TOP 100 SOCCER SITES
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| Udinese replaces coach Marino Udinese has fired coach Pasquale Marino after a disappointing run of results and hired Gianni De Biasi as replacement. cbc.ca |
Beckham will go to World Cup if fit, says Capello • 'If he plays well and is fit I will include him in my squad'• England coach expects Beckham to impress again for MilanThe England coach Fabio Capello has revealed David Beckham will definitely be in his World Cup squad if he remains fit during his loan spell at AC Milan.Beckham has returned to Milan until the end of the season in a bid to retain his England place and add to his 115 international caps - an England record for an outfield player. And Capello says that if the Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder impresses as much as he did during his first loan spell last year then he will be on the plane to South Africa."Of course, if he plays well and is fit I will include him in my squad," Capello told Gazzetta dello Sport. "I don't look at age, I pay attention to quality and David has a lot. He's serious, he's a great professional and he's crazy about the World Cup."Beckham moved on loan to Milan last season initially until March, but the former England captain impressed so much the deal was extended until the end of the season. Capello is confident Beckham will again be able to make an impact in Serie A. "He will again do good for Milan because he has the right head on his shoulders," said the Italian.Beckham arrived in Milan yesterday in time for the training today. The 34-year-old will hope to force his way into the squad for the Rossoneri's next match, a home game against Genoa on 6 January.Capello also commented on the appointment of Roberto Mancini and the predominance of Italian coaches in many of Europe's leading clubs."It's 'made in Italy'. I am happy for them, it's a good reason to be proud of our football. We bring ideas and a desire for new things, experiences. You have to adjust yourself abroad, understand where you are, what they want from you."I don't believe the choice is only down to money, but also to the desire for something new and to work in a different context."But the 63-year-old also admitted it would be difficult for him to return to his home country. "I feel happy in England," he continued. "The Premier League is the most interesting and fascinating league in the world. There are particular aromas. Full stadiums, safety, beauty."Take Newcastle: they were relegated and applauded. Now they are in the [Championship] and around 50,000 people go see them. Our climate – that is to say the Italian one – is different, resentful, nasty. We always make the same mistakes. We don't improve, we don't move forwards, we don't solve the problems. This makes me feel bad."David BeckhamFabio CapelloEnglandMilanWorld Cup 2010guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Togo withdraw from the Cup of Nations • Reserve-team goalkeeper understood to be among four killed• Players return home and call for teams to boycott tournamentTogo have withdrawn from the Africa Cup of Nations following the gun attack on the team bus that is understood to have killed one player, two staff members and the driver yesterday as it crossed the border from the Democratic Republic of Congo into the Angolan enclave of Cabinda.The Togo goalkeeper, Kossi Agassa, who plays for the French club Istres, told France-Info radio today that the Togo assistant coach Abalo Ametele and press officer Stan Ocloo had died as well as the driver, while the striker Jonathan Ayite confirmed that the reserve-team goalkeeper Kodjovi Obilale had died of his injuries but there is some confusion about his condition. Eight other people also suffered injuries in the ambush.It had been widely reported in the French media that Obilale had died but a statement from his club, the French team GSI Pontivy, read: "According to news given by coach Alain Le Dour and GSI Pontivy president Philippe Le Mestre, Kodjovi Obilale is not dead, despite the news reported on the internet, radio and television, and has been moved to South Africa."But the Togo forward Ayite told French radio station RMC: "He [Obilale] is dead and even if you bring the president and even [US president Barack] Obama himself, we're leaving immediately, we're going back home. Ghana and the Ivory Coast are in solidarity with us."The coach of Obilale's club - French amateur side Pontivy - Alain Le Dour added on L'Equipe: "We have been called to give us this news but we have not yet had it in an official manner. It is very difficult to have more precise information. Yesterday we didn't know where he took a bullet. We were told that he was successfully operated on and we talked about a transfer to South Africa. Officially we don't know any more."Togo's midfielder Alaixys Romao confirmed the players were at the airport waiting to return home, and were also encouraging other teams to pull out of the competition. "We're waiting for the plane to return to Lome," the Grenoble player told L'Equipe."We're also talking to the other teams in our group to try to convince them to boycott the competition too." Togo were due to kick off their campaign against Ghana on Monday.The Togo football federation's head of communication later suggested that the team had not withdrawn, however, claiming it would consult with the players before deciding whether to pull out. "We are going now to see and talk to the players and then make a decision whether or not we take part in the competition," said Messan Attelou.Manchester City confirmed their striker Emmanuel Adebayor - the Togo captain - was returning home. "He is on his way back from Angola but we are not sure exactly where his flight is headed," said City spokesman Simon Heggie. "The lines of communication between the club and Emmanuel have been open all day, we have spoken to his advisors and his girlfriend and he is coming home."Adebayor had earlier admitted in the aftermath of the attack that many of the squad's players wanted to go home. "I think a lot of players want to leave. I don't think they want to be at this tournament any more because they have seen their death already," he said. "Most of the players want to go back to their family. No one can sleep after what they have seen. They have seen one of their team-mates have a bullet in his body, who is crying, who is losing consciousness and everything."Organisers have so far insisted the tournament will go ahead though Togo's coach, Hubert Velud, claimed the authorities should seriously consider whether to call off the whole tournament, although the Angolan authorities maintain that their country is committed to hosting a secure competition and said they would step up security."We can at least pose ourselves that question," Velud said. "It's an act of barbarism while we are here to celebrate African football. We left the hospital a short time ago to come to the centre for the teams in the competition. We stayed in the hospital a long time so that we could be very united."In these situations you become a bit paranoid, you doubt everything. We don't feel that the authorities are taking this very seriously. I don't mean that they want to hush up the matter, but almost."Ivory Coast said they had no plans so far to quit the tournament. "For the moment, there is no decision to withdraw. It is a competition that has been planned by the Confederation of African Football and it will go ahead," said Anzouan Kacou, of the organising committee of the Ivorian Football Federation.Kacou said the organisers were speaking to teams due to play in Angola's Cabinda region – Togo, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Burkina Faso. He made his comments before news that two members of the Togo delegation had died from wounds suffered in yesterday's attack.Udinese confirmed they had asked for the return of their midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah, who is with the Ghana squad.A statement from the Serie A club read: "Primarily to the physical protection of our player Kwadwo Asamoah, Udinese Calcio has asked the Ghana Football Association and FIFA for the immediate return of our player."It should also be stressed that the overall situation - in itself very disturbing - is made even more dangerous for Ghana as they play in the same group of Togo and consequently in the places where this very grave and cowardly attack on the Togo athletes took place."The separatist group The Front for the Liberation of Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC), which were reported to have claimed responsibility for the attack, have now denied they carried it out.A statement from the group read: "Le Front de Liberation de l'Enclave du Cabinda deny all responsibility for the criminal attack which the Republic of Togo, here to participate in the 2010 African Nations cup, fell victim to."We vigorously condemn this barbaric act and repeat their commitment to strive for dialogue, reconciliation and peace in Cabinda."Le Front de Liberation de l'Enclave du Cabinda call on the Angolese authorities to make every effort to arrest and bring to justice the backers and creators of this insane act."We support the continuation of the 2010 African Nations Cup at Cabinda. To that end they urge the authorities of the Republic of Angola to take every necessary measure of security for the smooth running and success of this great continental event which brings together all Africans."We would like to express their support to the whole delegation of the Togo team and share their deep sadness."TogoAfrica Cup of Nationsguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Glazers open door to training-ground sale • Bond offer provides for lease-back of Carrington facility• Rising anger among fans after £20m taken out of clubThe ownership of Manchester United's Carrington training complex could be transferred to a holding company controlled by the Glazer family and leased back to the club, according to the prospectus Âcirculated to potential investors in a £500m refinancing scheme this week.The £500m bond and a new £75m credit facility, which will add to an overall debt pile of more than £700m, will be secured on the majority of property owned by Manchester United, including Old Trafford.But Carrington, the state of the art Âcomplex that opened in 2000 to replace Manchester United's old training ground The Cliff, is specifically exempted."The Carrington training ground will not be encumbered and may in due course be transferred to a holding company or affiliate of the Parent. In the latter event, we will be granted a lease in respect of the Carrington training ground," said the offer document in a section describing Manchester United's business and assets.• David Conn: The future looks bleak for United• 10 key questions about the debt at Old Trafford• The Glazer family's London operation• Tampa Bay Buccaneers grumble over Glazers' cutsThe club currently own the freehold on Carrington and the idea of one of the assets most readily associated with them being transferred to the Glazers' own holding company, and potentially sold, will cause further disquiet among fans concerned that money continues to flow out of Old Trafford despite consistent success on the pitch.The prospect of the club losing the training ground has disturbing echoes of Leeds United, who during their financial collapse were forced to sell their Thorp Arch training ground and lease it back.Covering 108 acres near the village from which it takes its name and dubbed "Fortress Carrington" by locals thanks to the high security fences that surround it, the complex contains 14 pitches of varying sizes as well as physiotherapy and rehabilitation areas, restaurants, conference rooms and a TV studio.Companies undertaking a bond issue are legally bound to list all kinds of potential risks attached to the offer, and the MU Finance plc prospectus contains warnings over everything from the potential impact of Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement to terrorist attacks and the danger of football becoming less popular.But here too it is made clear that the indenture covering the bond issue's notes "will limit our ability to sell or transfer, but not Âprohibit us from selling or transferring, our training ground or our stadium". If either is sold, it says it will enter into a long-term lease "to enable us to have substantially the same access to such property as we currently do".Representatives of fans' groups that have long opposed the Glazer takeover said that the detail contained in the offer document, including the revelation that the family had taken £22.9m in management fees and loans out of the club, would increase levels of discontent. "People are starting to connect the fact that they are asking us to stump up more in ticket prices and they're not investing in the squad and on top of that they are taking money out for themselves. That is going to make it difficult to get away with another rise," said Duncan Drasdo, chief executive of the Manchester United Supporters' Trust.The 322-page prospectus, the basis for a bond offer that most experts expect to be priced at around 9%, sets out in great detail the "high degree of risk" involved, together with the Glazers' strategy for continuing to maximise revenues.Results released this week showed that income from matchday operations, TV contracts and commercial activities continued to rise, contributing to an increase in turnover to £276.8m. But without a £80.7m profit from transfer activities, including the sale of Ronaldo to Real Madrid, the club would have made a substantial loss. It also reveals that United have already received almost half of a new £80m four-year shirt sponsorship deal with Aon upfront, despite it not beginning until next season. It prioritises the targeting of new sponsors in areas not traditionally associated with football as a means of generating further revenue growth.City sources expect the bond issue to succeed if it is priced and marketed correctly. But there were some dissenting voices yesterday, arguing that the yield from the bond should be closer to 9.5% given the company's profile and questioning the wisdom of investing in an unrated bond in such an uncertain sector."Most traditional high-yield investors won't touch this," Jonathan Moore, a high-yield analyst at Evolution Securities told Bloomberg yesterday. "It's unrated, so some investors can't take it, and there's a very busy new-issue calendar so there are plenty of alternatives. Most people just won't focus on something with far too much leverage, limited free cash flow and lumpy earnings."Manchester UnitedBusinessPremier LeagueOwen Gibsonguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Internazionale v Milan - live! Press refresh (or F5 if you must) for the latest updates or just turn them onto automatic to save yourself the bother. Then you will have time to email John at john.ashdown@guardian.co.uk and tell him why this isn't a patch on your local derbyJohn will be here from around 7.30pm. Until that time have a read of Amy Lawrence's piece on the fine job Leonardo is doing at Milan:To put Milan's appalling derby experience from earlier this season – a 4-0 thrashing inflicted in front of a home audience – into perspective, the only time they have lost to Internazionale by a bigger margin was in 1910. The experience symbolises a period when Milan were drowning in mediocrity.By the beginning of October, a lethargic start to the season dragged them to an intolerable 12th position in the table. Then they were embarrassed in the Champions League, losing at San Siro to FC Zurich. One newspaper headline summed up their plight evocatively enough: "A Milan to make you cry."But now, with the derby return looming on Sunday evening, Milan are all smiles. They have been so resourceful in their recovery they can almost touch the Serie A summit. If they can beat the champions, and the formbook suggests they have a reasonable chance, they will move to within three points of Inter with a game in hand. They are no longer just peering over the neighbour's fence to cast a nostalgic eye over the scudetto silverware, they are plotting to vault over and grab it.Continues here ...Serie AInternazionaleMilanEuropean footballJohn Ashdownguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |