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FEBRUARY 2002 Berlusconi To Remain President At Milan "He (Silvio Berlusconi) will step down as president only if it is imposed upon him do so by the law on the conflicts of interest currently going through parliament." - Milan Vice President Adriano Galliani Trap Rules Out Hubner? "Hubner is Capocannoniere and he could be considered but in the World Cup you play games every three days and it's important that players can recover quickly. This can be a problem for older players." - Giovanni Trapattoni Serie A Post Match Comments Atalanta vs Lazio "We will have to fight until the end to stay in Serie A but we knew this already. We still could have earned a point against Lazio today but for that goal conceded through a set-piece. Cristiano Doni could not continue to constantly play at such a high level, it is only normal for him to have a slight dip in form." - Giovanni Vavassori "A single result will not change our season. I did not like the first half performance as we were too static but after the break the team plucked up more courage." - Alberto Zaccheroni Bologna vs Verona "The draw would have been the correct result even though we had the most chances. We did well to get back on our feet after going a goal down and even winning it at the end with two strikes from corner kicks. Our position in the table is fully deserved for the quality of our squad and the grit we put out there every single Sunday." - Francesco Guidolin "It is almost impossible to lose the way we did. I feel really disappointed at this result. Unfortunately we are lacking the necessary experience and cynicism to do well in Serie A, the kind of qualities that Bologna used to win today." - Alberto Malesani Fiorentina vs Lecce "Our errors unfortunately cancel out any of the good things we show on the field. It is pointless looking for excuses, we would lose our dignity as well by doing that. We concede an average of two goals per game, are too tense and lose concentration to let in absurd strikes." - Ottavio Bianchi "The squad was able to keep its head after their goal and even managed to win it, ending a run of unlucky results. We believe we can avoid the drop, above all else because I see great desire in these lads to make it." Delio Rossi: Inter vs Udinese "The result is all that counts. We are top of the table alongside Roma. It is true that Udinese gave us problems but that is one of their primary characteristics. Now we have a difficult calendar ahead of us, but the players seem to be reacting well on a fitness level. I am not worried." - Hector Cuper "We deserved to lose seeing as we gifted all three goals to our opponents. Inter did well in taking advantage of our mistakes. It was a good performance but we come away empty-handed, unlike our similar display here against Milan." - Giampiero Ventura Piacenza vs Parma "I did not like this performance. You need enthusiasm to play in certain encounters and I did not see that in my lads. Having said that, I can safely say that Parma did not deserve this victory as we maintained almost constant control of the match." - Walter Novellino "This was a deserved win even if Piacenza created real headaches for us by not giving up until the final whistle. I am sorry for them but in the relegation battle it is live and let die." - Gedeone Carmignani Venezia vs Milan "For an hour I saw an excellent Venezia side with a clear penalty on De Franceschi. We had numerous goal scoring opportunities but were a little imprecise in front of the net. Our main fault is not reacting to Milan's second goal." - Alfredo Magni "Milan were very clear-headed in the second half although a lack of concentration at the back caused us quite a few problems early on. After the break we were more decisive in closing down the match. Manuel Rui Costa has all our respect and faith." - Carlo Ancelotti 22 FEBRUARY 2002 Inter Fan In Critical Condition An Italian Milan supporter is in a critical condition after falling from the second tier of the San Siro after celebrating the teams third goal in Thursday's UEFA Cup match against AEK Athens. Andersson Suffers Injury Setback Barcelona defender Patrik Andersson will be out of action for 10 weeks after picking up a knee ligament injury during the clubs match against Deportivo last Sunday. The defender was making a comeback after injury. Kluivert Not Keen On Capello Barcelona striker Patrick Kluivert is not happy with the news that the club want to appoint Fabio Capello, who he played under at Milan, as coach next season : "I don't know if the team or the supporters would like to have him here because we all like to play attacking football but I suppose the most important thing for a Coach is to earn points for your side. Every boss has his own style and I'm sure Capello would explain and defend his as strongly as the next man." Rumoured Transfers For Next Season Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira is almost certain to join Real Madrid. Arsenal are lining up PSV midfielder Marc Van Bommel as his replacement. Man United are expected to sign PSV defender Kevin Hofland. Veron may leave after hitting his trademark slump two months into the season. Del Piero is expected to leave Juventus. Juve's number one target is Lazio striker Hernan Crespo. Javi Moreno and Cosmin Contra will leave Milan. Shevchenko's future remains in doubt. The only player continually linked with the Rossoneri next season is Parma striker Marco Di Vaio. The club are rumoured to have debts of over £100 million after a mindless transfer campaign which saw them waste over £80 million on transfers last summer. 17 FEBRUARY 2002 Fans Killed In Argentina Two fans were killed before a derby match between Racing and Independiente in Argentina. One fan was shot and 24 year old Gustavo Rivero died of stab wounds. 14 FEBRUARY 2002 Vogts New Scotland Coach Former Germany coach Hans Hubert 'Berti' Vogts has been appointed coach of the Scottish national team. 11 FEBRUARY 2002 Great News For Deportivo 39 year old liability Donato is out for the rest of the season with a calf injury. 8 FEBRUARY 2002 Greek coach Pathiakakis dies after training session 48 year old Yannis Pathiakakis, coach of Greek club Akratitos, died of a heart attack after collapsing during a training session. The coach suffered a heart attack a few years ago. 14 FEBRUARY 2002 Hidegkuti Dies Aged 79 Hungarian Nandor Hidegkuti, one of the all time greats of the game, passed away today aged 79. Hidegkuti was a member of the great Hungarian team of the 50's. He's most famous for scoring a hat-trick against England in Hungary's legendary 6-3 victory at Wembley, ending England's long unbeaten home run against foreign teams. When asked about the match he said : "Neither the English nor any of the other teams we met seemed able to defend effectively against our tactical formation. If both Bozsik and I joined the attack, we had six strikers advancing, all capable of scoring goals. We used to joke with our defenders sometimes don't worry if you let one in, we'll score two." He was married with two sons. 10 FEBRUARY 2002 Serie A Post Match Comments Bologna vs Inter "We are writing an extraordinary tale this season. Nobody believed in us. The credit must go to these wonderful players that I have the honour to Coach. It's satisfying to deservedly beat such a strong team as Inter and we showed real character. Our objective for this season is to stay where we are until the end." - Francesco Guidolin "I did not field a new line-up. We don't need alternatives to get back to winning ways. At this point all we can do is sit and wait for Roma-Juventus. Let us hope it's a draw. The club and I were expecting Ronaldo today. If he does not return then we shall have to discuss what to do about this situation." Hector Cuper Milan vs Perugia "Unfortunately we really struggle on home soil. We tend to express ourselves better on our travels as with the last two trips to Lazio and Juventus. We are able to break the deadlock at the San Siro but cannot conserve continuity or pace. The injuries also forced us to change tactics at the last minute." Carlo Ancelotti "The refereeing decisions did not damage us. If anything they helped as the two red cards gave us the courage and determination to fight back. So for us this can be considered a positive refereeing experience. It may be a draw, but to Perugia it is worth as much as a win. The team wanted to get a result here and they did it." - Serse Cosmi Parma vs Lazio "We are playing better now because we are less stressed. A string of results brought calm and the players did the rest as in these conditions they can show what they are capable of. We must continue along this path as one defeat could send us back into the danger zone." - Gedeone Carmignani "We cannot go on like this, we need to shake things up. This team has lost sight of our pre-season objectives but we cannot just sit here waiting for it to end. We are mid-way between fourth place and the relegation zone but if we carry on like this I don't know what will happen." - Alberto Zaccheroni Venezia vs Fiorentina "We had recently not earned as many points as we deserved but today was a great performance with two excellent goals. Fiorentina pushed a bit more towards the end and we were slightly worried about that but the victory was deserved. Every Sunday is a play-off for us now. We must try to get as much as possible from every game." - Alfredo Magni "We were in trouble before this, you can imagine what the situation is like now. It's clear that from today our hopes of avoiding the drop are decreasing but we will fight until the bitter end." - Ottavio Bianchi Savicevic Laments Lack of Quality At Milan Former Milan legend Dejan 'Il Genio' Savicevic has criticised the current state of the team : "The Milan that I was in won everything and had 16 to 18 great players but now the situation is a bit different. There are still great players there but not enough of them to compete for the championship. The absence of players such as Maldini, Rui Costa and Inzaghi has weakened the squad. If you lose those players and Shevchenko doesn't score for a couple of games, the team loses ground in the championship. I want to see a more offensive Milan." "I think it is an error to exclude a player such as Pirlo, a fantastic player with such great technical ability," he said. "He is a natural substitute for Rui Costa, so why isn't he put on the field?" "For a decade we were ahead of Inter, but they spent 75% more than AC Milan and from an economic point of view, things change. Milan used to pay more than all the others but now other teams like Inter, Roma and Lazio spend a lot too. Milan are not as rich now." Serie A Due Banned World-Wide "Both Stam and Guardiola are suspended for all matches, including friendly games, for five and four months respectively starting from November 22, 2001." - FIFA's Disciplinary Committee Scolari Warns Ronaldo Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has urged Ronaldo to see the national team's doctor in Brazil : "Either he is taken care of by the Selecao Doctor Jose Luis Ronco and takes his recovery seriously or Ronaldo risks missing out on the tournament (World Cup). In Italy Ronaldo is bogged down by a thousand different meetings and obligations off the field. That damages his recovery, training schedule and even his weight. The idea would be to have the player in Brazil for 20 to 30 days under the observation of Dr. Runco. When Rivaldo was injured he was looked after by our staff until he was in perfect condition." Inter President Massimo Moratti was furious with Scolari's criticism : "This request is absurd and illogical. Scolari forgets that Ronaldo is a professional player and in the professional employ of Internazionale. He is open to offers about where he should or should not train." Champions League II UEFA have announced the following changes to the format of the UEFA Cup, to take effect from the start of the 2003-2004 season : 64 teams (currently there are 96) Champions League rejects i.e. those who finish third during the first group stages will not receive entry into the UEFA Cup Baggio's Career Over? Roberto Baggio is out for the rest of the season and will also miss the World Cup following reconstructive knee surgery on Monday. Baggio's agent, Vittorio Petrone, claims the player is contemplating retirement : "We were hoping that the injury would be less serious but now Roberto is thinking about leaving football." Nesta Hints At Leaving Lazio "It would be wrong for me to say that I will never leave because if I do I will look like a hypocrite. I'd like to stay, but nobody knows what the future has in store. Every year I listen to the rumours. Every year I hear that I'm definitely going to join AC Milan or that I've agreed terms with Real Madrid but in the I always stay at Lazio." - Alessandro Nesta Eriksson - I'm deeply disturbed! "I can categorically state that at no stage have I been involved in any negotiations with Manchester United. I'm deeply disturbed by suggestions to the contrary." - Sven-Goran Eriksson |