he was glad the controversial forward had left Liverpool for Barcelona.

The Uruguay striker left Anfield for Camp Nou in a £75 million after he was banned for four months from all football after biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup in Brazil.

Scudamore said the English Premiership would be more peaceful without Suarez, whose ban was his third for biting.

“I think probably the time had come,” said Scudamore talking at the launch of the English Premiership season, which starts on Saturday.

“He’s a great player and I’m not taking anything away from his talents: he was voted by both his own players and the media last year the player of the year and deservedly so.

“He’s great to have but an accident waiting to happen, and if you spend your time trying to promote what’s good about the Premier League, you’re always waiting for the next thing to come along.

“And this one in the summer, although it was with Uruguay, although it didn’t directly involve the English Premiership, clearly it reflected on Liverpool as one of our great clubs and it reflected on us,” he added.

“He’s done his time here, but I can’t say I’m sorry to see him go.

“I think it was good business on a number of levels from Liverpool to move Suarez on,” said Scudamore.

Suarez has appealed against his FIFA ban to the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport and will learn their decision on Thursday.

The striker was banned for 10 games for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic in 2013 and sidelined for seven matches for biting PSV Eindhoven’s Otman Bakkal in Ajax action in 2010

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Rooney named United captain

London – Wayne Rooney has been named Manchester United captain by new manager Louis van Gaal, the club announced on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old England striker succeeds Nemanja Vidic after the Serbia defender left United at the end of last season to join Inter Milan.

“For me it’s always very important the choice of captain,” said van Gaal in a club statement issued after United’s 2-1 friendly win against Valencia at Old Trafford on Tuesday.

“Wayne has shown a great attitude towards everything he does. I have been very impressed by his professionalism and his attitude to training and to my philosophy,” the Dutchman explained.

“He is a great inspiration to the younger members of the team and I believe he will put his heart and soul into his captaincy role.”

Rooney, who could now also become captain of England following Steven Gerrard’s retirement from international football, said: “It is a huge honour for me – and for my family – to be named captain of this great club.

“It is a role I will perform with great pride. Team spirit has always been very high in our dressing room and I am very grateful to the manager for the faith he has shown in me. I look forward to leading the team out on Saturday at our first match of the new season.”

Van Gaal, who formally took charge at Old Trafford last month after guiding the Netherlands to third place at the World Cup, said Scotland midfielder Darren Fletcher, whom he labelled a “natural leader” would be the team’s vice-captain and lead the side in Rooney’s absence.

“I am delighted to have been named as vice-captain,” Fletcher said. “It’s a very proud moment for me and my family.

“Wayne and I have always worked well together and we will continue to work closely together in our new roles. I would like to thank the manager for putting his trust in me.”

Van Gaal was appointed after United, who finished a relatively lowly seventh in the Premier League last term, sacked David Moyes – retired manager Alex Ferguson’s chosen successor – after the former Everton boss failed to complete his first season in charge at Old Trafford.

United play their first competitive match under van Gaal when they begin their Premier League campaign at home to Swansea on Saturday.

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Wenger: This win gives us a platform

London – Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger felt his side had established a benchmark for their season after a convincing 3-0 win over Premier League champions Manchester City in the Community Shield

Read: Arsenal Thrash City

Substitute Olivier Giroud capped a one-sided victory with a brilliant 25-yard strike on the hour mark at Wembley on Sunday, after first-half goals from Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey had put Arsenal in control.

Arsenal’s league title bid last season was fatally undermined by losses to their biggest rivals – including a 6-3 humbling at City – and Wenger is hopeful that the FA Cup winners have now turned a corner.

“To win today gives us a positive platform to prepare,” the Frenchman told his post-game media conference.

“You want to win the game and you want to look at the quality of the performance as well.

“It was important for our confidence to win the game, but it was even more important to have a big part in the game with the quality.

“And that is a comfort for me to see that we can produce the kind of quality that we have produced for some long patches in the game.”

Reminded of his team’s poor record against their title rivals last season, he replied: “That’s why it was important for us today (Sunday) not to lose the game.

“Last year we were very consistent against the teams below the top six and not consistent against the top six teams. The year before it was the reverse. So let’s hope that this year it will be right on both sides.”

Wenger was particularly pleased by the performances of new signings Calum Chambers, Mathieu Debuchy and Alexis Sanchez.

He said that 19-year-old Chambers, who again played at centre-back, had been “outstanding” and described Debuchy’s display as “excellent”, while he felt that Sanchez had been “always a danger”.

Wenger also revealed that Spanish midfielder Mikel Arteta has succeeded Thomas Vermaelen as club captain following the Belgian defender’s move to Barcelona, with Per Mertesacker named vice-captain.

Vermaelen’s departure leaves Arsenal light at centre-back, with Laurent Koscielny the only other established central defender on the club’s books.

But while Wenger admitted that he would like to bring in another defender, he added: “To find another one of (Vermaelen’s) quality will not be easy.”

The pain of defeat for City was softened by the fact that they were without several key first-team players, including captain Vincent Kompany, right-back Pablo Zabaleta and striker Sergio Aguero.

“It was not the day today to make pressure for different players. It was one game more for pre-season,” said manager Manuel Pellegrini.

“We have seven players who have just worked for five days. They were not considered for this game. We have another five players who have just worked for eight or nine days.

“It’s difficult to be ready in two weeks. Aguero, Zabaleta, (Martin) Demichelis, Kompany, (Bacary) Sagna, Fernandino just arrived seven days ago. They started working on Monday.

“They will have 15 days before we start the Premier League so we’ll see during the week which of them are ready and which of them are not ready.

“It is always bad to lose, but we don’t need to worry.”

City open their league title defence at Newcastle United on Sunday and Pellegrini refused to confirm that England goalkeeper Joe Hart will come back into the team after new signing Willy Caballero played against Arsenal.

“All the 22 players that we have in our squad must demonstrate who is number one in all the positions,” said the Chilean.

“The goalkeeper and the other positions of the team are exactly the same. Joe finished last season playing very well. We’ll see next Sunday which 11 starts against Newcastle.”

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More Wembley joy for Arsenal

London – Arsenal have delivered a rousing demonstration of their Premier League title credentials by overwhelming league champions Manchester City 3-0 in the Community Shield at Wembley on Sunday.

Buoyed by last season’s FA Cup success over Hull City, Arsene Wenger’s side took charge with first-half goals from Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey before substitute Olivier Giroud added a glorious long-range third.

With £30 million new signing Alexis Sanchez also impressing on a sunny afternoon in northwest London, Arsenal’s fans will hope it proves the precursor to a sustained title challenge, after seeing their side fall away last season.

Victory in the traditional season curtain-raiser — which witnessed the first use of vanishing spray in English football — suggests Arsenal are in fine fettle ahead of their opening league fixture at home to Crystal Palace on Saturday.

In mitigation for City, manager Manuel Pellegrini could point to the absences of first-teamers such as captain Vincent Kompany and Sergio Aguero, but his side’s rustiness will be cause for concern ahead of their season opener at Newcastle United.

With the millstone of a nine-year trophy drought no longer weighing them down, Arsenal made an assured start on their return to Wembley, with new signing Mathieu Debuchy obliging Gael Clichy to head a cross clear.

Debuchy then blocked a shot by Samir Nasri — lustily booed by the fans of his former club — at the other end, before Cazorla gave Arsenal the lead in the 21st minute.

Jack Wilshere was felled on the edge of the box by Dedryck Boyata, but play continued and the ball ran to Cazorla, who threw Clichy off-balance with a clever feint before drilling home left-footed.

Edin Dzeko looked to get City level by racing away from Calum Chambers and teeing up Stevan Jovetic, but Laurent Koscielny produced a timely block. Moments later it was 2-0.

From Sanchez’s sweeping through ball, Yaya Sanogo played a pass inside that was slightly behind Ramsey, but the Welshman checked his run and smartly chipped the ball on before drilling a shot into the bottom-left corner.

It had been a less than ideal first 45 minutes for new City goalkeeper Willy Caballero — who was preferred to Joe Hart — but he helped limit the damage in first-half stoppage time by rushing out to prevent Sanchez collecting a pass from Sanogo.

Sanchez made way for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain after a lively first-half cameo on the right flank, while City were given fresh impetus by the introduction of David Silva.

Jovetic twice threatened to halve Arsenal’s lead, heading against the post and blazing the rebound over before seeing a rasping 15-yard shot blocked by Wojciech Szczesny.

But Giroud put the game to bed on the hour, gathering the ball in the inside-right channel and launching a superb, dipping strike from 25 yards that plunged beneath the crossbar.

Arsenal’s fans goaded their City counterparts by aping their backwards-facing ‘Poznan’ goal celebration.

The teams will resume hostilities in the Premier League on September 19, by which time Pellegrini will expect to have witnessed significant improvements.

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Dembare fans brutally stab Bosso fan to death

A Highlanders fan was stabbed to death in cold blood by suspected Dynamos supporters after Saturday’s epic clash at Babourfields stadium in Bulawayo.

The teams’ intense rivalry spilled out of the pitch when mostly Bosso fans rioted after the match.

The Bosso fans were frustrated with losing one nil to their arch rivals, whom they last beat in open play in 2006.

Witnesses said a Highlanders supporter, only identified as Themba (23) got into a fight with some Dembare supporters.

“Some Bosso fans were smashing vehicles outside the stadium when Themba threw a stone at a car that was draped with the Dynamos flag. The people in the car were not amused and they started chasing after him in the car.

They lost sight of him but saw him again near Renkini Bus Terminus,” said a witness.

The people in the car reportedly piled out and confronted Themba who was dressed in a white overall that had the Bosso insignia on it.

“They started beating him and he fought back and one of the people produced a knife and stabbed him on the chest, killing him instantly. Two of them were arrested a few hours later and they told police Themba fell on some security spikes near the Renkini main gate but that story has since been proved to be false,” said a police officer who is close to investigations.

Themba’s uncle who only identified himself as Ncube, said there was a funeral wake at Sizinda Flats but the deceased’s parents have said their son is not dead.

Themba was an apprentice at the National Railways of Zimbabwe, according to his uncle.

Police in Bulawayo could not be reached for comment.

According to Dynamos fans, soccer violence resulted in their team dominating Highlanders at every turn since 2006.

The supporters blame the death of one of their most colourful leaders, Stanford Nhau aka Taribo West, on Bosso.

They claim he died from injuries sustained after an assault by the Bulawayo giants’ fans at Babourfields Stadium in 2006.

They have declared that until Highlanders formally apologises and pays an undisclosed number of cattle as compensation, their team will never beat Dynamos.

The declaration would seem to hold water if match statistics are anything to go by.

Highlanders supporters have always maintained that Nhau died of HIV related TB.

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Toure confirms his future is at Man City

Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has said he wants to stay at the club for “as long as possible”.

Yaya Toure threw his Manchester City future into doubt by backing up his agent’s claims that the club’s wealthy owners showed him a lack of respect on his 31st birthday.

Reports this summer suggested that the 31-year-old Ivory Coast international was unhappy at Etihad Stadium.

The player’s agent, Dimitry Seluk, had claimed Toure felt “disrespected” by the Premier League champions’ owners.

But Toure told City’s website:  “It was not a case of leaving the club. It was difficult because my situation was quite difficult.”

Seluk claimed the player’s birthday was ignored by the club’s owners when the squad arrived in the United Arab Emirates to celebrate their Premier League title triumph in May.

Toure appeared to support that claim on his Twitter account, before later suggesting he did not know which club he would be playing for in the coming season.

Seluk then said his client wanted a “job for life” at the clubdespite his upset at his treatment.

And Toure’s latest interview reaffirms that position, with him saying: “For me I was always quiet and my decision is that I will stay at Manchester City for as long as possible.”

Toure, who signed a new four-year deal last season, also wants to see more signings in the coming weeks to help establish City as a “massive” club.

He added: “If we want to be the best, we need to win every trophy possible.”

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Frank Lampard set to sign for Manchester City on loan

Manchester City are set to sign former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard on loan from New York City FC.

Lampard was released by Chelsea this summer after 13 years at Stamford Bridge, his 211 goals in 649 matches making him the club’s record scorer.

The 36-year-old signed for New York City last month on a two-year contract.

The Major League Soccer franchise is owned by Manchester City and baseball giants New York Yankees, but the team’s season does not start until March 2015.

Manchester City declined to comment, but Lampard could be at their Carrington training ground as early as next week for manager Manuel Pellegrini to monitor his fitness.

The loan deal is likely to run until mid-January, and City plan to register the England international for both their Premier League and Champions League campaigns.

Manchester City won their second Premier League title in three years last season, with Chelsea finishing third.

The two sides meet at Etihad Stadium on 21 September.

During his time at Stamford Bridge, Lampard was Chelsea’s vice-captain and won the Premier League title three times and the Champions League and Europa League once apiece.

The former West Ham player also helped the Blues win four FA Cups and the League Cup twice.

On signing for New York City FC, Lampard said: “New York ticks all the right boxes for me. It’s very exciting.”

Former Spain striker David Villa, 32, has also joined the MLS franchise, though he will spend three months on loan at Melbourne FC,Manchester City’s Australian partner club.

Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano said: “One of the reasons David Villa and Frank Lampard decided to come to New York is because they know who manages and who owns the club.”

Lampard, who won his 106th England cap during the World Cup in Brazil, said he would make a decision on his international career once his club future was finalised.

At his official New York unveiling, Lampard said: “I’m going to keep fit, that’s the main thing. How I do that is not clear yet.

“I’m going to sit round with people at the club and sort that out.”

A number of MLS players have spent the US close-season on loan to Premier League clubs, including Clint Dempsey at Fulham, Landon Donavan at Everton, Robbie Keane at Aston Villa and Thierry Henry at Arsenal.

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Arsenal ‘never wanted Balotelli’

Arsene Wenger insists Arsenal were “never in” for Mario Balotelli and told Milan that Joel Campbell isn’t for sale.

The Gunners boss spoke in his press conference this afternoon and shut down on-going transfer gossip about Balotelli.

“For weeks we were buying Balotelli from one minute to the other and it was all wrong. We were never in for him,” insisted Wenger.

“We do not master the noises that come out.”

He was also at great pains to point out Costa Rica striker Campbell, who spent last season on loan at Olympiacos, was not heading for Milan.

“Yes, Joel Campbell is part of my plans. He might play tomorrow against Benfica.”

Wenger also wants to see England win the next World Cup with a team made up of Arsenaltalent.

The 64-year-old has signed England Under-19 captain Calum Chambers from Southamptonduring his summer recruit drive, with the likes of Kieran Gibbs, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain andTheo Walcott already in his ranks at the Emirates Stadium.

With previous World Cup winners Spain and Germany having a nucleus of players fromBarcelona and Bayern Munich, respectively, Wenger is keen to provide the backbone of an England team who can challenge for major honours in the coming years.

“He was a long-term goal,” Wenger said when asked about his pursuit of Chambers.

“I like the player and the quality he has, he is a young prospect as well.

Of Wenger’s current home-grown crop, only Wilshere appeared from England in Brazil in a disappointing showing from Roy Hodgson’s side.

Since then the 22-year-old midfielder, who has suffered with knee and ankle injuries in recent years, has courted controversy having been photographed smoking a cigarette whilst on holiday.

But Wenger has been impressed with the player he has seen in pre-season training, although he admits the coming campaign will be a pivotal one for Wilshere’s development.

“It is a big season for Jack,” Wenger said.

“But in the last three years, for me, this is the best shape he’s has been in. He has prepared, I think he is rid of his ankle problems and if he can maintain that I think he will have a great season – but it is a very important season for him.”

If Wilshere can keep fit and hold down a place in an ever-competitive Arsenal midfield, he could find himself playing alongside Chambers – who Wenger believes is equally adept at playing in a more advanced role as he is at operating at full-back or in the heart of the defence.

The move away from Southampton continued an exodus from St Mary’s, with Chambers joining Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert, Dejan Lovren and Luke Shaw in leaving the south-coast side.

The 19-year-old has also extended the trend of Arsenal taking young, English talent away from Southampton, joining Walcott and Oxlade-Chamberlain in north London.

Wenger admits the Saints could have been one of the biggest teams in Europe had they kept those players, as well as current Real Madrid star Gareth Bale, and will be watching on intently as new coach Ronald Koeman looks to cope with the loss of so many talented players.

“I respect the quality of work they have done,” added Wenger.

“You look at Southampton and the team they had last year, plus Walcott, Chamberlain and Bale – they could have won the European Cup had they managed to keep everyone together.

“The modern game has changed and the smaller clubs with less potential are not in a position to keep their players. It will be interesting to see how they get over what happened to them.

“They have made a lot of income and they have shown in the past they are very clever at scouting and it will be very interesting to see how they manage what has happened to them.”

“He is English and I hope in the future we have a core of the English national team because what we have learned over the past two World Cups is that Spain won it with six players from Barcelona, this time Germany won it with six players from Bayern Munich – I hope England win it with six players from Arsenal.” 

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West Ham back out of Samuel Eto’o deal

Samuel Eto’o has priced himself out of a move to West Ham.

The 33-year-old former Chelsea striker, now a free agent, had asked for a salary of £120,000-a-week to go to Upton Park – a wage that the Hammers do not regard as value for money.

West Ham have now targeted Arsenal’s Joel Campbell or another free agent, 30-year-old Portugal international Hugo Almeida.

The east Londoners are looking to bring two strikers into the club ahead of this month’s transfer deadline – one of them a replacement for the injured Andy Carroll.

But there are also concerns over Eto’o’s physical condition and his motivation having left Stamford Bridge at the end of last season.

There is a feeling at Upton Park that in his current condition Eto’o would not be ready for the start of the new Premier League season.

Although Eto’o scored 12 times in 35 appearances last season, all of those goals came came at Stamford Bridge.

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Manchester United and Real Madrid to play in front of sell-out 109,000 crowd

Manchester United and Real Madrid sold out all 109,000 tickets for their pre-season friendly in under 24 hours.

The two heavyweights of European football will lock horns at the Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, in the early hours of tomorrow, with former Red Cristiano Ronaldo expected to be fit to face his former club.

The crowd will be the biggest for a football match in the US, beating the 93,137 attendance for a friendly between Barcelona v LA Galaxy at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena in 2009

United striker Wayne Rooney said: “It’s fantastic. The fanbase over here is great and it’s two massive clubs, two of the biggest clubs in the world, so to sell that many tickets for a pre-season match is incredible.”

The biggest crowd United have ever played in front of was 120,000 at the Bernabeu for a European Cup semi-final in April 1957. This will be the largest attendance they have played for since then.

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Lampard back to haunt Mourinho?

Manchester – Frank Lampard, who spent 13 seasons with English Premiership side Chelsea, could face his former club in September under a loan deal from his new Major League Soccer team to Manchester City.

The New York Daily News reported on Friday that Lampard, who signed a two-year deal last week with New York City FC, will be loaned to Manchester City for six months by the US expansion team, which will play its first MLS season next March.

The 36-year-old England midfielder hopes to keep his name in the mix for national team duty with the move, according to the newspaper.

Lampard, a member of the England squad that exited this year’s World Cup in Brazil in the group stage, has scored 29 goals in 106 appearances for his country since making his international debut in 1999.

Manchester City and Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees partnered to create the new MLS team and have also signed Spanish star David Villa for the squad.

Manchester City will host Chelsea in the Premier League on September 23 with Manuel Pellegrini’s men then set to visit the west London side on January 31.

Villa will be on loan with Melbourne, Manchester City’s sister club in Australia, until the MLS campaign begins.

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Dunga lashes out at Neymar

After his recent appointment as the headcoach of Brazil, Dunga has come out and slammed the country’s leading player.

Neymar was ruled out of Brazil’s humiliating 7-1 defeat to Germany but has still come under criticism from the Selecao’s new coach.

Neymar had until that point kept the hosts in the tournament with some fine displays.

SBNation.com are reporting that Neymar has come under fire for a variety of lifestyle choices as well as his perceived lack of team unity.

Dunga is in charge of Brazil for the second time. His first appointment came to an end after Brazil’s exit from the 2010 Soccer World Cup at the quarter-final stage. 

In Dunga’s first major press conference in charge of the national side, the former Brazilian player came out and warned Neymar of his future conduct.

“We will not play for Neymar, he will play for the team,” Dunga said.

“I wouldn’t have allowed these players to dye their hair while they were with the national team. Either do it before or after, but they should be thinking about the World Cup.”

“Neymar appears with a cap or without a cap. It should be [a Brazil cap]. We should be talking about what happens on the field.”

Neymar is currently recovering from the fractured vertebrae he suffered in Brazil’s win over Colombia.

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Time was right for Reds to sell Suarez

Liverpool chose the right time to part ways with the prolific-but-controversial striker Luis Suarez and the Premier League side will have no trouble coping without the Uruguayan, the club’s principal owner John Henry said.

Suarez joined Barcelona on a five-year-deal despite receiving a nine-match international ban and a four-month suspension from all soccer-related activities over his World Cup biting scandal.

The 27-year-old, who cost the Catalan club 81 million euros ($109 million) according to Spanish media, was the Premier League’s top scorer last season with 31 goals as Liverpool ended two points behind champions Manchester City and earned a return to Champions League for the first time since the 2009-10 season.

“It was time for Luis and time for the club to make a break,” Henry was quoted as saying by the Liverpool Echo. “He brought so much to the club but we brought a lot to Luis.

“I think you will still see a very explosive Liverpool offence this season.”

Suarez, who was banned for biting Giorgio Chiellini in Uruguay’s group stage clash with Italy on June 24, could make his La Liga debut in the El Clasico against Real Madrid on the weekend of Oct. 25-26 at the Bernabeu.

Meanwhile, Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, who announced his retirement from international soccer earlier this week, would be offered a contract extension soon, coach Brendan Rodgers said.

The 34-year-old talismanic midfielder quit England to focus on his commitments for the club, where he has entered the final year of his current deal.

“I am very happy that Steven is now going to commit to Liverpool and I am sure that (his contract) is something that we will look at,” Rodgers said.

“He is in real good condition and I’m sure it is something that will happen at some point… I’m sure he will want it sorted out, absolutely. You never want to leave players with not too long to go on their contract.

“A lot has gone on at the club over the course of the summer. It is something I am sure will get sorted.”

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Neymar’s brain ‘on auto-pilot’

Tokyo – Brazilian superstar Neymar’s brain activity while dancing past opponents is less than 10 percent the level of amateur players, suggesting he plays as if on auto-pilot, according to Japanese neurologists.

Results of brain scans conducted on Neymar in February this year indicated minimal cerebral function when he rotated his ankle and point to the Barcelona striker’s wizardry being uncannily natural.

“From MRI images we discovered Neymar’s brain activity to be less than 10 percent of an amateur player,” researcher Eiichi Naito said on Friday.

“It is possible genetics is a factor, aided by the type of training he does.”

The findings were published in the Swiss journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience following a series of motor skills tests carried out on the 22-year-old Neymar and several other athletes in Barcelona in February this year.

Three Spanish second-division footballers and two top-level swimmers were also subjected to the same tests, added Naito of Japan’s National Institute of Information and Communications Technology.

Naito concluded in his paper that the test results “provide valuable evidence that the football brain of Neymar recruits very limited neural resources in the motor-cortical foot regions during foot movements”.

Asked whether Neymar’s Barcelona team-mate Lionel Messi or Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo might display similar test results, Naito said: “It is fair to assume they would show similar levels given their footwork and technique.”

Naito told Japan’s Mainichi Shimbun newspaper: “Reduced brain activity means less burden which allows (the player) to perform many complex movements at once. We believe this gives him the ability to execute his various shimmies.”

Neymar carried the hopes of host nation Brazil on his shoulders at the recently ended World Cup but his involvement ended in tears as he fractured a vertebra in the 2-1 quarter-final victory over Colombia.

Without their talisman, who had scored four goals in the tournament, Brazil suffered their most humiliating defeat ever when they were pulverised 7-1 by eventual champions Germany in the semi-final.

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Glasgow 2014: Commonwealth Games begin at Celtic Park

The Queen officially opened the games before a 40,000-strong crowd in Glasgow’s Celtic Park with millions more expected to watch on television.

Thousands of athletes from 71 nations and territories took part.

They entered the stadium after the live show, which had a cast of around 2,000.

The Queen declared the Games open by reading her own message from inside the Commonwealth baton.

Adventurer Mark Beaumont landed on the city’s river Clyde in a seaplane carrying the baton to Celtic Park, having tracked its progress across the Commonwealth on a 288-day journey spanning almost 120,000 miles.

Inside the stadium, the baton was transferred between a group of volunteers who have helped children around Scotland find their potential through sport.

Sir Chris Hoy carried it on its final stage to Commonwealth Games Federation president Prince Imran of Malaysia, who struggled briefly to open the container and remove the message to hand to the Queen.

Her Majesty then spoke of the “shared ideals and ambitions” of the Commonwealth and highlighted the “bonds that unite” the 71 nations and territories.

“The baton relay represents a calling together of people from every part of the Commonwealth and serves as a reminder of our shared ideals and ambitions as a diverse, resourceful and cohesive family.

“And now, that baton has arrived here in Glasgow, a city renowned for its dynamic cultural and sporting achievements and for the warmth of its people, for this opening ceremony of the Friendly Games.”

The Queen, in her role as head of the Commonwealth, then sent her best wishes to the competing athletes

Events inside the stadium are being shown to the assembled guests and crowd on Europe’s largest LED screen.

The giant display, which stands across the whole of the stadium’s South Stand, is almost 100 metres long, 11 metres high and weighs 38 tonnes.

Other adaptations to the venue include a specially-created stage floor covering the entire pitch and a multi-coloured walkway specifically designed for the athlete’s parade.

Star Wars actor Ewan McGregor opened proceedings with a pre-recorded video message, before Glaswegian comedian Karen Dunbar struck up an elaborate song and dance number celebrating Scotland, accompanied by Torchwood star John Barrowman.

The routine welcomed visitors from across the Commonwealth to Glasgow and included larger-than-life representations of famous Scots inventions, landmarks, cultural heroes and Scottish history.

Rod Stewart was joined on stage by Bishopbriggs singer-songwriter Amy Macdonald alongside hundreds of ordinary Glasgow citizens to perform a version of his classic song Rhythm of My Heart.

Later in the ceremony, dancers from Scottish Ballet performed a routine to an acoustic version of The Proclaimers hit I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles).

Pipe band

The Scottish Regiment Pipe Band arrived in the stadium to accompany Susan Boyle performing the Paul McCartney and Wings song Mull of Kintyre, as the Red Arrows performed a flypast over the city to signal the arrival of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.

India, the hosts of the previous Games in Delhi in 2010, were the first team to enter the arena and received a warm welcome.

The remainder of the competing nations arrived according to geographical region, led by a Scots representative wearing tweeds and walking a Scottie terrier bedecked in a jacket bearing the name of each country.

The England team were met by loud cheers from the crowd as the European nations entered the stadium, Northern Ireland were led by cyclist Martyn Irvine and the Wales team sported black Harrington-style jackets with tartan lining.

The loudest reception of the night was reserved for the host nation Scotland, who paraded into Celtic Park last, according to Games tradition, accompanied by The Shamen’s hit Move Any Mountain.

Sir Chris Hoy joined Scottish actors Ewan McGregor, who was on screen, and James McAvoy in an unprecedented appeal for donations to Unicef’s Children of the Commonwealth Fund.

The charity said initial figures showed that more than £2.5m had already been raised to help young people across the nations.

Unicef said more than 500,000 people in the UK donated by text within an hour of seeing the appeal.

Towards the end of the ceremony a message was delivered live from the International Space Station to the Commonwealth nations, and Scots musician Nicola Benedetti performed a violin solo as the Games Federation flag was raised.

Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond paid tribute to the victims of the crashed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, leading a silence before welcoming the participating nations to the Games in English and Gaelic.

The sentiments were echoed by Glasgow City Council leader Gordon Matheson and Malaysia’s Prince Imran, who both encouraged and promoted a spirit of competitiveness and friendship.

Glasgow band Primal Scream closed proceedings as fireworks went off all across the city.

Temperatures in Glasgow earlier reached 25 degrees C, officially the hottest day in Scotland this year.

The Games will feature 17 sports across 11 days of competition, beginning on Thursday.

The closing ceremony will take place at Hampden Park on the south side of the city, which has been transformed into an athletics venue, on 3 August.

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Referee banned for life after headbutting another referee

A referee has been banned from officiating for life after an alleged ‘headbutting’ incident involving a fellow referee.

Birmingham County Football Association has imposed the lifetime ban on Julian Workman after an incident in March involving another official on the car park of Redditch United, the Birmingham Mail reports.

Mr Workman, the junior and senior football development officer at the Southern League club, admitted he had been subject of a misconduct charge and ban when contacted by the Mail

But he denied headbutting anybody and said he was appealing the decision.

But the Birmingham County FA confirmed the lifetime ban and that an appeal has been lodged, to be heard before September.

A spokesman said the incident had taken place during a match where Mr Workman was coaching a junior team.

He was fined over the incident, but the Referee Disciplinary Panel has now also imposed a lifetime refereeing ban.

One parent at the club is now calling for the non-league side to take disciplinary action against Mr Workman, who is also Junior Secretary.

They said: “I hope that the club takes appropriate actionHe oversees all of the youth teams and is supposed to set a positive example to the youngsters.

“It’s ridiculous that you can be banned from refereeing, but can continue to hold official positions at the football club.

“If somebody like Luis Suarez can get banned from all football related activities for violent conduct, how can somebody who has been banned from refereeing be allowed to stay involved with the club?’

Mr Workman had been promoted last April to a Level 6 official, meaning he was able to referee county level matches before the ban was imposed.

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World Cup winner Tindall retires- Rugby

Mike Tindall has become the final member of England’s World Cup-winning team of 2003 to retire.

Tindall, 35, was player-coach at Gloucester last season but has not been offered a contract for next season.

The centre, who joined Gloucester from Bath in 2005, won 75 caps for England.

“After 17 years, it’s time to retire from rugby,” Twitted Tindall. (external) “I have been lucky to play with/against some great players, two great clubs and have had some amazing times.”

His retirement comes four days after former team-mate and close friend Iain Balshaw became the penultimate member of the 2003 World Cup-winning side to retire.

Tindall, who captained England in 2011, joined Bath in 1997 before switching to Gloucester in 2005 and playing 181 games for the Cherry and Whites in all competitions.

“I could play two more years if I really wanted to but club rugby is a very special thing for me, it’s what I love about the game,” Tindall told the Gloucester citizen newspaper

“International rugby and the Lions are great but club rugby is your bread and butter and dictates where you go in your life.

“I had to ask myself if I wanted to go and play somewhere else – can you get emotionally attached to another club?

“I don’t think you can. I always say ‘never say never’ but I wouldn’t have thought I will be back.

“You have to face the big bad world sometime and now is the right time to do that.”

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Scolari resigns as Brazil manager

Luiz Felipe Scolari has resigned as manager of Brazil, the president of the country’s football confederation has said, after the hosts suffered two of their worst defeats in World Cup history.

Scolari’s men were favourites to win the tournament but were demolished 7-1 in the semi-finals by eventual champions Germany.

To compound their misery, they lost the third-place playoff 3-0 against the Netherlands.

Jose Maria Marin, president of the Confederacao Brasileira de Futebol (CBF), confirmed Scolari’s much expected departure in a statement and thanked the experienced coach for helping “rescue the Brazil team’s self-esteem”.

“Scolari and all his backroom staff deserve our respect and thanks,” Marin said in a short statement published on the CBF’s website on Monday.

“They were responsible for returning to the Brazilian people a love for the national side, even if they did not achieve our highest aim.”

Scolari, who led Brazil to the last of their record five World Cups in 2002, took over the post for a second time in November 2012 and lost just five of his 29 games in charge.

Popular manager

Scolari led Brazil to the Confederations Cup last year with a memorable 3-0 defeat of then world champions Spain in the final.

He was hugely popular in Brazil for his gruff charm and also with the players, many of whom looked up to him as a father figure.

There was very little opposition to his squad selection, a rarity in Brazil, which is famously known as the “nation of 200 million coaches”.

Marin did not say who might take over but said a news conference will be held on Thursday.

One Brazilian sports channel reported Alexandre Gallo, the coach of the Brazil under-20 side, would take over until the end of the year.

Among the other names mentioned are Tite, who led Corinthians to the Libertadores Cup and Club World Cup in 2012, and Muricy Ramalho, the current coach of Sao Paulo. 

Brazil have four friendlies planned in September and October against Ecuador, Colombia, Argentina and Turkey. Their next competitive fixtures will be in next year’s Copa America in Chile.

Foreign manager touted

However, there are also calls for a foreign manager to be appointed for the first time in Brazil’s history.

The CBF has always resisted that idea, with reports they refused to even talk with Spaniard Pep Guardiola before he joined Bayern Munich.

“Whoever the new man is, he should live in Europe so he can follow our principal players from close up,” Carlos Alberto Torres, the captain of the legendary 1970 side, tweeted on Monday.

Others believe the malaise goes much deeper than the coach and want reforms of the CBF.

The organisation voted to elect a new president in April – Marco Polo Del Nero was the only candidate – but he will not take over from 82-year-old Marin until next year.

That early election was a strategic decision made to protect them from any possible problems in the 2014 World Cup, said Common Sense FC, a group of more than 1,000 professionals who are pressing for reforms within the game.

“The dispute for the presidency is incontestable proof that the concepts of elections and democracy are not necessarily
members of the same family,” the group said in a statement released Monday morning.

“Brazilian football – despite the sad end to the 2014 World Cup – will remain in the hands of the men who brought us here.”

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Brazil vs Netherlands match report World Cup 2014: Final humiliation for hosts as Robin Van Persie leads Dutch to victory

If nothing positive can come from winning this fixture then there are plenty of negatives that can go with losing it, including picking up the first booking for diving and being booed off the pitch as host nation.

Holland enjoyed a comfortable stroll through a balmy evening after striking early, controlling the match and toying with their opponents throughout, but they will still feel no better about another near-miss on the biggest stage.

But for Brazil, a country which hasn’t yet caught its breath after their semi-final humiliation, this was another dire effort to endure. If the Germany defeat showed up the mental problems that have shredded the hearts and minds of these Brazilian players, this was a not-so-subtle reminder of their physical limitations.

Looking back across previous tournaments, it is hard to dredge up a worse team to make the final four in terms of results and performances. After all the hype and hope, that is a massive indictment of the hosts’ style and substance.

There’s no doubting the potential of this Brazilian squad and if all fully fit, they could have fielded seven players who have lined up in a Champions’ League semi-final during the past two seasons, plus a league winner in Fernandinho.

But that just adds to the bewilderment because when analysing their efforts – and this game was a microcosm of their five weeks – there is not a single player outside of Neymar that has consistently played to his usual level, never mind elevated his game and reputation.

Both sides started as they finished the semi-finals with Holland standing over a penalty after Brazil had been sliced open with simple and obvious movement. The game had just kicked off when Robin van Persie fed Arjen Robben and while Thiago Silva’s foul looked to be outside the box, he inexplicably escaped with just a yellow card for hauling down the forward.

Van Persie buried the spot kick and any chance of the crowd stuffing away their anger and annoyance at what has happened to the side rapidly disappeared. In fact after all the fanaticism of earlier games, the soundtrack was fitting as a low and grumpy groan accompanied the pedestrian play.

Brazil’s response to that goal did not help either with aimless ball after aimless ball towards Jo up front as the sense of embarrassment again swept over both the team and the country.

But for all their obvious issues in attack, it is worth remembering that no side has conceded more goals than the hosts at this tournament and the reasons are there for everyone to see.
Neither of the holding midfielders, Paulinho and Luiz Gustavo, offer their defence cover and it is badly needed.

Exhibit A on that front came after 16 minutes as the Dutch doubled their lead. This time Robben fed Jonathan de Guzman down the right, his cross was troublesome to the point that David Luiz headed it out into no man’s land where Daley Blind stood and passed high into the net. But there was no hysteria or tears this time, just annoyance at the ineptitude and the fact another game was over so soon.

What was lost in the fallout from the semi-final – where much of the attention was split between the shock of what happened on the field and the shock at Brazil’s off-field attitude – was that they just are not very good. From a goalkeeper that plays his football in Toronto right through to Jo who came in and was every bit as ineffective as Fred whom he replaced, there has been so little to excite.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment has been the inability to create outside of Neymar. Luiz Felipe Scolari, the coach, finally stumbled upon what many believed to be the best three attacking midfielders he had at his disposal for this non-event, but Oscar was again limited and Willian and Ramires largely anonymous. The sight of Hulk warming up at 2-0 down suggested much.

Midway through the first half, the centre-half, Stefan de Vrij was at walking pace as he ghosted past three opponents while just after the half-hour mark a simple break out of defence saw the Dutch overlap with six players coming through the middle and bearing down on a bewildered Brazilian back four.

At the other end Luiz looked the biggest threat, which hinted at both his wayward positioning and the efforts of the attacking unit.

At least Brazil did improve after the break as Holland looked increasingly disinterested and Oscar might have had a penalty after appearing to be fouled by Blind. In fact all he achieved was to pick up the first yelow card of the tournament for simulation, another shameful moment for this desperate team.

It was the visitors who rounded off the rout in stoppage time as Georginio Wijnaldum got on the end of a Daryl Janmaat cross. Brazil, who were booed off at the end, will be glad their World Cup is finally over. However, it will be a long time before they can escape the spotlight because the fallout from this is anything but over.

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Manhunt after World Cup executive escapes arrest

RIO DE JANEIRO – An executive from the World Cup’s hospitality services firm escaped out the back door of his plush Rio de Janeiro hotel Thursday to avoid arrest on charges of illegally selling tickets, authorities said.

Police launched a manhunt for Raymond Whelan, a British director of FIFA partner company Match Services, accusing him of fleeing the beachfront Copacabana Palace Hotel after a judge ordered him and 10 other suspects to be held in detention.

“The Englishman fled through the hotel’s back door and is considered a fugitive,” Rio police said in a statement, just three days before Sunday’s Germany-Argentina final at the Maracana Stadium.

“We saw him in (security) footage leaving in a hurry,” Fabio Barucke, the case’s lead investigator, told reporters, adding that Whelan had fled an hour before police arrived.

Brazilian TV showed footage of Whelan, wearing a blue shirt, walking with another man who points to him to sit on a chair near the service exit before he left the hotel, which is heavily guarded and houses top FIFA officials.

Whelan is accused of being involved with a scalping network that has sold thousands of tickets worth millions of dollars, going back to the 2002 World Cup.

Whelan, who denies the charges, was initially arrested at the same hotel on Monday but was granted preventive release the next day. His passport was seized by the authorities, but police fear he may have acquired another one from the British consulate.

Police filed charges against him and 11 others on Wednesday and submitted the case to prosecutors, who requested an arrest warrant against all except one who was cooperating with investigators.

Prosecutors said the 12 suspects face charges of organized crime, illegal ticket sales, corruption, money laundering and tax fraud. Ten of them are in jail, except for Whelan and the suspect who is cooperating.

The Briton’s lawyer, Fernando Fernandes, said he would appeal the detention order, branding it illegal, according to the G1 news website.

Brazilian media have published leaked phone calls between Whelan and one of the chief suspects in the case, French-Algerian Mohamadou Lamine Fofana, discussing hospitality packages for games including Sunday’s final.

But Match Services has defended Whelan, saying he was innocent and that there was nothing illegal about the conversations.

The Zurich-based company says Whelan was discussing the sale of 24 hospitality packages at the correct price, though he rounded up the figure to $25,000 from $24,750 per package, and that the deal was never concluded.

Match Services said Wednesday that Whelan would voluntarily relinquish his World Cup accreditation but that he had not committed any wrongdoing.

Prior to the news of Whelan’s sudden disappearance, the executive chairman of Match Services and its sister company Match Hospitality issued a statement criticizing Rio police.

“Those responsible for the investigation from the 18th Precinct of the Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro are not experts in FIFA World Cup ticketing or hospitality,” chairman Jaime Byrom said in the statement.

“Notwithstanding our belief that the action taken against Mr Whelan was illegal and baseless, Match Services and I personally remain totally committed to assist the authorities from the 18th Precinct or any other jurisdiction in FIFA’s fight against illegal ticket sales.”

Byrom said cooperation with the authorities had led to “a number of successful arrests of actual touts.”

It is the latest scandal to hit FIFA, which is already battling claims that officials from football’s governing body accepted bribes in the decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar.

Brazilian investigators believe Whelan gave VIP tickets to Fofana that were originally meant for non-governmental organizations, sponsors and families of players.

Fofana sold them illegally with the help of travel agencies and high contacts in the football world, investigators say.

Some 1,000 tickets were sold per game for around €1,000 ($1,360).

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Neymar on best player shortlist

Rio de Janeiro – Brazil’s injured star Neymar is on a shortlist for the Soccer World Cup’s best player which also includes seven names from Sunday’s World Cup final between Germany and Argentina.

Lionel Messi, Javier Mascherano and Angel Di Maria from Argentina are on the list announced by FIFA on Friday. Captain Messi has scored four goals heading into the final.

Germany have four representatives, led by skipper Phillip Lahm, five-goal scorer Thomas Müller, Toni Kroos, and Mats Hummels.

Neymar, who scored four goals before he suffered a fractured vertebrae, Colombia’s hot shot James Rodriguez, with six goals, and the Netherlands’ veteran forward Arjen Robben make up the 10.

Past winners of the Golden Ball award for the best player include Uruguay’s Diego Forlan (2010), Zinedine Zidane (2006), German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn (2002) and Argentine legend Diego Maradona (1986).

The top goalkeeper award will be chosen from Keylor Navas of Costa Rica, Germany’s Manuel Neuer, and Sergio Romero, the Argentine who saved two penalties in the semi-final shootout with Holland.

The young player of the tournament will be decided between Dutch starlet Memphis Depay, and French duo Paul Pogba and Raphael Varane.

The winners, to be chosen by FIFA’s technical support group, will be announced after Sunday’s final.

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MARADONA SINGS SONG MOCKING BRAZIL’S 7-1 LOSS

SAO PAULO — Video footage posted on Brazilian news portals shows Argentina legend Diego Maradona enthusiastically singing a chant mocking Brazil’s humiliating 1-7 loss to Germany in the World Cup semifinals.

The video images posted Friday by the websites of the O Globo and Folha de S. Paulo newspapers show Maradona inside the World Cup’s International Broadcast Center in Rio de Janeiro celebrating Brazil’s loss with the staff of an Argentine television network.

Maradona celebrated the result with an adaptation of a song sung by Argentina fans in Brazil.

The song that uses the tune of “Bad Moon Rising” begins with “Brasil, decime que se siente” (“Brazil, tell me how it feels”), but Maradona changed this to “Brasil, decime que se siete” — Spanish for seven.

Maradona is commenting on World Cup games for Venezuelan television network Telesur.

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Arsenal confirm Sanchez deal

Arsenal signalled their attacking intent for the looming Premier League season by completing the signing of Chile striker Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona on Thursday.

No fee was disclosed but Arsenal are believed to have paid in the region of 35 million pounds ($59.56 million) for the 25-year-old Chile international who joined Barcelona from Udinese in 2011 and went on to score 47 goals in 141 games.

“As many people have seen during the World Cup this summer, Alexis is a fantastic footballer and we are delighted that he is joining us,” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said on the club’s website (www.arsenal.com).

“Alexis will add power, creativity and quality to our squad and we are looking forward to him joining up with us in a few weeks.”

The clubs had already reached a deal in principle but were ironing out personal terms for the player who was deemed surplus to requirements at Barca by new manager Luis Enrique despite his healthy goalscoring record.

Sanchez’s move to London will be a blow to Liverpool who were hoping to sign him as part of a deal taking Luis Suarez in the other direction. Sanchez had also attracted interest from Italian champions Juventus.

“I’m so happy to be joining Arsenal, a club which has a great manager, a fantastic squad of players, huge support around the world and a great stadium in London,” Sanchez, who completed a medical on Thursday, said.

“I’m looking forward to meeting my new team mates and to be playing for Arsenal in the Premier League and Champions League.”

Sanchez was a key member of the Chile team that shone in Brazil, reaching the World Cup last 16 before losing to the hosts on penalties. He scored two goals in four appearances.

Arsenal’s lack of striking prowess has been blamed for their failure to challenge for the Premier League title since the departure of Robin van Persie to Manchester United in 2012.

Their total of 68 goals from 38 matches was the lowest of the top four last season with Frenchman Olivier Giroud scoring 16 in the league.

With Chelsea having already signed Spain striker Diego Costa from Atletico Madrid, Wenger has moved quickly in the transfer window to beef up his attacking options.

Blessed with exceptional pace and ball control, Sanchez should prove to be a popular signing for the club’s fans, not to mention his new team mates.

“What a Signing!!!!! Can not wait and looking forward to playing with Alexis Sanchez!!!!!” England forward Theo Walcott said on Twitter after the news broke.

Sanchez, who grew up in Tocopilla, a grim industrial city in northern Chile, scored 39 goals in 88 La Liga games for Barcelona, helping them win one La Liga title, one King’s Cup, two Spanish Super Cups, one European Super Cup and one Club World Cup.

“He has consistently produced top-quality performances at the highest level for a number of seasons now and we are all excited to see him integrate into the squad,” Wenger said.

Sanchez is expected to make his first appearance in Arsenal colours in the pre-season Emirates Cup on August 2-3.

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Neymar wants Messi to beat Germans in World Cup final

Brazilian superstar Neymar said on Thursday he wants teammate Lionel Messi to lead Argentina to victory in the World Cup final against Germany.

At an emotional press conference, Neymar broke down in tears as he relived the challenge which broke a vertebrae in his back and left him fearing he would be paralysed.

With Brazil’s dream of winning a sixth World Cup decimated by their 7-1 hammering by Germany, Neymar said he wants Barcelona teammate Messi to claim the trophy on Sunday against the Germans.

“Messi’s history in the sport is so important, he has won a lot of trophies and I will be cheering for him,” Neymar told a press conference.

“He is a friend, he is my teammate and I wish him luck.” Neymar was ruled out of the World Cup in a rugged challenge by Colombia defender Juan Camilo Zuniga in Brazil’s 2-1 quarterfinal win.

The 22-year-old wiped away tears as he described his fears immediately after the knee in the back that he would be paralysed.

“I was blessed in that situation because it wasn’t more serious. Two more centimetres up and, well, I could be in a wheelchair. So it is really difficult.

“It happened at such an important point in my career,” he said. “It was something I cannot accept. That challenge and what happened was unacceptable,” he added.

“I would not say there was malice because I can’t speak for him, but everyone who understands football knows that challenge was not normal.

“When someone comes from behind I can’t do anything about it. I did not have any control and I ended up being hurt.”

Fifa decided not to take action against Zuniga for the challenge that will keep Neymar out of action for up to six weeks.

Neymar, though, insisted he held no bad feelings towards Zuniga after the Napoli defender called to apologise to him.

“Of course I would forgive him. I do not feel any anger, he even called me the next day to apologise. He said he didn’t mean to hurt me and apologise.”

Neymar returned to Brazil’s training camp in Teresopolis for the first time since the incident on Thursday in a bid to lift his teammates’ spirits after their humiliation at the hands of Germany.

“It is not a pleasant situation, but it is good just to be back here so I can see my friends and I told them we stared together so we should finish this together regardless of the result.”

And, despite not being able to take part himself, he urged the rest of the Brazil squad to at least salvage some pride against the Netherlands in their third-place playoff on Saturday.

“What matters is that we are united and we are going to finish this with honour on Saturday,” he said.

“We had the chance to be champion in our country and we failed. We didn’t get it right, we fell short. We know we had a good campaign, but we did not play our best.

“We did not show how good Brazilian football is, its superiority and charm, but we have to look at this last match as if it were the final.

“Victory won’t assimilate all the pain we feel today, but it is important.”

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Fifa rejects Suarez appeal

Rio De Janeiro – Uruguay forward Luis Suarez, banned from all soccer activity for four months and nine competitive internationals for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini during a World Cup match, has lost his appeal, Fifa said on Thursday.

Fifa’s appeals committee rejected the appeal filed by the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF), although it can still take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), a Fifa spokeswoman said.

The controversial Liverpool striker sank his teeth into Chiellini’s shoulder during Uruguay’s 1-0 win over the Italians on June 24. The win sent Uruguay through to the last 16 where, without the banned Suarez, they lost 2-0 to Colombia.

Suarez initially denied biting Chiellini but apologisied nearly a week later.

“The truth is that my colleague Giorgio Chiellini suffered the physical result of a bite in the collision he suffered with me,” Suarez said in a statement on Twitter.

Fifa’s disciplinary committee ruled that he acted intentionally and handed him the longest ban ever imposed on a player at the World Cup, prompting fury in his South American homeland, where he was given a hero’s welcome on his return.

Fifa later explained that Suarez was given a heavy punishment partly because he had twice before been banned for biting and because he had shown no remorse.

The English Premier League club have since held talks in London over the possible transfer of Suarez to Barcelona, although no deal has been finalised.

Chiellini himself has described the ban as excessive.

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World Cup final: Pope versus Pope?

Vatican City – Football-mad Pope Francis “might” watch the World Cup final on Sunday between his native Argentina and Germany but is unlikely to do so alongside his German predecessor Benedict XVI contrary to media speculation, the Vatican said.

“He might want to watch the final,” Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said of Francis, formerly the archbishop of Buenos Aires Jorge Bergoglio – a fan and card-carrying member of the San Lorenzo de Almagro club since childhood.

But a Vatican source said he “excluded categorically” the prospect of pope emeritus Benedict XVI, an academic theologian with a penchant for classical piano, sitting down in front of his television set to watch the face-off.

“It’s really not his thing, he is not a fan. It would be like inflicting an infinite penitence on him at the age of 87,” the source said, adding: “He has never been able to watch a football match from beginning to end in his life”.

Benedict did like to keep informed on football results while he was pope and could at least comment on the big matches but he did not follow his home team, Bayern Munich.

That has not prevented a few jokes from doing the rounds in the Vatican ahead of the big game at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana.

Father Thomas Rosica, a member of the Vatican communications, quipped in a tweet: “Unconfirmed reports in Italian media: large quantities of mate and Fanta delivered to Vatican for private event Sunday” – a reference to the famous Argentine tipple and the German fizzy drink.

The contrast could not be greater between Benedict and Francis, who is regularly updated on the activities of San Lorenzo and a team delegation came to the Vatican in December to give him their trophy after they won the national championship.

They also gave him the club’s red-and-blue team colours with the words “Francisco Campeon” (Francis Champion) written on the back and the goalkeeper’s gloves – used in a save that helped them win the tournament.

When he does his weekly tours of St Peter’s Square on his “popemobile” before general audiences, the 77-year-old pontiff is regularly pelted with football jerseys and he has extolled the virtues of sport as a spiritual activity.

While the Vatican said Italian media reports about a “two popes final” are off the mark, its own official daily – the Osservatore Romano – earlier this month predicted that Argentine and Germany would reach the final.

In an unusual article for the normally conservative paper, former player Tommaso Damiani, a staunch Catholic, said that “there could be a final that will go down in history because of its unusual supporters” – Francis and Benedict.

Ahead of the final, Italy’s RaiNews made a photomontage with a real image of the two popes kneeling side by side – except that each is depicted praying for their own team.

Conscious of his role as head of the Catholic Church around the world, Francis himself has been careful not to make any predictions about the World Cup or to reveal his passion.

There was one slip earlier in the tournament, however.

The Vatican affairs news agency I.Media reported that when a group of the Vatican’s Swiss Guards invited him to watch the Argentina-Switzerland game in their barracks, he declined the offer saying: “There would be a war!”

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World Cup fans killed as Israel raid hits Gaza cafe

It was supposed to be an evening of entertainment in Gaza, watching the World Cup semi-final at a cafe, a welcome break from 48 hours of Israeli air strikes.

But the evening was cut brutally short when an Israeli raid flattened the Fun Time Beach cafe in the southern Gaza Strip in the early hours of Thursday, killing nine people and wounding 15.

All that is left of the popular seaside cafe — where dozens broke their Ramadan fast on Wednesday night before settling down to watch Argentina play the Netherlands — is a large crater and a few mounds of sand.

The cafe’s multicoloured sign is still standing, somewhat crookedly, as colourful bunting and canvas windbreakers lay strewn on the floor, torn down by the force of the blast.

The Israeli missile scattered the dead and wounded across the beach, and made a hole so deep that seawater filled it up from underground after impact.

“It was a normal social occasion,” said Wael Soboh, a local policeman who is employed by the Palestinian Authority.

“The boys ate their Ramadan iftar meal here, and then began watching the match. It is not a military area.”

Eight people were killed immediately in the blast, medical sources said, all of them residents of the nearby city of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza.

Bulldozers were earlier Thursday busy searching for a ninth man believed to buried underneath the soggy sand, as locals looked on in the searing midday heat.

“It’s possible the missing guy was blown to pieces,” said another local, Mohammed Astal.

Later, Gaza’s emergency services spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said the body was found, raising the toll in the attack to nine.

Israel won 9-0′ –

Residents said three members of an extended family — Ahmed, Suleiman and Mussa Astal — were among the dead, with most of those killed in their 20s.

“There was a power cut in Khan Yunis, so a lot of people came here where there’s a generator and a screen,” said Mohammed al-Aqad, a resident who was at the cafe when the missile hit but was not injured.

The victims were all keen football fans, he said, as were some of the locals who were helping in the search for the missing man.

Asked who they were supporting in the World Cup, one enthusiastically replied: “Argentina, of course!”

“No, Germany,” chipped in another, though he was wearing a red England shirt.

There were no goals in Wednesday’s match, which eventually went to extra time and ended in penalties.

“And the result from this match here? The Jews won 9-0,” Ahmed al-Aqad quipped macabrely.

Israel’s operation against militants in Gaza – the deadliest violence since 2012 – entered its third day on Thursday, with the overall death toll rising to at least 78, among them women and children.

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Coach: Suarez a ‘scapegoat’

Rio de Janeiro – Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez has said on Friday that Luis Suarez had been made a “scapegoat” for biting an opponent at the World Cup, lashing out at the “excessive severity” of his four-month ban.

“Many times you forget that the scapegoat is a person, who has rights,” said Tabarez, who read out a pre-prepared statement during a press conference ahead of Uruguay’s last-16 game against Colombia on Saturday.

“In this specific case of Luis Suarez, despite the faults he may have committed, he has made significant contributions to football from the pitch.”

Tabarez, who refused to take questions from journalists, also claimed the punishment was “more focused on the opinions of the media”.

Suarez was handed a nine-game international ban and suspended from all football-related activity for four months by FIFA on Thursday after sinking his teeth into the left shoulder of Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini during a Group D game in Natal on Tuesday.

Tabarez was given a round of applause by Uruguayan journalists after reading his statement during the press conference at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana Stadium.

He also announced that he has decided to step down from his position on FIFA’s technical study group and strategic committee over the affair.

It is the third time that Suarez has been banned for biting an opponent, after previous incidents with Ajax and his current club, Liverpool.

Uruguay captain Diego Lugano claimed on Wednesday that Suarez had been unfairly targeted by the British media and Tabarez echoed the centre-back’s words.

“After we saw the images (of the incident), we saw that there was a possibility that the participants in that act — Giorgio Chiellini, the Italian footballer, and Luis Suarez — would both be punished,” said the 67-year-old.

“But we never thought we would learn what we found out about the details of the decision reached, which was of an excessive severity.

“And a decision which obviously is much more focused on the opinions of the media, who took that as the only topic of the (post-match) press conference.

“I don’t know what nationality they were, but they all spoke English.”

Tabarez also alleged that Suarez had been the victim of “media attacks” and “harassments”, which had “concentrated above all on his background”.

He added: “On the basis of these very exaggerated and severe decisions, are we to avoid all excesses, all aggressions?

“I sincerely doubt it, because in this tournament, before and after the Suarez-Chiellini episode, we’ve seen things measured with a completely different scale.

“I don’t think one shouldn’t punish or sanction, but always, always between human beings, one must always give an opportunity to one who commits a mistake. That’s why I don’t agree with the theory of a scapegoat.”

Tabarez concluded his statement by vowing long-term support for Suarez and urging his players to channel their sense of injustice when they take to the pitch against Colombia on Saturday.

“To Luis Suarez the person, who has lived with us and who we know better than anyone else the path he has covered and the one he will go through again, attempting, as someone who starts again, to be better, we let him know he will never be alone in that attempt,” Tabarez said.

“To the Uruguayan fans: they, like us, are moved by the resonance of this punishment.

“I want to let them know that we are hurt, but with our outstanding force and more than ever tomorrow (Saturday), we will do our utmost.”

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Brazil gunmen wound 9 in SWC host city

Sao Paulo – Police in the Brazilian World Cup host city of Belo Horizonte say gunmen opened fire on a group of men in a bar watching Monday’s match between Brazil and Cameroon.

Sgt Jonathas Rocha is a press officer of the Belo Horizonte police department. He says nine men were wounded and four of them are in critical condition.

He said that the gunmen belonged to a drug trafficking gang settling accounts with a rival group and that “the shooting had nothing do with the World Cup”.

He said the shooting occurred in a slum “far away” from the Mineirao Stadium that will host Tuesday’s match between England and Costa Rica, as well as from areas visited by tourists in town for the tournament.

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FIFA opens probe against Suarez ‘Biting’ incident

Rio de Janeiro – FIFA said it has opened a disciplinary probe against Luis Suarez of Uruguay for allegedly biting an Italian opponent during a Soccer World Cup game Tuesday. Video

Uruguay won the game 1-0 but it was overshadowed by the incident involving Suarez and Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini.

Suarez has already been banned twice before in his career for biting opponents.

The latest incident happened moments before a team-mate scored the winner for Uruguay, who now advance to the next round of the tournament.

FIFA rules mean that Suarez, who plays his club football in England with Liverpool, runs the risk of a heavy punishment that could bar him from the rest of the World Cup in Brazil, just as Uruguay emerged from the group phase and reached the Round of 16.

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Luis Suarez wants out of Liverpool

LONDON – Luis Suarez is ready to quit Anfield for the Nou Camp.

Suarez is currently spearheading Uruguay’s World Cup charge in Brazil, having already crushed England’s hopes in the tournament. And the striker has no plans to return to the English Premier League next summer, amid interest from Barcelona.

According to Spanish paper Sport, Suarez has told friends he is ready to quit Liverpool for the La Liga giants.

Suarez is believed to have confided in those close to him of his desire to join Barca over the phone.

Barca hope to complete a deal for £56 million but the Reds are likely to hold out for more money.
Chile winger Alexis Sanchez could be included in the package move with Brendan Rodgers a keen admirer.

The Catalan giants were reported to have opened talks with Liverpool over Suarez this week, after making him a key transfer target.

Liverpool will try to resist selling their key man, but Barcelona believe they could get him out of the Merseyside club for the right price.

Barca are in the midst of a squad overhaul this summer after appointing Luis Enrique as manager.  .

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Diego Maradona shows Argentina FA chief the finger on live TV over jinx claim

Former World Cup winner Diego Maradona showed Argentine FA President Julio Grondona the finger on live television after the football administrator had suggested Argentina scored against Iran because “jinxed” Maradona had left the stadium by then.

Argentina struggled against Iran at Belo Horizonte’s Mineirao stadium on Saturday with Maradona in the stands as a spectator along with his daughter.

The 1986 World Cup winner got out of his seat and left shortly before the end of both halves, missing Lionel Messi’s brilliant stoppage-time winner which gave them a 1-0 win and a place in the 16.

“Jinx this,” Maradona said, looking at the camera of Venezuela’s Telesur broadcaster for whom he works as a commentator at the World Cup and holding up his middle finger in response to Grondona’s comments to reporters.
“Poor, stupid man. This is Messi’s merit, Not because I left,” Maradona added.

Telesur is a left-leaning Caracas-based Latin American network set up by the late socialist leader Hugo Chavez as an intended counterpoint to what he saw as capitalist-dominated global media.
Maradona was an admirer and friend of Chavez’s, as well as Cuba’s former leader Fidel Castro.

The 82-year-old Grondona, who has been head of the Argentina FA since 1979, was in charge when Maradona almost single-handedly steered Argentina to World Cup victory in Mexico in 1986.

Maradona was coach of the national team at the last World Cup in 2010. 

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Ronaldo storms past reporters after Portugal flop

SALVADOR (Brazil): World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo stormed past reporters on Monday after tasting defeat for the fourth consecutive time against Germany as Portugal lost 4-0 in their World Cup opener.

The 29-year-old Portuguese captain played the full 90 minutes of the Group G clash despite recent injuries, but he was powerless to prevent his side being over-run as Germany’s Thomas Mueller scored a hat-trick.

“Three players are down to talk to the media and I am not one of them,” he said, brushing off requests for mixed zone interviews at Salvador’s Arena Fonte Nova.

The Real Madrid star endured a subdued afternoon with five shots on goal as Portugal failed to make an impact on the German defence.

This was the fourth time Portugal has lost to Germany at major tournaments having been beaten by them at the 2006 World Cup — in the third place match — plus both the 2008 and 2012 European championships.

Portugal’s record goal-scorer made his 112th international appearance, but failed to add to his goal tally of 49, which includes just two World Cup goals.

On the eve of the match, Ronaldo baulked when asked if his World Cup record — the Portuguese went out to eventual champions Spain in the last 16 in 2010 — was the only blot in his stellar career.

“I don’t think I have to show anyone anything. If you look at my statistics and CV you’ll see that,” he said brusquely in Sunday’s press conference.

“I have no words for that question, I just have to continue my career, which has been great so far.”

Portugal now play the United States on June 22 and 2010 World Cup quarterfinalists Ghana on June 26 in their remaining group games.

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Brazil look for second round win

• Luiz Felipe Scolari’s Brazil play Mexico in their second World Cup match on Tuesday knowing that a win would virtually secure a place in the last 16.

Victory in the Group A game in Fortaleza (1900 GMT) would also be revenge for losing 2-1 to the Mexicans in the London Olympics final in 2012.

Belgium play Algeria in Belo Horizonte (1600 GMT) and Russia play South Korea in Cuiaba (2200 GMT) in the day’s other games.

Brazil beat Croatia 3-1 in the World Cup’s opening match, with two goals from Neymar, but a bitterly disputed penalty took the gloss off the win. Coach Scolari will be looking for a more convincing performance by the tournament favourites.

If Brazil win and Wednesday’s Cameroon-Croatia game ends in a draw or a win for Croatia then the hosts are guaranteed a place in the second round.

Mexico beat Cameroon 1-0 in their first game which also saw refereeing controversy. Two goals by Giovani dos Santos, son of a Brazilian emigre, were disallowed by the referee.

Brazil and Mexico have a history in Fortaleza. When they met in the Confederations Cup there on year ago, the national anthem halted after 90 seconds and Brazilian fans carried on singing an acapella version that captain Thiago Silva said inspired them to a 2-0 victory.

The style has since been repeated at all Brazil games and by other South American nations. “If they sing like that this time, we will know the fans are with us,” said Thiago Silva.- 12 year absence –

Belgium and Russia are both playing their first games in a World Cup finals since 2002.

Coach Marc Wilmots scored Belgium’s last goal in the World Cup finals in 2002. Now they have Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku and Vincent Kompany who have made them a fancied team who should beat Algeria.

Algeria have a young team built around defender Madjid Bougherra, midfielders Sofiane Feghouli and Medhi Lacen, and forward Islam Slimani for their fourth World Cup finals.

Despite a famous victory over West Germany in 1982, the Desert Foxes have never been past the group stages.

Fabio Capello returns to the World Cup in charge of Russia four years after a miserable exit from the 2010 finals with England, who were hammered 4-1 by old rivals Germany.

Now he is trying his arch-disciplinarian tactics on a team that has to defend national honour ahead of hosting the 2018 World Cup.

Veteran defender Vasily Berezutskiy has been named captain in place of the injured Roman Shirokov because his English was best, according to Capello..

“We have things to prove in this World Cup,” said the stand-in skipper, who plays with CSKA Moscow.

“It’s been 12 years since Russia have participated in the World Cup so our objective is to play more than three games, try to qualify from our group and after that we will see.”

South Korea only barely made it into their eighth straight World Cup finals and lost to Tunisia and Ghana in their final warmups.

Coach Hong Myung-Bo apologised after the Tunisia defeat in Seoul. But the Taeguk Warriors still have dangerous players in European based stars Park Chu-Young and Son Heung-Min.

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USA break Ghana hearts

Natal – United States coach Jurgen Klinsmann celebrated his 50th game in charge with a memorable 2-1 win over Ghana in their World Cup Group G clash on Monday.

Clint Dempsey scored the opener after just 30 seconds and German-born John Brooks headed a dramatic winner.

Andre Ayew equalised for Ghana eight minutes before the end. But Brooks’ first goal for his adopted country avenged defeats to the same opposition in the past two World Cups, the latter when Ghana went on to the quarter-finals.

The United States had got off to the dream start as Dempsey sent defender John Boye the wrong way and cut inside the penalty area sending a sweetly struck sidefooted effort into the far corner of the goal.

Dempsey’s strike partner Jozy Altidore wasted a terrific chance in the 17th minute as he dithered too long when well set up and a Ghanaian defender managed to divert his shot for a corner.

Five minutes later Altidore saw his part in the match and probably the World Cup end when he pulled up clutching his left hamstring and collapsed to the ground in agony.

Dempsey too was in the wars as later in the first-half he required minutes of attention after Bowe’s knee connected with his nose as they both went up for the ball prompting a furious reaction from Klinsmann on the sidelines.

Ghana came out with much more purpose in the second-half.

Ghana eventually got the goal they had been threatening to score when a brilliant backheel by Gyan teed up Ayew and he fired it past Howard.

The Americans, though, refused to lie down and Brooks’s brilliant downward header restored their lead for good this time.

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Two World Cup fans die of exhaustion

Beijing – Two Chinese football fans have died of suspected exhaustion after staying up all might to watch Soccer World Cup matches broadcast from Brazil, local media said on Tuesday.

A 25-year-old man was found dead at his computer at 07:00 on Saturday in the eastern city of Suzhou, Jiangsu province.

He had been watching a World Cup group match between Chile and Australia, the official provincial news website reported.

A former football player also died from a heart attack in the north-eastern city of Shenyang on Saturday after watching a later game between Spain and the Netherlands, the Shenyang Evening News reported.

During the group stages, the World Cup matches take place at midnight, 03:00 and 06:00 Beijing time.

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Italy see off England in tight group game

Italy defeated England 2-1 in the second Group D game on Saturday night. The two former World Champions provided an unexpectedly entertaining spectacle in the extreme humidity of Manaus, northern Brazil.

Even the old guard have been infected with the entertaining spirit of this World Cup. There was trepidation that Saturday’s third game would be a dampener on what had been one of the most entertaining World Cups in living memory.

The perennially underachieving England were facing a stifling Italian midfield in the even more stifling heat of the Arena da Amazonia in Manaus. Andrea Pirlo was the playmaker fulcrum of a formation designed to dominate possession for the Azzurri and force England to tire themselves out running after the ball.

England coach Roy Hodgson’s hope lay in the pace of his young team, particularly Daniel Sturridge and the 19-year-old Liverpudlian Raheem Sterling, who could potentially trouble an Italian side that has been exposed on the flanks in recent friendly games – not least an embarrassing 1-1 draw against Luxembourg.

England began the game more aggressively, with a long-range Sterling effort narrowly missing the left upright of Italy keeper Salvatore Sirigu, last-minute replacement for the injured talisman Gianluigi Buffon.

While Mario Balotelli and co were mainly reduced to long-range efforts, the England attack were more effective sending in crosses and bothering the uncertain-looking Gabriel Paletta in particular. The pattern the pundits expected had kicked in: Italy had most of the possession, a tenacious England most of the chances.

But then in the 35th minute it was the Azzurri who broke through. From the Italians’ first corner of the game, a regal Pirlo dummy left Claudio Marchisio with acres in front of the penalty area, and the midfielder had time to slam the ball through a crowd of players and the unsighted keeper Joe Hart was beaten low to his right.

But the advantage lasted barely three minutes, as England caught Italy on the break. The under-pressure Wayne Rooney (still without a World Cup goal) curved perfect ball to Sturridge, who escaped the flapping Paletta and clipped the ball in.

The game had become unexpectedly entertaining, topped off by a splendidly cheeky effort by Mario Balotelli just before halftime. Played in by Pirlo but then forced out wide, the striker lifted a sumptuous effort from an impossible angle that was dropping under the bar until Phil Jagielka before it was headed clear brilliantly.

Italy re-establish lead

Balotelli didn’t wait long to make up for that though – the second half wasn’t four minutes old when Antonio Candreva sent a perfect cross to the far-post, where the center-forward could scarcely miss with his head from two yards out.

England continued to push back at a frenetic pace, and Rooney came close with two efforts, the second of which – a snap-shot from inside the area was hooked just inches wide.

At the other end, Candreva continued to terrorize the left half of England’s defense, and weren’t sorry to see the back of him when he was substituted in the 77th minute. By then, however, the energy was visibly flagging in the heat. And the introduction of young guns Ross Barkley and Adam Lallana failed to provide the spark that

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Mexico edges Cameroon in rain-soaked opener

MEXICO overcame the torrential rain and two disallowed goals to beat Cameroon, 1-0, yesterday in World Cup play in Natal, Brazil, picking up the three points it needed to have any chance of advancing from the tough Group A.

Oribe Peralta scored in the 61st minute, giving Mexico its first win over win over an African team at the World Cup and justifying coach Miguel Herrera’s decision to start him ahead of striker Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, arguably the country’s best known player.

He broke the deadlock just as thousands of Mexican fans were cheering for Hernandez to come into the game, swooping in with his left foot after Cameroon goalkeeper Charles Itandje parried Giovanni Dos Santos’ attempt from the edge of the area.

Dos Santos twice put the ball in the net in the first half-hour, only to have both efforts called back. He was ruled offside in the 11th minute and his header from a corner in the 29th was denied when referee Wilmar Roldan apparently called a foul in front of Itandje.

“We could have scored more, but unfortunately we’re not used to these conditions,” Herrera said. “Frankly, the refereeing took away two clear goals, but at the end of the day you’ve got to work for it, and we get to the next match with three points and very high spirits.”

While the heat was expected to be an issue in this balmy coastal city, rain soaked the field starting about 4 hours before the match and never let up, creating a cool day, but a slick surface.

Cameroon seldom tested Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, but forced him to make a victory-clinching save when he dived to his left to stop an header by Benjamin Moukandjo. The save was yet another big payoff for Herrera, who started Ochoa after the ‘keeper had been a reserve at the last two World Cups.

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World Cup: Netherlands thump Spain in Salvador

The Netherlands gained sweet revenge for defeat in the 2010 World Cup final by trouncing Spain 5-1 in the opening fixture of Group B in Salvador Friday.

Xabi Alonso had given Spain the lead from the penalty spot after Diego Costa was brought down by Stefan de Vrij before Robin van Persie equalized with a brilliant diving header.

Arjen Robben then fired the Dutch in front at the beginning of the second half before de Vrij atoned for his earlier foul on Brazil-born Costa to make it 3-1 just after the hour mark.

A horrible error from Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas enabled van Persie to make it four after 72 minutes and Robben burst clear of the Spanish defense eight minutes later to round off the scoring.

The result is Spain’s worst at a World Cup finals in 64 years and leaves little room for error in the 2008 and 2012 European champion’s remaining group games against Chile and Australia.

The Dutch, meanwhile, will take great confidence having overcome the team that denied them in Johannesburg four years ago.

The Netherlands employed a physical approach when the sides met that night in Soccer City and there was much of the same during the opening stages at the Arena Fonte Nova as the Dutch pressed early, creating the first clear chance for Wesley Sneijder — whose shot was blocked by Casillas.

Sneijder was made to regret his profligacy midway through the first half after Costa was felled in the area.

The striker, who was born a few hundred miles north of Salvador and twice capped by Brazil in friendlies, was roundly booed by many of the local fans in attendance for switching his allegiance to Spain earlier this year.

Alonso ignored the animosity directed towards his teammate from the stands, however, as he drilled his penalty low to the right of Jasper Cillessen.

David Silva should have doubled Spain’s lead shortly after being played through by 2010 match-winner Andres Iniesta but the Manchester City midfielder’s delicate chip was slapped away by Cillessen.

Moments later the Netherlands were level.

Daley Blind’s floated long pass was met on the run by van Persie and the striker launched a flying header that looped the ball brilliantly beyond Casillas.

If that was a shock to the Spanish system, worse was to follow six minutes in to the second half as the Dutch took the lead.

Another Blind crossfield pass found Robben galloping into the Spanish penalty area. The Bayern Munich star displayed a deft touch to control the ball before stepping inside Gerard Pique and clipping it beyond Casillas.

Van Persie then rattled the Spanish crossbar with a ferocious strike from just outside the area, and five minutes later it was 3-1. De Vrij rose at the back post to bundle the ball over the line after Casillas could not claim Sneijder’s free-kick.

Things would soon get worse for the Spanish captain.

His terribly heavy touch following a simple backpass from Jordi Alba enabled van Persie to steal the ball and slide it into an empty net to make it four.

At this stage Dutch fans could have been excused for believing they were dreaming. But more was to follow as a now ragged Spain was picked off on the break.

Robben displayed his searing pace to streak clear of Sergio Ramos after 80 minutes before rounding a despairing Casillas and blasting the ball high into the unguarded net.

Spain, well beaten, looked lost — a shadow of the side which has dominated international football for the last six years.

The famous tiki-taka style that has been the team’s hallmark throughout this golden period was rendered useless against a disciplined, well-organized and ruthless Dutch side.

Substitute Fernando Torres had a late penalty claim turned down and then took too long to convert what appeared a simple chance from three yards out that would have reduced the deficit. The Chelsea striker’s ineptitude in front of goal summed up Spain’s performance perfectly.

“I did not expect that it would go this way, it could have been 6-1 or even more, and we had a very happy feeling,” Dutch coach Louis van Gaal told reporters after the match.

“This is a nice start, but we have nothing. If we do not win our next game against Australia we have made no progress, but now we are obviously in a good position.”

Cutting a more chastened figure was Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque who lamented his side’s performance but refused to apportion any blame ahead of Wednesday’s next match against Chile.

“We must recognize our mistakes, but everyone fought for a better result,” Del Bosque told Spanish TV station Tele 5 after the match.

“I am aware that it is a very delicate time for us. Together we have to try to solve it for the next match against Chile and look for the win.”

Chile 3-1 Australia

A win against the in-form South Americans is no certainty for Del Bosque’s charges.

Jorge Sampaoli’s side looked impressive in spells against Australia, winning Group B’s second fixture of the day at the Arena Pantanal in Cuiaba.

Barcelona star Alexis Sanchez opened the scoring after 11 minutes for La Roja, pouncing on a loose ball to place it beyond Australia goalkeeper Mathew Ryan from nine yards.

Jorge Valdivia then made it two just over a minute later as he curled the ball delightfully beyond Ryan with the outside of his boot from the edge of the area, having been teed up by Sanchez.

Veteran midfielder Tim Cahill pulled a goal back for the Socceroos with a trademark header after 35 minutes, and the New York Red Bulls player was denied by a smart save by Claudio Bravo shortly after.

Cahill, who has now scored at three World Cups, had another header rightly chalked off for offside in the second half, but Chile always looked the more likely to score again.

Alex Wilkinson cleared off the line from Eduardo Vargas after the Chilean striker had clipped the ball beyond the onrushing Ryan after 72 minutes.

Substitute Jean Beausejour then ensured victory in stoppage time with a low strike from 25 yards that flew past Ryan.

While no doubt frustrated by the loss, the Socceroos can take some solace from the fact that Spain’s earlier collapse against the Netherlands ensures it is the reigning world champions who prop up Group B after the first round of fixtures.

Mexico 1-0 Cameroon

In the day’s first fixture, Mexico overcame Cameroon, the weather and some more questionable World Cup officiating to win its opening Brazil 2014 fixture.

Oribe Peralta scored the only goal of the game just after the hour mark, rifling home after Cameroon goalkeeper Charles Itandje couldn’t hold Giovanni Dos Santos’ low shot.

Two wrongly disallowed Dos Santos goals had earlier denied the Mexicans a halftime lead their enterprising performance deserved.

Thursday’s tournament opening fixture between Brazil and Croatia was marked by a controversial decision to award the host nation a penalty in the second half by Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura.

But Peralta’s strike ensured any controversy would be avoided and El Tri would triumph on a sodden afternoon in Natal.

The win put Mexico second in Group A behind leaders Brazil which triumphed 3-1 on Thursday in Sao Paulo.

Cameroon, unimpressive and soundly beaten, is third above Croatia on goal difference in the four-team group.

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Brazil off to winning start

Sao Paulo – Brazil rode a wave of national fervour to launch the World Cup with a 3-1 victory over Croatia on Thursday as an opening day which began with violent clashes gave way to an outpouring of joy.

Barcelona superstar Neymar scored in each half as Brazil recovered from conceding an early Marcelo own goal to set up a win before hordes of golden-shirted fans at the 61 600 Corinthians Arena in Sao Paulo.

Chelsea midfielder Oscar put the seal on the win with a late strike from distance to trigger delirium.

The host nation’s Group A victory was greeted by an explosion of fireworks across Sao Paulo, a sharp contrast to several hours earlier when riot police fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse angry protests.

But a largely free-flowing tournament-opener was shrouded in controversy, with Brazil’s winner coming courtesy of a dubious penalty when Croatia defender Dejan Lovren was harshly adjudged to have shoved Fred over.

The hosts, chasing a record sixth World Cup, had also enjoyed a degree of good fortune in the first half when Neymar received only a yellow card for elbowing Croatia’s playmaker Luka Modric.

Moments later Neymar scored Brazil’s equaliser to settle home nerves after Marcelo’s 11th-minute own goal.

The match had kicked off after a spine-tingling rendition of Brazil’s national anthem with fans — exhorted to unite behind the team by coach Luiz Felipe Scolari — roaring their support for the “Selecao.”

Even after the music stopped, fans and players alike put their hearts and souls into one more verse.

Brazil captain Thiago Silva epitomised the mood, bellowing a rallying cry to his team-mates as they embarked on their quest to earn first title on home soil.

The victory provided a euphoric counterpoint to scenes earlier in the day when violent protests in Sao Paulo had threatened a stormy start to the month-long football extravaganza.

A torrid seven-year build-up bedevilled by delays and public anger at the tournament’s $11 billion (8m euros) cost, and scattered protests took place Thursday in several of the cities which will host World Cup games.

The worst violence took place just a few kilometres (miles) from the opening match, as anarchist demonstrators in black shirts and masks lit bonfires of rubbish after armoured police sought to quell protests.

But Sao Paulo and other cities largely went quiet as the game started. Yellow and green flags hung from many buildings.

Gutemberg Santos, 42, said his t-shirts and flags had sold like hot cakes. “It has been a good day, everyone is happy,” he said.

Protesters who last year brought chaos to the Confederations Cup rehearsal tournament had vowed to march on the Sao Paulo stadium.

But riot police responded forcefully, chasing protesters up a main avenue and firing tear gas in the middle of oncoming traffic, forcing cars decorated with the Brazilian flag to weave their way through the chaos.

A cannister fired by police hit and injured a CNN journalist and an AFP correspondent saw one woman in tears clutching her arm.

In Rio de Janeiro, striking ground staff briefly blocked a road leading to the city’s international airport.

Around 1,000 protesters also gathered in the city centre, a small group of them scuffling with police, who arrested four people.

A total of 64 games will culminate with the July 13 final in Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana Stadium next month.

Friday’s action promises more drama, with world champions Spain facing the Netherlands in a repeat of the 2010 World Cup final in the northern city of Salvador in Group B.

Group B’s other encounter sees dark horses Chile take on Australia. In the day’s other remaining game, Mexico play Cameroon in Group A.

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Ready or not, the World Cup is here

Sao Paulo – Brazil kicks off the World Cup here on Thursday hoping to unite the football-mad country after a chaotic seven-year build-up plagued by violent protests.

The 32-team extravaganza gets under way in the teeming mega-city of Sao Paulo, where the host nation’s beloved “Selecao’“ faces Croatia at 5pm before 61 600 supporters and a worldwide television audience of several hundred million.

Thursday’s Group A match signals the start of a month-long football fiesta taking place against backdrops which showcase Brazil’s breathtaking diversity, from the picture postcard beauty of Rio de Janeiro to fading colonial grandeur of Manaus, deep in the Amazon.

After years of apathy and simmering resentment at the tournament’s record $11-billion price tag, Brazilians were grudgingly embracing World Cup fever in the final hours before the big kick-off.

Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari urged compatriots to unite behind his players as they launched their bid for glory.

“To all Brazilians I want to tell you the time has arrived. This is our World Cup,” Scolari said in an eve-of-tournament rallying cry.

The popular Scolari, who masterminded Brazil’s last World Cup win in 2002, said his team were seven matches from immortality.

“The first step is Croatia,” he said. “After that we have six steps that we want to go up if we want to win the World Cup.”

As the last of the 32 teams who will contest the greatest prize in football arrived in Brazil, mounting evidence of World Cup fever was visible.

Rio’s iconic Christ the Redeemer statue has been illuminated in the colours of all nations taking part while Brazilian flags fluttered from cars, bars and apartments as excitement built.

In Rio de Janeiro, some of the 600 000 foreign fans travelling to Brazil thronged the famous Copacabana beach, staging impromptu football matches.

Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio was among the overseas multitude jetting into the country, taking in the tournament from the luxury of a mega-yacht offshore.

Twelve government leaders or heads of state will be among the VIPs at Thursday’s opening ceremony.

But even though more Brazilians are sporting the yellow jersey of star forward Neymar, discontent continues to bubble.

Scattered protests are planned in several host cities during the tournament.

And while Sao Paulo subway workers late on Wednesday voted against a repeat of the strike which plunged the city into gridlocked paralysis last week, airport workers in Rio were planning a partial 24-hour walkout.

“We’re Brazilian and we continue to root for Brazil, but it’s our duty to fight for workers rights,” union leader Rui Pessoa said.

The multi-billion-dollar cost of the World Cup has angered many in a country which has chronically under-funded health and public services and violent crime.

Rage at poor public services morphed into a nationwide movement during last year’s Confederations Cup test event, with deadly clashes rippling across the nation.

For the World Cup, a vast security blanket is being deployed, with 150 000 soldiers and police on duty along with 20 000 private security officers.

Brazil’s leader Dilma Rousseff warned that her government will not tolerate a repeat of last year’s protests.

“We will guarantee the security of Brazilians and of those who come visit us,” she said.

Football’s governing body Fifa begins the tournament under mounting pressure over allegations of corruption linked to its decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar.

Fifa president Sepp Blatter has responded to the scandals by shoring up his power base.

On Wednesday he signalled his intention to seek a fifth four-year term next year, despite calls for him to step down.

“My mandate will finish next year… but my mission is not finished,” he said to boos from sections of the Fifa Congress.

For all the off-field problems dogging the build-up the tournament itself has the makings of a classic.

Reigning champions Spain are bidding to make history by becoming the first side from Europe to win a World Cup in South America, which last hosted the tournament in 1978.

Vicente del Bosque’s side have dominated international football for the past six years, winning two consecutive European championships either side of their 2010 World Cup triumph.

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Brazil gears up for World Cup but strike threat looms

SAO PAULO: Global football leaders descend on Sao Paulo Tuesday amid tensions over subway workers’ new threat to spoil Brazil’s World Cup party by going on strike the day of the opening match.

FIFA opens its 64th Congress under the cloud of a corruption scandal surrounding the awarding of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, which has drawn rebukes from some of the world football body’s biggest sponsors.

Sao Paulo is meanwhile facing headaches of its own after subway workers threatened to resume a damaging strike on Thursday, the day the world’s eyes turn to the Brazilian mega-city for the start of a World Cup whose build-up has been plagued by delays, overspending and protests.

The workers voted Monday to suspend their five-day-old strike, which had caused massive traffic jams and cut off subway service to Corinthians Arena, the stadium hosting the opening ceremony and kick-off.

Officials are hard-pressed to avoid more problems as a billion people worldwide tune in to the game on TV.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and 12 heads of state and government will be in the stadium, which workers are rushing to finish on time.

Work on the 12 host stadiums has been overshadowed by accidents that have killed eight workers, including three at Corinthians Arena.

That together with construction delays, ballooning budgets and the shelving of promised infrastructure projects has fueled anger over the World Cup.

Brazil has been hit by a wave of strikes and protests ahead of the tournament and elections in October in which President Dilma Rousseff is seeking a second term.

Rising inflation and a sluggish economy have dented Brazilians’ enthusiasm for the World Cup.

In a nation with a wide and highly visible gap between rich and poor, critics say the more than $11 billion for the tournament would have been better spent on education, health, housing and transport.

Sao Paulo’s subway workers had been facing growing pressure to end the latest strike, which stranded many of the system’s 4.5 million daily riders.

A court ruled Sunday that the strike was illegal and slapped their union with a $222,000-a-day fine.

On Monday, police cracked down on picketing workers, detaining 13 of them, and fired tear gas to break up a protest in their support.

Authorities also fired 42 employees for “just cause,” accusing them of vandalism, blocking commuters and inciting people to jump turnstiles.

Union president Altino Melo dos Prazeres said workers would resume their walkout Thursday if the fired employees were not re-hired.

The union is seeking a raise of 12.2 percent, but the government is offering only 8.7 percent.

The workers are due to meet on the eve of the World Cup to decide their next move.

At the same time FIFA will be wrapping up its congress of world football federations, where president Sepp Blatter is expected to announce he will seek a fifth four-year term in the sport’s most powerful job.

That however will likely be overshadowed by allegations a former Qatari football boss paid more than $5 million in bribes to win the vote to host the 2022 tournament.

The scandal has sparked calls for a re-vote and led five of FIFA’s biggest sponsors — Hyundai, Coca Cola, Adidas, Sony and Visa — to demand a full investigation.

The Belgian and Nigerian teams are meanwhile due to arrive Tuesday. After that just three of the 32 teams will be missing: South Korea, Ghana and Portugal, all expected Wednesday.

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AC Milan appoints Filippo Inzaghi as new boss

One of AC Milan’s most revered strikers has been given the opportunity to revitalize the ailing Serie A giant after being handed a two-year deal to become the club’s new coach.

Inzaghi’s joy is his former teammate Clarence Seedorf’s misery with the Dutchman dismissed after Milan finished eighth last season, ruling the club out of European football for the first time in 16 years.

Inzaghi has long been linked with the job following his impressive work with the club’s youth team.

“AC Milan wishes to communicate that coach Clarence Seedorf has been sacked, and the first team has been entrusted to Pippo Inzaghi until June 30, 2016,” said a Milan statement.

Seedorf only arrived in January after replacing Massimiliano Allegri, but was unable to resuscitate Milan’s flickering European hopes.

Since retiring in 2012, Inzaghi has worked with the club’s Under-19 side and achieved success by winning the Torneo di Viareggio trophy for the first time in 10 years.

He holds legendary status at Milan following his goalscoring exploits — 126 goals in 300 appearances.

He remains the club’s most successful striker in European competition with 43 goals to his name, 70 in total following his time with Juventus

Former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson once joked that Inzaghi “must have been born offside,” testament to the Italian’s predatory instincts in front of goal.

After arriving at Milan in 2001 following a move from Turin, Inzaghi won the 2003 Champions League and helped the Rossoneri repeat the triumph four years later by scoring both goals in the 2-1 win over Liverpool.

He started his playing career at Piacenza before going on to win two Serie A titles with Milan in 2004 and 2011 to add to his success with Juventus in 1998.

Inzaghi, who scored 25 goals in 57 appearances for Italy, retired in 2012, netting the winner on his final club appearance against Novara.

Beaten in the second round of the European Champions League by Atletico Madrid last season, Milan has already begun preparations for next season, signing Paris Saint-Germain defender Alex last week on a two-year deal.

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Cameroon football team ‘refuse to fly to Brazil for World Cup’

The Cameroon football squad reportedly refused to board their flight to Brazil for the World Cup in an ongoing dispute over their bonuses for the tournament.

Apparently the squad played their recent friendly matches in the hope that the issue of their share of FIFA’s bonus money would be resolved before the World Cup began. But the Cameroonian government’s most recent offers have still not proved satisfactory, causing greater and greater disquiet

This week the players refused to take the national flag from the prime minister in their traditional pre-tournament ceremony, forcing coach Volker Finke to step in to avoid too much public embarrassment. And now it seems that the squad have opted to stay in their hotel rather than heading to the airport, despite supporters urging them to get on the plane.

The latest offer on the table was put forward on Friday, proposing that players would receive six per cent of the FIFA bonus for the first round, 20 per cent for the second round, 30 per cent for quarter-finals, 40 per cent for the semi-finals, and 50 per cent for either the final or the third-place play-off.

This is not the first time the Cameroon squad have had disagreements with the authorities over bonuses – the same thing happened in 2002 when it took days of negotiation to secure mutually satisfactory participation fees, and in 2011 they refused to play against Algeria.

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Sharapova silences Halep in Paris

Maria Sharapova has never been taken to three sets in a showpiece match until she ran into a tireless Romanian named Simona Halep on Saturday.

Her 12 double faults were a nuisance and the non-stop shrieks that puncturedthe air for more than three hours even made a baby wail, yet all Maria Sharapova will want to remember from the French Open is the moment she sunk to her knees in triumph.The Russian had scrapped in eight major finals, winning four of them, but never before had she been taken to three sets in a showpiece match until she ran into a tireless Romanian named Simona Halep on Saturday.

Showing nerves of steel that would have made seasoned champions proud, grand-slam final debutante Halep fought, believed and risked everything for three hours and two minutes before a backhand into the tramlines allowed Sharapova to hug the Suzanne Lenglen Cup for a second time in three years.

A woman who had played three successive three-set matches to reach the final was left in no doubt about where her 6-4 6-7(5) 6-4 win over Halep stood among her major wins.

“This is the toughest grand slam final I have ever played and all respect to Simona as she played an unbelievable match today,” an emotional Sharapova told the crowd during a victory speech in three different languages.”I can’t believe it, seven or eight years ago I would not have thought that I would win more Roland Garros titles than any other grand slam.”To think I won it twice … I’m so emotional right now, I don’t know what language to speak … English, Russian or French.

“While Sharapova clambered up the stands to hug her three-man entourage, which included coach Sven Groeneveld, a distraught Halep sat on her courtside bench with a towel over her head wondering what might have been.”Yes. I was crying at that moment for a few minutes, and then I was smiling because … it was my first grand slam final and I did everything on court,” said Halep, who was bidding to become the first Romanian in 36 years to win a grand slam crown.

“I played very good tennis, very good level. So I’m really proud about
these two weeks. They were incredible weeks here … and it was an amazing
feeling on court today,” added Halep after picking up the €825 000
runners-up cheque that will go some way towards soothing her pain.

Sharapova’s purse was double that but for a woman whose worth is said to be close to $100-million, the prize money was largely insignificant. What she really wanted to take away from Roland Garros was the trophy.’Might have to steal it'”I wish I could keep the big [trophy] … I might have to steal it.

There is a reason why I haven’t been to one shop while I have been in Paris.
It’s because I want this. I haven’t eaten many macaroons, either. It’s because I want this,” Sharapova said after recording her 50th win at Roland
Garros.

Parisians had not been treated to a three-set women’s final at the claycourt major for 13 years but Sharapova and Halep made up for lost time in a match that seemed to have never-ending twists and turns.A battle that started with the sun beating down on Philippe Chatrier Court – featuring 227 points, 83 unforced errors, 66 winners, 33 break points, 16 breaks and 12 Sharapova double faults – turned into a contest that was the longest women’s final in Paris since 1996.

The double faults became a recurring nightmare for Sharapova as she kept gifting her fourth-seeded rival break points.It cost her the opening game before she levelled for 2-2.Serving for the set at 5-3, another double fault left Sharapova cursing her luck as she got broken.

With one tendon-twisting rally being followed by another sinew-stretching point, Sharapova’s shrieks started to hit new heights and left one baby high up in the stands crying her lungs out just as the Russian earned her second set point on Halep’s serve.No stranger to making a noisy racket herself, the seventh seed blocked out the commotion to snatch the set as a distracted Halep whipped the ball wide on set point.

Their bare shoulders were glistening with sweat and Sharapova’s pale rose-coloured dress even changed into a darker shade of pink but there was no let up on the intensity in the second set.Halep broke for a 5-4 lead in a game that brought the cheering crowd to their feet following a 21-shot rally but that advantage disappeared within minutes as Sharapova broke back for 5-5 thanks to a rasping service return that bobbed on the tape and dropped dead over the net.

The set headed into a tiebreak following two more breaks and Halep rewarded her vocal cheering squad’s chants of “Si-mon-a, Si-mon-a, Si-mon-a” by bagging the tiebreak 7-5 when her seventh-seeded opponent slashed a backhand wide.The drama did not stop there.Serving at 4-4 in the third set, Halep was left dismayed and distracted after a Sharapova shot was called “out” rather late by a linesman, only to be overruled by the umpire.

That set off a chain of events that resulted in Halep losing eight straight points, the match, and the trophy.But a year after walking away from Roland Garros as a first-round loser and ranked 57th in the world, Halep will stride out of Paris as the world’s third best player and with the knowledge that she has left an indelible mark on the soft red clay.

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Sharapova wins French Open title

Maria Sharapova drew on her fighting spirit once again to beat Simona Halep in a dramatic final and win her second French Open title.
The Russian came through 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 in three hours and two minutes at Roland Garros.
It was the fourth match in a row that saw Sharapova clinch victory in a final set.

She has now won five Grand Slam titles, taking her to joint-11th on the all-time list alongside Martina Hingis.
“This is the toughest Grand Slam final I have ever played and all respect to Simona, she played an unbelievable match today,” said Sharapova.
Halep, 22, might have been playing in her first Grand Slam final but she pushed the 2012 champion to the limit.

Sharapova had been a study in intensity throughout the fortnight in Paris, happy to take on the mantle of favourite after Serena Williams’ early exit, and in the end her will to win pulled her through as much as her ability.

Five games in a row put her in control of a high-quality first set that lasted 57 minutes, as her weight of shot just held the balance of power over Halep’s speed of foot.
But the Romanian fourth seed was fighting back in the latter stages and did so again in the second set, the pace and angles she created keeping Sharapova off balance.

Halep won a stunning rally at 4-4, deuce, that had the crowd chanting “Simona! Simona!” – not for the last time – but she was broken straight back thanks to a cruel net cord and it came down to a tie-break.
It looked as though the experience of Sharapova, playing in her ninth Grand Slam final, was about to tell when she moved 5-3 ahead, but under constant pressure from Halep she produced four errors in a row.

For the first time since 2001, the French Open women’s final would require a final set, and the Court Philippe Chatrier erupted as they played on into a third hour.
There was a time violation for Sharapova early in the decider as her fragile serve became an ever-lengthier process, and she let a lead slip for the second time in the set with a double fault at 4-3.

Halep might have felt it was her moment, but Sharapova has learnt to move on swiftly from such errors.
She played a brilliant return game, backhand and forehand winners taking her 5-4 in front, and as the match time passed three hours dug deep to at last find a clinical service game.

The Russian thumped away a drive volley to earn three match points and then sent down a serve that Halep could only return into the tramlines, as Sharapova willed it to drop wide.

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Zimbabwe Warriors a bunch of losers, knocked out of AFCON 2015

The Zimbabwe Warriors are out of the AFCON 2015 after failing to beat the Taifa Stars of Tanzania in the preliminary qualifying round second leg match at the National Sports Stadium this Sunday afternoon.

Losing to Tanzania at this stage of AFCON qualifiers is just embarrassing ! No amount of explanations will make us understand what these clowns are doing with our game. Zimbabwe football deserve better than this.

Gorowa gambled with His funny team selection at CHAN but He has been exposed. He created a non-existant crisis for certain positions to justify the inclusion of His players. We have tried and tested players like Bhasera and Vusa Nyoni.

Someone must just apologise and they resign. We didn’t assemble our best squad. This was not the best Zimbabwean football talent.

On this one, we can’t go back to the drawing board, the drawing board was not there in the first place, we need the drawing board first and then we can start thinking of who will do the drawing for us on the board. Anyone willing to look for the board out there ahead of 2017 and 2018, now is the time to do so.

The Warriors needed at least a 2-nil win to progress after losing the first leg in Tanzania 1-nil but the hosts let in two sloppy goals and eventually settled for a 2-all draw.

Ian Gorowa’s charges had a dream start with Dani Phiri slotting home early in the first half but the visitors replied with a header from a corner kick to force a 1-all score-line going to the break.

Tanzania got the second goal in the first minute after the restart, and Warriors apparently pressed the panic button with Gorowa making a couple of substitutions before Willard Katsande headed home the equaliser.

The Warriors pressed on but could not score the two goals needed for them to progress, and surrendered the ticket to the next qualifying round to Tanzania, who cruised courtesy of a 3-2 aggregate win.

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Spain, Netherlands announce final World Cup squads

Spain’s coach, Vicente del Bosque, has included Diego Costa in his final 23-man squad for the Fifa World Cup despite the Brazil-born forward’s recent injury woes.

The Atletico Madrid striker has been suffering with a series of muscle problems and limped out of last Saturday’s Champions League final against Real Madrid early in the first half.

Spain have one more warm-up game, against El Salvador in Washington DC on June 7, before the tournament in Brazil when Del Bosque can test Costa’s fitness.

If he does not recover sufficiently, Spain can replace him in the squad up to 24 hours before their opening Group B match against Netherlands on June 13, as long as they can prove his injury is serious enough to prevent his participation.

As well as Costa, Del Bosque included fellow forwards Fernando Torres of Chelsea, who netted a penalty in Friday’s 2-0 friendly win against Bolivia in Seville, and David Villa, Spain’s record scorer.

There was no place for winger Jesus Navas, who missed the final part of the Premier League season with an ankle injury, or his Manchester City team-mate Alvaro Negredo.

Real Madrid fullback Dani Carvajal was left out, with Del Bosque preferring the more experienced Juanfran of Real’s city rivals Atletico.

Chile and Australia make up Group B and Spain’s first game is against the Netherlands on June 13, a repeat of the 2010 final that Spain won 1-0 after extra time.

Del Bosque announced his selection for the tournament in Brazil on the Spanish Soccer federation’s website on Saturday.

Dutch selection
Dutch coach Louis van Gaal cut six players from his preliminary squad on Saturday as the Netherlands named their final 23-man roster for the World Cup, just hours before a warm-up international against Ghana in Rotterdam.

There was only one surprise as 20-year-old centre back Terence Kongolo kept his place in the squad despite being taken off at half-time on his international against Ecuador last week, while Patrick van Aanholt fell out of contention even though he was expected to be chosen as a back-up left back.

Van Gaal dropped PSV Eindhoven goalkeeper Jeroen Zoet and four players from the Dutch under-21 side who had not been at last week’s training camp in Portugal, but were preparing for a European Championship qualifier against Scotland.

A hat-trick for Quincy Promes in that game on Wednesday led Dutch media to speculate he might be picked, but he was left out along with team-mates Jean-Paul Boetius, Karim Rekik and Tonny Vilhenna.

Experienced midfielder Rafael van der Vaart was ruled out of contention on Wednesday after suffering a calf injury in Portugal.

The final selection for Brazil includes four players who have been to the past two World Cups in Germany and South Africa: Dirk Kuyt, Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder and Robin van Persie.

Nigel de Jong, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Michel Vorm also went to the 2010 tournament, where the Dutch finished runners-up to Spain.

The Netherlands kick off their campaign against Group B rivals Spain in Salvador on June 13 with matches against Australia and Chile to follow. 

Spain squad
Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Pepe Reina (Napoli) and David De Gea (Manchester United).
Defenders: Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Raul Albiol (Napoli), Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea), Juanfran (Atletico Madrid) and Jordi Alba (Barcelona).
Midfielders: Xavi (Barcelona), Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Cesc Fabregas (Barcelona), Santi Cazorla (Arsenal), Koke (Atletico Madrid) and Javi Martinez (Bayern Munich).
Forwards: David Silva (Manchester City), Diego Costa (Atletico Madrid), Fernando Torres (Chelsea), Pedro (Barcelona), Juan Mata (Manchester United) and David Villa (Atletico Madrid). 

Netherlands squad
Goalkeepers: Jasper Cillessen (Ajax Amsterdam), Tim Krul (Newcastle United), Michel Vorm (Swansea City)
Defenders: Daley Blind (Ajax Amsterdam), Stefan de Vrij, Daryl Janmaat, Terence Kongolo, Bruno Martins Indi (all Feyenoord Rotterdam), Paul Verhaegh (FC Augsburg), Ron Vlaar (Aston Villa), Joel Veltman (Ajax Amsterdam)
Midfielders: Jordy Clasie (Feyenoord Rotterdam), Jonathan de Guzman (Swansea City), Nigel de Jong (AC Milan), Leroy Fer (Norwich City), Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich), Wesley Sneijder (Galatasaray), Georginio Wijnaldum (PSV Eindhoven)
Forwards: Memphis Depay (PSV Eindhoven), Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Schalke 04), Dirk Kuyt (Fenerbahce), Jeremain Lens (Dynamo Kiev), Robin van Persie (Manchester United). 

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Wenger signs three-year Arsenal deal

Arsene Wenger has signed a new three-year deal to remain as Arsenal manager until 2017.
Wenger, 64, has led Arsenal to eight major trophies since joining them in September 1996.

This season he guided the Gunners to a 17th consecutive Champions League qualification and ended a nine-year wait for silverware with victory over Hull City in the FA Cup final.
The Frenchman was coming to the end of his previous contract.

Arsenal had not lifted a major domestic trophy since 2005 prior to the recent FA Cup triumph, although they did reach the Champions League final in 2006.

During Wenger’s time at the club, Arsenal moved to the new Emirates Stadium close to their old ground at Highbury.

Wenger, who became the longest-serving manager in England when Sir Alex Ferguson retired from Manchester United in May 2013, is credited with bringing new ideas about sports science and nutrition (external) to English football.

“This is a guy who works 24 hours a day all year around,” former Arsenal goalkeeper Bob Wilson told BBC Radio 5 live.

“He hates to lose. He totally revolutionised all sorts of things in the game in this country. People tend to think he has too much power, (but) a guy who dedicates himself to the game in the manner that he does is someone you treasure.”

Wenger’s greatest achievements was when his side, dubbed ‘the Invincibles’, remained unbeaten in winning the 2003-04 Premier League with a team featuring striker Thierry Henry and captain Patrick Vieira

A quiet summer in the transfer market in 2013 and a 3-1 defeat at home by Aston Villa on the first day of last season drew criticism from some sections of Arsenal support.

The signing of Mesut Ozil for £42.4m on transfer deadline day and a good start to the season, where Arsenal were top of the Premier League for long periods, helped Wenger.

But a 6-0 thrashing by Chelsea in March saw him under fire again after his 1,000th game in charge, and Arsenal slipped out of contention for the Premier League title, eventually won by Manchester City.

But despite the uncertainty over his manager’s future, in January the Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis predicted that Wenger would sign a new contract in due course.

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FIFA World Cup: Ball With In-Built Camera to be Used in Brazil

New Delhi: Technology will get a new meaning in the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Brazil as the Brazuca balls to be used in the mega event will come with six in-built HD cameras capturing 360 degree view of the on-field action. Encapsulating everything that’s Brazil and its passion for the game, the ball has shades of blue, orange and green, and stars on it reflecting the vibrancy and flair associated with the game in the Mecca of football.

Talking about Brazuca, Tushar Goculdas, Brand Director -adidas India said, “The ultimate football tournament comes to the home of football, Brazil – it does not get any bigger than this. We kicked off our World Cup campaign with the launch of an exciting line-up of products. The essence of Brazil is represented through the most iconic symbol of the World Cup, Brazuca – the official match ball.”

Brazuca is the 12th ball created by sportswear giants but its last World Cup creation, Jabulani, which was used in the 2010 competition in South Africa, was heavily criticised for its unpredictability in the air due to its lighter weight. Adidas, though, claimed that this time the ball will be much better. It said the football will have vastly improved touch and accuracy.

The technology involves a new structural innovation with a unique symmetry of six identical panels alongside a different surface structure that will provide improved grip, touch, stability and aerodynamics on the pitch.

Brazucam is a customised Brazuca official match ball featuring six HD cameras that capture 360 degree view of the action. The product features custom-made image stabilisation software at the cutting edge of innovation.

It is created by six propeller-shaped polyurethane panels being thermally bonded together. Between the seams the Brazuca also has a different geometry to different balls, which aerodynamics experts believe, will help it remain more stable in the air.

“We do extensive flight path analysis and the results have shown constant and predictable paths with deviations hardly recognisable,” Matthias Mecking, Adidas football director, had been quoted as saying by BBC.

Brazuca went through a thorough testing process over a two-and-a-half year period involving more than 600 of the world’s top players and 30 teams in 10 countries across three continents, making it the most tested ball ever by adidas and ensuring that it is suited to all conditions.

Around 600 players from across 30 professional and national teams in 10 countries were used during what was a thorough testing process.

The ball weighs 437 grams and has a water absorption rate of 0.2%, meaning it can retain its shape, size and weight even in the rain.

The name Brazuca, meaning the Brazilian way of life, was chosen by over 1 million football fans in September 2012.

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Cristiano Ronaldo makes history

Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player in the 59-year history of the European Cup to score for two different winning teams when he netted Real Madrid’s fourth goal in their 4-1 win over Atletico Madrid on Saturday night.

The 29-year-old Portugal captain also scored for Manchester United when they won the Champions League in 2008 in Moscow and capped an astonishing season with his 17th Champions League goal of this campaign at the Stadium of Light.

His penalty conversion contrasted with his miss in the final shootout against Chelsea six years  ago.

Ronaldo had already broken the European Cup record of 14 goals in a season established by Jose Altafini of AC Milan 51 years ago and by his rival Lionel Messi of Barcelona in 2011-12 and has now set a new benchmark in the competition.

Ronaldo, the Fifa World Player of the Year, has scored 52 goals in 51 Champions League games for Real and, together with his goals at United, has 67 in the European Cup in total.

That ties him in second place with Messi, while both players are four goals behind Raul who tops the all-time list with 71.

Ronaldo, making a rare club appearance in Lisbon, the city where he came to fame as a teenager with Sporting, had nine goal attempts on Saturday, one less than the entire Atletico team.

“Ever since I arrived at the club I always felt ready for this moment. The pressure is making me a better player every day,” he told reporters.

“The Decima (10th European Cup) is here now and with records broken along the way it’s just awesome.” Ronaldo had not played since limping off with muscle fatigue eight minutes into the La Liga game against Valladolid on May 7 and came out wearing strapping on his thigh.

Although he was not as devastating as he can be, he still had a fine match, creating chances for himself and his team mates, and said: “It was worth taking the risk to play (after injury) —and we are the winners.”

Ronaldo was enjoying very different emotions at the stadium than he did there a decade ago when Portugal surprisingly lost 1-0 to Greece in the final of Euro 2004.

This time he was celebrating wildly with his team mates as they came back from the dead to beat Atletico with three goals in extra time after Sergio Ramos’s equaliser in stoppage time.

Ronald Koeman can also lay claim to scoring in two European Cup finals for two different winning teams, but his goal for PSV Eindhoven in 1988 came in a penalty shootout after a 0-0 draw with Benfica and does not count in official records.

The Dutchman also scored for Barcelona in a 1-0 win over Sampdoria in the 1992 European Cup. .

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Russia should lose 2018 World Cup over Crimea: Ukraine

Ukraine’s ambassador to the European Union said on Wednesday that Russia should face EU financial sanctions and lose the right to host the 2018 soccer World Cup because of its annexation of the Crimea region.

Asset freezes and visa bans adopted by the EU so far in response to Russia’s actions in Ukraine did not go far enough, Kostiantyn Yelisieiev told Reuters in an interview.

Russia had crossed a red line by annexing Crimea and making aggressive moves towards eastern Ukraine and the EU must impose the tough economic sanctions it has threatened, he said.

“They must proceed with … targeted, well-calibrated sanctions, mainly, in my view, of a financial nature,” Yelisieiev said, suggesting Russia be cut off from the SWIFT global electronic payments system.

The EU has imposed sanctions on 61 Russians and Ukrainians and frozen the assets of two Crimean companies in response to Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

But its 28 member states are divided over imposing tougher trade or financial sanctions because of fears this would damage their own economies and provoke Russian retaliation.

Yelisieiev urged the EU to show that economic and business interests did not prevail over what he called European values.

He also suggested the rest of the world take steps such as to “withdraw the right from the Russian Federation to host the World Cup … for 2018.”

“In my view, it is feasible because Russia, as a member of (world soccer’s governing body) FIFA, should respect certain values and certain obligations,” he said.

Such a step would hurt the Russian leadership “because for (Russian President Vladimir) Putin this is a huge political … and financial project,” he said.

FIFA REFUSAL
Two US senators, Dan Coats and Mark Kirk, wrote to FIFA in March asking it to convene an emergency session to consider suspending Russia’s membership, strip it of its right to host the 2018 World Cup and bar Russia from this year’s World Cup in Brazil.

FIFA responded that only a violation of its statutes could lead to a country’s expulsion from a competition. Russia was awarded the right to host the 2018 World Cup in 2010.

Yelisieiev said Sunday’s presidential election would be the most important and difficult since Ukraine became independent in 1991. He acknowledged there would be problems in some towns and cities in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian militants have occupied public buildings, but he voiced confidence the election would be free and fair.

The EU should also support Ukraine by offering the prospect of eventual EU membership, giving it legal help to recover assets seized by Russia in Crimea, and by allowing Ukrainians to travel to the EU without visas, Yelisieiev said.

The EU has said it is willing to provide $15 billion in loans and grants to Ukraine over several years to help get the shattered economy back on its feet.

The bloc has also agreed to extend nearly 500 million euros ($683 million) of trade benefits to Ukraine.

Upheaval in Ukraine began when former pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovich turned his back last year on an agreement on closer trade and political cooperation with the EU in favour of a $15 billion bailout from Russia. Subsequent street protests pushed him to flee the country.

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Ramsey ‘will be big summer target ‘

Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey will be a summer transfer target for several high-profile clubs, according to ex-Gunners striker John Hartson.

Wales international Ramsey, 23, hopes to secure his first piece of silverware with Arsenal when they face Hull in Saturday’s FA Cup final.

“Aaron Ramsey will be linked to 10 clubs in the summer,” Hartson said.
“But I can’t see him leaving Arsenal in the foreseeable future. He’s settled and loves the club.”

Ramsey, who signed a new five-year contract in March, impressed for Arsenal this season despite four months on the sidelines.
Hartson added: “He’s a top player and Arsenal don’t want to lose him.

“He may feel ‘I’ve had one outstanding season and Arsenal stuck by me when I wasn’t playing that great a few years ago’.
“When he does get linked and when bids come in for him that tells you he’s doing exceptionally well.”

Caerphilly-born Ramsey left Cardiff City to join Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal rather than Manchester United in the summer of 2008.
However, he broke a leg against Stoke City in February 2010, and admitted it took him years to regain his regain his confidence.

He scored 13 goals in 27 games this season before suffering a thigh injury in the 3-1 victory at West Ham on Boxing Day.
He returned in Arsenal’s defeat at Everton on 6 April and scored two goals during the closing weeks of the season, including a stunning volley on the final day against Norwich City.

“Aaron’s done terrifically well. He’s shown great mental strength,” added Hartson, who spent two years at Arsenal and won 51 caps for Wales.
“Let’s not forget 18 months ago at Arsenal he was facing a bit of a backlash from the home fans. They were thinking, ‘he’s not really stepped up his performances’.

“But he’s found something. He’s gone up a gear and he’s so influential to Arsenal now and the way they play.”

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Messi agrees new Barcelona contract

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has agreed a new contract at the Nou Camp, the Spanish club have revealed.

The 26-year-old Argentina international only extended his current deal, which runs to 2018, in February last year.

Barca said four-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi, who has scored 41 goals in 43 games for the Catalan club this season, will sign the contract “in the coming days”.

No details on the length of the new agreement have been released.
Barcelona host La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid on Saturday in a winner-takes-all final game of the season.

The reigning champions will retain the title through a superior head-to-head record should they beat Atletico at the Nou Camp.

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FIFA president says Qatar World Cup a mistake

Sepp Blatter, the FIFA president, has said that it was a mistake to award Qatar the football World Cup in 2022 because of the searing summer climate. 

Blatter made the remarks in an interview with the Swiss television station RTS, which was broadcast on Thursday.

When asked if the decision was a mistake due to the high temperatures, he replied: “Of course, it’s an error”, before adding: “You know, everyone makes mistakes in life.”

Blatter added: “The technical report of Qatar indicated it was quite hot during the summer. However, the executive committee, with an overwhelming majority, decided that the games would be in Qatar.”

However, he denied that Qatar had bought the tournament, saying: “No, definitely not. These allegations are driven by politics.”

Qatar was awarded the rights to the tournament, which has always been played in the northern summer months, in 2010.

Critics questioned how a tournament could be played in the humid Qatari summer, where temperatures can reach 50C and rarely dip below 40C in the day. Qatar promised air-conditioned stadiums and a rapid transport system to get fans to the games in comfort.

It is not the first time Blatter has made such remarks, but they are certainly the most forthright.In September 2013, he told the Inside world Football website that “it may well be that we made a mistake” in the awarding the tournament.

In January, a public split emerged within FIFA after Jerome Valcke, the secretary-general, said the tournament could not be held in the summer and would be moved to the winter months. Other members of the body quickly denied a decision had been taken.

Qatar has also faced an international campaign to improve the dangerous conditions in which labourers work on World Cup projects, and their lack of rights under the kefala employment system.

Earlier this week, the government announced that it was reforming the employment system, but set no time limit on when it would do so.

In March, Valcke told Al Jazeera that FIFA was “not a United Nations” and was not responsible for labour issues in Qatar.

“That’s not our role. It’s unfair if we get pressure from the rest of the world saying ‘hey FIFA, that’s what’s happening in that country and you have to change the way the country behaves’,” he said.

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Brazil strike chaos looms before World Cup

Rio de Janeiro – Less than a month before the World Cup kicks off, Brazil faces a new series of potentially disruptive strikes in Rio de Janeiro.

The striking Rio bus drivers ignored a court order to provide a minimum level of service, trashing buses and causing traffic chaos in the city for the second straight day.

Federal police officers meanwhile said they were considering going on strike nationwide – expanding a three-day walkout that has affected several states – despite a court ruling forbidding them to strike during the World Cup, which opens 12 June.

The officers want their pay packages overhauled and the force itself to be restructured, and could take a decision on a nationwide strike on Wednesday or Thursday if the government does not answer their demands, said Jose Nedel Fagundes, their union’s strategy chief.

“You can’t ask for public security if the police force is bureaucratic, out of date and now demotivated,” he told AFP. “I don’t want to alarm people, but it’s really going to bring everything to a halt.”

The federal police are in charge of border security and immigration services, and the strike threat comes just as an estimated 600 000 foreigners are about to descend on the country for the World Cup.

Brazilian consular workers are also on strike in various cities around the world, including New York and Paris, at a time when thousands of tourists are seeking visas.

And military police went on strike on Wednesday in the north-eastern state of Pernambuco, newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo reported on its website, saying police stations were closed in the tourist attraction Marco Zero neighbourhood of Recife, the state capital and one of 12 World Cup host cities.

‘Political action’

In Rio, striking bus drivers trashed 14 buses on Wednesday and 158 the day before, said police, bringing the total number of vehicles attacked since the strike began to 703 despite a plea from President Dilma Rousseff for non-violence in the run-up to the World Cup.

Last year’s Confederations Cup was marred by huge protests, some of them violent.

The strike paralysed 60% of Rio’s privately run bus fleet despite a court threatening to fine the drivers’ union
$23 000 a day if it failed to keep at least 70% of buses on the road.

The strikers are demanding monthly salaries of $1 135 – a 40% raise – and an end to their double duty as drivers and fare collectors.

Officials say two million of Rio’s 6.3 million people depend on buses.

Despite the deployment of military police to protect the buses in service, fear of reprisal attacks kept many drivers home.

Deep divisions exposed 

Daily newspaper O Dia ran a front-page photo of a strike-breaking driver disguised in a fake beard and glasses.

“There are more than 40 000 bus drivers and fare-collectors in Rio and this movement has 0.1% support. That shows these people’s opportunism,” said Rio state Governor Luiz Fernando Pezao.

The strike has exposed deep divisions in the drivers’ union, Sintraturb-Rio, which opposes it but has been powerless to override the strikers, who say they feel the union does not represent them.

“The problem is that the union doesn’t want to come negotiate,” said strike leader Helio Teodoro.

“That claim doesn’t make any sense. This is a political action by a group that has infiltrated our union and wants to paralyse Rio during the World Cup,” said union boss Leilo Teixeira.

Brazil is scheduled to hold general elections in October, raising the stakes for political leaders working to stage a successful World Cup.

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Man Utd likely to decide on new boss next week – Ryan Giggs

Ryan Giggs says he expects the decision on his future and the identity of Manchester United’s next manager – which may or may not be the same thing – to be revealed next week after completing his four-game stint in the hot seat.

The Welsh midfielder stepped into the breach when David Moyes’ woeful 10-month spell ended last month and oversaw his last game as manager in a 1-1 draw at Southampton as United’s worst season for 24 years dribbled to a suitably low-key close.

Giggs, who came off the bench for a cameo at Old Trafford in midweek, remained in the dugout yesterday as Juan Mata’s exquisite second-half freekick cancelled out England hopeful Rickie Lambert’s first-half strike for the hosts.

It left Giggs with a record of two wins, one loss and one draw from his four games in charge and whetted his appetite for more.

The veteran midfielder (40), who has made a record 963 appearances for the club and appeared in every season since the Premier League started in 1992, is yet to make a decision on whether he will continue to play next season or if he will take further steps to becoming a permanent manager, a role he has revelled in over the last few weeks.

“It’s been an experience with ups and downs but I’ve enjoyed it. I didn’t want that second-half to end,” Giggs told a news conference as United ended the season in seventh place, out of the European slots for next season, while neighbours Manchester City secured the title.

“I think I will decide within the next week (about my own future) and I think the managerial situation will be sorted out in the next week.

“I need to decide what I want to do, whether to play on or not, whether to stay on in the (United) staff and what position that will be, or whether to take a year off.”

With United poised to appoint a new manager and Dutchman Louis van Gaal firm favourite to land the job, Giggs says he will have to make a decision on his own future quickly but would be open to working under another manager at Old Trafford.

“All the options are open to me and I’ll look at everything,” he said.

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Time is right to move on from Man Utd – Rio Ferdinand

London – Former England defender Rio Ferdinand is leaving Manchester United after 12 years, more than 400 appearances and after winning almost every major honour in the game.

“I have thought long and hard over the last few months about my future and, after 12 fantastic years playing for what I regard as the best club in the world, I have decided the time is right for me to move on,” Ferdinand said on his website yesterday.

British media reported that the 35-year-old Ferdinand, who played 454 times for United and scored eight goals, was not offered a new contract by the Old Trafford club.

He won six Premier League trophies, two League Cups, the Champions League and the Club World Cup after joining from Leeds United for £29.1 million (R508 million) in 2002 to become the most expensive player in English football.

“I joined Manchester United in the hope of winning trophies, and never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined how successful we would be during my time here,” Ferdinand said.

“There have been so many highlights, playing alongside some great players who have become good friends, winning my first league title and also that fantastic night in Moscow [winning the Champions League] are memories that I will cherish forever.

“Circumstances didn’t allow for me to say goodbye the way I would have liked, but I’d like to take this opportunity to thank my team-mates, staff, the club and the fans for an unbelievable 12 years that I’ll never forget. Winning trophies I dreamed about as a kid came true at this great club.”

Ferdinand has not decided whether he will continue playing.

“I am feeling fit and healthy, ready for a new challenge and looking forward to whatever the future holds for me,” he said.

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DR Congo football fans killed in stampede

At least 15 people were killed after police fired tear gas in a crowded football stadium in Democratic Republic of Congo, provoking a stampede, according to a police source and a local official.

Fans in Kinshasa grew angry on Sunday evening after their local team was defeated 1-0 by a team from the eastern town of Lubumbashi in a heated final, according to Emmanuel Akweti, local minister for the capital’s inner city.

“Four policemen were harassed by supporters. When they fired tear gas, the stampede began, causing the deaths,” he told Reuters news agency on Sunday.

Images on a local television station showed plumes of smoke rising from the stadium’s bleachers.

Supporters, blinded by the gas, ran in different directions, sometimes falling over, the footage showed.

Akweti said 15 people died of suffocation and 24 were injured. A police source who declined to be named put the death toll higher, at 18.

A Reuters witness counted 14 bodies lying on benches outside the main hospital in Kinshasa.

Stampedes are a frequent occurrence at crowded events in Congo. Last month at least 21 people were killed when a power cut caused a stampede at a crowded music festival.

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First openly gay player gets drafted

Michael Sam made history on Saturday as the St Louis Rams made him the first openly gay player to be drafted into the US National Football League.

Sam had an agonisingly long wait for the milestone moment, which came as the seventh and final round of the three-day draft was winding down.

“I knew I was going to get picked somewhere,” said Sam, who starred for the University of Missouri and went public with his sexuality in February.

“Every team that passed me, I was thinking how I’m going to sack their quarterback.”

The 24-year-old was taken with the 249th overall selection in the annual allocation of new talent for America’s most popular sport – seven spots before the draft concluded with pick number 256.

Sam – watching the draft on TV – broke down in tears before exchanging a hug and a kiss with his boyfriend. Soon after, Sam was beaming in a photo he posted on Twitter.

“Thank you to the St Louis Rams and the whole city of StLouis,” he tweeted. “I’m using every [ounce] of this to achieve greatness!!”

Rams head coach Jeff Fisher told ESPN news that the team was focused on what Sam can contribute on the field but he acknowledged that the selection was ground-breaking.

“In the world of diversity we live in now I’m honoured to be part of this and I’m excited about his opportunity to help this football team win,” Fisher said.

President Barack Obama congratulated Sam.

In revealing his sexuality, already known to his university team-mates, Sam had said he hoped to be judged not as a social trailblazer but as a football player.

But his presence among the prospectives in the draft made the final day of the drafting a widely watched affair.

“So proud of the @STLouisRams for showing there’s nothing to be afraid of,” gay comedian and chat show host Ellen DeGeneres tweeted.

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Sharapova beats Halep to win Madrid title

Maria Sharapova recovered from a woeful start and fought back to overwhelm rising talent Simona Halep 1-6 6-2 6-3 in the Madrid Open final and claim her 31st career title on Sunday.

Russian Sharapova, a former world number one, needed to draw on all her experience on clay in the Spanish capital to see off the 22-year-old Romanian fourth seed, who was appearing in the final of a premier event for the first time.

Sharapova missed the second half of last season with a shoulder injury but her form suggests she may be a contender at the French Open which starts later this month.

By winning in Madrid, where she was runner-up last year to top-ranked American Serena Williams, Sharapova is projected to climb to number seven in the world when the rankings are updated on Monday.
   
“I don’t take these moments for granted because I know what it’s like to be out and injured and trying to find your way back just to play tennis,” she told a news conference.
   
“I like the work that I put in and I want to get the opportunities to be in the final,” added the 27-year-old, one of the best-paid athletes in sport who has her own clothing lines and a company that sells candy called Sugarpova.
   
“So it doesn’t matter if I’m playing on the moon or in Madrid, to be in the final position is an honour.”
   
Sharapova, the 2012 Roland Garros champion had shown glimpses of her best on her run to the final but looked all at sea in the early stages against a fired-up Halep, who attacked the Russian, five years her senior, at every opportunity.
   
The match was a clash of two very different styles, with the rangy Sharapova, her shrieks echoing around the Magic Box arena every time she struck the ball, relying on power and the stocky Halep a bundle of energy scurrying around the court.
   

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Downs crowned PSL champs

Alje Schut scored deep into injury time as Mamelodi Sundowns celebrated winning the Premiership title with a 1-1 draw in their final match of the season against Maritzburg United at the Harry Gwala Stadium in Pietermaritzburg on Saturday afternoon.

Heinrich Isaacks had given the hosts the lead after 34 minutes and they looked to be headed for a surprise win until Dutch defender Schut rose highest to head in a corner at the death.

The result was irrelevant, though, for the Brazilians as they had already wrapped up the title in midweek, but the late goal gave their fans something further to cheer about on a chilly afternoon in KwaZulu-Natal.

Pitso Mosimane’s men began with a predictable swagger, but United held their own, as they have been doing since coach Steve Komphela arrived in January.

They had the first meaningful openings as Isaacks headed straight at debutant goalkeeper Thela Ngobeni, who did well to hold on to a crisp Thamsanqa Mkhize effort from 20 metres out not long after.

At the other end, Hlompho Kekana shot agonisingly wide from outside the box as the home defence backed away.

The Pretoria side had their best chance midway through the half when some slick passing saw Elias Pelembe slide in Anthony Laffor three metres out, but the big Liberian somehow stabbed wide.

Lebogang Mokoena then had two chances in three minutes, first drilling wide from outside the box, before forcing Virgil Vries to dive to his right and keep out another strike from similar distance.

Another chance followed for the midfielder just before the half hour when he failed to tap in from a brilliant low right-sided Laffor cross, before Maritzburg struck on the counter.

It was a delightful way to take the lead as the hosts quickly turned defence into attack, and when the ball was spread wide to Kurt Lentjies on the left, his ball into the middle was perfectly weighted into the middle where Namibian Isaacks crashed in.

The Brazilians failed to find any sort of response before the break and after the restart Bongolethu Jayiya shot centimetres over as United searched for a second.

Laffor did have a chance after 52 minutes when he broke forward, but instead of passing, he rifled in a low shot that forced Vries to punch away.

Just after the hour, Mokoena and Pelembe wasted two more great chances, the former heading over and the latter curling inches over — both either side of a penalty appeal against Ryan de Jongh for a tackle on Mzikayise Mashaba.

Referee Nasief Julius waved play on and once again did so in the 65th minute when David Booysen appeared to handle in the box, much to the frustration of the Sundowns’ players.

But, they finally had their equaliser when captain Schut powered in Pelembe’s corner to hand Sundowns a share of the spoils.

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Former Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova dies at age of 45

Former Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova, who has been battling cancer, has died at the age of 45.

“FC Barcelona is in immense mourning,” the Spanish club said in a statement. “Tito Vilanova has died at the age of 45. May he rest in peace.”

Vilanova, who had first been diagnosed with a cancerous tumor of the throat in November 2011, stepped down as Barcelona coach in July 2013.

He succeeded Pep Guardiola, who is now Bayern Munich coach, in June 2012 and led the Catalan giants to the Spanish La Liga title during his time in charge of the team.

Following the announcement of Vilanova’s death, Barcelona said it would open an area of condolence in the main grandstand at its Nou Camp stadium.

“It will be open to anyone who wishes to express their sympathy and love for the late Tito Vilanova,” the club added.

“The club wishes to express its most heartfelt sympathy to his family, who are being joined in these moments of mourning by FC Barcelona members and fans all around the world, as well as the rest of the footballing and sporting world.”

Barcelona also revealed plans for a religious memorial ceremony in the coming days.

The club’s president Josep Maria Bartomeu said on this Twitter page: “Tito Vilanova was a wonderful person, and will never be forgotten at FC Barcelona. Thank you for everything you taught us. Rest in peace.”

Barcelona player Cesc Fabregas paid tribute on his Facebook page saying he met Vilanova 14 years ago, adding: “Thank you for always trusting me, to help me improve and overcome personal and professional obstacles.”

There have been also tributes from the global football community. Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos commented on Twitter that Vilanova was, “An example of fighting and strength for all of us. RIP”

Vilanova’s appointment after Guardiola’s resignation came as something of a surprise to football experts. He was not well known outside Spain but was already a close member of the Barcelona family.

He began his footballing career at the Catalan club, signing to the team’s junior ranks as a 15-year-old.

Unable to break into the Barcelona first team, he left to pursue a career as a midfielder with seven clubs in his native Spain before ending his playing days with Gramenet in 2001.

A switch to management followed and Vilanova soon returned to the Nou Camp, eventually becoming Guardiola’s assistant coach in 2008 before being named as his successor.

In tandem, the pair won three La Liga titles and two European Champions League crowns.

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Ferguson backs Giggs for United job full time

Alex Ferguson believes Ryan Giggs should take up the position of Manchester United on a full-time basis, following the sacking of David Moyes, according to a report on the Daily Telegraph website on Friday.
 
“I think that he is the one man they should go to really,” the Telegraph quoted Ferguson saying of Giggs at a charity function earlier this week.
 
“He’s got 20-odd years of experience at Manchester United. I signed him as a kid at 13 years of age. He’s gone through the gamut of emotions at the club, he’s experienced all the highs and lows.”He knows exactly what’s needed to be a Manchester United player.”
 
But whether Giggs himself will be quite so keen to have Ferguson’s support is another matter.
For it was largely on the word of former United manager Ferguson, who retired at the end of last season as British football’s most succesful boss, that Moyes was appointed to succeed him at Old Trafford, with his fellow Scot dubbed ‘The Chosen One’ as a result by the club’s fans.
 
However, this week seventh-placed United sacked Moyes just 10 months into a six-month contract after it became mathematically impossible for the reigning English champions, who will finish a trophy-less campaign with their lowest points total of the Premier League era, to qualify for next season’s lucrative European Champions League.
 
The 50-year-old’s exit came after a 2-0 defeat at former club Everton which, damningly, suggested the Merseysiders had got better in his absence while he’d overseen a sharp decline in United’s fortunes.
 
United great Giggs was promoted on Tuesday from his position as player-coach to interim player-manager for the club’s final four games of the season, starting with Saturday’s match at home to Norwich.
 
After their ill-fated choice in Moyes, it is believed United’s US-based owners, the Glazer family, are looking to bring in a manager with a proven record of success such as Louis van Gaal, now in charge of the Dutch national team, or Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti.
 
It would be a major surprise if the 40-year-old Giggs got the job on a full-time basis, but Ferguson has been heartened by the way in which he is one of a clutch of players who came through United’s youth set-up –the celebrated ‘Class of 92′, who are now on the backroom staff.
 
“It’s a very difficult industry to say you can have succession planning,” Ferguson said.
“But in the case of what we were doing in the last few years, with bringing Nicky Butt into the fold, Ryan into the fold, Paul Scholes into the fold, and Gary Neville was offered a position but he decided to go into television. He could easily come back.”
 
Giggs, said he had wasted little time in speaking to United’s manager Ferguson for more than 27 years following his promotion.
 
“He was the first person I picked up the phone to,” Giggs told a United news conference on Friday.
“Why wouldn’t I? He’s been everything you can as a manager,a young manager, an experienced manager, a successful manager.
 
“He’s given me advice and told me he’s always at the end of the phone so that has given me a lot of comfort. It’s good to know I can turn to the manager if I ever need him.”
 
He added: “I’ve got a chance to show what I can do and what I am capable of as a manager in a short space of time.
“It can happen (young managers getting the job). That’s not something I’m thinking about at the moment.”
 
One-club man Giggs, who has won 35 winners’ medals, including 13 Premier League titles, since turning professional in 1990, said: “My philosophy is the Manchester United philosophy.
 
“I want players to play with passion, speed, tempo and be brave with imagination, all the things that are expected of a Manchester United player.”
  

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Match-fixer Wilson Raj Perumal arrested in Finland

Convicted football match-fixer Wilson Raj Perumal is being held by Finnish police on an international arrest warrant, officials say.

The Singaporean has already served time in Finland for match-fixing.

After his release he was extradited to Hungary where he was believed to have been assisting police.

Perumal has admitted being a key part of a Singaporean-based syndicate which he said rigged matches both at club and international level.

Singaporean authorities confirmed on Thursday that they were making efforts to extradite Perumal.

Police said in a statement that they had been “notified of the developments in Finland” and were “currently working with the relevant authorities”.

It is not clear to what the extradition request refers.

Finnish Detective Superintendent Jari Nieminen said that Perumal was arrested in Helsinki last week. It was not clear when he arrived in Finland.

Perumal was arrested and jailed in Finland in 2011 for fixing games.

On two occasions he is alleged to have organised for bogus African national teams to play and lose friendlies against international opponents, reports the BBC’s Jonah Fisher.

In the three years since he was first arrested he has turned informant and provided detailed information on syndicates working out of Singapore using fixers in Europe and financial backers in China, our correspondent adds.

In September 2013 police in Singapore arrested 14 people said to be part of a crime gang involved in global football match-fixing, including the alleged leader.

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Real’s pace too hot to handle, says Lahm

Madrid – Bayern Munich could not contain Real Madrid’s quicksilver counter-attacks, captain Philipp Lahm said after the European champions lost 1-0 in their Champions League semi-final, first leg on Wednesday.

Madrid were happy to cede possession to Bayern for large parts of the game at the Bernabeu, but were resilient in defence and struck the decisive blow when Karim Benzema rounded off a swift break with the only goal after 19 minutes.
“We could not stop all of Real’s quick breaks,” Lahm told German broadcaster ZDF.

“They are top team. It is impossible not to let them have at least one chance. We played to win we wanted a goal. Now we are trailing by one goal but it is not over yet.

“We wanted to do it better no question, but it is not that easy. We now play at home everything is possible at the Allianz Arena. We have shown we can turn games around and anything can happen.”
Bayern looked short of ideas in attack as they sort to find a route through the ranks of Madrid defenders and now face a tricky task at home, where a solitary Real goal would leave them needing to score three.
Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer said

Real’s attacking players were always likely to pose a threat on the break and the German side would now have to figure out how to stop them putting in a repeat performance in Munich.
“We had problems today,” he said. “We worked well but these are world-class players.

“When someone is as quick as (Gareth) Bale or (Cristiano)Ronaldo then you will always have problems with the counter- attacks. We can expect a similar game in Germany. We will try not to concede a goal in Munich. Everything can happen. We need to remain focused and not allow any quick breaks.”

Bayern coach Pep Guardiola put the defeat down to poor finishing.
“I am proud of my team,” he said. “They fought well against a tough opponent, one of the best in the world. We had a good game and I hope we will improve further next week.

“I did not want to have the typical German game of back and forth. I wanted a lot of possession and we managed that in part. But we did not finish our chances well.”

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