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Valdes adds Real spark


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Updated Apr 8, 2011 11:29 AM ET
Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes has started to provoke bitter rivals Real Madrid ahead of a possible four meetings between the two adversaries starting later this month.
Barca lead Madrid by eight points in the Primera Division, but the Catalans travel to the Santiago Bernabeu next weekend for a key league clash before the two sides face off in the final of the Copa del Rey on April 20.
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And having built up big leads in their respective Champions League quarter-final first legs - against Shakhtar Donetsk and Tottenham - this week, Barca and Madrid also look set to meet over two matches in the last four of Europe's premier club competition.
All of those games will take place in a hectic 18-day period which will define the season of both teams, but Valdes reminded his rivals that Barca have had the edge in recent Clasico meetings.
"Were Real Madrid's (Clasico) victories in black and white or in colour?" the goalkeeper joked on Antena 3.
But the keeper, who is suspended for Saturday's Division clash at home to bottom club Almeria, is relishing the meetings with Jose Mourinho's side.
"The more Barca-Madrid games there are the better," he said.
"It will make it more intense and will be better for football."
Meanwhile, full-back Maxwell knows the games against Madrid will represent the biggest test of the season for his side.
"It's an enormous challenge to dispute everything with Real Madrid," he said.
Nevertheless, the defender warned his side against distraction ahead of Saturday's game against Almeria and the Champions League second leg against Shakhtar - even though Barca will take a 5-1 lead to Ukraine.
"It's a very dangerous thing if we start thinking about Real Madrid," he said.
"We have to respect both Almeria and Shakhtar - then we'll see."
Maxwell could start against Almeria as Eric Abidal continues to recover after having a tumour removed from his liver last month.
Reserve keeper Jose Manuel Pinto is doubtful and with Valdes suspended, that could leave Barca coach Pep Guardiola with a big selection headache in goal for Saturday's game.
Sergio Busquets is also banned, while captain Carles Puyol is unlikely to return from injury.
Guardiola, though, wants concentration in Saturday's match.
"It's forbidden for us to lose against Almeria - we have to go the Bernabeu with an eight-point lead," he said.
While Barca lead the Primera Division with eight rounds left, Almeria prop up the table and the Andalusians have changed their coach ahead of Saturday's game.
Roberto Olabe has come in to replace previous boss Jose Luis Oltra following back-to-back defeats and the new man is the club's third coach of what has been a difficult season.
Olabe is set for a daunting debut at the Nou Camp and has had little time to prepare for the trip to Barcelona, having taken his first training session on Wednesday.
Santiago Acasiete and Carlos Garcia are doubtful for Saturday's game, while Hernan Pellerano serves the second game of his two-match suspension.
 
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  • Report Abuse Abrupt
    • 4/8/2011 9:38:44 PM
    like a true professional he does his job perfectly and quietly
  • Report Abuse Abrupt
    • 4/8/2011 9:37:22 PM
    Abi gets no credit? Say what? There's no other LB in the world I would take over him and i'm pretty sure many others would say the same
  • Report Abuse Tabletopper
    • 4/8/2011 9:10:14 PM
    Abidal hardly gets any credit in defence. when puyol was out he was marchalling the whole back line.
  • Report Abuse Tabletopper
    • 4/8/2011 9:07:02 PM
    youassume no matter how you try you just cant hide.

    Stier4 we need a ref to nip any sign of aggression in the bud asap. (on both sides) Be like the BPL refs: for an early offence stop stop the game and give that player a lengthy talk letting all the other players know that you are in charge and you wont hesitate in issuing RED card
  • Report Abuse Waliid
    • 4/8/2011 7:58:19 PM
    As much as i hope Barca to win their next 4 games againt RM, but having watched their weak deffence in last CL game ( abance of Buyol and Abidal) I have the feelings they cant hold the speed of CR7, the talents of Benzema and the Magic and the skills of Ozil and De Maria.. I just dont see it. I hope Pep works in deffence and rest his players next week's game since Barca is leading 8 points in league. no need this game just focus Copa Del Rey and CL games.
  • Report Abuse PhiladelphiaHotSpur
    • 4/8/2011 7:50:06 PM
    Looking forward to the RealKardashians and those lovely theatrics on the pitch as they try to con the officials into another card.............You would think the GDP of some third world nations would be enough to compete................wankers
  • Report Abuse LaLigaBlaugrana
    • 4/8/2011 7:07:05 PM
    youassume, congrats to all the portuguese teams in europa league. but they will all go down to villareal anyway
  • Report Abuse SevenNSeven
    • 4/8/2011 6:48:48 PM
    This Valdes guy needs a few soccer balls stuffed down his throat to shut him up.
  • Report Abuse SevenNSeven
    • 4/8/2011 6:47:39 PM
    ?
  • Report Abuse stier4
    • 4/8/2011 6:13:56 PM
    Tabletopper,

    Alonso is a very clean player! He would not do such a thing! Ramos, maybe; Pepe, hell yes!!
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Berlusconi eyes Ronaldo swoop


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Updated Apr 6, 2011 11:28 AM ET
AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi dreams of signing Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid and has told Adriano Galliani to begin negotiations.
Former Manchester United man Ronaldo, who arrived at Real from Old Trafford in 2009, is contracted at the Bernabeu until summer 2015.

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But Berlusconi has revealed his interest in the 26-year-old Portugal international, who was on target for the Spanish giants during their 4-0 Champions League thrashing of Tottenham on Tuesday evening.
He said: "My dream is to have Cristiano Ronaldo in the team. I gave free rein to (AC Milan's CEO Adriano) Galliani (to start the negotiations)."
Real coach Jose Mourinho says he would leave the Spanish club if Ronaldo were sold to AC Milan, though has made it clear he would not follow the forward to the San Siro.
He said to Mediaset Premium: "Berlusconi wants Ronaldo? That's an impossible mission. Although football is an industry and you never know.
"If Cristiano goes away, I'll go away too. But not to AC Milan, not AC Milan."
 
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  • Report Abuse PMaldini333
    • 4/7/2011 3:41:47 PM
    look guys...this is complete rubbish...there is a 0% chance of Milan getting Ronaldo...it's just another example of Berlusconi talking out of his a**.
  • Report Abuse turiddhu
    • 4/7/2011 2:09:08 PM
    if milan do get ronaldo, it would not be a good fit, they would have to build an entirely new team around him,including the coach.
  • Report Abuse turiddhu
    • 4/7/2011 2:06:13 PM
    why?, not to be direspectable to anyone,but is todays soccer any doifferent than berlusconi and his "rubacuori" ? 🙂)
  • Report Abuse Jim.Prunier
    • 4/7/2011 10:01:26 AM
    The guy pays 17-year-old prosittutes, throws orgies and claims the communists are getting him. What more needs to be said?

    Jim :-}
  • Report Abuse nandez527
    • 4/6/2011 8:42:28 PM
    @rotwiessessen - you look at it from a common sense point of view, milan do need to fill other holes, but why fills those holes when you can bring in one winger? haha, i kid i kid. that's simply berlusconi's reasoning. my guess is theyll do something to sell ibra for a large large price to some sucker (man city?) to cover atleast half the cost of ronaldo. i guess it makes sense in that a good winger can terrorize the serie a, but it wouldnt be worth it. i just want them to get montolivo.
  • Report Abuse dblu2
    • 4/6/2011 4:52:24 PM
    Berlusconi needs CR7 to help him pick up the hottest chicks in Milan. Money and the PM position only go so far when you're 74.
  • Report Abuse rotwiessessen222
    • 4/6/2011 4:37:17 PM
    Not gonna happen as Milan have too many other short comings on defense and in midfield that need to be addressed this summer. And then they have to decide what they are going to do with Ibra???
  • Report Abuse anti-madridista
    • 4/6/2011 3:46:22 PM
    Doesn't Real Madrid have like a 190 mil buyout clause in Ronaldo's contract?
  • Report Abuse sonixex
    • 4/6/2011 3:25:04 PM
    Ronaldo moving to Milan, I believe it. But mostly likely happening when Ronaldo is 35, fat, broken down, and over-the-hill.
  • Report Abuse acmilanrox99
    • 4/6/2011 2:43:22 PM
    Well, this is Berlusconi being crazy as usual!

    The 70M-80M we'd have to waste to bid would go so much further in securing the midfield and defense. We already HAVE the attacking power. What doesn't the Milan management seem to get...
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Ubingwa wanukia Jangwani Send to a friend Friday, 08 April 2011 15:07

angashangilia.jpg
Washambuliaji wa Yanga, Kigi Makaasi (kushoto), Iddy Mbaga(kulia) na Davis Mwape aliyesimama nyuma wakishangilia kwa mtindo maarufu wa kipa wa TP Mazembe, Robert Kidiaba.

Calvin Kiwia
NDOTO ya Yanga kutwaa ubingwa msimu huu imeanza kunukia baada ya kuwachakaza vibonde African Lyon kwa mabao 3-1 na kuiengua Simba kileleni mwa ligi kwa tofauti ya mabao.

Yanga waliouwaza mchezo wao kwa kasi walifanikiwa kupata bao la kuongoza dakika 32, kupitia kwa mshambuliaji Idd Mbaga aliyemalizia pasi nzuri ya Davie Mwape. Kabla ya Mzambia huyo kuifungia Yanga bao la pili mwanzoni mwa kipindi cha pili kwa shuti kali la pembeni ya uwanja na kumpita kipa Ivo Mapunda na kwenda moja kwa moja wavuni.

Kigi Makassi aliyeitwa kwenye kikosi cha timu ya vijana chini ya miaka 23, kitachoivaa Cameroon kesho alimtegenezea pasi nzuri kwa Mbaga aliyemzidi mbio beki wa Lyon kabla ya kumchambua Mapunda na kuipa Yanga bao la tatu dakika 61, huku Chacha Marwa akijifunga mwenyewe dakika ya 78 akijaribu kuokoa krosi ya Benedictor Jacobna kuipa African bao la kufutia machozi.

Ushindi huo umeifanya Yanga kufikisha pointi 46, sawa na Simba na kuongoza ligi kwa tofauti ya mabao ikiwa imebaki mechi moja dhidi ya Toto Africa, huku mahasimu wake watakuwa Uwanja wa Uhuru kuivaa Majimaji iliyoshuka daraja hapo Jumapili.

Katika kipindi cha kwanza, kipa wa Lyon, Mapunda alifanya kazi kubwa ya kuizuia safu ya ushambuliaji wa Yanga iliyokuwa ikifanya mashambulizi mengi kupitia kwa Kigi Makassi, Mwape na Mbaga.

Hadi timu hizo zinakwenda mapumzika kipa wa zamani wa Taifa Stars, Mapunda alipangua na kuokoa mashuti sita ya wazi yaliyokuwa wakielekea wavuni.

Hakuna ushindi usiokuwa na kilio ndicho kilichoikuta Yanga, baada ya nyota wao Mbaga kuumia na kutolewa nje nafasi yake kuchukuliwa na Razack Khalfan baada ya kuogongana na Zuber Makameba.

Katika mchezo huo Yanga ilipata kona sita wakati Lyon walipiga kona 5 ambazo zote hazikuzaa matunda, huku mwamuzi wa mchezo huo akitoa kadi mbili za njano, kwa kipa Mapunda kwa kuchelewa kuingia uwanjani na beki wa Yanga, Nadir Haroub kwa kumchezea vibaya Makameba.
 
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+1 #2 barcelona 2011-04-08 17:39 yanga big up
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+1 #1 mtu kwao 2011-04-08 17:38 Simba ni bora wakose ubingwa ..inasikitisha sana wanalewa sifa na kusahau majukumu,,na dharau nyingi sasa hali ndio hiyoooooooo.ubingwa jangwani msitegemee kudra za Mungu wakati muda mlipewa lakini mkashindwa kuutumia..kiburi si uungwa bali ni hamasa na vitendo ...
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Tumia jukwaa ili kutoa maoni ambayo yatasaidia kulijenga taifa letu. Kumbuka, maoni yako yatapitiwa kwanza kabla hayajarushwa hewani!!!!!!
 
Juve rubbish Buffon exit talk


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Updated Apr 4, 2011 10:04 AM ET
Juventus director general Giuseppe Marotta insists the Bianconeri have no plans to sell goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon this summer.
The Italian stopper recently hinted that he could look to move on and as a result his Serie A club have recently been linked with Ajax's Maarten Stekelenburg.

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Premier League Arsenal have been credited with an interest in Buffon, who was replaced by Marco Storari in Sunday's win over Roma due to illness.
But Marotta has dismissed suggestions of selling their number one.
"We will be counting on Buffon for the present and the future," Marotta said after the win over Roma.
"We regularly talk with the player himself and his agent Silvano Martina. It is not our intention to sell him."
But Marotta has implied that no decision has been made regarding the future of Juventus manager Luigi Del Neri following a disappointing domestic and European campaign.
Outgoing Bayern Munich manager Louis van Gaal has been reported to be set to move to Italy, despite the Dutchman's insistence that he is planning a sabbatical.
"Del Neri has a contract and he's done his work as best he can up until now," said Marotta.
"There have been a lot of difficulties and misfortune, but evaluations will need to be made with him further down the line.
"We have started a project together, but I don't think he is to blame for the league position we find ourselves in."
 
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  • Report Abuse turiddhu
    • 4/4/2011 9:42:07 PM
    strange! the first message didn't go in, the second one both of them go in! the first one was stuck in traffic! 🙂)
  • Report Abuse turiddhu
    • 4/4/2011 9:39:19 PM
    i think buffon will be sold,the reason is a combination of factors,he's getting old and kind of damaged physically,he's still worth money which the team critically needs to buy new players after squandering huge amounts of money on bad players,storari is a good keeper ,not as good as gigi but good, i remember him very well at messina which is where i'm from,when he worked out miracles helping that team stay in serie a.i think buffon will even tacitly give his approval .
  • Report Abuse turiddhu
    • 4/4/2011 9:31:45 PM
    i think buffon will be sold.the reason i think is a combination of factors, buffon is getting old and kind of damaged,he's still worth money and he himself will give the ok to be sold in order to help his team out,too many bad investments and they are in very bad need of fresh money for additional investments, also storari is a good keeper who worked out miracles if anybody remembers keeping messina from being relegated from serie a about 6 years back..
  • Report Abuse marcbarca
    • 4/4/2011 6:15:27 PM
    I totally agree with you on Storari Rox. That dude is excellent! I was shocked Milan let him go because I thought he was better than Abiatti. Of course, Abiatti is playing his best this year. Far better than last season.
  • Report Abuse juvieman
    • 4/4/2011 6:04:59 PM
    Not sure I believe Marotta. I would hate to see Gigi go, but this is business. Whatever happens, I think Marotta will mess up the sale. He has proven to be almost incompetent when it comes to buying and selling players. He sells low and buys high. Diego and Martinez are the clearest example. I have more issues with Marotta than I do with Del Neri.
  • Report Abuse acmilanrox99
    • 4/4/2011 2:53:16 PM
    If Buffon leaves Juve don't need to buy a big goalkeeper, they already have Storari. Storari is a fantastic goalie he's just a smaller name than Buffon.
  • Report Abuse marcbarca
    • 4/4/2011 9:48:55 AM
    Even though Buffon looks tremendous when he's in, he's clearly not 'in' often enough anymore. If Juve can get a large fee for him, they should jump on it. There are several very strong keepers in Serie A that would be happy to come to Juve, including Frey, Amelia and Viviano. And then there are also big time keepers outside of Italia that coudl also fit the bill. 20m??? Don't hesitate, just do it!
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Pato la muziki Tanzania linashuka


na Makuburi Ally


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PATO la taifa linalotokana na sanaa ya muziki Tanzania katika miaka mitatu tangu 2007 hadi mwaka jana linakadiriwa kuwa ni sh bilioni 71 karibu asilimia 0.5 ya jumla ya pato la taifa kutokana na mipangilio mibovu ya ufuatiliaji wa kazi za sekta hiyo na kusababisha mapato hayo kupotea bila mwelekeo.
Hali ya kupotea kwa pato la muziki inasababishwa na upungufu katika sheria ya Hakimiliki na Shiriki ya Chama cha Hakimiliki na Shiriki Tanzania (COSOTA).
Hayo yalibainishwa na mchumi kutoka Chuo Kikuu cha Dar es Salaam, (UDSM), Dk. Jehovanes Aikael, katika semina ya siku moja iliyoandaliwa na asasi ya Rulu Arts Promoters, iliyofanyika katika Hoteli ya Lamada jijini Dar es Salaam juzi.
Dk. Aikael alifafanua kwamba mwaka 2007 pato la muziki lilikuwa asilimia 0.48 ikiwa hakuna ongezeko la ukuaji, wakati 2008 ilipanda hadi asilimia 0.53 kiasi cha ukuaji cha 5.42, mwaka 2009 pato la taifa lilikuwa asilimia 0.59 kiasi cha ukuaji 6.03 na mwaka jana ni asilimia 0.66 kiasi cha ukuaji ni 6.72.
Alisema kuna sababu nyingi katika tasnia ya sanaa zinazosababisha kukosa nafasi kubwa kwenye sera ya taifa katika nchi nyingi duniani, ikiwamo upungufu wa takwimu sahihi, inayoonekana kuwa ni ndogo kiuchumi kutokana na kupewa umuhimu mdogo.
Dk. Aikael aliongeza kuwa uelewa mdogo wa sanaa na utamaduni, unaashiria kuwa mtazamo huo wa udogo wa sekta ya sanaa si sahihi, kutokana na upungufu katika sheria ya hakimiliki ya mwaka 1999 na pia kutokuwepo utekelezaji wa sheria hiyo kikamilifu na kuruhusu unyonyaji mkubwa wa wanamuziki unaofanywa na wakala wa kazi za wasanii.
Semina hiyo iliongozwa na Mwenyekiti, mwanamuziki nguli, John Kitime, ambako COSOTA, iliwasilisha mada kuhusu upungufu wa sheria mama ya tasnia ya sanaa.
Naye Mkurugenzi wa Rulu Arts Promoters, Ruyembe Mulimba, alisema wanasubiri taratibu za mchakato wa kupelekwa kwa muswada wa haki miliki na shirikishi inayofanyiwa kazi na Wizara ya Viwanda na Biashara, zoezi ambalo lilianza mwaka 2006, ambapo utekelezaji wake umekuwa ni wa kusuasua.
 
Bacinovic agent cools United link


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Updated Apr 7, 2011 8:15 AM ET
07/04/2011 11:33 +0100

Despite only moving to Palermo last summer, the Slovenian has been hugely impressive in Serie A and is attracting interest from throughout Europe. The tough-tackling midfielder is most strongly linked with England, and reports had claimed that United were looking to edge out Liverpool to his signature. But the player's representative Amir Ruznic insists he has had no word from the Old Trafford outfit. "ManchesterUnited? I have had no contacts with them, these rumours are completely new for me," Ruznic told Reterete24. "Some teams from the Premier League wanted some information about him, but not Manchester United. "His performance for Slovenia against Northern Ireland put him in the spotlight, but it is a basic information exchange so far. "Bacinovic has spoken about his wish to play in the Premier League one day, but this doesn't mean, that he will leave Palermo in the summer." Ruznic revealed that talks over a new deal at Palermo were also ongoing. "I have talked with Palermo executive director Rinaldo Sagramolo about a new contract, however we have signed nothing yet," he said. "This is developing and there will not be any problems in achieving an agreement."
 
Super Nyamwela kuiongoza Extra Bongo Leaders leo


na Abdallah Menssah


amka2.gif
BENDI mahiri ya Extra Bongo ‘Next Level' leo imejinasibu kupagawisha vilivyo katika bonanza la wasanii wa muziki na filamu, linalorindima kila Jumamosi kwenye ukumbi wa Leaders Club, jijini Dar es Salaam.
Akizungumza jijini Dar es Salaam jana, Msemaji wa Extra Bongo, Douglas Sagawala, alisema ana hakika watamudu vilivyo kukonga nyoyo za wote watakaohudhuria, kutokana na maandalizi waliyoyafanya.
Sagawala alieleza kuwa, kati ya mambo waliyopanga ‘kuwaroga' nayo mashabiki katika bonanza hilo leo ni pamoja na shoo yao kali itakayoongozwa na gwiji wa fani hiyo hapa nchini, Super Nyamwela.
"Pia tutawatumbuizia mashabiki na wapenzi wetu vibao vyote vinavyopendwa zaidi kama vile ‘Double Double', ‘Regina Zanzibar', ‘First Lady', ‘3x3' pamoja na ‘Mjini Mipango'," alisema Sagawala.
Mbali ya Extra Bongo, bendi nyingine zinazotarajiwa kupamba bonanza hilo litakaloanza majira ya saa 8:00 mchana na kuendelea hadi saa 1:30 jioni ni Diamond Musica, Talent Band, Mashujaa Musica na Stone Mayasika.
 
Raul seeks Real Madrid return


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Updated Apr 5, 2011 11:48 AM ET
Real Madrid legend Raul expects to return to the club in some capacity when his playing days are over.

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The former Spain striker, now 33, is currently playing for German side Schalke and has a contract until the end of next season with the Gelsenkirchen outfit.
Raul, whose side face Inter Milan in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final, left Madrid last summer but insists coach Jose Mourinho did not offload him.
"When I finish my playing career I want to return to Real Madrid," he told La Stampa. "But until 2012, I'm not thinking about it.
"I decided to leave - not Jose Mourinho. He wanted me to stay."
 
Hecking eyes derby win


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Updated Apr 8, 2011 11:15 AM ET
Nurnberg coach Dieter Hecking believes there is no reason why his side cannot win the 182nd Bavarian derby with Bayern Munich on Saturday.
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Nurnberg have no relegation fears this season having already broken through the 42-point barrier, while a win over their neighbours on Saturday could even see them move up to fifth in the table, a place which would earn them European football next season.
Therefore, Hecking says his side can go all out for a win on Saturday without any concerns.
"We showed too much respect at their place and there was really no need for it," he said.
"Of course Bayern have better individuals in their team, but we have seen often enough this season how a side with good team spirit can create surprises.
"We can do that too, but only if we play as a team.
"Of course we still have the ambition to get the points we need (to finish fifth), but we also know that we have a hard run-in - harder than Mainz's."
Hecking has been given a boost by the return to training of his side's top goalscorer Julian Schieber this week.
He will be given a place on the bench on Saturday according to Hecking.
Bayern coach Louis van Gaal has a fully-fit squad to choose from, apart from the long-term injury absentees Ivica Olic and Daniel van Buyten.
They make the short journey north aiming to win for the first time since 2005 at the Franken Stadion and improve their chances of finishing inside the top three.
Aiming any higher than that would be unrealistic right now, according to midfielder Toni Kroos.
"Bayer are making a very stable impression and it is going to be incredibly hard to haul them in," said the former Leverkusen midfielder on Bayern's website.
 
Chelsea-striker-Salomon-K-007.jpg

Solomon Kaloue says it hurts to see fellows back home slaughtering each other...................I agree.............
 
Chelsea v Wigan, Saturday 3pm

Salomon Kalou: It's hard playing and not thinking about people dying

Chelsea striker tells Stuart James he has more than football on his mind – his father is caught up in the Ivory Coast conflict




  • Stuart James
  • guardian.co.uk, Friday 8 April 2011 19.10 BST <li class="history">Article history
    Salomon-Kalou-Chelsea-and-007.jpg
    Salomon Kalou says it is hard playing football when he has family and friends in strife-torn Ivory Coast. Photograph: Graeme Robertson/for the Guardian

    Salomon Kalou has a huge weight on his mind and it has nothing to do with Chelsea's Champions League defeat against Manchester United in midweek. The prospect of finishing the season at Stamford Bridge without a trophy is hard to contemplate but it pales into insignificance compared with the heartache Kalou feels when he turns his thoughts to his family and friends caught up in the conflict in the Ivory Coast.
    The bitter and bloody fallout from last November's presidential elections has plunged the country where Kalou spent the first 17 years of his life back into civil war. Thousands have been killed and the harrowing images of the street battles in Abidjan, where his father, Antoine, and other members of his extended family live, together with the stories of food and water shortages in what was once West Africa's most prosperous country, plague Kalou's conscience.
    "It's very hard to go on to the pitch and say I'm not thinking about people dying every day, I'm not thinking about my friends not eating, my dad not getting help," Kalou says. "To be honest, I worry every day. I am thinking more about that than anything else. Any chance I have to go on the phone or to go on the news and check I do, because that's my main priority. I need to make sure my family are safe.
    "I got my mum and five sisters out four days before it started. When we played against Benin in Ghana last month with Ivory Coast [in an African Cup of Nations qualifier moved to a neutral venue because of the violence], I got them to come and watch the game and from there they went to Togo. They can stay there until the end of the situation. My dad was going to come as well but the war started on the day he was going to come."
    Kalou acknowledges he is in a fortunate position to be able to afford sanctuary for his mother and sisters in Togo for as long as they need it, but he feels "helpless" in relation to his father's predicament. The problems in Abidjan mean that, at the time of this interview, which takes place at his home in Surrey on Thursday evening, Kalou has gone three days without speaking to his father. He is desperate to hear news of a peaceful resolution.
    "I don't want to take any sides and I don't want to get involved in the politics of the Ivory Coast because politics is for politicians, but it hurts me to see my friends, my brothers, killing each other," he says. "Some of my best friends are from the north, I'm from the west, I have friends from the south &#8211; I have a lot of Ivorian friends. Ivorians don't have problems with Ivorians. Politics are dividing people. But is that a reason for people to kill? Why not stop that now and talk.
    People from outside should help to bring peace. Bring food and water to people. That's what I call worrying about the civilians. Then I can have respect for that and say those people really care. If your priority is to say one side loses and one side wins, then you are not stopping anything. They will keep fighting and, in the end, when everyone is gone, what is left for those people? Those kids who have seen the war and people dying, how many years is it going to take for them to get over it?"
    Although Kalou admits it is impossible to erase those questions from his mind, the football pitch at least provides a place to try to escape. His only wish is that he spent much more time immersing himself in playing, rather than watching from the substitutes' bench, which was again the case on Wednesday night, when Chelsea lost 1-0 to United and Kalou was forced to endure the familiar sight of the strikers picked ahead of him fluffing their lines.
    It is a frustrating situation, especially as this season Kalou has by far the best goals-to-minutes ratio in the Premier League of the four Chelsea forwards and is second only to Nicolas Anelka in all competitions. "That speaks for itself," Kalou says as he runs his eyes over the figures. "I think a player can be great if you have the opportunity to play every week and show what you can do. If you take a player like [Lionel] Messi and you don't play him, you won't see how good he is.
    "All along my time at Chelsea there is always a big name playing and that makes it difficult for the manager to put me in the team. And I understand that, because coming in as a young player in a big club, you have to fight your way through. But I have been here for five years, scored over 50 goals for the club and there are some big players who have been here who haven't done that. But I think the fans appreciate my record."
    Kalou reels off the names of Hernán Crespo, Andriy Shevchenko, Mateja Kezman and Claudio Pizarro to illustrate his point. It is tempting to wonder whether the much-maligned Fernando Torres will be next on the list, although Kalou insists he is pleased the Spaniard signed. "The arrival of Torres is a benefit to me because now I get to play my real position, behind the striker &#8211; that's where I was playing before I joined Chelsea. I played with Torres against Manchester City and I thought it was really good. We had very good movement and created chances."
    Chelsea triumphed 2-0 that day, although it was the only match Kalou has started in the last seven, raising the obvious question about what he can do to change things. "I think I can talk to the club and see what my position is because it's frustrating to not get involved knowing that you're playing better than others," the former Feyenoord striker says. "I did speak to Carlo Ancelotti. He is an understanding man. He knows what I feel as a player because he played before."
    Will it get to the stage where he thinks he has to go to a club where he will be the main forward? "Of course. I think about it all the time," Kalou says. "That's what my goal is [to be the first choice]. If you look at those statistics, if I play double the games, I'm sure I can do better than that. I think people know and I think the club know &#8211; they never let me go or try to sell me. I believe that my time is coming at Chelsea, and if it's not at Chelsea it will be at another team."
    Yet Kalou is such an affable, laid-back character that it is difficult to imagine him making demands or creating a scene when overlooked. "If I'm not happy I'm not playing, I don't really show my emotions," the 25-year-old admits. "Sometimes, maybe I should show more because it's good for the manager to know that the player is pissed off not to play. I'm relaxed and easy-going and people think that whatever he gets to play he will be happy. But that's not the case sometimes."
    For Kalou, though, it is about "showing respect" for his team-mates when he is left out and supporting them, which helps to explain why he is so well liked at Chelsea at all levels. He smiles knowingly when it is suggested he is popular with Roman Abramovich, the club's owner, and the rest of the board.
    "They know that I never complain, never make trouble and never try to bring the club's image down. They have the belief that most of the players who will complain will be doing crazy stuff in training and not training well and that's not the case with me, so I think they respect that and they also have respect for the fact that, even though I am not playing, I can have better statistics than the player who does."
    One statistic Kalou would prefer not to have to his name, however, is the club record he broke last Saturday at Stoke, when he made his 94th substitute appearance for Chelsea. "It's like getting a plastic medal. It's kind of like, you've done good to be a sub. That's not what I want," he says, shaking his head. "I want to have a real impact as an important player for Chelsea because I know I have the ability to do that.
    "The only thing is to be playing regularly and have the confidence and rhythm of those games. Then you can show what you can do. If you can play 20 minutes and change a game, you can change a game in 90 minutes."
    The evidence of one of his more recent contributions from the bench can be found in his lounge, where the man-of-the-match champagne from the Blackpool game last month, when he replaced Didier Drogba to create two Chelsea goals in a 3-1 victory, sits next to the signed ball he took home after scoring a hat-trick against Stoke City 12 months ago. One of Usain Bolt's running shoes, a picture of Diego Maradona in his prime and a signed Muhammad Ali boxing glove complete the sporting backdrop.
    Kalou gives a guided tour of the rest of the house, which is decorated with shirts from some of the world's greatest players, as an interview that lasts the length of time he would like to spend on the pitch against Wigan on Saturday draws to a close. One conversation, though, is difficult to leave behind. "We need to stop the war," he says. "What I worry about is my family to not get hurt and my country to not get destroyed. My concern is not who is going to govern. My main concern is peace."

 
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