TOP 100 SOCCER SITES
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| City deny CEO lied to fans Manchester City officials insist they did not lie to their supporters over the approach to Roberto Mancini to become the Barclays Premier League club's manager. foxsports.com.au |
Aston Villa v Liverpool: Champions League remains target for Rafael Benítez Liverpool manager wants victory over Aston Villa tonight to help propel team towards Champions League qualification. telegraph.co.uk |
Arsène Wenger questions motivation for African recalls • Arsenal manager says he will not recall his African players• 'It wouldn't be fair,' he saysArsène Wenger has questioned his fellow Premier League managers's motivation for calling for their players to return from the Africa Cup of Nations over security concerns. The Arsenal manager will not be asking for his players Alex Song and Emmanuel EbouĂ© to return following Friday's attack on the Togo team bus which left three people dead.Togo, captained by the former Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor, were attacked just after the team had crossed the border from the Democratic Republic of Congo into the Angolan enclave of Cabinda.A host of Premier League clubs have players at the African continental championship and Hull's manager Phil Brown confirmed he wants his two players in Angola – Gabon's striker Daniel Cousin and Nigeria's midfielder Seyi Olofinjana – to come back to England.Chelsea have four players – Ivory Coast's Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou, Ghana's Michael Essien and Nigeria's John Mikel Obi – in Angola, while relegation battlers Portsmouth have several members of their squad at the competition.It is not yet clear what stance world governing body Fifa would take on the issue should individual federations allow their players to leave Angola and return to domestic competition.Wenger, though, feels any such decisions must be taken for the right reasons. "It wouldn't be fair, let's say that," said the Arsenal manager. "What is behind things like that? Is it a selfish motivation or is it a real issue over security? We, here, are not in the best position to judge the security of this competition."If you organise the European Championships and you have an incident like that – it can happen, and has happened already – you do not want all your players suddenly to move home. International competition is international competition."When you hear sometimes there's unrest in the suburbs of London, you still live well in London. When I speak to my friends in France, they ask me: 'Is a revolution happening in London?' It's the same in Paris. You immediately think it's a revolution everywhere. It's not always the case."You have to judge the place, whether the competition can go on or not, and I don't know [the intricacies]. I don't like this culture of fear, either. I hate that."Adebayor left Arsenal in the summer, and City have said they will give the Togo striker as long as he needs. Wenger added: "I think they will be touched, the boys who were on the bus. Of course, that will stay with them for a while."Arsène WengerArsenalAfrica 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 |
Killen: Mowbray transfer talk upset Celtic • Plans to bring in 10 new signings left players 'a bit confused'• New Zealand striker hopes to play more at MiddlesbroughTony Mowbray upset many of his players when he said he wanted to make 10 signings in the transfer window, the former Celtic player Chris Killen today claimed.The striker, who yesterday ended his two-and-a-half-year career at Parkhead by completing a move to Middlesbrough, said the manager's statement last year may have been designed to motivate his underperforming squad. But for bit-part player Killen, that was the moment when "the writing was on the wall" as far as his future was concerned."I think what he said did upset a lot of the players, if we're being honest about it. And, yes, the feeling at the training ground lately has been a bit confused," Killen told the Daily Record."But that's fine. We're all professional football players and we realise that this is what happens when a new man takes over. He comes in with his own ideas and his own plans for the club. He wants to bring his own men and that's his prerogative."Maybe he was trying to ruffle a few feathers by what he said. Maybe he was looking to get a positive response out of the guys who were there. Sometimes a manager needs to say certain things in order to get a reaction and maybe that's what he was trying to do. Did it backfire? Well, I wouldn't like to say."The New Zealand striker was one of four players to leave Parkhead yesterday, with Barry Robson and Willo Flood joining him at Middlesbrough and Gary Caldwell going to Wigan Athletic.Killen insisted he was reluctant to "throw in the towel" but added: "With the World Cup this summer, I knew I had to do something to get myself some game time and that's why I'm so delighted this opportunity has come up."Of course there is a concern that I might end up moving down here swapping one bench for another. I'd be lying if I said that thought hadn't crossed my mind. But I still think I'll have a better chance of playing football here than I would have had at Celtic."CelticScottish Premier LeagueMiddlesbroughTransfer windowguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Ronaldo faces suspension for elbow Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo will be suspended for at least one match after being sent off from Sunday's 2-0 victory over Malaga for an elbow smash that broke the nose of defender Patrick Mtiliga. cbc.ca |