Becks likely for UEFA Cup squad: Ancelotti

Milan, Jan 31: David Beckham could be named in AC Milan's UEFA Cup squad even though his current loan from Los Angeles Galaxy ends on March 9, coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Saturday.

Milan are keen to keep the 33-year-old England midfielder after he scored two goals in his first four starts but Galaxy have said he must return in March. Beckham has said he is undecided and talks are planned.

The Italian club must decide on their UEFA Cup squad for the remainder of the season after Sunday's Serie A match at Lazio.

"The delivery of the UEFA list will be tomorrow evening before midnight. The possible inclusion of Beckham in the list would simply be our right," Ancelotti told a news conference.

If Beckham leaves in early March, he would be able to play in the away and home legs only of the last 32 tie against Werder Bremen on Feb 18 and Feb 26.

The coach did not speculate whether Beckham's possible inclusion in the list would mean he was staying longer. However, he sounded pessimistic when answering another question.

"Even when Beckham leaves, the midfield is covered because we have (Mathieu) Flamini available," Ancelotti added.

Beckham, on loan at Milan for two months to boost his England chances during the US close season, has been named in the squad for Sunday's Lazio game (1930 GMT) despite carrying a leg muscle injury.

Ancelotti said a final decision on the 33-year-old's fitness would be made before kickoff and he could be restricted to a place on the bench.
READ MORE - Becks likely for UEFA Cup squad: Ancelotti

Real Madrid agree loan deal for French midfielder Faubert

Madrid, Jan 31: Real Madrid have agreed to take French midfielder Julien Faubert on loan from West Ham United until the end of the season, the Spanish champions said on Saturday.

The 25-year-old passed a medical and signed a contract with an option for a permanent three-year deal which can be exercised before the end of June.

Faubert will be presented at the Bernabeu on Monday.

He is the Primera Liga side's third mid-season signing after they landed French midfielder Lassana Diarra and Dutch striker Klaas Jan Huntelaar.

Youth-team midfielder Dani Parejo has also been recalled from a loan spell and incorporated into the first team.

Faubert will help give coach Juande Ramos options on the right of midfield where they have lacked a natural wide player for the position.

Real, who are second in the standings, are away to Numancia in the league later on Saturday.
READ MORE - Real Madrid agree loan deal for French midfielder Faubert

Hoffenheim win to reclaim Bundesliga top spot

  Hoffenheim comfortably beat relegation-threatened Energie Cottbus 2-0 on Saturday to reclaim top spot in the Bundesliga and keep their title hoes in the debut season alive.

Demba Ba opened the scoring with his eighth goal of the season after 28 minutes before Boubacar Sanogo marked his debut with a second on 63 after joining on loan from Werder Bremen earlier this month.

Hoffenheim, without top scorer Vedad Ibisevic who is out for the rest of the season with a ruptured cruciate ligament, put in another solid performance as they resumed their title chase in their first top-flight season.

Hoffenheim lead with 38 points, two ahead of Hertha Berlin who nicked ahead of Hamburg SV on goal difference thanks to a Marko Pantelic brace in a 2-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt.

Champions Bayern Munich lost 1-0 to Hamburg on Friday and drop to fourth on 35. Hoffenheim started new signings Sanogo and former Germany keeper Timo Hildebrand but missed a spate of good chances with the Ivory Coast striker and defender Matthias Jaissle proving particularly wasteful.

The hosts had to wait only half an hour though to celebrate their first league goal in their newly-opened Rhein-Neckar arena when Ba picked up a Selim Teber cross and muscled his way past two defenders before slotting home.

Sanogo added the second when he combined beautifully with Ba to beat keeper Gerhard Tremmel from ten metres.

Hildebrand did not have as enjoyable a debut, having to be substituted in the 60th minute and taken to hospital for x-rays on his injured foot.

"We are satisfied with the result but also with the way the team played for most of the game," Hoffenheim coach Ralf Rangnick told reporters. "They deserve a big fat compliment."

Hertha move up

Hertha edged past Frankfurt for their seventh straight league win at home when Pantelic netted in each half.

The Berliners, who this week renewed coach Lucien Favre's contract for another year, also missed a penalty when Cicero's effort was blocked by goalkeeper Markus Proell on 33 minutes.

Frankfurt pulled one back through Benjamin Koehler three minutes after Pantelic's second but failed to grab an equaliser despite putting Hertha under mounting pressure.

"We are very relieved with this result," Favre said. "Frankfurt put us under a lot of pressure at 2-0 but we hung in there. I had the intuition to play Pantelic."

Sixth-placed Borussia Dortmund were lucky to get away with a 1-1 home draw against Bayer Leverkusen after the side who lie one place ahead of them on 33 points dominated throughout.

The hosts led through a header from Switzerland's Alexander Frei's nine minutes before the break before Leverkusen's Patrick Helmes and Stefan Kiessling went close to levelling early in the second half but were denied by goalkeeper and cross bar.

Helmes scored the equaliser when Tranquillo Barnetta set him up to slot home his 13th goal of the season.

Schalke 04's erratic season continued when hosts Hanover scored against the run of play in the 8th minute to leave the Royal Blues in ninth place, while Borussia Moenchengladbach stayed bottom after going down 2-0 to VfB Stuttgart.

Werder Bremen play Arminia Bielefeld and VfL Bochum host Karlsruhe SC on Sunday
READ MORE - Hoffenheim win to reclaim Bundesliga top spot

Man City woe after defeat to 10-man Stoke

London, Jan 31: Manchester City signed off on a miserable month on Saturday when their expensively assembled team were beaten 1-0 away by a Stoke City team who played more than half the game with 10 men.

Second-bottom Stoke had not won for nine league games and had not scored at home in their previous four but they produced a resilient performance after having Rory Delap sent off after 38 minutes for kicking at winger Shaun Wright-Phillips.

They scored the game's only goal in first-half injury time with an excellent James Beattie header from a Matthew Etherington cross.

Stoke spent almost the entire second half packed in their own half as City launched wave after wave of attacks.

However, despite the presence of the likes of Robinho and big-money new signings Craig Bellamy and Nigel De Jong, there was little creativity about their work and they were largely reduced to long-range shots, mostly high over the bar.

Earlier this month Mark Hughes's team were knocked out of the FA Cup at home by Championship (second division) Nottingham Forest and then suffered a series of off-field setbacks, including their failure to sign Kaka from AC Milan.
READ MORE - Man City woe after defeat to 10-man Stoke

ASEB humble cops

Oil India, Duliajan, face Assam Rifles, Tezpur, today
State Premier League
 In an all-Guwahati encounter, Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB) Sports Club handed a 3-1 defeat to Assam Police Blues in their final round league match of the 1st Oil India Assam State Premier League football tournament at Nehru Stadium here today.
The first half of the match was a drab one-sided affair with both the teams failing to find a proper breakthrough. Finally, striker Sanjeeva Rongpi opened the account for ASEB in the 38th minute through a penalty kick. Police player Khagen Mushahary had tripped Moni Kanta Brahma of ASEB inside the goalbox, resulting in the penalty decision against the cops.
The powermen maintained the solitary goal lead in the first half.
Three minutes into the second session, the seasoned Kunjoy Goyari of Assam Police Blues drew parity off a Rabijit Jigdung square pass in a sudden counter-attack.
However, their euphoria was shortlived as striker Bikash Narzinary put ASEB in the lead again with a well-placed header off a free kick from the midfield by Nitu Narzary in the 55th minute.
The powermen found the net once again through the boot of substitute Debasish Kundu, whose powerful shot from top of the D-box brushed past opponent custodian Lakhinath Hazarika and landed into the net in the 73rd minute of the match.
The policemen regrouped and came back strongly with all-out efforts in the last few minutes but their efforts came a bit too late for them to save the match.
They failed to penetrate the experienced ASEB defence and ultimately went down 3-1.
Oil India FC, Duliajan, will clash with Assam Rifles, Tezpur in tomorrow’s match.
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READ MORE - ASEB humble cops

Fan’s death overshadows German Cup games

A football fan died before a German Cup game in the round of the last 16 in Dortmund after falling from the terraces.

The incident happened Wednesday Police during Weder Bremen’s match against Dortmund at the Signal-Iduna-Park. The spectator fell from the south terrace of the stadium and although he was immediately airlifted to hospital doctors pronounced him dead on arrival.

Werder Bremen came from behind to oust last year’s losing finalist 2-1 to advance to the quarter-finals, while Bayer Leverkusen beat Energie Cottbus 3-0 to go through.

Police said that they did not know the reason for the incident, but believed it to be a tragic accident.

The game went ahead with neither side knowing about the incident and Swiss international Alexander Frei gave the home an early lead, but instead of pushing forward searching for a second goal, Dortmund sat back, allowing Bremen to take command.

The visitors were rewarded for their efforts on the hour when Hugo Almeida managed to find the equaliser.

With ten minutes to go, Brazilian midfielder Diego saw his free-kick well saved by Roman Weidenfeller, only for Claudio Pizarro to slam the ball into the back of the net.

In Leverkusen the home side had all but sealed matters by the end of the first half as they were already leading 3-0 through goals by Patrick Helmes, Michal Kadlec and Renato Augusto.

Leverkusen sat back in the second half, but were never under any real pressure and an injury time consolation goal by Ervin Skela did nothing to prevent Leverkusen’s progress into the next round.
READ MORE - Fan’s death overshadows German Cup games

Dunga set to keep Robinho in Brazil squad despite scandal

Robinho will remain among the Brazilian players called for national duty in February despite charges of alleged rape against the Manchester City player, said national coach Carlos Dunga.

The Manchester City striker, 25, was arrested and questioned by police Tuesday into allegations of a sexual assault at a Leeds nightclub Jan 14.

Robinho was released on bail and, through his official website, has staunchly denied any involvement.

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), in turn, issued a statement in which Dunga said he still plans to have the talented striker in the squad for the friendly game against Italy that is set to be played in London on February 10.

“I have no reason to doubt Robinho. He is a player who responded whenever I needed him to, and who with the Brazilian national team has an exemplary behaviour. He is even one of those players who shows the full pleasure of wearing the national team shirt both in games and in training,” the coach stressed.

According to the CBF, Dunga spoke to Robinho, and the player assured him that he was not involved in sexual assault. Instead, the striker claimed to have been a victim of “an opportunist person” and he noted that he fulfilled all the requirements “to clear up the matter as soon as possible.”

The CBF did not say whether these “requirements” included DNA tests. According to British media, Robinho had to undergo such testing Wednesday to prove that he was not involved in the assault.

The forward only last week created a stir when he left the team’s training camp in Tenerife without permission and flew to Brazil.
READ MORE - Dunga set to keep Robinho in Brazil squad despite scandal

Manchester City crush West Brom 5-0

London, Jan 28: Manchester United thrashed bottom club West Bromwich Albion 5-0 at the Hawthorns to move three points clear at the top of the Premier League.

Cristiano Ronaldo struck two late goals for the rampant Reds after Dimitar Berbatov, Carlos Tevez and Nemanja Vidic had put the champions in control against 10-man West Brom.

United, who have 50 points from 22 games, also set a new top-flight record of 11 consecutive clean sheets, eclipsing Chelsea's feat in 2004-05. Goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar also surpassed Petr Cech's top-flight streak for not conceding a goal.

Aston Villa climbed into third place on 47 points with England striker Emile Heskey scoring on his debut in a 1-0 victory at Portsmouth.

Tottenham Hotspur eased their relegation fears with a 3-1 home defeat of Stoke City and Sunderland beat Fulham 1-0 thanks to a goal from striker Kenwyne Jones.

Second-placed Liverpool travel to Wigan Athletic on Wednesday when they can move level on points with United.

Liverpool, who set the pace this season but appear to be running out of steam, are now staring up at United who, after a cluster of 1-0 victories, put on a dazzling show of firepower at West Brom.

"The score was important to us and we showed a ruthless streak for the first time this season," United manager Alex Ferguson told reporters.

"Goal difference could play a part and we've always had that over our opponents."

Injury List

West Brom were not helped by having captain Paul Robinson harshly sent off shortly before halftime when they trailed only 1-0 but United, despite a lengthy injury list, were a class apart as they topped up their goal difference.

After the kickoff was delayed by traffic congestion, United took a while to get going and could have fallen behind when the experienced Gary Neville made an uncharacteristic error to allow Jay Simpson an early chance.

Berbatov broke the deadlock with a cool finish past Scott Carson on 22 minutes and after Robinson's dismissal things got worse for the home side when Tevez reacted quickly to score after Carson dropped a cross.

Ryan Donk was unlucky not to pull a goal back for West Brom when his shot struck the woodwork before Vidic headed in a Ryan Giggs corner on the hour to make it 3-0.

Ronaldo then capped a near-perfect night for United with two goals in eight minutes to round off his team's fifth league victory in a row.
READ MORE - Manchester City crush West Brom 5-0

Robinho denies assault allegations

London, Jan 28: Brazil and Manchester City football star Robinho denied any allegations of wrongdoing after British media said he had been arrested in connection with a sexual assault on a woman in northern England two weeks ago.

British media said the assault on the 18-year-old woman took place in a nightclub in Leeds.

A statement on the player's website said Robinho denied any allegations of wrongdoing or criminality and was happy to cooperate with police.

"We can confirm that Robinho met the police today, as pre-arranged and as part of a criminal investigation," Robinho's spokesman, Chris Nathaniel, said in the statement.

"He strenuously denies any allegation of wrongdoing or criminality and is happy to cooperate with the police if required further."

Asked about the incident, police in West Yorkshire said that a man had been arrested and released on bail, but declined to identify him.

Robinho, whose full name is Robson de Souza, joined Manchester City from Real Madrid in September.
READ MORE - Robinho denies assault allegations

Bayern beat Stuttgart 5-1 in German Cup

Stuttgart, Jan 28: Champions Bayern Munich crushed Stuttgart 5-1 to ease into the German Cup quarter-finals after a six-week winter break.

The visitors grabbed the lead when Stuttgart defender Arthur Boka's pass found Bastian Schweinsteiger outside the box and he unleashed a ferocious drive past helpless Stuttgart keeper Jens Lehmann.

Two minutes later French playmaker Franck Ribery combined well with Ze Roberto and Luca Toni before the Italian found Ribery for an easy tap-in.

Bayern, cracking a fragile Stuttgart defence at will, could have added a third but Ribery's weak penalty, awarded for a handball, fell into Lehmann's arms.

Ribery quickly made amends, setting up Toni with a clever pass two minutes from the break which allowed the Italian to curl a shot past the Stuttgart keeper.

Schweinsteiger claimed his second 10 minutes into the second half with a penalty before Ze Roberto added a fifth.

Stuttgart's Mario Gomez scored a late consolation goal.

"The boys quickly understood Stuttgart were waiting for their chance and not coming forward so we could attack and score," Bayern coach Juergen Klinsmann told reporters.

Stuttgart coach Markus Babbel said his team was too scared.

"The way we lost was unacceptable," the former Bayern player said. "I can accept defeat but not like this. We were too scared. I have to admit though Bayern were outstanding tonight."

Olic Hat-Trick

Hamburg SV striker Ivica Olic scored a hat-trick against 1860 Munich to lead his team into the quarter-finals and show why Bayern Munich rushed to sign him for next season.

Olic broke the deadlock a minute before halftime after 1860 Munich keeper Philipp Tschauner's poor pass was intercepted by Piotr Trochowski. Olic added two more before Munich pulled one back with Daniel Bierofka in the 86th minute.

Schalke also progressed with a 4-1 win over Carl Zeiss Jena following a brace from Jefferson Farfan. The Peruvian striker tapped in a low cross from Ivan Rakitic after 19 minutes and added a second in the 65th.

Jena pulled one back through Andre Schembri before Rakitic and Kevin Kuranyi sealed Schalke's win.

Schalke had Gerald Asamoah sent off for a foul on Rene Eckardt while the hosts also had Marco Riemer dismissed for a foul on Kevin Kuranyi.

Mainz beat Freiburg 3-1 in the day's other match.

Four more matches are scheduled for Wednesday.
READ MORE - Bayern beat Stuttgart 5-1 in German Cup

World Cup needs public's support, organisers say

South African organisers of the 2010 World Cup today lamented the lack of excitement across the host country ahead of the biggest global football fiesta.

"The challenge is that not everybody has internalised the magnitude of this event," the chairman of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee (LOC), Irvin Khosa, said on a radio interview to mark 500 days to go to the event.

"This World Cup should not be World Cup of Irvin Khosa, Danny Jordaan (chief executive of LOC), the LOC and the board. It is a World Cup for 45 million South Africans. It is important that we embrace this World Cup because it is our World Cup," he said.

The LOC believed that the anticipated economic boom the World Cup was expected to bring to South Africa would help the country cushion the effect of the current global financial crisis, Khosa said.

"In terms of taxes anticipated, selling of broadcast rights, tickets demand, we can only see a boom in this World Cup. It will help to mitigate what might have taken South Africa to a recession mode," he also said.

Jordaan told a radio programme that the board of the LOC will hold a key meeting later in the day with senior FIFA officials, including the body's secretary general Jerome Valcke.

The meeting will discuss a number of issues, including protocol matters relating to the 2010 World Cup and the Confederations Cup to be staged in June in South Africa.

Mayors and representatives of all the country's nine 2010 FIFA World Cup host cities will also converge later today in Mangaung (Bloemfontein), the capital of South Africa's central Free State Province, for the national unveiling of the host city posters, it said.

The 48,000-seat capacity Mangaung stadium, currently under construction, is one of the 10 venues to be used for the World Cup.

"All the 10 stadiums will be completed by the end of this year... for Africa's first World Cup after 104 years in world football," Jordaan said.
READ MORE - World Cup needs public's support, organisers say

Chelsea 'keeper Cudicini joins Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur have signed goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini on a free transfer from Chelsea, the Blues said Monday.

The Italian will make the journey across London from the Premier League title contenders to a Spurs side struggling to avoid relegation but short of an experienced rival to the error-prone Heurelho Gomes.

Cudicini, 35, had been at Stamford Bridge since 1999 and was Chelsea's first-choice goalkeeper until Petr Cech joined the west London club in 2004.

"Chelsea can confirm Carlo Cudicini has today (Monday) signed for Tottenham Hotspur on a free transfer," said a statement on Chelsea's website.

"The club would like to take this opportunity to thank Carlo for his years of service and wish him well."

Cudicini, the son of a former AC Milan goalkeeper, originally joined Chelsea on a year-long loan from Castel di Sangro nearly 10 years ago and made his move permanent in 2000.

His time with Chelsea saw him help the Blues win two Premier League titles, two FA Cup and two League Cups.

Tottenham are one of five clubs at the foot of the table all on 21 points. But despite seeing the side spend most of the season in or around the drop zone neither Ben Alnwick nor Cesar Sanchez (released by Spurs last week) has been able to displace Gomes, a seven million pounds pre-season signing from Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven.
READ MORE - Chelsea 'keeper Cudicini joins Tottenham

Milan boss Ancelotti blasts Mourinho for lack of respect

AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti turned up the title heat on Inter Milan
rival Jose Mourinho by accusing him of a lack of respect.

Mourinho was sent to the stands by referee Domenico Celi after the Portuguese boss charged out of his dug-out to protest a decision during Sunday's 1-0 win over Sampdoria.

He later accused Celi of lacking experience and being afraid of giving a decision to Inter but Ancelotti hit out at the former Chelsea man.

"I don't believe Celi was afraid. And I believe Mourinho has lacked respect in his manner of confronting the referee and I believe the decision to send him off was justified," he said.

"If referees are under pressure then we (the coaches) have to help reduce it. I myself have also been guilty, from the bench we're not helping referees.”

"Refereeing has changed completely, there are good matches but too many mistakes are being made.”

"Offside is a real problem but the linesmen are top drawer. The human eye can't see an offside by a few centimetres.”

"Objectively I don't believe there's any favouritism in matches between big teams. I see refereeing mistakes but favouritism between the big and the small teams?"

Mourinho though says he is certain his team are being victimised.

"The referee? I prefer not to talk about him because if you do so then you have to talk about what happened (on Saturday) and in the other stadiums," he said.

"He (Celi) was always blowing up against us and in that moment (when he was dismissed) I simply asked him if he was afraid of giving a decision in our favour.”

"I think the referee was under pressure, under the watchful eye of the best referee in the history of football (Pierluigi Collina, a refereeing consultant in Italy) and after all that has happened these last two days."

Mourinho was also incredulous at the amount of added time the referee played at the end of the game: six minutes.

"Six minutes of injury time. The only possible reason for that is that we were winning. If Sampdoria had equalised there would have been only one or two minutes.”

"Hence the result happened despite the work of the referee although for sure it was difficult for him.”

"My team beat Roma with a goal that was 10 centimetres offside and it became a national scandal.”

"Then (on Saturday) Fiorentina weren't given a penalty (for a trip by Olof Mellberg on Stevan Jovetic) and (on Sunday Philippe) Mexes's goal (for Roma) was 20 centimetres offside."
READ MORE - Milan boss Ancelotti blasts Mourinho for lack of respect

All Moirang men in final

Loktak Trophy
Imphal, Jan 26 : All Moirang Football Association are through to the final of the 2nd Loktak Trophy Football Tournament played at Moirang Multipurpose Higher Secondary School ground.
In the first semi-final played between North Eastern Re-Organising and Cultural Association and hosts All Moirang Football Association, the latter defeated North Eastern by 2-1 goals on Friday.
All Moirang Football Association will either meet Anouba Imagi Mangal or Manipur Police Sports Club from Group A in the final.
It turned out to be the hosts’ day as All Moirang converted a flag kick to perfection in the first half. North Eastern fought back to level the score in the second half but the hosts had the final laugh as they scored their second goal in the 79th minute of the match.
READ MORE - All Moirang men in final

Kuwaiti group deny Liverpool takeover rumours

The Middle East investment arm representing Kuwaiti billionaire Nasser Al-Kharafi have moved on Friday to disassociate themselves from suggestions that they are trying to buy Liverpool.

The move has come following speculation originating from English tabloid The Sun claiming that Liverpool's American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks are currently in discussions with Nasser Al-Kharafi regarding a potential mega-money takeover.
"We have not conducted any negotiations," insisted Jassem al-Kharafi, elder brother of the Group's chairman Nasser al-Kharafi.
"The Group has no plans to buy any sports club."
Kharafi Group vice president Loay al-Kharafi underscored the statement released to the press by insisting that the reports emanating from the British press are "not correct."
Al-Kharafi, ranked as the 46th richest man in the world, was linked with a takeover at Newcastle United last October, and his cousin held buy-out talks with Hicks earlier in the year.
READ MORE - Kuwaiti group deny Liverpool takeover rumours

Victory for APBn, FCI

Guwahati/Dibrugarh, Jan 24 : It was a cakewalk for 9 Assam Police Battalion (APBn) against Salbagan Sports Club, Gossaigaon, in the 1st Oil India Assam State Premier League football tournament, as they defeated the latter 5-1 in a league match played at Nehru Stadium in Guwahati today.
Food Corporation of India (FCI), Guwahati, also overpowered Moran Town Club 5-1 in a Group B encounter at the Tinsukia District Sports Association stadium in Tinsukia.
Assam Police drew first blood in the fifth minute through Shyam Murah and then consolidated the lead through Royal Mridha and Munna Limbu in the 17th and 19th minutes. Pratap Brahma of Salbagan scored the only goal in the 34th minute.
That was all Salbagan could manage till the eventual winners broke through once again with second goals by Amulya (86th minute) and Murah (90th minute) to bring down the curtains on one of the most one-sided matches of the meet so far.
In Tinsukia, a similar one-sided affair saw Bhaskar Jyoti Borah score three goals for FCI while skipper Thompson Langthasa hit the net twice.
Bhaskar Jyoti Bora scored the opening goal in the sixth minute through a powerful curve shot after capitalising on a short pass by Saeed Ansar. Ten minutes later, skipper Langthasa scored the second goal for his team. This time, too, Saeed Ansar supplied the ball from the right flank. Bhaskar scored the third goal in the 34th minute through a solo effort. FCI led 3-0 at half- time.
Bhaskar fetched the fourth goal in the 69th minute through a powerful left-footer from inside the goalbox. Langthasa got the fifth goal in the 75th minute.
Moran Town Club scored a consolation goal through Khirod Das. OIL FC clash with Assam Rifles tomorrow.
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READ MORE - Victory for APBn, FCI

‘Sunil Has To Be Clever With His Movement’

Pune FC coach Stewart Hall says that for East Bengal striker Sunil Chhetri to succeed in English football, he has to be very clever with his movement.

‘Sunil Has To Be Clever With His Movement’
In a Goal.com exclusive, we reported that the Indian international striker was flying off to England next week to attend a trial at Coventry City.  

If Chhetri succeeds at the trials and gets to play in England, he shall become only the third Indian footballer to play in the UK.

Speaking to Goal.com, Pune FC coach Stewart Hall said that if Sunil wants to succeed in England, he has to be very clever with his movement as in England the game is played at a faster rate than it is here in India.  

The former academy director of Birmingham City said, “I have seen Sunil Chhetri play once. I think he is a very talented boy.  

“But he is not a big lad. So to succeed in England, he has to be very clever with his movement as the game is much faster than it is here in India and is more physical too.”  

Sunil Chhetri shall feature for East Bengal on Saturday against Chirag United at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata in an I-League fixture and shall then fly off to England via Delhi for his trials at Coventry City.  

Subhankar Mondal
READ MORE - ‘Sunil Has To Be Clever With His Movement’

Calcio Debate: The Myth About Italian Football

Atlantis still exists, Lord Dracula was a vampire, Mary Magdalene was an adulteress, the WWF is not a simulation sport, bats cannot see but bulls can…

Calcio Debate: The Myth About Italian Football

And then of course the Italian Serie A is boring, terribly dull, pathologically second rate, maybe even third rate. The teams follow the age-old Catenaccio system; they defend, defend and defend, rarely attack and when they do, they do so only for a while and then track back to defend.

There is no entertainment, no thrill, no romance, no technique, no attack, no midfield, no pace, no skills, no dribbling. The players are all old, it is a retirement home. Serie A is crap.

Right, eh?

Absolutely wrong.

To denote Serie A as quintessentially boring and dull is perhaps the biggest misconception after a certain president of a certain nation thought that going to war in the 21st century in Asia would be warmly welcomed by the world. It is a myth that ranks higher than the insane belief that all men who read Namaz and have beards are terrorists.

True, Italian football domestically might lack the often overwhelming aggression and pace of the Premier League and the refined finesse of La Liga but it has characteristics of its own. It has the romance, as exhibited by the Derby della Madonnina, the Derby d’Italia and the Derby di Sicilia; it has the odd surprise package (earlier Chiveo Verona and now a certain club in Naples), the passion, the spirit and the players. Serie A has a distinct flavour, with tactics and strategies given more importance than in most other leagues in Europe, while teams play with a unique intelligence and shrewdness.

Take Napoli for example. A very young side that after six years away gained promotion to the Italian top flight only at the end of the 2006/07 season, and immediately finished in an astonishing eighth place. They have since gone a few steps further and at the moment are in a not so improbable position to play in next season’s UEFA Champions League. This term they have been playing marvellous football, keeping the ball on the ground, passing it around, using the flanks as well as penetrating opposition defences.

In fact, it is their style and creativity, combined with energy, that has seen them beat Juventus, Lazio and Fiorentina at home, as well as draw away at Roma. Napoli are a side that play football the way it is meant to be played. The likes of Marek Hamsik, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Fabiano Santacroce and Walter Gargano are superb talents who have the technique and the requisite skills to play for any of the superpowers.

Then of course there is Juventus. Granted, under Fabio Capello, the archetypal of Italian tacticians whom Real Madrid twice signed to twice win La Liga the ‘ugly’ way - the Old Lady were not a very attacking side but under ‘Tinkerman’ Claudio Ranieri this season, Juventus' game has become enjoyable again. Alessandro Del Piero is still one of the top players in Europe, and when you consider that he is 34 years of age and was regarded a spent force not so long ago, you certainly get the picture.

Then there is Francesco Totti’s Roma, Italy’s answer (well, sort of) to Arsenal in the sense that they tend to play glorious football in an almost naïve fashion. The Giallorossi have been churning out the most entertaining football in Serie A for the past two or three seasons but, like Arsenal, certain mitigating factors have stunted their growth. This season they have been sick but, still, Luciano Spalletti has remained true to the philosophy of playing attacking football.

While Inter, under Jose Mourinho, tend not to be very adventurous and are at times grimly effective and clinical without the slightest touch of romance, their city rivals Milan have always stuck to eye-catching football.

Indeed when they lost the final of the Champions League in 2005, they did so not so much for Steven Gerrard’s heroics for Liverpool (or his penalty dive) as for coach Carlo Ancelotti, who due to the wishes of club supremo Silvio Berlusconi, didn't shut up shop after they had gone 3-0 up, continuing to play further up the field. Indeed there was a rueful feeling that Liverpool had staged that dramatic comeback because Milan had allowed them to. And when the Rossoneri won the European Cup in 2006-2007, they were clearly the most enjoyable side in the competition.

But to judge a league based on its top four or five sides is to judge a woman by her looks. Down the table in Serie A, the teams might not be very attractive commercially but they do not really fit into the abnormally normal fallacy that they play with nine men behind the ball.

For example, a fortnight ago when Reggina hosted Lazio at the Stadio Oreste Granillo, one would have anticipated an away win. After all, the Amaranto were near the foot of the table and heavily tipped for the drop. But astonishingly for a side of their meagre resources, Reggina played a slick passing game, and did not hoof the ball up in the air and play route-one football. The Calabrians almost earned what would have been a deserved point, as they fell to a 3-2 defeat, thereby revealing that there is quite some depth in the lower rung teams.

And then this past weekend, leaders Inter were not so much beaten as utterly humiliated 3-1 by an Atalanta side stuck in mid-table, thereby vividly attesting the team’s propensity to take the game to the bigger sides. And the Orobici didn't win it by the Catennacio system either, continuing to attack at 3-0, when prudence and pragmatism would have sufficed.

One must also not forget about Genoa (currently in fourth place), Fiorentina, Udinese and Lazio, all of whom field attacking 4-3-3 formations, and regularly demonstrate the Brazil-like mentality of “if we concede two, we'll score three”. How many teams in the English Premier League, “the best league in the world”, play with three-men strike-forces? These Italian sides all boast prodigious talents too in Diego Milito (Genoa), Adrian Mutu (Fiorentina), Antonio Di Natale (Udinese), and of course the mercurial Mauro Zarate (Lazio).

Admittedly, there are problems in the game in Italy. Racism occasionally rears its ugly head, not all the stadiums are modern or filled, there is constant controversy, referees can be erratic at times, and the fans can and do misbehave. Perhaps, until and unless Italian football is purged of these menaces it will always be looked down upon.

But these problems shouldn't really dictate how one perceives a league's footballing style. Since the turn of the century, Calcio’s image has taken a dip towards the south and even those who hardly watch any Serie A matches tend to be brainwashed into the media perception that it is “boring, slow and crap”.

Which leads you to wonder when football lovers will wake up and realize that Italian football is not as it is commonly made out to be. When will the emperor realize that he has been duped and that instead of wearing some fancy clothes, he is starkly naked?

What are your views on this topic? Is there an ongoing myth about Italian football? Goal.com wants to know what YOU think…

Subhankar Mondal
READ MORE - Calcio Debate: The Myth About Italian Football

Bhaichung Misses Out On Asian Award

Indian skipper Bhaichung Bhutia missed out on the Asian Footballer of the Year award by Arabic language magazine ‘Super’ and the honour eventually went to South Korean captain Park Ji Sung.

Bhaichung Misses Out On Asian Award The ‘Sikkimese Sniper’ failed to make it into the top 10 after being named in the best 43. Park Ji Sung bagged a cash prize of $100,000 though he couldn’t attend the function at the Emirates Palace Hotel at Abu Dhabi as he wasn’t released by his club Manchester United.

Arsenal’s Emmanuel Adebayor won the African Player of the Year award and praised the Asian winner who hails from his rival club.

“He's a very good player: a player who loves to play football and who works hard for the team.

"I've known him very well for four or five years and he's considered one of the best midfielders in the Premier League.”  
READ MORE - Bhaichung Misses Out On Asian Award

Veterans to vie in soccer skill

Veteran football
Kohima, Jan. 23 : Eight district teams and Nagaland Police have confirmed participation in the first Nagaland Inter-district Veteran Football Tournament beginning here next Thursday.
The president of the Nagaland Veterans’ Football Association, K. Kire, said the aim of creating district veteran teams and organising a tournament for veteran football players was to encourage youngsters to take to the game in real earnest.
Exhibition match: The under-14 team from the state which won the recently-concluded Subroto Cup tournament in Delhi will play against Delhi Public School, Dimapur, to celebrate Republic Day.
READ MORE - Veterans to vie in soccer skill

Manchester City sets its sight on Chelseas Drogba

Chelsea
Manchester City is targeting Chelsea unsettled 15-million-pound striker Didier Drogba.

According to The Sun, the club is now looking at alternatives after failing to get Brazilian striker Kaka and having communication problems with another Brazilian striker Robinho. . Drogba has come on to the radar. But if City makes a move, Chelsea boss Phil Scolari will want Robinho as part of the deal.

Ivory Coast star Drogba, 31 in March, has been axed from the squad for Chelseas last two games and believes the manager wants to get rid of him.

Meanwhile Scolari has made no secret of his admiration for Robinho, 25 on Sunday, who had a bust-up with manager Mark Hughes at Citys training camp in Tenerife and has gone home to Brazil.

City is, however, determined to keep Robinho. But Scolari is equally firm about signing him, having missed out on a 32 million pound swoop on the final day of last summers window.
READ MORE - Manchester City sets its sight on Chelseas Drogba

ASEB win tough tie

Assam Rifles inflict 4-0 defeat on Moran Town Club
Guwahati/Dibrugarh, Jan 22 : Assam State Electricity Board SC (ASEB), Guwahati, inched closer to the final round registering their second consecutive victory in Group A of the 1st Oil India Assam State Premier League football tournament in Guwahati today.
Strong contenders Assam Rifles today blanked Moran Town Club 4-0 to continue with their dominating run in Group B at the Tinsukia District Sports Association Stadium.
The experienced Guwahati powermen today came back from behind to edge past the gritty Salbagan Sports Club, Gossaigaon 2-1 in a tussle of nerves at the Nehru Stadium in Guwahati.
Dominating the proceedings, the Salbagan boys went into the lead in the 12th minute when Madan Basumatary netted a goal.
Pratap Brahma had shot at the nets, but ASEB custodian Prasanta Gogoi fisted away the ball, which went to Basumatary. He wasted no time in shooting it back for the lead.
Conceding the goal, the powermen went on the offensive and found the equaliser in the 32nd minute, when Prabin Kumar Brahma pushed in a shot from Priyo Kumar Singh that was cleared by Salbagan keeper Daoga Brahma.
The second session started with ASEB making all out efforts to gain the upper hand.
They ultimately managed to find the lead in the 67th minute through the boot of Sanjeeva Rongpi.
Rongpi struck when the Salbagan keeper fumbled while gathering a powerful shot from Nitu Narzary.
The ball went out from the goalkeeper’s grip and Rongpi immediately pumped it into the goal.
In Tinsukia, Assam Rifles maintained their good run and today’s win strengthened their position in the race to the final.
The first goal was scored by L. Thoiba Singh, who capitalised on a well-placed pass from the right flank by Thang Kuki in the second minute of the match.
This was followed by the second goal in the sixth minute when M. Kamei scored with solo efforts after getting a long pass from D. Mukhim. Ten minutes later, Onkar Rana scored the third goal for Assam Rifles after getting a short pass from Kamei.
Kamei was seen in action once again as Assam Rifles got their fourth goal in the 25th minute.
There is no match tomorrow.
On Friday, Salbagan will play 9 Assam Police Battalion, Nagaon, in Guwahati and Moran Town Club will meet FCI, Guwahati, in Tinsukia.
READ MORE - ASEB win tough tie

Youth Welfare triumph


Imphal, Jan 22 : Youth Welfare Club today edged past North Imphal Sporting Association by a solitary goal in the 2nd Loktak Trophy Football Tournament organised by the All Moirang Football Association at Moirang in Bishnupur district.
Youth Welfare Club netted a penalty to clinch the match in the 43rd minute of the first half.
Youth Welfare Club players showed maturity in tackling North Imphal Sporting Association.
Goals eluded the two teams vying for the semi-final berth from group A for a long period because of missed opportunities. While running deep inside North Imphal Sporting Association’s territory, Youth Welfare Club’s T. Jackychand was brought down by North Imphal defender Abhiraj.
Referee Brojen Singh did not hesitate in awarding a penalty and S. Shyamson made no mistake in netting the ball home. The second half could not bring much of a change as Youth Welfare Club managed to hold fort.
North Imphal Sporting Association and Youth Welfare Club now have three points each. The last league match between Youth Welfare Club and AnoubaImagi Mangal will determine the second semi-finalist from group A.
READ MORE - Youth Welfare triumph

Rakesh passes AIFF state instructors' test


CHANDIGARH, JAN 22 :  City-based national-level referee Rakesh Kumar Sharma, an official of AG (Audit) Haryana-Chandigarh is among the six officials who have passed the state instructors couerse conducted by the All India Football Federation in Chennai in November last year.

According to a communication received by Chandigarh Football Association General Secretary Rakesh Bakshi, from AIFF General Secretary Alberto Colaco, other state instructors who have been declared successful, are Chamchuk Lamba (Sikkim), Subrata Sarkar (IFA), Ms Anamika Sen (IFA), Blai Rodrigues (Goa) and M Sridharan (Tamil Nadu).

Besides state instructors, the AIFF also conducted federation's instructors course and 17 have been declared successful as AIFF instructors. They are: Mustaque Pasha (Karnataka), Mrinal Kanti Roy (Assam), K Sankar (TN), KR Ravindran (MP), Subrata Das (IFA), Abdul Saleem (Delhi), Manuel Pereira (WIFA), C Sethumadavan (Kerala), Binod Kumar Singh (Jharkhand), Nirmal Chetia (Assam), CM Ramesh Babu (Tamil Nadu), Antonio Braganza (Goa), Udayan Haidar (IFA), Saratchandra Singh (Manipur), Walter Pereira (WIFA) and MG Mohan (Kerala).
READ MORE - Rakesh passes AIFF state instructors' test

Manipur beat UP

Imphal, January 21 : THE U-13 boys football team of Manipur had a tragic win over Uttar Pradesh in today's match of the ongoing AIFF Under 13 Boys Football Festival 2009 at Jamshedpur, which is organised by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) .

In today's match Manipur defeated Uttar Pradesh 10-2.With a green card in its credit in today's match, Manipur is in lead of other participating states.

Players of Manipur with skill tactics attacked its opponent team from the very beginning of the match.

The most important of Manipur N Herojit as usual scored four goals against UP.

Kishan also scored tow goal against UP.

William, Prempatra, Anganba and Zimi of Manipur also scored one goal each against their opponent team in today's match.

Manipur will fight Orissa in the next match on January 21 at 8 am.
READ MORE - Manipur beat UP

Assam State League on

The Assam State League which kicked off at Guwahati and Tinsukia from January 17 saw Assam Police (Blues), ASEB winning their Group A matches while Group B witnessed Oil India and Assam Rifles scoring a convincing victory over their opponents.

The tournament was inaugurated by Bharat Chandra Nath, Hon’ble Minister of sports for Assam. Group A had Assam Police (Blues) defeating Salbagan Sports Club 3-0, while ASEB trounced 9th APBN 6-2. The Group B matches had Oil India coming better of Moran Town Club 3-0 and Assam Rifles scoring a thumping 5-0 victory over FCI.

The top two teams from each group will qualify for the final round and champion club of the league will qualify for the Federation Cup qualifiers and the team placed at the bottom of the table will be relegated to the Assam Clubs Championship.

Group A: Assam State Electricity Board, Assam Police (Blues), 9th APBN and Salbagan Sports Club.
Group B: Oil India, Food Corporation of India, Moran Town Club and Assam Rifles
READ MORE - Assam State League on

Manipur ex-footballer abducted, released

Imphal, Jan 20 : A tracksuit manufacturing firm here remained shut since yesterday in protest against the abduction of Eelangbam Toto Singh, husband of proprietor Roma Devi, by suspected security personnel at 8.30 on Saturday night.
They allegedly tortured the former national-level footballer before releasing him 90 minutes later on condition that a sum of Rs 1.5 lakh be paid within three days.
The workers of Hiro Hito Track Suit Industry — the company that supplies tracksuits to sportspersons and security forces — and meira paibi (women activists) leaders held a sit-in today in front of the office demanding protection for the couple and the workers.
Toto Singh was bundled into a Gypsy in the presence of Roma Devi. Last night, he lodged a written complaint to chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh and director-general of police Yumnam Joykumar Singh seeking protection. An official source said state police were investigating the matter.
Legal aid: Lawyers, journalists, senior citizens and rights activists jointly formed a legal aid centre, Legal Protection Centre, in Imphal East, to give free legal aid to families of victims of “extra-judicial” killings by government forces.
The office of the centre is located at the office of Human Rights Initiatives at Palace Compound in Imphal East.
READ MORE - Manipur ex-footballer abducted, released

City agree fee for De Jong

Nigel de Jong
CITY BOUND? ... Nigel de Jong

MANCHESTER CITY'S bid for Nigel de Jong has been accepted by Hamburg.

The fee for the Holland midfielder is believed to be in the region of £16million.

That is despite a clause in his contract which would allow him to leave in the summer for only £2m.
De Jong, who joined Hamburg from Ajax in 2006, will hold contract talks with City later this week.
Hamburg spokesman Joern Wolf said: "The two clubs have reached agreement.
"Now De Jong has to agree with Manchester City."
READ MORE - City agree fee for De Jong

ASEB start with win

Assam Rifles inflict a humiliating 5-0 defeat on FCI
Guwahati/Dibrugarh, Jan 19 : Assam State Electricity Board Sports Club (ASEB), Guwahati, opened their league campaign with an emphatic 6-2 victory over 9 Assam Police Battalion (APBn), Nagaon, in a Group A match of the 1st Oil India Ltd Assam State Premier League football tournament at Nehru Stadium in Guwahati today.
Assam Rifles, Tezpur, blanked Food Corporation of India (FCI), Guwahati, 5-0 in a Group B match of the same tournament at the Tinsukia District Sports Association ground.
In a one-sided first session in Guwahati, the powermen led 3-0 with Bikash Narzinary opening the account in the 29th minute when he pushed in a shot by Dabasis Kundu which was fisted away by opponent custodian Pranab Bordoloi. Striker Sanjeeva Rongpi consolidated the lead in the 38th minute, while medio Mani Kanta Brahma netted another goal in the last minute of the session.
Three minutes into the second session, Rongpi struck again off a Nitu Narzary pass.
However, teenaged 9 APBn striker Shyam Murah reduced the margin by a goal the very next minute off a pass from forward Amulya Das. Murah struck again in the 81st minute from inside the goalbox to make it 4-2.
The powermen went all out once again in the last few minutes and pumped in two more goals. Substitute Prabin Kumar Brahma netted the first in the 88th minute and defender Bijoy Das fired in the other goal in the last minute with a spectacular cross from the right flank.
At Tinsukia, the account was opened by the nimble-footed forward Bulu Jigdung in the 16th minute. Assam Rifles led 1-0 at half time.
After the breather, the Assam Rifles team took full advantage of the poor FCI defence and netted in four goals.
Jugdung fired in the second goal in the 47th minute. It was followed by two goals by U. Kamei in the 65th and 88th minutes. Seasoned striker Abel Sema scored a goal in the 86th minute.
On Saturday, Assam Police Blues, Guwahati, blanked Salbagan Sports Club, Gossaigaon, 3-0 in a Group A match in Guwahati and at Tinsukia, Oil India Football Club, Duliajan, trounced Moran Town Club, Charaideo, 3-0 in a Group B match.
In a drab affair at the Nehru Stadium in Guwahati, the policemen took a 2-0 lead with Munindra Sonowal pumping in a brace in the 24th and 44th minutes of the first half. Anuj Gogoi netted in another goal in the 56th minute for the win.
Tinsukia saw another drab one-sided affair too, with Jayanta Basumatary (7th minute), Bhupen Gogoi (38th minute) and Stephen Njoh (51st minute) scoring for the oilmen. 
There will be no matches tomorrow. On Tuesday, Assam Police Blues will play 9 APBn in Guwahati and Oil India FC will clash with FCI SC in Tinsukia.
READ MORE - ASEB start with win