31 May 2004

Ranieri Makes Way For Mourinho

In a surprise to absolutely no one Chelsea have announced that Claudio Ranieri is no longer coach,
paving the way for the imminent arrival of Jose Mourinho, coach of European Champions Porto.

An official statement read :

"Claudio has done a first-class job for the club and paved the way for future success. We would like to 
wish Claudio all the best for the future. We are discussing the exact terms of his departure with him
and his representatives."


30 May 2004

Kluivert Turns Down Boro

Dutch striker Patrick 'Kluivert, Kluivert, can we cross the road' Kluivert has rejected a move to
League Cup winners Middlesbrough. The striker, who was released on a free transfer by Barcelona,
said he would prefer to move to a 'big' London based club i.e. Arsenal or Chelsea. Arsenal are not
thought to be interested due to Kluivert's excessive wage demands and Chelsea are also unlikely
to make a move for a player who has consistently failed to deliver ever since making his name by
scoring the winning goal against Milan in the 1995 European Cup final.

South Korea's Gain Is Football's Loss

Bruno Metsu, the charismatic French coach who gained fame for leading Senegal to the World Cup
quarter-finals in 2002 has succeeded Portuguese coach Humberto Coelho as coach of South Korea.


29 May 2004

Saez Extends Spain Contract

Ianki Saez has extended his contract with the Spanish national team until 2006. Spain's problems
usually start after qualifying but this time the Spanish had to go through the play-offs, beating
Norway over 2 legs to make the finals.

Prandelli Takes Over At Roma

Cesare Prandelli, who guided debt ridden Parma to fifth place in this season's Serie A championship,
has replaced Capello as Roma coach. Ironically Prandelli was tipped to replace Lippi at Juventus.
Rumours are that Alberto Gilardino and Matteo Ferrari will join Prandelli at Roma.


28 May 2004

Giuly Out of Euro 2004

Monaco captain Ludovic Giuly is out of Euro 2004 after picking up a groin injury during Monaco's 3-0
loss to Porto in the European Cup final. Lyon striker Sidney Govou has been drafted in as a replacement.

Capello Blames Financial Problems For Juve Switch

New Juventus coach Fabio Capello has hinted that the loss of Samuel, Zebina and impending sale of
Emerson lead him to jump ship :

"The Directors, players and fans of Roma will remain among the fondest memories of my career. I also
wish to thank President Franco Sensi for giving me the opportunity to work with this great club but
circumstances pushed me to unexpectedly end this rapport."

Reaction To Capello's Departure

"We were betrayed by an evil man. His attitude cannot be tolerated, especially as he didn't even alert
the club to his decision." - Roma commentator Carlo Zampa

"I knew absolutely nothing of this however I stick by what I said before. I will only talk about my
situation at Roma after Euro 2004." - Francesco Totti

"The Roma players were shocked and the Juve stars extremely happy. There was talk of Didier
Deschamps and Cesare Prandelli but Juventus conned everyone." - Inter defender Fabio Cannavaro

"I didn’t expect him to even leave, even if I had an inkling that he might have decided to part company
with us after five years. We did have a basic agreement with the coach that he could move on if he
wanted to. It was his destination that really took us by surprise. Our next step is to build a
competitive squad, something we had planned regardless of who sat on the bench. Totti will stay and
he knows that our project would go ahead even without Capello. Of course Capello knows our project,
as we were working out our moves only a couple of days ago and nothing seemed amiss. In any case
I still have faith in people. The King is dead, long live the King." - Roma Director of Sport Franco Baldini


27 May 2004

Mourinho Ready To Accept Chelsea Offer

Jose Mourinho, coach of European Champions Porto, has confirmed that talks with Chelsea to replace
Claudio Ranieri are underway :

"I would really like to accept Chelsea's invitation. It will be decided in the next few days when I tell
Porto's management of my intentions but the two clubs have talked. One club had a serious
conversation with my agent and a small conversation with me. I have given my word to them and
I will not change my mind. My agent was involved in a few conversations. I want everything to be
done right. I will speak to the Porto president and I hope he respects my wish to leave. There is
one club I give my word to and one I would like to go to and this won't change even if I get other
situations because we have won the Champions League. We made history but I have to keep working
and try to get success in my next step. This is the best way to finish my career with Porto. In two
and a half years we have won everything. The club was sleeping a little bit two and a half years ago,
and it has woken up very, very well. I am very proud in what we did but the time to leave has
arrived."

Benitez Confirms Liverpool Approach

Coach of Spanish and UEFA Cup champions, Rafael Benitez, admits that 

"Liverpool is one of those clubs that any coach always dreams about being able to manage. I have
been at Anfield several times as a rival coach and the atmosphere is wonderful. They have spoken
to my agent Manuel Garcia Quilun to find out more about my situation. I am happy in Valencia and
I would only leave the club for a great European side and Liverpool are one of those." - Rafael Benitez

Shevchenko Extends Milan Contract

Andrei Shevchenko has signed a new contract with Milan tying him to the club until 2009.


26 May 2004

Owen Unsure of Liverpool Future

Michael Owen, who has one year left on his Liverpool contract, will await the appointment of a new
coach before deciding on his future :

"I am intrigued to see who the manager is, but also the whole package. I would love to see
improvement in the squad and I would love to see a good manager come in. Who knows what changes
the new manager will bring? The chairman is saying it may take a while to appoint a new manager
so I will just sit tight. I can't put a percentage chance on me signing a new contract but I am not trying
to strangle every last penny out of everyone. I just want to play in the best team.”

Magath Takes Over At Bayern

Stuttgart's Felix Magath has succeeded Ottmar Hitzfeld as Bayern Munich coach. Magath is unlikely to
raid his former club for talent having tied Hildebrand, Hleb and Kuranyi to long term contracts.


25 May 2004

Figo Blames Board For Real Failure

Luis Figo has leapt to the defense of former coach Carlos Queiroz with comments that suggest he
agrees with the commonly held view that the club paid the price for their lack of squad depth :

"The coach did everything possible to win with what he was given by the club. He did everything
he could and did it with the utmost professionalism and commitment."


24 May 2004

Sacked Houllier On the Defensive

Former Liverpool coach Gerard Houllier claims external pressures and not his failings as a coach were
to blame for his dismissal :

"I would have been extremely happy to carry on my job. I wanted to and intended to. The reason we
have agreed to part company is because of the sudden excessive pressure on the board and myself.
The pressure, I can cope with, but I thought it could have been harmful for the players in next season's
campaign. I thought it could jeopardise their performance and achievement and that's why we
agreed to come to this situation. I have always said the club comes first."

Houllier Sacked

Liverpool have sacked Gerrard Houllier after six years in charge. Chief executive Rick Parry said :

"The board decided change was necessary if we were to realistically challenge for the title next season."

Under Houllier Liverpool enjoyed tremendous success in 2001 winning the League Cup, FA Cup and
UEFA Cup before going on to defeat European Champions Bayern Munich to win the European Super
Cup. Despite this success Houllier was criticised for his team's defensive nature and failure to mount
a serious title challenge domestically. Houllier claimed he would win the Premiership with Liverpool
within 5 years of his appointment and in recent seasons claimed the club couldn't compete financially
with Manchester United (true) and Arsenal (nonsense) which prompted the Liverpool board to bring
out the cheque books only to see Houllier blow millions on the likes of Diouf, Diao and Cheyrou.


21 May 2004

Cameroon Get Their Six Points Back

As expected facing the threat of legal action from Puma, FIFA has overturned their decision to deduct
Cameroon six points from their World Cup qualifying group for wearing a 'one piece' kit during the
recent African Cup of Nations tournament, illegal under FIFA regulations. Puma's kit however was not
one piece but two items (shorts and shirt) sewn together. 

Cameroon's €130,000 fine still stands.

Samuel's Signing Signals A New Approach

Real Madrid's sporting director Jorge Valdano has said the signing of Walter Samuel signals a shift in
policy as the club have taken on board criticisms over their transfer strategy :

"Real Madrid and Samuel have reached an agreement in relation to the player's transfer that will come
into effect as of 1 July. The player has agreed to sign a contract with Real for five seasons. He brings
quality and maturity which will help our young players feel more comfortable and play better. He fills
an important need the team had and does so in style because he is one of the best defenders in the
world. From now on we are now going to construct a more balanced team. We'll have a stronger,
broader squad which will allow us to cope with all the competitions in which we are involved." 


14 May 2004

McClaren Back As Sven's Assistant

Steve McClaren has replaced Brian Kidd as assistant coach to Sven Goran Eriksson for the duration of
the Euro 2004 finals. Previous coach Brian Kidd underwent surgery for prostrate cancer.


12 May 2004

Fadiga Undergoes Heart Surgery

Inter's forgotten midfielder Khalilou Fadiga has finally undergone surgery six months after
doctors discovered he had a heart defect.


11 May 2004

Duo Battle For Stake In Liverpool

Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and local businessman, and lifelong Liverpool
supporter Steve Morgan are locked in a battle to buy a controlling stake in Liverpool from
chairman David Moores. 

Liverpool have rejected a £61 million bid from Moores. Shinawatra has made a similar bid.
Morgan has been very critical of the way the club has been run in recent seasons, several
players and coach Gerard Houllier.

Italian Football In New Match Fixing Scandal

Police have raided the headquarters of 12 Italian soccer clubs, four from Serie A, as part of
an investigation into match fixing by the Neapolitan Camorra crime organisation.
Thirteen people, including five players and a convicted Camorra mafia boss, were being
investigated. The four Serie A clubs involved in the claims are Chievo, Lecce, Reggina
and Siena. The other eight clubs are form Serie B and Serie C (Piacenza, Ascoli, Lumezzane,
Sassari, Taranto, Catanzaro, Crotone and Fermana). The players being investigated are
Ventola and D'Aversa of Siena, Generoso Rossi (ex Siena), Ambrosino (Grosseto) and
Onorato. 

FIFA Reject €2 Billion Offer For 2010 & 2014 World Cup

FIFA have rejected a €2.3 billion offer for the 2010 and 2014 World Cup from International Sports
and Entertainment. French marketing firm Publicis and Japanese advertising group Dentsu are the
major shareholders in the Zurich based group. The head of FIFA's marketing and television
division told English newspaper the Financial Times the offer was rejected because it included
a range of rights including advertising, marketing and corporate entertainment.

New Pay TV Deal Nets Juve €90 Million A Season

Juventus have signed a two year deal with Italian pay-TV operator Sky Italia (owned by the
monopolising b***ard Rupert Murdoch). The club will earn €90 million in pay TV fees for the
2005-2006 season and €94.5 million in the following season.


9 May 2004

Pancaro Out of Italy Squad

Milan defender Giuseppe Pancaro will miss next month's European Championships after undergoing
surgery on his achilles tendon. Pancaro picked up the injury in early April and having failed to
respond to treatment Milan's medical staff opted for surgery :

Jean Pierre Meersseman, chief of medical staff at the club, said :

"After talking to several specialists we came to the conclusion that an operation is the best solution.
It will however mean a long revalidation."


8 May 2004

Banned Steroid Cures Fish

Mark Fish has revealed how the use of banned steroid EPO helped him recover from a horrific
accident - he lost eight pints of bloody after crashing through a glass table at home.

"My pulse was down to 20 beats per minute at one stage and if I hadn't had the right people around
I could have easily lost more blood. My haemoglobin, or red-blood count, was down to 5.2 and usually
it's 14. The recovery could have been much longer because I wasn't keen on having a blood transfusion
so I was given special dispensation by The Football Association to use the steroid EPO to help increase
my red blood count. Another worry was that the doctors weren't sure if I would be able to get a
certain muscle in my shoulder back completely, but I had a scan about three weeks ago and everything
seems to be on track. So I'm back to full training now and I've recovered much quicker than expected.
I'm hoping to maybe play some part in the last game of the season."


7 May 2004

Mourinho Hints At Chelsea Switch

Jose Mourinho, coach of European Cup finalists Porto, has admitted he would be interested in coaching
the billionaires. Mourinho is strongly tipped to replace Claudio Ranieri at the end of the season :

"Chelsea are a great club so, of course, they interest me. Nothing has been signed or agreed yet and
we have to be professional. I am an ambitious man and I have taken Porto a long way. Now I am ready
for a new challenge. I have had several offers from England but it has to be the right one. Having
enjoyed my time in Porto, going to another club has to be the right choice."


6 May 2004

Stam's Agent Confirms Move To Milan

"At the end of this campaign Stam will leave Lazio. Next year he'll be playing for Milan. We have drawn
up an agreement for a two-year contract and only started talks with Milan after the two clubs had
reached their own understanding." - Henk van Ginkel


5 May 2004

Totti Calls For Reinforcements

"From what I understand, Emerson and Walter Samuel will be sold. They are two great players
and we need to replace them with individuals who are just as good. I would like to see Auxerre’s
Philippe Mexes brought into the defence. I hear great things about him. When it comes to
replacing Emerson then there is just one player – Edgar Davids of Barcelona. He would be ideal.
I also like the look of Marek Jankulovski for the left of midfield and in attack I’m thinking of
Christian Vieri. He would score 40 goals a season here."


4 May 2004

Roma Confirm Chelsea Approach For Samuel

Raul Oliveros, agent of Roma defender Walter Samuel have confirmed rumours that the player has been
approach by Chelsea "Chelsea's offer is huge and will be impossible for both the player and Roma to
refuse."

It is believed Chelsea have made a bid in the region of €37 million for Samuel.

Rui Jorge Suspended After Drug Test Failure

Portuguese international defender Rui Jorge has been suspended indefinitely pending investigation
after he tested positive for Pulmicort - a drug used to treat asthma.

Hitzfeld To Leave Bayern In The Summer

Ottmar Hitzfeld will leave Bayern Munich at the end of the season. During Hitzfeld's seven years in
charge the club have won the European Cup, four Bundesliga championships and two German cups.
Hitzfeld will have no shortage of job offers but is most likely to succeed Rudi Voller as coach of the
national team.