::::::::::FOOTBALL NEWS:::::::::: Brazil great Ronaldo is ashamed the local organising committee have only delivered on 30 percent of what they promised. Issues and protests have marred the lead-up to the FIFA World Cup, which starts on June 12. Ronaldo, who is a member of the organising committee, said the nations people had been let down. Im ashamed for the Brazilian people who were expecting big investments and a great legacy for them, for us, he said. We promised to rebuild airports and improve transport and infrastructure. I am sorry for all the things we promised and have not completed. Former defender Christoph Metzelder is confident Germany can reach the semi-finals at the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Germany are one of the favourites to lift the World Cup trophy this year after being drawn against Portugal, Ghana and the United States in Group G. Metzelder, who earned 47 caps for Germany before he retired from international football in 2008, represented the national team at two World Cups in 2002 and 2006 as they reached the last four on both occasions. And the 33-year-old is tipping Joachim Lows men to at least replicate that feat in Brazil. I think Germany are always in with a chance, Metzelder told FIFA . Chile coach Jorge Sampaoli remains hopeful midfielder Arturo Vidal will prove his fitness for the FIFA World Cup. The Juventus midfielder underwent knee surgery on May 7, putting his World Cup campaign in doubt after a strong season with the Serie A champions. Sampaoli will wait until the FIFA deadline on June 2 to finalise his 23-man squad to face Spain, the Netherlands and Australia in Group B. Vidal, 27, is expected to be training again next week, according to Sampaoli. Today is an unknown, Sampaoli told a news conference on Thursday, a day before Chile face Egypt in an international friendly. Spain have been given a huge boost with Diego Costa and Jesus Navas likely to be fit for the FIFA World Cup. The availability of Atletico Madrid striker Costa (hamstring) has been a concern for the reigning world and European champions. But, just a day after saying he was unsure about Costa, Spain coach Vicente del Bosque was optimistic about the 25-year-olds chances of featuring in Brazil. Manchester City winger Navas (ankle) is also recovering well, with Spain set to face Bolivia in a friendly on Friday. It looks good for them (Costa and Navas), Del Bosque told a news conference. Honduras preparations for the FIFA World Cup took a blow on Thursday, as Turkey earned a 2-0 friendly win in Washington. Luis Suarezs men failed to break down an inexperienced Turkish outfit, who extended their winning streak to six matches courtesy of goals to Mevlut Erdinc and Caner Erkin. Parma are set to lose their Europa League place after their appeal for a UEFA licence was rejected on Thursday. The High Court upheld the ruling of the Italian Football Association (FIGC) not to grant Parma a licence due to tax problems. A brief statement said: The High Court of Sports Justice has rejected the appeal presented by Parma against the FIGC over the decision to refuse them a UEFA licence for the 2014-15 season. Torino look set to benefit after finishing seventh, taking Parmas place in the Europa League third qualifying round. Jordi Gomez has agreed a three-year deal with Premier League outfit Sunderland, the club announced on Thursday. The Spaniard will move to the Stadium of Light on July 1 upon the expiry of his contract at Championship side Wigan Athletic. Gomez, a youth product at Barcelona, moved to Catalan rivals Espanyol in 2007 and spent two years at Estadi Cornella-El Prat. Roberto Martinez brought Gomez to Britain when he signed him on a season-long loan for Swansea City in June 2008. Cameroon were handed a wake-up called ahead of the FIFA World Cup after succumbing to a 2-1 friendly defeat to Paraguay. Thursdays match in Austria was the first of three warm-up games for Volker Finkes men before the tournament in Brazil, which starts next month. However, Cameroon - who missed a late penalty - were left in no doubt as to the difficulty they will face in South America, as goals in each half from Oscar Romero and Roque Santa Cruz ensured victory for Victor Genes men With Finke yet to trim his squad down to the maximum size of 23, several players with limited experience were handed the opportunity to shine. Riccardo Montolivo is dreaming of reaching the FIFA World Cup final with Italy, but admits there are better sides in the competition. The likes of hosts Brazil, reigning champions Spain, Argentina and Germany are among the favourites for the tournament, which starts next month. However, it would be foolhardy to rule out four-time champions Italy, who often preserve their best performances for major tournaments - a point emphasised by their World Cup win in 2006 and run to the final of UEFA Euro 2012. Milan captain Montolivo is quietly confident of going far in Brazil, though he does feel there are other teams with more quality than Italy. Roy Hodgson believes managing England at the FIFA World Cup is the pinnacle of his career and is determined to succeed in Brazil. The 66-year-old replaced Fabio Capello in May 2012 after the Italian tendered his resignation, and Hodgson successfully guided England to the footballs showpiece tournament without losing a game. Hodgson - who managed Switzerland at the 1994 tournament - was in charge for Englands UEFA Euro 2012 campaign, but he feels leading his country at the World Cup will surpass that moment. Bacary Sagna has confirmed his intention to leave Arsenal. The France international right-backs future has been the subject of much speculation in recent months, as his Arsenal contract expires at the end of June. Sagna has been heavily linked with a switch to Premier League champions Manchester City, and the 31-year-old has now gone public with his desire to depart the Emirates Stadium. The former Auxerre man also indicated his next move will be announced sooner rather than later, as he wants his future to be resolved before the FIFA World Cup begins next month. Germany international Jerome Boateng says he would favour a central defensive role at the FIFA World Cup. The Bayern Munich defenders versatility has seen him play in a variety of positions at international level, but the 25-year-old feels his strongest position is at the heart of the back four. I want to play in the middle (central defender), he said. In the last two seasons with Bayern Munich I played central defender and in the last matches with the national team as well. I feel very comfortable with that. But if it is necessary I will play right or left, if the manager wants me to. That is the decision of the manager. Sam Allardyce hopes new signing Mauro Zarate can provide West Ham with something unique as they aim for a more expansive brand of football. The signing of the former Velez Sarsfield striker was confirmed on Wednesday, and represented the clubs first transfer deal of the off-season. Following a meeting with the board, Allardyce agreed to introduce a more attacking style of football at Upton Park, and the manager thinks that securing the signature of the 27-year-old could be the first step to achieving that. This signing is based on his record from being in Argentina, where he has scored the goals that he has scored because we are looking for some goals, he told the clubs official website. FIFA World Cup-winning Italy coach Marcello Lippi has visited the current crop of players before they head to this years event in Brazil. The 66-year-old led his nation to the title in 2006, claiming a 5-3 victory on penalties in a fiery final against France. Lippi left the position following that triumph, but returned to guide Italy to the finals in South Africa four years later. However, his second stint at the helm of the national side was not as fruitful as the first, as Italy crashed out in the group stage of the 2010 tournament. Lippi was subsequently replaced by Cesare Prandelli, who welcomed his predecessor to Coverciano for a training session on Thursday. Aaron Ramsey highlighted Arsenals defensive frailties away from home as the main reason they failed to win the Premier League last season. Arsene Wengers men got off to a fine start as they went in search of their first top-flight title since 2004, and were top for more than 100 days. They fell away in the second half of the season, however, and suffered heavy defeats at championship rivals Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea. Ramsey, who scored the winning goal in the 3-2 victory over Hull City in the FA Cup final to end the clubs nine-year trophy drought, pinpointed those below-par defensive displays as defining factors in their failing title challenge. Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has returned to training with the Germany squad. Neuer hurt his right shoulder in Bayern Munichs 2-0 DFB Pokal final win over Borussia Dortmund on May 17. Team manager Oliver Bierhoff said on Wednesday that Germany would be taking a cautious approach to his reintroduction, but it was confirmed by Bayern a day later that he had recommenced preparations for the FIFA World Cup finals. The 28-year-old took part in a running session with his team-mates, but is not likely to be in contention for Sundays friendly against Cameroon. Neuers Bayern team-mate Philipp Lahm also returned to training this week following a foot injury, while Bastian Schweinsteiger stepped up his comeback from a tendon problem. Udinese striker Antonio Di Natale appears to have called off his retirement plans after a meeting with president Giampaolo Pozzo. Di Natale announced in January that he would quit football at the end of the Serie A campaign after almost a decade with Udinese, but hinted that he was considering a U-turn earlier this month. The 36-year-old revealed he had since held talks over the direction of the club following Frencesco Guidolins move from head coach to technical supervisor and looks set to play on for another season. I am bound to Udine and to Udinese for another year by contract, he is quoted as telling the Corriere della Sera. Last Thursday I went into President Pozzo’s office and we talked about what to do. Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas insists Spain are not scared of Brazil as they prepare to defend their FIFA World Cup crown. The hosts have been installed as favourites to win the global showpiece for the first time since 2002 ahead of the upcoming tournament. Fabregas, though, believes Spain have nothing to fear despite losing 3-0 to the South American nation in the final of the FIFA Confederations Cup 12 months ago. I believe (championship wins) are vital, he said in a promotional video for Puma . In 2008, nobody believed in us and since then weve made a name for ourselves and weve become a competitive team that has won everything.
Posted on: Fri, 30 May 2014 06:40:29 +0000
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