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February 2000 Bari coach Eugenio Fascetti faces disciplinary action from the Italian FA for allegedly making racist comments at Torino defender Djibrill Diawara. During Sunday's league match between Bari and Torino, Bari defender Garyza pushed Diawara in the face, he retaliated by attempting to kick Garyza in the nuts. Reports in Germany claim national team coach Erich Ribbeck stood by at half time while Oliver Bierhoff and Jens Jeremies changed the tactics. Enzo Trossero takes over as new coach of Switzerland in July. 27 February 2000 Alan Shearer will retire from International football at the end of Euro 2000. 26 February 2000 34 year old Chelsea defender Dan Petrescu has extended his contract until 2002. Perugia's reserve goalkeeper, Angelo Pagotto, has been given a two year ban by the Italian FA for testing positive for cocaine. The test was carried out on the 20th of November last year following Perugia's match with Fiorentina. Wimbledon owner Sam Hammam has sold his remaining shares to Norwegian Bjorne Rune Gjelsten who purchased an 80% stake in the club in 1997. Vitesse Arnhem have been given a £8 million boost by their shirt sponsors Nuon. The club ran into debt following the building of their new stadium. Ghent coach Trond Sollied will take over as coach of Club Bruges at the end of the season. 25 February 2000 "I cannot imagine that I or anyone else will vote for England.". UEFA President Lennart Johansson rubbishes England's bid to host the 2006 World Cup. 24 February 2000 'Master of the dribble' Sir Stanley Matthews, one of the legends of European football passed away today at the age of 85. Matthews was the first winner of the European footballer of the year award in 1956. He played in 710 league matches for Blackpool and Stoke and made 54 appearances for England. He was best known for his performance in the 1953 FA Cup final, dubbed the 'Matthews Final' Blackpool won the match 4-3 after trailing 3-1 to Bolton. Matthews credited the Cup Final victory to hat-trick hero Stan Mortensen. Matthews was never booked during his career. FIFA will amend the current '4 step' rule for goalkeepers. From July onwards goalkeepers must release the ball within 6 seconds. "I want to play at (Manchester) United because they are the World's best club. United are a cool club. I am aware they have been interested in me and have always been looking at me. It would be a great temptation to play for them, given the opportunity.". Nwanko Kanu and Celestine Babayaro are back in England after exile in Nigeria due to recent rioting. 23 February 2000 FIFA President Sepp Bladder plans to introduce 40 professional referees next season. Judgement and common sense are qualities that people are born with, they are not qualities that can be learned so I fail to see how the introduction of professional referees will improve the standard of refereeing. Jamaica coach Rene Simoes has quit citing family reasons. "I can put you at ease regarding Boban. I told a certain person (Alberto Zaccheroni) that either he puts Boban back in the side or he will be sacked." Milan President Silvio Berlusconi 22 February 2000 Chelsea defender Celestine Babayaro is trapped in Kaduna following rioting. 26 years old Wales coach Mark Hughes has announced his retirement from International football. "We are the only Italian team still fighting on three fronts - the Champions League, Italian Cup and Serie A.". Lazio President Sergio Cragnotti tries to put on a brave face after his teams Serie A defeat against Milan. Espanyol striker Miguel Benitez will miss the rest of the season after suffering a knee ligament injury against Atletico Madrid on Sunday. Spanish newspapers report that Marc Overmars will join Barcelona on a free transfer at the end of the season. Coventry have transfer listed inconsistent striker Noel Whelan. Sheffield Wednesday chairman Dave Richards has stepped down in order to become chairman of the Premier League. Richards has been accused of creative account by Sheffield politicians so he seems a natural for the job! 21 February 2000 David Beckham was dropped for Man United's clash with Leeds United today. Beckham missed training on Friday while out with his wife. He claims his son was unwell. This is not the first time Beckham has missed training and rumours have started regarding his future at the club. Leeds have denied claims that they are interested in signing Gremio's Ronaldinho. 19 February 2000 The wife of Real Oviedo midfielder Mateo Corbo died in a car accident yesterday. Her name was Leonor. Mateo did not suffer any serious injuries. Leeds have been linked with a move for Gremio's outstanding forward Ronaldinho. CNN Text claim Leeds have made a ridiculous $80 million bid BBC Teletext however claim the figure is in the £20 million region. Leeds officials will fly out to Brazil on Wednesday to discuss the move. Ronaldinho has been linked with every major European Club over the past 12 months. Lazio's overrated Argentinean midfielder, Matias Almeyda, will be out of action for a month after tearing a thigh muscle in training. Peterborough midfielder Helgi Danielsson has left the club to train with Milan. The 18 year old Icelandic international has never played in Peterborough's first team. Claudio Ranieri, linked with a move to Milan in the summer, has said he is happy to stay on as coach of Valencia. Club Bruges coach Rene Verheyen has stepped down. Newcastle have given manager Bobby Robson a new 12 month contract. His previous contract was due to expire at the end of this season. 18 February 2000 The president of the 1997 Champions of Moldova, Valery Rymar and his two bodyguard were shot dead by gunman in Chisinau. Stan Collymore has been fined two weeks wages for letting off a fire extinguisher in a bar at the La Manga complex on Wednesday. The £700 bill for damages to the bar and costs of the trip will be paid by the players. Alexei Smertin claims Man United are interested in signing him. The highly rated midfielder plays for Lokomotiv Moscow. Leeds and Newcastle are chasing Lens midfielder Oliver Dacourt. Dacourt left Everton last summer to join Lens after a transfer to Arsenal fell through. Middlesbrough are interested in signing Giampieo Maini on loan from Parma. 17 February 2000 Sunderland midfielder Gavin McCann is out for the rest of the season after suffering a ligament injury. Leicester City have been sent home from the La Manga resort in Spain after Stan Collymore set off a fire extinguisher in a hotel bar. The incident took place on the first day of what was to be a four day break. The club were ordered to leave following the incident. 381 fans turned up to watch Venezia Italian Cup match with Lazio. Thomas Haessler may quit over the continuing publicity of the affair between his wife and ex 1860 Munich coach Edgar Geenen, Geenen was sacked over the affair. Sepp Bladder wants to introduce a unified calendar which runs between February and November throughout the world but UEFA's general secretary, Gerhard Aigner, has warned that European clubs as opposed to the idea. I expect the unified calendar will be as big a failure as Bladder's plans for a World Cup held every two years. Bladder may be the President of FIFA but UEFA run the show. 16 February 2000 Lazio have been fined over £6,000 for racist abuse by their fans during Sunday's match against Parma. Lazio's President, Sergio Cragnotti, said he would rather play behind closed doors than hear more abuse at the Olympic Stadium. "We have started the second phase of recuperation with some slow running and the training will gradually intensify. We hope he (Ronaldo) will be ready to play in the first week of April.". An Inter spokesman. Ruud van Nistelrooy is quoted as saying he would prefer a move to England is he leaves PSV at the end of the season. Chelsea and Arsenal have expressed an interest and I expect Liverpool will join the race for his signature. Paul Gascoigne has been charged with misconduct by the FA after he elbowed George Boateng in the face during Middlesbrough's home match against Aston Villa. Ironically Gazza broke his forearm and had to be strechered off. Newcastle United manager Bobby Robson has placed 13 players on the transfer list : Arnison, Brady, Caldwell, Coppinger, Elliott, Glass, Hamilton, Karelse, Maric, Martin, Perez, Serrant and Caldwell On an English television program Newcastle players Gary Speed and Alan Shearer were asked to choose between £10 million and winning the Word Cup, Speed chose the money and Shearer chose the World Cup! 15 February 2000 "UEFA is not convinced about the viability of sending representatives to the second edition - if there is one. We can now evaluate the drawbacks. We cannot accept that European clubs take park in such a competition in the conditions which prevail at the moment.". UEFA secretary Gerhard Aigner voices his concerns over the future of the World Club Championships. Lazio face more fines for crowd racism. During Sunday's match against Parma Lassissi, Thuram and Dabo were subjected to racist abuse. Lazio have already been fined more then £30,000 this season for racist fan behaviour. Croatia Zagreb will now go by their previous name Dynamo Zagreb. Bachar Abdallah scored 8 goals in Kuwait's 20-0 win over Bhutan in an Asian Nations Cup qualifier. "I don't know what Ganz is talking about. He wasn't even there. I wasn't involved in what happened. I was making my way back to the changing rooms and I saw there was a fight breaking out. I tried to break it up.". Cagliari goalkeeper Alessio Scarpi denies he attacked Valtolina in the player tunnel after yesterday's match between Venezia and Cagliari. As Boban was substituted on Saturday during Milan's away match against Bologna he said "F**k it! The defence is shit.". Milan were leading 3-0 but conceded two goals in 2 minutes. Paul Gascoigne broke him left forearm against Aston Villa yesterday after elbowing George Boateng in the face. Gazza is expected to be out for months and there is speculation that he could have played his last match in the Premiership. He has been linked with a move to the MLS in recent weeks. 14 February 2000 Ajax are shortly expected to announce Co Adriaanse as their new coach. Milan have first option on Shevchenko's former strike partner Serhiy Rebrov. River Plate coach Ramon Diaz has quit the club after the board turned down his request for new players. Venezia's star midfielder Fabian Valtolina was hospitalised after an attack by Cagliari players in the tunnel at the end of their home match against Cagliari. Alessio Scarpi, Daniele Berretta and Diego Lopez are said to be the three players that beat up Valtolina. 11 February 2000 Man United have signed a four year, £30 million contract with mobile phone company Vodaphone. Barcelona defender Sergi will be out for six weeks after tearing a hamstring during Thursday's Spanish Cup match. PSV have rejected a bid from Chelsea for their star striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy. The English media claim Chelsea made a £20 million bid. Hilariously BBC Teletext claim that the club haven't ruled out selling Van Nistelrooy to Chelsea as a PSV spokesman said "Van Nistelrooy asked PSV to negotiate if a dream clubs show interest.". Something tells me Van Nistelrooy doesn't consider Chelsea a dream club, Man United and probably the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal but not Chelsea! Aston Villa striker Darius Vassell will be out for two months after breaking an ankle. Seville President Rafael Carrion has quit the club. Olympic Marseille defender William Gallas will be out for the rest of the season after breaking a leg in training. Gallas scored a fantastic goal against Man United in the Champions League this season and has been a long term target of Milan. A report based on a survey of 20,000 fans in England revealed one in seven fans are women, 97.8% of fans were 'white' and the average cost of a season ticket is £317. According to World Soccer magazine Real Madrid are £150 million in debt but earn over £50 million per season from TV. 10 February 2000 Celtic have sacked coach John Barnes. Kenny Dalglish, the first man in history to have a charisma bypass, will take over. Glasgow Rangers have dropped their interest in Serhiy Rebrov due to "something which came to our attention at a very late stage.". I assume the Rangers chairman is referring to an injury. Milan and Barcelona are now favourites for the players signature. 9 February 2000 Tottenham are preparing a £6 million bid for Atletico Madrid striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. Glasgow Rangers are set to make a bid, thought to be in the region of £12 million, for Dynamo Kyiv striker Serhiy Rebrov. Bayern Munich commercial manager Uli Hoeness has opened up a can of whoop arse on Leverkusen coach Christoph Daum ahead of today's top of the table clash "We have reserved the number #1 spot for ourselves, Duam will never win in Munich.". Celta Vigo have fined and suspended defender Goran Djornovic £11,000 after he refused to play at left-back. 8 February 2000 Henry Michel has quit as coach of Morocco, reigning Belgium champions Racing Genk have sacked coach Jos Heyligen and Venezia have sacked coach Luciano Spalletti, Francesco Oddo takes over. Belgian clubs Lokeren and Eendracht are planning a merger. Edmundo have been given a 10 day ban by Vasco da Gama after he walked out on the club before a match against Palmeiras. "I left the room because there was a lack of feeling towards me. I have a lot of love for Vasco but it will be difficult to stay in this situation. I will go to China if it is necessary.". Edmundo on the above incident 7 February 2000 Hearts midfielder Franck Sauzee will retire at the end of the season. Sauzee won a EC medal with Marseille in 1993 and is famous for his free kicks. Borussia Dortmund have sacked coach Michael Skibbe. Bernd Krauss will take over. 'O Animal' Edmundo is up to his old tricks. He walked out on Vasco da Gama before Saturday's match against Palmeiras. The club president, Antonio Soares Calcada, said he will help Edmundo look for a new club if the walkout was an act of indiscipline. What else could it have been? Maybe he forgot to lock his front door or something. Edmundo was set to join Milan in the summer. 6 February 2000 It appears Lazio have given up on signing Rivaldo and have now set their sights on Raul, who they have even less chance of signing. Lazio are willing to bid £22 million for Real Madrid's golden boy. Instead of throwing money around Lazio should first get a decent coach. Atletico Madrid defender Juan Manuel Lopez will be out for the rest of the season after suffering a knee injury in a cup tie. Lopez was making a comeback after missing almost 26 months due to a series of injuries. 5 February 2000 Van Gaal is planning a summer sale at Barcelona, just like the old days at Ajax. Ronald de Boer, Josep Guardiola, Luis Enrique, Sergi, Winston Bogarde and Ruud Hesp are rumoured to leave Barca. Ronald de Boer has been linked with a move to Glasgow Rangers, Sergi to Chelsea, Roma are probably favourites to sign Luis Enrique as Capello is a huge fan of his. Overmars, Etxeberria, Aranzabal and Milosevic are said to be Van Gaal's main transfer targets. 4 February 2000 Forgive me for sounding overdramatic but this is a historic day for soccer-europe.com. An advert for this site appeared in the March 2000 issue of World Soccer magazine which went on sale today. Over the coming weeks I will be updating the Serie A & Premiership squads to include all the mid-season transfers. The statistics section is undergoing an overhaul until I decide what to put in it! We will also start work on a comprehensive Euro 2000 section which should be on-line within the next 2 months. In a bid to stamp out racism the Italian FA will allow teams up to 45 minutes to remove banners from the stands. If the banners are not removed within 45 minutes the offending supporters team will default the match 2-0. Four Israeli players may be banned from the national team followed a report into allegations that players had relations with call girls prior to Israel's Euro 2000 qualifying match against Denmark. Ivory Coast's national squad have been put in a milatary camp 'for their own security' following their early exit from the African Nations Cup. Danny Murphy has extened his contract with Liverpool until the 2003 season. There has been some wild speculation in England regarding David Beckham. The press claim Arsenal will make a £25 million bid for the Man United midfielder in the summer. The Beckhams i.e. David Beckham and Posh Spice have said on numerous occasions that they would prefer a move to Spain. I seriously doubt Arsenal would be prepared to pay £25 million for Beckham nor are they likely to match his wage demands. I believe Beckham's contract expires at the end of next season so I doubt there is a possibility of him leaving until then. In other news from England, Teddy Sheringham is in talks with 4 European Clubs. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has denied rumours that he will quit Man United in the summer and Leicester striker Emile Heskey is once again linked with a summer move to Liverpool. 3 February 2000 I will be making major changes to the statistics over the next month so until further notice the statistics section is off-line. Lee Dixon and Nigel Winterburn, two of Arsenal's ancient defenders have signed one year contracts with the club. Igor Protti, Serie A top scorer in the 1997-1998 season, has been given a 10 match ban for elbowing an opponent and linesman. Protti now plays in Serie C. 2 February 2000 Michael Owen's hamstring injury will keep him out of action for another month. The Liverpool striker has been plagued by hamstring problems since last April. 'Farmer' Guus Hiddink has been appointed coach of Real Betis coach. Carlos Aragones has been appointed coach of Boliva. 1 February 2000 Reviews Premiership & FA Cup England will play a friendly against the Ukraine on the 31st of May in preparation for Euro 2000. |