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Fergie vows to avoid paranoia


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Updated Mar 31, 2011 6:13 AM ET
Sir Alex Ferguson will not become paranoid about the decisions which have gone against Manchester United in their recent games with Chelsea.
The teams will meet in the Champions League quarter-finals next month, and also have a Premier League match at Old Trafford in May, which could have an impact on the title race.
Ferguson was given a five-match touchline ban and a £30,000 fine by the Football Association following his verbal attack on referee Martin Atkinson at Stamford Bridge in February.

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Sat., Apr. 2​

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Everton vs. Aston Villa
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Stoke City vs. Chelsea
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Sun., Apr. 3​

Fulham vs. Blackpool
Man City vs. Sunderland

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After United's 2-1 defeat, Ferguson questioned why the Yorkshire-based official had been given the game.
He criticised Atkinson's failure to send Blues defender David Luiz off for fouls on Javier Hernandez and Wayne Rooney after the Brazilian had already been booked, then expressed comments the FA disciplinary panel felt had questioned the official's integrity.
Ferguson believes there have been more instances of incorrect calls going against his side in recent matches against Chelsea.
He told the media: "I think the last few games we've had terrible decisions against us and you've just got to be careful you don't have paranoia about it.
"But ability-wise we're a good team, we played exceptionally well at Chelsea in the last game. We were very, very unlucky and we didn't deserve to lose the game."
United travel to London to face Carlo Ancelotti's side next Wednesday in the first leg of the quarter-final, with memories of that performance at Stamford Bridge last time providing Ferguson with encouragement.
He said: "We take that into the game because ability-wise we don't have a problem."
Ferguson says he understands why referees are protected by the game's authorities, but believes there should be a right to freely discuss performances of officials, providing any criticism is justifiable.
"If you speak your mind it's a problem in the game," Ferguson said.
"They're very strong in supporting the referees.
"In a way I totally agree with that, but there's got to be fair comment also, and I think I try to do that."
While his focus is on bringing trophies to Old Trafford, Ferguson keeps half an eye on events across Manchester.
And the United boss expects rivals Manchester City to keep former Red Devils striker Carlos Tevez at Eastlands beyond the summer.
Tevez submitted a transfer request earlier in the season but has since made his peace with the club, so while Ferguson was not taken aback by news the Argentinian was keen to leave, he now sees the former United frontman staying in the city.
Ferguson said: "Knowing the background, the people who represent him, I'm not surprised, but I don't think Manchester City would want to let him go.
"He's had a great time there, he's been their top goalscorer, their best player in the last two years, so why would they want to sell him?
"You don't know everything at every club of course but it seemed to have settled down and I think in Mancini they have a strong manager who can deal with that."

 

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Martin Johnson's England have three World Cup games moved to Dunedin

• Switch caused by Christchurch earthquake damage
• Scotland will play Argentina in Wellington

• Robert Kitson
• guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 30 March 2011 19.07 BST <li class="history">Article history
  
  Martin Johnson's England team will train at the Carisbrook University Oval while they are based in Dunedin. Photograph: David Rogers/Getty Images Martin Johnson's England team will be based in Dunedin and Queenstown during the early stages of this autumn's World Cup in New Zealand, after the confirmation of changes to the itinerary caused by the Christchurch earthquake.
  England's first three pool games, against Argentina, Georgia and Romania, will be played at the new Otago Stadium in Dunedin between 10 and 24 September. Scotland's schedule has also been amended. Andy Robinson's side are now due to play their vital pool game against Argentina in Wellington on 25 September.
  An England spokesman said that team officials had yet to inspect the proposed new training base, at the Carisbrook University Oval, but alternatives appear to be thin on the ground. Political pressure to keep games in the South Island and to boost the local economy has scuppered any prospect of England being based in Auckland, where they will complete Pool B against Scotland on 1 October.
  England will find themselves as far from London as it is possible to be, Dunedin being even further removed as the crow flies than Invercargill. Dunedin's history has a strong Scottish influence and the weather in September is several degrees cooler than in the North Island. England, who will finalise their squad on 22 August and fly out a week later, will effectively be heading for the southern hemisphere equivalent of Aberdeen in April.
  Scotland's fixture against Georgia has moved from Dunedin to Invercargill but New Zealand's Rugby World Cup minister, Murray McCully, still fears that the South Island is missing out. He said: "I went on public record, as I think the prime minister did, saying we hoped all the games being reallocated from pool matches would be hosted in the South Island. Two of them have gone to the North Island and that's disappointing, frankly."
  Logistical difficulties have resulted in Australia's games against Italy and Russia being moved to Auckland and Nelson. The tournament chief executive, Martin Sneddon, said: "Although it was considered, we came to the view that Dunedin could not have reasonably hosted the Australia v Italy match the day after hosting its first major match, England v Argentina.
  "We were concerned about the pressure that back-to-back matches would impose on what will be a largely untested venue and a new playing surface. In addition, accommodation facilities in the city would also have been under severe pressure from the expected influx of 20,000 fans from outside the region that a double-header would bring."
  Organisers said that ticket purchasers for all Christchurch matches and Scotland's game against Georgia will receive a refund and the opportunity to secure replacement tickets to the rescheduled matches in a priority purchase period.
  Scotland's head coach, Andy Robinson, has withdrawn his captain, Alastair Kellock, and Richie Gray, John Barclay, Ross Ford and Allan Jacobsen from club rugby for the rest of the season, in order to assist his World Cup preparations. Kellock, Gray and Barclay will be unavailable for Glasgow's remaining Magner's League matches and Edinburgh will be without Ford and Jacobsen.
  "This is a decision that has not been taken lightly," said Robinson. "It's a reflection on the season and the previous seasons they've had and it's been done on an individual basis."
  
  

 

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Gerrard hoping to face Baggies


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Updated Mar 30, 2011 2:02 PM ET
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard hopes to be fit to return against West Brom this weekend and lead the club's push for European qualification.
The 30-year-old midfielder has missed three matches, although only one in the Premier League, after undergoing surgery on a groin problem on March 10.

BARCLAY'S PREMIER LEAGUE ​

Sat., Apr. 2​

West Ham vs. Man Utd
Birmingham vs. Bolton
Everton vs. Aston Villa
Newcastle vs. Wolves
Stoke City vs. Chelsea
West Brom vs. Liverpool
Wigan vs. Tottenham
Arsenal vs. Blackburn

Sun., Apr. 3​

Fulham vs. Blackpool
Man City vs. Sunderland

BPL Scores | Table | Fixtures​

However, he is optimistic of being available to face former Reds boss Roy Hodgson at the Hawthorns on Saturday, the first of the remaining eight games they have to catch fifth-placed Tottenham and qualify for the Europa League.
"I'm hoping to be in full training on Thursday and available for selection for the weekend," said the England international.
"It's up to Kenny (Dalglish) whether he thinks I'm ready or not. I'm really looking forward to getting back."
Liverpool are four points behind Spurs, who have a match in hand, but Gerrard believes they still have a chance of "sneaking" back into Europe having been knocked out of the Europa League by Braga earlier this month.
And the likelihood of having January signings Andy Carroll - scorer of England's goal in last night's 1-1 friendly draw against Ghana - and Luis Suarez both fit for the run-in increases the optimism of the Reds captain.
"Our league form since Kenny came in is the best in the league so it's really positive," Gerrard told talkSPORT.
"He is a player's manager. Players like playing for him because he talks to them, he's honest with them.
"We're hoping Kenny can bring the glory days back. We know there's a lot of hard work to do yet but there has been an improvement.
"We're just going to try to win the rest of our games and try to finish as high as we can.
"The aim for us is to try and sneak back into Europe come the end of the season.
"We believe now that we've got the most feared strikeforce in the league.
"One thing that's important to remember with Andy is that he's superb on the floor.
"If we are in a difficult game or we are chasing a game we can be more direct but the good thing is because we can mix it up, we can play either way now.
"We can play in behind, we can play long, and with Suarez running off him.
"It gives us a whole new dimension."
Suarez has made more of an impact since his £22.7million arrival from Ajax, scoring twice in five matches and starring in the 3-1 win over Manchester United earlier this month.
He is already targeting Champions League qualification next season.
"We are now four points off fifth position and we have to try and finish as high as possible to leave a good impression," said the Uruguay international.
"Liverpool are a club at world level. In the last few games we've really improved and played well and we hope we can continue winning points.
"The important thing will be next season. Hopefully it will go really well and we'll be able to go into the Champions League because Liverpool are a Champions League club."

 

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Moyes regrets striking failure


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Updated Mar 30, 2011 10:14 AM ET
Everton manager David Moyes admits his failure to sign a frontline striker last summer has impacted on their season.

BARCLAY'S PREMIER LEAGUE ​

Sat., Apr. 2​

West Ham vs. Man Utd
Birmingham vs. Bolton
Everton vs. Aston Villa
Newcastle vs. Wolves
Stoke City vs. Chelsea
West Brom vs. Liverpool
Wigan vs. Tottenham
Arsenal vs. Blackburn

Sun., Apr. 3​

Fulham vs. Blackpool
Man City vs. Sunderland

BPL Scores | Table | Fixtures​

The Scot brought in Jermaine Beckford on a free transfer after he had helped Leeds earn promotion from League One but wanted someone with more experience to help ease the burden.
But he was not able to bring anyone else in and Everton have suffered as a result, with Tim Cahill having to be deployed as a centre-forward on occasions.
When Ayegbeni Yakubu and James Vaughan were loaned to Leicester and Crystal Palace respectively in January it increased the pressure on Louis Saha and Beckford.
The former, whose poor form prior to January saw him net just once in five months - in a Carling Cup victory over Huddersfield - has responded with nine goals since the turn of the year but injuries continue to be a problem for the Frenchman.
"I knew we were short of a centre-forward and maybe more than one," Moyes told talkSPORT.
"I got Jermaine Beckford, who had jumped two divisions, and I was saying 'Let's not put too much pressure on him, get him off the bench, play some games at the right moment and that's the ideal way to introduce him'.
"But we didn't get the centre-forward which we needed to go with the rest of the team.
"Our play was very good, we continued in the form with our football, but we didn't have the goalscorers to finish it off at the start of the year and that definitely had an effect on us."

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Messi injury worry for Barca


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Updated Mar 30, 2011 11:26 AM ET
Barcelona forward Lionel Messi is doubtful for Saturday night's Primera Division game at Villarreal due to an adductor injury.

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The 23-year-old was missing due to the problem as Costa Rica held Argentina to a draw in their goalless friendly in San Jose.
Messi suffered the injury in training with his national team and coach Sergio Batista elected not to risk the FIFA Ballon d'Or winner - much to the annoyance of the supporters, who had hoped to see the superstar in action,
Speaking before kick-off at the new Estadio Nacional, Argentinian Football Association president Julio Grondona said: "We just had a chat with the president of the Costa Rican Football Federation and the doctor, and Messi has a minor injury.
"The doctor has reviewed it and sees that it is not as it should be.
"Obviously, caution must be taken in these cases and, thinking about everything, we must be sure that the player is able to play - and he is not.
"He has a muscle strain and we do not even know if he will get to play Saturday."
Barcelona have already confirmed another forward, Bojan Krkic, is also a doubt for the trip to El Madrigal after straining his ankle while playing for Spain Under-21s on Monday.

 

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Premier Rugby tells RFU it may move Premiership final from Twickenham

&#8226; Clubs angry about decision to host Crusaders game
&#8226; Wembley and Old Trafford considered as alternatives

• Martin Pengelly
• The Guardian, Thursday 31 March 2011 <li class="history">Article history
  
  Twickenham has hosted the Premiership final since the match was first played, in 2003. Photograph: David Rogers/Getty Images A Premier Rugby spokesman has said that the Premiership final could be taken away from Twickenham next season. Wembley and Old Trafford are among other venues being considered.
  The Daily Telegraph reported that the suggestion of a move for the showpiece match, which is due to take place on 26 May 2012, was intended as "a flashing red light" to the Rugby Football Union. The clubs are angry about the RFU's decision to host a Super Rugby match, between the Crusaders from New Zealand and the Sharks from South Africa, at Twickenham last Sunday. That match was played in London after the Crusaders' ground, the AMI Stadium in Christchurch, was damaged by an earthquake last month; a crowd of 35,094 attended, raising money for those affected by the earthquake.
  The Saracens chairman, Nigel Wray, gave voice to otherwise unexpressed disquiet among Premier Rugby clubs when he said in his programme notes for his team's home match against Newcastle the same afternoon that "this was a commercial venture dressed up in charity clothing". Saracens' victory over Newcastle was watched by 1,500 fewer people than the same fixture last season.
  The Premier Rugby spokesman, Simon Lewis, noting that Twickenham is due to host the Heineken Cup final and an England match against the Barbarians as well as the Premiership final within eight days next May, said: "It would be wrong of us not to look at other venues that could do a better job for us commercially."
  Representatives of the RFU and Premier Rugby were reported to have met yesterday. An RFU spokesman said: "English rugby moved heaven and earth to enable [the Crusaders] game to go ahead because we thought it was a worthwhile cause. The idea that this was a purely commercial venture is nonsense.
  "The match and related fundraising will have raised over £1m for the Red Cross Christchurch Earthquake Fund and the RFU intends to donate all profit to charities in both New Zealand and Japan."
  
  

 

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Mystery rugby player in Pretoria arrested over decapitation

Victim who survived another alleged attack says the suspect told him he was seeking revenge for his daughter's rape

• David Smith in Johannesburg
• guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 30 March 2011 21.33 BST <li class="history">Article history
  
  Jacobus "Bees" Roux, another Blue Bulls player, awaits trial for allegedly beating a black policeman to death in a separate incident. Photograph: Paballo Thekiso/AFP A former rugby player has been arrested after allegedly decapitating one man and murdering two others with an axe. A fourth potential victim claimed the 34-year-old told him that he was seeking revenge after his daughter was gang-raped and infected with HIV.
  The suspect is a former player for the Blue Bulls, a top rugby team based in Pretoria. Another Bulls player, Bees Roux, is awaiting trial after allegedly beating a black policeman to death in a separate incident.
  But unlike Roux, the axe murder suspect is black and there is "no racial context" for the killings, police said.
  Police spokesman, Lieutenant-Colonel Vincent Mdunge said the man, who never played international rugby for South Africa, has three murder charges and one charge of attempted murder against him. The alleged crimes all occurred in the past two weeks.
  "One victim was decapitated completely," Mdunge said. "His head was chopped off with an axe. The head was found in a refuse bin one kilometre away from the body."
  The other victims had also been hacked in the neck. Their bodies were found in suburbs south of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal province.
  Police arrested the suspect at his home.
  Two people are known to have survived attacks by the axe-wielding man, police added. One of them, Khangelani Mdluli, 27, said the man claimed he was seeking revenge for the gang-rape of his daughter and that he confiscated a hired Opel Corsa car along with bloodstained clothes thought to have belonged to one of the victims and an axe about 40cm (16in) long.
  Mdluli told the Cape Argus newspaper that he was walking in the suburb of Lamontville last week when a car drove past him slowly.
  The driver turned into a driveway, made a three-point turn and drove up behind Mdluli. "He stopped the car, jumped out with an orange plastic bag and walked down the road towards me," Mdluli was quoted as saying by the paper. "I continued walking but I looked at the plastic bag. He said to me: 'Did you know we would ever meet?' "
  The man then allegedly accused him of being a rapist, telling him: You think I'm stupid. You infected my daughter with HIV."
  Mdluli told the Cape Argus that he asked the man, who was looking agitated, who his daughter was, but the man pulled an axe out of the bag.
  "As the axe came down towards my head, I ducked and it scratched my stomach. I started running down the road as he followed me and swore at me. He eventually gave up and turned back to head to his car, which was parked up the road."
  Just when Mdluli thought he was safe, he spotted the man driving along another road. "We looked at each other. I ran back and looked for back routes to get home, making it difficult for him to follow me because he was driving. I went straight home and got into bed."
  The paper reported that when Mdluli told his family about the incident the next day, they told him that a man from the area, Ndodo Hlongwa, had been decapitated in a similar attack.
  Police could not confirm the suspect's alleged motive. The police spokesman, Mdunge, said: "He has not officially admitted that to the police. It was a statement raised by one of the victims. We do not have any substantial evidence of a rape charge levelled by the suspect's daughter."
  Last weekend lieutenant colonel Anton Booysen, the police's provincial co-ordinator for psychologically motivated crimes, said members of the public had caught the attacker in the act. "Witnesses to the attacks said they thought the guy was hacking at a dog or an animal of sorts, but then realised it was a human being," Booysen told the Sunday Tribune .
  "The people who saw him said he appeared relaxed and confident. During one instance someone shouted at him, 'What the **** are you doing?' He then apparently stopped and casually walked away, and it didn't seem that he was disturbed at being caught."
  It is believed the suspect is from the Eastern Cape province and was visiting relatives in Durban. He is in police custody and due to appear in Durban magistrates court on Thursday morning, when his identity will be made public.
  
  

 

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Robin van Persie could be fit to face Blackburn despite thigh injury

&#8226; Arsenal striker injured left thigh playing for Holland
&#8226; Walcott and Fábregas may also be fit to face Blackburn

• Jamie Jackson
• guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 30 March 2011 20.41 BST <li class="history">Article history
  
  Robin van Persie is treated by the Holland physio after injuring his left thigh playing against Hungary. Photograph: Peter Dejong/AP Arsenal are hopeful Robin van Persie could be available for Saturday's Premier League match against Blackburn Rovers despite the striker injuring his left thigh playing for Holland on Tuesday.
  The 27-year-old was replaced at half-time of the Euro 2012 qualifier with Hungary in Amsterdam, after being floored by a tackle from Vilmos Vanczak.
  Bert van Marwijk, the Holland coach, said of Van Persie's hopes of making an immediate return: "With luck he could play for Arsenal this weekend. Robin got a knee to his thigh. It didn't look very serious but it was too painful for him to carry on as he was hit by a knee above his own knee."
  Van Persie was on Wednesday assessed by the club's medical team and the seriousness of the injury will become clearer over the next 24 hours.
  Nicklas Bendtner returned from international duty having injured an ankle playing for Denmark but there is also optimism at the club that the striker will be fit for selection at the weekend, alongside the left-back Kieran Gibbs, who on Monday returned early from England Under-21 duty due to a groin injury.
  Cesc Fábregas, Theo Walcott, Abou Diaby and Alex Song could all return to face Blackburn, although Johan Djourou, Thomas Vermaelen and the goalkeepers Wojciech Szczesny and Lukasz Fabianski remain on the injured list. Fábregas, who injured a hamstring in the Champions League defeat by Barcelona earlier this month, and Walcott, who last played in February, are believed to have trained well during the international break.
  Arsène Wenger, the Arsenal manager, must also decide whether to stick with Manuel Almunia in goal or select Jens Lehmann for the first time since 2008. The 41-year-old played for Arsenal's reserve side in a 2-1 defeat by Wigan Athletic on Tuesday and declared the experience a qualified success.
  "It was very beneficial for me to play a game," he said. "It is always good to learn a little bit what I could have done better. There are some situations that you can't play in a training game because in a real game there is a referee, linesmen. It was a good experience."
  
  

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Robin van Persie could be fit to face Blackburn despite thigh injury

• Arsenal striker injured left thigh playing for Holland
• Walcott and Fábregas may also be fit to face Blackburn

• Jamie Jackson
• guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 30 March 2011 20.41 BST <li class="history">Article history
  
  Robin van Persie is treated by the Holland physio after injuring his left thigh playing against Hungary. Photograph: Peter Dejong/AP Arsenal are hopeful Robin van Persie could be available for Saturday's Premier League match against Blackburn Rovers despite the striker injuring his left thigh playing for Holland on Tuesday.
  The 27-year-old was replaced at half-time of the Euro 2012 qualifier with Hungary in Amsterdam, after being floored by a tackle from Vilmos Vanczak.
  Bert van Marwijk, the Holland coach, said of Van Persie's hopes of making an immediate return: "With luck he could play for Arsenal this weekend. Robin got a knee to his thigh. It didn't look very serious but it was too painful for him to carry on as he was hit by a knee above his own knee."
  Van Persie was on Wednesday assessed by the club's medical team and the seriousness of the injury will become clearer over the next 24 hours.
  Nicklas Bendtner returned from international duty having injured an ankle playing for Denmark but there is also optimism at the club that the striker will be fit for selection at the weekend, alongside the left-back Kieran Gibbs, who on Monday returned early from England Under-21 duty due to a groin injury.
  Cesc Fábregas, Theo Walcott, Abou Diaby and Alex Song could all return to face Blackburn, although Johan Djourou, Thomas Vermaelen and the goalkeepers Wojciech Szczesny and Lukasz Fabianski remain on the injured list. Fábregas, who injured a hamstring in the Champions League defeat by Barcelona earlier this month, and Walcott, who last played in February, are believed to have trained well during the international break.
  Arsène Wenger, the Arsenal manager, must also decide whether to stick with Manuel Almunia in goal or select Jens Lehmann for the first time since 2008. The 41-year-old played for Arsenal's reserve side in a 2-1 defeat by Wigan Athletic on Tuesday and declared the experience a qualified success.
  "It was very beneficial for me to play a game," he said. "It is always good to learn a little bit what I could have done better. There are some situations that you can't play in a training game because in a real game there is a referee, linesmen. It was a good experience."

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Judge orders Spanish top flight to play

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Updated Mar 30, 2011 9:36 AM ET
The Spanish league will go ahead as scheduled this weekend after a judge ruled Wednesday against a strike called by clubs in dispute over television revenue.
Judge Purificacion Pujol backed an appeal made by six mid-table clubs - Sevilla, Villarreal, Athletic Bilbao, Real Sociedad, Espanyol and Zaragoza- that opposed the strike saying, ''the official league calendar should remain unaltered.''

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The league announced the strike on March 23, citing a lack of progress in talks with the government over club demands that a law guaranteeing that one match per week is broadcast on free-to-air television be revoked. The clubs argue they need the additional TV revenue that the extra game would provide.
The league wants to move to a complete pay-TV model like their English and Italian counterparts.
The postponement would have affected both first and second division games, including Barcelona's visit to third-place Villarreal and Real Madrid's game against Sporting Gijon.
All 20 first division clubs agree on revoking the law but there was a split over whether or not to play the next round.
Thirteen clubs, including Madrid and Barcelona, voted for the strike at a league general assembly while the six clubs that appealed voted against the measure.
Secretary of State for Sport Jaime Lissavetzky had asked the league to be sensible and call off the strike, adding that that the government was willing to continue talks.
Sevilla president Jose Maria del Nido said the Spanish league had the most unfair revenue sharing in Europe but that now was not the moment to make demands and that the fans should not have to pay the consequences.
Valencia international winger Juanma Mata said last week the strike would have been negative for the players.
The ruling can be appealed. There was no immediate reaction from the league or top clubs.

 

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Forlan won't rule out move


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Updated Mar 30, 2011 11:31 AM ET
Atletico Madrid's Uruguayan striker Diego Forlan is refusing to rule anything out as speculation over his future continues.
The 31-year-old was once again asked about repeated rumours linking him with a return to England following Tuesday night's 3-2 friendly victory over the Republic of Ireland in Dublin.
However, the former Manchester United frontman was consistent in his response.

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Speaking at the Aviva Stadium, he said: "At the moment, I have two years' more contract at Madrid and I am really happy.
"I always say if there is a good offer, we will see what is going to happen."
Forlan spent two-and-a-half years at Old Trafford after making a £7.5million move from Independiente in January 2002, but has blossomed since leaving England for Spain, firstly with Villarreal and now at Atletico.
He was one of the stars of last summer's World Cup finals in South Africa as he helped his country reach the last four, and he admits the secret to his recent success is simple.
Forlan said: "I have had the chance to play all the games. Your confidence when you have the chance to play every game is different.
"You get more confident and of course more experience, and you are learning different things. It's because of that."
Experience was something Uruguay had plenty of and Ireland little last night with the likes of Shay Given, John O'Shea, Sean St Ledger, Kevin Kilbane, Damien Duff, Aiden McGeady, Robbie Keane and Kevin Doyle all missing.
The South Americans responded to successive defeats by Chile and Estonia by racing into a 3-1 first-half lead, courtesy of some sublime finishing.
There was an element of good fortune about skipper Diego Lugano's 12th-minute opener, but after Shane Long had levelled three minutes later, Forlan's strike partners took over.
Edinson Cavani and Abel Hernandez gave keeper Keiren Westwood no chance, putting Uruguay in complete control - or so it seemed.
The Republic were back in it three minutes after the restart when, after Martin Caceres had felled both James McCarthy and Andy Keogh, Keith Fahey made it 3-2 from the penalty spot.
Giovanni Trapattoni's side battled all the way to the whistle for a share of the spoils, but the visitors held out despite the absence of most of their big names.
Forlan said: "You have to play against the team on the day and it was a difficult game - maybe if we had been playing against more experienced players, we might have got more chances.
"You never know in football. With the experienced players who were missing, the team should be better - that's logical - but you never know."
Asked if he knew any of Trapattoni's under-studies, Forlan said: "I am always watching and I knew quite a few of them. I know it was going to be a really tough game."



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• Report Abuse PhiladelphiaHotSpur
  
  • 3/30/2011 1:34:24 PM
  His value is plummeting by each day.............
  
  AM are ****** for not selling him right after the WC...........
  
  NOt that I'm a proponent of the move, THFC can get him on the cheap........
  
• Report Abuse USAfutebol
  
  • 3/30/2011 12:08:22 PM
  sorry but whoever picks up Forlan better not sign him for more then three years at most. I think he is a good player but consistenly overates himself. and age is creaping up in him.
  
• Report Abuse firstone
  
  • 3/30/2011 11:23:15 AM
  How many times is this site going to print this story? Just asking...
  

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[Rutashubanyuma]

Canales happy to be patient


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Updated Mar 29, 2011 3:00 PM ET
Real Madrid attacking midfielder Sergio Canales insists his first season at the Bernabeu has not been a "lost year".

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Italian Serie A​

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Real reached an agreement with Canales' old club Racing Santander in February last year following a series of impressive displays by the 20-year-old for the Cantabrians.
Canales had initially been expected to rejoin Racing on loan for the 2010-11 season but new Real boss Jose Mourinho decided in the summer that he would remain in the Spanish capital.
Opportunities have been limited and Canales has started just one Primera Division match for Los Blancos, but he has no regrets at how the year has gone.
He said: "It has been a complicated season, but I am learning a lot. Football is making me mature. Everyone at Real Madrid is helping me a lot.
"Whether I play more or I play less, what I hope is that the team wins every game. It would be selfish of me not to think that way in the year to come.
"I'm at a great club, and I do not think it is a lost year."
Canales hopes that, like French striker Karim Benzema, he can fight his way into first-team contention at Real, although he admits the two cannot really be compared.
"I do not think my case is like Benzema," he said. "I came from Racing after only one year in the Primera Division, (whereas) Karim came from the elite, he had already been capped by France
"In the end the trust (of the coach) gives you great confidence. What is clear is that I would love to get to the same level as Benzema."

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Ajax board of directors resign after disagreement with Johan Cruyff

&#8226; Cruyff wants coach Frank de Boer to have more responsibility
&#8226; Directors say ongoing turmoil is 'extremely harmful to Ajax'

• Press Association
• guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 30 March 2011 22.16 BST <li class="history">Article history
  
  The Ajax board of directors are to resign after a disagreement with Johan Cruyff. Photograph: Manu Fernandez/AP Ajax's board of directors announced their resignation on Wednesday over a disagreement with Johan Cruyff over how the club should be run.
  The directors, including the chairman, Uri Coronel, made the announcement this evening at a meeting of the club's council members, a statement on the Ajax website confirmed.
  "We are not bigger than Ajax," Coronel was quoted as telling a news conference. "Johan Cruyff is not just anyone. He's a demi-god here or maybe a whole god."
  The directors are set to remain in positions until successors are appointed.
  Cruyff, who won three European Cups with Ajax from 1971 to 1973, returned to the club in February to advise on technical, financial and association issues.
  He met the club's board last week and advised them that organisational and personnel changes were needed if the Amsterdam club were to return to their former glories.
  The club have not won the Eredivisie title since 2004, while their last European success came in the Champions League in 1995.
  According to reports, Cruyff called for the head coach, Frank de Boer, to be given a greater responsibility in the running of the club and wanted former players like Dennis Bergkamp and Wim Jonk to be given roles. The chief executive, Rik van den Boog , though, was not willing to implement all of his suggestions.
  The directors said the ongoing unrest was damaging the club. The statement on Ajax said: "The directors of Ajax find that the process, and particularly the resulting and ongoing turmoil surrounding the club, is extremely harmful to Ajax."
  Cruyff was quoted as telling the television station AT5: "It's never good for a club when the board resign."
  Ajax currently lie third in the Eredivisie table and were knocked out in the last 16 of the Europa League by Spartak Moscow.
  
  

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Pinto extends Barca contract


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Updated Mar 29, 2011 10:08 AM ET
Barcelona have confirmed that reserve goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto has agreed a contract extension until June 2012.
Pinto, who is the understudy to Victor Valdes at the Nou Camp, will formally sign the new contract at a media presentation at the club's offices on Wednesday.
The 35-year-old, who joined Barca from Celta Vigo in 2007, has made three appearances in the Primera Division this season.

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Ajax directors quit amid conflict with Cruyff

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Updated Mar 30, 2011 3:48 PM ET
AMSTERDAM (AP)

Ajax's board of directors tendered its resignation amid a bitter disagreement with club icon Johan Cruyff about how to return the former European champion to its glory days.
Club chairman Uri Coronel said he and the two other directors of the club will remain in place until replacements can be found, adding Wednesday that ''Cruyff is more important than us.''
Ajax is currently in third place in the Dutch league, which it has not won since 2004. It had asked Cruyff, who helped turn the club into a European powerhouse in the 1970s, to form an advisory panel to improve its performance.
But the club's chief executive Rik van den Boog refused to carry out all of Cruyff's recommendations, which reportedly included firing some longtime employees.
Coronel said he backed Van den Boog, and hoped his own resignation would help break the impasse.
''This process, especially the continuing unrest around the club, is extraordinarily damaging for Ajax,'' he said at a news conference.
The standoff could lead to an extraordinary general meeting of club members at which Cruyff's influence and recommendations would either be decisively endorsed or rejected in the election of a new board.
Arriving at the club Wednesday night, Cruyff said he was surprised by the board's decision, but did not know whether it would help him push through his reforms.
''What's an advantage, what's a disadvantage?'' he said.
Under Ajax's complicated organizational structure, around 650 Ajax Union members elect a council of 24, who in turn name the directors. Those directors also serve as members of the supervisory board of AFC Ajax NV, the stock market-listed company that arranges Ajax's finances and appoints day-to-day executives such as Van den Boog. Coronel and the four other members of AFC Ajax NV's supervisory board also tendered their resignations Wednesday.
Among an impressive list of titles, Ajax has won the Dutch league a record 29 times and is a four-time European champion, from 1971-73 and again in 1995.
After leaving Ajax, Cruyff joined Barcelona in 1974 and led it from the middle of the table to its first national title in a decade.
As a manager, he coached Barcelona to four Spanish league trophies.
Among his recent ideas to strengthen Ajax, Cruyff proposed bringing together former players Dennis Bergkamp and Wim Jonk as technical advisers to coach Frank de Boer.
That would mean replacing De Boer's current assistant, Danny Blind - another former Ajax star.
Coronel said the board insisted it has the last word on hiring and firing staff, leading to the standoff with Cruyff.
He conceded the club needs to improve, but also defended its recent record.
''We are making a profit, we are investing in the youth academy - look at the first team, look at the Dutch team,'' he said.

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

La Liga games to go ahead this weekend after strike action is blocked

&#8226; Court upholds challenge against Professional Football League
&#8226; Talks between government, clubs and league to continue

• Reuters
• guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 30 March 2011 13.22 BST <li class="history">Article history
  
  Barcelona's La Liga clash with Villareal this weekend will go ahead after a court ruled against strike action. Photograph: Manu Fernandez/AP Spain's football league programme will go ahead this weekend after a Madrid court upheld a challenge from six breakaway clubs and blocked threatened strike action by the Professional Football League (LFP).
  "The official calendar for the first and second divisions should remain unaltered for the next round of matches," a statement from the court read on Wednesday.
  The LFP, which had also suffered the resignation of its vice-president late on Tuesday, accepted the judge's ruling and immediately issued the kick-off times for this weekend's matches.
  "Despite the internal discrepancies at the heart of the LFP over the measures adopted at the assembly on 11 February, all the clubs that make up the league continue to press their demands on the government," the LFP said in its statement. "From this point on, a new route map will be established that will allow us to unblock the conversations in our search for solutions to the grievances of professional football."
  The managing director of Villarreal, one of the six "rebel" clubs along with Sevilla, Real Sociedad, Espanyol, Athletic Bilbao and Real Zaragoza, said he was relieved. "A strike would have been a stab in the heart for football," José Manuel Llaneza told Radio Marca. The LFP had voted last month to suspend the proposed games unless the government scrapped a rule that one La Liga game per matchday should be shown on freeview television.
  Last week, as talks with the government failed to make much progress, six clubs known as the "G-6" broke ranks and mounted a legal challenge to the LFP's decision.
  The league argues that removing the obligation to show one match for free would strengthen clubs' bargaining power in negotiations on audiovisual rights with media firms. It also wants guarantees about how much cash clubs are entitled to receive from betting and lottery revenue.
  The breakaway clubs argued that a strike would be "disproportionate, inopportune, against the interest of clubs, the competition and supporters and, what's more, against the law."
  A postponement could have seen the end of La Liga pushed back three weeks to the weekend of 11-12 June due to the hectic schedule in April and May.
  
  

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

La Liga games to go ahead this weekend after strike action is blocked

• Court upholds challenge against Professional Football League
• Talks between government, clubs and league to continue

• Reuters
• guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 30 March 2011 13.22 BST <li class="history">Article history
  
  Barcelona's La Liga clash with Villareal this weekend will go ahead after a court ruled against strike action. Photograph: Manu Fernandez/AP Spain's football league programme will go ahead this weekend after a Madrid court upheld a challenge from six breakaway clubs and blocked threatened strike action by the Professional Football League (LFP).
  "The official calendar for the first and second divisions should remain unaltered for the next round of matches," a statement from the court read on Wednesday.
  The LFP, which had also suffered the resignation of its vice-president late on Tuesday, accepted the judge's ruling and immediately issued the kick-off times for this weekend's matches.
  "Despite the internal discrepancies at the heart of the LFP over the measures adopted at the assembly on 11 February, all the clubs that make up the league continue to press their demands on the government," the LFP said in its statement. "From this point on, a new route map will be established that will allow us to unblock the conversations in our search for solutions to the grievances of professional football."
  The managing director of Villarreal, one of the six "rebel" clubs along with Sevilla, Real Sociedad, Espanyol, Athletic Bilbao and Real Zaragoza, said he was relieved. "A strike would have been a stab in the heart for football," José Manuel Llaneza told Radio Marca. The LFP had voted last month to suspend the proposed games unless the government scrapped a rule that one La Liga game per matchday should be shown on freeview television.
  Last week, as talks with the government failed to make much progress, six clubs known as the "G-6" broke ranks and mounted a legal challenge to the LFP's decision.
  The league argues that removing the obligation to show one match for free would strengthen clubs' bargaining power in negotiations on audiovisual rights with media firms. It also wants guarantees about how much cash clubs are entitled to receive from betting and lottery revenue.
  The breakaway clubs argued that a strike would be "disproportionate, inopportune, against the interest of clubs, the competition and supporters and, what's more, against the law."
  A postponement could have seen the end of La Liga pushed back three weeks to the weekend of 11-12 June due to the hectic schedule in April and May.

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Craig Whyte's takeover of Rangers moves a step closer to completion

&#8226; Businessman set to buy 75% of Sir David Murray's shares
&#8226; Agreement over Rangers' debt reached with Lloyds Bank

• Ewan Murray
• guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 30 March 2011 14.26 BST <li class="history">Article history
  
  Craig Whyte's proposed takeover of Rangers moved a step closer after an agreement was reached over the club's debt. Photograph: Andrew Milligan/PA Craig Whyte is poised to make a formal offer to take control of Rangers within days, after a significant hurdle in the businessman's protracted bid to buy a majority stake in the Ibrox club was negotiated.
  Whyte has agreed a package with the Lloyds Banking Group to clear the debt, thought to be about £21m, owed to them by Rangers. A further Rangers loan of £4m with Lloyds will be taken on and paid back in instalments if the takeover goes ahead. Whyte held talks with the Rangers board on Tuesday evening, with the manager Walter Smith also in attendance.
  The 39-year-old Whyte is therefore closing in on a deal to purchase David Murray's 85% interest in the Scottish club, a move which has been on the cards since the pair first entered talks last November. Reports have suggested Murray will seek £6m for his stake, the same figure he paid to buy Rangers in 1988. All parties have insisted, though, that no such figure has been offered or agreed to.
  Andrew Ellis, who had initially planned a buy-out of Murray on his own, is expected to be handed 25% of the shares bought by Whyte.
  Rangers have been firmly in the grip of Lloyds since the bank looked to halt heavy borrowing by Murray International Holdings (MIH), which is essentially the football club's parent company. Until separation between Rangers and MIH is ensured, cost-cutting will remain in place at Ibrox; if the Whyte deal collapses at the last minute, it is estimated £1m will need to be shaved from Rangers' wage bill this summer. Whyte's plan includes core transfer funding of £25m, spread over five seasons.
  Rangers have been delaying the publication of their annual accounts as the takeover edges closer. Club chairman Alastair Johnston has hoped to back up the figures, which are due to be revealed on Thursday in showing a debt reduction of £6m from £27m, with concrete information for supporters regarding the Whyte deal.
  One not insignificant matter which remains unresolved is an ongoing investigation by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs relating to offshore, employee benefit trust payments made by Rangers to players.
  Sources close to the Whyte camp remain relaxed over that affair, with one possibility that MIH will agree to indemnify Rangers in the event of a penalty &#8211; which could reach millions of pounds &#8211;being forthcoming.
  
  

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Raul to honor Schalke deal


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Updated Mar 30, 2011 11:47 AM ET
Schalke striker Raul has pledged to see out his two-year contract in Gelsenkirchen despite the sacking of coach Felix Magath.
The 33-year-old, recently overtaken as Spain's record goalscorer by David Villa, joined the Royal Blues last summer after spending the whole of his career to that point with Real Madrid and has scored 11 goals this season.

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The club parted company with Magath two weeks ago, with the 57-year-old taking charge of Wolfsburg just a day later.
But Raul insists there will be no impact on his future at the club, telling Sport Bild: "I will stay until 2012. Magath wanted me in the team at all costs but I didn't sign a contract with Felix Magath, I signed with Schalke 04. I am a professional and I will continue to give my best."
And he has high hopes for the remainder of this season.
"We want to win the German Cup," he continued. "It is all the more important for me as I have never won a national cup."
Schalke also face a Champions League quarter-final against holders Inter Milan, but a pessimistic Raul warned: "Inter have an 80% chance of going through. They are the holders of the title, it will be very difficult."

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

• Sport
• Football
• Liverpool

Liverpool's Ian Ayre fears lack of level playing field over finances

&#8226; Questions whether Premier League will be disadvantaged
&#8226; 'These rules should be rules and should be hard and fast'

• Press Association
• guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 30 March 2011 17.04 BST <li class="history">Article history
  
  Liverpool's managing director Ian Ayre has called for clarity on the execution of Uefa's new financial fair-play rules. Photograph: Paul Ellis/AFP/Getty Images The Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre has said he fears Uefa's new financial fair-play rules will be "killed" if they are not applied equally across Europe.
  Ayre, who also confirmed that Liverpool are actively pursuing naming rights for a new stadium or a redeveloped Anfield, is concerned there will not be a level playing field when the new rules come into force in 2014.
  Uefa's rules will ban clubs from playing in European competition if they spend more than they earn, but the rules will initially be enforced by individual national associations and leagues.
  Ayre told the Soccerex conference in Manchester that Liverpool's recent takeover had cleared most of their debt so the club would comply with the regulations. But he said: "These rules should be rules and should be hard and fast.
  "What will kill the initiative or certainly stifle it is people easing themselves into it rather than the rules applying and everyone operating within them. The rules should be clearly defined, you cannot have a half-rule process. We see it as a positive step but the reservations around it are the proof of the pudding being in the application, how it will be applied &#8211; will people be given grace periods, will the sanctions be applied?
  "The question is will it be as fairly applied? If the Premier League takes a very serious and professional view and does it properly, does it put itself at a disadvantage? If it is not managed well and delivered well we would all question the outcome of it."
  Uefa's head of club licensing Andrea Traverso said the rules were "a sort of soft salary cap" and insisted they would be overseen by an independent panel to ensure it was being applied fairly across Europe. He also warned that Uefa would be watching to ensure clubs could not get under-the-counter income boosts from huge sponsorship or stadium naming rights deals from companies associated with them, and would have to prove any deals were close to the market value.
  Ayre, though, foresees potential problems with that stance in terms of naming rights: "We are aiming to invest in a new stadium or an improved stadium. From our perspective that is a real concern because that's something we are talking about to people right now &#8211; about what is the number, what is the right price, the market value.
  "In our most recent shirt sponsorship deal we had a 200% increase &#8211; would that be acceptable? As one of the truly global football brands what is the number, the market value? It could be very difficult for Liverpool if it is an area challenged," he said.
  Traverso insisted, however, that the deals targeted by Uefa would be those done by companies or people related to clubs and not third parties.
  Meanwhile, Clarke Carlisle, the Burnley defender who is chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association, said he supported the measures but feared they will see players forced out of clubs as they try to have smaller squads.
  Carlisle said: "As the players' union we support it 100% to ensure a level of stability for our national game and security for our members' livelihoods. The only slight reservation is we don't know the full ramifications. The first thing clubs will seek to redress is the wage bill and you will see players trimmed from squads.
  "In the transitional period you may see an increased number of players out of contract and less chances for players lower down the leagues."