8 March 2005
Champions League Post Match Comments
Milan vs Manchester United
"Our defensive work was perfect. Apart from when Giggs hit the post we didn't risk
anything at all at the back. It was really a great performance. We handled two very
difficult games very well and there was very little between the two teams. You
expect that, though, when you have a game between two of the best teams in
Europe. What really pleases me is that in both games we were able to play the way
we wanted to. That shows we know our strengths and can play to them. United
attacked us and left themselves quite open. They were strong, aggressive, though
their finishing could have been better. They could definitely have done more with
the chances they had. The way they played put a big strain on our midfield but
I think we deserved the win. We did it in the first leg and now we've done it in the
second." - Carlo Ancelotti
"If you look at the two games we had six good chances and we didn't take any of
them. I'm disappointed to go out but we've gone out to a very good team. We didn't
get the break we needed when Ryan hit the post. We needed to score the first goal.
That was the key to the whole contest, that was the chance and unfortunately
we didn't take it. If we had taken the first one it would have been a different game.
Our decision-making could have been better but you only get that through playing
and my players will get better. It was a hard game. Losing the goal at Old Trafford
was the killer for us. We had a great spirit tonight and it took a fantastic header
from Crespo to decide it." - Alex Ferguson
Chelsea vs Barcelona
"Collina helped Chelsea. Collina denied me a clear penalty and for the fourth goal
they fouled Victor Valdes. These things happen. Mourinho is a disgrace and in the
end they stuck to their plan. We were the only ones who wanted to play football.
That Chelsea have progressed is a disaster for football. If that team wins the
Champions League it would be a joke for this sport. With so much football and so
many players, what they do is not football." - Samuel Eto'o
"I'm ecstatic to be in the quarter-finals and happy we've beaten the best team in
the world at the moment - the press says. Getting to the quarter-finals is the most
important thing. I want Barcelona to win the Spanish League. If they'd knocked us
out tonight, I'd want Barcelona to win the European Champions League but the
personal thing in it for me is that I want to win. I'm paid to do my job, to win and
get results for Chelsea. That's the only thing that's personal. Losing I take personally.
Nothing else." - Jose Mourinho
"I always feel bitter after a defeat. I think that's logical. I feel bitter because we
didn't succeed and I feel bitter as well because it would be a great opportunity for
us to make a statement, to stay in line and behave correctly but maybe I feel a
little bit more bitter because of all of the lies that were told before this game, the
lies from the home game and the things that were created." - Frank Rijkaard
Lyon vs Bremen
"We have eliminated a very good side and I'm very proud of my guys. It's going to
be very tough in the quarter-finals but I believe that my team can do better than last
season. We were in the last eight and we won the (French league) title. We are in
the last eight again and we are chasing another title. I only hope that we will be
capable to do better." - Paul Le Guen
"We discovered that you don't have the luxury of missing chances against a top
European team like Lyon. Lyon have more Champions League experience than
us and they have already beaten a lot of good teams. We made too many mistakes."
Bremen sporting director Klaus Allofs
7 March 2005
Children Die at Stampede
Two children aged 12 and 13, died of head wounds after a stampede at a football
stadium in Madagascar. At least 25 people were injured as 40,000 tried to cram
inside the 21,500 seater Antananarivo municipal stadium for a match between
Ravinala and Kaizer Chiefs of South Africa. 8 of those injured are still being treated
in hospital while one remains in a coma.
Rijkaard Wise to Mourinho's Mind Games
Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard :
"He's (Mourinho) doing a terrific job. He's a very successful coach. He doesn't annoy
me, I think everyone has the right to say what he wants, and I think everyone has
the right to act the way he prefers. If it's his chosen form then I'm not the one to
complain about it. That's what's nice in the world of football, not everyone is alike
and has his own way of performing. He is getting very good results and he deserves
the credit for that."
"About the accusations (meeting with referee Anders Frisk at half time) they are
completely false and I don't want to speak about it anymore and I hope that the
federation (UEFA) will handle the case."
Mourinho Refutes UEFA Claims
"I didn't ask for Collina to referee the game, it's a shame that an organisation like
UEFA have misrepresented what I've said. I didn't ask for him, I recognise that
every manager and player would say he is the best referee in the world, because
he doesn't influence the result. If you'd have asked me who I wanted, I'd have
said Anders Frisk because maybe he would help us in the same way he helped
them." - Jose Mourinho
UEFA Warn Mourinho
"We appointed Collina but we didn't really appreciate Mourinho saying at the start
of the week that we had assured Chelsea Collina would be refereeing the game, it
is not true. It's not true at all. He was trying to put some undue pressure on us
because we had decided in a certain way to appoint Collina even before we
considered the incidents so it made it difficult for us to do so. If we do it sounds like
we are bowing to pressure from Mourinho, if we don't do it then we are being
influenced in appointing someone else when we wanted to appoint Collina. Frankly
we don't like coaches or anyone from a team telling us which referee we should
appoint. This is not within the fair play spirit we want in the game. Therefore we
like our referees committee to be independent and that's why we decided to appoint
Collina anyway. On this subject I think Mourinho should not start picking out which
referee he likes and doesn't like. This is not his job. Jose Mourinho is a great coach
and tremendous tactician and everyone recognises his great qualities. So I think we
all have to calm down now and make sure a different spirit shows in the game."
UEFA Spokesman William Gaillard
Barca Players Let Loose on Chelsea
"Personally speaking, this Chelsea is the worst European team that has played at
Camp Nou in this Champions League. They are worse than the Celtic side we played
in the first round. Mourinho arrived full of superiority but returned with his head
bowed. I sense that we put a real dent in his pride." - Carles Puyol
"All we need is one goal, then that will be it, we will have struck gold. That will be
enough to see us through and I intend to score it. It would be a massive revenge for
me after the way I was treated by Chelsea. I will make them pay for not buying me.
Mourinho will be forced to regret it. He should have realised I am better than so
many Chelsea players and he will pay a heavy price in being knocked out of the
Champions League." - Samuel Eto'o
Balic Announces Retirement
30 year old Elvir Balic has announced his retirement from football. John Toshack
signed Balic from Fenerbahce while coach of Real Madrid for €15 million. Balic was
a massive flop and transferred to Galatasaray. He's now at Konyaspor. Balic cited boredom for his decision.
Ronaldinho Dismisses English Challenge
"I'm sure that Barcelona will reach the quarter-finals. My predictions would be Real
Madrid, Bayern Munich or AC Milan and maybe Inter to challenge. I don't think any
of the English sides will do it."
Schafer Takes Charge at Al-Ahli
Former Cameron coach Winfried 'Winnie' Schafer have been appointed coach of
Al-Ahli of Dubai. He has signed a two year contract worth €189,000 per year.
6 March 2005
Wenger Looking to sign Stars
Arsene Wenger has hinted that he will look to bring big name stars to Highbury
next season instead of doing things on the cheap :
"I don't want to put players in front of young players who have shown great potential
this season. To put them backwards would be the killer of all the work we've done
this season. That's why I have to consider this very carefully and only bring in
players who will be real star players and bring something special."
5 March 2005
Mourinho's Peace Mission
Jose Mourinho has accepted an invitation to Israel by vice premier Shimon Peres
and will match mixed teams of Palestinian and Israeli children play football as part
of a peace initiative. In a column he writes for Dez, a supplement for Portuguese
sports daily Record he said :
"It is a different challenge, but one which I could not turn down. It will be my modest
contribution to the strengthening of ties of understanding and friendship between
these two people who, like me, desire a peaceful future."
Mourinho plans to travel to Israel later this month.
4 March 2005
Henry Calls for Tougher Action
"FIFA should look at this fine and make it a proper one. They must also tell the
Spanish FA to get real. To fine Aragones €3,000 is absolutely ridiculous. You really
have to look at the Spanish authorities and they must take a long hard look at
themselves. They obviously don't care about racism. There have been other times
when they have fined clubs a few hundred quid for racism. It is laughable. They fined
for the sake of it, not because they felt he said something wrong." - Thierry Henry
UEFA's Idle Threat
UEFA spokesman William Gaillard claims that clubs could be banned from European
Competition if found guilty of racist abuse. An idle claim in light of the pathetic so
called action they have taken in numerous cases to date :
"There is no limit to the actions that we will take. We are ready to exclude a team
from our UEFA run competitions if we have repeat offenders. We have to tell people
that it is not acceptable and will not be tolerated, end of story. In some cases it is
fine to use the carrot but if the stick is not behind it the carrot is not enough."
Gaillard tried to defend the actions of the Spanish FA who handed out a €3,000 to
Spanish national team coach Luis Aragones for his comments about Thierry Henry :
"I think the Spanish FA is gradually becoming aware that there is a problem and it
has to be tackled seriously. I think there was probably a consciousness gap. I think
football has been targeted by small extremist groups in Spain and some
organisational measures are needed. Clubs have realised they are going to be
penalised, not only will they be fined but they could lose points or their grounds
could be banned."
Nadal Retires
Former Barcelona and Spain defender Miguel Angel Nadal aka the butcher has
announced his retirement from football after struggling with injuries at Mallorca and
a failure to hold down a regular first team place. The tough tackling defender was a
key figure in Johan Cryuff's hugely successful Barcelona side of the early to mid
90's winning five La Liga titles and the European Cup in 1992.
Sacchi's Ridiculous Defence of Ronaldo
Responding to criticism over the form and weight of Ronaldo, Real Madrid director
Arrigo Sacchi said :
''Ronaldo is a fundamental player for Real Madrid. He is necessary for our game and
the coach always counts on his services. 'In the difficult moments, Ronaldo is a
player that gives more than 100%. Any team in the world would want him. For me,
that is in no doubt. 'Ronaldo is the best player in the world today. Not only in attack
but any position.''
Milan The Secret to Robben Recovery
The head of Milan's medical team, Jean Pierre Meersseman, has revealed that he
treated Dutch winger Arjen Robben for a foot injury that was expected to keep
him out of action until April :
"We were happy to help. Abramovich knows Galliani (Milan vice president) very well
and the Russians are also on good terms with our Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi.
It's unusual to help a rival but it comes down to sportsmanship. Competition is
important but so is sportsmanship."
Robben is back in training and due to make his return to first team action later this
month.
FA Cup & League Cup Proposals
As the FA Cup is now clearly of secondary importance to the greatest club competition
in the World i.e. the Champions League the big clubs will, eventually, start fielding
severely weakened squads due to the new year fixture congestion and increased
injury rate following the ridiculous winter program. I propose that :
The league cup final is played before the end of January and the unnecessary home
and away legs in the semi-finals are scrapped
All cup replays (FA Cup and League Cup) should be scrapped
Clubs outside the Premiership should have the option of playing ties at the ground of
their choice i.e. their own or their opponents
In the event of a tie ending in a draw after 90 minutes goals should count double
for non Premiership clubs regardless of whether they are playing home or away.
If there is no score after 90 minutes extra time and penalties would follow
Fury at FA Over Cup Changes
"I feel it is a shame that arguably the greatest cup competition in the world is being
changed around. You can understand some of the reasons but I think the FA Cup
needs to be protected. In recent times the format has been changed a little bit too
much and the importance of the Cup in this country has been weakened. There is
a danger that the significance of the competition may change and may well become
just a similar cup competition that is evident in other European leagues (it already
is)." - Blackburn coach Mark Hughes
"I am not convinced by this, I am not sure that it will help. I feel maybe the FA should
not have made such a decision on their own without asking the managers what they
wanted. There are certainly some clubs who will want the replays because of the
revenue - Sheffield United for example this week. Clubs do need the money from
replays." - Everton coach David Moyes
"Many supporters will regard this as yet another nail in the FA Cup's coffin and we
are seeing the FA Cup dying by a thousand cuts and many supporters regard that as
a great pity. The FA Cup is one of the great traditional features of the British game
and we are astonished the FA are so willing to keep making deleterious changes to
it which will eventually completely reduce its status."
Football Supporters Federation co-chairman Malcolm Clarke
FA Scrap Cup Replays
The FA have announced that next season (and next season only) clubs competing in
the UEFA Cup will not have to replay matches in the fifth round and quarter-finals
and clubs in the Champions League will not replay quarter-final ties. In the event of
a tie the matches will go onto extra time and penalties. The FA Cup will also be
played a week early, on May the 13th and the new Wembley stadium. The changes
are designed to help England ahead of the 2006 World Cup. Obviously sacking the
inept Sven Goran Eriksson would help most of all.
Man City Suffer Phillips Blow
Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips is facing upto two months on the
sidelines after injuring his knee during Monday's dramatic 2-3 victory over Norwich.
3 March 2005
Lazio 20 Days From Bankruptcy
"If the planned transaction does not go through by March 23 then Lazio are forced
to take the books to the bankruptcy tribunal and it would be the end of the club.
The State must make a choice – take the first instalment (of €170 million
outstanding in tax) now or never see that money again. The law exists and Lazio
are in the situation where they can request its application. We are not asking for any
favours or special treatment. We are merely asking for a law to be applied to our
situation. Lazio are floated on the stock market, so their shareholders must be
looked after. Failure to do so would cause disastrous consequences for public safety.
I'll fight in every court to save the Biancocelesti and I'm sure the fans will follow
me." - Lazio President Claudio Lotito
Lazio's debts were build up under previous owner Sergio Cragnotti who gave the
inept Sven Goran Eriksson an open chequebook to build a championship winning
team.
Kouba Retires
Former Czech international goalkeeper Petr 'butterfingers' Kouba has announced his
retirement. Most famous for helping the Czech Republic reach the 1996 European
Championship finals in England (and his dodgy handling) Kouba began his career
in 1992 with Sparta Prague. Following Euro 96 he had spells with Deportivo,
Kaiserslautern and Viktoria Zizkov before returning to Sparta in 2001.
In 1993 Kouba was named the Czech Republic's footballer of the year. His father,
Pavel Kouba, played in goal for the Czechoslovakia team that finished runners-up
to Brazil in the 1962 World Cup.
Chelsea Facing Disciplinary Action
UEFA spokesman :
"We have started a disciplinary case against Chelsea for the late arrival on to the
pitch from the dressing room for the second half and the non-appearance of the
coach at the post-match media conference. We have notified the club that the
matter will be dealt with on March 24 and they can submit a statement to us."
Bayern Extend Guerrero Contract
Bayern have given 21 year old Peruvian international striker Jose Paolo Guerrero a
two year contract extension tying him to the club until 2008.
Father of Dutch Football Dies
The father of Dutch football Rinus Michels has died at the age of 77 after undergoing
heart surgery.
Michels won two championships with Ajax as a player in the 1940s, scoring 121 goals
in 269 games.
As a coach he invented total football a system in which players would interchange
positions, pressed and played a highly technical, passing game. Michels lead Ajax
to four league titles and the European Cup between 1965 - 1971 and won the
Spanish championship with Barcelona in 1974 having signed his star player at Ajax,
Johan Cryuff, at the beginning of the season.
Michels coached Holland in the World Cup finals that summer. The legendary team
of Cryuff, Neeskens, Krol and Rep etc, etc enchanted the World with their total
football but were defeated by West Germany 2-1 in the World Cup final, despite
taking a first minute lead through a penalty.
14 years later Michels guided the next generation of Dutch superstars - the Milan trio
of Van Basten, Gullit, Rijkaard, dead ball specialist Koeman, midfield enforcer
Wouters and goalkeeper van Breukelen to the 1988 European Championship, their
only major international honour. Michels was named FIFA Coach of the century in
1999. Current Dutch national team coach Marco Van Basten, who scoring arguably
the greatest goal of all time in the 1988 European Championship final victory over
the Soviet Union, said :
"Michels was a man who had all the qualities of a top coach. He could motivate a
group and could at the right time ease the pressure because of his special humour
but he could, on the other hand, also be tough while at other times he showed his
warmth. It's not for nothing that he is the only coach who picked up a real prize
with the Oranje. As for me personally, it was a very special thing that Michels gave
me the license to be a coach in Holland."
2 March 2005
FA Hit Prutton With 10 Match Ban
Southampton's David Prutton has been hit an excessive ten game ban following his
fury at being red carded in a league match against Arsenal last week. Prutton
pushed referee Alan Wiley after receiving a second yellow for a shocking foul on
Robert Pires. Prutton has also been fined €8,700. Prutton will be eligible to return
in Southampton's last match of the season and the FA Cup final in the unlikely
event the Saints get that far. Prutton said :
"It is hefty but I put myself in that position and I accept it. It is something I need to
get on with."
Fury At Aragones' Fine
The Spanish FA's decision to fine professional racist and Spanish national team
coach Luis Aragones' €3,000 for calling Thierry Henry a 'black shit', was met with
dismay :
"It's a smack in the face to all organisations fighting racism. To fine Aragones
£2,000 is a little short of despicable. For him to pay out less than the price of a good
suit is laughable. He should have considered resigning. The size of the fine shows
the Spanish FA don't have a proper anti-racist policy." - PFA official Bobby Barnes.
Piara Powar, director of the 'Let's kick racism out of football' campaign, said :
"The fine is a big insult but we weren't expecting anything else. The Spanish FA
showed no urgency in dealing with this matter. They have no regard for racist
issues or doing the right thing to combat the problem. It shows someone can make
racist comments and get away with it."
Agent Claims Man United & Arsenal Interest in Proto
The agent of La Louviere goalkeeper Silvio Proto, Pietro Alatta, has claimed there
is a frenzy of interest in his client, who has a clause in his contract which allows
him to leave for €625,000 :
''Manchester United and Arsenal are fighting for him. Silvio is also the most wanted
player in Belgium. Almost all clubs in Italy love him. Roma, Fiorentina, Siena,
Vicenza, Genoa all want him. Palermo even made a bid for him but Proto prefers
a move to England. No problem. 'Manchester United and Arsenal have started a war
for him. Both have seen him several times and are very impressed."
Robson's Advice For Mourinho
Bobby Robson's comments about former pupil Jose Mourinho, who spent six years
with Robson at Barcelona and Porto :
"Jose is doing very well at the moment. He has got one pot, possibly two to follow,
a big game against Barcelona to come and I cannot see them losing their lead in
the Premiership. They are in a good position and I would expect them to go on and
win it, which is a wonderful achievement. What has occurred over the last couple
of weeks (losses against Newcastle and Barcelona and the League Cup final
against Liverpool) will stand him in very good stead for the future. If he is intelligent
he will take it on board and he is very intelligent. He will have learned more in the
last fortnight than the last eight months. Before that, it was all about winning."
Robben Rules Out Barca Return
"My recovery is going better than we expected a few weeks ago but I think the
Barcelona game will come too soon. It is not impossible that I will play against
Barcelona but it is just a very, very small chance, about 10%. I won't take any risks
and come back too soon." - Arjen Robben
Baros Looking Beyond Liverpool
"I think my time at the club is ticking down. I've nothing against Liverpool. I love
the fans and am proud of being able to play here. All I want is to play regularly.
If it's not going to be here, then I hope that I will get a good offer from elsewhere.
I stayed at Liverpool in the hope I would be playing more. After Owen left for Real
and Cisse got injured, it looked like I could begin making regular appearances in
the starting line-up but it seems they just don't regard me as a regular starter.
I need to play regularly, though, and not just waste my time on the bench."
Milan Baros
