TOP 100 SOCCER SITES
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| Sunderland open to offers for Kenwyne Jones Aston Villa favourites to land striker with Manchester United and Liverpool also interested. telegraph.co.uk |
Backe takes New York Red Bulls by the horns • Former Notts County manager takes charge at MLS club• 'I hope I can build a winning squad' says new head coachThe former Notts County manager Hans Backe has been appointed head coach of New York Red Bulls, the Major League Soccer club announced today. Backe, 57, and a former assistant to fellow Swede Sven-Goran Eriksson, was in charge at Notts County for only seven weeks before stepping down from his post with the League Two club on 15 December.Before that he had been assistant manager to Eriksson, the Notts County director of football, at Manchester City and with the Mexico national team.Backe will replace another former Manchester City assistant coach, Colombian Juan Carlos Osorio, who was a member of Kevin Keegan's staff at Eastlands."I am extremely excited to join the Red Bulls," Backe said. "It is evident with the stadium and the resources available that Red Bull is very committed to making this club the best in Major League Soccer. I hope that I can bring my expertise to the club and build a winning squad for our supporters."New York Red BullsMajor League SoccerNotts Countyguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Togo's request to return to Cup of Nations turned down • Confederation confirms Togo will not be allowed back• Request from sports minister to return to Angola deniedTogo's request to play in the Africa Cup of Nations has been turned down by the tournament's organisers.Flags flew at half-mast in the west African nation today as the country began three days of national mourning. The squad flew home yesterday in the wake of Friday's gun attack, which killed three people; the side's assistant coach, its press officer and the Angolan bus driver.The country's sports minister had asked the Confederation of African Football to allow the team to take part after the mourning. But CAF, which initially wanted Togo to remain in Angola, has turned down the request and will officially disqualify the team tonight.Togo's prime minister Gilbert Huongbo has hit out at the organisers over their stance. "Management did not give us enough assurance," he said. "We would leave our team being exposed to similar risks. Therefore we decided to pull our team out of the competition against our will."We will have hoped that one can have serene discussion with the host country, with the Confederation, to assess what has happened, assess what one has to do. We received no co-operation from the Confederation in terms of any kind of assessment."Our analysis is that they want it [the shooting] to be seen as a non-event and the show must go on as planned; there mustn't be an official change and Togo is causing problems to the festival."But a CAF official told reporters that Togo had been warned that they would be thrown out of the tournament unless they honoured tonight's scheduled fixture against Ghana."Togo have not taken official steps to come back and play the African Nations Cup," the official said. "The referee has received the order to blow the starting whistle and if the Togolese players are not there, they will have lost the match and will be disqualified."Meanwhile, the heads of government of South Africa, Namibia, Congo-Brazzaville and Zambia expressed a message of solidarity and support for Angola after meeting with the Angolan president José Eduardo dos Santos this morning.The South African president, Jacob Zuma, was in Luanda to attend Sunday's opening ceremony, and while dismissing what he termed "Afro-pessimism" that failed to recognise the profound differences between African countries, he acknowledged South Africa would be seeking to learn security lessons form Angola before the World Cup, which begins in June.Antonio Nito, the provincial prosecutor, has described how Angola security forced searched the jungle area in Massiba, near where Friday's attack took place, before arresting two men suspected of belonging to FLEC, the separatist body that claimed responsibility for the ambush.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 |
Sam Allardyce: referee error cost Blackburn Carling Cup final place Blackburn manager points accusing finger at referee Martin Atkinson following failure to reach Carling Cup final. telegraph.co.uk |
Next games crucial for Arsenal's title credentials, says Arsène Wenger • 'If we win these games we have a big hope'• Liverpool comeback was a vital win, says Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger says Arsenal's next four matches represent the most intense and meaningful period of his Premier League career but, as the team prepare to kick off the sequence at Aston Villa tonight, the manager believes that they are set fair to make a grand statement about their title-winning chances.Arsenal will go on to play Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool in a spell which has been billed as make-or-break for their prospects of a first championship since 2003-04 and, having hit form and broken down a major psychological barrier with the come-from-behind victory at Anfield last month, Wenger is bullish. Since the 3-0 home defeat to Chelsea on 29 November, his team have taken 23 points from an available 27."I have never known a run of four league games as significant as these," he said. "I believe we are in a strong position [despite] having lost at Manchester City, at Manchester United and against Chelsea at home, so you cannot say it is a make-or-break because in this league, a lot can happen. But if we win these games, then we can really have a big hope. It is a great opportunity to send a message to the rest of the Premier League. We want to take it and I am very confident that we are in a good position."Wenger highlighted the importance of the 2-1 away win against Liverpool, when a 1-0 deficit was overhauled following some choice words from him at half-time. "It was a massive turning point and we've since come from behind in many games. It shows immense mental strength to come back. Before Liverpool, we had not won the big games. Even if we felt we should have won, we didn't and it was in the head of the players. But we did it at Liverpool, we beat Villa as well [at home, two weeks later] and we overcame something in our head."Wenger said "we know we can beat Villa and they know it as well, don't worry" and, ahead of the trip to a happy hunting ground – Arsenal have won five and drawn five of their previous 10 Villa Park fixtures – the Frenchman was cheered by news from his injury list. Nicklas Bendtner is expected to return to the subs' bench, having not played since 31 October because of groin trouble, and Wenger said this meant he would not sign a striker before the closure of the transfer window. Bendtner has scored only three goals this season but Wenger's faith in him is total.Samir Nasri, too, is also expected to be named as a substitute.ArsenalArsène WengerPremier LeagueDavid Hytnerguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |