Capirossi Extends Suzuki Contract Loris

Loris Capirossi

Loris Capirossi signed a one-year contract extension with the Rizla Suzuki MotoGP team to finalize their line-up for the 2010 season.
He will race alongside newcomer Alvaro Bautista, meaning there is no place for his current teammate Chris Vermeulen.
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Indianapolis Grand Prix, Capirossi, 36, said, “ I love working with my crew and feel really at home, BBC wrote..
“I love the competition and my ambition to succeed is as strong as ever.“
Capirossi is the most experienced rider on the MotoGP grid, having won his first 125cc race at the age of 17 and been world champion in both the 125 and 250cc classes.
He joined Suzuki in 2008, replacing John Hopkins, and will now continue in the bright blue colors for a third year.
“Loris brings so much character, bravery and experience to Suzuki, and his technical input is invaluable,“ said team chief Paul Denning.
“We hope that Loris, with the youthful exuberance of Alvaro alongside him next season, will be a good partnership.
“Loris is a great teammate but certainly won’t want to be beaten by the younger guy so I am sure he will be fighting hard!“

http://www.iran-daily.com

Shevchenko To Quit Chelsea

Andriy Shevchenko will quit Chelsea by the end of the month because the London side cannot guarantee him regular first-team football, Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Friday.
The Ukraine striker and former European Footballer of the Year, who turns 33 on Saturday, has been linked with a return to former club Dynamo Kiev but no deal had been struck with any club yet, Ancelotti said, Reuters reported.
“Shevchenko will decide to go play for another team,“ said the Italian, who coached the Ukraine captain last season at AC Milan where the striker was on loan from Chelsea.
“He will take this decision; it is not our problem to choose the team right for him,“ Ancelotti said after a training session for Saturday’s Premier League game against promoted Burnley at Stamford Bridge.
“I spoke with Shevchenko and he would like to play with continuity here. For me it is difficult to give him this possibility and I think that he has taken the right decision.“
The Ukraine captain was in Kiev on Friday to talk to his former club Dynamo, local media reported.
“I’ve said it many times it was my dream to bring Andriy,“ Dynamo president Ihor Surkis was quoted as saying by the Segodnya newspaper. “There’s a good chance that he will join us but nothing has been agreed just yet.“

http://www.iran-daily.com

Andranik Bored of Bench Warming

Andranik Teymourian has hinted that he would consider a move away from Fulham to secure regular football.
The Iranian returned to the Cottagers at the end of the last season after being on loan to championship side Barnsley, hoping to be more involved in Roy Hodgson’s plans, but now he does not expect to get much playing time if he stays at Craven Cottage.
“Unfortunately, I had a couple of injuries recently. I will resume training after ten days.“
“I spoke to Qtobi and I will most likely miss both Bahrain and Uzbekistan friendlies, likewise, I couldn’t accompany Fulham in the UEFA cup match in Russia,“ Ando told Iranian Football News Agency.
“I am not very pleased with my current situation. It seems that no matter how I train, it won’t make any difference.“
“Unfortunately, I haven’t been given any opportunities. In these circumstances, I might consider leaving Fulham“, he added.
“In this situation, I care more about playing football than financial matters. I have discussed it with Hodgson, but no convincing explanation has been given.“
“I had few offers, but none of them were considerable. I have now to wait and see what happens in the coming days. Of course, I will never lose my faith. I strongly believe in my abilities and hope for a turn over of the current situation“, Teymourian concluded.

http://www.iran-daily.com

Barcelona Seal Super Cup

Lionel Messi

Barcelona warmed up for the new season by lifting the European Super Cup as Pedro’s extra-time goal earned them a 1-0 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk.
The substitute played a one-two with Lionel Messi and slotted home five minutes before the end of the game.
It was an uninspiring contest on a pitch that cut up badly at the Stade Louis II in Monaco and both teams struggled to create opportunities, BBC said.
Julius Aghahowa forced Victor Valdes to save, but Shakhtar rarely threatened.
Barca, who became the first team to win the treble of Champions League, La Liga and Spanish Cup last season, opens their league campaign on Monday against Sporting Gijon.
They fielded summer signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic up front, but the £60m Swedish striker had a quiet start to his Barca career in a disjointed match on a poor pitch in the principality.
The Catalans--missing the injured Andres Iniesta--struggled to find their rhythm as passes uncharacteristically went astray on a regular basis.
UEFA Cup winners Shakhtar were content to contain and offered little in the way of an attacking threat, with striker Luiz Adriano starved of possession.
Barca thought they should have had a penalty just before the break when Messi’s free-kick appeared to strike an arm, but referee Frank De Bleeckere waved away their appeals.

http://www.iran-daily.com

Memorable victory for Inter over their cross-city rivals

Dejan Stankovic

Thiago Motta and Diego Milito scored in their first competitive Milan derby, Maicon added a third before the break, and Dejan Stankovic struck midway through the second half as Inter completed a memorable victory over their cross-city rivals. The Italian champions bounced back from their 1-1 draw with Bari in style, sending AC Milan, who were reduced to ten men after the dismissal of Gattuso on 40 minutes, to their heaviest derby defeat since 1974.

José Mourinho threw new signing Wesley Sneijder straight into the fray and the Dutch midfielder fired an early warning with a trademark long-range drive, forcing a difficult one-handed save from Storari. Inter's first-time passing was mouthwatering and the move that led to our opening goal was text book stuff. Thiago Motta received from Zanetti and continued his run into the box to curl first-time past the Milan keeper after deft touches from Eto'o and Milito.

Milito opened his scoring account for Inter with the second goal seven minutes later from the penalty spot after Gattuso carelessly brought down Eto'o in the box. The Italy midfielder's personal nightmare continued when he was sent off for a second yellow after fouling Sneijder. Mourinho's men took full advantage and increased their lead in stoppage time at the end of the first half, Maicon outwitting Jankulovski on the right and one-twoing with Milito before rifling past Storari.

Inter, reports official Nerazzurri's website, continued their domination in the second half and Eto'o fired a right-foot shot just wide in the opening seconds. Sneijder came even closer with a long-range effort that dipped inches over the bar. Thiago Motta pulled up with a high problem and on came Sulley Muntari, who assisted Stankovic for Inter's fourth midway through the half. The Serbian picked his spot and let rip and long-range swerveshot that flew into the top corner. Stankovic was denied a second with Milito seeing his rebound saved as the Nerazzurri came forward in search of a fifth on what was a humiliating evening for Milan.

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Ukraine beat Finland in final group game

UEFA Women's Championship 2009

Ukraine ended their UEFA Women's Championship campaign on a positive note, beating hosts Finland 1-0 at Helsinki's Olympic Stadium.

Finland had already secured a spot in the quarter finals by winning their first two games, and had little left to play for in their final group match.

Although the Scandinavians did have the better chances, the Ukranians took the lead on 69 minutes. A poor back-pass from defender Tuija Hyyrinen allowed Lyudmyla Pekur to intercept and round keeper Minna Meriluoto for 1-0.

Despite the defeat, Finland win Group A ahead of the Netherlands, Denmark and finally, Ukraine.

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Ronaldo bags debut goal as Real ´Galacticos´ triumph

AFP - 29 August 2009 22:20

Real Madrid´s Cristiano Ronaldo controls the ball during their Spanish league football match against Deportivo de la Coruna at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid. Real Madrid won 3-2.

MADRID (AFP) - Cristiano Ronaldo, the world's most expensive player, scored a dream debut goal as Real Madrid's new generation of expensive 'Galacticos' defeated Deportivo La Coruna 3-2 in Saturday's Spanish league curtain-raiser.

Real spent over 250 million euros in the summer with Ronaldo accounting for 94 million euros of that, and the Portuguese star got off to a great start converting a first half penalty for his first competitive goal in the famous white shirt.

The cameras were out in force for Ronaldo and Kaka, the past two Ballon d'Or winners, but it was a player that cost Real nothing, captain and youth product Raul, who stole the first half headlines.

Raul, the club's all-time leading scorer, netted the first goal of the new season with a simple tap-in on 26 minutes and won Ronaldo's penalty on 35 minutes after Depor had equalised.

Real twice went ahead only to be pegged back at 1-1 and 2-2 through Riki (30min) and Juan Carlos Valeron (46).

French midfielder Lass Diarra was the unlikely hero firing in on the hour mark to ensure new coach Manuel Pellegrini and his Galacticos got off to a winning start.

"I am happy because it was very important to win the first game and we did," explained Pellegrini.

"Being just a goal ahead can cause panic because your opponents can equalise with just one chance. It was a tough game."

As Real's new superstars took to the field, there was a special guest appearance as Jamaican sprint king Usain Bolt dribbled a ball to wild applause.

It was Bolt's first time on the Bernabeu pitch and there were seven other debutants for Real with Ronaldo, Kaka and Karim Benzema forming an attacking force alongside Real veteran Raul.

Xabi Alonso, a 30-million-euro summer arrival from Liverpool, made his bow alongside Diarra in midfield while his old Liverpool team-mate Alvaro Arbeloa began at right back.

With Pepe suspended, Argentine Ezequiel Garay began in central defence alongside fellow debutant Raul Albiol.

With just 48 seconds gone Kaka, a 68.5-million euro-purchase from AC Milan, almost scored a debut goal but dragged his shot wide of the post.

Real's formation resembled a 4-2-2-2 but Ronaldo, sporting the number nine shirt, often roamed in from the right into a central striker's role.

Depor, who had beaten Real 2-1 on the opening day of last season, were under the cosh for the first 20 minutes and the breakthrough came on 26 minutes with Benzema racing onto Kaka's pass.

The Frenchman fired against the post but Raul was on hand to roll in one of the easiest goals of his career.

Depor replied quickly with Riki heading in on the half hour mark after some poor defending.

Raul then won a penalty as goalkeeper Daniel Aranzubia clipped him and Ronaldo stepped up to smash his spot-kick low into the corner for his first Real goal.

A minute after the interval Depor caught Real off-guard with veteran Valeron thundering a volley past Casillas to make it 2-2.

Ronaldo screamed a shot past the post with his supposedly weaker left foot before Diarra, hardly prolific in front of goal, fired in the winner.

"Madrid are a powerful team with so much talent that it is difficult to concentrate against them for the 90 minutes," said Depor boss Miguel Lotina.

Title holders Barcelona are not in action until Monday when they host Sporting Gijon at Camp Nou.

Barcelona have been impressive in pre-season lifting the Spanish Super Cup and European Super Cup to add to their historic league, Champions League and Kings Cup treble last season.

Later on Saturday two promoted sides face off when Real Zaragoza host islanders Tenerife.

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Champions Inter hand four-goal mauling to 10-man Milan

FP - 29 August 2009 23:00

Inter Milan´s midfielder Patrick Vieira (L) controls the ball despite AC Milan´s forward Klaas-Jan Huntelaar during the Italian Seria A football match at San Siro Stadium in Milan. Champions Inter Milan claimed derby honours by hammering city rivals AC Milan 4-0 after Gennaro Gattuso was sent off in the first half.

ROME (AFP) - Champions Inter Milan claimed derby honours by hammering city rivals AC Milan 4-0 after Gennaro Gattuso was sent off in the first half.

Milan, and Gattuso in particular, self-destructed in spectacular fashion during a 10-minute first half period in a match that suggests the loss of Kaka to Real Madrid has hit the red and black half of the city harder than they thought.

Thiago Motta scored his first goal for Inter and fellow new-recruit from Genoa Diego Milito added a penalty before Brazilian full-back Maicon's strike had all but ended the contest by half time.

Serbian Dejan Stankovic's second half rocket put the gloss on an accomplished performance as coach Leonardo suffered a miserable first derby in charge of Milan.

Inter coach Jose Mourinho gave a debut to Dutch attacking midfielder Wesley Sneijder following his move from Real.

He showed his worth on six minutes, testing Milan goalkeeper Marco Storari with a curling effort from outside the box.

On 13 minutes Ronaldinho should have done better when teed up by Pato but after skying his shot miles off target and falling over in the process, the Brazilian tried claiming a penalty despite there being no contact from Stankovic when he tripped over his own feet.

Milan looked lively at that time but the first goal on 29 minutes changed everything.

It came from a sweeping team move on the edge of the Milan box as Motta fed Samuel Eto'o, who shifted the ball on to Milito before the Argentine played the ball behind the backline where Motta, who had continued his forward run, unchecked by either Mathieu Flamini or Marek Jankulovski, curled a shot beyond Storari.

Six minutes later and Milan fell to pieces.

From a Milan free-kick Inter broke at pace with Maicon lumping a long ball down the line for Eto'o to chase. The Cameroon forward skinned Gattuso who slung his arm around the Inter man's neck and hauled him down inside the box for a clear professional foul.

Inexplicably the referee only showed Gattuso a yellow card but Milito exacted adequate punishment by smashing his penalty home, straight down the middle.

Captain Gattuso had already signalled to the bench that he wanted to come off before the goal but his attempts to leave the field were hampered as substitute Clarence Seedorf wasn't ready.

Play continued and on 40 minutes Gattuso hacked down Sneijder, earning a second yellow before Seedorf had a chance to enter the fray.

Gattuso was irate and blasted his bench as he trudged off, leaving his team a man down.

To add insult to injury, Maicon scored a third on the stroke of half-time after a one-two with Milito as Flamini once again failed to track a forward run.

Stankovic's howitzer from 25 yards halfway through the second period was the final nail in Milan's coffin but tellingly, the nominal hosts at the San Siro -- a ground the two teams share -- had a hand in their own downfall as Andrea Pirlo failed to close down the Serbian, giving him time and space to pick his spot.

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Benitez relief as Liverpool scrape past 10-man Bolton

Liverpool´s midfielder Steven Gerrard celebrates after scoring his side´s third goal during the English Premier League football match between Bolton Wanderers and Liverpool at The Reebok stadium, Bolton. Liverpool got their spluttering campaign back on track as Gerrard´s late goal sealed a dramatic 3-2 victory at 10-man Bolton.

BOLTON, England (AFP) - Rafael Benitez breathed a huge sigh of relief after Liverpool dug deep to beat 10-man Bolton 3-2 and get their Premier League season back on track.

Steven Gerrard scored the decisive goal in the 83rd minute on Saturday after Glen Johnson, then Fernando Torres had dragged Liverpool to 2-2.

Kevin Davies and Tamir Cohen scored Bolton's goals, the club's first league strikes of the season.

After losing to Tottenham and Aston Villa in their first three matches, Liverpool couldn't afford to drop points at the Reebok Stadium and Benitez insisted the victory proved his team have the ability to challenge for the title.

"We showed that we have quality and when they play at that level, they can beat anyone," Benitez said.

"It was a difficult game, twice we had to come from behind but I think that was very positive. They showed character and they showed quality."

The turning point was referee Alan Wiley's decision to send off Sean Davis for a second yellow card after a 55th-minute foul on Lucas Leiva.

Bolton manager Gary Megson was furious and criticised the Liverpool player for making the most of minimal contact.

"There's not a lot you can do, when you're chasing against someone who's got away and he slows up," Megson said. "We've either got to accept it or we've got to start copying it and getting better at chucking ourselves all over the field.

"You control the ball, you wait for the hit from the back and over you go and the referee gets sucked into giving it. We're not clever like that, we never slow down for the hit and then over we go."

Megson also said he didn't believe referees had a good understanding of gamesmanship tactics.

"Footballers know what's going on," he said. "But the knowledge of what's going on, in my opinion is not there (for referees)."

Unsurprisingly, Benitez said Davis's dismissal was appropriate.

"When is a foul from behind, it was yellow card. For me, it was clear," he said.

Benitez preferred to look at the positives after a rocky start to the season. After Liverpool lost two of their first three games - the same total as all of last season - Benitez had criticised his players' lacklustre form.

But the Spanish coach, bidding to lead Liverpool to their first title since 1990, got the response he wanted.

"It was the perfect response from the players," he said. "All the players wanted to impress, they wanted to do well.

"You could see all the players, from the first minute we play, with a lot of determination to win. It's important to have this mentality."

Benitez hopes the forthcoming international break will sharpen his players' match fitness even further.

"We have to improve in other things but at least we have won and the people will be more calm and we can prepare for the next game a little bit more relaxed," he said.

Megson praised Fabrice Muamba's man marking of Gerrard, but said the sending off changed the England midfielder's influence on the game.

"As soon as Sean got sent off, he (Gerrard) got deeper and deeper and just orchestrated everything from there," he said. "It made life very difficult for us."

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Spurs sweat over Modric and King injuries

Tottenham Hotspur´s midfielder Aaron Lennon celebrates scoring the late winner during their English Premier League football match against Birmingham City at White Hart Lane. Tottenham´s perfect start to the Premier League season continued on Saturday as Lennon´s stoppage time strike secured a 2-1 win over Birmingham at White Hart Lane.

LONDON (AFP) - Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is sweating over injuries to key stars Luka Modric and Ledley King after his side extended their perfect start with a 2-1 win over Birmingham.

Redknapp is already without Jonathan Woodgate, Michael Dawson, Heurelho Gomes and Jermaine Jenas due to injuries, and now defender King and Croatian midfielder Modric could face time in the treatment room.

King suffered a groin strain, while Modric is complaining of a sore calf following a kick to the side of his leg.

That could rule Modric out of the World Cup qualifying encounter against England on September 9, and Redknapp is worried about the impact it may have on him for upcoming games against Manchester United and Chelsea.

"I could be looking to bring someone in before the window shuts because we are short," he said. "Now we don't see the players again for another two weeks because they are on international duty. We just have to keep our fingers crossed that nobody gets injured.

"It's ridiculous that we don't see about ten of them until they come back on the Friday morning before the Manchester United game."

Redknapp did take delight in seeing Peter Crouch score his second goal in a week though. The striker headed home from a Tom Huddlestone cross to put Spurs in the lead, and was impressive throughout after replacing Modric on 49 minutes.

"I thought Peter Crouch made a big difference when he came on," Redknapp added. "He was marvellous and was possibly our best player.

"We should have battered them out of sight, shouldn't we? We were all over them in the first half and should have got the early goal.

"Then we lost Ledley King at half-time with a groin injury and then Luka Modric with a calf problem and we were left short.

"We give away a really silly goal and by the end, after Birmingham got their equaliser, they looked as likely to score as we did."

Birmingham's equalising goal came through Lee Bowyer, following an error that had allowed Christian Benitez to pressurise Alan Hutton and Carlo Cudicini into a muddle.

Lennon's goal five minutes into injury time sealed a win that ensures Tottenham continue a best start to a league campaign for 49 years.

For Birmingham it means they have lost both their away matches so far, and McLeish is also concerned by the lack of squad depth he has at his disposal.

It means he will step up his pursuit of Sporting Gijon midfielder Michel, who had been a target for the majority of the close-season.

"We only named six substitutes and that says a lot about our injury troubles at the moment," McLeish said.

"Liam Ridgewell was supposed to be out for a year but he has made remarkable progress. David Murphy is a month away after a broken knee cap at the end of last season, Marcus Bent has a hamstrong injury and Damian Johnson has a knock.

"I'm now waiting on word from the Spanish side over Michel. We are working hard to get paper work in place. We could do with an extra body, without doubt."

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Abramovich backs UEFA plan to curb spending

After Liverpool's poor start to the season Rafael Benitez has been slashed to be the next Premiership manager to leave his job. See all the 'Sack Race' best odds here

Chelsea, one of the biggest spending clubs of recent years, are backing a proposal that would limit the amount clubs can spend.

The Uefa president, Michel Platini, is intent on ensuring that, by 2012, Champions League entrants will be obliged to balance their books.

Roman Abramovich, the club's owner, will be accused of trying to undermine rivals Manchester City, who have inherited Chelsea's mantle as the Premiership's big spenders. City's outlay in this transfer window alone has amounted to £120m.

"It's mainly the owners that asked us to do something: Roman Abramovich, [Milan's] Silvio Berlusconi, [Internazionale's] Massimo Moratti," Platini said. "They do not want to fork out any more.

"Manchester City can spend £300m if they want to but if they are not breaking even in three years then they cannot play in European competition. I haven't spoken to Manchester City about this and I don't remember meeting their owner [Sheikh Mansour], but I'm sure I will. Roman Abramovich is a football person and passionate about the game. He loves football. He has come to me and said that we must do something about this."

Abramovich embarked on a huge spree after his takeover of Chelsea in 2003. It has been sustained and a loss of £67.5m in the most recent accounts took the overall outlay to almost £700m.

The Chelsea chief executive, Peter Kenyon, broadly welcomed Platini's stance but added: "The real work is in the detail and those discussions will continue in earnest over the next 12 months. I don't think anyone could disagree with the broad principle."

Uefa has to consider seveal factors. It would not, for instance, oppose clubs which spent money to construct a new stadium, as Arsenal have done in going in the region of £400m in debt while building the Emirates.

Sugar daddy unhealthy
The Uefa initiative is under the aegis of its deputy general secretary, Gianni Infantino.

"If you have a sugar daddy it is unhealthy," he said. "The club has to stay on its own legs and generate its own revenue.

"For the club to be healthy it has to live on its own means and generate income and this is not impossible.

"Clubs have generated revenues by investing in stadiums otherwise it is an artificial bubble which inflates the system and is unhealthy and unsustainable."

Uefa is aware that, unless there is some flexibility in its plans, it could mean small clubs stagnate at their existing levels. In effect, Uefa would be in danger of ensuring that the current hierarchy could never come under threat.

Platini said that Uefa had to act when the current financial problems were being felt across the continent.

"We are not trying to put down Chelsea, Real Madrid or Manchester United," he said. "It's for all clubs.

"We have everyone on board with this, the owners, the players, the leagues, the national associations.

"If a club can get loans from a bank to buy players and is able to pay back bank loans then it is not a problem. But if a club gets a lot of money or subsidies from a big backer and is still in deficit in two years then it is a problem and we don't want that."

Platini added that an independent panel would be set up to judge whether clubs had broken the rules.

"The panel will refer any matter to the disciplinary committee and sanctions will be taken from a reminder to a fine to expulsion from the Champions League," he said.

http://www.worldsoccer.com

Europa League draw

It's the Champions League group-stage draw today. See all the 2009/10 prices here.

The draw for the group stage of the inaugural Europa League has taken place in Monaco.

Previously called the UEFA Cup, for the 2009-10 football season is now known as the Europa League following a change in format.

The first round of matches will be played on Thursday, 17th September, with the top two teams from each group progressing to the last 32, where they will be joined by the eight third-placed teams from the Champions League group phase.

Draw
Group A
Ajax
Anderlecht
Dinamo Zagreb
Politehnica Timisoara

Group B
Valencia
Lille
Slavia Prague
Genoa

Group C
Hamburg
Celtic
Hapoel Tel-Aviv
Rapid Vienna

Group D
Sporting
Heerenveen
Hertha Berlin
FK Ventspils

Group E
Roma
Basle
Fulham
CSKA Sofia

Group F
Panathinaikos
Galatasaray
Dinamo Bucuresti
SK Sturm Graz

Group G
Villarreal
Lazio
Levski Sofia
SV Red Bull Salzbug

Group H
Steaua Bucuresti
Fenerbahce
FC Twente
FC Sheriff

Group I
Benfica
Everton
AEK Athens
BATE

Group J
Shakhtar Donetsk
Club Brugge
Partizan Belgrade
Toulouse

Group K
PSV
FC Copenhagen
Sparta Prague
CFR Cluj-Napoca

Group L
Werder Bremen
FK Austria Vienna
Athletic Bilbao
Nacional

http://www.worldsoccer.com

Eduardo charged with diving

How has the Champions League group draw affected the outright betting? See all the latest here.

UEFA have charged Arsenal striker Eduardo with diving after the Croat sriker was awarded a penalty against Celtic in their midweek Champions League play-off clash at the Emirates.

The forward could now be handed a UEFA two-match suspension that will rule him out of the Gunners' first two Champions League group games.

Following complaints by Celtic and Scottish football bosses UEFA decided to examine video evidence of the incident, which saw Eduardo falling theatrically to the ground despite no evidence of contact being made with Celtic 'keeper Artur Boruc.

A statement on Friday said: "Having studied video evidence of the incident in question, the UEFA disciplinary inspector decided to charge the player concerned. The UEFA control and disciplinary body will examine the case on September 1."

It means Eduardo could now be sanctioned in accordance with Article 10, paragraph 1c of the UEFA disciplinary regulations (misconduct of players) which states: "Players may be suspended for two competition matches, or for a specified period, for acting with the obvious intent to cause any match official to make an incorrect decision or supporting his error of judgment and thereby causing him to make an incorrect decision."

If banned he would miss Arsenal's away trip to Standard Liege on September 16 and the home match with Olympiakos on September 29.

UEFA's decision drew a furious response from Gunners boss Arsene Wenger, who accused the governing body of conducting a witch-hunt against his player.

"I find it a complete disgrace and unacceptable. We won't accept the way we have been treated in this case for two reasons," Wenger said.

"I believe that you can debate whether it was a penalty or not. For me it's a witch-hunt that we see and not an objective judgement of a case.

"This charge implies there was intent and a desire to cheat the referee. Having watched the pictures again there was nothing conclusive.

"It singles out a player in Europe to be a cheat and that is not acceptable. UEFA has taken action that is not defendable."

UEFA chief Michel Platini said Thursday he was considering introducing an extra referee to deal with the problem of diving.

"I have been battling for ten years to put in place more referees rather than add procedures following a mistake after it has been seen on the television," the former France star said.

"We have had years of cheating as the referee sees nothing - with an extra referee you would see better what is going on."

http://www.worldsoccer.com

Chelsea to release Shevchenko

Burnley have won their last 2 Premiership games but can the Clarets pull off a huge upset at Chelsea on Saturday? Simon Hopper gives you his tips.

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has given the go-ahead for striker Andriy Shevchenko to leave the club.

The Ukrainian forward was signed for £30million from Milan in 2006, but has failed to make an impact at Stamford Bridge since the move.

Ancelotti decided to take the 32-year-old back to the San Siro on loan last season, but Shevchenko failed to recapture his form and returned to Chelsea over the summer.

"I spoke with Shevchenko and he said he would like to play with continuity," confirmed Ancelotti.

"Here for me it is difficult to give him the opportunity to play a lot of matches and I think he will take the right decision for him. He will take his decision, it is not our problem, and he will choose the team that is right for him.

"I spoke with him and he takes this decision. I have time to choose the squad in the Champions League, the only thing is Shevchenko didn't have the possibility to play with continuity, he took the decision only for this."

Shevchenko has been strongly linked with a move back to old club Dynamo Kiev, where he started his career.

http://www.worldsoccer.com

Inamoto hopes for another World Cup chance

Veteran Japanese midfielder Junichi Inamoto is hoping that his move to French First Division side Rennes will boost his chances of playing in a third World Cup finals next year.

The 29-year-old - capped 71 times and scorer of four goals - was an iconic presence, aided by his dyed blond hair, when Japan co-hosted the 2002 World Cup finals with South Korea which saw the Japanese go out in the second round.

However, since then Inamoto - part of the Japanese squad that won the 2000 Asian Cup in Lebanon - has, like many of his compatriots who have tried to make a career in European club football, earned the moniker of ‘much travelled’ with Rennes being his seventh club since he signed for Arsenal in 2001.

However, Inamoto is insistent that being reunited with one of his former bosses, the fiery Frederic Antonetti, who coached him at J-League club Gamba Osaka, will get him to settle at last.

“Up till now I have not stayed longer than two years at any one club in Europe,” said Inamoto, who scored two of his four international goals in the 2002 World Cup.

“But that is not very important for me, nor that I am the Japanese player to have played abroad the longest.

“What is important, is that I have been able to acquire an enormous amount of experience and if that can be put to good use at Rennes, that would be ideal.

“If I can contribute in steering them into the European Cup that would be my first target this season.

“Of course I have a burning ambition to play in the World Cup and in that sense playing in a top championship will make it easier for me to be selected.

“And if that is the case then I want to play well in the World Cup.”

Inamoto, who just appeared in the League Cup for Arsenal before moving on to Fulham and has also seen service with Turkish giants Galatasaray, West Brom, Cardiff and German team Eintracht Frankfurt, said that Antonetti being coach of Rennes had helped him make his mind up.

“I was delighted the club were interested in me and came in for me when my contract with Eintracht was finished,” said Inamoto, who has not scored in 26 games for the national side since a 2003 friendly with Uruguay.

“And then I know the coach with whom I worked with 10 years ago.

“When he got angry he would always express himself in French, but it is 10 years since I have not heard his voice and it gives me great pleasure to hear it once more.

“Rennes is a good club, with a nice atmosphere, so all that motivated me to come here.”

Inamoto conceded that he had a habit of playing under French coaches having been with Arsene Wenger at Arsenal and Philippe ‘the white witch doctor’ Troussier for the national side in the 2000 Asian Cup and the 2002 World Cup.

“It is true that there have been a lot of French coaches who have appreciated my style of play,” said Inamoto.

“Now I must show in France that these coaches were right and I am really happy to be able to play there.

“When I came to Arsenal, everyone said that I was going to help sell a lot of shirts. But in reality there were no sales in Japan, therefore I don’t think that my presence here is going to help increase sales of Rennes shirts,” he added laughing.

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Fergie prefers Arsenal to Chelsea

According to the Daily Mirror, Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has said that if United fail to retain the Premier League title, he would prefer Arsenal to win it rather than Chelsea.

When you think back to some of the battles United and Arsenal have had isn’t it amazing that Fergie has found a club to hate more than he hates them?

The rivalry between Fergie and Arsene Wenger was built up to the extreme by the media and culminated in the infamous pizza throwing incident at Old Trafford. Since then I think there has been a thawing in the frosty relations between them.

Could it be that they have reached the stage where they actually respect each other?

(Source - Daily Mirror)

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Why do so many people hate Manchester United?

Let’s get one thing straight right away. I am not a Manchester United fan. Many people have accused me of being so when I write praise about their side, but I am not, definitely not, a fan. OK?

Recently I wrote an article in which I selected my Premier League team of the year. In the team I put in a few United players. That caused outrage amongst the various people who commented on the article. ‘Typical Manchester United fan’ they said. Well I hope I’ve answered that one. ‘Typical idiot who only sees the top four clubs,‘ said another. Well, if you’re picking the team of the year aren’t a majority of them likely to come from the four most successful teams?

Actually, as a NEUTRAL I have spotted that Manchester United have more points than anyone else, have scored more goals than anyone else and have conceded less goals than anyone else. I would say that there is an arguable case for United to supply all eleven players for the team!

I didn’t do that though, I looked at the situation without bias and with total objectivity. That, of course, is where I went badly wrong. You cannot be objective about football at all, and don’t ever try to be objective about Manchester United.

So why do Manchester United cause so much discussion? Why are they so loved by millions of people all around the world and so hated by many more? There is a great old joke that says that the only three teams in England with a swear word in their name are ARSEnal, S****horpe and F****ng Manchester United.

Clearly I understand why Liverpool fans and Everton fans and Manchester City fans might hate them. It is only right that you hate your local neighbours. I have an irrational hatred of Luton simply because it is located twenty miles up the M1 from my beloved Watford.

I suppose I can understand why Chelsea and Arsenal fans might hate them because they are in direct competition with them to win the only two major competitions.

Apart from that though, why do the club provoke such extreme emotions in people?

Many people hate their fans. They are portrayed as arrogant and conceited. With due respect to everyone, it is difficult for me to be arrogant and conceited as a Watford fan, but if we became the most successful club in England I might not be able to avoid it. Are Liverpool fans not just a wee bit arrogant and conceited about their historical dominance of England and historical and recent successes in Europe?

Many people hate Sir Alex Ferguson. I’m the first to admit that he doesn’t always come over as being a likeable, jolly fellow. I get as upset with his constant harassing of referees, looking at his watch and gruff manner as anyone else.

Despite having no particular liking for the public character of Sir Alex, I have absolute respect and admiration for him. I don’t really see how it is possible not to, however grudgingly. The thirty-seven trophies he has won over the past thirty years, together with the twenty-one manager of the month awards, seven manager of the year awards and three World Soccer manager of the year awards, tend to make it hard to dismiss his ability.

So is it the players? Well, most people seem to have total admiration for Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes. They have had fabulous careers and even the most fervent hater of Manchester United must recognise the contribution they have made to the game.

What players cause the controversy? Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Rio Ferdinand seem to be the most despised and of course, by many, the most loved. As an England fan I believe that Rio is one of the best defenders in the world and Wayne Rooney is one of only very few players we have that can win a match with a piece of brilliance. As a football fan, forget the whinging and the diving, watching Ronaldo this season has been a joy.

A look at the club’s history produces past greats like Dennis Law, Bobby Charlton and George Best. It shows them to be the first English team to win the European Cup, and for an England fan, again, on the day we won the world cup there was Nobby Stiles and Bobby Charlton from United right there in the hub of the team.

There was the Munich tragedy of 1958 which was a terrible tragedy to anyone who is not emotionally challenged. They could easily have won that European Cup years before they eventually did.

I’m still no closer to establishing the reasons for this irrational hatred of Manchester United found all over the country. One of the main things that is constantly brought up is that United fans don’t come from Manchester and that all people from that area support City. Of course, that is a myth. They do have many thousands of fans from outside Manchester but a majority of their match attending supporters come from the Manchester area. Everton fans accuse Liverpool of not having any fans from the City. Of course, this is another myth.

I went to school in Watford back in the sixties and seventies. A lot of my mates and I supported Watford but there were many others who supported Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and United. If young people don’t support their local team they are quite likely to pick a team that is successful. Like it or not, over recent years that is quite likely to be United.

People say that most United supporters have never been to a game. Probably true, they have millions of fans worldwide and the ground only holds 77,000 or so. That doesn’t mean that there is very often a spare seat at Old Trafford though!

I’m a Watford fan. I am not a United fan, I have no feelings for them either way. It is just that as a football fan I enjoy watching their team play and admire their record. Why do so many people have such a problem with them? It isn’t jealousy is it?

Graham Fisher writes at Views of a fan.

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Stuttgart give up on Huntelaar

Despite reports in Spanish media on Wednesday, Real Madrid’s Klaas Jan Huntelaar and VfB Stuttgart failed to reach an agreement and a transfer can now be ruled out.

Sportspaper Marca had reported that Huntelaar agreed terms with the German side, but soon after, Stuttgart confirmed the opposite.

“We wanted to sign Huntelaar because his style would fit into our team. But we aren’t ready to be kept waiting like this,” Stuttgart manager Horst Heldt said.

The main candidates to sign the Dutchman now appear to be Tottenham Hotspur and, to a lesser extend, Arsenal. Spurs manager Harry Redknapp reportedly wants to sign the player, and the chance of this happening seems to have increased after the failed negotiations with Stuttgart.

http://www.soccernews.com

AC Milan is a ‘special place’ for Huntelaar

New AC Milan signing Klaas Jan Huntelaar has admitted that his new club is a ‘special place’ for the Dutch.

Huntelaar completed a £12.5million move from Real Madrid to AC Milan on Thursday.

“Milan is a very special place for the Dutch. Van Basten was my Coach at Ajax as well as for Holland and I know him very well,” the 26-year-old told Milan Channel.

“I am relaxed and truly happy to be here. I know that the football and the training methods are different in Italy, but I am ready, I’m eager to get started and begin this adventure.”

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Dinamo: historic qualification takes the fans in the streets. Slovan - Dinamo 0-3, 8-9 after penalties

A dramatic match took place in Liberec (the Czech Republic), where Romanian team Dinamo won its dignity and scored more than goals: the team gave the football club an image they have never had since the Revolution in 1989. Dinamo scored three goals on foreign grass, pushing the games into the penalties, where the Romanians won after the goalkeeper Florin Matache defended the decisive strike.

Andrei Cristea marked Dinamo's forst recovery sign, then Marus Niculae mirrored him and Dinamo's fans started to dream. Dinamo culd have won in the first 90 minutes, but Zicu, Bostina, Torje and Adrian Cristea missed the fourth goal. Physically drained, Bonetti's players fought heroic in the minutes to come and the goalkeeper worked wonders in front of the unleashed Czechs. Used towards the end of the game, Papousek was blowing cold wind in the necks of the Romanian players, managing to threaten Matache's gate several times.

The Czech fans wore sad faces after 120 minutes. Niculae stroke and scored first, but the Czechs scored back. It went in a limbo until 8-8, when junior Molinera stroke a lucky goal, and Liska saw the faith of his strike kept in the arms of the same Matache. Dario Bonetti's students win gloriously!

Several hundreds Dinamo supporters ended up on the stadium after the match, where they were peacefully celebrating. This is a premiere in Dinamo's recent history, after Steaua and Rapid managed to take happy fans in the streets.

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