Category Archives: Soccer

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson insists eight-game ban for Liverpool striker Luis Suarez was ‘the right decision’

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Alex Ferguson; Kenny Dalglish
The 69-year-old has fully backed Patrice Evra over the incident, and believes the issue is not about club ties, and that Kenny Dalglish’s side need to accept the FA’s decision

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Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson maintains the FA made the correct decision in banning Liverpool striker Luis Suarez for eight games after being found guilty of racially abusing Patrice Evra.

Since the decision on Tuesday, which also saw the Uruguayan landed with a £40,000 fine, Liverpool have supported their player, issuing a number of statements whilst also allowing his teammates and manager, Kenny Dalglish, to wear t-shirts with Suarez’s image before Wednesday’s 0-0 draw against Wigan.

The 69-year-old has reiterated his backing for Evra over the incident and believes the issue should not be about club ties, and that Liverpool must now accept the FA’s conclusion and not dwell on the verdict.

“Our support of Patrice was obvious right from the word go and that’s still the same,” he toldThe Guardian. “The matter is over and I think we’re satisfied that they [the FA's independent commission] found the right decision.

“This wasn’t about Manchester United and Liverpool at all. It was nothing to do with that. This was an individual situation where one person was racially abused.”

Ferguson also discussed an incident involving Evra in 2008, in which the French fullback came to blows with Chelsea ground staff at Stamford Bridge after an alleged racist taunt was angled in his direction.

The former Monaco fullback received a four-game suspension for the incident, and whilst the United boss admits he was unable to understand the English football governing body’s decision at the time, there was no other choice but to accept their ruling.

“Patrice got that suspension for the incident down at Chelsea when no-one was there, just a groundsman and our fitness coach,” he said. “He got a four-match ban and we had to wait two weeks for the evidence to come through.

“We were quite astounded at that. A four-match ban? We thought it was well over the top for a trivial incident. But it happened and there’s nothing you can do about it, you know.”

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Manchester City fullback Wayne Bridge slams Roberto Mancini over selection jibe

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Wayne Bridge,Manchester City (Getty Images )
The left-back has been linked with a loan move to Arsenal, and the 31-year-old has suggested the Italian boss rarely speaks to him as he is frozen out at the club

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Wayne Bridge has hit out at Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini after the Italian had suggested the 31-year-old was only remaining at Eastlands to continue picking up his wages.

The left-back has been made aware that he was no future with the Premier League leaders, having joined the club in 2009 from Chelsea.

Bridge spent the second half of last season on loan at West Ham, and the former Southampton man has revealed that Mancini has made it clear he is not wanted at City, with the Italian hardly ever speaking to him.

“When I was at Chelsea I was playing for a team where Ashley Cole was the best in the world and I still got games,” Bridge told the Daily Mail. “It won’t happen at City. There has never been an explanation, but it’s obvious they don’t want me.”

Bridge has only played once this season, in September’s 2-0 League Cup victory over Birmingham City, and the player has compared his situation at the Etihad Stadium to that of Dutch defender Winston Bogarde at Chelsea, who made just nine Premier League appearances in four years at Stamford Bridge.

“Mancini doesn’t really speak to me, he doesn’t really speak to any of the players. The only time I’ve known a player isolated like this was Winston Bogarde at Chelsea. Usually you still train with the first team, even when they want you out,” he said.

The Blues already face a transfer dilemma over wantaway striker Carlos Tevez, but unlike the Argentine, Bridge insists he has never behaved negatively in order to force a move.

“I’ve never caused trouble, I’m not that kind of character,” he added. “There will be days when I’m frustrated – not depressed, but down. Training helps take my mind off the fact that I don’t play. If I kicked up a fuss I might have got out easier.”

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Did you smash it, Jamie? – Goal.com’s quotes of the year

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EPL,Mario Balotelli,Manchester United v Manchester City
Mario Balotelli, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Maradona and many more feature as we look back on some of the more eccentric moments in football during 2011

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Ah, Christmas. A time for reflection as we reach the end of the year. And even when a ball isn’t being kicked, somebody is saying something of interest to someone somewhere about football.

The modern day player has seemingly at times had most of the personality media-trained out of them. But fortunately for us, occasionally, a maverick – a renegade – goes ‘off message’ and delivers us a sumptuous piece of verbal pie.

The calendar year of 2011 had no shortage of these characters, and so, here is the pick of the bunch.

We begin at the start, in January, with the villains of our piece…

and with those four words, broadcaster Richard Keys, synonymous with the Premier League era, was dropped into the sexism row that had seen colleague Andy Gray lose his job. Off-air footage of Gray scoffing at the suggestion of a female assistant referee, and making inappropriate comments to fellow presenter Charlotte Jackson had earlier leaked.

Keys resigned and apologized, but claimed “dark forces” were at work in the leaking of the footage. The pair now present a talk radio show and have recently entered into the public speaking circuit.

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Corinthians’ Adriano involved in shooting incident

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Adriano - Corinthians (Nike Futebol/FLICKR)
The former Inter and Roma striker has been embroiled in a controversy in his homeland after a young lady was shot in the hand

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Corinthians striker Adriano was involved as a 20-year-old was shot in the hand in the early hours of Friday morning as they sat in a car following a party.

Adriane Cirilo dos Pintos was taken to the Barra D’Or hospital and given emergency attention. The young woman said that Adriano was playing with a .40-caliber pistol in the back seat of the vehicle when the gun had fired.

However, Adriano denies her version of events.

“I was in the front seat; the shooting was done in the back seat,” the striker was quoted in a statement reproduced on Globoesporte.

The woman is in stable condition at the hospital but must undergo further tests on Saturday and may need surgery because the bullet caused a fracture in her left hand.

Neither Adriano nor Corinthians have commented on the incident, and the player said he would not give evidence at the police station because of the possibility of an uproar caused by his presence.

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Adriano Galliani: It’s Manchester City’s Carlos Tevez or no one for AC Milan

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Adriano Galliani - Milan (Getty Images)
The club official has claimed that the Italian giants will not move for Maxi Lopez or any other forward player should they fail to capture the Argentine hitman

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AC Milan vice president Adriano Galliani has stated that if the Serie A giants fail to sign Carlos Tevez from Manchester City during January, it will not make further additions to its striking unit over the course of the month.

The Rossoneri are prepared to play a waiting game with the Argentine striker, as Galliani indicated that they are willing to wait for the 27-year-old until January 31, the final day of the transfer window, despite interest from Paris Saint-Germain. Additionally, he confessed that the move is being made to provide cover for Antonio Cassano, who is presently recovering from illness suffered in the autumn.

“It’s a difficult time economically, but we’ll try to give our fans a Christmas gift,” he told Sky Sport 24, before stating that such a present will not be forward Maxi Lopez of Catania.

“Maxi Lopez? I told Tevez to wait until the end of the market. So if he does not arrive we will remain the same. I think Tevez will suffice, because if Cassano had not had his problems, we would not be in the market.”

Galliano also spoke of coach Massimiliano Allegri, whose present deal runs out at the end of the campaign. Nevertheless, the director is confident 44-year-old will sign an extension.

“Massimiliano wants to stay with us and we want him to stay,” he mused. “So no doubt we will find an agreement.”

Milan has finished 2011 top of the standings, level on 34 points with Juventus.

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CPS to announce verdict on racism investigation regarding Chelsea captain John Terry on Wednesday afternoon

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John Terry, Chelsea
A spokeswomen has revealed findings into alleged abuse of QPR’s Anton Ferdinand, which could result in legal proceedings against the England skipper, will be revealed today

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Chelsea defender John Terry is facing charges over the alleged racist abuse of QPR defender Anton Ferdinand after the Crown Prosecution Service’s verdict on Wednesday afternoon.

Terry was initially accused of making racist remarks towards Ferdinand during Chelsea’s 1-0 defeat to QPR at Loftus Road on October 23.

Shortly after a video was put up on YouTube of the incident although Terry insisted in a statement afterwards that what he had said had been taken out of context.

“I’ve seen that there’s a lot of comments on the internet with regards to some video footage of me during the game,” he said at the time. “I’m disappointed that people have lept to the wrong conclusions about the context of what I was seen to be saying to Anton Ferdinand.

He added, “I would never say such a thing, and I’m saddened that people would think so.”

The decision was made just days after prosecutors were handed more evidence as they deliberated over whether they should bring forward charges.

The FA can now complete its inquiry into the matter having been waiting for the CPS to announce its decision on the England captain.

This announcement comes just a day after Liverpool striker Luis Suarez was given an eight match ban and 40,000 pounds fine by the FA for using ‘insulting words’ against Manchester United defender Patrice Evra.

Meanwhile, on the pitch Terry is battling to be fit for Chelsea’s trip to Tottenham on Thursday having picked up an Achilles injury in training. A win for the Blues will lift them above Spurs and into third place in the Premier League.

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Report: Inter joins Chelsea in race for Universidad de Chile’s Igor Lichnovsky

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Inter celebrating (Getty Images)
The promising Chilean youngster has previously been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge, but has now also attracted the interest of the Nerazzurri.

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Promising youngster Igor Lichnovsky could be on his way out of Universidad de Chile in the January transfer window as Inter has shown an interest in signing the defender, La Gazzetta dello Sport reports.

The Nerazzurri are desperate to add some reinforcements to their defense this winter, and they reportedly see the 17-year-old Lichnovsky as the perfect addition to their aging squad.

Lichnovsky is a product of the Universidad de Chile youth academy and made his first-team debut earlier this year.

The center back is considered to be one of the brightest prospects in South America at present and has previously been linked with a move to Premier League giants Chelsea.

The towering defender has represented Chile at Under-17 level and featured at the South American Championships earlier this season.

 

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Report: AC Milan eyes loan deal for Chelsea’s Fernando Torres as alternative to Manchester City’s Carlos Tevez

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EPL: Fernando Torres, Wigan v Chelsea
The Rossoneri haven’t given up hopes of signing the Argentine just yet, but could turn their attention to the Spaniard if they fail to attain their first-choice target

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AC Milan is exploring the possibility of signing Chelsea striker Fernando Torres on a six-month loan deal in the event that it fails to recruit Carlos Tevez from Manchester City, La Gazzetta dello Sport reports.

The Rossoneri are keen to boost their attacking options in the second half of the season because of the lengthy absence of Antonio Cassano due to health problems, and they have earmarked Tevez as the perfect candidate to strengthen their squad.

However, Milan is only interested in signing the Argentina international on loan, while City wants to offload Tevez permanently.

As a result, the Serie A champions are reportedly looking at alternatives and they have now set their sights on Fernando Torres.

Milan is believed to be close to finalizing a deal with Catania for striker Maxi Lopez, but club owner Silvio Berlusconi is eager to acquire a high-profile player, and would rather sign Torres instead.

The Spain international has been unable to make an impact at Chelsea since joining the Blues from Liverpool in January 2010 for a fee of around 50 million pounds, and there has been plenty of speculation about his future in recent weeks.

It seems unlikely that Chelsea are open to farming the 27-year-old out on loan following recent comments from manager Andre Villas-Boas.

The Portuguese boss stressed last week that he still has confidence in Torres and declared the striker not for sale at any price.

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2012 Africa Cup of Nations Team Profile: Burkina Faso

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Goal.com introduces you to the 16 teams that will be taking part in this highly-anticipated competition. Here is the profile Burkina Faso.

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The 2012 Africa Cup of Nations is fast approaching, and those taking part are keen to begin their run in the tournament, with an eye on the ultimate prize.

The 2012 AFCON takes place from 21 January to February 12, and it is to be co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

Some teams will be experiencing their first participation at the competition, while others will be aiming to write their names in the record books as Africa’s best when the final takes place at the Stade d’Angondje in Libreville on February 12.

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Report: Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool & Manchester United eyeing Lille’s Eden Hazard

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Eden Hazard - Belgium (Getty Images)
Scouts from the quartet of English clubs have apparently been in France to check on the highly rated midfielder, who is rated at around 40 million euros by his employers

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Four of English football’s biggest teams have been scouting Lille playmaker Eden Hazard as they eye up a move for one of world football’s best young talents.

According to The Evening Standard, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United all sent scouts to watch Hazard play against Paris Saint-Germain.

It is reported that Chelsea have sent scouts to watch him five times but with an alleged price tag of 40 million euros, it will have to dig deep into its pockets if it is to sign the Belgian international.

The 20-year-old is a hot prospect in Europe but agreed to stay in Lille this season after speculation about a move to most of the major clubs on the continent including Real Madrid and both Milan sides.

In his 18 appearances this season he has scored six goals and made five assists, although he failed to add to his tally in Sunday’s goalless draw at the Parc des Princes in Paris.

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