16 May - 31 May 2001
15 MAY 2001
Wenger Ready To Spend
Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger made the following comments after the teams
2-1 FA Cup final defeat by Liverpool.
"If we are to become great again we must buy a couple of World Class players."
"I know which players I want to bring to the club and we have enough time to
sort it out."
UEFA Reduce Fines
UEFA have reduced the fines imposed on PSG and Galatasaray for crowd
trouble. PSG's fine has been reduced to £76,000 while Galatasaray's fine has
been reduced from £46,700 to £19,000. PSG have also had their three match
ban reduced to two matches.
Aldair Out
Roma defender Aldair is likely to be out for the rest of the season.
12 MAY 2001
Didi Passes Away by Lléo
Today in Rio died one of the greatest players of Brazilian football history,
Valdir Pereira, aka Didi, o Mestre (the Master).
In his very successful career, he was World Champion in 1958 and 1962, best
player of the 1958 World Cup, and figures in the Top-10 (5? 3?) players of
Botafogo and Fluminense, among other honours.
One of the his most memorable moments was in the 1958 World Cup final.
With 4 minutes in the game, Sweden scored 1-0 and Brasil hadn't seen the ball
yet. Calmly, Didi gets the ball in the back of the net, walks with it under
his arm until the midfield, talking to every player in the Brazilian squad.
The result? 4 minutes later, Brasil ties. In the end, 5-2.
He was the first player to score a goal in the Maracanã, in a friendly
between a squad from Rio and São Paulo (which was the stadium's first
match).
As a coach, he led Peru to the quarter-finals of the 1970 World Cup.
In the national team, he played 68 matches and scored 20 goals, from 1952
to 1962.
Rest in peace, old master.
Lléo
11 MAY 2001
Johansson Threatens Changes To Champions League Format
"It should be a league for champions (the Champions League) and therefore
we will reduce the number of participants." - UEFA President Lennart Johansson
Leeds Acknowledge Interest In Lampard
"It's interesting to be linked with Frank (Lampard) thought I get liked with
everyone who comes on the market. This is not a bad thing and I'm proud that
players seem to want to come to Leeds". - David O'Leary
In my opinion 22 year old Frank Lampard is one of the best prospects in
England. I rate him higher than Paul Scholes. His passing in superb and he
has an explosive shot. Under O'Leary's tutelage I think he would fulfil his
enormous potential in much the same way as former team-mate
Rio Ferdinand.
Suazo Targeted By Lazio & Juventus
Cagliari forward David Suazo is being linked with a move to either Lazio or
Juventus. Cagliari want £13 million for the Honduran striker. Lazio seem
willing to pay, not surprisingly Juve don't.
Harry Redknapp Interested in Saints Job
"There have been no talks between myself and Southampton but the idea of
managing the club is an attractive one." - Harry Redknapp
Milan News
Milan will pay Rui Costa £3 million a year if he joins the club at the end of
the season. Rui Costa is very bitter about the way in which Fiorentina
treated Fatih Terim. He thought so highly of his former coach that he started
to learn Turkish! It's no secret that Terim will coach Milan next season. He's
currently keeping a low profile by scouting in South America.
Mark Viduka and Mario Jardel are the clubs main targets in attack. Inter
defender Cyril Domoraud made the following comments with English website
football365.com :
"There are good contacts with AC Milan and it is clear that I will not remain
in France. For the moment nothing is signed but it is possible that I will
move from one Milan club to the other by the grace of God!"
Albertini is out for the rest of the season due to knee injury and there are
some reports that Fernando Redondo's career may be over before he's
kicked a ball in a Milan shirt.
Inter, Lazio
I do not expect much movement from Lazio or Inter. Both clubs have already
signed several players for next season (see the transfer section). If Real
Madrid's bid for Veron is genuine (I expect his agent is starting rumours)
then I'm sure Lazio wouldn't think twice about selling him and investing the
money in more young players.
As for Parma nothing will happened until the coaching situation is settled.
The club may keep Renzo Ullivieri on as coach or try to temp Valencia's
Hector Cuper.
Ghanaian League Suspended
Ghana's Premier league has been suspended following Wednesday's tragedy in
Accra.
Italian Players Cleared Of Match Fixing
Six players have been cleared of attempted match fixing by the FIGC appeals
court. 3 were from Serie A side Atalanta (Doni, Gallo, Siviglia & Zauri) and
2 from Serie B's Piacenza.
Man United About To Open The Cheque Book
"It's not a case of it but when se sign more players. We have to get them or
we will go backwards. More and more of my players have said the same."
Man United coach Alex Ferguson
Fiorentina Want Ljunberg
Fiorentina will offer Arsenal £6.8 million for Swedish midfielder Frederik
Ljunberg. I think at that price Arsenal are likely to sell. Ray Parlour have
also been linked with a move away from Highbury. Sunderland coach Peter
Reid is a big admirer.
Petit - Chelsea or Tottenham?
Emmanuel Petit will decide between joining Chelsea or Tottenham within the
next two weeks according to his agent.
Hargreaves - English (With a Canadian/German Accent!)
Bayern Munich starlet Owen Hargreaves who could play for Wales, Canada
or Germany at international level said "I'm absolutely committed to England."
10 MAY 2001
Forssell Gets New Contract
Chelsea striker Mikael Forssell has signed a new four year contract with the
club. The talented Iceland international has spent the past season on loan
at first division Crystal Palace.
West Ham - Fallout
"Frank (Lampard) does not see how he can play for West Ham again. The
circumstances have left a bad taste in the mouth. He feels totally and utterly
betrayed." - Steve Kutner, agent of Frank Lampard
Chairman Was Reason For Redknapp's Departure
Former West Ham coach Harry Redknapp says he was sacked and didn't
resign. "After the meeting with chairman Terry Brown I found myself out
of work.", "I just wanted three players during the summer."
Konterman - Dutch Beef To Blame?
Rangers defender Bert Konterman believes hormone injections in Dutch beef
may be the reason for Edgar Davids and Ronald De Boer's high Nandrolone
levels. Chelsea will test their Dutch players for Nandrolone.
Jean-Paul Akono Quits
Cameroon coach Jean-Paul Akono has resigned following the World Cup
defeat to Angola. Pierre Lechantre will replace him. Despite the defeat the
Olympic Champions are well on course for a place in next year's World Cup.
Bidding For the World Club Championship
Australia, Egypt, England, Iran, Japan, Mexico, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Scotland,
Tunisia, the USA and Uruguay have said they are interested in staging the 2003
World Club Championships.
Australia, Croatia, Egypt, England, Guatemala(!), Japan, Kuwait, Morocco,
Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, South Korea, the USA and Uruguay have
expressed an interest in staging the 2005 event.
Circle Of Violence Continues
At least 120 people are feared dead and hundreds more are injured following
crowd trouble in Accra. Supporters of Kumasi Ashanti Kotoko rioted after their
team lost to local rivals Hearts of Oak. Fans tried to leave the stadiuam when
Police fired tear gas in an attempt to control the crowd.
Totti Finally Signs Contract
Roma's Francesco Totti has signed a new 4 year contract worth a wallet
busting £26.5 million or £6.625 million per season or £127,400 per week!
The deal includes the rights to market Totti's image.
9 MAY 2001
Redknapp Resigns
Harry Redknapp has resigned as coach of West Ham. In an interview on the
clubs website (http://www.westhamunited.co.uk) he said :
"I've had a chat with the chairman and just feel it's been a tough season.
The last eight weeks or so of the season haven't been particularly enjoyable
and I feel that, maybe, it's time for a change."
Redknapp's assistant Frank Lampard Sr has also left the club.
Mane Extends Contract
Alaves coach Mane (Jose Manuel Esnal) has signed a new one year deal worth
£500,000. Mane was tipped to replace Valencia coach Hector Cuper who is
expected to leave the club at the end of the season for either Barcelona or
Parma.
Coach Shot
Dario Gomez, coach of Ecuador was shot in a bar in Guayaquil yesterday.
Gomez is recovering in hospital. His condititon is not thought to be serious.
Third Time Lukcy For Maturana?
Francisco Maturana has taken over as coach of Colombia for the third time in
his career. Maturana was previously in charge during the 1990 and 1994
World Cups.
Arsenal Look At Centre Back, Again
Arsenal have made an £8 million bid for Porto defender Andrade.
Frank de Boer Fails Drugs Test
Barcelona's Frank De Boer has became the second Dutch international player
to fail a drugs test in the past week (Davids was the first). De Boer tested
positive for Nandrolone and, as usual, protested his innocence.
Inter Face Home Ban
Inter could face a home ban following an incident during Sunday's victory
over Atalanta. Inter supporter's stole a scooter from an Atalanta fan and set
it on fire.
Abbiati - I'd Like Barcelona
Milan goalkeeper Christian Abbiati is rightly furious with his continued
place on the bench and has threatened to leave the club if he is not
guaranteed a first team place. Rossi has inexplicably been preferred to the
brilliant 23 year old who commented :
"I read about teams that want me. Evidently there is still someone who
trusts me. Nothing is impossible. I'd like Barcelona."
Peter Reid Joins Millionaires Club
Sunderland coach Peter Reid is to be offer a new £8 million, four year
contract which will make him one of the highest paid coaches in football.
France Round-up by Paul Bailey
More On Coaches
Niort's Argentine coach Angel Marcos has signed a two-year contract with
newly-promoted side FC Lorient, taking over from Christian Gourcuff. Both
trainers leave due to expired contracts, although Gourcuff has admitted
that he hasn't finalized a deal with Rennes yet.
Also, Monaco president Jean-Louis Campora has confirmed that current
coach Claude Puel will remain with the club until the end of his contract
in June 2002.
Carrière
French player of the year Eric Carrière has been contacted by numerous
clubs from England and Italy following his statement that he may be
interested in leaving Nantes. Chelsea is the club mentioned most in
connection with the French midfielder, who still hasn't decided if he's
ready to leave the Champions-elect yet.
PSG Rumors
PSG are currently in talks with Barça over extending their loan of Mikel
Arteta and are also looking to keep Vampeta at the club. Luccin may soon
be joining Dalmat at Inter, and the Parisians are attempting to buy
Agostinho from Malaga but face competition from Celta Vigo. In attack,
Patrick M'Boma (Parma) and Pascal Nouma (Besiktas) have been linked
with a move to the French capital, both players expressing interest in
joining PSG.
Paul
8 MAY 2001
France Round-up by Paul Bailey
Trouble In Rennes
Breton side Stade Rennais are looking for a replacement keeper, as Bernard
Lama won't be with the club next season. The situation arose when Lama
stated in French sports journal L'Equipe that general director Hubert Guidal
knew "nothing about football" and went on to add that he had no personal
problems with any of the coaching staff, but did consider them to be tactically
inept. In response, the former French international has been informed that he
needs to find a new club.
Additionally, head coach Paul Le Guen has refused to extend his contract with
the club for the 2001-2002 season. Le Guen was approached by François
Pinault (Rennes' main sponser) before the home match against Bordeaux,
who proposed that Le Guen would take charge of the club until the time came
when Pinault's own son could assume control. Christian Gourcuff was signed to
help run the club under Le Guen, but now finds himself responsible for the
club's affairs for at least the next three months.
Revolving Coaches
Alain Michel has been appointed coach of Saint-Etienne and faces the task of
bringing les Verts back into the top division. Frédéric Antonetti will be
leaving Bastia next season, while Joël Müller has been named as the new
coach for Lens next season after having just been fired from Metz. In the rumor
mill, Yvon Pouliquen - currently in charge of Strasbourg - has been linked with
the top job at Lorient, to be replaced by Ivan Hasek of Sparta Prague.
Coupe de la Ligue Final
The League Cup Final between Lyon and Monaco was played at the Stade
de France before 78,010 fans on 5 May. The Lyonnais scored in minute 33
when Marlet found Caçapa in the center to lob over Porato, but Monaco replied
on the hour mark when Simone crossed in to Nonda at the far post to beat
Coupet. The scores remained level after 90 minutes and the first period of
additonal time, and deep into the second period the match looked to be
heading toward a penalty shoot- out. However, just seconds before the final
whistle a run down the left wing by Sonny Anderson resulted in the Brazilian
serving Patrick Müller in the area to send the ball past a motionless Porato
to score the game winner.
Lyon win their first domestic trophy in 28 years and have qualified for the
Champion's League for the third consecutive year. In addition, Monaco's loss
means that the fifth-placed team in le Championnat will now qualify for the
UEFA Cup next season.
Promotion Assured
With another two rounds to go until the end of the D2 season all three
promotion candidates have guaranteed their places, with Montpellier-Herault,
Lorient, and Sochaux-Montbeliard all returning to the French elite. Sochaux are
currently first with 69 points, Montpellier are in second with 68, and Lorient
also have 68 points, but are behind Montpellier on goal difference. Niort are
in fourth place, trailing the leaders with 56 points. At the bottom of the second
division, Angers and Cannes will both be relegated, while Martigues have some
hope of survival, as only three points seperate their final relegation spot of 18th
with the 12th-placed side.
Transfer Rumors
When asked his opinion about a transfer to Marseille, Juventus striker David
Trezeguet replied that he wouldn't be against a move to the side from
Provence. West Ham forward Frédéric Kanouté has also been mentioned in
connection with the Old Lady, as a possible transfer. If he doesn't move to
Italy it's possible that he may be used as a part-trade for PSG's Laurent Robert,
as West Ham are interested in the player but the Parisian club are asking for
a fee of £7.8M. French journal L'Equipe has also reported that Fiorentina are
looking to sign PSG's Brazilian forward Christian, and may offer Nuno Gomes
in exchange.
Budgets
Lorient have set aside 150 MF (£13.8M) for transfers as they prepare for a
successful season in le Championnat. It's rumored that Saint-Etienne are willing
to spend up to 240 MF (£22.3M) on the acquisition of new players in order to
make a quick return to the French elite. Bernard Tapie of Marseille has
announced that Ericsson will no longer be the club's main sponser, but that a
new "high-tech" name will come in as a replacement.
Paul
Tim Leidecker's Euro All Stars For April 2001
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