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August - 30 August 2002 14 August 2002 Ballack German Player of the Year Former Leverkusen midfielder Michael Ballack edged out his new Bayern team-mate Oliver Kahn to win the German player of the year award. Ballack received 433 votes compared to 354 for Kahn in a competition run by Kicker magazine. Bayern President Signs Contract With Rivals Bayern Munich club president Franz Beckenbauer has a deal worth €3 million with mobile phone company 02 the main rivals of Bayern's sponsors Telekom. Telekom's sponsorship director Jurgen Kindervater said : "It's a bitter pill for us if Beckenbauer does publicity for a competitor." Fellow Bayern president Karl-Heinz Rumenigge was equally unhappy : "We're not happy Franz has got this deal with 02." Telekom will invest €120 million in Bayern Munich over the next six years. Telekom also sponsor the DFB (German Football Federation) and the organizing committee for the 2006 World Cup. 13 August 2002 Luxemburgo Walks Out On Palmeiras Former Brazil coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo has quit Palmeiras to join Cruzeiro, just three days after the start of the Brazilian championship. Romario - God Chose Me 36 year old loud mouth Romario claims he has been chosen by God to score goals : "When I was born God pointed at me and said 'That's the guy' then he pointed at me and said 'Go and score another goal' and so I did." Juninho To Miss Start of the Season Middlesbrough hero Juninho will miss the start of the season after damaging knee ligaments in a friendly against Serie A side Modena. He could miss up to three months of the season. 11 August 2002 Adams Going Back To School As expected Tony Adams has announced his retirement from football and will begin a three year course in sports science in September : "I am the person I am today because of football and I am grateful for that but it has come at a mental, emotional and physical cost. It's time for a rest. I wasn't ready for school as a kid. I only wanted to play football. Now I feel ready for education. After all the years of the physical stuff, I wanted something to stimulate me mentally. It's 18 hours a week with a couple of lectures, a lot of course work and two exams a year. The first year is compulsory, basically shut up and listen. In the second and third you specialize more. I'll probably be tapping on David Beckham's shoulder and asking to study how he bends his free-kicks." Adams said health problems left him with no choice but to call an end to a glittering career : "I have degeneration in the bones which needs work. Arsenal were talking about a guy in America who drills into the area to stimulate bone growth, which sounds a bit horrific. I've a bit of a life left and want to walk in a few years' time. Enough was enough. Even if I had the op and it had worked I wouldn't have been back before Christmas. The body's packed up on me really." 9 August 2002 Scolari Resigns Luis Felipe Scolari has resigned as coach of Brazil one month after guiding the team to their fifth World Cup triumph. Scolari expressed interest in coaching another national team : "I would like to go to another World Cup as a coach. It's a great stage which gives you the opportunity to analyse the styles of other teams. I don't know if I would get the call but sometimes I think of coaching another national side." Wanchope Out For Six Months Manchester City's Costa Rican striker Paulo Wanchope will be out of action for six months following knee surgery. FA Increase Drug Tests "We're going to raise the number of tests from 1,000 to 1,200 and we will increase the number of events we go to - being a training session or game." Medical chief Alan Hodson Medellin Punished After Fan Attacks Ref Colombia's Medellin have been given a three match home ban after a fan ran on to the pitch and attacked a referee during a match last weekend. Medellin will play their next three game at neutral venues. Ref Resigns After Hitting Player Referee Francisco Caamano has resigned after hitting Audax Italiano player Nestor Contreras in the nuts during a league match last Sunday. Caamano claimed he reacted to Contreras after he stepped on his foot and was aiming for the players thigh. Hooliganism Down In Britain The Home Office said that there were banning orders on 1,149 people this month, almost double the figure a year ago. The number of arrests for England and Wales fell by 264 to 3,898 last year. Violent and public order offences were down by eight percent during the 2001/2 season, compared to the year before and were down by nearly a third on figures a decade ago. "I have no doubt that the increased number of banning orders, backed up by intelligence-based policing and effective co-operation between the police, clubs and the football authorities, has helped bring about the fall in football-related arrests at home and abroad." Home Office minister John Denham 7 August 2002 Rivaldo Ready For New Challenge "I am very happy with the reception I have had, I have been impressed with the training camps and the excellent facilities and I hope I'll be able to live up to expectations. I am very motivated. Changing teams means starting all over again. I hope things go well in Italy as they have in all the teams I have played for up until now. Even though I am a world champion I would like to do great things with Milan." - Rivaldo 5 August 2002 UEFA Shortlist Players For Awards UEFA have announced a shortlist of players and coaches for their awards gala due to be held at the end of the month. Best Player : Ruud Van Nistelrooy (Manchester United), Raul (Real Madrid), Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid) Best Goalkeeper : Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Jerzy Dudek (Liverpool), Oliver Kahn (Bayern Munich) Best Defender : Cafu (Roma), Sami Hyypia (Liverpool), Roberto Carlos (Real Madrid) Best Midfielder : Michael Ballack (Leverkusen), Roy Keane (Manchester United), Patrick Vieira (Arsenal) Best Striker : Raul (Real Madrid), David Trezeguet (Juventus), Ruud van Nistelrooy (Manchester United) Best Coach : Vicente del Bosque (Real Madrid), Alex Ferguson (Manchester United), Klaus Toppmoeller (Leverkusen) 3 August 2002 1926 Fiorentina Italian businessman Diego Della Valle has been named as the new owner of Fiorentina. Fiorentina 'died' last week with debts of €22 million. The Florence city council announced the formation of a new club, 1926 Fiorentina with the city mayor, Leonardo Domenici, named as President. 49 year old Della Valle is the creator of Tod's, Hogan and Fay shoe brands and has a business empire worth an estimated €250 million. 2 August 2002 Amoroso Out For Three Months Dortmund's injury prone Brazilian striker, Marcio Amoroso, will miss the first three months of the season with an Achilles tendon inflammation. Fan Dies After Violence In Stockholm 26-year-old Tony Deogan died on Friday from injuries sustained in what police believe was an organised brawl between 'fans' of AIK Stockholm and IFK Goteborg. It is the first soccer related death in Sweden. 1 August 2002 Football League Lose Court Battle With ITV Digital The football league has failed in it's bid to claim £132 million in TV rights following the collapse of ITV digital. ITV digital went out of business in April owing the league £178.5 million for the remaining two years of a £315 million deal. The football league signed a four year, £95 million deal with BSkyB. |